Hellbound Heart

Chapter 370  Bye

Thank you so much @Dreamer_P for the supergift!!! <3

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When the impossibly thick and ominous darkness began to dissipate, an eerie calm followed. Sebastian and Elijah stood there, with Sebastian's hand impaled through Elijah's chest

The entire world seemed to stop as Elijah's blood dripped from the heart that was now gripped to death in Sebastian's hand.

The rapid sequence of events left Elijah in a momentary daze, but as reality settled in, his face displayed an unexpected emotion: a smile. It wasn't one of mockery or madness, but one filled with relief and genuine gladness. His expression conveyed a deep sense of yearning, as if he had been anticipating this moment for a long time and that he was just nothing but overwhelmed with relief that it had finally come to pass.

"Finally." Elijah's voice broke the haunting silence. "You've made me wait for too long but I guess, the wait was worth it… Sebastian."

Though Sebastian's eyes were still a storm of crimson and darkness, he retracted his hand, letting the lifeless, blackened heart in his grasp drop.

Elijah stepped back, staggering. The gaping hole right through his chest was so gruesome, and yet, the smile on his face remained. "I'm… leaving my babies to you… Princess Elle." He then continued before glancing at Elle.

And Elle, who was still on the ground with her glowing hand on herself, met his gaze with utter shock. It was obvious to her now that Elijah had indeed purposely missed her fatal spot when he attacked her. Elijah had intentionally spared her life! That was why he knew she wasn't dead even before looking at her! A while ago, outside the barrier, Elle and Gav heard Elijah's voice. What she heard shook her entire being, and before she realized it, she jostled Gav's arms away, momentarily weakening the barrier, and hurled herself into the fray.

In that moment, every thought evaporated from Elle's mind, save one: Sebastian. The mere idea of Elijah taking him away from her was unthinkable. She'd face death before allowing it!

And when she was inside the barrier, what welcomed her was the exact same scene she saw in her nightmare. Elijah was approaching Sebastian with those sharp, blade-like, and elongated nails, while Sebastian was on the ground, bloodied and gruesomely wounded. And so, just like that, Elle's body moved and without thinking, she jumped between them like a suicidal fool. When he slashed her, she thought she was a goner as she herself saw her own blood splatter in the air as she fell. Still, perhaps due to survival instinct, the very first thing Elle did upon landing on the ground was press on her wound. Her hands immediately glowed to heal herself as she lifted her eyes and looked at Sebastian. But what she saw next was darkness and a powerful energy that nearly sent her away flying had she not coincidentally fallen into the ground.

Everything happened too fast for Elle to really have the time to even process anything. But now she realized that she was not a goner. The glow of her hand already died down and that was an indication that her wound wasn't lethal or even major. Because if it was, the healing should still be going on right now! "I know you're going to take good care of them." Elijah's voice pulled her out of her thoughts but all she could do was look at him and listen to whatever he was saying. "Ah, they have my cute caretaker…" Elijah suddenly mused, a gentle smile curved at the corner of his lips. "But still… do check on them for me, okay? And go tell them not to wait for me anymore… because I'm never… coming back to see them." Elijah cough blood as he staggered back once more. His gaze, filled with a complex dance of emotions, returned to Sebastian.

"Now I can finally rest." A final cough, deep and wet with blood, racked his frame. His weakening gaze faltered but he gave Sebastian another smile. "Just know that I would never ask for a better end than this. Bye… brother." With a final sigh, his knees buckled, and he crumbled to the floor.

Sebastian fell to one knee. His wings disappearing as his eyes were now slowly returning to their usual color. But Sebastian still looked disoriented. "Iz… za…" he murmured mindlessly when Elle rushed to him and wrapped her arm around him. "Seb!" She cried, gripping him tight. When she felt his entire body freeze, she pulled away and looked at his bloodied face. Her trembling fingers touched his face. "Sebastian… it's me, can you see me?" "Iza…"

"Yes, Seb. I'm fine…" "Iza…" he reached out and held her face. His fingers also started to tremble. "You're…"

"Mn. I'm fine, Seb. My wound wasn't deep, so I quickly healed it." She explained, trying her best to reassure him that she was alright. Because she could still see the horror in his eyes. He lunged at her, hugging her as he cried. The fear that coursed through his entire being that moment was so intense that Elle could literally feel it in her bones. She knew just how much she'd scared him because of her dangerous action. "I'm sorry…" Elle whispered to him as she embraced him back. "I was so scared he'd take you away from me so I… I did that."

"Iza…" He said nothing but her name until Elle felt his body sag against her. She was momentarily scared to death until she realized he passed out on her. Remembering just how badly injured Sebastian was, Elle laid him down on the ground. She could see some of his wounds already healing but the blackened and gaping wound across the front of his torso looked horrific and it didn't seem to be naturally healing like the other wounds on him. Extending her hands over him, she concentrated herself and her magic began to glow. While Elle was busy and focused on trying to heal Sebastian, the barrier dissolved around her. Gav then quietly approached. But he was not alone. Zeke was next to him. Zeke's gaze fell to Sebastian and Elle first before his eyes shifted to Elijah's dead body. He walked towards the body and slowly, he dropped into one knee. Zeke stared at Elijah's face for a while before his hand reached out and gently closed Elijah's still-opened eyes.