Chapter 91
[ 1,066 words ]
Chapter 92
“Noah. Xavier,” I gasped. “Go p>
Xavier took a step toward me, eyes wild, golden light shimmering across his skin.
“You can’t hold this alone p>
“I’m not alone, ” I said, voice breaking. “Layah and I, we’ve got this. Now go p>
His jaw clenched, but he obeyed. Because he trusted me. Because he loved me. Xavier shifted, and Maddox burst forward with a roar, shadow and flame wrapping his sleek, powerful form. Noah followed, his eyes glowing, magic thick and storm–slick in the air. Hawk rose from his body like a god, thunder crashing with every step he took toward the oncoming wave. They didn’t hesitate. Didn’t flinch. The four of them, Flint, Talen, Hawk, and Maddox were the wrath of the Underworld made flesh. My four horsmen of death. They tore through the souls like avenging titans, not just fighting but cleansing, burning corruption from the realms themselves. I felt each bond between us flare and burn, like firecrackers in my chest. I felt their pain, their triumph. Their love and through it all, I held the tether. Watching helplessly as they laid down their lives for me, for this world. Layah and I, bound by ancient blood and forgotten magic, became something more in that moment. She placed her paw on my hand as the magic pulled me to my knees, our powers braided tight, radiant threads of light and shadow and life and death.
Marcus had unleashed a nightmare. The dead came for us like a tsunami, screaming and writhing, a thousand twisted faces clawing through the veil between life and death. My tether, still fragile and incomplete, pulsed violently in my hands, magic threading through Layah and me with jagged desperation. We were the eye of the storm, barely standing in the center of a war that cracked the sky. The ground trembled beneath our feet as Levi and Haiden tore through the first wave, their hellhound forms shining like ancient gods of vengeance. Fire and shadow arced through the
battlefield, souls evaporating into dust where their claws and teeth struck true. And still… more came. Endless. Screeching. My muscles trembled under the strain. Every beat of the tether pulled harder, digging deeper. I could feel the Veil groaning, splitting. The magic was burning through me like molten glass. Xavier and Noah leapt into the fray. Hawk and Maddox exploded onto the battlefield like living storms, their roars rising in a chorus of death and fury, but it wasn’t enough. Layah’s grip trembled in mine as she screamed through the wind, her fur arcing with light and fury.
“ We can’t hold it! ” she cried. “ It’s going to fall! ”
1 bit down on my scream as the tether surged again. “Aghhh p>
The sound tore from my throat like a dying star. My knees hit the ground, and blood poured from my nose, ears, and eyes. The power wanted everything. It didn’t care if I lived or died. I gave it more. My body cracked and lit from the inside, bones humming with divine fire. Layah’s magic screamed beside mine, flaring as she gave all she could. And still, the Veil buckled. Still, Marcus laughed.
“Look at you!” he called over the carnage, surrounded by flickering spirits. “You were never meant to hold it! Just let go, Envy! Let it burn p>
“No,” I hissed, “I won’t let you win p>
Blackness crept at the edges of my vision. The battlefield blurred until, suddenly, a blinding blue light burst from the treeline. Magic surged through the field in a wall of power. It roared like a wave of justice, obliterating the front lines of Marcus’s army in a sweeping arc. Souls shrieked as they vanished, burned into nothingness by a force that didn’t come from us. I blinked through tears and pain and disbelief. They had come. All of them.
Tommy’s war cry shattered the air as his massive wolf launched into the fray, golden fur flashing as he ripped into the ranks of the dead with fury. Aleisha followed, her wolf out for blood and vengeance. Screams of burning spirits rained down like ash around her. Theo charged beside Zion, their wolves lighting up the battlefield. Soul after soul fell to their rage. My brother’s their lycans, charging with our own army in tow. These were the people who wanted to fight for our world.
Then my mother’s voice rose like a bell across the bloodied field.
“Evelina p>
She moved like a tempest, sword in hand, surrounded by guards as they tore through the ranks. My brothers combined magic was a wall of resistance, mirror images of death and loyalty. More wolves poured from the ridge. Shifters of every kind. Packs that had once bowed to Marcus turned against him, Alpha after Alpha. Warriors. Witches. Vampires. The ground shook under the might of a united force. All of them are fighting for me. For us. For the world. Layah screamed again beside me, her whole body shaking. “It’s still not enough! The tether’s collapsing p>
I looked up as the sky cracked open, threads of the divine realm bleeding into ours, the Underworld boiling at our feet. The magic demanded more. It demanded everything. So I gave it everything. I let go. Take it. Take my soul, my power, my breath. Take all of me. My body arched back as magic roared through me, burning, twisting, hollowing me out from the inside. The circle of power flared white–hot until my legs buckled and I fell to my knees. It was too much. It was going to kill me. Then a hand touched my shoulder. Warm. Solid. Real. Power flooded into me, not brutal
1/2
1:07 PM P P ·
Chapter 92
like the tether, but steady. Comforting. Pure. Like sunlight breaking through a storm. I gasped and forced my head up. Standing beside me was a child. The boy. The one from the stasis chamber. The one who had been held in time for the original spell. His eyes were ageless. Ancient. Full of sorrow and strength and knowing. He smiled gently, and the power between us clicked into place like the turning of a sacred lock.
“You were the key,” he said. “I was the lock p>
His small hand slid into mine, and the tether didn’t fight him.
It welcomed him.
“Together,” he whispered, “we can rewrite the world p>
Chapter Comments
5
Write Comments
SHARE
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.