In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, Cassandra stood tall, her frail form, was a stark contrast to the overwhelming aura of magic she was summoning right now.
Her lips moving in a steady chant, as her voice carried an otherworldly resonance that echoed through the frozen wasteland.
Her azure eyes glowing faintly, before closing, in an unwavering concentration as if she was communing with the very fabric of existence.
As her spell growed with power, different clusters of multicolored light began to swirl around her, creating an intricate patterns that seemed almost alive. Above her, explosions of starlight magic erupted, bathing the whole battlefield in their ethereal hues.
A massive magical circle, adorned in swirling, celestial patterns, materialized beneath her feet and another one hovered up in the air behind her, both spinning in perfect synchronization.
The space around Cassandra rippled unnaturally, like still water disturbed by a falling stone. Then, the ripples began to crack.
A single fracture spreaded outwards like a lightning across the sky, shattering the very air itself as if it was a glass. Soon even more cracks followed, hundreds, thousands of them, forming like a web of fractured reality.
"No—!" Lia's voice broke into panic, as she shouted her black eyes wide with fear.
"Shit!" Nathan cursed, his fiery aura flaring as he lunged forward.
Both of them moved with desperation, their focus shifting entirely on stopping Cassandra. They don't know what the spell was, however they had a feeling, that if that spell succeeded, everything they have done till now, will be for nothing.
Yet, before they could even close the distance, Xavian stood there, blocking their path like an fortress, his frosty aura surged like a blizzard. He looked at them, his expression was a mix of wrath and unyielding determination, as his grip on his sword tightened.
"Not a chance, you bitches." Xavian growled, as his voice roared with icy authority. "Absolute Zero!."
With those words, the world was bathed in icy blue white light, as the light spread an overwhelming wave of mana erupted from him. The temperature plummeted to hundreds of degrees negatives as snow and frost rained heavily from the heavens.
Silence.
As if the time had stopped for a moment, an absolute silence reigned all over the area. Untill, the assilitants came out of their reverie.
The ground beneath them was frozen solid, turning the battlefield into an arctic wasteland. Ice surged forward in massive waves, encasing everything in its path.
Lia, Nathan and others barely had time to react as the frost consumed their lower bodies, rapidly creeping upward towards their heart and brain.
The immediate agony they felt was excruciating as the frostbite spread through their limbs, seeping deep into their bones, totally immobilizing them.
Their faces contorted in pain as their bodies betrayed them, unable to move under the relentless grip of this ice.
Lia and Nathan struggled in their frozen prisons, their eyes were filled with rage and helplessness as they watched Cassandra's spell reach its peak.
The cracks in space widened even further, like weaving an intricate web of chaos, and soon the power radiating from Cassandra became suffocating.
Above, in the high sky, the moon's colour shifted, its pale golden light dimming into an ominous crimson glow, as if the world itself was resisting her actions.
And yet, in the battle between the will of the world and the love of a mother, it was the mother who emerged victorious.
The baby, glowed faintly with his own budding power, as hovered in the air above the battlefield. His small, innocent azure eyes meeting his mother's tear-streaked face, as they locked on the person who had sacrificed everything for him.
Cassandra's eyes opened, as their ethereal azure hue shimmered with love and sorrow. Her trembling hands reached towards the baby, as if wanting to hold him one last time.
"Hey, my dear sunshine," holding the baby she began, her voice trembled but was full of warmth. "We're so sorry, you know. Though mama and papa are one of strongest, but it seems we made a mistake—. And because of that mistake... we won't be there for you."
Her lips curved into a sad smile as tears streamed down her face, glistening like fallen starlight. The tears of the Celestial Witch, a woman who feared across the continents for her ruthless power and cold behaviour, was a sight no one could have ever imagined.
Yet, the same Cassandra, who had slain thousands without a single change in expression, now wept openly, as her heart broke for her child that she wouldn't see grow.
The baby, whose eyes shone with intelligence, perhaps sensed her anguish, as he understood her words on some level.
Waaa Waaaa!
And for the first time since his birth, he let out his first cry. As a symphony of wails pierced the air, echoing all around with raw emotion.
The battlefield seemed to tremble in response of his crying, as the very atmosphere shifted under the weight of his sorrow. The winds howled, and the clouds shattered as a heavy rain poured down on the lands. All happening in mere seconds.
Cassandra's heart shattered even further listening her baby's wails, but she forced herself to smile, as her soft and soothing voice rang out.
"Aww, don't cry, my little star. You're are very strong, you know. Strong enough to threaten the most powerful beings just by existing. Strong enough to surpass even the gods themselves one day. So, please, my dear Azhreal don't cry. And always remember, no matter what you do, where you are, both your mama and papa loves you more than anything in this existence."
As she finished those final words, the spatial cracks combined forming a single, glowing rift that hovered behind her.
The rift shimmered with celestial energy, as it pulsated like a heartbeat. Though, despite its destructive aura, it seemed strangely stable, as if responding to Cassandra's will.
Azhreal continued to cry, as his tiny fists clenched, his tears mingling with the overwhelming power emanating from the battlefield.
Xavian, who was still locked in combat, risked a glance and looked back at his wife and child. His gaze softening, as the steely determination in his eyes surged with even more power.
Cassandra, whose body trembling from the strain of maintaining the spell, looked at the rift. Her breathing ragged, as her life force visibly drained, but she stood firm.
"This will take you far away, to a place where those bastards can't reach you," she said, her voice barely audible in the roaring winds.
As Cassandra's spoke those words, around her an intricate pattern of glowing runes began to materialize and moved towards Azhreal's small, trembling body.
The runes shimmered like ancient stars with unfathomable power, weaving together a complex thread of magic. The energy crackled and pulsed, forming a small transparent cocoon that encased the child.
Soon some changes occured on Azhreal.
Azhrael's once radiant white hair, which gleamed like starlight, began to dull. The oceanic blue of his eyes, a reflection of his mother's essence, slowly turned into a muted grey. His once vibrant presence dimmed, like a candle struggling against the guests of wind.
Right now, what Cassandra had done was no ordinary thing. This was a forbidden technique, one that even the Archons themselves would have feared.
She had taken a very risky and unthinkable step of dividing the very essence of her son's soul into two halves.
One half of his soul was transferred into a vessel, that contained only fragments of his immense power and potential—just enough to ensure his survival, in another world.
The other half, the core of his celestial power, null and #¥∆ק%, was sealed within him in this world. Hidden from the prying eyes of those who sought him.
Though, this division was not without consequence. Azhrael's connection to his limitless potential and his existence was severed, leaving him in a fragile and vulnerable state.
The price of such act weighed heavily on Cassandra's heart, however she had no other choice.