Narrated by Natasha Bertova

  The gods and their armies had begun their assault, so the only thing I could do was listen to Nikolai and fight the goddess of lightning.

  I ran toward her, determined not to give her a chance to escape.

  When I got close enough, I saw her—a girl who looked a lot like Joseph. White hair, not too long. I couldn’t help but laugh and say,

  “Well, looks like this will be a lady-to-lady duel.”

  She stared straight into my eyes and said,

  “Why don’t you kneel, you filthy insect? I’m a goddess. You’re just a pathetic, dirty girl.”

  I hadn’t even started fighting yet—but I transformed. She didn’t seem surprised. But I wasn’t just some girl with a pact with a demon. I’m a Bertova. I can form contracts with demons that rival the gods.

  I dropped my weapons on the ground—she didn’t seem to have any herself.

  Then a soldier’s head rolled past us, and we waited for it to stop spinning.

  When it did, the fight began.

  I rushed toward her and punched her in the face, sending her flying. But she could use lightning, so I knew she’d return with it.

  Good thing Joseph is part of my team—so I know how to deal with lightning.

  The sky began to rain lightning from all directions. I could barely dodge, but that wasn’t the real problem.

  She caught me with a hand made of lightning, approaching slowly as she said,

  “Seems you really are like the rest. Trash.”

  I smiled in her face and said,

  “Too bad I’m used to this kind of treatment.”

  I blasted fire from my feet, piercing through the ground. The electric hand vanished, and I flew toward her, slamming her to the ground. I pinned her down and rained punches on her until her face was soaked in blood.

  She opened her mouth and spat a ball of lightning at my face. I screamed,

  “Damn it! I forgot you can shoot electricity from nearly everywhere!”

  My face was nearly burned off—I could barely see.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Then I felt a storm of kicks slam into my stomach. I grabbed the ground and erupted fire from beneath me like volcanoes.

  My vision returned, just in time to see her summoning a dragon made of lightning—then more dragons—an entire army of them.

  The dragons flew toward me at terrifying speed. I grabbed a piece of stone from the ground, superheated it, and hurled it at the lightning goddess.

  She dodged it easily—but I can switch places with anything hotter than five hundred degrees. So, I teleported behind her.

  Before she noticed, I grabbed her right arm and pulled it so hard it was torn off.

  She screamed and fell to her knees. I glanced toward the dragons—they turned and charged straight at me.

  I couldn’t stop them. So, I embraced them.

  I opened my arms and welcomed a thousand lightning dragons into my embrace, like a loving mother.

  I collapsed. My body was completely burned. But I saw the lightning goddess still standing.

  “I’m not done yet,” she said.

  I smiled, ran toward her, punched her in the stomach. She grabbed my arm, lifted me up, and smashed me to the ground.

  Then she pinned me with her leg and pulled my arm until it was torn off—just like I had done to her.

  All I felt was anger—I didn’t feel pain.

  I grabbed her leg with my remaining arm and burned it with fire.

  In the moment she took a step back, I got up and drove my horns deep into her body.

  I screamed as fire erupted from my horns, burning her into ashes.

  I kept screaming as I burned her, my eyes bleeding. The fire and heat scorched the nearby trees.

  I fell to the ground in pain.

  I picked up her corpse and placed it beside the fire goddess’s body. Then I started walking toward Dwayne to help him—but I collapsed.

  I couldn’t stand anymore. I just lay there, staring at the sky, knowing this would be my final night.

  Then I heard footsteps. Jason appeared. He lay down beside me and said,

  “Crispy, but still beautiful.”

  I laughed and said,

  “Good luck eating with one hand.”

  We lay there in silence, waiting for death.

  Then Jason turned to me and pulled out a piece of candy from his jacket—it was shaped like a ring.

  He smiled and said,

  “Will you marry me?”

  I smiled at him.

  That was the word I had waited five years to hear. Five long years—and Jason said it on the day I was going to die.

  I cried. The tears wouldn’t stop falling.

  It was the word I had longed for. So, I said nothing but,

  “Yes.”

  I reached out my hand toward him.

  He slipped the candy ring onto my finger and said,

  “You’re my wife now.”

  I was happy—but sad. So sad.

  The best moment of my life was going to be the last.

  I kept crying and hugged him, crying on his shoulder, screaming,

  “I don’t want to act strong anymore. I don’t want to die now. I want to live with you more. I don’t want to lose you. Please don’t leave me alone.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes.

  He smiled and said,

  “Goodnight, my love.”

  And together, we passed away, hand in hand.