Not every light is mercy.
And not every heaven is salvation.
When wings were stained with blood,
and vengeance grew heavier than forgiveness,
Iskara stood at the edge of a destiny not meant for the weak.
The heavens awaited her—
not as a lost daughter,
but as a sin to be erased.
On this day,
it would not be the half-angel who stood on trial…
but the light itself.
And here, between sacred gold and living blood,
a decision would be born—
one from which there would be no return.
Chapter Fourteen: Virgin bliss
Iskara stood, her body covered in blood, her breaths heavy as if she carried the burdens of the world upon her shoulders.
On the horizon… she caught sight of a distant light, pure in a way that was almost provocative.
It rose toward the sky, like an invitation—or a final judgment.
She stepped into it.
In a fleeting instant, the world vanished beneath her feet…
She found herself in the heavens, before a palace built of pure gold, its walls shimmering with a radiance that nearly blinded the eyes.
The Lord of Light appeared.
He did not walk… he manifested.
And in a voice that carried the contempt of the entire sky, he said:
"You have defiled this place with your presence.
You are a disgrace to be half-angel.
You have tainted the lineage…
And you shall be judged by death."
Iskara raised her head, her eyes steady, fearless.
"No one has the right to judge me…
I alone judge myself."
His anger ignited, and the palace trembled beneath the weight of his voice.
"You will walk according to the laws of this realm."
She answered coldly:
"I will not abide by laws I did not create."
And the battle began.
Blades of light surged like celestial meteors.
Iskara dodged, bent, leapt, struck… yet her attacks dissolved before his overwhelming divinity.
She lunged toward him, attempting to break through his defense—
But with a single motion of his finger…
A searing beam erupted and pierced her chest.
A massive void opened in her body, and her flesh began to melt beneath the sacred light.
She fell to her knees, her voice fractured:
"Eternity… or death…"
Slowly, horrifyingly, her body began to reconstruct itself.
Bone fused back together.
Nerves rewove their pathways.
Skin sealed the wound…
And every cell within her screamed with unimaginable agony.
She lifted her head and whispered:
"Eye of Truth… illuminate my sight."
The eye opened.
And she saw… the core.
She leapt with blinding speed and destroyed the first… then the second… then the third… then the fourth.
The Lord of Light stepped back, weakness beginning to seep into his once-untouchable presence.
But he did not hesitate.
He unleashed light in every direction until the world became completely white.
She could see nothing anymore…
Only absolute light.
In a moment of ruthlessness, he lunged forward and severed her arm.
Blood scattered across the golden floor.
He believed he had broken her.
But he did not know who she was.
Gathering what remained of her strength, darkness began to form around her like a restrained storm.
She lifted her head… and whispered:
"Sacred Annihilation."
A dark aura exploded outward, tearing through the light and clearing the blindness from her vision.
With one final surge… she shattered the last core.
The Lord of Light's body fractured.
His radiance faded gradually…
Until he vanished.
Silence fell.
Iskara stood with difficulty, her steps unsteady, as though the weight of the world now rested upon her shoulders.
She reached the edge of the palace.
She looked down at the earth… so very far below.
And whispered:
"My vengeance ends now."
She lifted her foot to step into the void—
But a voice stopped her.
A voice she knew.
Her father.
He spoke calmly:
"I promised you a generous reward… and I will keep my word."
She turned to him slowly.
"And what is it?"
He smiled faintly.
"Do you remember my cave?"
She nodded.
"There is an ancient artifact there… with which you can bring any dead person back to life."
Her breath froze.
"…And what use is that to me?"
He looked at her for a long moment.
"You can bring your mother back."
For the first time in a long while…
A small smile appeared on Iskara's face.
As though life had returned to knock upon her heart once more.
She descended from the heavens.
And headed toward the cave.
And whispered to the wind:
"Mother… wait for me.
I am coming."
The light had fallen.
And judgment had crumbled.
But what collapsed within her heart this time was not rage…
It was emptiness.
Iskara was no longer the girl who sought vengeance.
Nor the half-angel craving the heavens' acknowledgment.
She had broken the chains…
Yet she did not know what remained of herself.
As she walked toward the cave,
she was not merely stepping into the past…
but toward a choice that would alter her fate forever.
Vengeance had ended…
But the price… had yet to be paid.
— To Be Continued —