Chapter 88

[ 1,213 words ]

Chapter 89

о

The Underworld is changing. You can feel it in the air, thick with ash and something else. Anticipation. It’s like even this place knows what’s coming. We gather in the obsidian hall. The only place still stable enough to hold our presence without magic unraveling around us. Flickering blue fire dances across the ancient torches, casting twisted shadows across stone pillars. Noah stands beside me, tense but grounded. Haiden and Levi arrive seconds after, stepping through the portal like men who’ve seen ghosts and brought pieces of them back. Xavier waits near the altar, his expression unreadable. I sense the Underworld in him, woven through his veins like smoke. He nods as we approach, but doesn’t speak. He’s waiting. We all are. Levi is the one who finally breaks the silence.

“We found… ” he says, voice hoarse. “A mass grave. Children, like Envy. Sacrificed. Shackled in death p>

Xavier’s jaw tightens. “How many p>

Levi doesn’t answer right away. Just looks at me. “Too many p>

Haiden steps forward, arms crossed, eyes like steel. “But it wasn’t just a sacrifice. It was a test site. Marcus was refining the ritual. Learning how to manipulate not just the Veil, but the souls bound to it. It wasn’t enough for him to open the realms. He wanted to control them p>

Noah swears under his breath. “Gods p>

breathe out slowly, the weight of the stasis chamber still pressing on my skin. “And he almost did. There’s a child still alive, suspended in magic. One of the originals. And the witch who saved him… she’s barely holding the spell together. But it’s breaking. Cracking at the seams. ”

Levi glances to Xavier. “We think the grave sites are acting as anchors. They’re fractured, but still pulsing with the magic used to tear the veil open. If we can steady them, even temporarily, it might give Envy enough time to reshape the Veil without everything collapsing p>

“How? ” Xavier asks. His voice is quiet, but sharp. “How do we stabilize something that’s already failing? ”

Levi lifts a glowing rune from his pocket. “Each site holds a fragment of the original spell. The runes, the bones, the residual blood magic, it’s all part of the same framework. If we collect enough of these fragments, we might be able to create a new foundation beneath the existing tear. Not repair it, but hold it long enough for Envy to weave her own magic through the cracks. ”

“Like scaffolding,” I murmur. “ Temporary structure until the new Veil is born p>

He nods. “Exactly. It won’t hold forever. But it doesn’t need to. Just long enough p>

Haiden adds, “We need an army. We can’t do this alone p>

Xavier finally speaks. “And if we fail p>

The chamber falls quiet.

Then I lift my chin. “Then the realms fall into each other, and no one survives the war that comes after. But we’re not going to fail p>

Noah brushes his fingers against mine. “Because we’ve come too far to let them win p>

A ripple of dark energy pulses beneath our feet. The Veil shudders. A reminder that time is running out.

I step forward. “Then here’s the plan: I’ll finish marking you all. It will unlock the last of my power, but before you gather the fragments and, the armies. I’ll create a new veil. I’ll give this world, all of them, a new boundary. A new beginning. We’ll need to prepare people in the mortal realm; our pack will need to reach out to as many as possible to defend and prepare themselves p>

Levi nods. “We’ll buy you the time p>

Haiden rests a hand on my shoulder, his voice low. “And we’ll stand with you at the edge of the world, if that’s what it takes p>

Levi

1/2

Blaiden and I don’t waste time. We leave the Underworld through a portal, straight to the grave sites we’ve marked. I clutch the rune tighter than I mean to. It still hums with something ancient. Hungry. I don’t think it wants to be used again, but it remembers the spell, remembers the blood, and it wants resolution. Haiden speaks little as we move through realms and territory. There’s no need. We’ve fought together too long. When we find the next site, another forest clearing twisted by magic and death, we work in rhythm. I dig through the layers of soil, ash, and memory. Another rune, another whisper, another child’s voice. Each piece we gather brings the spell closer to balance, and each one costs a little more of our souls.

1:06 PM P

Chapter 89

Noah

The portal spits me out near the Red Moon pack border just after dusk. The guards at the perimeter pause only for a second before they recognize me. Their relief is immediate. Their fear, palpable.

“ Go get my father,” I say. “Now. And my mother too. I want Future Alpha Zion from the Tolaris pack and his future Beta Theo, discreetly informed. Everyone. This isn’t just about our pack anymore p>

The hall is full within the hour. My parents are there, weathered by war and waiting. Council members, warriors, civilians, even pups clinging to their mothers, all watching me. I speak plainly.

“ Marcus is going to tear down the veil between life and death. The magic that holds the realms apart is cracking. You’ve probably felt it: dreams ghosts, nightmares, things in the shadows p>

Murmurs ripple.

“Luna Envy’s going to rebuild the Veil. But it’s going to fall first. When it does… the realms will bleed together. You’ll see spirits. Beasts. Gods, even. And Marcus will use the chaos to try and control the aftermath p>

I take a breath. “We need every able–bodied person prepared to fight. Defend. Protect the young. Evacuate the border towns. You don’t have days, you have hours. ”

My father stands. “You have our army. You always have. ”

Xavier

The Veil shifts like a lung exhaling. I stand near its edge with Layah beside me. Her fur is warm, but the magic radiating off her is colder now, sharpened by purpose.

“ You feel that? ” she asks, eyes on the trembling light.

I nod. “ It’s thinning. Envy doesn’t have long p>

We don’t speak again. We watch. We guard. We wait.

Envy

1 portal to the royal kingdom just before sunrise. The air here feels heavier, too, though laced with more elegance. It’s quieter. Regal. My mother, brothers and grandmother wait for me inside the inner sanctum, flanked by guards I barely glance at. Their expressions shift when they see my

face.

“It’s time,” I say simply. “I need every last person you’ve got that can fight p>

Mum steps forward, no hesitation. “What exactly do you need from us? “.

“Power,” I answer. “But more than that, loyalty. Unity, When the Veil falls, I’ll be rewriting the boundaries between all realms. There will be a war of all the realms, and I have a feeling those of the underworld are going to fight hard to stay p>

She nods once, the steel in her eyes reflecting mine. “Then we gather our forces p>

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