V ||| Ain’t Nobody Rich Like Me!
Mom's lair was in the tallest mountain of the Himalayas.
That's why it wasn't hard for me to find, just to get inside, given the insane amount of snow, which I was able to easily throw away with my brute strength, cleaning the path to the cave. And after I had gone ninety-six meters deep, I finally crossed the magical barrier inside our lair, and what I found inside made my knees weak and my eyes water instantly.
Intact. Everything is intact as if I had been kidnapped an hour ago, and not two thousand and fifty years ago. As if mom hadn't been killed in front of me by Meredith and Philippa's talons. Her workshop is holy and new if she was still using it, but I know best.
Mom was extremely gifted and also had the ability to slow time like me, she must have put a spell that kept our lair frozen in time before she died. Knowing in her heart that I would find my way back in here. That I would take ownership of everything we owned again. And the more I walked into our home, the more I noticed every single detail I hadn't paid attention when I was child.
And Naël's words hit me again, as I saw the wardrobe full of clothes she made for me, and the arsenal with all kinds of weapons you can imagine.
Not to mention the fifteen meters tall pile of gold and all kinds of gem and jewels. Meaning I'm now filthy rich, as it's all mine. And I've never been so sad to be probably a billionaire in my life. I'm not even counting the pile of gold and gems mother used to sleep on as a dragon, and she was a huge black dragon. So, yes, a lot of money.
But if I could exchange all this to have her again, I would. She died in vain, all because of Meredith's pride and obsession with a "pure" Royal bloodline. As if you can call Agost and Nicolette "pure" when they are the result of such an unholy union. Philippa murdered my mom just to be with her mate, and I'll make her pay for it.
A life for a life. I'll be taking hers.
I let myself cry only for now. Only while I'm alone far from any kind of life. Far from their hawk eyes and scrutinizing opinions. Away from people who only care about my weaknesses so they can use that against me. I allowed myself to cry while I'm home for the last time, while I'm in the last place I lived with my mom before everything went south.
Kneeling over her bed of gold, I cried and asked for forgiveness. Because deep down I know that if mom hadn't gotten pregnant of me, she would still be alive, and I wouldn't have been condemned to a life of confinement in a emerald coffin and of centuries of torture. I wouldn't have gone to the brink of insanity, and neither would I be in such a miserable state of mind, heart, and soul as I am now.
I wouldn't be broken if I hadn't bee born to begin with.
None of this would have happened.
"Sweetheart, please don't cry for me," her sweet voice startled the shite out of me and I turned around to see if I was insane, if she hadn't died… only to find her spirit roaming behind me. "Please, my love," she hugged me and it felt real.
It felt so real that I broke even more, "I'm sorry, mommy. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You died because of me, I'm so sorry. If I could go back and save you, I would, but my magic doesn't work like that. It doesn't… it doesn't work like that," she hugged me tighter as my body shook violently under her embrace.
"Hel, my sweet girl, my heart cries seeing you like this, sweetheart. Do not blame yourself, Hel, please. Mommy would do it all again if it meant having you in my life even if just for seven years. You were not a mistake, you were the fruit of my love with your father," she caressed my hair. "Please, Hel, my dear, don't blame yourself for whatever bullocks Queen Meredith put inside your head."
"I'm sorry, mommy. I'm sorry," I cried, hugging her tighter.
"Shhhh," she caressed my hair. "Don't be. She did what she did because she was scared of the power of our mating bond, Hel. Scared of the power that would be born in the fruit of our love. Scared of you," she held my face softly, making me meet her beautiful midnight blue eyes. "Serpents were the beings created by the Triple Goddesses together. It was the only race they created together, and that's why it's feared, and all the others fought them to the brink of extinction." What?
I frowned, "What do you mean, mommy?"
"There are three races closest to the winged serpents, sweetheart. Dragons, vampires, and seraphins. The Maden created dragons. The Mother created seraphins. The Crone created vampires. And they took inspiration from these three races to create the winged serpent, but stronger than all the other three," she pinched my cheek. "My bloodline came to be after a cross of a black dragon with a winged serpent in the ancient times of the old world, there was a 0.000001% possibility of my child being the legendary being, and it happened. You are not an accident or a mistake, you are blessing. A miracle," she kissed my forehead.
One kiss in each of my eyes, my nose, then on each of my cheeks right over my dimples. "I don't understand, mommy."
