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Chapter 30 – The Price of a Bargain
Last Updated:
2025-03-11 01:52:30
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Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 31 – Shadows in Pursuit
Elara stumbled forward, each step heavier than the last. The walls of the cavern seemed to close in around her, the air thick with unseen power. The pull in her chest grew stronger, an invisible chain dragging her toward something she did not understand—something she refused to surrender to.She gritted her teeth, fighting against the weight pressing on her body. I need to get out. Now.The faint glow of the cavern entrance was just ahead, flickering like a distant beacon. But before she could reach it, a cold gust of air swept through the tunnel, snuffing out the remaining torches.Darkness swallowed her whole.And then—a whisper.Low. Hollow. Not the Wraith King. Something else.“Mine.”Elara spun, her heart hammering. The shadows along the walls writhed and twisted, shifting like living smoke.A shape emerged—a figure cloaked in darkness, its eyes gleaming like silver fire. It wasn’t the Wraith King, but it carried the same unnatural presence, the same suffocating aura of power.So
Last Updated : 2025-03-12Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 32 – The Hunt Begins
Elara’s lungs burned as she pushed forward, the uneven forest floor testing her every step. Her body screamed for rest, but she knew stopping wasn’t an option. Not now.She had to keep moving.Her escape from the Wraith King’s grasp had cost her—draining her magic and leaving a dull, throbbing ache behind. But worse than that was the lingering sensation of his presence wrapped around her like a phantom chain.Every time she closed her eyes, she could feel him. Watching. Waiting.The bond had changed.She wasn’t sure how, but something had shifted in those brief moments their magic had clashed. He was closer now, as if a wall between them had crumbled. The very thought sent ice crawling through her veins.She could not let him catch her again.A rustling in the trees sent her heart slamming into her ribs. Elara skidded to a stop, her breath coming fast.Silence.Then—a footstep.Elara spun, her magic sparking instinctively at her fingertips. The shadows between the trees shifted, parti
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Elara and Vesper moved swiftly through the forest, the ground damp beneath their hurried steps. The trees stretched high above them, their twisted branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. Though the Wraith King was gone, his presence clung to the air, thick as smoke.Elara could still feel him. The bond pulsed beneath her skin, faint but undeniable.Vesper had been silent since they left the clearing. His usual sharp focus was now edged with something else—frustration.Finally, he spoke.“We need to break this connection before it’s too late.” His voice was low, tense. “You felt what he did to you back there. Next time, you might not have a choice.”Elara clenched her fists. “I don’t want this. But I don’t know how to fight it.”Vesper halted, turning to face her. His golden eyes burned with intensity. “Then we find someone who does.”Elara frowned. “Who?”He hesitated. Then, reluctantly, he said, “The Oracle.”The name alone sent a chill through her.“The Oracle?” she repea
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Elara’s world narrowed to the figure standing before her.A face from the past. A face that should have been buried beneath the weight of time and death.Lucian.Her breath caught. The sharp planes of his face were the same, his storm-gray eyes still held that quiet intensity—but something had changed. There was a coldness in his gaze, a dangerous stillness in the way he held himself.Vesper moved instinctively, stepping in front of her. His presence was a wall, a shield between her and the specter from her past.“Elara,” Lucian’s voice was smoother than she remembered, his lips curling slightly. “It’s been a long time.”Too long.Memories crashed into her—nights spent strategizing, whispered promises of loyalty, a mission gone terribly wrong… and blood. So much blood.Elara swallowed hard. “You’re supposed to be dead.”Lucian chuckled, stepping further into the chamber. “And yet, here I am. Surprised?”Her hands clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms to keep herself grou
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Elara’s pulse hammered in her ears as Lucian’s words settled over her like a heavy fog.Her mother—her own mother—had done this to her. Bound her fate to Vesper’s, crafted a prophecy that condemned them both. And now, Lucian was offering her a way out.But could she trust him?Vesper’s hand tightened around the hilt of his dagger, his jaw locked in a silent show of restraint. “You expect us to believe this without proof?” His voice was dangerously low, laced with quiet fury. “You disappear for years and now you return, acting as if you hold all the answers?”Lucian’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “I don’t expect you to believe me.” His gaze flickered to Elara, unreadable. “But I know Elara wants the truth. And I know where to find it.”Elara swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “Where?”Lucian hesitated for a moment, then said, “The Ruins of Valmere.”A chill raced down her spine.The name alone was enough to send fear coursing through her veins. Valmere—on
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The night air was thick with tension as Elara, Vesper, and Lucian rode toward Valmere. The moon hung low, casting long shadows across the abandoned road, and the wind carried whispers of the past—ghosts of a city long turned to ash.Elara tightened her grip on the reins of her horse, her pulse steady but alert. Every hoofbeat against the dirt felt like a countdown to something inevitable.“You’re sure this path is safe?” she asked Lucian, breaking the silence.Lucian, riding just ahead of her, glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. “Of course not.”Vesper let out a sharp breath, muttering a curse under his breath. “Fantastic.”Elara ignored them both. She focused on the road ahead—jagged rock formations, twisted trees, and the faint, eerie glow of Valmere in the distance. The ruined city loomed on the horizon like a graveyard of forgotten history.She could feel it even from here.The weight of something unnatural.A shiver ran down her spine.“The city is cursed,” Vesper said, his v
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Elara’s POVThe air crackled with power.Elara stood frozen as the wraiths remained kneeling, their hollow eyes fixed on her. The weight of their expectation pressed against her chest, stealing the breath from her lungs.“Take the throne, Elara.”“You were always meant to rule.”Their whispers twisted through her mind, wrapping around her like an invisible chain. The longer she stood there, the more the magic of Valmere seeped into her bones.The throne—her mother’s throne—loomed before her, a beacon of darkness and power. A throne carved from obsidian, veins of molten gold pulsing like a heartbeat beneath its surface. It was alive. It was waiting.A memory surfaced.Her mother’s voice, soft yet commanding.“A ruler is not chosen, Elara. A ruler is made.”Elara took a shaky breath.This was a trap. She knew it.And yet…When she took a step forward, the wraiths exhaled, as if breathing for the first time in centuries.The power in the room shifted.Something deep inside her responded.
