CHAPTER 42 : RITUAL IN RUIN

Morane could not answer, her body trembled as she fought the power that refused to release her.

Her breath came in short, her vision getting blurred, the blood in her eyes clouding her sight, but she could still feel the twins' presence within the circle.

"MORANE STOPPP, RIGHT NOW!" Aiden shouted right after his brother.

"I… can't…" she gasped. Her arms were already aching, her head also throbbing, and the pain was nearly unbearable.

But despite the pain she felt, she fought to stay conscious.

Bryan and Aiden could not stand there anymore and tried to run to her. But as they tried, she picked up the sound from their footsteps, immediately she forced herself to scream, "DON'T LEAVE THE CIRCLE."

Bryan and Aiden stopped in their tracks, all the while staring at her.

"We have to do something, Morane," Bryan said to her.

Before she could respond, the energy within the circle and around her surged violently, and with a powerful force blasted through the space and flung her backward like a rag doll.

Morane hit the trunk of a nearby tree with a bone-shattering thud, her body crumpling to the ground heaped. She let out a sharp gasp as she collided with the tree, pain exploding throughout her body, in her ribs and shoulders.

She groaned and tried to push herself up, but she was weak, and she knew she was going to go unconscious if she didn't push herself to stay awake. Furthermore, she did not want to leave Bryan and Aiden here alone either because it was not over yet.

She forced her eyes open, her gaze blurry but sharp enough to see Bryan and Aiden rushing toward her. As they ran toward her, their instincts screaming to help her, just as they reached the edge of the circle, they slammed into something invisible.

A Barrier.

It made them stumble backwards. Bryan moved his hands through the air. There was nothing there, yet the barrier was there. "What is this?" he muttered to himself under his breath as he tried to figure out what was going on and what exactly they could do next.

They were trapped in the circle. This was not exactly how they thought things would end. Even though they were not sure of it working, this was highly unexpected.

Suddenly, both Bryan and Aiden felt their throats tighten. It was as if the very oxygen around them was being sucked away. They could not breathe no matter how hard they tried.

Bryan clawed at his throat, his lungs trying to scream for air. "Aiden…" he choked out, his voice very low and barely above a whisper.

He tried reaching for Aiden who had collapsed to his knees, him also collapsing to his knees. Their vision started getting blurry from the lack of oxygen.

Morane, who was on the other side, trying to stay conscious, watched in horror as they began to choke. Their eyes had started turning pale.

She knew she had to act. There was no time to hesitate. 

With every ounce of energy left in her battered body, she dragged herself up onto her knees, the pain she felt increased with every movement. Her voice was weak, but the desperation she felt was undeniable. 

Morane extended her trembling hands toward the circle. She had to break it, or they would die.

Through her bloodied lips, she began to speak. Her voice was filled with so much desperation and anger. 

"Vincula tenent quae... Aperite circulum umbrarum potestas..."

Each world that left her mouth was filled with intent, raw energy. 

Watching Bryan and Aiden, trying so hard to breathe, increased her desperation. She could not let them die. "Vitae aspirate iterum...seit iterum."

As the spell left her mouth, the salt that formed the circle blew apart instantly, the barrier collapsing on itself.

As soon as the barrier fell, she went for Bryan and Aiden, who were still struggling to breathe and on the verge of collapsing totally.

"Vitae redde... flatus vitae… respirate!" She shouted, her hands trembling with exhaustion as the final words left her mouth.

Immediately, the energy in the air shifted. Bryan and Aiden gasped once more, this time, air rushed into their lungs. They were finally able to breathe.

"Are you good?" Aiden asked Bryan.

"Yes, yes," Bryan nodded. "What about you? What… what just happened?" he asked between breaths.

Aiden coughed violently before answering. "Morane… she saved us, she was able to stop it," he muttered, his voice hoarse.

Seeing that they were okay now, Morane smiled proudly to herself before she collapsed to the ground, allowing the darkness to claim her.

 

Once Bryan and Aiden regained their breath and self, they exchanged a brief glance before their instincts kicked in.

Without a word, they both ran toward her. She was still lying on the ground, motionless.

"Morane!" Bryan called out as he dropped to his knees beside her, his hands reaching for her shoulders, shaking her gently. "Morane, wake up! Can you hear me?"

Her body remained limp, her head lolling to the side.

"She is still breathing. I can hear her heart beat, but it is faint. She seems to be in a very critical condition," Aiden said to Bryan. "We need to take her back to the pack. We need to move now!"

Without wasting much time, Bryan lifted her up as they rushed to their car.

Aiden jumped into the driver's seat, while Bryan was with Morane at the back, her head on his lap.

"Come on, Morane," he whispered, "just hang in there."

 

Blood still streaked her face from where it had dropped from her nose and ears during the ritual.

"How is she?" Aiden asked, glancing at Bryan in the rearview mirror, his voice tight.

"Still the same," Bryan shook his head slightly. "She is alive but not waking up. Just drive faster."

Aiden sped up, and soon they reached the pack and got down from the car, Morane in Bryan's arms. Some warriors ran up to them, noticing that something was off.

"Get me the healer, now!" Aiden ordered.