Chapter: Chapter 99Six Months Later… The morning sun spilled through the arched window, liquid gold pooling on the marble floor. It caught in the dust motes dancing in the air, turning them into a thousand tiny stars. In the mirror’s reflection, Amelia’s hands moved with a familiar, soothing rhythm, weaving strands of my hair into an intricate coronation braid. I watched the focused calm on her face, a placid island in the sea of my own fluttering nerves, and a smile bloomed on my lips, genuine and unbidden. Her eyes, the color of emeralds, met mine in the glass. "What has you smiling like that?" she asked, her voice a soft melody. "Just…this," I breathed, gesturing vaguely at the room, at her, at the dawn of this impossible day. "I remember a time when I thought I’d never feel the sun on my face again. And here you are, by my side, just as you always were." A knowing warmth filled her expression. "There was never a future I imagined that didn't have you in it, Thalia. Though," she added, her fingers
Huling Na-update: 2026-05-11
Chapter: Chapter 98The world ended in the space between one breath and the next. The sky did not fall; it was devoured, swallowed by a creeping darkness that snuffed out the sun. My eyes shot to Cassius, his face a chiseled mask of grim understanding against the unnatural twilight.He moved toward me, his usual grace replaced by a taut urgency. "They've begun," he said, his voice a low tremor that betrayed his attempt at calm.Panic, cold and sharp, tried to rise in my throat. I crushed it down. My own voice emerged, hard as whetstone. "Our next move?" I pivoted to face the others, letting them see the iron in my gaze. "There is no time to falter. Listen to me!"My hand swept over a third of our force. "You—evacuate Tirilla. Get the citizens to the eastern gate. Keep them safe, or die trying." They snapped a salute, a single, sharp sound, and broke into a run as Cassius tore a shimmering, violent rift in the very air beside them—a portal of swirling white and gold.My gaze fell on the next group. "You a
Huling Na-update: 2026-05-11
Chapter: Chapter 97The world snapped back into focus with a nauseating lurch. The portal’s ozone tang faded, replaced by the scent of damp earth and pine. Before I could even catch my breath, arms coiled around me, pulling me into an embrace so tight it stole the air from my lungs. I didn’t need to see him. I knew the strength, the scent, the desperate hope in that hold. Cassius."Thalia," he breathed, his voice a raw whisper against my hair. "You're back."He pulled away abruptly, his hands gripping my shoulders as if to anchor me to this reality. His brow clenched, and the relief in his eyes was instantly eclipsed by a storm of concern. "What is this?" he murmured, his gaze sweeping over me. "It's all over you… a stain on your spirit. Thalia, what happened?""I'm okay," I said, the words feeling thin and hollow. "Just… shaken. I ran into Blair.""Blair?" The name was a shard of ice in the quiet glade. "In the Dungeon?"I couldn't meet his eyes. My gaze fell to the muddy hem of my shirt, shame coiling
Huling Na-update: 2026-05-10
Chapter: Chapter 96The portal snapped shut behind me with the sound of cracking bone. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum I couldn't silence. I tried to drag in a steadying breath, but Lyra was already there, her expression grim."Forgive the intrusion," I choked out. "Gather everyone. Now."Without a word, she turned and led the way. I followed her down the hall, the frantic rhythm in my chest slowly beginning to ease. Still, the ghost of Blair's mana clung to my skin—a phantom chill and the faint, cloying smell of deep rot.Lyra stopped at the door to the sitting room. "I'll get them," she murmured. I saw her hand tremble as she reached for the handle. I gave her a curt nod, and she disappeared down the corridor as I stepped inside.The room felt vast. I sank on the chair, my gaze fixing on an intricate knot in the woodgrain—anything to anchor my racing mind. Would they be ready by nightfall? Blair knows I'm working against her now; there's no telling what she'll do. A tremor ran through
Huling Na-update: 2026-05-10
Chapter: Chapter 95The world collapsed into a single, crushing point: the air being squeezed from my lungs. I fought to turn my head, a desperate bid for a single breath, but every synapse screamed in protest. An obscene weight pressed down on me—not just physical, but psychic. It was a cold, slick presence that reeked of grave dirt and rot.Blair’s mana. How did she find me?Panic clawed up my throat. Get free. Now. I scrabbled for my own mana, a frantic internal lunge to push back, but met only emptiness. My power, my very essence, was gone. What’s happening? Why isn’t it working?A voice slithered through the darkness, dripping with contemptuous amusement. "Silly little rat. Did you think you could hide from me in my own domain? Your magic is a candle in my hurricane. It's snuffed out. I look forward to seeing the face of the coward who tried to hurt my babies."I strained against the suffocating pressure again, a useless flex against an unmovable wall."Stop fighting," she hissed, the sound seeming
Huling Na-update: 2026-05-09
Chapter: Chapter 94The slap of running feet against stone shattered the quiet. Amelia was on her feet in an instant, her body a live wire of tension. "I have to go," she clipped out, her gaze darting toward the hallway. She spun to face me, and the grim set of her jaw sent a fresh wave of ice through my veins. "Thalia." Her eyes, chips of hard, serious obsidian, locked onto mine. "The dungeons… and everything after. Be safe."Her words were a death sentence for my meticulously crafted plan. It didn't matter. The thought was a shield I raised against the rising panic. Let the pieces fall where they may. I will see this through.A shadow of a smile, fleeting and full of sorrow, touched Amelia’s lips. "Until next time." Then she was gone, a blur of motion swallowed by the doorway.In the ringing silence, her footsteps faded, leaving me alone with the shimmering ghost of the man I loved."Well," I whispered, the word trembling on my lips. "I suppose it's time."The translucent image of Cassius flickered, h
Huling Na-update: 2026-05-09
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