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The whisper slithered through her mind like a serpent, its voice cold and ancient.“You are mine now.”Elara’s body froze. A sharp, unnatural chill spread from her chest to her fingertips, coiling around her spine. She could still feel the lingering presence of the throne’s magic inside her—a dark pulse, steady and insistent, like a second heartbeat.She tried to breathe through it, but the weight of it crushed her lungs.“Elara?” Vesper’s voice cut through the haze.She blinked hard, her vision sharpening just enough to see him crouched in front of her. His grip on her shoulders was firm, grounding. His gaze burned with an intensity that sent warmth through her frozen veins.“You’re shaking,” he said, his voice low. “What’s wrong?”She wasn’t sure how to answer.If she told him the truth—that the throne’s magic hadn’t died with the city but had latched onto her—he would never let it go.Neither would Lucian.She glanced up to find the rebel prince watching her too, suspicion flickeri
Last Updated : 2025-03-13
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Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 103: When Silence Breaks
Elara stood on the edge of the old courtyard, its stone floor cracked with time and betrayal. Her fingers twitched at her sides, heart drumming louder than the shifting wind. Dain hadn’t said a word since they left Kael behind.The silence between them was a tensioned wire. Too tight. Too brittle.“You shouldn’t have stopped him,” she finally said.Dain’s gaze stayed ahead, cold and unreadable. “He would’ve burned everything down.”“And maybe that’s what it needs,” she snapped. “Everything has already been burning. We just keep pretending it’s not.”He turned then, slow and dangerous. “Don’t confuse chaos with justice, Elara. We’re not saviors. We’re survivors.”She stepped closer, her voice low. “I’m tired of surviving.”Dain’s expression cracked just enough to show something raw beneath. “Then what are you willing to lose to start fighting?”Before she could answer, a low rumble split the air. The ground trembled underfoot, the scent of scorched air curling around them like a warnin
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 102: The Fire Crowned
The world screamed as flame devoured the air.Elara stumbled forward, Kael’s hand ripping away from hers as the inferno swallowed the frost-bound path behind them. The shrine collapsed into cinders and ash, sealing their choice with finality. The vision of peace, of quiet love—gone, like a mirage scorched under a merciless sun.She barely had time to process it before the ground shifted beneath her feet.They were no longer in the ruins.They stood at the edge of a battlefield.Above them, the sky churned a deep red, clouds forming strange sigils—magic twisting like serpents in the atmosphere. The old capital loomed in the distance, no longer crumbling, but fortified, alive, and bristling with war. Banners she didn’t recognize fluttered from towers. Symbols of her House merged with marks of ancient fire gods.“What… what is this?” she whispered.Kael turned toward her, his expression unreadable. “This is your reign.”Soldiers in obsidian armor knelt as she passed. Flames crowned her h
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 101: Beneath the Black Veil
The darkness wasn’t empty.It was alive—breathing, whispering, pulsing with a sentience that clawed at Elara’s mind the moment the light vanished. Shadows didn’t just fall around them—they devoured, unraveling the very fabric of the chamber until the three of them stood in a void that didn’t exist moments ago.Dain’s sword pulsed faintly, barely illuminating his sharp features as he stepped closer to Elara, his voice low. “This isn’t the creature. This is older. This is him.”Kael didn’t need an introduction. His hand gripped Elara’s wrist, grounding her. “We broke the seal. That voice—it wasn’t lying. This was buried beneath the seals themselves. Something worse than all of them combined.”Elara nodded, the echo of that last voice still lingering in her skull like a bruise.A slow, guttural sound rolled through the black—neither growl nor whisper but something ancient, a vibration of dread. Then, in the distance, a single light blinked to life. Faint. Crimson. Like the last heartbeat
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 100: The Tenth Seal Breaks
A hush fell over the hall—one so complete it felt unnatural. The chandeliers above flickered as if sensing the tension brewing in the air. At the center of it all stood Elara, motionless. Her breath trembled, but her eyes were fixed—locked onto the figure walking toward her through the crowd.Dain.But he wasn’t alone.Flanking him were two high-ranking members of the Inner Circle, both cloaked in crimson. Their presence meant only one thing: the Council had acted. And their decision would be irreversible.Kael stood on the opposite side of the room, near the marble staircase, a hand resting casually on the hilt of his blade. His eyes never left Dain. There was a war behind that stillness—an unreadable storm behind his icy expression.Elara could feel the pull between them, not just of fate—but of fire and chaos, of oaths made in shadows and truths left to rot.Dain reached her first. He didn’t speak at first. His eyes swept over her face like he was committing it to memory. And maybe
