CHAPTER 1456: BENEATH THE ASHES IV

The air in the garden grew dense, suffocating, as if an unseen hand pressed down from the heavens. Each breath carried the taste of decay, thick and bitter on the tongue.

The great tree groaned softly, its once proud branches sagging under a weight no eye could see. Leaves curled and blackened at the edges, crumbling to dust before they even touched the ground.

Flowers shriveled in unison, their colors bleeding into dull grays and bruised purples, as though life itself recoiled. Even the soil seemed to sour, exhaling a damp, fetid chill.

Shadows lengthened unnaturally, creeping across root and stone, until the garden felt less a sanctuary and more a tomb, an omen heavy with despair, as though the world itself was holding its breath for what was to come.

Mevissa sank to her knees on the dull, lifeless grass, her shoulders slumped, her long hair falling in tangled strands across her chest. Her face had turned ghostly pale, yet she forced herself to press her trembling hands against the soil, summoning the last of her strength.

Power rippled from her palms, but each time it flared, it withered, dissolving into the air like mist under a merciless sun. Again and again she tried, desperate, unyielding, but every effort bled into nothing, leaving her weaker, paler, more hollow than before.

At last, her strength failed. She collapsed onto the brittle grass, the garden’s silence closing in around her.

"Mevissa!"

A pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her against a chest both familiar and trembling. Her lashes fluttered, her breath hitched, she knew this embrace, this voice, as if her soul had waited for it.

"Ezra..." Her eyes focused, and she froze. His once-proud face was gaunt, cheeks sunken, his jaw shadowed with rough stubble. Cuts and bruises marred his skin, his clothes torn by battle and hardship.

"What happened to you?" she whispered, her fingers brushing his battered cheek. Tears welled as if touching him might undo the pain he carried.

Ezra gripped her hands tightly, his cracked lips curving into a fragile smile. "I’m fine." But his smile faltered, his eyes darkening with worry. "But you—why are you so weak?"

"I... I don’t know," Mevissa murmured.

Ezra hugged him tightly. "Don’t worry, I’m here now, I will not let anything happen to you."

"Yes, stay with me," She pleaded in a weak voice.

"Yes, I will never leave you." Ezra tightened his embrace as if trying to merge their body together.

Suddenly, tears fell from her cheek onto the lifeless ground. At that moment, a small light seeped to the ground, and a second later, the brittle grass began to shiver, then burst into lush green, blades unfurling in a rush of color.

Both of them stared, breath caught in disbelief.

"Your power..." Ezra whispered. "Has it returned?"

"I—I don’t know." Her brows furrowed. A memory, a sensation, flickered through her mind like a spark.

She seized his collar, pulling him closer, her voice a trembling command. "Kiss me."

Their lips met, and the world exhaled.

The garden heaved as though awakening from a long slumber. Withered leaves flushed emerald, their veins glowing with new life. Dry branches groaned and bent, swelling with foliage until the canopy spread in a cascade of green.

Flowers burst open in waves of scarlet, violet, and gold, their fragrance unfurling like incense. The air thickened with warmth, the earth humming beneath them, and one by one, crimson fruits ripened and glowed, hanging heavy from reborn branches.

What moments ago was a graveyard of decay now blazed with vitality, alive, radiant, eternal, and in the heart of it, Mevissa and Ezra remained locked together, the source of life rekindled between them.

Lory stood frozen, her gaze torn between the garden’s breathtaking revival and the truth dawning on her. She understood it now. Turns out, Mevissa’s power was bound to her heart.

The garden itself was her reflection, blooming with joy, withering with despair. And if Ezra was the light of her happiness, then he was the very key to keeping her power alive.

So they should not separate them again, right..right?

Her eyes flicked to Zhao Li Xin. His silence spoke louder than words. His expression was grim, his eyes shadowed with the weight of certainty.

He had seen this too many times before, how greed stripped men of loyalty, how ambition consumed even blood ties. Families, lovers, sacred vows, none of it endured before power, and then it began.

The garden’s serenity was shattered with the arrival of a young man. Handsome, yes, but in a sharp, unkind way that made his demeanor cruel. His features carried the unmistakable echo of the Grand Minister, as though arrogance itself had been carved into his bloodline.

Day after day, he returned, unbothered by Mevissa’s rejections. What began as persistence soon rotted into obsession, his presence lingering like a thorn that would not be plucked.

His advances grew bolder, his voice more forceful, until one day, with venom in his eyes, he grabbed for her wrist and tried to claim what was never his.

Mevissa struggled to release herself from him; she was screaming with fury and fear, but strangely, no one came.

Then all of a sudden, Ezra burst onto the scene like a storm, tearing the man from her, shoving him back with the protective rage of a wolf guarding its mate.

But humiliation burned deeper than wounds. The young man staggered, his pride shredded by rejection and shame. With a hiss of rage, he drew a dagger from his belt and lunged for Ezra’s heart.

Steel glinted. A struggle ensued. And in a heartbeat, the blade was turned. The young man gasped, eyes wide with shock, crimson blooming from his chest. He crumpled to the earth.

