ISHTAR'S EYES DARTED TO HIM IN SHOCK.
Demeter snarled. "His mother had no wings… but she was a goddamn angel."
Rhyssand's eyes snapped open, still regaining a sense of self. He had never heard his father speak with such emotion…such Love.
The hall exploded in murmurs.
Councilors looked at one another in shock, the foundations of truth crumbling around them.
Demeter's eyes met his son's, fierce and full of something Rhyssand hadn't seen in years—pride. "Yes, It is true." He turned toward the crowd now, his voice ringing through the chamber. "She blackmailed me. Took my son. Threatened to have me exposed if I did not give her my title, the throne, my power, everything. And I gave it to her, not realizing I had a son…she felt his connection to the throne. She knew… someone would come for him, and it had to be her." His voice dropped.
Ishtar waited with cold satisfaction. As Demeter approached, holding Rhyssand tightly, she smiled. "Good," she said, her voice dripping with triumph. "Now I don't have to pretend to like you enough to care about frivolous marital duties. Bring him to me. He will be my heir—"
He hesitated for a moment, the weight of Sarah's words heavy on his soul.
But he handed their son over, knowing he had sealed the child's fate.
And his.
Demeter looked at Rhys, his dimmed golden eyes filled with a rare sorrow. "I loved her. More than words could ever express… I thought I could protect you both by letting her go."
Rhyssand's fists clenched, "You sacrificed her—" his wings trembling with suppressed rage. "You abandoned her. You abandoned me."
"It was the only way," Demeter said.
Ishtar's eyes were wide open. "But how—"
He looked back at her. "Did you think I did not know about the spell in the wine? That you would erase my memory of that day?" From his robes, he drew a glowing crystal—violet and gold, pulsing faintly in his palm."I locked one single memory away in this. And I waited. I waited for this moment."
Ishtar's eyes widened in true fear for the first time. Ishtar's composure cracked. "You are a fool."
He pushed the blade a hair deeper into her skin. "Am I?"
Ishtar's lips curved into a bitter smile. "So what he loved her—she was going to die anyway—the stress from having brought the prince in this world, would have slowly drained her life force, day by day. The was no future for the love. She was a mortal!" Ishtar yelled out, "A fleeting distraction you found while wandering a cow farm."
"Enough!" Demeter roared, stepping forward.
Ishtar scoffed, her wings flaring. "What does it matter, Demeter! What would you have done, Abandon heaven for a milkmaid?!"
"You keep saying was have," Rhsyand said, still trying to process everything.
That made her pause.
"What did you do?" Demeter demanded
Artizea turned her piercing gaze to Ishtar, her expression cold and unrelenting. "You owe them the truth. You owe your court the truth."
The court murmured, celestial beings exchanging glances as curiosity and unease spread among them.
Ishtar sneered.
"Where is she?" Demeter demanded.
Rhys finally had the strength to stand tall. The tension in his body radiated like an aura, an unspoken storm brewing within him.
Ishtar, with her ever-arrogant smirk, broke the silence.
"You should thank me, Rhys. Without me, you would have been nothing, but Weak and forgotten—like her."
His shoulders tensed, and he turned slowly to face her. His molten gold eyes burned with fury.
"What was her name?"
His voice was quiet but thunderous, the demand cutting through the sanctity of the court like a blade.
Ishtar's expression faltered for a brief moment, but she quickly regained her composure, tossing her head back with a laugh.
"I fed you from my breast, gave you a purpose, gave you power! I am your true mother!" Her voice rose with each declaration, her divine form glowing with intensity.
Rhyssand took a step closer, his wings spreading slightly, their black feathers shimmering with restrained energy.
"What. Was. Her. Name?" he shouted, his voice shaking with raw, unfiltered rage.
The court erupted into murmurs, celestial beings casting uneasy glances at one another.
Ishtar narrowed her eyes, her smug facade cracking under the weight of his demand. "She's dust, Rhyssand! Ashes! Nothing!"
Rhys advanced another step, his voice a roar now. "What was her name!"
Before Ishtar could respond, Artizea stepped forward, her voice steady and clear, yet tinged with sorrow. "Sarah…"
The single word echoed through the court, silencing the murmurs and stopping Rhys in his tracks.
