A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 93

Chapter Ninety–Three 

...What the hell is this? 

I should be dead. I know I should be. I‘d received a lethal blow to my shoulder with silver. No one could survive that. 

And yet... 

And yet I couldn‘t help but notice that, if I were dead, then the Abyss smelled oddly like a hospital room. A new renovation they must have added since the last time I visited. 

Everywhere in my body ached, everywhere felt... cold. Except for one place. My hand. My right hand felt warm compared to the rest of me. 

So, if I‘m not dead... then what sort of intervention had Selene done this time? Was this the same year or had she brought me back to an earlier time? 

Honestly, it wouldn‘t surprise me if she had just sent me on my way without even telling me. After all, I did try to kill her the last time we met face to face. That probably didn‘t instil a desire to catch up and chat. 

Though how many times could she do that without completely destroying herself? I‘d seen the way Selene looked after reviving me the first time... she‘d basically faded into nothing from exhaustion. Knowing what I knew now, I was pretty certain that she‘d already used up whatever she could spare. 

But if I was alive… didn‘t that mean I could warn the others? Tell them everything I‘d learnt? 

And with that thought, all the past events suddenly started to swarm at me inside. The things Thea had told me, the fighting, the pain... all of it. The weight of the memories finally hit me and I felt my face wincing under its brutal reminder. 

Cold. My hand abruptly felt colder now. As if whatever had been warming it just disappeared. 

“Aria. Are you awake?” 

It was a voice I was familiar with. 

And my breathing caught in my throat, relief instantly flooding me. 

So, I really was alive... and he was here. 

Despite all my failures, I‘d somehow been given my final wish after all. 

I slowly opened my eyes and turned to see Aleric by my bedside. 

I‘d never seen a sweeter sight. 

Only, he looked tired. His black, wavy hair out of place, appearing the same way as when he was woken u p too early. Though, all things considered, that didn‘t really surprise me. He‘d probably been out leading the search for Thea for however long I‘d been in here 

...But that would mean I was still in my own present time, lessening the chance of Selene being involved. 

Which then still begged the question... 

“...How am I alive...?” | asked, my voice barely louder than a whisper. 

He didn‘t look surprised or taken aback by my question. A reaction that told me he probably knew just as well as I did that my survival shouldn‘t have been possible. 

“I guess you could call it a medical miracle,” he answered. “One that you can thank your old silver collar for.” 

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Chapter Ninety Three 

“My... collar?” I asked, frowning. Maybe I really was dead as that would have made more sense than what he‘d just said. 

“The doctors are pretty confused too but everyone seems to agree that the collar is the most likely cause of your survival,” he said, “They think that, because you were exposed to silver all day, every day, for such an extended period of time, your body built up a sort of… natural resistance to the poisoning effects. Trace amounts must have been entering your system via the irritation it left on your skin.” 

When Elder Luke had once said that the effects of prolonged silver exposure were unknown, I don‘t think anyone would have predicted this. This was... completely unheard of. 

“I‘m immune… to silver?” 

“Silver ‘poisoning‘,” he corrected. “And, no, not entirely. Just a better resistance. I guess it‘s sort of like when people regularly subject themselves to low doses of poison if they deal with venomous animals. Makes the effects not as bad should they ever get bitten.” 

“I don‘t...,” | started but wasn‘t sure what to say. I was so confused… but at the same time, none of this seemed possible even if it were true. “I saw the blood… there was so much of it. Too much to survive.” 

“Don’t remind me,” he said, his eyes narrowing from the memory. “Honestly, I‘d never felt so sick in my entire life before when I saw you just lying there, lifeless as your blood embellished the walls and floor.” 

He then paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “…But, that being said, you managed to start healing before it became irreversible. In fact, by the time I arrived with the others, you‘d already stopped most of the worst bleeding on your own.” 

get the handcuffs off then. Resistance or not, I wouldn‘t have been able to use my natural accelerated healing had I not taken extreme measures to remove

almost die, Aria...,” he said, a small crease forming between his brows.” Calling it a close call would be a gross understatement. Over the last few days, you‘ve undergone several surgeries

the wall, completely in shock over everything he

then.... 

of Tytus and Elder Nathaniel?‘

in my life. Somehow their barbaric approach at imprisoning me in silver, forcing me to suffer through the humiliation and burning for over a year, had become the very thing that had allowed me to live. If I still believed in divine

his breath, catching my attention to see he held a small smile. He

yet, I couldn‘t help but ache a little at seeing him do so; to see his

something like that.”

not

“... Not dead.” 

were perhaps beyond even Selene‘s interference. The chances of

to test how much it‘d healed. Unlike the rest of my injuries, the dislocation was probably the easiest to mend given no silver was involved. And, after

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to feel that it had basically completely

because there was a lot of

I remembered before I forgot. Especially when the information included theories of, not only how Thea‘s ability most likely worked, but also how to possibly counter

during our fight. It was the only reason I‘d been able to hide m y plan from her, the one to stall her for time. Otherwise I was sure she could have just meddled inside my head to find

more clues from just within a ten minute encounter alone than out

fact, if my theories were correct, it

if I focused enough, I could still feel that nagging bond inside that used to be the place I mistook for my ‘past self‘. I might have

I had survived... and she would be pissed.

of our battle, somehow I‘d managed to dig my claws in enough to live... and that very fact alone would be eating her

alarmed when I started to suddenly move. “You shouldn‘t do

bed but immediately hissed from the pain in my shoulder. I wanted to start work a s soon as possible. There was too much to do. Even if that just meant

up,” I huffed, grimacing

to do it whether he helped me

Only I swiftly realised my mistake as the contact made me recall the revelation I‘d had

one that made me painfully aware of just how close his body was as his arm

right now,

details I probably wouldn‘t have normally noticed. Things like his calm breathing, the

wondered if....

before he could even take a step, 1 quickly pinched at his shirt to pause him a

reaction I hadn‘t expected, finding myself reaching out for the comfort his presence gave me. Having

unable to meet his eyes

things I‘d wanted to say before dying. So much I thought I‘d never get the

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Cluple Nuitty Ihree 

to find out. I owed my life to him and more. A debt I

what i‘d done to him. To hear from him

was the dangerous, unpredictable

probably wrong of me, I wanted to know I hadn‘t

was all I said, unsure how to say the words I

evaporated, **‘ was what he‘d said to me not long ago. ‘*“Almost as though the world just completely

like to want to hate someone under its influence; to be trapped by the emotions the bond forces you to feel. I‘d often found it disgusting how it could make you

be wrong of

and it meant that, if I were to ask him for a straight answer right now, I‘d possibly be

.Broken.‘ 

...Insane.’ 

... Monster. 

as Thea‘s influence reared its ugly head inside me. A reminder to stop this chain of thoughts immediately before I

better since before but obviously not enough. I still had a long way to go

would need to wait until ! could process all the information I‘d gathered and work on countering what I could. It would be safer for everyone

“Aria?” 

think the drugs are wearing off,” I lied, letting him go.

to get up. I‘ll get

out. We both know

information could

little about what happened but it wasn‘t all that helpful,” he said, giving in to my request “There is only so much he remembers because he

first life, or about the lineages, or even Thea‘s involvement with Selene. The only thing he knew was that I‘d made Thea

“Much, much worse. Before now, Thea wasn‘t able to touch me; or any of us, for that matter,

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