The Price of Redemption (Part 4).

The dog of darkness bristled, opened its mouth, and hissed, "The guardian of this planet — you're dead. This planet is overtaken by the right of the strongest."

"Do you want to check how dead I am? I'm afraid your master will miss one of his pieces," the woman grinned, a sharp blade flashed in her hand.

The dog shook, making strange sounds like laughter, "My master is now free, your slave is no longer holding him back. The time of the guardian is numbered. You can own the planet with half of your heart as well," the creature narrowed its eyes, which were practically invisible among the swaying clots of darkness.

The woman swung her blade, the whip of light hit the dog's paws. The creature jumped to the side with a furious hiss. "Your master will have to look for this half of the heart."

"What is a century for humans is merely a moment for a god. My master knows how to wait," the dog turned his head towards Sean and broke into a malicious grin. The boy cringed and hid behind David.

The twilight dog's body twitched, stretched, forming into the silhouette of a tall man.

Zed covered the woman with his body and prepared to attack, but the disembodied spirit only bowed and straightened up again. A crunching sound like a swarm of beetles swarmed through the air, "Goodbye, Dahlia."

"See you in eternity, Taaned."

"I'm not sure about that," the sound of his voice, like sticky slugs, touched her skin.

"You're not the only one who knows how to wait," she said flatly. The black spirit froze for a moment and, without saying another word, dispersed in the air.

The twilight that enveloped space disappeared and the bright light of the midday sun struck from above.

The woman's hair and skin sparkled with silver. She turned around, looked at everyone else, and smiled.

"M-mom?" Sean stepped away from David and took a step towards the woman.

She knelt down and held out her hand to him, "Hi baby. My name is Dahlia. Your mom is here," she pointed to her heart, "I'm her friend and I will let her go as soon as I finish one thing. Will you wait for her?" she asked and looked up at David.

The man stood with a serious expression on his face and did not take his eyes off her, as if trying to see Elena in her.

"Okay," the boy replied uncertainly and rubbed his nose.

"Sean Nicholas Anderson, as it turns out, you were such a sweetheart when you were little. You won't think, huh, Zed?" Dahlia looked at the ancient king.

"Mistress Dahlia, I'm sorry I let you down and let the shadow escape," Zed stood on one knee and bowed his head.

Dahlia straightened, walked over to the man, and stood opposite, "Zedaan Ziusudra, when you stabbed me with a knife, I noticed doubts on your face. Maybe you just wanted this shadow to run away?"

The man lowered his head even lower, "I didn't want what was in the past to happen again."

Dahlia smiled, "Zed," the man didn't react, "Zed, lift your head and look at me. Isn't the fact that we're here right now not enough for you? Changing someone's future won't change our past. It has already happened."

He clenched his palms into fists and raised his head. Two pairs of blue eyes glanced at each other.

A moment, and she timidly whispered, "Hi."

Zed jumped off his knees, hugged the woman, and held her tightly in his arms. David, watching the scene, clenched his fists.

"I missed you to death," Zed whispered over Dahlia's ear.

"I think we've been dead for a long time, haven't we?" she smiled back and touched the man's chest, a scarlet spot appeared under the skin, stretching to the sides like a blot.

"Yes, today you definitely killed me."

"You were the first to start."

"Which side of time to count on, my divine lady Aadahlia", he touched her forehead with his lips and smiled back.

"Oh, King Zedaan is being so humble today."

Zed took a quick glance at the disgruntled David, "This girl's husband is a real jealous type. I think they had enough of me today." The man playfully winked at Anderson and looked at Dahlia, ran his hand over her cheek. "You are so warm."

"it's not me, Zed."

"I know," he leaned his forehead against the woman's forehead, "See you in eternity, my lady." Zedaan's silhouette was covered with a silver haze.

"See you in eternity, Zed," Dahlia whispered.

Instead of a tall, dark-skinned man, a young guy appeared in front of the woman. Dahlia grabbed Nick by the shoulders and put him gently on the ground. The guy's eyes were closed, his lips turned blue.

Marcus ran up and sat down beside him, "Nicholas, Nicholas, wake up," the man touched the guy, touched his neck, hoping to feel a pulse, "Why is he so cold?" he asked Dahlia.

"Because he's dead. I'm sorry."

These words, spoken in a calm voice, similar to the light touch of a feather, thundered in his head.

Lina covered her mouth with both palms, stifling a cry, "My God, Nick..."

"You are a goddess! Save him! He is not guilty of anything!" roared Marcus. It's one thing to hear something like this from the mouth of an ancient king who is in Nick's body, and another thing to see this body lying on the ground without moving. "If it weren't for your Zed, Nick would be alive!"

Dahlia pursed her lips. Marcus's words cut to the heart as well as the sharp kukri blade in her hand.

"Even the gods cannot always save those who are dear to them. Otherwise, I would not be standing here," she replied quietly and turned to David, "I really am sorry. These are all consequences of a mistake made in the distant past. But I have no regrets about what had been done. Just as in the darkest night in the sky, you can see a dim star, so in the darkest past, you can find hope for a brighter future."

David hugged Sean. He thought he had already seen the worst in his life, but Nick's lifeless body suggested otherwise. If earlier he thought that losing Elena would be his nightmare, now he knew about a more terrible loss.

"Can you help with…," his voice broke at the last word, but Dahlia understood.

"Bring the body to the gate," she replied and walked forward.

"I'll do it," David stopped Marcus as he leaned over to Nick, "Take care of Sean, please." The man released the child and lifted Nicholas's body from the ground. It was heavy and cold and David felt how this cold penetrates his heart, scratching with ice and leaving a scar that will remain forever. Even when time passes and the ice melts, the consequences of this loss will leave their mark.

