Aria sat beside Magnus, exhausted but determined. The session had drained her, and yet, she knew this was only the beginning.Magnus exhaled heavily, his fingers twitching as he clenched and unclenched his fists. âI almost lost control again.ââBut you didnât,â Aria reminded him, her voice gentle but firm. âThatâs what matters.âHis jaw tightened. âWhat if next time I do?âAria hesitated. There was a next time. There always would be.But she wouldnât let him fall into doubt.âYou wonât,â she said, gripping his wrist. âBecause Iâll be here. We all will.âMagnus looked at her, eyes clouded with uncertaintyâbut there was something else there, too. A flicker of belief.Before he could respond, the chamber doors swung open.Derek stepped in, his expression grim. âWe need to talk.âAria turned to him, immediately sensing his unease. âWhat is it?âDerekâs gaze flickered to Magnus, then back to her. âItâs about you.âAria frowned. âMe?âDerek nodded, stepping closer. âIâve been watching, Aria
Morning came too quickly. The tension that had settled over them the night before hadnât lifted, and as they prepared to leave for the archives, Aria couldnât shake the feeling that they were walking into something they werenât ready for.The journey was quiet, save for the sound of their footsteps against the cold stone halls. Aria kept a hand on her stomach, a subconscious habit she had developed since realizing she was pregnant. She hadnât told the othersânot yet. Not until she understood what was happening to her.Magnus walked beside her, his movements more controlled than before, but there was still a weight to them, as if he were forcing himself to keep the corruption at bay. Derek led the way, his grip tight on the hilt of his sword. He was always prepared for a fight, but this time, Aria knew his concern was for her.They arrived at the archives, an ancient chamber buried deep beneath the castle. Dust clung to the air, illuminated by the soft glow of enchanted lanterns. Rows
Magnus took a step back, shaking his head. âNo.â His voice was low, strained. âYouâre wrong.âAria felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. âI want to be wrong, Magnus. But Iâm not.âHe clenched his fists, his breathing heavy. The air around them shiftedâcharged with an unseen force.Derek reached for his sword instinctively. âMagnus, stay with us.ââI am with you!â Magnus snapped, but the darkness in his veins pulsed. His pupils dilated, and Aria saw it againâthat flicker of something inhuman in his eyes.Derek moved between them. âAria, if he loses control againâââI wonât,â Magnus ground out, but even he didnât sound convinced.Aria reached for him. âMagnus, listen to meââHe flinched at her touch, and suddenly, a force erupted from him, slamming into the walls with enough power to shake the room.Books flew from their shelves. Candles flickered and died. The air turned suffocating.Magnus gasped, doubling over as if in pain. His fingers dug into the stone floor, his breathing rag
The weight of their decision settled over them like a storm cloud, thick with unspoken fears. Ariaâs fingers remained pressed against her stomach, as if seeking reassurance from the life growing inside her. She could feel her magic humming beneath her skin, stronger than everâbut also unpredictable.Derek crossed his arms, his gaze sharp. âIf weâre going to do this, we need to be careful. Alanâs magic didnât just disappear. Itâs somewhere, lingering. And if we go looking for it, we need to be prepared for whatever we find.âMagnus leaned against the stone wall, his expression unreadable. âYou donât think I know that?â His voice was rough with frustration. âItâs inside me. I feel it every second. And every second, itâs getting harder to fight.âAria studied him closely. The way his hands trembled, the slight flicker of shadow clinging to his formâhe was holding himself together by sheer force of will.âWe canât wait any longer,â she said. âWe need to find a way to trace the remnants of
The weight of Magnusâs confession settled over them like a thick fog. Alanâs power wasnât goneâit had shifted, latched onto Magnus like a parasite waiting to consume him. They couldnât afford to keep this to themselves.Derek was the first to move. He helped Magnus to his feet, his grip firm. âWe need to tell the others. Now.âMagnus flinched at the thought. His body still trembled, his skin clammy with sweat. âEliaâŚâ His voice cracked. âHow am I supposed to tell her?âAriaâs chest tightened. Elia had already suffered enoughâfirst with Alanâs magic corrupting Magnus, and then watching her husband struggle to control himself. Now this?âShe deserves to know,â Aria said gently. âAll of them do.âMagnus ran a hand through his hair, exhaling shakily. âWhat if I lose control in front of them?âDerek shook his head. âThen we make sure you donât.â His tone was absolute. âLetâs go.âAria hesitated, her hand drifting instinctively to her stomach. Something about all of this felt⌠wrong. The da
The shadows exploded outward, swallowing the room in a suffocating wave of cold. The torches flickered wildly before snuffing out, plunging them into near darkness.Elia clutched Elizabeth tightly to her chest, backing away as Magnusâs body convulsed, his form twisting unnaturally. His once-familiar features contorted with something inhuman, veins pulsing like blackened roots under his skin.Derek gritted his teeth and moved between Magnus and the others, summoning his power in an instant. His hands glowed with crackling energy, ready to strike if needed. âMagnus, listen to me! You can fight thisââBut the voice that came from Magnus was not his own.âFight?â the distorted voice mocked, echoing through the chamber. âThere is no fight. There is only surrender.âThen, the shadows moved.They lashed out like living tendrils, striking at Derek first. He barely had time to react before he was thrown backward, crashing into the stone wall with a brutal force.âDerek!â Ariaâs voice rang out
