Chapter 125: Our Goodbye

The following day, we boarded an airship with the destination to Celestelia, the nation of hybrids. These magnificent elven machinery ran on hydropower, ocean elves' magic. I knew little about them or their history, but Fenris told me they were built by Blaze elves who loved to tinker.

When traveling to other locations, they hated disturbing the ecosystem. These machines were also faster than anything else Cerberus used for transportation. With the airships, it would only take a few hours to get there.

Although beneficial for the environment, it was costly to make them. They appeared to be made from gold, but they weren't. What they used to make them was called etantil, a metal the blaze elves made but kept secret.

That didn't matter since they were the only ones who could make that metal with their magic. These ships were used when traveling between the countries, but we weren't the only ones in the air since this was a Cerberus operation.

All the race leaders were on their ships, packing the port as reporters' cameras flashed off in the distance. Each vessel had flags and banners that identified it. The one I was on, with the other Lycans, had a full red moon representing their emblem.

It matched perfectly with their black background, making it stand out. On the other hand, the vampire's black feathered wing stood out perfectly with its white. I once found an odd story about them being able to fly, but that appeared to be more of a legend than anything else.

The humans had a golden lion's head that matched their red backdrop. The other witches and warlocks in the same ship had joined us or worked for Cerberus, but we had no flag yet to represent us.

I had been working on it, but the time constraint prevented me from finishing. However, we were between a crow and a cat, which Shade wanted to model after. Ocean elves had waves marked by blue lines.

They stood out against the flag's white backdrop. The blaze elves had an erupting volcano, while the base was brown. Yet the flames that erupted off the mountain were bright red and orange, which matched perfectly with their black. The nature elves had purple orchids that matched their green background, while the light elves had golden sun with red for the rest.

Lastly, the moon elves used the white crescent moon with their purple backdrop for their flag. The moon elves and Lycan's symbol reminded me of the bracelets Fenris and I wore.

They were made with their magic, connecting us two in ways we never could undo.

When the airships went into action, I was amazed at how these machines could be powered by water alone. Most of it was beyond my understanding, even when a friendly elven engineer who worked on the ship tried to explain it to me.

They were usually only used to travel between nations with urgent needs, which meant they were used for official business only. However, Fenris wanted to open them to the public for transportation.

This feat would take some convincing for the current council, as these weren't for the light-hearted. Amelia and Melody, who could only board because I came along, refused to leave my side while we traveled through the air toward our destination.

However, we were guided below deck while the airship was running, and because of the speeds we were traveling at, anyone who stood outside would be blown away. Technologies for creating portable barriers existed but weren't implemented in these ships.

Even though the vessels were eco-friendly, they were louder than cars, and the elves outlawed them. Yet, they would be more practical and valuable if they were used for the public instead of having ships sail from the ports.

Sadly, that still wasn't the case for everyone. If it would ever be, I wouldn't know. For now, they were only for Cerberus's use and for those who could afford them. The trip there would be quick, and thanks to the hybrids that lived by the howling forest, we could pinpoint where the apostates hid.

However, we were going in blind. The locals only helped with brief information; most would be gone when we came. They said it wasn't their place to fight a battle that didn't involve them.

To them, the pure breed's affairs were theirs to fix. Their letter even warned them not to stay any longer than needed. The fact they barely helped didn't affect anything, though. Everyone already expected little of the hybrids that lived there.

It was rather sad how they were so detached from everything, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for them, too. It wasn't their fault they felt that way, but ours. Thanks to us, Celestelia was full of crime and outlaws, and Cerberus never came to restore order when they needed it.

So, of course, they wouldn't trust us. I wouldn't either, especially after years of discrimination. These hybrids felt what witchcraft users experienced for far longer than we witchcraft users did. Unlike us, though, they had little power to change their fates.

So, instead of living in oppression, they left everything behind and headed toward Celestelia, the forgotten land. There were rumors that purebreds sent their hybrid children there to hide the fact that they ever had one in the first place.