Soon after, silence weighed upon them, thick and suffocating. As though rehearsed, shadows stirred at the edge of the garden. The Grand Minister and his retinue stormed in, their robes billowing, soldiers at their heels. Their voices rose like a swarm, accusations sharpened to pierce truth itself.

"Murderer! he’s a murderer!"

"Desecrator! he had seduced the Goddess, clouding her pure heart!"

"He’s the reason the Goddess power had become unstable!"

"Now he killed all men around the Goddess out of jealousy; he’s a wretched man!"

Mevissa staggered forward, her voice breaking. "No—it’s not what you think! It has nothing to do with him. He was protecting me!"

But her pleas were swept aside like dust before the gale. The officials’ eyes gleamed with triumph, not justice. This was the trap that was laid bare as a perfect snare to brand Ezra as an enemy.

Zhao Li Xin let out a heavy sigh. On the other hand, Lory watched everything with her hands trembling, hearing their shameless lies. Both Lory and Zhao Li Xin knew this wasn’t justice. It was the execution of a carefully laid design.

The knights poured in, armor clattering, blades drawn. And what makes it more ironic, these knights were Ezra’s own men, knights who once saluted him with honor. Now they encircled him, weapons pointed, their loyalty shackled by command.

Ezra’s face hardened. The weight of betrayal pressed on him, but he did not falter. He shifted his stance, hand tightening on his sword.

For a heartbeat, the garden held its breath. Then steel rang against steel, and the clash of brotherhood turned to bloodshed. Sparks flew, voices roared, and the once-sacred sanctuary bloomed not with life but with the fury of battle.

Then in the center of it all, Ezra stood still, betrayed, cornered, but unbroken.

Mevissa’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the chaos unfold, the clash of steel, the cries of men she once trusted. Knights... her knights. The very warriors she had blessed with her power were now turning their blades against the one she loved most. How laughable. How grotesque.

A bitter tremor ran through her chest. This is the loyalty they offer me? This is what they repay me with?

Her hands trembled, but it was not weakness this time, no, it was fury. The garden itself seemed to sense it; the air thickened, shadows stretching across the once-verdant light.

Her clear amber eyes, once radiant with warmth and grace, dulled under a veil of shadow. The benevolence that had defined her—shattered. What replaced it was something dreadful. Something vile.

And then—

A knight slipped past Ezra’s guard, his blade thrusting forward with merciless precision. The steel tore through flesh, stabbing him from behind.

"Ezra!"

Blood spurted into the air, scattering in crimson arcs that fell like flower petals in the wind.

Ezra staggered, eyes widening, his sword faltering as strength bled from him. The garden gasped in unison, branches shivering, and leaves trembled, as though the world itself recoiled at the sight.

Mevissa’s scream tore the silence, raw and broken, her fury echoing through root and sky alike. She tried to reach him, but the knights held her back.

All she could do was watch in horror as steel bit into Ezra’s flesh again and again, until he crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. Gritting his teeth, drenched in blood, he still glared with unbroken defiance.

"Hold him down!" the Grand Minister roared.

The knights dragged Ezra upright, forcing him to his knees, pinning his arms behind him. His blood dripped steadily to the earth as the Grand Minister approached, eyes glittering with malice.

He plucked the dagger his son once held and twirled it with a smirk. "You were once the most powerful knight in our nation. But too bad—you dared to desire what was never yours."

Ezra spat blood at the ground, his grey eyes burning. "You only ever wanted to use her."

The Grand Minister sneered. "It’s for the good of all."

"Trapped her here, calling her ’goddess’ while you bled her power dry. You even sacrificed your own son just to condemn me." Ezra’s voice shook with disgust. "Grand Minister, your greed knows no bounds."

"Ungrateful wretch!" the Minister snapped. "You were nothing but a beggar until I made you who you are!"

"You took me because you saw my potential. I was a tool to you—just like everyone else." Ezra gave a bitter snicker.

The Grand Minister’s smile was eerie. "You are right."

"Let him go, please!" Mevissa cried, struggling against her captors, tears streaming down her pale face. "I’ll do anything you want—just let him free! PLEASE!"

The Minister turned to her, mockery twisting his expression. "If he remains, your power will never be stable. We can’t take that risk."

He spun the dagger in his hand, eyes glinting with cruel delight.

"No, please don’t!" Mevissa trembled, her eyes locking with Ezra’s dark grey gaze.

"Ezra... don’t," she whimpered.

He forced a faint smile. "Don’t cry... everything’s going to be okay."

And then, in a single, merciless motion, the shimmering dagger swept across Ezra’s throat. Blood erupted in a crimson fountain.

Lory flinched, turning her head away, unable to watch any longer.

Zhao Li Xin crouched low, swiftly, shielding Jade’s face by pressing the boy’s face into his chest, his large hand covering his ears, while his own cold eyes stayed fixed on the horror unfolding.

Mevissa’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her scream ripped through the night, desperate and broken.

"EZRA!"