My name is Aria Monroe, I turned eighteen yesterday. Guess what? I celebrated my birthday with my cellmate Amelia in a cell.Yeah I'm slave, I've been living as a slave since I was fifteen. Trust me I don't know where my mother or father or siblings are. I don't even know if they are alive or dead.Ever since my own family sold me to slavery, I deleted them from my heart forever. I only have one family and that's Amelia, she's been good to me, she's like a sister to me, this is my story. "Aria" Amelia called me as I lay on the cold ground, they didn't even give us blanket to sleep at night. I raised my head to look at Elia'sworried face. "Yes " I answered as I sat up. "You're thinking again aren't you? " She's said." Yeah sometimes I'm usually lost thinking, not about my dumbass family but a way to escape this disgusting and smel
Trust me, you wouldn't want to know what kind of punishment that are given in that Godforsaken room. I quickly lowered my eyes as we passed him by.We finally got to the place we usually had our bath. The place was wide like a field, the place is do dirty and disgusting. But the worse part was that , they tell us to take of our clothes and bath right in front of them.Godforbid I'll never do that, I had a secret place me and Elia usually sneak to have our bath secretly. As we were thousands of slaves, we can easily sneak out without us getting caught.I almost got caught yesterday though. "Elia be fast else we will get caught" I said peeping through a hole incase there was anyone or guards coming our direction.By now most of the slaves are done taking thier bath in shame so the place was getting scanty. " I'm almost done , give me two minutes" Elia said to me. When she was finally done ,
The shadows exploded outward, swallowing the room in a suffocating wave of cold. The torches flickered wildly before snuffing out, plunging them into near darkness.Elia clutched Elizabeth tightly to her chest, backing away as Magnusâs body convulsed, his form twisting unnaturally. His once-familiar features contorted with something inhuman, veins pulsing like blackened roots under his skin.Derek gritted his teeth and moved between Magnus and the others, summoning his power in an instant. His hands glowed with crackling energy, ready to strike if needed. âMagnus, listen to me! You can fight thisââBut the voice that came from Magnus was not his own.âFight?â the distorted voice mocked, echoing through the chamber. âThere is no fight. There is only surrender.âThen, the shadows moved.They lashed out like living tendrils, striking at Derek first. He barely had time to react before he was thrown backward, crashing into the stone wall with a brutal force.âDerek!â Ariaâs voice rang out
The weight of Magnusâs confession settled over them like a thick fog. Alanâs power wasnât goneâit had shifted, latched onto Magnus like a parasite waiting to consume him. They couldnât afford to keep this to themselves.Derek was the first to move. He helped Magnus to his feet, his grip firm. âWe need to tell the others. Now.âMagnus flinched at the thought. His body still trembled, his skin clammy with sweat. âEliaâŚâ His voice cracked. âHow am I supposed to tell her?âAriaâs chest tightened. Elia had already suffered enoughâfirst with Alanâs magic corrupting Magnus, and then watching her husband struggle to control himself. Now this?âShe deserves to know,â Aria said gently. âAll of them do.âMagnus ran a hand through his hair, exhaling shakily. âWhat if I lose control in front of them?âDerek shook his head. âThen we make sure you donât.â His tone was absolute. âLetâs go.âAria hesitated, her hand drifting instinctively to her stomach. Something about all of this felt⌠wrong. The da
The weight of their decision settled over them like a storm cloud, thick with unspoken fears. Ariaâs fingers remained pressed against her stomach, as if seeking reassurance from the life growing inside her. She could feel her magic humming beneath her skin, stronger than everâbut also unpredictable.Derek crossed his arms, his gaze sharp. âIf weâre going to do this, we need to be careful. Alanâs magic didnât just disappear. Itâs somewhere, lingering. And if we go looking for it, we need to be prepared for whatever we find.âMagnus leaned against the stone wall, his expression unreadable. âYou donât think I know that?â His voice was rough with frustration. âItâs inside me. I feel it every second. And every second, itâs getting harder to fight.âAria studied him closely. The way his hands trembled, the slight flicker of shadow clinging to his formâhe was holding himself together by sheer force of will.âWe canât wait any longer,â she said. âWe need to find a way to trace the remnants of
