Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos-Chapter 34 - A Battle Within

Olivia felt herself sinking deeper into the abyss, her body numb, her mind drifting. She could no longer hear the crackling of the flames, nor feel the tremors beneath her. Only the faint sensation of warmth remained. Her hands on Little White tightened around him.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.

Her body felt light, floating between consciousness and oblivion. Then, a sound... no, a voice suddenly echoed in her head.

"You are not meant to die here, Olivia." A soft calm voice said.

A golden glow flickered within the void, expanding and pulsing with ancient power. Olivia tried to move, but her body would not respond. Instead, she felt herself being drawn toward the light, her surroundings shifting. The suffocating darkness receded, replaced by an endless sky, swirling with golden and crimson hues. Beneath her, the ground shimmered like liquid gold, reflecting the heavens above.

This was not the wasteland. It was her sea of consciousness. She looked around her in confusion , but couldn't find where the voice was coming from.' Why am I here? And why does it always change form?'

" Olivia." Eritrea's calm voice called out.

Olivia looked at her with a gaze that held a tinge of relief or maybe hope.

" You are dying." Her calm, emotionless voice remarked.

" I know." Olivia casually said, her eyes losing the will to fight. She walked to the fallen trunk, she sat on it, her legs crossed. It was a good thing she didn't feel any pain in here. She thought inwardly.

" Don't you want to survive? I thought you always wanted to become stronger, what happened?" Eritrea asked with an arched brow, slightly taken back for careless demeanour. She had known her to have a strong spirit, if she didn't, she wouldn't be considered as a flame bearer.

" I'm just tired, I want to rest I guess." Olivia replied nonchalantly, but deep down she felt a tug in her chest. Something stirred in protest within her, but she shoved the feeling down, burying it deeper into the corner of her mind.

" I'm afraid I can't let you die, your mission hasn't been fulfilled yet. You must live for the greater good." Eritrea encouraged, and she walked closer to her. Her hand resting on Olivia's shoulder. As if to comfort her.

Olivia stared at her hand resting on her shoulders before glancing away. " The sacred flame lies beneath the fire." Eritrea hesitantly said. " You are a step closer to finding your real self." She added.

' The sacred flame is here? Should I be happy about that? No... I can't take it, I am already back to level 1, I have no strength to take it.' She thought inwardly, her lips pressed into a thin line, at the impossibility of the task.

She turned towards her. " It is not up to you to decide whether I die or not, I'm already good as useless, what is the point of struggling? I don't want to find the sacred flame anymore." She said, her voice cold and tired, lacking any willingness to live. Her eyes become more distant and emotionless.

Eritrea shot a glare at her. " Like I said earlier it is not up to you to decide, you are too important to die now, you have a lot of things to do, to accomplish." She said, almost yelling. She wanted to beat some senses into her so badly.

" Watch me." Olivia's voice came out harsher than she intended as she stared directly into Eritrea's cold eyes. Her hands clenched, knuckles turning white from the pressure. They all are trying to get her to play to their tune, if she wants to live, she will live on her own terms. F**k the system, f**k everyone.

Eritrea remained silent. She just stood staring at her but her mind was busy calculating the pros and cons of what she was about to do. Her hand fell to her side. But how could she let the line of the flame bearer to end in her time, she couldn't bear the consequences and she wouldn't.

Her eyes burned with resolution. "Olivia..." her words were cut short when Olivia suddenly stood up, walking away from her. Eritrea's hand clenched, her nails digging into her palms.

Olivia stood up because she saw the golden core again. This time there was no flame, only dark energy swirling around it. It was strange and had an ominous feeling to it.

" Why is the flame gone?" She couldn't help asking, her brows furrowing.

" Because every time you lose control, your core gets corroded by evil energy." Eritrea answered, her voice void from emotion but her eyes held a tinge of worry.

Olivia's eyes blinked from guilt, she did this to herself, she hadn't even become strong yet she had corroded her own core. A lump formed in her throat, it seems like surviving in this type of world was an impossible task for her. She smiled bitterly as she stared at her corroded core.

"Olivia, don't blame me, you asked for it yourself." Eritrea's voice dropped in temperature, it was so cold that the air thickened sending shivers down Olivia's spine. She couldn't afford to waste anymore time, if she did, Olivia would truly die, beyond saving.

Olivia suddenly felt her grasping her arms, before jacking her back, she almost lost her footing, but before she said anything, Eritrea's finger pressed firmly on her forehead. A gnawing pain pulsed through her skull.

"What are you doing?" Olivia cried as she felt as if her soul and skull were being pulled apart. The pain sent a jolt of spasm through her body.

"Borrowing your body, Hazaris." She said, before muttering some strange incantations under her breath.

Suddenly, their eyes turned gold, fire encircling them like a cyclone, swirling and slithering like a living entity.

AAARGH!

A chilling scream escaped from Olivia's lips.She felt her senses slipping away, her body coursing with unfamiliar power, overwhelming strength. But it was not under her control, she was being pushed back inside her own body.