He turned his head sharply to Artizea, his expression one of stunned disbelief.
"Her name was Sarah," Artizea repeated, her eyes locked onto his. "She was kind and strong. She loved you, Rhys. She loved you more than any human could, in this world or any other."
His eyes filled with tears, but he refused to let them fall. His chest heaved as the weight of the truth bore down on him.
The name was unfamiliar yet felt like a missing piece sliding into place within his soul.
She giggled. "My little star, my first wish, my Son."
"All those months," she whispered to the infant, "and you dare to look exactly like your father."Her fingers brushed over his midnight black hair, her eyes red with exhaustion but filled with an unshakable love. "Not that it could be helped."
The child sneezed.
The hut was modest, a sanctuary she had created for herself and the child who now slept soundly in her arms.
The fire crackled low in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room as Sarah gently rocked the 4-month-old boy.
A sudden knock at the door made her freeze. Her heart raced, her instincts screaming danger.
Tightening her hold on the infant, she moved cautiously and peered outside.
A tall figure stood, his presence unmistakable.
"Demeter," she whispered, dread pooling in her stomach.
She stood in the doorway, her arms protectively wrapped around her son.
"Now you show up," she said, her voice trembling as she tried to keep it steady. "It is been weeks. after your marriage—"
His golden eyes softened as they met hers, but his voice was heavy with urgency. "She's demanded he be brought to her. To be christened before the realm and crowned….
"NO!"
"If I don't take him now, she will send her forces, and they will not stop until they have him and erase everything and everyone with any connection."
"You are not taking my son near that woman," Sarah said fiercely, stepping back. "I care not for what she knows or what she wants. He's my child!"
"He is not safe here, Sarah," Demeter said, his tone both gentle and resolute.
"He is safe with me!" Sarah pressed, "I've kept his wings hidden with the spell you taught me, just as we agreed. No one knows who he is, or what he is."
"It is not enough, I do not wish to do this," he said quietly. "But I have no choice."
"You always have a choice," She snapped, her voice breaking. "You are choosing fear over us. You choose everything! Over us !"
His fists clenched at his sides. "I am choosing his survival. Your survival—" He raised a hand. A gentle golden light enveloped her, rooting her in place. He watched her. She struggled against it, tears streaming down her face as he stepped forward and carefully took the infant from her arms.
"Demetrezth! Demeter!" Her sobs echoed in the quiet room, the sound piercing and raw. "You promised me! You promised you would protect us! You Swore…"
His voice broke as he whispered, "I know I failed you. And for that, you have my deepest sympathies—"
"He is our Son!"
"I know he is! That is why I will not fail him." With trembling hands, he stepped closer, gently reaching for Sarah's cheek."I am sorry. Lilly…"
Her cries filled with anguish as she resisted. "Please, Demeter, don't do this! Do not take him from me!"
Rhyssand, sensing his mother's despair, began to wail, his tiny fists clinging to her as if he, too, knew he was being torn from her love.
"Give me a moment," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Listen to me, Rhys," She said softly, her voice breaking. "You are so loved, my sweet boy. Never forget that, no matter where you go.
Her tears fell freely as she whispered, "I love you, always."
Demeter's tears streaming down his face, finally took the child from her grasp.
"Forgive me," he whispered, cradling his son as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Please…" Sarah begged hoarsely. "He needs his mother.
As Demeter turned to leave, Sarah's voice rose one final time, a broken whisper filled with venom and heartbreak. "You are no god of life, Demeter. But a coward who has cursed his son to a life of suffering—" She looked at him one last time, her gaze filled with a mixture of anger and despair. Her muffled sobs pierced the quiet, her cries echoing in his ears
Rhyssand stood frozen, his mind reeling from the revelation. His eyes darted between Ishtar and his father, searching for clarity, for answers.
"I am going to ask you one more time, Where is she, Ishtar?" Demeter asked.
She sneered. "I don't have to explain myself to a weakling consort like you!"
"I would have felt her spirit even when I was a child… There's only one reason for an empty thread." Rhyssand said."What did you do?"
Her son asked her a question.
"Mercy is what I did—" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom.
Demeter surged forward, his celestial power igniting as he lunged at Ishtar. Their clash sent shockwaves through the court, the very fabric of the realm trembling under their fury.
