Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]

Electra's POV

One minute I was in the infirmary, staring at my unconscious body on the bed, and the next minute, everything changed.

That thing, whatever the hell it was, had appeared again. The same ugly creature that always came out of nowhere, looking like something out of a nightmare.

It had asked me if I wanted to come with him, and of course, I said no, but apparently, my opinion didn't matter, because before I could even blink, the room faded away, and now…

Now, I was standing in a place that absolutely, without a doubt, wasn't Earth.

The sky above me was a deep orange, like a never-ending sunset, but it didn't bring any kind of peace. It just made everything feel... off. The ground under my feet looked like black glass, and when I looked around, I saw mountains in the distance that glowed faintly with something I couldn't even recognize.

This place wasn't just unfamiliar; it was otherworldly, unnatural, beautiful, and terrifying all at once.

"What the hell…" I muttered under my breath, slowly turning around.

And there he was. That creature. Still hideous, and still smirking at me like this was all some big joke.

"Where the hell are we?" I snapped, crossing my arms. "And don't try to be cryptic with me. This doesn't look like Earth."

He tilted his head like he was amused by how panicked I was. "Of course it doesn't. That's because it's not."

I narrowed my eyes. "Then where the hell are we?"

"I brought you to the place you'll come to if your earthly body dies," he said, voice light, almost cheerful.

I blinked. "What?"

He didn't answer right away. He just turned and started walking, his long, strange limbs moving like they weren't quite connected right.

I stayed where I was for a second, debating whether to follow. I didn't trust him. Not even a little, but I didn't exactly have many options. So I moved, trailing behind him, keeping a good distance just in case he tried something.

"Start explaining," I said, my tone sharp. "Right now."

He glanced back, that eerie smile still on his face. "This is the world of deities, Electra, or at least... a part of it."

"And why the hell am I here?"

"Because," he said, slowing his pace a little, "your human body is dying, and if it dies, your soul, your flame, can't just vanish. You're not exactly human anymore as we speak."

My stomach twisted. "So... what? This is like... an afterlife?"

"For some, yes," he said with a shrug. "But for beings like you, it's more complicated. As you know, a phoenix is a deity in many kingdoms, especially yours, which means you're part of a very specific line. The Deities of Eternal Flame."

I stopped walking. "Deities of what now?"

He turned to face me fully. "The Deities of Eternal Flame," he repeated. "An ancient line of beings born from fire, from destruction and rebirth. You should know this as the king's daughter, but I guess he never taught you since he'd be explaining your mother's origin to you. Anyway, the Phoenix blood you carry... it didn't just make you special in your world; it also ties you to this one."

I stared at him, my brain trying to piece it all together. "So you're saying that if I die, I become... this? I end up here, in this place, as a deity or whatever the hell that means?"

He nodded. "Not a deity exactly since there's a criteria to achieve that title, but, as what you are, you'll end up here because this is your real world."

"And if I live?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

His smile faded slightly. "If you live... well, let's just say it complicates things."

"Why?" I asked, stepping closer now, frustrated. "Why does it complicate things if I live?"

He looked at me for a long time before answering. "Because you're not supposed to be alive."

That hit like a punch to the gut.

I shook my head, taking a step back. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You were never meant to survive your birth," he said simply. "Your mother... she changed that. She made a deal, one that should have cost her everything, and it did. But you? You survived, and now the balance is off."

My throat felt tight. "So this is some cosmic punishment? I didn't ask to be born. I didn't ask to be some half-human freak."

"No one ever asks," he said, shrugging again. "But that doesn't change the truth."

We stood there for a moment in silence before I spoke up again.

"I'm not ready to die. I don't want to die," I whispered.

"I know," he said. "And maybe you won't. Maybe your little human friend will figure out a way to save you."

"Seraphina," I corrected him.

His smile returned. "Yes. Her."

I clenched my fists. "So what happens if she does save me? Do I get to forget all this?"

He chuckled. "Oh, no. You'll remember. In fact, you'll remember everything, and when the time comes, you'll have to decide what to do with it."

I turned to him, letting my frustration leak into my voice. "So, what now? After all of this lecture, are you going to give me a tour of your sparkly little deity world and try to convince me it's so much better than life with humans?"

He let out a laugh, a dry and hoarse laugh that sounded like gravel being crushed underfoot. "A tour? Convince you? Oh no, Electra, dear. I would never lie to you like that. This place is a hellhole. In fact, I prefer to live amongst humans than stay here."

I blinked. That wasn't what I was expecting to hear.

"You think human politics are bad?" he continued, starting to walk forward again. "Wait till you meet the deities. Everyone's trying to prove they're the most important, the most ancient, and the most powerful. War isn't a possibility here; it's a certainty."

I narrowed my eyes and followed him, confused but curious despite myself. "Okay, then why the hell am I here? If you're not trying to convert me into your flame cult, and you clearly hate this place just as much as I probably will, what's the point of bringing me here? Everything you just said, you could have told me back in my own world."

He didn't answer right away, and I felt my temper rising. "And how do you even live among humans looking like that?"

He stopped, and then I stopped too, confused when he turned back to face me. His eyes held something different now, not mischief or smugness, but something I didn't know how to name.

Without a single word, his body began to shift, and the ugly, hunched creature began to stretch and change, bones reshaping and cracking, skin smoothing over like melted wax reforming into something human, and then, just like that, standing in front of me was a man.

A man with shoulder-length hair the color of ash, bronze skin, and wings so large that they looked like they could wrap around the sky. He wasn't beautiful in the delicate sense, but he was striking, powerful, and ethereal.

I stumbled back a step, startled. "What the—?" My voice dropped. "Who are you?"

"I'm Azaryon, a good friend of your mother, Solara."