CHAPTER 130: GLOWING VISION

Lilith made her way to the crypt, relieved to find no one else there. She descended the stone steps into the lower part of the cave where she and the prince had once practiced archery. Glancing around, her eyes soon landed on Salistra, the woman stood with her back to Lilith, wearing the same long black dress she had worn during their previous meetings.

Lilith approached her, but before she could get any closer, Salistra turned to face her, a polite smile on her face.

"How are you doing, Lilith?" she asked, her voice calm and gentle.

"I am well," Lilith replied with a pause. "And you? I hope you haven’t been waiting too long."

"No, not at all. I arrived only a few minutes ago." Salistra turned her gaze toward the lake just a few feet away. "It is beautiful here. Peaceful."

Lilith followed her gaze to the waterfall cascading into the lake. "It is indeed."

She turned back to Salistra. "When shall we begin?"

It took a moment before the old woman answered. "Now. We begin now, we do not have time to waste."

She moved past Lilith. "Come with me."

Lilith followed her until they stopped at a large flat stone.

"You will sit atop the stone with your legs crossed beneath you," Salistra instructed.

Lilith obeyed, climbing onto the stone and crossing her legs. A thin shaft of sunlight peeked through a small hole in the cave ceiling, striking her face. She tilted her head slightly to avoid the piercing light.

"Flatten both of your hands on your knees, close your eyes, and concentrate on my voice," Salistra continued. "You must block out all noise around you. Focus only on my voice."

Lilith did as instructed, closing her eyes. It didn’t take long to dull the sounds around her and attune her senses to Salistra’s voice. At first, there was only silence, the steady thrum of her heartbeat ringing in her ears.

Then she began to hear whispering. Soft, unintelligible sounds from Salistra. At first, they made Lilith uncomfortable. Her eyelids twitched, her brows furrowed into a faint frown.

She wanted to speak, to voice her discomfort, but suddenly, she lost all control of her body. She couldn’t open her eyes or move her limbs, as if trapped inside her own skin. Panic surged through her, her heart pounding violently in her chest. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and neck, vanishing into her dress.

The whispering grew louder as though it were clawing at her mind. A headache bloomed behind her temples, her breathing grew ragged, her head throbbing painfully. Lilith felt as though she would lose consciousness any moment.

Then, she felt a hand on hers.

The touch was icy, as though the person had just emerged from frozen water. Lilith wanted to pull away, but her body remained unresponsive.

Yet somehow, the cold touch began to calm her. It did not stop the suffocating pressure in her head or chest, but it anchored her, steadying her enough to endure.

The whispering drew closer, until it felt as though someone were speaking directly into her ear, first one ear, then the other, then both at once.

Suddenly, she felt hands, dozens of them moving up her back. Cold fingers, as if more than ten pairs were touching her at once. The sensation crept slowly, hands gliding up her back, to her shoulders, and then to her head.

As the fingers locked around her temples, Lilith gasped loudly. Her face tipped upward, drawn toward the shaft of sunlight piercing the cave ceiling.

Her eyes burst open, a bright white light filled her vision, blinding her. She could see nothing but overwhelming brightness.

Salistra took a few steps back, her eyes widening in admiration and surprise. Lilith was slowly rising off the ground, floating in mid-air. Her hair fanned out behind her, her eyes glowing bright. Golden vines curled around her arms and legs, snaking upward to her neck.

Salistra watched with fascination, but with caution. As much as she wanted Lilith to reach the highest peaks of her power, she knew it was dangerous for her to do so all at once, especially when she wasn’t ready.

Her eyes widened further when she saw blood trailing from Lilith’s ears and nose.

Salistra immediately stepped forward. She had to stop it now. Placing her fingers on Lilith’s head, she whispered and everything went black.

~~~

Lilith groaned softly as her eyes fluttered open. Her head throbbed. She reached up to rub her temples and looked around, confused to find herself lying on the cold stone floor of the cave.

How did I end up on the ground? she wondered.

She noticed that Salistra was gone. The cave was silent now, save for the distant sound of falling water.

Lilith tried to remember what had happened, but her memory was blank after the moment Salistra had told her to focus on her voice.

Just then, a familiar voice broke the stillness.

"What are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you."

Lilith turned quickly to see Hades striding toward her, his eyes dark with concern.

"I... I came here to watch the waterfall," she replied with a small smile, masking her confusion. She wanted to tell him about Salistra, but something made her hesitate. She wasn’t sure how he would react.

"Oh, really?" Hades narrowed his eyes, scanning her carefully. "You look disoriented... and tired."

Lilith pressed her lips together, thinking carefully about how to respond. "I’ve been standing for quite a while, so that must be why I look tired," she said softly. Then, quickly diverting the conversation, she asked, "Did you find what you were looking for in the library?"

Hades smiled knowingly. He could tell she was trying to steer the conversation away from herself, but he decided to play along. "No, I haven’t. I’ll continue my search this evening."

"Alright," Lilith replied, her gaze shifting to the waterfall.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Hades step closer. He moved behind her, lowering his head to press a kiss to her shoulder, then began peppering soft kisses up along her neck. Lilith sighed, her body instinctively leaning toward him, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Do you want to step into the water?" he murmured against her skin.

"I’m not dressed for a swim, Your Highness," Lilith replied, goosebumps spreading across her skin as his lips continued to graze the sensitive curve of her neck.

"You don’t have to be dressed for a swim, darling," Hades whispered, pulling away. "You can take off your dress so it doesn’t get wet."