His hand trembled, his celestial aura flickering erratically. "I told you to leave her out of this!
"Do you know how many nights that woman's screams could be heard even from above the clouds? She leaned forward as far as her restraints allowed, her eyes gleaming with cruelty, "She wished to die one lantern rite…I answered her wish, because you would not! Even if she lived to be fifty, she would have made you vulnerable every year that passed. She was a liability! To you, to the realm! I did what had to be done for the greater good! As I always have!" she spat, her voice trembling not just with anger, "For I am your queen!"
"You promised me…" Demeter whispered, his voice cracking with grief. "Even after I helped you…"
The flashback came unbidden.
Ishtar towered over him, "You know what must be done, Demeter," she said, tracing a hand along his cheek. "Enkidu is Gilgamesh's greatest weapon. If the heavens are to prevail, you must remove him."
She leaned closer, her lips brushing against his ear. "Do this for me, and I will keep your secret safe—our son, born of that mortal woman, will be hidden from heaven's wrath. And I will stand beside you and back our son's claim."
His resolve wavered. For his son, for Sarah…he had no choice.
The memory shifted, darkening.
The divine being's glowing green eyes faded as he fell, his chains unraveling.
"Why?" Enkidu had whispered, his voice full of sorrow as he looked up at the angel of death. "You are better than this…"
Demeter had no answer.
"You promised." He staggered back from the memory, clutching his chest as if struck by an unseen force. His eyes burned with tears. "You… you lied to me," he said, his voice hollow at first. Then it grew, each word laced with fury. "You made me kill an innocent!" he shouted at Ishtar. "For what!"
Her face twisted in fury, surging to her full power. "You dare speak to me about that clay doll!"
"Worse! You killed—HER—" Demeter growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Ishtar, though powerful, stumbled under the weight of his fury, her spear barely deflecting his relentless strikes.
"She was nothing," she snapped.
"She was everything!" He bellowed, his blade glowing brighter, flames licking its edge. His strikes became heavier, each one infused with the pain of centuries of deception.
Her divine form flickered as his blade cut into her defenses. "I did what was necessary to ensure you both survived, and that boy—" she pointed to Rhyssand, "Belongs to me."
The court fell silent as Demeter took a step forward, his aura dark and crackling with suppressed energy.
"I was dangerous long before you ever crossed my path."
Ishtar's lips curled into a sneer. "Even so, you are nothing without me."
"No— without me, you are nothing." He said. You forget it was I who gave you my power? What was given can be taken back."
In an instant, He lunged at Ishtar, his power exploding outward in a torrent of dark energy. The two gods clashed, their auras colliding like titanic forces.
The air trembled under the weight of their battle, the very fabric of heaven threatened by their unleashed fury.
The two clashed again, their blows shaking the celestial realm.
Demeter summoned shards of black ice that spiraled toward Ishtar, forcing her to defend with a wall of golden flames. The heat was intense, but his fury was unyielding.
Artizea's gaze flicked between the two celestial beings."She's toying with him," she whispered, her voice low but firm.
"Along with everything else," Rhyssand muttered bitterly. His fists clenched at his sides, "That is her true nature. The goddess of Destruction. She gets off on it."
Ishtar's spear lunged forward, grazing Demeter's shoulder, but he retaliated with a wave of shadow that knocked her back, sending her crashing into one of the grand pillars of the court.
The structure trembled, cracks spidering across its surface.
"You have lost your leverage, Ishtar," Demeter said coldly, advancing on her.
Ishtar laughed, a sound that echoed like a mocking melody. Her eyes gleamed with malice as she stepped forward.
"Leverage? Oh, Dear husband, I never needed it."
At her words, chains erupted from the ground, glowing with a dark, pulsating energy—not the chains of heaven, but something older, something primal.
They snaked around Demeter's arms and legs, binding him in place. The court gasped as the air itself seemed to grow heavy.
"'Till death do us part,'" Ishtar said, her tone venomous as she tightened her grip on the chains. "Remember."
Demeter's aura surged as the chains loosened. His dark energy clashed with Ishtar's, the power struggle shaking the very foundations of the court.
"You won't win this," Ishtar snarled, tightening her grip on the chains.