That thought chilled me to my core, though. Even though I knew I had at least one Lycan baby in my womb. It never crossed my head to do that if I had a luma. It was out of my comprehension how any mother could give their child up because they were different.

That was a trait I would share with my mom, who didn't abandon me even when the world told her to. It wasn't long until the Lycans around me soon broke into an uproar. They were getting pumped for battle as the young ones became rowdy.

Although most of the chatter was about the fight, I felt their occasional gazes as most knew who I was. It didn't help that I was one of the few who wasn't a Lycan like them on this ship, along with the crew needed to fly the ship and the medics who would help the injured.

Yet that wasn't the reason they took peeks at me. No, the reason was that I was pregnant with their future 'heir.' My heavy, swollen belly was too much to hide from everyone. Most of the young wolves that approached me quickly bowed to me, leaving me stunned every time.

Even though I was still Fenris's fiancée, they still called me his wife, wishing me a healthy pregnancy. Of course, not all had the same opinion, but those who disagreed kept away from me. After all, the latter didn't want to invoke their alpha's wrath on them, who wasn't far from me.

Amelia and Melody accompanied me the entire time, which was a hassle. During the time Fenris had spent training, many Lycans challenged him to test their power, but the only one who ever bested him somewhat in battle was Shade, who was perched on my shoulder.

The more wolves failed to best their alpha, the more they accepted me. After all, if I had it in me to tame this silver wolf, I must've been a fearsome human.

Their words.

Others remembered me as the angel of mercy from the day the rebels attacked. Most of them also knew what he did to Layla for her insubordination, who had gone missing since the time we last saw her.

Even Kira, who had already given birth to her baby, who was proven not to be Liam's right away thanks to testing, didn't know where her sister went. A mystery loomed over us, but we had no time to focus.

All the Lycan elders who were once so opposed to us were also on the ship. They were by Fenris as he plotted their assaults on the resurgent faction.

Even though I wanted to be with my wolf, I stayed away. I had to let him be the leader he needed to be for his clan. After our night, I still felt his warmth, which had to be enough to keep me going.

Instead of running to him, I reviewed my plan with Shade, my faithful companion. I knew Fenris wouldn't let me come with him to the battlefield. He had only agreed for me to go to Celestelia with him, but I had to stay on the ship.

It was probably why Amelia and Melody came, too.

However, all of them were unaware that this morning, on our way to the ship, Shade had stolen a small bracelet, one of the more minor artifacts. Fenris was too busy speaking with Liam to care that Shade jumped on him like she always did before diving into his bag and nabbing one in her mouth, effectively hiding it from the two wolves.

However, I felt my heart stop when she first nabbed it since my beloved shifted his gaze at her momentarily, wondering what she was doing in his bag. It appeared that wasn't the first time that had happened, allowing her to escape without saying anything when he took her out.

The moment she gave it to me, I hid it in a pouch near my breast, preventing it from touching my skin. It would give me away while we were on the ship if it did. This marked phase one of my plan.

Even though we weren't sure if the witches had succeeded in their intentions to summon Alijah, my heart knew that it was only a matter of hours before I saw him again. I felt in my bones that this was it.

Perhaps the other Lilith within me resonated with Alijah or something else. I closed my eyes and tried to brace myself for everything to come.

It's okay, Lily. I won't allow anyone to hurt you or our babies. Shade assured me.

Her words were slightly comforting, yet I was sure a wave of witches and warlocks would stand in our way to reach our destination. However, I worried more about Fenris's and everyone else's fate than mine.

The closer we got to our destination, the more tensions flared. Lycans were eager to go into the fray against anything that came across their path. At the same time, I wasn't as willing to dive into it. Luckily, I wasn't the only one, as Liam, Ben, and Fenris appeared to take it more seriously than the rest.

