The court of the 'Valley of Poison' was now as silent as a cemetery. The general's ashes were flying in the air, but there was no scent of victory in those ashes. Elena still sat beside the Seraph's still body, her white robe stained with the Seraph's blood and the black poison of the lake. The black Obsidian Blade in her hand now made a soft sound, as if she were celebrating the Seraph's emerging life.
"Seraph... wake up," Elena whispered. There was no queenly majesty in her voice, but rather the yearning of a little girl. "You said you would be my shadow. A shadow does not leave me even in the light; how could you leave me alone in this darkness?"
Kavian came closer, his spear still full of blood. He touched the Seraph's cold pulse and silently lowered his gaze. "Queen... his soul is no longer in this body. He has crossed the threshold of the 'Great Serpent' to save you. His heart has forgotten how to beat."
Elena suddenly raised her head. There were no more tears in her eyes, but the same dark madness had returned. "There is no way back? I am Arya's heir, I can command death to return its prey!"
Elena picked up the black map for which the seraph had given his life, and squeezed it tightly. "Kavian! Pick up the seraph's body. We will not leave here empty-handed. If death dwells in this valley, then there must be a door to death somewhere."
He carried the seraph's heavy body and moved deeper into the cave. The map was now glowing in Elena's hand, but it was not golden, but giving off a bloody red light. The light led them to a secret passageway that was hidden just behind the court's throne.
As they walked along the path, the whispers from the walls grew louder. These were the souls of those who had been buried here centuries ago. At the end of the path was a heavy iron door with a human skull lock on it.
"This is 'The Mouth of Limbo,'" Kavian said fearfully. "It is said that there lives a merchant here who trades souls for lives. But the price he asks is too high for any human to bear."
Elena placed her hand on the lock without hesitation. Her black sword gave a sharp thrust and the door swung open with a creaking sound. Her steps stopped at the sight inside.
It was not a room, but an endless void where thousands of small glass bottles floated in the air. A faint light flickered inside each bottle—they were human souls. In the middle of the void sat an old man, his face covered in a dragon skin instead of a mask. Before him stood a scale with a beating human heart on one of the scales.
"Welcome, Queen Elena," The merchant's voice was like dry leaves rustling against each other. "I knew you would come. Whoever picks up the 'Obsidian Blade' will come to me sooner or later."
Elena pointed to the seraph's body. "Bring him back. Put life back into his body, or I will burn this shop of yours to ashes."
The merchant gave a hollow laugh. "Threats don't work here, Princess. There's only bargaining. This serpent prince sacrificed his life for an innocent queen. Now, to get him back, that innocent queen must give me the most precious thing she has."
"What do you want? Gold? Diamonds? My kingdom?" Elena asked impatiently.
"No." The merchant moved closer to Elena, his breath smelling rotten. "I want your 'human memories.' If I bring the seraph back to life, you will forget who you are, who your family was, and why you loved him. You will remain a queen, but a queen with a heart of stone and only darkness in her memories."
Kavian grabbed Elena's hand. "No, Queen! Don't do this. If you lose your identity, who will save Arya? The seraph didn't save you so you could trade your soul."
Elena looked at the Seraph's calm face. The man who had given his all for her, couldn't she sacrifice her memories for him?
"The deal is agreed," Elena said coldly.
The merchant's eyes lit up. He took out a bottle and blew black smoke from it into Seraph's chest. Seraph's body shook for a moment, his lungs heaved a sigh, and his eyes opened—the yellow light in those eyes was back, but he was still uneasy.
At that moment, Elena's head exploded. She felt as if someone was scratching golden memories from her mind. Her parents' faces, her childhood laughter, and the moment she first saw Seraph—everything began to fade away in a black cloud.
When Elena opened her eyes, a stranger (Seraph) was lying in front of her. He drew his black sword and placed it on Seraph's neck.
"Who are you?" Elena asked with strangeness and anger. "And what am I doing in this filthy place?"