Demeter strained against the chains, his aura darkening with every passing second. "It was never my intention to win."
Ishtar's eyes narrowed, her grip on her divine spear tightening.
"Just as long as you lose." His voice dripped with venom.
From the sidelines, Artizea grabbed Rhyssand's arm. "We have to help him," she demanded.
He hesitated, his jaw tightening as he stared at the chains. "This is not just about power. That contract is tied to his essence. Breaking it could kill him."
"We have to do something," she interrupted, her eyes blazing.
"We just need to break these chains," she said, motioning to Demeter.
"They're bound by divine will. Only someone with a connection to him can break them, right?" Tilting her head to Rhyssand.
Rhyssand watches the man whom he had known to be a distant ghost of a father.
Artizea placed a hand on his shoulder. "We only get one in this life."
Rhyssand contemplated every word, his eyes glowing with a new understanding.
As the two stepped forward, their combined auras flooded the chamber with a new, intense energy. Ishtar turned sharply, her expression twisting in fury as she saw her son standing next to the halfbreed. She laughed. "You think standing at the adult table makes you any less of a child? Go sit down and wait for mommy and daddy to finish their disagreement —"
"No," Rhyssand replied, stepping closer.
"No..?" She hissed.
Rhyssand's eyes burned at their full volume.
Artizea's gaze burned as she moved to stand beside him.
Ishtar's expression hardened, and with a gesture, she summoned a blade of pure divine energy, but Artizea met with her father's chains. The clash sends shock waves rippling through the chamber, splitting the marble floors. Ishtar's chains began to crack beneath the force of the king's, faint lines of light spreading like fractures across their surface. With a final surge of energy, the chains shattered, the fragments dissolving into light.
Ishtar grunted, "That damn beast… even death, he's still a throne in my side."
Rhyssand joined the fray, his wings flaring with renewed strength. The blast struck Ishtar, her divine aura flickering under the assault. She staggered, her grip on her spear loosening as she realized she was being overpowered.
Artizea stood tall, the divine lance glowing in her grasp, a fragment of her father's overwhelming power coursing through her veins. Across from her, Ishtar, radiant and defiant, unleashed a divine blast. A constellation of celestial light aimed to obliterate all in its path.
"Fin—" Rhyssand called out
With a flash of gold—Fin shrank mid-air, feathers spiraling around him until he became a tiny, furious sparrow. He dove straight into Ishtar's face, pecking viciously.
Ishtar shrieked, stumbling, her vision fracturing. "GET OFF—YOU—Pest—!" she snarled, blasting fin away.
"FIN!" Artizea screamed.
"I am the goddess of love and war! My beauty has toppled kingdoms; my wrath has shattered empires. What are youcompared to me?" She unleashed a torrent of starlight, hurtling toward Artizea with devastating force.
Artizea's eyes burned with rage as she said the long-awaited words. "When the stars fall and earth trembles …"
Ishtar's eyes widened with nostalgic horror.
"Born of wrath and fire, the vessel shall rise. Mortar of men bearing, Blood of the divine. Through my will…You will receive judgment! This is for Rhys—…" Her grip tightened on the lance flared brighter than a thousand suns. "This is for My Father! Let there be light!"
With a mighty swing, Artizea unleashes a vortex of creation and chaos, engulfing Ishtar. The heavens quake as the primordial energy tears through her divine aura, forcing her to her knees. With a final surge of power, she drove Ishtar back, her control over the chains faltering.
Rhyssand saw the opening. "Now, Dad!' Rhyssand yelled.
Demeter's head snapped up; it had been so long since he felt like a father, let alone be called such. He turned his gaze to Ishtar, his eyes filled with defiance. "I relinquish the title of Consort of Heaven and the throne."
Just then, a mounting of energy transferred to Rhyssand, and a shockwave of energy erupted from him as the chains shattered, dissolving into nothingness. The bond between them—the contract that had bound him to her —was broken, severing the last remnant of her control over him.
Ishtar staggered back, her divine aura flickering as the weight of her loss settled over her."No… you can't…"
Demeter's aura faded, his strength nearly gone, "I told you.' but his expression was one of calm resolve.
