Live, Alena (Luctus Academy)

Epilogue

Long time ago, I was an innocent princess who worried nothing but her people's safety. Till one day, I had to witness the gruesome death of my beloved parents that it forced me to become a vengeful queen. My fetish for vengeance led me to damnation. Unknowingly, I turned into Mesqueta's doom. I was a fiasco. The worst ruler. My abilities were my curse.

But amidst everything, there were these men who thought the world of me. There was a soldier who fought for me until the very end not because I was his queen, but because I was his family. There was my twin brother who I kinda feared because of our connected abilities, but at the end of the day, he was my twin and he would die first before he try to hurt me. And there was this man, who confused me in every way. The man who loved the beauty of the rose. The man who saw me as a rose, that despite the uncertainty of its thorns, he still dove to be able to embrace all of them. All of me. And then, there came a child who enlivened my grim dying heart. Who loved me wholeheartedly even when he had all the reasons to loathe me.

And that I couldn't understand. I couldn't just accept all of them knowing that I deserved to be thrown into an abyss. And so I left.

I left to punish myself. To penalize myself. To just get it all done. To finally call everything quits. But I realized that I was a fool to believe that it was possible to happen. So I locked myself in a cage of torment. I buried myself underneath the sea of Gehenna. And when I couldn't no more, that's when I finally opened my eyes and my ears. I gave myself the opportunity to see where my family was coming from, and to hear their hearts and souls. I listened. I realized that despite everything, they never left me. They gave me their worlds when I thought I lost mine. When I thought I killed mine. They gave me shelter. They gave me their hearts. They made themselves my home.

I had to admit that I was blessed beyond words to have them. It was never about what I deserved. It was about them, loving me with no conditions. And this time, it's time for me to return the favor. But I couldn't do that if I wouldn't forgive myself and all of the people who harmed me and my family. So I did. I gave myself a chance to live not for me, but for my family.

They begged me to just be selfish and be happy. They didn't know that I had been selfish for such a long time for thinking that death was all that I deserved, when it was nothing but an escape to the chaos that I brought. I had been selfish for always running away without considering what and who would I leave and hurt. When I died two times, those who loved me also died. And that made me hate death.

I quit my modeling career. I left the Philippines and went to somewhere really really far. Somewhere peaceful yet tormenting. I traveled all around the world finding, punishing and fixing myself all at the same time. For months, I tortured myself with my sensual ability. For the next months, I used my elemental abilities to heal the nature of this dying planet. For a year, I had used my abilities for something that would really drain and weaken me more and more as days go by. After another year, I tried to surrender all my abilities to AllFather but the chaos magic didn't cooperate.

"The chaos magic is the demon within yourself. You can never defeat it, but you can always live above it."

Words from AllFather that opened my eyes. After months of recovering, I finally decided to lock myself up in an empty white room and focused on the only ability that was left in me. I worked so hard to forget the curse, and just live with it until I become able to live above it. I worked on myself. I did my best to overcome all of it alone even when there were times that I almost had myself killed. I managed to fight because everyday I woke up with a picture of my family in my head, and that's what I was looking forward to for the past three years. I fought so I could live for them, live with them.

Now, I'm all healed. And this is the day that I'm finally reuniting with them. The day that I can start loving them with no more fear, regret and hatred devouring my soul.

"Hi." was all I could say the moment I saw my man. I've been longing for his presence since forever.

"Do I still have the spot?" I smiled despite his reaction. No, he had no reaction at all. His face was blank.

"Well, I will do everything to win you back so it doesn't really matter if—"

I smiled when I suddenly felt such familiar embrace. "How could I ever forget my queen? Is that even possible?"

"Did you miss me?"

He placed my hand on his chest. "Read me, wife." he uttered and I nodded. I closed my eyes.

"Tell me what you feel." said Prim while kissing my free hand. I opened my eyes and his smile fed my sight. I smiled as I drowned myself into his eyes.

"I just feel you."

— THE END —

Please support my new story entitled Tame Me, Pepper. Thank you! : )