Chapter 22

  SINS OF THE PAST

  In silence, the group moved toward the portal. The roars and screams had faded, leaving behind an unsettling quiet that seemed to herald something terrible.

  Suddenly, Sofía raised her hand, stopping everyone. Sabine appeared before them, her malevolent smile framed by a body covered in black veins that pulsed with dark energy.

  —Bravo, children. —She punctuated her words with a slow clap that echoed through the stillness, heavy with sarcasm—. Cristina, I regret interrupting your execution, but you know what they say: don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. —A cold laugh slipped from her lips, freezing the group’s resolve.

  —How do you know my name? —Cristina asked, a chill running down her spine.

  —Because I can read minds. —Sabine paused, savoring Cristina’s discomfort, then added with a perverse smile—: But I don’t need my powers to know who you are. We already know each other, though I looked different back then. Older… and with another name: the Great Vicenta. —Her laughter cut through the air like a blade.

  Cristina went pale.

  —What…? —she murmured, feeling the ground crumble beneath her feet.

  —It was so easy to manipulate you… well, manipulate all of you. —Sabine tilted her head with a mocking smile—. The orphan witch desperately searching for her coven sisters, and the half-blood angel dreaming of getting closer to his daddy.

  —What is she talking about, Cristina? —Laura asked, looking at her friend with growing unease.

  Sabine didn’t wait for an answer.

  —Your dear friend sought out a seer to find her coven —she continued, her tone dripping with mockery—. And I seized the opportunity. I filled her head with lies and gave her a false vision of the future. Well… —she smiled maliciously— maybe it wasn’t so false, because your actions, Cristina, carried out exactly as I planned, will lead you to what you seek. Do you know why? Because your coven was my first experiment. —She paused, savoring every word—. Each body was used as a magical battery. Each one begged for mercy… and it was as pathetic as it was beautiful.

  —Damn you! I’ll kill you! —Cristina tried to lunge forward, but Raían held her back firmly, whispering that attacking her would be a fatal mistake.

  Sabine let out a soft chuckle before turning to Gabriel.

  —And then there’s the little angel… my true masterpiece. You rushed in without thinking, falling straight into the arms of that blasphemous warlock.

  With a slight gesture of her hand, the shadows around her shifted, revealing demonic beasts lurking in silence.

  —Let me tell you a story —she said casually, almost as if recounting a rumor, though the tension in her voice was unmistakable—. Eighteen years ago, DecHal attacked the mortal realm. They said it was without reason—at least, that’s what your leaders made you believe. But the truth… —she paused, letting her words sink in— is different. DecHal wanted revenge.

  Her expression hardened, a flash of contempt crossing her gaze.

  —He was special to me, in his own way. Together we had a daughter, a child with power so immense it rivaled that of a Higher Deity. An exquisite promise to me.

  Her voice began to tremble—not with fragility, but with contained rage, like a volcano on the brink of eruption.

  —But your leaders saw her as a threat. They sent the Raven Clan… —the words seemed to burn her lips—. They took advantage of the darkness of night, broke in while we slept… and murdered her.

  The silence that followed was as heavy as judgment itself, laden with immeasurable fury and grief.

  Sabine’s face hardened, her eyes filled with hatred.

  —I sank into the deepest sorrow when they hid my finest vessel from me, while DecHal sought to make witches and angels pay for what they had done. I knew those bitches didn’t act without orders from the winged ones.

  In the blink of an eye, Sabine vanished into the shadows and reappeared behind Gabriel, caressing his cheek with an icy expression.

  —The great demon was winning the war… —she paused, leaning closer as she unexpectedly inhaled his scent. A faint smile crossed her face—. Interesting… you’re almost ready.

  With a fluid motion, she returned to her original position, as if all of this were part of a game.

  —And then, mysteriously, he vanished.

  She paused again, delighting in the group’s confusion.

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  —It took me years to uncover the truth. On the very day DecHal was contained, a half-blood angel appeared out of nowhere. Millennia without the races mixing, and suddenly this child emerges. Then I understood… —Her eyes flared with fury as she stared at Gabriel—. My beloved —her tone was clearly mocking— was sealed inside a living vessel.

  She took a dramatic pause before continuing:

  —A witch of the Hotsson bloodline helped the Witch Cabal. They used the bones of a beloved human and angelic essence from the Tribunal to create this… homunculus.

  Sabine spat on the ground, her disgust unmistakable.

  —Eighteen years! Eighteen years DecHal was trapped inside a stupid child! —Hatred poured from every word—. But like a good puppet, you did everything I wanted. The magic of the Hotsson bloodline unleashed by a true love’s kiss and the darkening of your soul through murder. The seal has weakened. Max, your grandmother was a fool—a powerful seer who couldn’t see beyond your birth. Pathetic… she believed the kiss would never happen, but she never considered that children might turn out… different.

  With a snap of her fingers, a stern-faced woman appeared behind her. Her presence was as imposing as the object she held: a golden key that didn’t quite rest in her palms, instead floating with a faint vibration, as if alive. The metal looked like intertwined roots twisted into an intricate design that ended in the unmistakable shape of a key.

  It was the Key of Vishnu. The final piece. The prelude to the grand finale.

