Chapter 557 - Hecate's Mission

New Chapter for the Highest Tier (June 2021)

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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For some reason, the God of Fire attempted to snatch Sapphire from her position while seated on the werewolf's back.

Growling wildly, Xerxes responded to the threat and bared his teeth to bite at Hephaestus' arm during the struggle.

When its huge canines dug through his black vembrace—a metallic armour which clung to her forearm like a second skin, Xerxes immediately dropped dead to the ground as if he was struck by a cobra, leaving Hephaestus to grab Princess Sapphire and carry the child over his broad shoulders.

Luna screamed at the sight of the werewolf curled up like an infant as the toxic black metal forced him to transform back to his mortal form.

With his back turned away from the goddess, Hecate seized the chance and aimed her magic arrow at Hephaestus's back.

As she witnessed the arrow as if it was possessed a spirit of an ice dragon swooshing in the air halfway before it hit the god of Fire, her husband was able to clutch the fabric of her turquoise dress before she slammed the ground and teleported her back to Vinca Inn, landing once again on top of their luxurious bed.

"Are you crazy, wife?" Apollyon was furious, but she didn't care as she was too focused on the Goddess of the Underworld in action.

Bending over at the portal, Luna peeked as it shrank on the mattress, watching the battle between Hephaestus and Hecate.

The gap slowly sealed shut just enough for a large leaf-shaped soul made of black mass to materialize in front of their faces. 

Luna gasped and scrambled backwards away from it, expecting an attack from the hollow-eyed creature.

"I am here to deliver a message from the Goddess." It spoke in a disembodied low, and scratchy voice.

We are ready to hear them, soul." Apollyon's voice thundered as he grabbed Luna's body towards him in a protective gesture.

The soul cleared its throat before its disembodied voice changed into Hecate's resonance. "The husband is right, my child. You don't need to interfere when this is an issue that I must solve. This will be  the last time that I will set foot on the Earthly Realms. I only did this to get rid of the God of Fire so that Princess Sapphire and Xerxes can remain with you after I inform you of the mission that you have to fulfill."

"I know you are curious of the Mark of the Triple Moon Goddess on your chest." It added as the soul flew higher that Apollyon and Luna were forced to glance at it as it paused at the ceiling. "I have placed my seal upon your  skin to establish an open line of communication but then I decided to tell you while you are in your husband's presence because I know you have the tendencies to hide secret."

Jaws clenched, Apollyon turned his head to glower at her in suspicion, and Luna averted her gaze in shame.

"The mission has been a long time coming. I have tasked Princess Ourania, Apollyon's mother, to deliver the prophecy but she is too occupied from other things that doesn't align from the new purpose I have given her. She is not willing to change. She couldn't forget her past with King Gwythyr. She was too prideful make amends with his son.  All her attempts of doing so were not genuine. She constantly take people for granted especially her daughter, Princess Sapphire, and favored getting love and attention from the other men who adored her unlike the Vampire King."

"Princess Ourania didn't care about anyone but herself." Apollyon's arm settled on her back while they sat cross-legged on the mattress.  "Asking her to care would be like looking for Archangels in Hell."

"I have high hopes for Princess Ourania to improve after I had taken her in the Underworld. I have given her more access to a more advanced magic to prepare her for  the test—she had a millenia to improve herself before she met her own son—but she didn't. I bestowed her the forbidden knowledge of her own son's fate so that she could assist him whenever she needed help and become closer to him when the time comes. She might be in the Summer Courts with her family but I let her see snippets of your life in  her dreams so that she will know what happened to you while you were in the Vampire Realm." The messenger continued.

The hollows of its eyes turned wild and shaky with anger. "She wasn't willing to be humble and admit her mistakes when she played a part in this tragedy. I will respect her decision to choose a different path but we have to move on."

She knows what Apollyon had gone through while he was alone in the Vampire Realm, and she still chose to be rude? 

"I vehemently agree, messenger." Luna nodded her head in approval while Apollyon remained silent, waiting for the soul's next words.

"Not only did she misuse the power I have given her in exchange for the agreement, she also abused it to her heart's content. There is no hope for her to improve. I will punish her at the right time. It didn't mean that she had suffered tremendously at the hands of the past Vampire King that people around her, especially those who wanted to love her, should put up with this unreasonable behavior." It said wryly.

Luna could imagine Hecate's expression when she decided to deliver this message. 

"It wasn't their price to pay. It was a shame that Princess Ourania was so jaded she couldn't help you with the mission like I intended her to do."

"I am ready to fulfil my mission, goddess." Luna knelt and bowed her head to the mattress concerning the goddess' message.  "Please tell me what it is."

"The one inside you is about to wake up." It answered, "Lilith is sucking the life force out of your baby and it is stunting her growth."