All Chapters of MAD END'S DECEPTION: Chapter 351 - Chapter 360

383 Chapters

351 - You Are That Sigilmaker

NARRATORIn the Grand Castle…Looming over the castle, the Dragon parted its jaws. A torrent of fire surged forth, pouring straight into the open Great Hall. The blaze roared like a living force, swallowing the space in a violent flood of heat and light.The sigils carved into the walls ignited at once, flaring with a steady glow. Their magic held firm, shielding the structure and the sylphs within from the worst of the flames. But the inferno spilled downward, reaching the war command chamber below.The two scholars stationed there exchanged puzzled glances. The heat did not touch them, held at bay by the chamber’s protections, yet something else had stirred. Drawn by it, they stepped closer to the five Vulkar’s Rod relics.Thin cracks spidered across the hardened shells, leaking threads of molten light. The air around the fragments shimmered, as if reality itself were warping under the pressure building within.

352 - Welcome Back

NARRATORIn the Crescent Tower…At the distant explosion, Garud snapped upright within her enclosure, and the chains binding her groaned under the sudden strain.She went still.Her amber eyes flared, then bled into a deep, luminous indigo.Something else had taken hold.Suddenly, she slammed her head into the nearest already-fragile column. A second impact followed, her body driving into the wall of the chamber. The sigils carved across its surface flared violently, their light surging as they fought to contain her.Garud shrieked, and she struck again.And again.Each impact sent more fractures racing through the stone. Chunks broke loose, crashing to the floor in a cascade of debris. The sigils flickered erratically, their glow stuttering as lines of power fractured and split. Some shattered entirely—symbols breaking apart and dimming to nothing, their magic extinguished.

353 - Can't Win This War Alone

GILDEONHe shifted mid-descent, scales folding away as he took on his dragon-mortal form. By the time he hit the ground near his comrades—who were finishing off the remaining sylphs—he had already returned to his true mortal state.His eyes found Araheen immediately.He moved quickly, barely registering General Markaus nearby as he lifted her from the rubble and laid her on clear ground. His heart hammered as he dropped beside her, scanning for injuries.Nothing critical.Relief settled in, even with her unconscious.His head snapped up, searching for his lieutenants through the chaos.“What happened?” he demanded sharply, his gaze cutting toward Yadira and Eitan. “I told you to get her out of here.”“We tried, Captain,” Eitan said, raking his claws across the throat of a sylph he was engaged with. “But she ran back into the castle.”“I th

354 - Two Fools Trying To Win A War

ARAHEENConsciousness returned in fragments. A dull ringing filled her ears, as if something had shattered inside her skull. Her body felt heavy, as though she had been struck by something massive and left buried beneath it.What had happened? Memories flashed through her mind—her running back to the castle, aiming for the war command chamber. The heat. The fire. The explosion. Her brooch vibrating, cracking—a surge of protective power enveloping her as the shockwave hurled her away.Araheen tried to move. Nothing responded. Her muscles were weak, and her arms were bound behind her, aching with a deep, numbing strain. Her head lolled to the side, curls falling across her face, her vision blurred and swimming.For a moment, she stayed like that, breathing shallowly, waiting for the haze to clear. When it did, Kohina’s face came into view. She was sitting in front of her.“You’re finally awake,” th

355 - Extensions Of Herself

ARAHEENShe remembered General Markaus’s face just before everything went black. This memory pulled her back to what Kohina had said before—that the Vulkar’s Rod would allow Araheen to see him.Clearly, the general had been there.Right outside the Grand Castle.Her frown deepened, confusion crossing her face. “You didn’t know about that alliance?”“We had no idea, Araheen,” Kohina said truthfully. “General Markaus’s seer, Tesira, told me about it back at the tower. I don’t approve of it, and I know Gildeon wouldn’t either. I escaped before they could contain me, once they realized I wouldn’t cooperate.” She drew a breath. “Believe me, we were not informed.”Araheen stared at the dry ground. “Why would your general ally with Zephyr?”“Because Zephyr swore to leave us alone.” Gildeon slowly pushed him

