"You look like a stuck pig, Kaelor."Lucian’s voice echoed off the damp stone walls of the Hive’s central altar. He wasn't looking at his brother. He was busy testing the edge of the Lunar Dagger against his thumb. A bead of purple blood welled up. He licked it off."Don't... touch him." Kaelor’s voice was a wet rattle. He was slumped against a pillar, his legs splayed out. His eyes were bloodshot, tracking Lucian with a desperate, sluggish hatred."I’m going to do more than touch him." Lucian turned toward the altar. "I’m going to open him up. I’m going to see what makes a Muse tick."Aradaa lay on the cold stone. His wrists were bound with heavy, spiked manacles that bit into his skin every time he breathed. His tunic was torn. His stomach, swollen with the Sovereign child, was bare to the freezing air."Lucian, stop." Aradaa’s voice was thin. "The baby... it’s kicking. It’s scared.""Good. Fear makes the power sweet." Lucian stepped onto the first tier of the altar. "Do you know wh

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"Move or die."Kaelor’s voice didn't sound like a man’s anymore. It was a wet, grinding snarl. He didn't stand up. He uncoiled. The stone floor beneath his boots cracked. A long, agonizing pop echoed through the hall. His femur snapped. Then it reset. Two inches longer. Thick with new, silver-threaded muscle."He’s moving!" one of the guards screamed. The Hybrid leveled a silver-tipped spear. "Lucian said he’d be out for—"Kaelor’s hand shot out. His fingers were already tipped with black, curved talons. He grabbed the spearhead. He didn't pull it away. He crushed it. The metal shrieked. He lunged forward. His shoulder hit the Hybrid’s chest. The sound was like a sledgehammer hitting a crate of dry wood. The guard flew twenty feet. He didn't get up."Kill him!" Lucian’s voice drifted back from the tunnel. "Kill him now!"Kaelor’s head snapped toward the sound. His jaw unhinged. More snapping. His teeth elongated. Jagged ivory pushing through his gums. Blood dripped down his chin. He d

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Close your eyes!"Aradaa didn't wait for Kaelor to answer. He shoved his palms out. The Muse-fire didn't just burn; it shattered. White-hot prismatic light exploded from his skin, tearing through the dim torchlight of the hall. It hit the stone walls and bounced, a jagged, screaming brilliance that turned the world into a bleached nightmare."My eyes! I can't see!"A guard's spear clattered to the floor. Another man shrieked, clawing at his face.Kaelor moved.He didn't think. He didn't breathe. He scooped Aradaa against his chest, one arm hooked under the Muse's knees, the other crushing him against his blood-soaked tunic. Kaelor’s shoulder was a mess of torn meat, but he didn't flinch. He lunged.The floor ended.They dropped into the dark.Gravity claimed them for a heartbeat before they hit a slick, downward slope. Kaelor curled his body around Aradaa, his spine taking the brunt of the impact as they slid. Stone. Slime. Metal pipes. They tumbled into the mouth of the catacombs."A

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"Don’t look at the light too long, or you’ll go blind."Kaelor’s hand clamped over my eyes. I pushed his fingers away. The air didn't smell like the Hive anymore. No more stagnant water or rotting roots. It smelled like ozone and crushed lilies. Ahead, the tunnel didn't end in a cave mouth. It opened into a canyon made of glass."They're... they're like me."I stepped onto the ledge. Below us, a valley carved from white quartz and transparent crystal hummed. It didn't just vibrate; it sang. Low, melodic tones that skipped across the surface of my skin. Hundreds of figures moved between the structures. They wore robes of spun silk, their skin glowing with the same soft radiance that used to terrify me in the dark."Stay behind me." Kaelor’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. His knuckles were white. "We don't know who they serve.""They don't serve anyone." I walked past him. My feet hit the crystalline path. It felt warm. "They’re Muses, Kaelor. Look at them."A woman in the center o

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Semua Bab The Pretty Prince and the Beast King: Bab 91 - Bab 94

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