Taranis clenched his fists by his sides, his jaw tightening. He closed his eyes as if weighing a heavy decision. When he opened them again, he seemed completely calm, his expressions relaxed, the storm of battle finally settling within him.
"I finally did it," Taranis sighed, turning around. "I should return while I can still maintain this form."
The wings at his back expanded and fluttered tremblingly, some of their feathers falling from the motion, drifting away into the void like dying embers. His body ached with exhaustion, every muscle screaming for rest, but the thought of home pulled him forward.
He moved through the vacuum at incredible speed, the stars of endless dark space turning into streaks of light, a blur of infinite cosmos rushing past him. Each swing of the wings took a toll on him, his strength fading, his body losing the brilliance of yin-yang, the dual glow dimming with every passing moment.
It took him over a couple of hours when the blue planet finally became visible to him. Earth hung in the void like a jewel of azure and green, a world he had fought to protect.
His body fumbled under the gravity of Earth as the feathers from his wings continued flowing out, reducing their density greatly. He was barely keeping himself in the sky, moving through the continents to reach his family. The wind howled past him as he descended, the familiar landscapes appearing below.
As he reached closer to the surface, it finally became visible. The island surrounded by endless blue ocean where his house was. The white walls of the mansion gleamed in the sunlight, the garden blooming with flowers of every colour.
At the frontyard of the house, Ume and Nymeria stood, their gaze fixed into the sky where Taranis hovered.
"Nymeria... Ume..." Taranis murmured, a warm smile forming on his face as he saw the relieved expression on his wives’ faces.
They had been waiting for him there for the past three days while he battled Doom in space. Now that he was here, it must mean that he had emerged victorious and altered his fate. The prophecy that had hung over him like a shadow was finally broken.
He was about to descend to the ground when suddenly Ume and Nymeria’s expressions changed, their relieved faces turning to those of horror. In the blink of an eye, the tails behind Ume unfurled, her divine energy flaring, while Nymeria’s hair glowed in ethereal radiance. Their lips parted, their feet only leaving the ground when—
SQUELCH!
Taranis’s eyes lowered to his chest. A purple claw was coming out of his chest, holding his heart. The organ pulsed weakly in the grip of the creature that had followed him home. Blood dripped from the wound, dark and thick, staining the air with the scent of iron.
"I told you... I cannot die until I kill you," Doom whispered in his ear from behind. It had appeared behind him through the Cosmic Corridor, shattering the reality, the wound in space sealing behind it.
"Taranis!!!!!" Ume and Nymeria screamed, colour completely lost from their faces as they rushed into the sky. Their voices were raw with terror, the sound of their world shattering in a single, brutal moment.
Doom pulled its arm out with the same brutality it had used to stab Taranis. The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the sky. The moment it did, the crimson heart of Taranis blasted, multiple chains of white and black energy erupting out from the heart.
The chains, with their sharp dagger like ends, shot at Doom, stabbing through its body from every direction. Its forehead, neck, chest, arms, abdomen, legs, fingers, toes, no part of its body was left movable. The chains pinned it completely in the sky.
"Last desperate strug—" Its words stopped mid-sentence, the wide smirk from its face vanishing as it realised the terrifying truth. It could not move. Hell, it could not even summon its powers. The strange chains had completely sealed its abilities, rendering the immortal being helpless.
Its single demonic eye shifted to Taranis, who was freely falling to the earth. On his face, he carried the smug smile of victory.
"Y-you baited me to kill you!" Doom roared, realising the cold truth. Its voice cracked with fury and disbelief. "How dare you trick m—"
Before it could finish its words, the edge of the chains opened a dark dimension behind it, a void of infinite emptiness. Doom tried to break free, but the chains did not even budge. The dark dimension spread forward, devouring it whole, pulling the creature into the abyss.
"You cannot keep me here forever. I will return..."
The dimension closed completely, vanishing the Doom along with the chains. A brilliant light followed afterwards, painting the faces of Nymeria and Ume white who had only reached the sky.
Once the brightness vanished, Taranis was revealed, freely falling, wearing a plain shirt and trousers, his expression strangely calm. The yin-yang transformation was cancelled, his body returned to normal.
They quickly arrived before him, confusion and terror never leaving their faces.
"Taranis, are you alright?" Ume asked, holding him by the arms, her fingers trembling against his skin.
"Was it an illusion just now?" Nymeria demanded, her lips shivering, her voice cracking with desperate hope.
