Fallen General's Omega (BL)-Chapter 208: Held heaven in my arms

I take a slow, steady breath, the scent of damp earth and fresh grass doing little to calm the unease curling in my gut. Bishop Grace stands before me, her presence as unyielding as the massive tree at the center of the sacred grounds. The sunlight filters through its branches, casting dappled shadows over us, but I feel no comfort in its embrace.

"The audacity of you to show up, Thorne." Her voice is sharp, each word a precise cut.

I stop mid-step, my body tensing instinctively. I’ve faced warlords, kings, and entire armies without blinking, but this—this moment, standing before the high priestess of Elaris—this makes me nervous. Not because I fear her, but because I know exactly what I have done. And Elaris, the goddess of life, does not take kindly to men like me.

Still, I attempt to soften the weight of my sins with a half-hearted offering. "I’m personally helping rebuild the church out of my own funds." My voice lacks conviction, as if I already know how poorly that excuse will be received.

"Is that supposed to help?" she replies, unamused, her piercing gaze locking onto me.

I say nothing. What can I say? I lower myself to the ground, sitting cross-legged on the grass, surrendering to the weight of her judgment. The Church of Elaris is unlike the grand cathedrals of the Church of Light. It is open, built around nature itself, its stone pathways winding through the trees, the structures standing in silent reverence around the mighty heartwood in the center. The faithful say that if you listen closely, the trees whispers to those who will inherit its wisdom. I have never heard anything but silence.

She sighs, finally breaking the stillness between us. "Thorne, you may not realize this, but the chains of karma have bound you. Tightly. There are thousands upon thousands of them."

I shift, uncomfortable with her words, though they are nothing I haven’t already known.

"It might have been different had you followed another deity," she continues, her voice softer but no less severe. "But the Mother loves all life, and in your anger, you reaped and ruined the lives of millions. Do you think such things go unseen? Unanswered?"

I press my lips into a thin line, inhaling slowly. I could lie. I could say I regret it, that I was blinded by grief and that I would have done things differently had I been given another chance. But the truth—the undeniable, vicious truth—is that I wouldn’t.

"I was angry," I admit, voice quiet but firm. "And I wasn’t thinking."

I don’t add that if I had to do it all over again, I would still bathe the world in fire to get Noelle back. I would still raze entire kingdoms, rip apart every breathing thing that stood between me and the man who makes life worth living.

Bishop Grace studies me for a long moment, eyes unreadable, before she finally speaks again.

"So, I take it she’s mad at me?" I try to sound nonchalant, but my fingers dig into the grass at my sides, and I feel a bead of sweat trail down the back of my neck. No one wants to hear that a goddess is furious with them.

"Oh, furious." The bishop’s voice is laced with something akin to pity. "But you are married to her beloved. So you have nothing to fear... for now. Alive, anyway." She trails off, and a chill creeps up my spine. "But when you close the gates of life and return to the Mother’s embrace..."

She doesn’t need to finish. I understand.

I have always known where I was bound. The fires of damnation have been waiting for me since the first time I took a life, and I have made my peace with it. But now, with Noelle in my life—with Mimi’s laughter filling my home—there is an ache in my chest I can’t name. If there is a life after this, I know I won’t be with them. I will spend eternity drowning in the blood I have spilled.

But at least, in this lifetime, I have held heaven in my hands. I have loved, and been loved, even if it was undeserved. freēnovelkiss.com

The silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating, until the bishop shakes her head. "So," she says, "why did you drag me from my kingdom?"

The tension eases, if only slightly, and I rub the back of my neck, forcing a casual shrug. "Well... I think we might finally have a chance to get mated." I glance at her warily. "So, about my husband’s collar—"

She exhales, long-suffering. "Yeah, yeah. Come over tomorrow." With that, she turns and walks away, dismissing me without another word.

I remain seated, watching as the wind stirs the leaves of the great tree above me. The faithful say that Elaris watches from its branches, that her whispers are carried in the rustling of the leaves.

For a moment, I imagine I can feel her gaze, heavy and full of judgment.

I don’t care. I would set this world aflame all over again if it meant keeping Noelle safe.

With that thought, I rise and leave the sacred grounds, ready to return to the only sanctuary I have ever known—my husband’s embrace.

*

I step down from the carriage, my boots landing softly against the gravel path leading to the Remiro estate. The sun is dipping beyond the hills, casting everything in a golden glow. For a moment, I pause, inhaling deeply, letting the scent of fresh greenery and distant rain settle into my bones.

My feet move before my mind can catch up, drawn instinctively toward the one place I belong. The estate is alive with activity, servants moving about their tasks, the distant hum of conversation filling the halls, but none of it matters. Not the gilded walls, not the luxuries the Remiros are known for. None of it holds a fraction of the power that a single glimpse of him does.

And then, I see them.

Noelle, sitting on the garden bench, our daughter nestled against his chest. Her tiny hands curl into his silk shirt as she sleeps, her little chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Noelle hums softly, absently running his fingers through her dark curls, lost in some distant thought.

The sight makes something tighten in my chest.

For all the blood on my hands, all the sins I’ve committed, this—they—are the only things that make any of it worth it.

Noelle looks up then, sensing me before he even lays eyes on me. His green eyes soften immediately, and a small smile tugs at his lips.

"You’re back," he says simply, as if I was never truly gone.

I close the distance between us in a few strides, sinking to my knees before him, pressing my forehead to his. My arms curl around his waist, one hand resting protectively on our daughter.

"Always," I murmur.

Noelle chuckles, running a hand through my hair. "Missed me that much?"

I don’t answer, because I don’t have to. Instead, I pull him closer, inhaling his scent, letting it drown me in the warmth of home.

And if I had to set the world ablaze again to keep t

hem safe, I would do it—without hesitation, without regret.

Again and again.