"Without me, you are nothing."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU FOOL—"
Artizea stood in the center of it all, her fiery crimson eyes dimmed with exhaustion, her body trembling from the energy she had expended. It was then she found the tiny sparrow, lying still—too still. "FIN!" she screamed.
Her body moved before thought existed. She stumbled, sliding on blood and rubble, dropping to her knees beside the small, broken creature. His wings were twisted. His chest unmoving. "No, no, no—Fin—" she whispered.
Rhyssand landed hard behind her. She lifted her gaze to him, desperate.
"You said you could bring something back… if you had the power of the throne. Can you do it?"
Rhyssand froze. "I—I am not exactly how …"
"Try." Her voice trembled but did not break. "Please, Rhys. Try."
Their eyes locked—hers burning with a fury born of love, his heavy with the fear of what the act might cost. Rhyssandlifted his bloody hand over the spirit's body. His voice dropped—soft, ancient, absolute. "Let there be life." Light ignited from his palm—pure, searing, celestial white. It surged over Fin's body, enveloping him in a cocoon of radiance.
"Fin?" she whispered. "Fin…?"
Nothing.
The sparrow did not stir. The light did not respond.
Rhyssand's hand shook. "I—I don't—understand."
A firm hand closed over his. "Let me." Demeter stood beside him, blood running down his face, his aura dimmed from battle—but his eyes steady, unwavering. He placed his large hand over his son's trembling one, pressing both palms gently over Fin's body. "Feel the command," he murmured. "Feel the soul. Do you hear it?"
Rhyssand shut his eyes. Silence swelled. Then a sound Badum Ba dum "I do…" he breathed, voice cracking. "I hear him…"
Demeter nodded once. "Then bring him back."
"How?" Rhyssand whispered.
Demeter leaned closer, "Simply ask."
Rhyssand reached out—not with power, but with something deeper. With his soul. Fin… will you come back? The cocoon of light tightened once more. A warmth surged beneath their hands. And then a soft, shuddering chirp broke through the silence.
Artizea gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as the tiny sparrow stirred, his feathers glowing faintly with reborn life. "Fin!" she whispered, voice splintering.
The little bird blinked at her—and chirped again. "Your highness."
Rhyssand's shoulders collapsed in relief.
Fin stirred. Feathers shimmered, reforming—gold, bronze, silver—before settling into their familiar pattern.
Artizea gasped. "You're even more shiny than you used to be," she whispered, scooping him gently into her arms.
"Must be the afterglow," Fin remarked, then tucked himself beneath her chin.
"You scared me," she whispered. "Don't ever do that again."
Behind her, Rhyssand bowed his head—not in exhaustion.
Ishtar's wings flared at the sight, her eyes burning with fury as she reached a breaking point. "You will regret this!"
She raised her hand to summon the last of her energy into her spear. Her target shifted from Demeter to Artizea, who was weakened and vulnerable from the battle. Rhyssand's heart dropped as he saw the attack forming. The crackling bolt swirled with unimaginable power, aimed directly at the exhausted Crown Princess. Artizea's knees buckled. She tried to move, to summon enough strength to dodge, but her body would not obey. She had demanded a birthright she could not maintain. If only she could have mastered and carried within her the strength of a thousand kings. Like her father.
"Tizea!" Rhyssand surged forward, but with the distance, he would not make it.
In that instant, Demeter's eyes locked onto the bolt and then onto Artizea. Without hesitation, with the last of his divine energy, he turned her faster than anyone could react. Time seemed to slow. She looked up, her vision blurry, as Demeter appeared before her, his form shielding her completely.
"No!" Rhyssand screamed, his voice breaking as the bolt struck.
Ishtar gasped, "Demeter…"
The shard protruded from Demeter's chest, its jagged tip still aimed directly at her heart… the strike that should have killed her. He had taken it instead. When he wrenched the shard free, a wet gasp tore from his throat. But the poison—Ishtar's cursed venom had already woven itself through his veins, darkening the golden glow beneath his skin.
Artizea gasped, reaching for him, scrambling to her feet despite her exhaustion, but it was Rhyssand who caught him as he fell.
Demeter's gaze softened as he looked at her with warmth. He managed a faint smile, his gaze meeting hers, then flicked to Rhyssand.