Seraph, who had just returned from the Valley of Death, was tormented by the coldness in Elena's eyes. He understood the price Elena had paid for his life.
"Elena... I am Seraph," he cried out sadly.
"You are nothing to me," Elena said mercilessly. "Kavian! Pick up the map. We have to get out of here. I don't have time for strangers like this."
The merchant laughed as he disappeared into the darkness. 'Poison Valley' had dealt its greatest blow. The Seraph was alive, but his Elena was now dead. The ground seemed to have given way under the seraph's feet. The man who had sacrificed his human existence for Elena, who had risked his soul to save her, now stood before the queen as a criminal or a despicable stranger. Elena's eyes, which had once melted with the intensity of her love for him, were now as cold and indifferent as ice.
"Elena... what are you saying?" the seraph asked in a shaky voice, his hand still on his chest where the merchant's magic was still seeping. "I am the seraph... your protector, your friend... together we have faced the horrors of this valley."
Elena cast a contemptuous glance at him and waved her 'obsidian blade' in the air. The black wave from the sword touched the seraph's hair. "Protector? A serpent my protector?" she laughed bitterly. "The Queen of Arya doesn't need a serpent. Kaviyan! Remove this man from here. I find this place, this smell, and this silence poisonous. We must move on to the next destination."
Kaviyan, who was watching the seraph's anguish, had his own eyes moist. He knew that Elena had sacrificed the most beautiful part of her soul—her memories—to save the seraph. "Queen... this is the one who saved your life in the court of the 'Bloody Eagle.'"
"I said remove him!" Elena's voice had an echo that shook the walls of the cave. "My order is final. If he utters my name again, I will cut out his tongue."
The merchant, who was hiding somewhere in the darkness, laughed throughout the space. "See, prince? Memories are what make a person human. What stands before you now is just a queen—ruthless, powerful, and lonely. You have found life, but you have lost the purpose of living."
As soon as they left the mysterious shop and reached the barren land of the 'Valley of Poison' again, the environment there had become more dangerous than ever. After the general's death, the balance of the valley had been disrupted. Poisonous geysers were erupting from the ground, and acid rain had begun to fall from the sky.
Elena took out her map, which was now beating like a living being in her hand, not like an ordinary piece of paper. "The map shows that the last gate to the 'Valley of Poison' is on the 'Death's Incline'. To get there, we will have to cross this lake again, but this time I will not have any emotional burdens."
As soon as they reached the shore of the lake, the nine-headed serpent (Hydra) that was there raised its head again. But this time Elena was not afraid, and she made a slash with her sword that cut the lake water in two and formed a permanent path. Her strength had now increased many times over because her heart was now free from any human weakness.
The seraph was silently following her. Every step was a punishment for her, but he could not leave her. He wanted to bring back the Elena who called him 'seraph'.
Suddenly, another terrifying scourge appeared from the rubble of the valley. This was the final experience of the 'poisonous scorpion'—a 'bone dragon' with no flesh on its body, only bones with green fire burning between them.
"Block its path!" Elena ordered Kavian and took her own sword and rushed towards the dragon.
The battle was terrifying. Elena's magic had now completely turned black. He plunged his sword into the dragon's jaw, but the dragon delivered a swift blow with its tail that sent Elena flying. The seraph, without caring for his own life, began to transform into his serpentine form and wrapped himself around the dragon to give Elena a chance to recover.
"Elena! Now!" the seraph roared in a serpentine voice.
Elena paused for a moment, looking at the great black serpent. A faint image flashed in her mind—a small fragment of a golden memory—but it was gone. She took the opportunity to unleash her 'obsidian blade' at the dragon's heart.
The dragon was reduced to ashes with a loud explosion, but a large chunk of its falling bones fell on top of the seraph. The seraph returned to human form, his entire body bruised, but his eyes were only on Elena.
