Her words struck him like a lightning bolt, jolting Xavian out of his swirling thoughts of despair and rage.
His eyes widened as slight clarity pierced through his hazy mind like a blade, the veil of emotion lifting just enough, for him to see what he had been missing.
Squinting his eyes, he looked closer, as the subtle signs of mind control became clear—he noticed his brother's trembling pupils, the barely noticeable twitch of his fingers, and the unnatural stiffness in his posture as if he was stuck.
At that moment, he understood Arian, his brother was not himself.
"Arian..." Xavian's voice softened, now tinged with both guilt and fury, however before he could say something more, another voice cut through the heavy air like a dagger.
The voice came from the woman standing beside his brother, her simple presence excluding a dark sticky energy.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back like a shadow, blending seamlessly with the gloomy atmosphere around her. Her murky black eyes gleamed with malice, as she looked at Xavian and his wife.
"Oh, so even in this pitiful state, the great Celestial Witch could the truth," the dark-haired woman sneered, her voice laced with mockery.
However, her thought in the inside were totally different.
'Our Lord was correct, it seems' she mused, her black eyes darkened with malicious satisfaction. 'If we allow even a single one of the both to ascend to divinity, they will become almost untouchable. Even now, at their weakest, they had killed us more times than we can count, they are undeniably dangerous. However, that little monster is even more dangerous than them'.
Her gaze turning to Xavian, as she finished her musing. A cruel smile played on her lips as she said. "How amusing. Though tell me, Xavian, what good does knowing it bring you now, when your are already going to die?"
Her mocking laughter rang out, a sinister voice that seemed to taunt everything around them. "It's too late for you. Surely, you could also see that by now, right?"
"Enough of this," as she spoke the other man on her side shouted, his patience waning. "Are you stupid?. We can't allow the witch to have time to recover. Who knows what kind of tricks she might have up her sleeve? Let's finish this now—her, Xavian and the child, all of them."
Listening to the man Xavian's jaw clenched as frustration and rage with a slight sense of helplessness bubbled into him.
He clicked his tongue, as he realised that their enemies had uncovered them. His mind raced for some other options, however listening to the man words the assilitants had become even for wary.
Haa!
As he thought, a soft and steady sigh, came from behind him. A sound so gentle, that it momentarily cut through the chaos in his mind.
He turned to look at his wife, as his heart ached at the battered sight of her. Despite having endured the ordeal of childbirth just some hours ago, despite the pale complexsion of her skin and the trembling fragile body of hers, she still stood tall and unwavering.
Her azure eyes shined with an inner strength so strong that it defied her weakened state, and when she spoke.
It wasn't the voice of someone who was cowering in fear in the face of death. No, her voice was calm and gentle, almost detached, unwavering in its serenity.
She moved stepping closer to Xavian, her movements slow and deliberate, as her pale hand reached towards him, to caress his cheek. Her touch tender, yet it carried the weight of a lifetime of love and trust between them.
Her blue eyes locked onto his, filled with unspoken emotions. In those twin ocean there wasn't a single trace of fear—there was only an infinite well of love and pride in her eyes as she spoke, her voice soft but steady, each word carrying her emotions and heart.
"Hehe, well it seems this is the end, huh? Darling. Though I'm glad that it's with you—the most beautiful, idiotic, arrogant, caring and loveble person that ever came in my detached, lonely life. There's no one else in the world, that I'd face this end with." she said with a gentle smile, a smile so radiant that it seemed to dispel the suffocating darkness around them.
At her side, a cluster of starlight came to existence, swirling with vibrant colors that danced like the cosmic space itself. It served as a camouflaging veil, concealing a cradle within.
Inside it lay a small child—a boy with snow-white hair as pure as his father's and oceanic azure eyes that mirrored the depth of his mother's gaze as they shone with intelligence.
Xavian and Cassandra turned their eyes to the boy, their hearts heavy, filled with overwhelming mix of emotions.
Great love and unyielding care filled their eyes, as they looked at their precious diamond, their miracle and blessing born amidst the chaos.
However, with it came a profound sense of sadness and pain, a silent sorrow as they knew this will be the last time they would see their child.
Regret shone in their expressions—the regret of not being able to raise him, to guide him, to be there when he will take his first steps, when he will spoke his first words.
And above all, worry took place, a gnawing fear of the cruel and unforgiving world that their child had to tackle alone without them by his side.
Yet, even in these moments of despair, they silently vowed in their heart that no matter what, they would do everything in their final moments to see that their sunshine had a chance to survive, to live, to thrive.
The eyes of the assailants widened in shock and teripidation as they caught sight of the cradle. Even in his cradle, the aura surrounding the boy was extraordinary—an unshakable presence that seemed to ripple through the very fabric of the existence.
It was clear that he wasn't an ordinary child. His mere existence had already shaken the balance of the world.
His simple presence was a threat to the world's powerhouses, the beings that were revered as gods in their own right.
The raw, untapped energy emanating from the newborn child sent a chill through, even the most confident enemies standing before Xavian and his wife.
One of the assailants, a tall man, draped in a dark-robed, muttered under his breath, his voice slightly trembling despite his visible efforts to appear composed. "The hell is that thing, that child... his mere existence could tip the balance of the world. No wonder the higher-ups want him eliminated before he even matures."
The black-haired woman sneered, masking the unease that flickered in her own heart though it did a little to hide it. "Such potential... however at this moment he's nothing but a fragile newborn. It won't take much to snuff out his life before it becomes a threat."
A sword appeared in Xavian's hand as his grip tightened, his eyes burned with unrelenting determination and resolve. His wife's hand, still resting on his cheek, provided a comforting warmth that reignited his resolve.
Together, they stood as an unbreakable shield for their son—a towering wall of defiance in the face of insurmountable odds.
"If you think we'll let you lay a single finger on our child," Xavian growled, his voice a low and threatening rumble, "then you are gravely underestimating what we're willing to do for our son."