In Order to Take Flight

 The sound of rushed footsteps echoed through the deserted corridors as the time Zeya had left continued to tick down.

Zeya's anxiety only intensified whenever she heard that harsh grating emanating from behind her, which signified the monster's pursuit of her.

 Tvar was rather quick to find Zeya, and it did everything in its power to stop her from leaving the palace, even if it meant putting itself in harm's way.

It chased after her relentlessly, blocking every possible escape route that Zeya might've been able to use.

 Zeya, on the other hand, used her surroundings to her advantage, hiding in every possible corner to catch her breath while racking her brain for new ideas.

The entire trembled whenever Tvar lost sight of Zeya, its violent screams causing the structure to tilt at alarming angles.

Getting to the upper stories of the palace was her current priority since it brought her closer to the surface of the ocean, but she had to lose Tvar first if she wanted to proceed smoothly with her plans.

 The last thing she needed was to have Tvar attract any more unwanted attention towards her, especially Varen's, who may have already been on his way to her right now.

She darted through the corridors while Tvar's back was turned towards her, finally making it to the highest floor without being seen.

"You just never know when to give up, do you dear?"

Zeya's brief moment of relief was interrupted by a brooding voice coming from the darkness.

 "If you have no intentions of giving up your antics, I suggest you stay far away, Varen." Zeya warned while she stepped away from the Kaxarene cautiously. "I'm getting out of here one way or another, no matter how hard you try to stop me."

 "... How adorable." Varen flashed an unsettling smile as he closed the gap between them, slowly getting closer. "Acting all high and mighty in front of me when you should clearly be scared of what's to come."

 Zeya wasted no time to sprint off to cover some ground between them, but Varen calmly followed suit, his footsteps quick but calculated.

It wasn't long before Varen caught up to her, and the two fell to the floor engaged in a passionate brawl, both bodies struggling to remain dominant of the other.

Specks of blood splatter all across the pristine floors of the palace followed by haggard breathes. 

 Both of them had largely depleted their magic, and it was starting to take effect, particularly Zeya. 

 "This is pointless." Varen finally declared as he finally managed to pin her from above. "Just stay still and-"

Varen barely had time to finish his sentence when he was suddenly dragged off of Zeya by an unknown entity before his limbs were restrained by an unbreakable black piece of blob. 

 "As powerful as you are, even the greatest warriors have their limits, wouldn't you agree?"

Zeya commented with a small smile; her expression conveying more relief than satisfaction.

 'She had this entire thing planned out.' Varen came to the realization far too late, unable to process his current situation.

 "We have him restrained, My Lady." Nox's monotonous voice erupted as it revealed itself to Varen. 

 "Thank you, Nox." Zeya's voice was barely audible despite the fairly quiet room. "Please keep him that way until I'm far enough, will you?"

 "Of course."

Just as Zeya tried to get up on her two feet, a violent cough erupted, followed by a mouthful of blood and pain.

 Her body was starting to fail due to the huge absence of magic, but first, she had to make it out of the palace before she would allow herself to fall unconscious.

The moon was already at its highest point, and it was only a matter of time before it starts to set. 

"You... you of all people shouldn't be doing this to me."

Varen growled in pain and anger, somehow managing to get on his feet despite the restraints biting into his skin, drawing blood. 

"If only you knew how hard I tried to find you... after all those centuries apart."

Zeya's gaze remained devoid of emotion as she silently watched Varen falter towards her, until Nox ultimately forced him back onto his knees, where he collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

 "Do you wish for me to beg for forgiveness? If I begged you not to go, would you stop this madness?"

He offered with a sadistic and bloodied smile as he looked up at Zeya with faded eyes. "Would the sight of that make you feel better, hm, my love?"

 "Answer me!" The almighty monarch demanded almost desperately when Zeya continued to remain silent, his eyebrows furrowed in sudden anger.

"How is it that you can just walk away from me like it's nothing? After everything we've been through together?"

 "Walk away from you?" Zeya scoffed at his bold accusations. "Don't make me laugh with that sick humor of yours."

"We went to war all for the sake of your beloved father's impractical dreams. You went as far as to break our vows for him and the so-called peace he wanted for the humans. But now... now you're choosing to switch sides?"

Zeya voice dripped with unrelenting anger as she held Varen's gaze, unable to remain calm any longer.

 "Make no mistake. You broke your side of the deal first and now; you're simply dealing with the repercussions of it."

"I only agreed to your stupid agreement so we could stop this mayhem, to protect the peace so many people died, and all I needed from you was your unyielding approval. Yet you decide to ruin everything when the perfect chance finally arrived."

"Stop this, now. Before it all gets out of hand." Varen's eyes glimmered menacingly as he spoke.

 "Why? Are you finally regretting the decisions you made centuries ago?" She spat out a bitter laugh after her sentence, her eyes burning with disgust and hatred the longer she faced Varen.

 "Good, you should've given a fuck when it mattered. Not when it's already too late."

 "I... I'm begging you, Zeya." Varen persisted, his voice quivering with word he uttered. "You do not have to go such lengths. Let's find a wiser way to handle this-"

 "You know no amount of convincing will change my mind now." Zeya explained, her voice cold and relentless. "I never wanted any of this in the first place. The throne, the wealth, the power, nothing."

 "I've had enough of your foolish games so, let this be the last time we ever see each other again, Varen Edevane. Whether I live or die after today should only be a thought in your dreams now."

 Zeya said with a frustrated sigh, having enough of talking about the past.

"You managed well all those centuries when I was declared dead, I'm sure you'll do just fine just like the years when you believed I was dead."

 "... You can't run far with those wounds, Zeya." Varen eyed the burns on her hands, a pinch of sadness evident in the way he frowned at the gruesome sight. "You know I'll find you. One way or the other."

 "Don't underestimate what I'm capable of doing, Your Majesty." Zeya said with a confident smile. "I've survived injuries worse than this after all."

Painful groans escaped her lips as she finally managed to stand up, her eyes meeting Varen's estranged gaze, before she coldly looked away.

 Varen's violent outbursts only landed on deaf ears as Zeya walked away without looking back, leaving devasted and largely weakened Kaxarene restrained with no way to go after her.