Kat giggled for almost a minute before responding. “No, silly! Time travel? Even the god of gods, Quetzalcoatl, can’t turn the wheel of time!”Tyler had a quizzical expression on his face. “Then what did I just experience? The days and nights came and went—like a time-lapse!”“I can’t see the future or travel through time. However, as the patron goddess of the moon, I know the language and patterns of the celestial bodies. I can imagine what the night sky will look like in twelve days. You can consider it a cosmic projection of my divinity.”“So you mean-”“Yes! You misinterpreted the map’s riddle. It actually said the path will open only when it SEES a full-moon night. It didn’t say it HAS to be a full-moon night.”The forest parted as if on cue, and a paved path opened before them. Under the moonlight, a powerful gust of wind blew from unseen lands that had been inaccessible until now—El Abyssium.“Have I ever told you that you are amazing?” Tyler murmured.“You know I love flattery
When Natalie heard she was chosen to be Goliath's bride and that the madman intended to deflower her in a public ritual, she was visibly horrified. What sins did she commit to have such a despicable fate? The young woman decided she would rather jump to her death from the open window. Where was Tyler when she really needed him? Britta convinced Natalie that there was still hope. She sent a message to her grandfather, Butch Salvatore, requesting a rescue. The old man was the Seraphim King himself. He was in prison, out of choice, to fulfill a promise he made to someone long ago. Even though their relationship wasn't perfect, Butch wouldn't allow his own blood to be killed by an old maniac. Moreover, to antagonize him into action, Britta cleverly mentioned that his heir, Tyler Grant had failed. The Green Monk's name was the icing on the cake. Butch cultivated high hopes for Tyler's future during the training days in Montserrat. He enthusiastically sent a message to his granddaughter,
“I… I don’t understand…” Natalie muttered, looking at Trent in shock. “How are you standing before me? I say you die…”The young woman vividly remembered the one-sided battle outside the East Sapphire forests. The Green Monk went berserk, raining fire, flood, hail, and lightning on his enemies. In minutes, he wiped out most of the Douglas royal army.The Cooper and Hilton outfits realized Goliath’s wrath would consume them as well, so they tried to escape the battlefield. For those two armies, it was their first encounter with the supernatural. Watching Armageddon unfold before their eyes was bizarre. The soldiers’ survival instincts kicked in, making them flee for their lives.However, Goliath would have none of it. He considered all three armies equally offensive.An inferno erupted around the Cooper army, burning them to sooty husks. The Hiltons were on the horizon, about half a mile away. Even though Goliath’s attacks chased them, they narrowly escaped annihilation.Natalie watche
By the time Goliath reached Natalie, the total eclipse was in its full glory. The afternoon sun and the wandering moon coincided, forming an eerie ring of light. It hung over the world like a primordial cosmic eye.The tribal artists started playing a slow, earthly tune. Goliath stopped by Natalie but didn’t even bother looking at her. His focus was on the ancient well at the center of the summit.The old man raised his gaze to the eclipse, spreading his arms to the side. He spoke a few lines of unintelligible foreign words and raised them. As if on cue, the ground rumbled, and smoke rose from the ancient well. The virgins standing over the edge began screaming. That was because scalding heat escaped the well’s mouth, burning them. Hot lava bubbled at the bottom. The ancient well was a dormant volcano that came to life!Satisfied with the ritual’s progress, Goliath lowered his eyes to Natalie. She looked up at him with a mix of horror and disgust.The young woman’s extreme reaction t
Natalie's jaw dropped open in shock. "What are you talking about? Can you really change the futures of Dad and Tyler? Do you really know where my Mom is? No way! How is that possible? This place is in the middle of nowhere! You're lying again!"Clearly, Goliath had triggered an extreme emotional response from Natalie. Nancy Anderson abandoned her family when her daughter was young. It was public knowledge the woman was addicted to gambling and drugs, squandering the Anderson fortune. It was actually a blessing when she left, allowing Silas to raise his children in peace.To this date, Nancy's whereabouts were unknown. Silas still deposited a million dollars in his wife's account every month out of concern. The amount was exhausted quickly, which confirmed that she was still alive.Goliath chuckled and placed a finger on the trembling girl's forehead. "Do you think I am lying? Why don't you see for yourself."Natalie drew a sharp breath as if suddenly thrust into a rollercoaster ride.
All eyes turned to see what the follower was hollering about. Something airborne touched the ground at a fair distance from the volcano’s mouth. It was a young, athletic, tattooed woman who landed from a vertical leap.She was in a Mayan warrior attire and carried Gina in her arms. It was none other than Kat! The latter crouched and placed the victim on the ground. “Awake,” she said, casting a divine restoration spell on the beauty.Gina’s intoxication disappeared, and she opened her eyes as if waking from a dream. “What is happening? Where am I?”“Stay here,” Kat said with urgency. “Let me go and get your friend.”The goddess got into a feline jumping stance. Trent was still screaming in horror. His eyes fell on his attacker, and he barked in a fury. “You bitch! I’ll fuck you—”Swish! In a single horizontal leap, Kat traversed across yards within a second and landed a few feet ahead of Trent. The latter tried to turn back slowly. As he made the effort, a miserable croak escaped his m
“No!!” Gina and Britta exclaimed from a distance. If their savior was killed so easily, they would be recaptured and sacrificed. However, the girls’ frustration was unfounded. Kat reappeared like a levitating afterimage, and her body touched the ground again. She hissed at the Green Monk viciously.“Ah, I almost forgot!” Goliath observed. “Feline goddesses have nine lives, don’t they? I must end all of them to actually end your divinity!”Kat sprang into motion, circling the ancient well from a distance. A rapidly moving target was obviously more difficult to hit than a stationary one. She intended to find an opening and swoop in to rescue Natalie. That would complete the goddess’ mission, and she would no longer have to face Goliath in a head-on battle.“You landed a cheap shot!” Kat taunted him. “I won’t fall for the same trick again! Good luck killing me eight more times before I demolish your ritual place!”Goliath inhaled, making a deep guttural noise. His black pupils expanded,
Tyler Grant stood before Kat, defending her like a Greek hero of ages come to life. He held a golden trident in his hand, large enough to be a shield and long enough to be a weapon."Tyler!" Britta and Gina exclaimed from a distance. The girls had recently gone through a rollercoaster of emotions—from being saved by Kat to terrified of their rescuer's impending defeat.Seeing a familiar face, especially Tyler Grant, the girls felt such crushing relief that they were driven to tears. Who told him they were abducted, and how did he enter El Abyssium's barrier? Was it real, or were they dreaming?Natalie was too overwhelmed even to have teary eyes. Moments earlier, she had lost all hope, offering her body to Goliath in exchange for the happiness of her loved ones. Tyler's appearance was a healing sight for her sore eyes.A sudden realization came to the young woman. She had forgotten how powerful the Green Monk was, and that he predicted her boyfriend's death in his hands.Natalie turned