Romane von Motunrayobalikis

I saw the boy he used to be before the traitor.The shared mindscape did not give us space to breathe. Our consciousnesses stayed violently blurred under the burning debris, the heat from the fire pressing in from all sides. One moment I fought for the edges of myself, clawing for something that felt purely mine. The next I stood inside a memory that did not belong to me, pulled into it without warning or permission.A small house. Cold rooms with bare walls. A boy with Elio's face but younger eyes, softer and more vulnerable. An older man shouting, his voice harsh and cruel. A hand raised. The boy flinching and then immediately straightening because flinching made it worse. The lesson was beaten into him young.Elio's voice mixed with mine in the shared space, strained and defensive. "Do not look at that. Those years are not yours to see. They are private.""I am already seeing them," I answered. The words came from both of us and neither,

The shell hit before either of us could move.The struggle in the burning courtyard had carried us closer to the main hall, our bodies locked in combat, neither willing to yield. Elio still pushed for control of my body. My wolf still refused to let him take it. Then the high whistle cut through the smoke, sharp and deadly. A stray artillery shell from the northern fight slammed into the main hall behind us, the impact deafening.The explosion threw us both forward, the force of it hurling us across the stone. Burning debris rained down from above, heavy beams and broken stone crashing around and over us. The heat was instant and overwhelming, searing our skin. The weight pinned my legs and part of my side, the pressure crushing. Elio landed half across me, his body equally trapped under the same fallen section of roof and wall.I tried to push up, my hands scrabbling against the stone. The debris held firm. "I cannot move. The beam has my leg. It

The courtyard was already burning when I faced him.Flames climbed the wooden supports of the outer walkways, crackling and consuming, sending sparks spiraling into the red sky. Smoke mixed with the crimson light from the broken wards, thick and acrid. The loyal guards had been forced back by the spreading fire and the dark magic still leaking from the border assault. I stood in the open stone of the main courtyard with the silver blade in my hand, the weight of it familiar and steady. Elio walked toward me through the heat, stepping over fallen debris. Free. Smiling like he had already won."You should have stayed hidden," Elio said, his voice carrying over the crackling flames. "The vessel does not get to choose the ending. I do. I always have."I set my feet, the stone warm beneath my boots. "I am not the vessel anymore. I am Soren. You do not get this body. You do not get my life. You do not get to take what is mine."He laughed once, co

Rhydian has to leave me behind.The blood red sky still hung over the northern border like a wound that would not close. The wards were gone, shattered by the combined assault of modern weapons and ancient dark magic. The invasion was fully inside the territory now, pushing deeper with every passing hour. Rhydian stood in the main yard giving final orders, his voice sharp with urgency. Loyal guards formed a tight circle around me, their hands on their weapons."I lead the front lines," Rhydian said, his voice steady but the strain showing in the set of his jaw. "Jax is committing everything he has to this assault. I cannot stay here and hold the center at the same time. You stay under guard. The remaining loyal wolves will protect this building with their lives."I stepped closer, my voice urgent. "I can still help. The old border maps. The secondary paths through the territory. I know them better than anyone. I can guide the reinforcements."

The northern border is under full assault.The warning horns reached the sealed chamber just before the ground shook beneath our feet. I felt the vibration through the stone floor, a deep rumble that spoke of something massive and destructive. Rhydian was already moving toward the door before the first horn finished sounding. Mira looked up from the ritual mixture, her hands frozen over the bowl. The eve of the severing had turned into something else entirely.A guard burst in, breathing hard, his face pale with urgency. "Alpha. Jax Thorn has launched a full scale invasion on the northern border. Heavy modern weaponry. Guns. Explosives. Combined with ancient dark magic. The wards are failing across the entire northern quarter. We cannot hold them."Rhydian's face went hard, his jaw tight. "How many. How fast are they moving. Give me numbers.""Hundreds," the guard answered. "They came under cover of the last dark. The sky over the north is t

My body is already giving out and I will not let him see it.The sealed chamber still smelled of lily and blood, the sharp scents mixing with the cold stone air. The preparations continued around me with quiet intensity. Mira worked at the table, measuring and mixing with careful precision. Rhydian checked the chains on Elio, ensuring the silver still held him securely. I stood near the wall and kept my breathing shallow, forcing each inhale and exhale to remain even. The stress of the ritual work had pushed my internal organs to the edge of what they could bear. Pain sat deep under my ribs, constant and dull, a reminder that my body was failing faster than I wanted to admit. My hands wanted to shake. I forced them still.I stepped into the small side room where the healers kept their supplies, closing the door quietly behind me. The mirror on the wall showed the truth I had been hiding. My face was too pale, a gray undertone beneath the skin that spoke o