I will not die a Villainess's death

The fire scorched the land, rendering everywhere it touched a mess of black and red. No place looked to be untouched in her surroundings but Elysia was hunched over her stomach protectively.

Her middle portion felt heavier than it ever had and event instinct in Elysia's body was telling her to protect this part of herself.

Above her head, two massive creatures were fighting for dominance, their aura pushing the ground apart.

Elysia touched the bundle near her stomach, her heart skipping a beat as she felt soft hair under her hand.

'I'm not pregnant. There is just a creature in my arms.'

Elysia was simultaneously disappointed and relieved by what she felt. But there was no time for any other emotions in the mix right now. The feeling of urgency was brewing inside her.

"Mommy, are we going to be alright?"

Elysia looked down at a pair of familiar pair of blue eyes that looked exactly like hers. The silver hairs on the child's head gave away who the other parent of the kid was. As unlikely as it was, the thought of this kid being Lucas's did not even cross Elysia's mind.

One look at those reptilian blue eyes that had the same shade as hers and Elysia knew in her heart that this kid was hers.

"Mommy?"

Those blue eyes tugged at Elysia's heart and she was unable to look away. Her hand came up to pat the kid's head and Elysia's hand sank at seeing a familiar hand but it was not hers.

Her heart was in pain once she realized that she was not with her child in this vision and tears filled her eyes.

"Eve, hurry up and get the crown prince out of here. Adam is out fighting the calamity so you need to make sure you keep the kid safe."

Elysia's sinking heart gave an even more painful lunge as she realized the identity of the person her kid had called his mother and it burned Elysia in her heart.

She did realize that she was feeling jealous and her grip tightened around the child in her arms. Somehow she realized that she was not alive in this future. Despite all her struggles and everything she did, it had not been enough.

Because if she had been alive, there was no way in hell she would have left her child behind and alone like this. Elysia would have done everything in her power to keep the child out of harm.

"Eve, stop dandling around like this. The people who are after the Crown prince are almost here. They will torture the kid to get his power if they catch us."

Elysia's pain turned to fear. Her body finally moved as she picked up the kid.

"Mommy?"

The kid asked again, his large blue eyes filled with tears of fear. Elysia tried to smile for the kid but her heart was not into it.

"Everything will be alright. Mommy will make it alright."

Elysia did not know her child's name or even his age, but that did not stop her from feeling things for the kid. She wanted to do everything in her power to protect her child.

"They are here. Eve run."

Elysia's legs finally kicked into a start as she watched the hooded figure chase after them. Eve's magic was weird for Elysia to use. It was a calm current, not threatening to over-turn like Elysia's magic had been.

Even moving Eve's magic was difficult for Elysia currently, never mind making use of it. She could not figure out how Eve used it at such regular intervals daily.

"Hand over that Dirac kid to us. You are the Saintess so make the sacrifice and give the kid up for the greater good of this world. You are not even related to the kid. Isn't he an eyesore to you as well?"

Those words confirmed it for Elysia. This kid was her flesh and blood, the one she had given birth to.

"Fuck off. He is the only Crown Prince we have. You cannot expect me to sacrifice him. Besides, he's a kid right now. Let him grow up a little."

Eve's voice came out as angry and the kid in her arms shivered in fear. Elysia had not wanted her kid to ever face a dangerous situation like this but there seemed to be nothing she could do.

If even the Saintess's words could not solve this situation for her child, then no one else could.

"You married Emperor Adam for the crown, right? Then that kid is an obstacle for you as well. Hand him over now and he shall serve as our savior by giving his life for us."

Elysia felt her arm burst in pain as she shielded the kid in her arms. Her persuader had attacked them and Elysia could feel her magic and energy drain out of her body.

All she could do was growl at the attackers.

"You will only be able to get to this kid over my dead body. I will not hand him over to you. I might have failed his mother but I will not fail him."

Elysia was so glad to have a friend like Eve in her life. Not only had she adopted Elysia's child but she had also not held a grudge against her kid.

She was even willing to give up her life for Elysia's kid and that was enough evidence for Elysia that Eve did love her.

The spear came toward Elysia's face but she was not afraid. The only thing that troubled Elysia was that it was not her body that was being killed but Eve's.

A threatening roar was heard from above their head and Elysia quickly looked up. It was a huge dragon hovering above their head.

Gold eyes looked back at Elysia from a shiny white scale. It was a scary face that sent a sense of relief through Elysia's body.

"ADAM!"

Eve's voice snapped loudly in the air. Elysia felt her eyes sag in relief as all the energy snapped from her body. She was really glad that she had managed to last this long.

Sharp claw-like hands came toward the kid in Elysia's grasp and she gave her son into his father's arms.

And then a flash of white blocked the sky. Elysia's heart skipped another beat in fear and her hands reached out toward her son.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

And then she woke up in a soft bed which was unfamiliar to her. The room around her was one she had never seen before but the smell of incense was so strong in the air that it took Elysia back.

The feeling of loss she felt at that moment was stronger than ever she had ever felt before. She felt like she should weigh her arms but they were empty.

Her eyes looked around blindly, trying to seek out something that was not there.

"You are finally awake. Do you have any idea how angry I am right now?"

Elysia quickly looked toward the person who spoke to her just then. She was hoping to see a familiar silver-haired presence nearby but she was equally disappointed and relieved when she did not.

The only familiar pair of eyes that looked back at her belonged to her brother Lucas Dirac.

"Where?"

Elysia's throat was too dry. She was not able to form the words properly at that moment since grief was overwhelming her heart.

Lucas looked back at Elysia with a worried expression and it was not until something wet rolled down her face did Elysia realize why Lucas was looking so worried.

For some reason, Elysia had started crying at feeling the loss. It had hit her all of a sudden as soon as her consciousness had returned to her body.

"Elysia, is something wrong? You are back home, I mean, you are in the Akatsuki kingdom's temple but you are safe. P-Please stop crying. I won't be angry with you so please calm down."

Elysia tried to calm down but it was tough. Her emotions were all over the place and she could not even control herself.

Lucas's hands on her back did help Elysia calm down after that. She suddenly felt a lot better than before, but the feeling of loss was still prominent in her heart.

"Elysia, talk to me. Is this something I can help you with?"

Lucas was a good brother and Elysia was not sure how she had gotten so lucky to have him with her. Otherwise, the feeling of guilt and regret would have ended up choking her.

Her hands came up toward her stomach in a protective manner. She was not sure how much longer in the future her kid would be born. He might never even be born but Elysia felt certain that he would.

And this time she would take all the necessary precautions to protect that kid. She would not allow anything to harm the kid.

'I need more information. I need to see more of the visions.'