Survive As The Brute's Wife-Chapter 183: The Stillness

Alexandra closed her eyes.

The coldness from the sand seeped in through her arm as she lay on her side. She couldn’t feel her sword anymore. Her chest hurt as if it would burst as she couldn’t breathe. Her heart was pounding out of control. Her ears were ringing. Her legs have gone paralyzed.

And she was slowly disintegrating.

This dire situation should make her feel dread, but a smile bloomed on her face. If this is the end of her, she wanted to go in peace. She had a good life. She did some mistakes but she had the chance to correct them all luckily.

And she got the one best thing she always desired—her love.

The time she spent with him as his wife was very brief compared to the thousands of years she lived, taking on different roles and names. She felt completed only after being his wife.

She had no idea what might happen after she disappears, but she was happy.

She thought she would lose her thoughts as she disintegrated. But Maximus’image was still in her mind. She didn’t know what her first thought was, but she was happy with the thought that he is her last thought.

Time passed, and she could sense something shifting under her. The ground beneath her shifted and she felt her sword in her hand. She saw her hands disappearing. She should not feel her hands.

She opened her eyes. She was stunned.

She was standing with her sword in her hands, unmoving, but everything around her... was reversing.

[What is happening?]

She watched her long talk with Calantar happening in reverse. Evven the dirt that was displaced by the wind was traveling in the opposite direction.

[Time... is reversing! Who is doing this?]

She looked at Calantar, and it appeared as if she was not the one in control. This is not her doing, as she could see.

Alexandra looked above. If Calantar is not the one doing it, someone else who can do it... someone who can reverse time...

[Is it you, father? Have you finally decided to help me?]

The darkness around was still thick. The wind was strong and yet, she stood there without a single movement. And then the moment came. The moment when Calantar and Inanis united.

[That’s enough...Please...]

She begged in her heart. She was not thinking about Calantar or Inanis at all. She was thinking of Maximus. Because just before Calantar descended and united with Inanis, she was piercing her sword in Maximus’ chest.

She did it because it was necessary. But she didn’t know if she could do it again.

Maybe her begging was heard, or if the one reversing time had planned to stop right there, everything paused for a small fragment of time.

Alexandra looked around. She was now facing the men looking at her with her sword up in the sky. Arioch was lying to her side. She saw Maximus about to slam onto the ground through her peripheral vision.

Time was paused now.

Alexandra looked up. She could move. But she was astonished by everything happening around her. She didn’t believe it was her father who could manipulate time like this. Because if he had the ability to do so, he probably made her forget about her love or would have erased all her mistakes of the past.

[That means...]

Her eyes widened and her heart started to pound. The higher power—the creator—is here.

She fell to her knees. She placed her sword flat on the ground as a gesture of surrender and reverence. Pressing her forehead to the sand, she saluted the great power.

In that stillness, there was pin-drop silence.

Alexandra waited for something to change. But nothing did. Still, on her knees, she raised her head and looked up.

The moment she did that, a bright-red flame appeared in front of her. The flame was large enough to swallow everything under it and appeared to be fierce enough to be so powerful. And yet it emitted no glow and had no smell. It had purple tints to it and was billowing. And yet, there was silence all around her.

She watched the flame in silence.

A bright light formed to the side of the flame. Alexandra squinted her eyes and observed the brightness. In the middle of the brightness was a dark vortex. Alexandra vaguely saw various creatures scampering around. They all came to the vortex curious as to look through the opening and when they saw the red flame, they all darted away as if they are afraid of the flame.

[Where is this place?]

Alexandra observed and one of the creatures she saw thought the vortex was the tree creature that almost got her when she was trapped in the Brume Thicket.

[So the vortex is the gateway to the Brume Thicket? But why...]

She was not left to wonder for long as the vortex opened wider. Inanis who was released first got sucked into the vortex. And just when Calantar appeared on the sky descending down as wind, she was swept into the vortex too.

"You lied to me, daughter of Aredil!" Calantar shouted as she struggled to stay out of the cortex that was sucking her in.

Alexandra didn’t understand what Calantar meant at first. Why would Calantar say that? But then she realized that time has reversed. Calantar still hasn’t betrayed her yet in this timeline. And so, Calantar should be thinking that she is the one getting betrayed and is sent to Brume Thicket.

Alexandra decided to not clear Calantar’s misgiving. None of this is her doing. And if the creator deems Calantar worthy to know what her fault is, it is the creator’s will. Alexandra stayed bowing her head as Calantar started to curse her for betraying her.

"Father, is that you?"

The voice of Calantar filled with despondence was the last thing Alexandra heard before she could see the vortex closing. The bright light was gone and only the red flame was there.

Calmness returned and Alexandra raised her head to the flame. She had a feeling that she was called upon. Although it was just a billowing ball of flame, she felt that the flame is watching her.

"What do you want me to do, My Lord Supreme!" Alexandra said, placing her hand on her heart.

Everything was still around her, and although there was silence, it was not deafening or eerie. She felt at ease in the presence of the flame. And she had a feeling that the creator is not mad at her and is impressed with her.

She wanted to hear his voice.