RISE OF THE ALMIGHTY WARLORD GRANDMASTER

0003: THE AURA OF A WARLORD GRANDMASTER IS MINE!

Feeling a sense of rejuvenation overwhelm him, Caelum's frown eased into a warm smile. She hung the beautiful pendant back on her neck, and he could not help but admire her. It fitted her perfectly. However, the sadness on her face pricked his heart, and he wanted to ease her pain.

Caelum clutched the edges of his wheelchair, struggling to rise to his feet and embrace her, but his legs were too weak to hold him up. Realizing his failure, he braced himself, crashing to the ground and falling just at her feet.

"Just give up already," Emily laughed, her eyes glinting with annoyance. " It's pitiful watching you struggle like this. It's pointless." Her voice rang with apathy as she chastised him like a bad child, and he raised his head slowly to find a mocking smile on her face.

Caelum lowered his head, a smile on his face. He still needed more time before the operation would be successful. “Please help me up,” he said, but she turned around.

He could sense the overwhelming frustration in her faltering steps as she strolled to the desk and ruffled the documents on it slightly before pulling out a slip that looked like a cheque.

"Take this." Her eyes were dim and brimming with unshed tears. "It was bad enough that everything I worked for got destroyed by our marriage. Since you want to make it worse and ruin me completely, you can have the last million and use it as you please. I hope you're happy. Just so you know, this is the end of anything between us!"

Caelum stared at the cheque blankly, an overwhelming sense of guilt settling on him.

Her family leveraged on this shameful marriage to him to take away the billion dollar company she had built with the ten million dollars she was given as a child. Emily had been able to maximize it even better than her brother could, yet they had seized almost all of it and given it to her brother, and they still wanted her to give up the family business.

"Emily, I understand your pain but…" Caelum spoke, looking at her from his place on the floor. Why couldn’t he just get up! He needed to show her the hero he could be too. However, these damned legs.

Emily shook her head. "No. I'm done, Caelum. Our marriage—this…" she stared point blankly, her fingers gesturing to the distance between them. "…was never meant to be. My family made us come together in order to defeat me, and as much as it hurts me to admit it, they've been successful. I have almost nothing now. All that I worked for with my sweat and blood has gone to my brother all because of you."

Her heart weighed down on her as her family’s conflict and cruelty towards her rushed back to her mind. She barely paid any attention to his struggling frame anymore.

Tears rolled down her cheeks at this point.

Caelum sighed deeply, supporting his struggling frame with his hands. "I know, Emily, but we can make it work. Trust me, we could be at the edge of a major breakthrough if you'd just be patient with me. I'm working on something, and it's almost done," he assured, but she seemed to have made up her mind.

"There's nothing that can be done to fix us. Staying together will only make the both of us continually be ridiculed and mocked by my family," she stated plainly, walking around the desk to gather the documents that were spread on it. "Look, I just want to be alone. I have prepared the divorce papers and it’s waiting for your signature."

He watched with a heavy heart as she cast a forlorn look back at him, the conflict in her eyes obvious even to the blind. She wanted a man who would save her from her family. He was that man, Almighty War Lord Caelum, but her heart was too weak to hope any longer.

A strange sensation shot up the bones in Caelum’s legs, and his eyes narrowed. This energy! Could it be?

He released more strength into his arms and painstakingly struggled to rise. Power seemed to course through the muscles of his thighs, fueled by the intensity of his drive. He wanted to show Emily that he was all she needed.

He heaved a breath, "Just give me one more day. One day and everything will fall into place."

Caelum felt a warmth in his once paralyzed legs. He was delighted. Finally, the years of secret rehabilitation had paid off. He fixed his gaze on Emily, what would be her reaction?

A small smile appeared on Emily’s face, “I’m giving you one day to leave my house, Caelum.” She hissed, turning her back to him

Suddenly, the door to the study burst open, and a curious and frantic Isabella, Emily’s mother, rushed into the room. She cast a fleeting glance at Caelum, who was still on the floor before rushing over to her daughter whose shoulders were slumped in defeat.

"Emily darling, why do you look so sad?" She asked, her arms embracing Emily in a warm hug. Seeing the situation, she understood immediately what was going on. Isabella had never liked Caelum, and this was her chance to ridicule him more.

She turned around, pointing a finger at the man, " What good are you as a son-in-law if my daughter is being harassed, and you can do nothing except sit in that wheelchair and squander her money? Do you even—" Suddenly, Isabella halted, her eyes widening in shock.

Confused and curious, Emily slowly turned around, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

A loud gasp escaped Emily's parted lips. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her jaw slacked.

In all his glory and vitality, Caelum stood before them without help. His eyes appeared sharper, his frame taller. His stance exuded a powerful aura, almost sweeping them off their feet, and an air of mystery surrounded him.

"Caelum?" Emily whispered, disbelief written all over her.

Caelum looked at her, his eyes brimming with strength. “Emily, give me the chance to make it up to you.” He said, taking a step towards her as fire burned in his legs.