THE HEIRESS VOW - Chapter 224 224

Chapter 224: Whispers of Eternity
The world trembled beneath Ava’s feet, the Abyss yawning wide before her like a ravenous maw. The ground crumbled, sending cracks spidering out toward the edges of the precipice where she stood, teetering between two realities. The void below seemed to echo the turmoil within her—the pull of ultimate power calling her forward, while the weight of love, trust, and betrayal clawed at her back.

“Ava!” Lucas’s voice, hoarse and broken, pierced through the chaos. His figure was barely visible, just a shadow now, flickering in and out as the Abyss swallowed the world around him. His hand, trembling and weak, remained outstretched, desperate to pull her back from the brink. “Ava, please!”

But Ava couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Every breath she took felt like it might be her last, every choice she made would ripple through the fabric of her existence. The sorceress’s laughter echoed in her ears—smooth, melodic, and cruel. Her voice slithered around Ava’s mind, sweet and venomous all at once.

“Why do you hesitate, Ava?” The sorceress’s smile widened, her dark eyes gleaming with malicious glee. “You know what you want. You’ve always known. All this suffering, all this pain—it’s led you here, to this moment.”

Ava’s hand twitched, the air around her thick with tension, with indecision. Power. It was so close, she could almost taste it, feel it rushing through her veins. The allure was intoxicating, seductive. She had craved it for so long, had fought for it, bled for it. And now, the sorceress stood before her, offering it on a silver platter.

“You deserve this,” the sorceress purred, her voice wrapping around Ava like a lover’s caress. “Power. Freedom. Everything you’ve ever wanted, everything you’ve ever been denied—it’s all here, waiting for you. All you have to do is take it.”

Ava’s breath hitched, her heart racing. She could be free. She could finally break free of the chains that had bound her—chains of love, trust, weakness. But at what cost? The question gnawed at her, biting into her soul, tearing at the edges of her resolve.

“Ava!” Lucas’s voice broke through again, more desperate this time, raw and ragged. He was so far away now, barely visible through the swirling chaos. But his voice—his voice still reached her. “Don’t do this. Don’t let her win.”

Win. Ava’s gaze flickered to the sorceress, whose smile only grew wider, darker. Win? Was it truly a matter of winning or losing? Or was it about survival, about becoming something more than she had ever been allowed to be? The sorceress had shown her visions, tantalizing glimpses of the future she could claim if she embraced the Abyss. Power. Control. Freedom from betrayal, from pain, from love.

The sorceress leaned in closer, her voice now a whisper, soft but sharp enough to cut. “He doesn’t deserve you. He never did. He lied to you, manipulated you, used you for his own gain. And you know it. Deep down, you know it.”

Ava’s heart clenched, a wave of doubt washing over her. Lucas. She had trusted him, believed in him. But the sorceress’s words—they were not without truth. Lucas had lied. He had made deals behind her back, kept secrets from her. He had betrayed her trust, shattered the fragile bond they had shared.

“Why hold on to someone who would rather protect his own fragile ego than protect you?” the sorceress taunted, her eyes narrowing as she glanced toward Lucas. “He lied to you, Ava. Over and over again. He made choices that put you in danger, choices that only served his own interests. You owe him nothing.”

Ava’s throat tightened, her pulse quickening. Could she really walk away from him? Could she really turn her back on everything they had shared?

“Ava, I’m begging you!” Lucas’s voice cracked, his body swaying as the ground beneath him crumbled further. His hand, still reaching out toward her, trembled with the strain of holding on. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but I did it all for you. Please, just come back. We can fix this. I can fix this.”

Fix this. Ava’s mind spun, the weight of his words crushing her. How could he fix this? How could he undo the lies, the betrayal, the broken promises?

The sorceress stepped closer, her hand outstretched, waiting. “You don’t need him. You don’t need anyone. With me, you will never feel pain again. You will never be weak again.”

Ava’s breath shuddered, her eyes locking onto the sorceress’s hand. The temptation was overwhelming, almost suffocating. No pain. No betrayal. No weakness. Just power. Freedom.