"It was the most sacred secret of my family, baby girl. I was planning to tell you when you grow older enough to understand, but I didn't have the time. Now I can, even if it's just my spirit, because you can hear and see me," she whispered softly.
"And feel you," I added stunned.
"That is part of being able to manipulate spiritual energy, Hel. And I can tell you hasn't fully awake your entire magical potential just yet. How long did that bitch kept you in stasis?" It was impossible to hold the gasp at how she called Meredith.
"Two thousand and forty years."
I don't know if it's possible, but I swear mom turned pale, which is crazier given that she's a spirit now. "Bloody cursed bitch," she growled. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to fight her and Philippa, my love. I'm sorry. I failed to protect you, and that's why your were taken by her and suffered so much."
"No. No. No, mommy. It's not your fault. Meredith is still the strongest dragon alive, she's vicious, cunning, and the evilest being on earth. No one can win against her. At least not yet," I added, remembering what Naël's told me.
A nod, "You will resolve that. You and the friends you will make."
"Friends? I don't need friends, mommy. I only need my revenge. I can help them out, bit I don't think I have it in me to make any bond like that, especially when getting near me would be putting a wide target on their back. I don't want anyone else dying because of me," sigh. "Losing you was traumatic enough for the full lifespan of my immortal life. I have no desire in losing anyone I care about again, so, I will avoid caring for anyone but me," Cosmos is an exception, though I wouldn't give my life for his. At least, I don't think I would.
Nevertheless, mom simply giggled softly at my words, "That's not how fate works, Hel. But you will see. Time will show you and you will understand what I'm saying when it happens." She nuzzled her nose in mine, caressing me as she used to do when I was a kid. "Did little Cosmos teach you everything, Hel?"
My mouth went dry, "How did you…"
She smiled sadly, petting my hair, "Once I had a vision of him as your master, but I had no idea what would need to happen for that to take place. He was a prodigy among prodigies, the strongest male dragon born in millennials, and a promising talent for our kind. I'm the one who made his sword," shit. "And his pet dagger, as well as his cape of invisibility with the help of a friend witch. So, did he taught you everything I couldn't?"
Her words broke me all over again and I struggled with the words, "I… Y-yes… yes, mommy… y-y-yes, he t-ta-taught me every-thi-thing…"
"I'm here," she whispered, hugging me tightly, "I'm still with you, I'll always be. My spirit is eternal and will forever live in these mountains. Whenever you miss me, you can come here, I'll still be here."
"T-t-that's not t-the s-same, mommy," I cried harder.
"But it's better than if my spirit had turned into celestial dust, is it not?" She asked with a soft smile that despite my efforts to stay frustrated, calmed my soul in the same instant. She always had this affect on me. "You can't stay here for long, sweetheart."
I know I can't, but I couldn't help asking. "Why… w-why not?"
"You have things to do before heading to Belladonna, don't you? Did you talk with Naël?" Shite, how does mom knows all this?
"Yes. It's been a long time, but I did," I said after putting my shite together. "He told me to come here, get everything, all the money, all the clothes you made for me, go after Abellona Thygesen, and then go to the Academy on the North Pole. Which now I know it's Belladonna. But yes, he told me to find this female."
A knowing nod, "She's a born vampire that lives in city down this very mountain. A wanderer. I met her when I came back here, and se was good company sometimes. A skin artist with the power of channeling magic as well as the ability to pour spatial magic in her skin arts." Oh? So, she's a vampire like Naël.
"You mean she's a tattoo artist then?"
"Is that what it's called now?" I nodded and she pinched my cheeks again. "My baby girl grew to be a smart arse, would you look at that?! Mommy is proud," she kissed my forehead again. "Yes, she's a tattoo artist. She'll help you with those," mom pointed to her arsenal of weapons laying in the side of the lair. "Open that box, please, Hel," mom got up with me and pointed to the ruby rectangular box on the left side of her gold bed.
Taking a deep breath, I went to the box, kneeled and took it off the ground, then got back to her embrace as we sat down again. "Can I open?"
A nod, "It's yours, so, of course, you can!"
When I did, there were countless drawing matching each one of the weapons she made. Extraordinarily rich in details, like black and white picture of the weapons. "It's beautiful."
She grinned, "You are beautiful. These are just the drawings I made for you to take to her, so she could… tattoo them on your skin." Well, that will definitely be better than having my body just covered in a cloak of scars caused by grandma dearest. "Are you okay with my idea? I came up with after having a vision of you in the Academy with your mate."
My what?
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