Elena approached him, his face expressionless. Instead of holding Seraph's hand, she snatched from her hand the small ring Seraph had given her as a child (and which Elena didn't remember).
"It's beautiful," Elena said, looking at the ring. "I'll keep it. Now get up, we have to get out of here."
Seraph slammed his bloody hand on the ground. He understood that this battle was no longer just with enemies, but with the darkness inside Elena that had swallowed her memories. The ashes of the 'Bone Dragon' still floated in the air, and the ground of the 'Poison Valley' trembled beneath their feet. Elena had put the ring on her finger, but as she put it on, a strange twinge of pain shot through her heart—a pain she didn't know why. She shook her hand angrily and turned to look at the injured seraph who was still lying in the dirt, panting.
"Your name is 'Seraph', right?" Elena asked coldly. Her tone now had that domineering arrogance that only those with nothing left to lose could have.
The seraph raised his bloodied face. "Yes... Seraph. The same Seraph who sifted the dust of the 'Dead City' with you. The same Seraph who risked his humanity for you. Do you really not remember anything, Elena? That night... when we made a promise under the stars?"
Elena let out a contemptuous laugh. "Covenant? Stars? These are all the tricks of the weak. I am a queen, and a queen does not have the burden of memories, but the pride of power. Kaviyan! Pick it up. We have reached the border of this ill-fated valley."
They began to move towards the 'Slope of Death', which was the last exit of the valley. The ground here was red, as if blood had been shed here for centuries. As soon as they reached the top of the slope, they saw a grand gate in front of them, built between two mountains. The sign of the 'Black Serpent' was carved on this gate, and hundreds of poisonous soldiers were guarding it in front of it.
"This is the 'Scorpion Army,'" Kaviyan whispered, drawing his sword. "We cannot enter the border of Arya without defeating them."
Elena drew her 'Obsidian Blade' from its sheath. As the light fell on the edge of the sword, the entire valley was plunged into a terrifying blackness. Elena's hair fluttered in the wind and golden smoke began to emerge from her eyes.
"You all stand back," Elena ordered. "This army will fall victim to my wrath."
Elena struck at the soldiers like a bolt of lightning. Each stroke of her sword was a doomsday. She was no longer just a warrior, but she was performing a dance of death that made the hairs of Kaviyan and Seraph stand on end. The soldiers who seemed impossible to kill were turning into piles of dust from Elena's magical blows.
But at the same time, Seraph felt something. Some black threads were emerging from the ground of the 'Poison Valley' and wrapping around Elena's feet. It was the merchant's black magic that was providing him with that demonic power in exchange for Elena's memories.
"Elena! Stop! This power is destroying you!" The seraph shouted. He gathered his last courage and began to cut through the black threads with his serpentine tail.
Elena turned to look at the seraph, his eyes now bloodshot. "You're trying to stop me? You're burning with my power!" He turned his sword towards the seraph and unleashed a magical wave that sent the seraph crashing through the wall. The seraph's chest burst, and his blood spilt onto the wall, but his eyes still held a pain only for Elena.
"Kill me..." the seraph groaned. "If my death can bring you back to yourself, then kill me. But remember, Elena... when you sit on the throne, and you have no memories, that throne will not be your crown, it will be your grave."
Elena's hand stopped for a moment. A door opened in a closed corner of her mind. She saw a faint image—a little boy, giving her a flower and saying he would never leave her alone.
"Ser... af..." Elena's lips spoke the name for the first time with the same yearning.
But that moment was fleeting. His sword gave a powerful thrust, and Elena's face turned to stone again. He struck the final blow, and the great gate of the valley shattered with a bang.
The path had opened. The cold winds of Arya were now touching their faces. Elena did not look at the seraph again and silently crossed the border. The seraph lay there wounded, while Kaviyan supported him and dragged him away.
The Valley of Poison was left behind, but the poison that had entered Elena's soul had yet to show its work.
