Chapter 35 – The Reality of Wings
After Zingari left, the house fell silent again.
Meera remained seated in the living room, lost in thought.
Everything Zingari had said echoed inside her mind.
The scars.
The battles.
The darkness Sam carried.
She had always known her husband was powerful. But now she understood something deeper.
Sam wasn't just strong.
He was broken in ways strength could not repair.
Meera closed her eyes slowly.
"If that's the weight you're carrying…" she whispered to herself, "then I'll carry it with you."
The Vault
Far away from home, Sam stood in front of a massive sealed vault hidden deep within one of his most restricted facilities.
The hallway leading to it was silent, guarded by layers of barriers that no ordinary being could ever bypass.
Sam stepped forward.
His eyes slowly turned crimson.
The moment they did—
The vault recognized him.
Ancient runes lit up across the metal surface.
A heavy mechanical rumble echoed through the chamber as the massive doors opened.
Blinding white light poured out.
Inside the vault—
Dozens of wings hung suspended in the air.
White wings.
Each pair preserved separately, glowing faintly with divine energy.
At first glance, they looked like decorative relics.
But they weren't.
They were real.
Fragments of fallen divinity.
Sam stood motionless.
And memories began to bleed through.
The First Memory
The world blurred.
Suddenly—
Sam found himself standing inside a massive throne hall.
A mysterious man sat upon the throne, cloaked in overwhelming presence.
Sam stood before him.
The man spoke calmly.
"Sam."
"You have fallen from the path of gods."
His voice was neither cruel nor kind.
"From this moment onward… you are no longer a divine warrior."
He raised his hand slowly.
"But I will grant you one final gift."
A surge of power erupted through the chamber.
Two brilliant white wings burst from Sam's back.
Pure.
Radiant.
For a moment, Sam looked like an angel descended from heaven.
Sam bowed his head.
"That honor… is mine, Master."
The vision shattered.
The Second Memory
Sam returned to the vault.
But the memories weren't finished.
His hand slowly moved toward his back, touching the scars hidden beneath his clothes.
The scars that even his immortal body could not heal.
The moment his fingers touched them—
Another memory tore through his mind.
A battlefield.
A beach.
The ocean stretched endlessly before him.
But the water wasn't blue anymore.
It was red.
The shoreline was covered with bodies.
Soldiers.
Generals.
Broken weapons.
A war had ended here.
And Sam was the only one left alive.
He sat alone in the sand.
Crying.
After a long silence, he summoned a dagger.
His hands trembled.
Then—
He drove the blade into his own back.
The pain was unbearable.
Even for him.
He cut.
Again.
Again.
Until both wings fell into the blood-soaked sand.
Sam screamed.
Not like a warrior.
Like a man losing everything.
The vision collapsed.
Present
Sam staggered slightly as the memories faded.
Tears rolled down his face.
He quickly wiped them away.
The vault doors slowly began to close.
Sam looked at the suspended wings one last time.
His face turned completely emotionless.
"You'll pay for this," he said quietly.
"…Master."
The vault sealed shut.
Darkness returned to the corridor.
That Night
Back at home, Meera waited.
Night had already fallen.
Ruhi was asleep in her room.
Meera sat quietly in the living room, glancing toward the door again and again.
Then—
The door opened.
Sam stepped inside, still wearing his office clothes.
His expression looked distant.
Heavy.
Before he could say anything—
Meera rushed forward.
She hugged him tightly.
So tightly he couldn't move.
"I'm sorry," she said through tears. "I'm really sorry."
Sam blinked in surprise.
"I shouldn't have asked about your past," she continued. "I shouldn't have pushed you."
She held him even tighter.
"I promise I won't ask again."
"I'll wait."
"I'll wait until the day you want to tell me yourself."
"Just… don't shut me out."
For a moment, Sam didn't respond.
Then slowly—
He wrapped his arms around her.
"It's okay," he said softly.
He kissed her forehead gently.
"I'm not angry."
The tension in the room disappeared.
For the first time that day, Sam's shoulders relaxed.
They went to bed shortly after.
Meera fell asleep quickly.
But Sam remained awake for a while longer.
Staring into the darkness.