"What will happen?" he asked Dahlia. The woman inserted a knife into the stone slab, and the surface of the stone was covered with a sparkling silvery web.

"The Guardian of the Corridor of Time will show Nick's soul the way home."

"But his world doesn't exist anymore, does it?"

She smiled slightly, "My world hasn't existed for a long time either. But don't you people have a saying, "Your home is where your heart is?" Everything will be fine, Ren will take care of him, since he allowed Nick to come here, breaking all the rules."

"Who is Ren?" asked David.

"What inquisitive men surround my girls. You seem to want to know everything," Dahlia chuckled, "David Anderson, you've met him before. Remember the spirit cave in Tibet?"

David nodded. Such meetings and events are not easily forgotten. He smoothed the disheveled hair on Nick's head, leaned over to his son's body, and whispered in his ear, "Mom and Dad love you. Come back."

The silvery web on the wall rippled, and several streams separated from the surface. They surrounded Nicholas's body with liquid plasma, covered it completely, and after a few seconds returned back to the wall, leaving the empty ground behind.

Lina buried herself in Armand's chest and sobbed softly. She spent several months with Nick and knew that the boy's fate was predetermined, but knowing and accepting are different things.

"So, what now?" Marcus looked at Dahlia hopefully. If she came here, then she also had her own purpose.

The woman ran her hand over the luminous surface of the stone, "And now we have to do what we came here for. I don't have much time left, but I hope my strength will be enough."

The patterns on her arms flashed with a blue glow. Dahlia began speaking in a monotone voice in an unfamiliar language. The designs on the skin trembled and flowed to the fingertips, moving to the surface of the slab and lining up in even rows.

"Step back. For ordinary human beings this can be very dangerous."

The letters on the surface of the slab were becoming brighter, a light appeared in the center, which began to rotate, gradually expanding and pulling the symbols into its orbit.

A black hole grew in the center of the newly formed galaxy. Dahlia unhooked the pendant from the blade and placed it in this space.

"I, Aadahlia, the guardian of the planet New Terra, by the right given to me by the Council of the Eternals, give my heart of infinity as a symbol of the inviolability of this territory until it recognizes a new guardian."

The jewel in the pendant burst into flames. The ground rumbled, and there was a crash in the air. A hiss was heard from behind the rocks, a tall column of light hit the sky, cutting through the clouds.

"Isn't Lake Titicaca over there?" Armand was surprised. They watched as the column of light spread across the firmament, painting the sky in pale pink tones.

Dahlia swayed. A strong hand gripped her waist and held her in place.

"My upbringing does not allow me to leave a woman when she needs help. Even if this woman is a god," smiled Marcus. It turns out that an omnipotent being can be taken by surprise.

Dahlia was confused for a second, and then smiled back, "I knew you wouldn't stand aside."

"Is it working?"

The woman frowned, she would like to give a positive answer, but there was no point in hiding. "I was hoping, but half of my heart is not enough to activate the shield. I was able to open only one key, and there are seventeen of them on this planet."

"And if you add energy?"

Dahlia looked at Marcus, he was focused and serious. "Marcus Taubert, you are an ordinary human being now. You can't stand such a load. I promised Amelia that I would save you. We have a contract with her."

"Tsk, I understand that it was you who advised my wife to stick a knife in my heart," the man gave her a reproachful look, and then a smug smirk spread on his face, "But you didn't conclude any contracts with me," Marcus put his palm on top of the glowing stone.

"Marcus!" Armand looked at his brother in horror, but the latter only winked back.

"Get me a couple of nephews first, and then you can be indignant as much as you want," Taubert grinned, "Tell Simon to activate my chip at full power. Well, and as for you," he pulled the woman closer to him, "How about putting on a global light show?"

Dahlia laughed, "Oh human, you're lucky Zed doesn't see this," she kissed Marcus on the cheek, "Thank you for saving this world."

"You think too highly of me, Madame. I don't care what happens to this world. I'm doing this for my family."

"Okay, I'll pretend to believe it," Dahlia nodded.

Marcus felt the energy flow through his body, gaining more and more power like an avalanche descending from a mountain. And if earlier he could control it, now all that remained was to stand still, waiting to be buried under the deadly stream.

"Do you know why in the Teser family, when one partner dies, the other follows him? The thread that connects them prevents souls from losing each other."

"What if the thread was already broken?" Marcus's lips turned pale, the vessels in his eyes burst, filling the whites with red.

"Then the soul of the one who left first will wait and seek the second soul until it finds it. Even if it takes forever," the patterns on Dahlia's skin faded. "She's waiting for you. Goodbye Marcus Taubert. See you in eternity."

The stone under Marcus's hand cracked and shattered into iridescent fragments, which immediately melted into the air. A bright column of light slashed across the sky, turning pink as far as the eyes can see.

"D-daddy?" Elena glanced at Marcus, tears were in the woman's brown eyes.

Marcus smiled warmly and kissed his daughter on the forehead, "You have grown so much, my princess. Dad is proud of you-"

"DAD!"

Elena grabbed her father's hand and fell to the ground with him.

Marcus's eyes were closed, and blood was flowing from his ears and nose.

Thousands of kilometers away from the site, an employee was in a hurry with a report, "Mister Simon! Energy background indicators are normal! Analysis of our satellites confirms that the shield has been restored!"

Simon nodded silently, let the subordinate go, glanced at the screen in front of him, and covered his face with his hands. The man's shoulders trembled.

The display showed this:

[Observed object: Marcus Taubert.]

[Physical assessment: Rupture of blood vessels in the brain, cardiac arrest.]

[Status: Dead.]