Elena's feet had landed on the land of Arya, but the dark waves rising from her existence were still pulling the soil of the 'Valley of Poison' towards her. The ring she had snatched from the Seraph was now burning like an ember on her finger. She repeatedly felt as if a captive bird inside her soul was hitting its head against the walls, but the coolness of her 'obsidian blade' suppressed this yearning.
The Seraph, who was bleeding on the stones of the border, still had his eyes fixed on Elena's receding shadow. His body, which was half-human and half-snake, was now slowly touching the last limits of humanity. The blue blood that flowed from his wounds was falling to the ground and congealing.
"Queen... Elena..." The Seraph called out one last time, but his voice was now only a sobbing moan.
Kavian tried to lift her with his support. "Prince, don't give up. If you fall here, there will be no one left to pull Elena out of this darkness. She is no longer the girl you loved; she has become a weapon that only thirsts for blood."
The seraph shook off Kavian's hand. "That weapon... she changed herself for me. This burden is mine, Kavian. I must give her her memories back, even if I have to slit the throat of that merchant."
Suddenly, a dark cloud covered the sky over Arya's border, and thousands of 'Blood Moths' began to descend from it. These were the secret spies of the Black Serpent, pursuing those fleeing the 'Valley of Poison'. The moths' wings were dripping with poisonous powder that would freeze the lungs upon inhalation.
Elena turned around. There was no fear in his eyes, but a strange delight. He waved his sword in the air and created a black fire that burned the kites to ashes. But there were so many of them that they began to surround Elena.
"Be careful, Queen!" Kavian shouted, forming a circle with his spear.
The Seraph saw that Elena was surrounded by the poison of the kites. He gathered all his magical energy and began to recite an ancient serpent spell. A golden light emanated from his body that became a protective shield around Elena. Elena felt this light for a moment, and it felt like someone very familiar was hugging her.
Another explosion in the locked vault of her memory. She remembered... a rainy night, when she was little and a boy stood over her, pulling his cloak over her to protect her from the rain. The boy's eyes were exactly like the injured person's (the Seraph's).
"No!" Elena clutched her head with both hands. "These memories... this pain... I don't want this!"
She slammed her sword into the ground in anger, causing the entire border to shake. All those 'blood moths' were consumed in an instant, but the seraph fell away from the magical pressure and fell unconscious.
Elena came to the seraph, panting. Her face was still expressionless, but her hands were shaking. She took off the ring and placed it on the seraph's lifeless hand.
"Your memories are a burden to me," Elena whispered. "If you want to live, stop following me. The queen of Arya will walk alone now."
She turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the seraph's aching body and Kavian's desperate gaze behind her. The chapter of the Poison Valley had ended, but the chapter of Arya's destruction was about to begin. Elena placed the ring on the seraph's lifeless hand and turned to take a step when the entire borderland shook with a terrifying tremor. The bridge that had been between Arya's border and the Poison Valley had now turned into a deep chasm. A giant shadow emerged from there—it was the 'Serpent of Limbo,' the guardian who would not let those who had made an unfinished deal with the merchant pass.
"You have given your memories, princess," the serpent's voice could be heard coming from beneath the earth. Millions of human faces were crawling on its body, the same souls the merchant had imprisoned. "But the merchant's final tax is yet to come. You cannot cross this border until you bury your 'last tear of humanity' here."
Elena gripped her 'obsidian blade' tightly. Its eyes were now as merciless as an executioner's. "Guardian! I gave my past, I gave my love, now I have nothing left to give. Get out of my way, or I will fill your barzakh with blood!"
The serpent let out a roar, causing the smoke to engulf the ravenous and unconscious seraph. "If you don't, I will take the life of this serpent prince. The choice is yours: either cry, or watch him die!"
Elena stood still. Her heart, now enveloped in dark magic, was as still as a stone. She was not even tormented by the thought of the seraph's death. But suddenly, the black sword in her hand made a strange vibration. The sword wanted Elena's pain that she could not feel.