Because even though he had buried the wings long ago—
Something deep underground had started to move.
And when it awakened—
The past he cut away would return with it.
Far from Sam's kingdom…
Beyond mountains buried under eternal frost…
Lay the Elven Kingdom.
A realm once known for its eternal forests, silver rivers, and immortal beauty.
But now—
Something was terribly wrong.
The Frozen Forest
In the heart of the northern jungle, ancient trees stood frozen in silence.
Their branches were heavy with snow.
But it wasn't the snow that made the place horrifying.
Bodies hung from the branches.
Elves.
Dozens of them.
Their lifeless forms swayed gently in the cold wind.
None of them had been attacked.
None of them had been hunted.
Every single one had taken their own life.
The forest looked less like a kingdom of immortals…
And more like a graveyard.
The Royal Palace
Inside the Elven Palace, a tense council meeting was underway.
The Elf King sat on his throne, his face dark with worry.
Before him stood Tsar, the Hand of the King and the kingdom's chief strategist.
Tsar bowed his head slightly before speaking.
"My Lord… something must be done."
"If these unexplained deaths continue, our population will collapse."
His voice lowered.
"And if the Dark Elves discover our weakness…"
"They will invade."
The Elf King leaned back slowly.
"I know," he said grimly. "But I still don't understand what is happening."
He paused.
"Could the Dark Elves be responsible?"
"They are masters of forbidden rituals."
Tsar hesitated.
"That possibility exists, my lord."
The king stood.
"Summon the Grand Priest."
The Grand Priest
Not long after, the palace doors opened.
An elderly elf entered the throne chamber.
His robes were silver, decorated with ancient runes of divine authority.
The Grand Priest.
The Elf King spoke immediately.
"Tell me what is happening to my people."
The priest closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, his expression was grave.
"My king…"
"This is not dark magic."
Silence spread across the chamber.
"It is something far older."
The priest continued.
"This… is the Nirvana Curse."
Tsar frowned.
"The Nirvana Curse?"
The priest nodded slowly.
"Three hundred years ago… an Elf King committed the greatest sin in our history."
He looked directly at the current king.
"He betrayed and killed the Elf Goddess."
The room froze.
Tsar spoke quietly.
"But that king died centuries ago."
"Yes," the priest replied.
"But the curse did not die with him."
He raised his staff.
"The goddess reincarnated."
"And so did the king who betrayed her."
Shock spread through the court.
The priest continued.
"The goddess now walks the world again."
"And the king… has been reborn among the Dark Elves."
The Elf King's face darkened.
"And the suicides?"
The priest lowered his voice.
"Nirvana means liberation through death."
"The curse awakens an irresistible desire to die."
"It spreads through elven bloodlines until the betrayal is repaid."
The throne room fell silent.
Finally the king asked,
"Are you certain?"
The priest shook his head.
"Not yet."
"I must study the ancient scriptures to confirm it."
"But until then, Your Majesty…"
"You must recall every elf outside the kingdom."
"No one can remain beyond our borders."
The Elf King nodded slowly.
"Do it."
Then the priest added one final name.
"And summon Lady Meera."
The Invitation
The next morning—
A royal messenger arrived at Sam's castle.
A beautifully sealed letter was delivered directly to Meera.
Inside was a formal invitation.
To Lady Meera,
The Elven Kingdom humbly invites you and your family to attend our upcoming royal festival and remain as honored guests within our lands.
Your presence would bring great joy to our people.
— The Elf King
Meera read the letter twice.
Then she turned toward Sam.
"Do you think we should go?"
Sam looked thoughtful for a moment.
The Elven Kingdom rarely sent invitations like this.
Something about it felt… unusual.
But after a moment he nodded.
"Let's go."
Ruhi immediately cheered.
"Adventure!"
Arrival
Later that day—
A portal opened above the shining capital of the Elven Kingdom.
Sam stepped through first.
Meera followed.
Ruhi ran out behind them excitedly.
Before them stretched the silver towers and crystal bridges of the ancient kingdom.
It looked beautiful.
Peaceful.
Perfect.
But deep inside the frozen forests beyond the city—
The trees still carried the weight of the dead.
And the curse had only just begun.