"Nymeria... Ume..." Taranis called in a whisper, his hand gently resting on his wives’ cheeks, his touch warm despite the cold that was creeping into his body. "Let us eat the wedding cake together."
Nymeria’s one hand moved to her mouth, tears falling down from her eyes as she touched his chest from her other hand. Behind the shirt, there was no heart but a gaping hole remained in his chest.
Her breathing turned ragged, her chest rising and falling heavily as she murmured, "N-n-no no no no no. Not again. Not again. Not again."
Before she completely broke apart, Ume held her hand, her voice calm as she said, "Bring the cake."
"Sister Um—" She was about to snap but stopped mid-sentence seeing the tears falling from Ume’s cheeks.
---
Nymeria took out the cake they had been keeping fresh in the fridge using spells, while Ume and Taranis sat on the floor beside the sofa. It was a red velvet cake. At the top of it, three characters were drawn with cream. At the centre was Taranis, carrying a warm smile, his golden eyes half open. Nymeria was kissing his left cheek while Ume was doing the same on the right, a perfect tableau of love frozen in cream and sugar.
She placed the cake before them, three candles placed atop of it. They blew the candles together and took one slice each.
"Hmm, it is really good," Taranis exclaimed, taking a bite. "Ume, you really have a talent in cooking."
Nymeria and Ume had not taken a single bite. The plates in their hands kept shaking while they barely held back their tears. They did not want to waste this moment crying, while it was becoming all the more difficult to calm their heavily beating hearts.
Taranis released a sigh. He took a bite from his slice, grabbed Nymeria by the cheeks, and kissed her. The cake from his tongue entered her mouth. He did not waste the moment to do the same to Ume, sharing the sweetness one last time.
"How is it?" He asked as he parted lips from Ume.
"I-it is too sweet," she murmured, finally eating her slice.
As they finished the cake, they lay down on the floor. Taranis was at the middle, with his wives hugging him from either side, their bodies pressed against his, seeking his warmth.
With a flick of her finger, Ume closed the curtains, turning the house completely dark, shielding them from the world outside.
"Taranis..." Ume called.
"Hmm."
"Wh-what if you use the skill to transfer your consciousness back to Vyoman?" She asked in a hesitant tone, her voice barely above a whisper.
"All my powers are focused on keeping this body functional," Taranis explained, his tone calm, completely ignoring the unbearable agony he was suffering. "If I tried activating any other skill, I will instantly lose the fragile control."
The explanation only tightened Nymeria and Ume’s grip around his arms, their fingers digging into his skin as if they could hold him to this world through sheer will. For a moment, they did not say anything. Nymeria took a gulp and said, trying to sound warm despite the raging emotional storm inside her.
"Taranis..."
"Hmm."
"What should we name our baby?"
"Have you two thought of any names?" Taranis asked, his voice soft.
"We talked about it. We want you to name the baby," Ume revealed.
"If it is a boy, name him Stormir... if it is a girl, name her Luna," Taranis said, the warmth only increasing with every syllable. "Give the surname according to the attribute the child possesses."
"They are beautiful names," Nymeria replied, her hand tracing Taranis’s hair on his head in the darkness, her fingers memorizing every strand.
"Taranis..." Ume called again.
"Hmm."
"I love you."
"I love you too, Ume. You and Nymeria are my everything."
"Taranis..." Nymeria called.
"Hmm."
"I also love you."
"Haha~ I know, baby."
"Taranis..."
"..."
"T-Taranis..."
"..."
"Ang... ahn... Ta-Taranis... sob... sob..." Ume called, her voice turning more desperate, her cries filling the silence.
"Taranis!" Nymeria called, her tone loud and broken, a scream of pure anguish.
Taranis did not respond anymore no matter how desperately the two called. Soon their low whimpers turned into loud cries, echoing through the whole house. The petals that were blocking the sunlight from entering inside scattered away as Ume lost control over them, her concentration shattered.
As the sunlight entered inside, it lit up the hall, revealing the three gods. Nymeria and Ume were sitting at Taranis’s either side, bent forward and crying in loud broken tones, hugging him tightly, their tears soaking into his shirt.
While at the middle itself, Taranis lay peacefully, his auburn eyes half open staring into nothingness. His lips carried a faint smile, the expression that remained frozen when he took his last breath.
At the digital clock hanging on the wall behind them, the time was: 01:49pm of the 20th of February.
---
[The End of Volume 4: Doomsday!]
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter