Semua Bab An Alpha's Dilemma: Bab 21 - Bab 25

The moment Ava stepped beyond the threshold into the Deadlands, she felt it: time slowed, the air thickened, and her magic recoiled as if resisting the soil it stepped on. Her boots touched down on cracked earth that pulsed faintly with a ghostly silver glow—ley lines poisoned yet still alive.Around her, the trees stood frozen in unnatural stillness. Their branches curled upward like pleading hands. No wind. No wildlife. Just the heavy sound of her team's breath and the ever-present echo in the distance—the Nexus pulsing like a giant heart.Ashton took a step beside her, sniffing the air. "It smells like the void here."Lysandra, kneeling to examine the ley lines, confirmed their fears. "They're not just corrupted. They're being fed on. Something is devouring magic, rewriting it. Like a parasite inside the weave."Kaelin drew his twin swords and looked toward the distant obsidian tower that loomed at the heart of the land. "Then we're running out of time."Rhian, wiping ash from her

The journey back to the Citadel of Elders was quieter than anyone expected. No monstrous wails echoed across the Deadlands. No unnatural storms shadowed their path. The cracked, once-ashen land showed timid signs of recovery—green sprigs pushing through dust, skies tinged with the warm hues of dawn.But the silence carried its own weight.Ava sat atop a dark mare provided by Kaelin, wrapped in a travel cloak as the party rode in deliberate formation. Her thoughts churned like rivers swollen with rain. Every mile put more distance between her and the Nexus—and every mile brought her closer to the consequences of what they had done.They'd won.But what did winning even mean now?Darius broke the quiet first. "The Council will want proof.""They'll get it," Lysandra said, tone clipped as usual. She rode just ahead, her golden armor still flecked with blood and scorch marks. "They'll feel it in the ley lines. Magic is flowing again.""They won't just want confirmation that the Void is go

The morning mist clung like a second skin as Ava mounted her horse. The breath of dawn curled in silver wisps across the ground, obscuring the trail ahead. Behind her, Ashton adjusted his saddle while Brielle checked the enchantments layered on their packs. Kellan grumbled about cursed mountains and ancient prophecies under his breath, but his eyes were sharp.They were ready.Or as ready as they could be.Nova's Rest faded into the background as they began their journey northeast, toward Mount Obscura—an ancient peak wrapped in legend and silence. Few dared speak its name. Fewer still returned from it."Do you think the ley lines will guide us?" Ashton asked as the forest canopy swallowed them whole.Ava's fingers brushed against the Moonfire pendant at her throat. "They already are."The ley lines pulsed like faint heartbeats beneath their feet—pulling Ava forward. Not forcefully, but insistently. As if something within the mountain had been waiting.And now it stirred.They travele