But then—Lucas. His voice, faint but persistent, cut through the storm of her thoughts. “Ava… I love you.”

Love. The word hit her like a punch to the gut. It was a word that had once meant everything to her, a word that had once been her anchor. But now? Now it felt like a chain, binding her to a life of doubt, fear, and betrayal.

And yet… it was also the one thing the sorceress couldn’t offer her.

“Ava,” the sorceress hissed, her voice sharp now, impatient. “Choose. Power, or pain. There is no middle ground.”

Ava’s hand hovered in the air, trembling, as her mind raced through the storm of possibilities. Power. Freedom. Or love. Trust. Betrayal.

“I can’t…” Ava whispered, her voice barely audible. “I can’t do this.”

The sorceress’s eyes narrowed, her smile vanishing as her hand reached for Ava’s wrist. “You don’t have a choice.”

Suddenly, the Abyss roared to life, a blinding light splitting the sky above them. Ava gasped as her surroundings shifted, the crumbling world morphing into something else—something brighter, warmer. She was no longer standing on the edge of the Abyss. She was standing in a field of golden light, surrounded by the soft whisper of wind through the grass. The darkness, the chaos, the pull of the Abyss—they were gone.

And there, standing before her, was a younger version of herself. Innocent, hopeful. Unscarred by pain, by betrayal. The girl smiled at her, her eyes filled with the kind of joy Ava hadn’t felt in years.

“Why did you stray so far?” the girl asked, her voice soft, sad. “Why did you let it all slip away?”

Ava’s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding as she stared at the girl—at herself. She didn’t have an answer. She didn’t know when it had all started to slip away. But somewhere along the way, she had lost herself, lost the girl she had once been.

The vision shifted, morphing again, and suddenly Ava was standing in a home—her home. The one she had dreamed of, the one she had once thought she could build with Lucas. It was filled with warmth, with laughter, with the promise of a future she could have had if things had been different. She saw herself, older, but at peace. Lucas was there too, his arms wrapped around her, his love shining in his eyes.

But then the scene darkened, twisting into something darker, colder. The warmth faded, replaced by the chill of betrayal, of loss. The home crumbled into dust, and Lucas’s figure dissolved into shadow.

The Abyss surged back into her vision, the field, the home, the warmth all gone. She was back on the edge of the precipice, the void swirling beneath her feet. The sorceress stood before her, her smile sharp, her hand still outstretched.

“You see now, don’t you?” the sorceress whispered, her voice low and dangerous. “You see what you’ve lost. But you can still have more. More than you ever dreamed of.”

Ava’s heart pounded, her mind spinning. She could still have more. But at what cost?

She glanced back toward Lucas, whose figure was now barely visible, his hand still reaching for her, though he seemed further away than ever. His voice, though faint, still echoed in her mind.

“I love you, Ava. I always have.”

The words tore through her, ripping at the last shreds of her resolve. Love. Trust. Betrayal. They had all become so tangled, so twisted. She didn’t know what was real anymore.

But as she looked into the sorceress’s eyes—her own eyes, cold and hollow—she saw the truth. Power came at a cost. And that cost was everything she had ever held dear.

With a deep breath, Ava made her choice.

Her hand shot forward—not toward the sorceress, but toward Lucas. Her fingers closed around his hand, gripping it tightly as the Abyss roared in fury around them. The sorceress’s scream echoed through the void, her form dissolving into shadows as her promises of power crumbled into dust.

Ava’s body trembled, her heart pounding as Lucas pulled her into his arms, holding her close. The Abyss screamed in rage, its dark tendrils thrashing, but it couldn’t touch her now. She had made her choice.

“I won’t let you go,” Lucas whispered, his voice broken but determined. “I’ll never let you go again.”

Ava closed her eyes, her breath shuddering as she clung to him, her heart finally finding some semblance of peace. The Abyss might have called to her, but she had chosen love. She had chosen him.

And in that moment, as the world around them began to heal, Ava knew she had made the right choice.