The Devil's Cursed Witch

Inside the council hall, all the members were present. Draven sat on the throne while the elders from each clan took their places, with their accompanying members standing behind them. Evanthe had assumed the role of head of the Witch Clan, with Cornelia standing behind her. Ember, as the King's mate, was given a separate seat.

Leeora, seated next to Ember, offered her an assuring gaze, silently encouraging her to remain calm. Ember responded with a light smile. Erlos stood behind Ember instead of by Draven's side, as Draven didn't want Ember to feel lonely.

The council meeting began, and as usual, Halifax took charge to proceed with the agenda.

"Your Majesty, the purpose of today's council meeting is to discuss the Commander, the divine eagle Morpheus, his current state, and the measures we can take to restore his soul and energy core to their previous condition. If you allow me, I would like to initiate the discussion."

"You may," Draven replied, his gaze briefly passing over Ember.

Halifax began, "We are all grateful to Queen Evanthe for returning to Agartha and helping us restore the Commander's soul by exhausting a great deal of her divine energy."

Evanthe knew what was coming and looked at Draven, who returned her gaze, both understanding each other's thoughts.

Halifax turned to Evanthe, "Queen Evanthe, I would like you to state the Commander's current situation in detail so everyone in this council meeting can understand it clearly."

vanthe stood up and offered a polite bow to the King before beginning. "Since my arrival, the Witch Clan, along with myself, has been doing our best to aid the commander. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Cornelia Grim for discovering traces of his existence before it was too late.

"At this moment, although the commander's soul has been recovered, it is not stable, and we could lose him again at any time."

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A collective gasp echoed through the hall. Ember, shocked by the revelation, looked at Draven, who returned her gaze, silently urging her to stay calm.

"Please elaborate more on this, Queen Evanthe," Halifax prompted.

Evanthe continued, "When the commander was stabbed in the heart with the divine weapon, his soul was meant to perish entirely. However, after being saved, his soul is now tormented by the darkness of hell as punishment for altering destiny. Soon, his soul will be sucked into the darkness of hell and tormented for eternity in the underworld."

Hearing this, those previously unaware of the full extent of the commander's fate gasped and began speaking among themselves. They had not anticipated such a cruel destiny for their commander, especially after his selfless act of saving others.

Ember, deeply shaken by the news, recalled reading about the torment of souls in Draven's library. She knew the gravity of what it meant for a soul to be sent to the underworld.

Aureus felt his heart grow numb at the revelation. He remembered the painful groans of his uncle, which he had heard while standing outside the door of the healing chamber. The thought of the unimaginable torture Morpheus was enduring weighed heavily on him.

"Queen Evanthe, does that mean it would have been better for the Commander to die after he was stabbed with the divine weapon rather than being saved? Has saving him caused more harm than letting him die?"

Evanthe nodded, her voice tinged with helplessness as she felt bad for her friend. "Yes, it would have been better if he had not been saved. His soul would not have suffered being sent to the underworld."

"How was he saved?" Halifax asked.

"He was saved by Ember," Evanthe replied. "Her hellfire saved his core from being completely destroyed. That hellfire is what still keeps him alive, standing between his soul and the underworld. But we do not know how long it can last."

'I saved him, but I caused him greater harm?' Ember felt guilt grip her heart, her gaze blurring with tears. Through their bond, Draven felt her emotions clearly and glanced at her.

Halifax hummed thoughtfully and looked at the King, while the others waited to hear his response.

"I wish to say," Halifax began, "that Lady Ember possesses an incredible power—an ability to save someone harmed by a divine weapon, which is considered an impossible act even for deities. Other than ancient gods or some ancient divine beasts, there is no record of anyone possessing such an ability.

If not for the commander's sin of changing destiny and his soul being pulled to the underworld, Lady Ember's act would have been considered noble. But in this situation, it has caused more harm than good."

He paused and looked at Ember. "Lady Ember, for what you have done, the harm you caused to the commander, on behalf of this council, I request that you take responsibility for your actions and save the commander's life."

Ember felt puzzled by Halifax's words but stood up and calmly asked, "Can Commander Morpheus be saved?"

"Yes," Halifax assured. "Are you willing to take responsibility to protect him and his soul from the underworld?"

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

Draven, though outwardly calm, tightened his grip on the throne. Evanthe sighed inwardly, knowing the difficult part was about to come.

Halifax looked at Evanthe. "Lady Ember, Queen Evanthe might be able to explain it better."

Evanthe exhaled slowly to calm her nerves and answered honestly, "As your hellfire is protecting his core, you must become his mate. A mate bond between you two can complete his core and protect his soul."

Ember felt as though the ground had vanished beneath her feet, plunging her into an endless pit. Erlos, equally distressed for her, quickly came to her side and held her arm to steady her.

Ember looked speechlessly at Evanthe, shocked by this sudden revelation that no one had mentioned before.

"The hellfire you possess is one of the strongest attributes capable of fighting the darkness from hell, as hellfire itself originates from the depths of hell," Evanthe explained further. "Only a mate bond with you can save him now."

She felt her senses went numb as Evanthe's words echoed in her ears- 'Only a mate bond with you can save him now.'