Semua Bab Mine: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Alan remained slumped against the cold stone wall, catching his breath, a faint chuckle escaping his lips despite the bruising around his throat. Even in his weakened state, he still had control. Not over his own fate—but over them.He knew they were struggling.Magnus was trembling beside Frederick, his hands flexing and unflexing as though trying to shake off the sensation of nearly crushing Alan’s windpipe. His breathing was uneven, and when Frederick turned to look at him, he saw the cracks spreading.The darkness in him wasn’t fading.It was growing.Alan had seen it too.“That,” Alan rasped, his voice raw, “was almost beautiful.” He tilted his head toward Magnus. “You felt it, didn’t you? How good it felt? Just for a second, you let go. You let it take you. Imagine what you could do if you stopped fighting it.”Frederick moved.Before he could think, before Alan could even react, Frederick grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back against the wall.“Shut. Up.” His voice was

Footsteps echoed down the stone corridor.Derek.He arrived just as Magnus collapsed, his sword drawn, his face set in grim determination. His eyes darted between Magnus’s motionless form, Aria clutching her throat, and Alan—grinning like a devil in his cage.“What the hell happened?” Derek demanded, his voice sharp, filled with barely contained fury. He rushed to Aria’s side, gently cupping her chin, tilting her face up to inspect the bruising on her throat. His touch was tender, but the rage simmering beneath his skin was unmistakable.“Magnus lost control,” Frederick said, still kneeling beside his fallen friend. “It’s getting worse.”Derek’s gaze flicked to Magnus. “And you still haven’t done what needs to be done?”“It’s not that simple!” Frederick shot back, his own frustration boiling over. “Killing Alan might stop this, but what if it doesn’t? What if there’s something we’re missing?”“How many more times are we going to risk it?” Derek snapped. “What happens when it’s Elizabe

Silence stretched through the ruined dungeon, thick and suffocating. Dust swirled in the air, illuminated by the flickering blue flames still clinging stubbornly to the broken walls.Frederick coughed, shaking off the daze from the blast. He felt Astrid’s hands on him, her grip firm, grounding him. Derek was already helping Aria to her feet, scanning the room with sharp, calculating eyes.But all of them—all of them—turned their attention to Magnus.Or what was left of him.He was on his knees in the center of the room, head bowed, his body heaving with deep, ragged breaths. The magic pulsed through him in jagged waves, the black veins along his arms and neck pulsing like they had a life of their own. His fingers clawed at the ground, nails digging into the stone until they cracked.Elia took a step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. “Magnus…?”At the sound of her voice, his head snapped up.And what they saw made the breath in Frederick’s lungs freeze.His eyes—they were gone

Frederick’s mind reeled as the truth settled in. His fingers twitched around the dagger’s hilt, but the certainty he’d held moments ago was gone. If Alan’s death meant Magnus would spiral further into corruption, then… what was he supposed to do?He had come here to end this. To stop the spread of darkness before it consumed Magnus completely. But now?Now, he was trapped.Alan let out a weak, rasping chuckle. “Not so easy now, is it?”Frederick shot him a glare, but the usual fire behind it was missing. His chest tightened. “You knew this would happen.”“Of course,” Alan rasped, his smirk faint but still present. “I told you before—our fates are tied. The moment I transferred the dark magic into you, it became a part of all of us.”Frederick exhaled sharply, his pulse hammering in his ears. “So what? If I kill you, Magnus dies too?”“Not instantly,” Alan murmured. “But whatever restraint he has left will shatter. The corruption will take over completely. And then?” He chuckled. “Well

Frederick stared at Alan, his pulse pounding in his ears.“Rip it out?” he repeated.Alan smirked, despite his weakened state. “What did you expect? A simple spell? A clean break?” He coughed, blood dripping down his chin. “This magic is bound to my soul. If you want to sever it, you’ll have to take it.”Frederick clenched his jaw. He had seen the horrors this magic was capable of—felt its corruption take root in him once before. If he did this, even to save Magnus, what would that mean for him?“There has to be another way,” Astrid said, her voice unsteady.“There isn’t,” Alan said, amusement fading. “I die, Magnus dies. You stall any longer, and he’ll lose himself anyway. Tick tock, Frederick.”Ron shifted uncomfortably, looking between them. “Frederick, think about this,” he said. “If you take that power, there’s no guarantee you’ll survive it.”“I’m not thinking about myself,” Frederick shot back.Ron shook his head. “No, but maybe you should.”“Enough,” Frederick snapped. “Alan,