If the witches used wolfsbane against them, something that took only seconds to activate—the only solution was to self-terminate. That reminded me of my failure, as I couldn't develop an antidote.

Although I was closer than ever to doing so, within the last weeks, I had understood the witchcraft element of the variant, but I couldn't finish it in time. I tried not to think too deeply about what could happen if everything went sideways.

Thankfully, Ursula's tale brought me comfort. When Alijah was out in this world, they didn't use wolfsbane for fear he would self-destruct, taking the world with him. Perhaps they would fear Fenris would do the same, stopping them from using it.

However, there was no denying my wolf was weaker than the black wolf's destructive power; it still could've served as a deterrent. Even so, they had tried to kill him with it before, but back then, he was weak from the awakening.

So, I can only hope they don't try it again.

Before I knew it, the ship stopped, revealing the howling forest underneath us. It appeared to have weird distortions around its bounds, giving off the atmosphere that something was twisting. Tania, who was in the vampires' ship instead of ours with Ben, was right about their lair being within the forest.

The unique ability granted by the Soul Cairn allowed me to see the forest shrouded in darkness. Edna had used her magic and an artifact to keep anyone from noticing it. Sadly, it didn't matter anymore.

Alijah's summoning blew their cover enough to alarm the residents who lived near the forest, which led to the mass raid forming on top of them. However, something I kept to myself alone was the location where the greater concentration of witchcraft magic was congregated.

Not that anyone asked me either way.

All of them planned to destroy the entire forest without my help.

Not that I'll tell you even if you did ask me. I'll never allow Fenris near Edna and Alijah.

The current aim is to eradicate all enemies to find her and hope that, somehow, we can stop Alijah from coming through.

There isn't anything stopping you from coming; I know that now. So… Please guide me to you again so I can end this for now.

Fenris carried the remaining artifacts on him in case he met with Alijah, but I had to avoid that at all costs.

These two wolves can never meet. If you do... My dream will surely...

Melody appeared terrified when it was time for the Lycans to jump ship. She tried her best not to run to Liam, who was at Fenris's side with Ezra the whole time. Even though I tried my best not to gaze at my wolf, I couldn't help myself as tears ran down my cheek.

Even though I wished nothing more than to be with him, I had my path to walk down towards. He had to be far away from me for it to work, but the fear of his safety filled my core. He said I would stay with Amelia, Melody, and Ben, who wouldn't go into battle.

We would be accompanied by the crew and medics, waiting for the moment they claimed victory. Even though this might've been the last time I saw Fenris. He refused to look at me, fearing losing his courage to fight.

Unlike me, who longed to see more of him, he continued forward, leaving me behind with his family. Fenris's brother and sister stayed with us throughout these months, giving him the peace of mind he needed to endure this.

He knew I would be in good hands if anything happened to him. Something I disagreed with, though.

You have to come back to me! No matter what, you have to find me again!

Before he jumped off with all the others, I couldn't help myself as I took a few steps towards him, only to be stopped by Ben, who grabbed me by my shoulders.

"Fenris!" I cried, triggering him to flinch upon hearing his name before shifting his gaze towards me.

"Please, come back to me! Promise me! Swear it to me!" I pleaded, triggering him to wince before shaking his head.

Melody held me tightly in response, weeping as Liam stood beside Fenris, who smiled bitterly.

"I love you." He declared, allowing himself to fall into the abyss below.

"Fenris!!" I screamed, unable to help myself, prompting Ben to pull me into his embrace.

"He'll come back to you. I know it." The older brother assured me as I couldn't stop the tears.

"I promise to bring him back to you, Lilith, and to return to you, Melody." The brown wolf smiled, triggering Mel to weep.

"You better!" She sobbed as Amelia comforted her.

In the blink of an eye, his faithful friend was also gone and out of our reach after the Lycans leaped while we were allowed to be on deck to watch the incoming battle, which didn't take long to erupt.