Chapter 77
[ 1,128 words ]
Chapter 77
I’m pulled back, hard and sudden, into another memory.
stars.
ང་ལ་ར་ར་
The stone chamber under the packhouse. The ancient door. Marcus. Salira. Felix. A circle of children, small and terrified, their eyes glowing like caged
Marcus’s voice echoes, sharp and final: “ I just need one more child to tether the spell to. To give me the control I need. ”
Then he turns. He looks at me.
“ You were made for more than this world. And I will make you into what the world needs. ”
I see it now, clearer than ever. I wasn’t just a weapon. I was a ritual shaped like a girl. A walking seal. A ticking spell meant to split the world wide open so Marcus could rebuild it in his own image. The final break of my mind comes with my scream. My back arches, my body bowing against itself, and then my magic erupts. Not lashing outward, rising. A tower of black–gold light, blinding, consuming. My wings rip free, hidden all this time, unfurling in fire–rimmed shadow. The force shakes the room. The floor splits. Everyone shields their eyes, but no one dares move. And then comes the separation. Layah peels out of me, molten fur and flesh solidifying beside me. She stands, towering, her presence a mirror of mine.
About fucking time, ” she murmurs in my head, stretching long, dangerous limbs.
“Holy shit,” I whisper aloud, reaching out to run my hand through her hot, living fur.
“ Look who just unlocked her Goddess – given powers. ” Her smirk is pure satisfaction.
I fall into Noah’s arms, shaking, my throat raw, my skin burning like I’ve been seared from the inside out. The room is in ruins.
Xavier drops to his knees beside me, his voice rough. “What did he want from you? ”
I look at all of them, my chest heaving. “Everything. My blood. My magic. My soul p>
Noah’s arms tighten around me. “To do what p>
I drop my eyes to the cracked floor. “To remake the world through me. Just like Zion warned. He means to tear down the veil between realms. He wants to open the floodgates and hold the reins. ”
Layah curls against me, molten warmth at my side. The others don’t look at her with fear but something closer to awe.
Xavier drags a hand over his face. “We’ve been preparing for war, ” he mutters. But this… this is beyond war. ”
Haiden’s voice is low, sharp. “A god in chains. And Marcus wants to break the lock p>
I force the words past the lump in my throat. “Not just me. There were children. Others. I saw them. ”
Noah’s head snaps toward me. “Children? ”
“In the chamber, ” I say. “They were part of it. I was the focal point, but he needed another soul to tether the spell. If they’re alive p>
Levi’s face darkens, his voice iron. “If they’re alive, we’ll find them before anyone else does p>
Layah lifts her head, golden eyes burning. “Marcus would’ve cloaked them the way he cloaked you. You won’t track them by ordinary means p>
I nod, meeting her gaze. “Then we’ll need help p>
Levi straightens, his tone calm but weighted, “Already arranged. ”
The room stills. Everyone looks at him.
I reached out to Envy’s brothers. They know what we’ve learned. They want us to come to them. ”
Xavier’s jaw hardens. “Come where p>
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Chapter 77
Levi’s answer lands like a stone. “To their mother. ”
The breath catches in my chest. “ … Elira p>
He nods once. “She’s been informed. She believes she can help. ”
The silence that follows is heavy, thick. Layah’s golden gaze shifts back to me
steady, unflinching.
Later, as we prepare for the portal, I stand on the balcony of the Red Moon packhouse, Layah curled at my feet, the others inside gathering supplies.
Layah lifts her head. “You shouldn’t be afraid, you know p>
I crouch beside her, burying my fingers in her thick fur. “Do you think she’ll recognize me? ”
“She’ll feel you, ” Layah says. “ Same blood. Same storm. Of course, she’ll recognize you. ”
I swallow hard.
Noah finds me first. He doesn’t speak right away, just steps in close and rests his forehead against mine. His hands find my hips, grounding me
ike he always does. He brushes his lips across my temple. “ I’ll love every version of you. Even the broken ones. ”
I pull back just enough to look at him. “ I’m not broken. ”
His mouth quirks. “ Damn right you’re not p>
We smile, just for a breath. Then he steps aside, and Haiden moves in. He doesn’t touch me at first. Just studies me like I’m something sacred. Like he’s trying to memorize me before everything changes. His gaze flicks to Layah at my side, separate from me now, molten eyes sharp and alive.
“Gods,” he mutters, breathless. “You two. That’s… incredible. I didn’t even think it was possible. Talen is losing his mind.” He chuckles.
Layah tilts her head, amused. She prowls a half–step closer and deliberately flicks her molten tail along his leg, slow, teasing. Haiden’s mouth parts in surprise, then he huffs a laugh. “Oh yeah, ” he says, shaking his head. “He’s definitely going to love you p>
“ You’ll have to earn it, ” Layah replies, her voice like warm fire in all our heads.
Haiden grins, then turns back to me, brushing a knuckle down my cheek. “I’ve never seen anything like what you did,” he says softly. “And I’ve walked through actual hell, but you…” He leans closer, eyes still locked on mine. “You’re the first thing that’s ever made me believe the old prophecies were wrong. That maybe gods weren’t meant to be feared p>
“I’m not a god, ” I whisper.
“You’re something more dangerous, ” he replies. “My Queen. ”
“Queens.” Layah corrects.
He presses his lips to my forehead, gentle, reverent. “We follow you. Whatever comes next p>
When he steps back, Xavier’s already waiting. He doesn’t ask permission. He just pulls me into his chest and holds me there, tight enough I can feel the edge of his fear, then he kisses me.
It’s not soft. It’s not careful. It’s a claim, a promise, and a prayer all wrapped in heat. When he pulls away, the air feels charged. Levi lingers last, his sharp eyes taking in me and Layah both, like he’s cataloguing us, testing the boundaries of what this means. “You’re going to change the world, doll,” he murmurs. “And I’m going to be right here with you p>
The others are watching now, ready. Layah pads to my side, molten gaze steady.
We’re ready, ” she says.
nod, straightening my spine, the ache of change still burning in me but tempered with strength. “Then let’s go meet the woman who started all
this.
Do
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