All Chapters of Beyond Redemption: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Kora’s POVThe howls rolled through the valley like thunder, echoing off the cliffs and splitting the still night open. Everyone moved at once — weapons unsheathed, orders barked, the sharp ring of steel filling the air.Edward’s voice cut through the noise. “Circle formation! Keep the fires low, and don’t move unless I say!”I stood frozen for half a second, staring into the dark line of the forest below us. The trees were a solid wall of black, but I could feel them — shapes moving between the trunks, fast, heavy, purposeful. The bond inside me thrummed, the heat building low and steady in my chest.Mara came up beside me, bow drawn. “What are they?”“Hunters,” Edward said grimly. “His.”Aaron’s creatures.A cold weight settled in my stomach.The fire in me pulsed harder, reacting to their approach, to him. I tried to push it down, to stay calm, but it was like holding back a storm with my bare hands.“They’re close,” I said quietly.Edward didn’t question how I knew. “Then we stand

Kora’s POVThe morning light crept slowly across the valley, washing the world in pale gold. After the chaos of the temple and the fight within the flames, the silence almost felt unreal. Birds were chirping again, small winds rustled through the leaves, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could hear the world breathe.But peace was a fragile thing.As we packed our few belongings to move on, Mara kept glancing at me like I was a bomb that might go off at any second. I couldn’t even blame her. The last time the fire inside me had woken, it had nearly burned us all alive.Edward stood nearby, speaking quietly to one of his warriors, his shoulders tense. Even from a distance, I could feel how alert he was — how his instincts never truly rested. He’d been watching the horizon since dawn, expecting another attack that hadn’t come.I tied the straps of my cloak and approached him. “You’re worried.”“I always am,” he said, his tone dry but his eyes softening when they met mi

Kora’s POVThe sunlight that broke through the clouds over the mountain looked almost unreal—like the world was trying to pretend nothing had happened. The storm was gone, but the silence it left behind was heavy. Every sound—every shift of snow beneath our boots—echoed too loud, too sharp.We made our way down the ridge slowly. My body ached with every movement, the lingering warmth of the merged flame and frost pulsing in my veins like a second heartbeat. Edward walked beside me, his eyes flicking toward me every few seconds. He didn’t say it, but I could feel his worry.I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t sure what I’d become either.“Do you feel different?” he asked finally.I took a deep breath, the cold air stinging my lungs. “Yes. And no.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one I have right now.”He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You nearly burned yourself alive up there, Kora.”“I had to.”“I know.” His voice softened. “But it doesn’t make it easier to watch.”I looked

Kora’s POVBy the time we reached the edge of the forest, the sun was already low, burning a molten path across the horizon. The world below the mountain looked deceptively peaceful—rolling hills blanketed in snow, streaks of silver rivers catching the last of the light. But I knew better. Peace like that didn’t last. Not in our world.We found shelter that night in the ruins of an old watchtower. Half the stone walls had crumbled, and ivy crawled over what remained, frozen in brittle green tendrils. Edward set a small fire in the center, and the flicker of the flames cast shadows across his face.I sat beside him, watching the fire, feeling how it bent toward me even when I wasn’t touching it. My magic had changed—more subtle now, but deeper. It pulsed with a rhythm that didn’t feel entirely mine.Mara was rummaging through a pack she’d salvaged from one of the fallen scouts. “Food, maps, and…” she squinted, pulling out a small black crystal. “Oh, that’s new.”Edward’s eyes snapped t

Kora’s POVThe air in the Vale was different at dawn—still, heavy, but alive. The light didn’t rise like it did in the world beyond the gate. Here, it bloomed. Gold seeped out of the ground, running along the glowing veins of the earth, up the trunks of trees, until the entire forest glimmered softly like it was exhaling after a long night.I sat alone by the river, my legs folded beneath me, the water whispering quietly at my feet. I hadn’t slept. Not really. My dreams had been loud again—voices I couldn’t place, flashes of the woman made of light who called me her echo. I tried to shake her off, to separate myself from her, but she was threaded through me like breath through lungs.Edward had stayed close most of the night, silent as always, his presence a steady warmth behind me. But when the first hint of dawn touched the Vale, Seraphine had come. She hadn’t spoken. She’d simply nodded, and Edward had squeezed my hand before leaving with Mara.They weren’t allowed to watch what ca