  Sabine fixed Gabriel with an icy stare, her voice now cold as steel.

  —It’s time to choose, Gabriel. Either you surrender and I let your friends go… or I kill them all and force you to watch as grief shatters your heart.

  The group held their breath. The air was thick with tension; Sabine’s words were not an empty threat, but a promise.

  —Seeing your little boyfriend, it would be more fun to let him live and watch that infection kill him slowly —Sabine sneered, her smile venomous.

  The skies roared, and from among the clouds descended Ann, her presence like lightning tearing through the darkness. Her wings gleamed with golden light, and in her hand she wielded a sword that radiated searing heat. She stepped firmly between Sabine and the youths.

  —Stay away from them —Ann warned, her voice thundering—, or I’ll show you why humans fear the wrath of angels.

  Sabine raised an eyebrow, her smile widening in disdain.

  —Ann Berht… always so predictable. —The witch took a step forward, savoring the moment—. You’ve played the pious mother for so long, but tell me… have you told him the whole truth yet? —A malicious spark lit her eyes—. Want to know how your “little boy” feels about the realm you love so much? He despises it, Ann. That “celestial kingdom” you built was nothing but his prison. Your love wasn’t pure; it was fear. Fear of him.

  Ann kept her sword steady, though her breathing grew heavier.

  —What are you talking about, witch? —she snapped, fury in her voice, though a slight tremor betrayed her.

  Sabine laughed, a sound laced with venom and mockery.

  —Oh, dear… he already knows. —She tilted her head, feigning pity—. It’s time you stop pretending. You’re not his mother. You’re his jailer.

  Sabine’s words were daggers. Ann clenched her teeth, struggling to contain the storm of emotions inside her.

  —Shut up! —she shouted, launching herself forward. Her sword pierced the witch’s body in a blazing flash, but Sabine didn’t even flinch. Instead, she released a deep, deafening laugh as her form regenerated like swirling smoke.

  —Angels have always been so pathetic… —Sabine murmured, her voice sharp with disdain—. They underestimate magic, trusting swords and great wings, as if that could rival the power of those who shape reality at will.

  With a casual flick of her hand, Sabine unleashed her magic. Ann was yanked off the ground, her body frozen in midair as the witch regarded her with arrogance and contempt.

  —Did you really think you could stop me? —Sabine’s words slid like poison, sharp and mocking, as the energy around her crackled.

  With a brutal motion, Sabine ripped the sword from her own body and let it fall to the ground. Ann struggled to breathe, her strength draining away as the witch’s words tormented her.

  —You’ll never… never free him —Ann whispered between gasps, tears of helplessness streaking down her face.

  Sabine leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction.

  —Ann, dear… the seal is already broken. Only the final touch remains.

  Ann’s face froze in disbelief. Everything she had fought for—every sacrifice, every pain—collapsed in that instant.

  —Let me… say goodbye —Ann asked weakly, her words barely audible.

  Sabine chuckled, as if enjoying the drama.

  —Oh, of course. I’m not a monster. —With a flick of her hand, she dropped Ann to the ground.

  Ann staggered up and ran to Gabriel, wrapping him in a desperate embrace.

  —I love you… more than anything in this world —she said, her voice breaking under the weight of truth—. Forgive me… for everything. For the lies. For what I couldn’t be. —She kissed his forehead, holding him one last time.

  Then she turned to Sabine, who waited impatiently.

  —Are you done? —the witch asked, folding her arms.

  Ann lifted her head, her eyes burning with unbreakable determination.

  —Just one more thing… —she murmured, almost to herself.

  In a swift motion, she pulled a nova grenade from her belt, its pulsing glow lighting the tense air. Sabine instinctively stepped back, her confidence faltering for a split second, but Ann did not hesitate. With a sharp twist of her wrist, she opened a portal to the mortal realm.

  —Go! —she commanded, her voice brooking no argument.

  Before anyone could react, she shoved Gabriel and the group toward the portal with unexpected force.

  —Mom! —Gabriel screamed desperately, reaching out as the portal slammed shut, his face streaked with tears of helplessness.

  From the other side, Gabriel saw Ann turn calmly, holding the grenade in her hands. In the instant before activating it, her lips curved into one last smile, and with a gentle motion of her hand, she offered them a silent farewell.

  The grenade detonated in a blinding flash, a wave of pure energy consuming everything around it. Sabine, unable to withstand the overwhelming power, screamed in fury as she was forced to flee to save herself.

  Gabriel collapsed to his knees in a park of the mortal realm, his sobs tearing through the night’s silence.

  —Open a portal! —he cried in despair, his voice shattered by grief—. We have to go back for her!

  But even as tears streamed down his face, the light of Ann’s sacrifice burned in his mind, reminding him that his mother had done the unthinkable to save them.

  Sofía knelt beside him, holding him tightly as tears ran down her own face.

  —Gabriel… no one survives a nova grenade —she whispered, her voice breaking.

  Pain filled the air like a suffocating cloud. The revelations had left deep scars, and Ann’s loss was a wound that would never heal. Gabriel lifted his gaze to the sky, screaming in anguish as truth and emptiness consumed him.