Rhyssand grabbed his father's shoulders as if he could hold him together through sheer will. "Tell me what to do!" he shouted, his voice trembling. "Tell me how to—"
"No." Demeter's hand trembled as he reached up to touch Rhyssand's face.
"Why…"
"I had to, son. Because she means… Everything to you. And you…" He muttered, his voice weak but steady. "You mean everything to me." He sighed, catching his breath. "It was me…" he rasped, his hand twitching slightly in memory. "I was the one who stopped the link that day, knowing the price I would one day pay."
Artizea's breath caught. "What?" she whispered, stunned.
Demeter smiled faintly, the corners of his lips trembling. "At first… I paid no attention to Ishtar's schemes. I kept my distance. I even thought, perhaps, she had a point. I told myself it was no longer my war." His eyes turned toward Artizea, hazy but clear enough to hold meaning. "But then… I saw you. Lying there—helpless. Trapped in the body of a beast for days. I heard the cries… the pain… from your parents, your siblings." His voice cracked. "I thought to myself, what if she were my daughter? Would I have stood by? Would I have let her rot in chains until her soul crumbled under the weight of prophecy? I was born to the King of the gods, the next god of life and justice…" He reached a trembling hand toward her, and without hesitation, Artizea took it, her grip gentle but strong.
"So I did it," he whispered. "With what little divine authority I still possessed… I stopped the link. I held nothing against you. I never did. You were just a child…Like my son."
Tears welled in Artizea's eyes, but she blinked them away.
"I have nothing but respect," Demeter continued. "For you. For your family—especially your father." He turned his head, weakly, to look at Rhyssand. Then, back to Artizea. He clasped her hand tighter, with all the strength he could muster. "—I ask of you this, Promise me... That you will be his family, you are all he has now."
Rhyssand's eyes filled with tears, his jaw tightening as he struggled to speak. "I did not want this. I did not wish for you to leave."
Demeter's gaze softened further, his voice quieter now. "I know I failed you. In so many ways. But I… I loved you, Rhys. Always, and your mother did too. My only regret was taking you from her…before you had a chance to love her too," he grunted in pain, "You… take care of her. Do you hear me? break the cycle."
"Stop…" his tears falling freely. "Dad– don't leave me."
Demeter's smile returned, faint but genuine. "Your mother was wrong, you have her nose."
Rhyssand and gave a breathless chuckle…
"This is balance. It is your job now to uphold it." Demeter looked at Artizea one last time. She nodded, her eyes filled with grief. He closed his eyes. "And tell that bitch…It was highland cattle…" he chuckled weakly, "Till death do us part, right?" he murmured, his voice heavy with meaning, not even gracing his former wife a glance ."Then let it be so.", his voice coldly. With a final sigh, he said, " I… kept my promise," he murmured. His eyes flickered to the stars. "Lilly." As his form dissolved into golden light. The particles rose into the air, scattering like stars as the heavens seemed to grow quieter.
Rhyssand remained kneeling, his head bowed as his father's final words echoed in his mind.
Ishtar stood frozen in shock, her power diminished, her once-imposing form now battered and weakened.
Without the contract, without the king's power, she was no longer the queen. She was in a high-ranking angle again.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Artizea rose to her feet, her exhaustion replaced by a steady resolve as she turned to face the woman who had her claws so deep in everyone dear to her.
The court fell silent, the weight of Their True King's sacrifice settling heavily over everyone.
Even Ishtar seemed stunned, her fury momentarily tempered by disbelief.
The council finally stepped forward, their voices grim and unified. "Ishtar, you have killed not only your consort but a member of this council. Your actions have shattered the laws of heaven." One of the council members raised a hand, divine energy coalescing into a weapon of judgment. "For your crimes, you are sentenced to death."
Before the sentence could be carried out, Artizea stood, her eyes blazing with newfound authority. "No."
The council hesitated, their gazes turning to her. "Crown Princess, this is not your—"
"Enough," she said firmly, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. She turned to Ishtar, her expression unyielding. "You have all taken enough from him," she said, her voice calm but filled with unyielding strength. "What right to any of you cowards to step in now?"
Summoning her regained strength, her father's Chains surged forward once again, wrapping around the goddess with unrelenting force.
Earning a yelp.
