LOGINJulianna POVThe crushing pressure vanished the moment Vaelen and Fianna stepped through the doorway. I collapsed to my knees, gasping, every bone trembling from the invisible weight that had pinned us down.Lily coughed hard, bracing herself on the wall. “Everyone… still breathing?”“Barely,” Wanda muttered, rubbing her ribs.“My head is spinning,” Aria groaned.Lila pushed herself up, her hands shaking. “He used our own trick against us. He didn’t even try to kill us just wanted to make us feel helpless.”Wanda hissed. “And it worked.”Lily steadied herself. “We don’t have time for this. He’s heading for the Tree. If he reaches it… it will all be over.”I forced myself to stand. My legs wobbled, but the fear in my chest burned hotter than the pain. “Then let’s get moving.”“And Fianna,” Lila added softly. “We have to save her too.”I swallowed hard. “Fianna trusted him. She still hoped something good is still in him.”Lily grabbed my shoulder. “Hope is fragile. Fianna hasn’t recover
Julianna POV The corridors hummed with an unnatural chill as we approached the communication chamber. The air was so cold that every breath stung my throat. I hugged my arms to my chest. “It feels like the walls themselves are breathing frost.”“Stay sharp,” Lily said, her eyes glinting in the dim light. “Vaelen’s probably used the palace’s crystal lines to broadcast his message. If we have to stop him here.”Aria gave a nervous laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”“You’ll be fine,” Wanda said.Aria groaned. “Remind me again why I volunteered for this? My water magic doesn’t work to well in this cold.”“Because you’re the only one with a siren voice strong enough to bend a mind,” Lily said. “Your magic affects the mind directly. Even Vaelen will find it hard to resist.”Aria crossed her arms. “Sure. Except if I use it, you guys could get caught in too.”“Not if we’re far enough away,” Lily replied, sketching runes into the air. “Stay near the center of the room, we’ll circle the perim
Scott’s POVThe blizzard howled like a living thing, screaming through the ruins of Moonspire. The air itself was alive every breath stabbed like glass down my throat.Lyra in the bat form was flying beside me, her crimson eyes glowing against the snow. Nimah ran ahead on all fours, her humanoid werewolf form slicing through the icy wind.“There!” Nimah shouted, pointing upward. The clouds were dark and twisting over a single point above the city, swirling into a spiral of storm.“That’s her,” I said, flames igniting in my palms. “Let’s finish this.”We raced toward the center of the storm the palace courtyard.The once-green square was now buried under a mountain of snow. The great fountain had frozen into a jagged crystal sculpture, its water suspended mid-splash. And there, standing atop the frozen marble, was Elaria.Her white hair whipped around her like ribbons of frost, her eyes burning the color of glacial blue. She raised her hand, and the blizzard itself bent around her comm
Julianna POVThe soft glow of the infirmary lanterns flickered across the polished marble floor. It smelled faintly of herbs and burned mana, the scent of healing magic and exhaustion. Lily and Lila were sitting upright now, their injuries almost healed, though burns still trailed faint red lines across their arms.“You should both still be resting,” I said, placing a blanket over Lily’s shoulders.Lila smiled weakly. “Yeah, we know.”Nimah entered with Aria and Wanda trailing behind her. Wanda’s wings glimmered faintly in the light.“How’s everyone holding up?” Aria asked, glancing around.“We’ll live,” Lila replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Barely.”Before I could respond, a deep rumble echoed from above. The sound shook the windows, and dust drifted from the ceiling beams.“That… sounded like an explosion,” Lyra said, her tone sharpening.Nimah frowned opening the windows to take a look. “It came from the upper hall near the Council Chamber.”Fianna’s face drained
Kaid POVThe corridors of the Palace were quiet — too quiet for a kingdom in mourning. The smell of incense clung to the marble walls, masking the rot of fear that hung beneath.Principal Johnson and I walked side by side through the gilded doors that led to the Queen’s council chamber. Two guards bowed, sealing the doors behind us.Queen Elenara sat at the round obsidian table, her emerald crown dim beneath the candlelight. She looked older than I’d ever seen her — exhaustion softening her regal posture.“Your Majesty,” I said, bowing. “We came as requested.”“Thank you, Kaid. And thank you, Principal Johnson.” Her voice was tired. “You are guest in are kingdom so our safety is our priority. But I fear this crisis grows beyond our reach.”Johnson crossed his arms, the faint shimmer of his dragon aura flickering across his shoulders. “We’re doing everything we can, Your Majesty. But if Vaelen truly walks again, your walls won’t hold him.”Queen Elenara hands tightened around her goble
Julianna POVThe doors to the infirmary burst open so suddenly that the hinges screamed. Lila stumbled in first, her cloak in tatters and streaked with black ash. Lily followed, half-dragging her sister, her right arm bandaged and her hair clumped with soot.“Lily!” I shouted, almost falling off the bed in my hurry to reach them. “Lila!”Their auras were flickering like dying embers. I pressed my hands to Lila’s shoulders, my magic sparking weakly. “What happened? What—who did this to you?”Lily looked at me, her expression calm but hollow. “We tried to stop him,” she whispered. “We couldn’t.”Fianna’s eyes widened. “Vaelen?”Lily nodded. “He’s… too strong. Even the Oracle’s spells couldn’t restrain him.”Lyra clenched her jaw. “That’s expected. A royal-born elf who’s fused with nertherveil energy? That’s council-level power.”Fianna moved closer. “Thank goodness you’re both alive.”Lily hesitated. Her gaze dropped to the floor. “Not all of us made it.”The room fell into a hush. Even