356 - All We've Known Is War

ARAHEENGildeon shadow-walked them to the mountain. It was only a temporary stop to find food and rest before moving on.While Kohina handed Gildeon spare clothes she had grabbed just before they left the Mad End’s Wall, Araheen took the chance to speak to the two salamanders alone.“I know you’re only here because of your loyalty to Gildeon,” she began. “But truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised if you chose to side with General Markaus and handed me over to Zephyr after everything I put you through.”“Don’t flatter yourself.” Yadira snorted, sitting on a tree stump as she fixed the strap of her boot. “It’s not the first time enemies have tortured us.”Araheen blinked. “You’ve been captured by sylphs before?”Yadira and Eitan exchanged a brief, unreadable glance, but neither answered.After a moment, Yadira leveled her with an impassive look. “Listen, just because we’re helping you run away from that lunatic sylph clai

357 - You Belong To Me

ARAHEENThe night deepened, and they decided to rest where they were. Kohina placed sigils on the surrounding trees to cloak their aura and scent. It wasn’t strong—given her condition—but at least, compared to sylph sigils, seer sigils blended with nature. Even if trailhounds were nearby, they would struggle to distinguish the scent of her seer power.Everyone fell asleep except Araheen.She made her way toward the river, drawn by the soft murmur of water cutting through the night. The full moon hung high above, its pale light spilling across the clearing and glinting off the surface like scattered silver.She undressed by the bank, drove her sigil needle and phoenix dagger into the trunk of a nearby tree, then stepped into the water.Araheen had already expected it to be cold, but fortunately, she was able to bear it. The river was mild, almost soothing, the current slow and steady as it curled around her legs. S

358 - I Could Get Used To This

GILDEONHe lay at the grassy edge of the riverbank. Araheen sprawled over him, her body draped along his. Heat bled from him, drying the water on both of them, spreading through her until her shivers eased.This was peace—her blue hair damp against his skin, her cheek resting on the steady rise and fall of his chest.The feel of her made him forget the world burning down around them.“I could get used to this,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his chest. “I won’t feel cold anymore.”His hand moved along her spine, fingers tracing each ridge with care. “Long as you keep ending up naked on me like this.”She rolled her eyes at him, and he let out a low, amused breath.Araheen reached for her phoenix dagger resting at their side.“I haven’t seen you use that yet,” he commented.She planted the tip into the ground and spun it lazily between he

359 - She Felt No Regret

ARAHEENGildeon’s body was already stretched to its limits. If she didn’t act soon, he would be in real danger.Yadira and Eitan supported her decision. It was Kohina, surprisingly, who opposed her plan to shut down the Prisoner Sigil, arguing that this was not what Gildeon would have wanted.“He put himself in that situation so you wouldn’t end up in Zephyr’s hands,” Kohina added.“And if he dies, I won’t be able to live anyway!” she snapped, her lips trembling.Silence fell over them.Araheen drew a steady breath. “I’m doing it whether you agree or not,” she said, finality in her tone. Then she sank onto her heels and placed a hand at the back of Gildeon’s neck. Kohina said nothing more and allowed her to work.She drew on her power, and the sigil began to glow. Closing her eyes, she reached into its depths, like forcing open a vault seale

360 - The Awakened Sigilmaker

ARAHEENA tight, creeping cold spread through her back. She had anticipated this moment, prepared herself for the worst—but now she realized she hadn’t been prepared at all. Fear paralyzed her, fogging her mind. She couldn’t think of her next move.“We’re waiting,” Zephyr said low, flexing his fingers at his sides. The coils of wind tightened around Yadira and Eitan, forcing strained sounds from their throats. Blood seeped from their ears, eyes, and mouths, and Eitan’s body struggled to regrow his severed arm.Araheen could not bear it any longer. At last, she moved, drawing her hands behind her back, her sigil needle working against her left palm in one final attempt to save them all. She then slid the needle back into her hair and summoned her owl to carry her down toward the camp.As she did, her eyes darted upward, widening at the sight of Garud. A moose she had hunted not long ago was clenche

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