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 99: The Vault of Silence
Elara’s boots hit the cracked stone of the underground passage with purpose. Every step echoed like a war drum, a grim beat driving them deeper beneath the capital.The air was cold and heavy, thick with centuries-old dust and the metallic tang of suppressed magic. Only the flicker of enchanted torches lit their path.Dain walked ahead, blade drawn. Kael followed closely behind Elara, still unarmed by her order, though the tension in his shoulders told her he was ready to fight—just not against them.“According to the scroll,” Kael murmured, “the entrance to the Binding Circle is behind the Vault of Silence. It’s protected by three seals—each bound to a bloodline.”“Let me guess,” Dain muttered. “You’re one of them.”Kael didn’t answer. Instead, he stopped in front of a towering stone door, etched with symbols so old even Elara’s royal schooling couldn’t decipher them.The Vault pulsed, faintly alive.Elara stepped forward. “And the others?”Kael glanced at her, then at Dain. “You. Bo
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 98: the Crown’s Shadow
Kael stood on the ridge above the rebel encampment, wind pulling at his cloak as the soldiers behind him waited for his command. The battalion was restless, nervous even. They’d heard the rumors—of Elara’s army growing, of Dain’s ruthless tactics, and of magic long thought dormant stirring under her name.He should have been preparing for war. But Kael couldn’t stop hearing her voice from two nights ago—sharp, desperate, defiant.“You’re either with us… or in our way.”She didn’t understand. Not yet.A lieutenant approached, bowing low. “Orders, Commander?”Kael didn’t respond right away. Instead, his eyes scanned the terrain—every familiar rise and dip a reminder of the world they used to dream about together. He hadn’t come to destroy her.He’d come to save her.“Send the forward scouts around the southern flank,” Kael said. “But keep our forces here. We’re not attacking.”The lieutenant blinked. “Sir?”“I said we’re not attacking.”“But… the council—”“To hell with the council.” Ka
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 97: The Veiled Rebellion
The underground echoed with whispered plans and distant footsteps. In the heart of the old ruins beneath the capital—abandoned, forgotten, and riddled with decay—voices gathered in secret.“The throne is fractured,” a cloaked figure murmured. “Now is the time.”Candles flickered across weathered stone, casting eerie shadows over their faces. There were no names spoken here—only oaths and shared hatred. And at the center of it all, seated on a crumbling dais where the old kings were once crowned, was a woman cloaked in midnight blue.Elara.But not the version Kael had walked away from days ago.This Elara was sharp-edged, her eyes cold as glass. She had taken Selene’s loss and carved it into armor. The High Council had tried to claim the aftermath as their victory, but Elara had buried their influence with a single whispered rumor:“Selene died because of them.”And the city believed it.“What of Kael and Dain?” one rebel asked.“They gather power in the North,” Elara replied coolly.
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 96: Shattered Thrones and Silent Promises
Smoke curled through the shattered remnants of the Ruins, carrying the scent of scorched stone and ancient magic burned to its final breath. Selene stood amidst the wreckage, her sword lowered, her chest heaving from exhaustion. Kael and Dain flanked her, each bearing the bruises and bloodied scrapes of battle, but alive—still standing.Elara’s form lay crumpled beneath a collapsed archway, the darkness she once wielded now flickering like dying embers around her body. Her crown—a circlet of shadowed silver—had rolled from her head and lay forgotten at Selene’s feet.“She’s still breathing,” Dain muttered, voice hard as steel but laced with uncertainty.Selene glanced down, her heart a battlefield of emotions. “Let her live,” she said quietly, earning Kael’s sharp gaze. “Killing her now would make us no different.”Kael looked as if he wanted to argue, but stopped. Instead, he stepped back, his eyes drifting toward the fading magical storm above. “Then let her fade with what’s left of
Sacrifice Of The Heart Chapter 95: The Final Stand
The night was thick with tension. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a cold silver light over the fractured world below. Selene stood on the balcony of the royal palace, her gaze fixed on the horizon where the last remnants of the storm clouded the skyline. She could feel the weight of her decision pressing against her chest, as heavy as the weight of her crown. Every breath she took seemed to reverberate in the hollow air, filling her with the urgency of the moment.Kael had left hours ago, assembling the last of their forces. The kingdom had been thrown into disarray, its streets filled with whispers of an incoming threat they could not fully understand. Elara had grown more powerful, her magic pulsing with a dark intensity that shook the very foundations of their world.“We need to be ready,” she murmured to herself, stepping away from the balcony and into the dimly lit hall. Every corner of the palace felt foreign now, as if the walls themselves held secrets she was just beginn