The divine chains glowed with a golden light, consuming Ishtar's power and binding her not to the will of the heavens.
But the will of a human.
Ishtar screamed, her celestial form struggling against the chains, but they only tightened, dragging her to her knees.
Artizea stepped closer, her eyes blazing. "For all you have done, for all you have hurt– you will answer for your sins."
"You call yourself a goddess? You are nothing but an incubus, feeding off the suffering of others!"
"You are the carbon copy of your father, but remember, as a ruler, sometimes
Blood Must Not Have Blood."
Her eyes locked on the fallen goddess. "But killing you won't undo what's been done."
The air grew colder as a dark, foreboding energy filled the chamber. The ground beneath Ishtar cracked, revealing the shadowy depths of the Underworld.
Artizea's voice was low and venomous. "These chains' true purpose was to hold gods; they will do just that today. As they'll deliver you to Ereshkigal, the sister you betrayed, the sister you stole death's touch from."
Ishtar's eyes widened with terror at the mention of her sister's name.
"You can't!" she screamed, struggling against the chains. "You don't know what you are doing! You don't—"
"I do," Artizea interrupted coldly. Her gaze was unyielding as she tightened her grip on the chains, sealing Ishtar's Fate.
Her screams for her son were cut off as the chains dragged her into the abyss. The last thing she saw was Artizea's cold, victorious gaze.
"Enjoy eternity, Ishtar," Artizea said, her voice like ice.
Rhyssand exhaled shakily, his wings folding behind him as he stepped back. He glanced at Artizea, gratitude flickering in his molten eyes. "Thank you," he whispered, the words carrying a depth of emotion that needed no further explanation.
The angels, still stunned, began to murmur among themselves.
"My prince, do you accept the title of king?" the herald called.
Rhyssand did not answer them. Instead, he turned. Before the gathered Celestial Council, before the court, before the realm—he strode to Artizea.
And knelt.
A ripple of whispers broke out across the high chamber.
Rhyssand's voice rang clear, unshaken:
"This woman is here to pass judgment on this realm. Her name is engraved in the heavens themselves."
He glanced toward the assembled lords and council. His voice sharpened—less a statement, more a command:
"If I were you… I would be on your knees as well."
And the High Councilor—hesitated only a second—then sank to one knee.
Slowly, they began to bow. One by one, the council members knelt before her, acknowledging her authority. Even those who had once doubted her could no longer deny her strength and resolve.
Still kneeling, Rhyssand continued:
"I bear the sins committed against the Great Mother—and I also bear a greater one: a sin of deception, of anger, and of injustice toward you." He looked up, voice low but firm. "Yet I ask… whatever fate is to become of me—let it not fall upon the innocent people I would rule. If you permit me this crown… let me restore what has been broken."
Artizea's gaze swept the kneeling room. Then her voice rose, strong: "Then so be it. The punishment of the Seven Sinners shall be no longer the celestial's weight to bear. And peace shall be restored."
A pause.
Her eyes softened. "And for your sin… for your atonement, I ask only this—help me find a way to heal my father. Free him from the curse that clings to him still."
Rhyssand followed her gaze and gently took her hand. "I can undo it," he said softly.
Artizea's eyes widened slightly as she looked at him. "You can?"
Rhyssand nodded. "I can heal him. Completely."
The council stood, their attention shifting to Rhyssand. As the mantle of power had now passed to him.
"And so I ask again, Rhyssand Rimat," one of the elders intoned, their voice solemn. "As the successor of the king, do you accept the title of King of Heaven?"
He glanced at Artizea, his golden eyes reflecting both determination and uncertainty. She gave him a small nod, her hand brushing against his.
"I accept," he said, his voice resonating with authority.
As the crown of heaven descended upon his head, the court erupted in a symphony of light.
The new era had begun, one forged not by fear but by the unity and sacrifice of those who had fought for it.
His gaze swept over the court, his voice steady and commanding. "Heaven cannot be ruled by lies any longer."
"ALL HAIL THE KING," They said in unity.
The warmth of the moment lingered briefly, but reality soon crept back in.
Artizea's smile faded as her gaze turned to her father, still unconscious in the adjoining chamber, the aftermath of Ishtar's poison draining the once-mighty king of his strength.