Magnus took a step back, shaking his head. âNo.â His voice was low, strained. âYouâre wrong.âAria felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. âI want to be wrong, Magnus. But Iâm not.âHe clenched his fists, his breathing heavy. The air around them shiftedâcharged with an unseen force.Derek reached for his sword instinctively. âMagnus, stay with us.ââI am with you!â Magnus snapped, but the darkness in his veins pulsed. His pupils dilated, and Aria saw it againâthat flicker of something inhuman in his eyes.Derek moved between them. âAria, if he loses control againâââI wonât,â Magnus ground out, but even he didnât sound convinced.Aria reached for him. âMagnus, listen to meââHe flinched at her touch, and suddenly, a force erupted from him, slamming into the walls with enough power to shake the room.Books flew from their shelves. Candles flickered and died. The air turned suffocating.Magnus gasped, doubling over as if in pain. His fingers dug into the stone floor, his breathing rag
Morning came too quickly. The tension that had settled over them the night before hadnât lifted, and as they prepared to leave for the archives, Aria couldnât shake the feeling that they were walking into something they werenât ready for.The journey was quiet, save for the sound of their footsteps against the cold stone halls. Aria kept a hand on her stomach, a subconscious habit she had developed since realizing she was pregnant. She hadnât told the othersânot yet. Not until she understood what was happening to her.Magnus walked beside her, his movements more controlled than before, but there was still a weight to them, as if he were forcing himself to keep the corruption at bay. Derek led the way, his grip tight on the hilt of his sword. He was always prepared for a fight, but this time, Aria knew his concern was for her.They arrived at the archives, an ancient chamber buried deep beneath the castle. Dust clung to the air, illuminated by the soft glow of enchanted lanterns. Rows
Aria sat beside Magnus, exhausted but determined. The session had drained her, and yet, she knew this was only the beginning.Magnus exhaled heavily, his fingers twitching as he clenched and unclenched his fists. âI almost lost control again.ââBut you didnât,â Aria reminded him, her voice gentle but firm. âThatâs what matters.âHis jaw tightened. âWhat if next time I do?âAria hesitated. There was a next time. There always would be.But she wouldnât let him fall into doubt.âYou wonât,â she said, gripping his wrist. âBecause Iâll be here. We all will.âMagnus looked at her, eyes clouded with uncertaintyâbut there was something else there, too. A flicker of belief.Before he could respond, the chamber doors swung open.Derek stepped in, his expression grim. âWe need to talk.âAria turned to him, immediately sensing his unease. âWhat is it?âDerekâs gaze flickered to Magnus, then back to her. âItâs about you.âAria frowned. âMe?âDerek nodded, stepping closer. âIâve been watching, Aria
The next morning, as the first light of dawn painted the sky in hues of gold and crimson, Magnus and Aria stood in the clearing beyond the castle walls. The air was still charged with tension from the previous night, but this was the first step toward reclaiming control.Magnus flexed his hands, feeling the restless power still writhing within him. He was afraid. Afraid of losing himself again. Afraid of hurting someone. Afraid that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be the same again.But then he looked at Aria.She stood before him, steady, unshaken. There was a quiet strength in her now, something deeper than before. Her presence alone was grounding.âAlright,â Aria said, drawing a slow breath. âFirst, I need you to close your eyes.âMagnus frowned but obeyed.âFeel the magic inside you,â she continued. âDonât fight it. Just listen.âHe tried. At first, all he could sense was chaosâwild energy rushing through his veins, sharp, erratic, unpredictable. It was like a storm he
Magnus collapsed to his knees, gasping as the remnants of darkness flickered around him like dying embers. The magic inside him had not vanishedâit still pulsed within his veinsâbut it was no longer in control. The corruption had been tempered, its hunger subdued by Ariaâs power. He trembled as he lifted his head, his once-shadowed eyes now holding a glimmer of clarity. Aria stepped back, her breathing unsteady. Her body swayed slightly, exhaustion weighing her down. Derek was by her side in an instant, his strong arms steadying her before she could collapse. He gazed at her in awe, then concern. âAria, that was incredible,â he murmured. âBut you shouldnât have pushed yourself so hard.â She shook her head, pressing a hand to her belly. âI had to. It was the only way to reach him.â Frederick took a cautious step toward Magnus, his fists clenched at his sides. âIs it over?â Magnus let out a shuddering breath. âNo,â he admitted, his voice hoarse. âI can still feel it inside meâŚ
Amid the chaos and the crumbling stone, a deep, resolute calm began to emanate from Aria. Her eyes, wide with determination, fixed on the writhing, tormented form of Magnus. The dark energy that had taken root in him pulsed like a malignant heartbeat, threatening to consume everything in its path. But in that moment, something within Aria stirredâa power she had never fully acknowledged before. Her hand pressed against her belly, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. A soft, luminous glow began to spread from her, as if her unborn child were a beacon of hope amid the encroaching darkness. The golden light was warm and steady, contrasting sharply with the inky shadows and her she thought of Magnus and decided it time to step in, at the same time sheâs scared of the dark power surrounding magnus and not wanting anything to harm her unborn child. She left her room for the dungeon upon seeing magnus in this state her heart sank and she couldnât take it. She saw how exhau