The seraph let out a groan in her unconsciousness. The blue blood flowing from her body was now reaching Elena's feet. As soon as that cold blood touched Elena's feet, a lightning bolt struck her subconscious. She remembered how the seraph had given her his share of hunger, how he had endured the poison of the valley on his body so that she would be safe.
These were not memories; this was the 'feeling' that the merchant had forgotten to snatch away. A hot droplet fell from Elena's left eye and fell onto the edge of his black sword.
As soon as that tear hit the sword, there was a loud explosion! The 'Serpent of the Abyss' screamed because it was not a tear but the 'pure pain' of the Queen of Arya. The black threads that bound Elena weakened for a moment.
"This is the price!" The serpent said in anguish and slowly began to sink into the ground. The path was clear, but Elena's last tear was the last sign of her humanity. Now she had completely become an 'Ice Queen'.
The black snow of the border was now freezing on Elena's hair, but she didn't feel the cold. The human warmth inside her was now absorbed by this 'obsidian blade'. She had defeated the 'serpent of the abyss' and moved forward, but the scars left behind were still screaming.
Seraph, who was trying to stand with the support of Kaviyan, saw Elena's shadow fading into the snow. He placed his hand on his heart, where the merchant's poison was still seeping. He felt that Elena's tears, which she had given to the guard, were actually the last bridge of Seraph's memories that had now been broken.
"Kaviyan..." Seraph's voice seemed to come from the depths of a dried-up well. "She doesn't even hate me... She doesn't even recognise me. There is a connection in hatred, but this silence... This is worse than death."
Kaviyan held her tightly. "Princess, you must be brave. As soon as we leave the 'Valley of Poison', we will encounter the first of Arya's guards. If they see the queen in this state, they will attack her, thinking she is not their queen but a witch. We must save her, even if she kills us."
They slowly began to descend the slope of the border. The landscape there was now changing. In place of the burned trees were now the sharp snow-capped mountains known as 'The Teeth of Aria'. Between these mountains, an ancient castle could be seen—Grayhold. This castle had once been the stronghold of the loyal army of Elena's family, but now the banners of black serpents were waving there.
Suddenly, something moved from under the snow. These were 'Frost Serpents', which had emerged from under the ground and were blocking their path. Their bodies were as transparent as glass, and blue fire was emanating from their eyes.
Elena, who was some distance away, didn't even look back. She simply waved her hand in the air, and waves of black lightning shot from her fingers that froze the serpents there. Her magic had become so powerful now that she didn't even need to speak.
"Look at her," the seraph sighed. "She's not casting magic, she's dealing death."
Kaviyan saw that the snow where Elena's footprints had fallen was turning black. This was a sign that the queen's soul was now completely under the influence of the 'Great Serpent'.
At the same time, a horn blared from the castle tower. Arya's traitorous soldiers were now descending. They were led by a man who made the seraph's eyes widen. That man was none other than the seraph's own older brother, 'Erik', whom everyone thought was dead.
"So... my little brother is still alive?" Eric said with a wicked smile. In his hand was a whip made of snakeskin. "And that too with the queen who sold her soul?"
Elena silently stepped in front of Eric. "You're in my way," he said without any emotion.
"I'm not in your way, I'm your death, Elena!" Eric swung his whip, causing cracks in the ice.
The seraph wanted to scream and warn Elena, but his throat was cut. The battle had now reached a new level. On one side was Elena's indifference; on the other, the seraph's past; and on the third, Arya's castle, which was now inevitable to conquer.
Elena wiped her eyes, as if she regretted the tear. She turned back to look at the seraph one last time. "We are no longer related. Kavian, take this and cross the border. I will wait for you at Grayhold, Arya's first fortress."
She crossed the border like a dark shadow, while the sky was now beginning to fall black snow. The chapter of Poison Valley had now truly reached its horrific conclusion, where a queen had sold her peace forever to gain her kingdom.
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