There had to be a glimmer of hope that Elara would succeed in freeing her daughter from this kingdom. However, if she didn't, she only found comfort in the thought that at least her husband would be meeting with their daughter, even if it was only for one last time.
As Selene continued to mull over her thoughts, several screams echoed outside the cell.
"STOP HIM!!"
"ATTACK!! DON'T LET HIM GET CLOSER!!"
Several loud noises reverberated through the air before abruptly ceasing after a few seconds.
With doubt lingering in her eyes, Selene continued to stare at the cell door, wondering about the commotion outside.
What's happening?
Is Elara here?
Did she succeed in rescuing Crystalia? If so, Selene thought, there was no need for her to be saved, as her current strength would only burden them.
Bang!!
Suddenly, the cell door in front of her was struck by a powerful force. The resounding bang echoed deeply into her ears before the locks on the cell door were shattered.
BOOMM!!
The cell door caved in before bursting into various crystal fragments. As the debris began to settle, Selene's eyes widened as she stared at the person who had appeared before her.
"Orion…" Selene muttered under her breath, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief at the scene before her.
Orion walked into the cell and noticed that Queen Selene was present, her hands and feet firmly chained to the walls.
Silently, he approached and bent down. Grabbing the chains with both hands, he instantly activated his gift, breaking them apart before doing the same to the rest of the chains that had bound her.
The moment she was free, she fell silently to the side before being abruptly caught by Orion. He wrapped his hands around her and gradually lifted her. "Are you okay?" he asked, holding her in a princess carry.
Selene stared at Orion silently for a few seconds, wondering if she was dreaming or if her mind had become so chaotic that she was now seeing things.
However, after hearing his voice, Selene shook her head. "No," she responded.
While some people's lives might flash right before their eyes before they die, hers seemed to be this: being saved by the foreigner who had come from outside the mountain, her daughter's future husband.
Regardless, since this was the last scene that she would get to witness before she died, she might as well calmly see it through until the end.
Meanwhile, Orion couldn't help but raise a brow at her because he had expected a much more exaggerated reaction apart from her initial surprise.
However, seeing her calm and stable behaviour as she processed the scene unfolding before her composedly, Orion couldn't help but inwardly nod his head in admiration at her character.
'Even in such a situation, she still manages to maintain the character of a Queen," Orion thought.
Picking up the sound of several incoming guards, he arranged her properly in his arms before shooting forward out of the door.
"ATTACKK!!"
The dungeon was one of the places that remained untouched during the plan, as Orion didn't want it to risk Queen Selene being used as a bargaining chip. So, after receiving her location from the Gemheart guards within the castle, he immediately came down alone to rescue her.
Now that he had ensured she was safe, Orion immediately ran towards and activated his gift, causing several bluish streaks of lightning to coil around his legs.
Orion no longer raced but glided through the narrowed space, and within an instant, he arrived before them.
CRACCKLLEE!! BAANGG!!
Without stopping, Orion jumped and landed on the head of a guard closest to him, causing it to explode in a gruesome, bloodied mess of flesh and blood. The shockwave from the explosion injured and stunned those nearby before he swiftly moved on to the next person.
"AHHHH!!!"
"RETREAT!! RETREAT!!"
"AHHH!!"
….…..
As they left the dungeon and eliminated every Gemheart Clan member they came across, Selene suddenly realized this wasn't a dream, and her life wasn't flashing before her eyes.
"Orion… you are really here?" she asked, staring at Orion with wide eyes.
Orion immediately halted on top of the roof of a small stone building, hearing Selene's words and sensing her trembling figure with his arm.
He settled her down on the roof so that she could sit comfortably before he could respond. Selene stretched her hands and touched his cheeks before calmly stroking them. "You are here… You are really here," Selene muttered under her breath as her eyes glistened under the bright light emanating from the multicoloured crystals embedded high in the rocking ceiling.
"I thought you verified that before," Orion responded with a raised brow.
"No… I thought I was dreaming… I thought I was about to die, but… you aren't dead, and you are really here," Selene said, unable to hold back her emotions, tears immediately spilling downward from her eyes.
"Crystalia… We need to hurry and save Crystalia, and the king, my husband, he's…" Selene said frantically. Even though Elara had already promised her, she still wouldn't take any chances and wanted to verify if her daughter was alright.
However, Orion immediately interrupted before she could continue speaking, causing her to halt her words.
"Crystalia is fine; we were able to get to her on time. However, the king is unconscious and is currently being treated alongside Elysia by Madam Seraphina in the Prismerian Healer's sanctuary. There's nothing more we can do now but wait for them to recover," Orion said gently.
He stretched his hands and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.
With women like Aunt Greta, Saria, Fifi, and the rest of his partners, Orion naturally understood what it meant to have someone care for him in a very special way. As such, Orion felt his heart grow warm, privileged to witness such a scene from another perspective.
A wonderful queen, a loving mother, and a good wife—what more could a man want?
Sighing deeply in his heart, relieved that nothing terrible had happened to Crystalia and her family, Orion added, "We have to arrive on time unless we want everyone to keep waiting for us."
Selene nodded in response, curious about what Orion was talking about.
Orion gently wrapped his arms around her, carrying her in a princess carry once more, before his body surged through the air, racing forward toward their destination.
