Semua Bab Sacrifice Of The Heart: Bab 41 - Bab 50

The halls of the Forsaken Keep were eerily silent as Elara and Vesper made their way through its winding corridors. The air felt heavier than before, thick with the residue of dark magic, as though the castle itself had been listening, watching.Elara stole a glance at Vesper. He moved with his usual confidence, but there was something off about him now—something she couldn’t quite name. His posture was rigid, his fingers twitching slightly at his sides, as if he were restraining something unseen.“What happened back there?” she finally asked, voice barely above a whisper.Vesper didn’t answer right away. His steps slowed, his jaw tightening before he exhaled sharply. “I don’t know.”That wasn’t good enough.“You do know,” she pressed, stepping in front of him, forcing him to stop. “Something changed when you faced the Forsworn King. And whatever it was—it scared him.”Vesper’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, the glow from before flickered within them, a brief flash of power barely c

The air was thick with the scent of burning incense, curling in tendrils around the towering stone pillars. Elara’s heartbeat drummed like a war chant in her ears as she stood before the ancient council. The room, bathed in the dim glow of enchanted torches, carried an eerie stillness—one that made even the bravest of warriors hesitant to speak.Vesper stood beside her, his presence an unyielding force in the suffocating quiet. His gaze, sharp as a blade’s edge, flickered to the elders seated in the high chamber, their faces masked by the heavy hoods of tradition. They were the keepers of ancient laws, the architects of fate, and tonight, they demanded their due.“The decree must be honored,” the High Elder intoned, his voice rasping with age and authority. “Blood must seal the pact.”Elara stiffened, her fingers clenching at the ceremonial dagger placed before her. This was no mere promise—this was a binding, an unbreakable contract written in blood and fate. She glanced at Vesper, h

The night was thick with tension, the air charged with unsaid threats as Elara stood in the abandoned throne room, her pulse hammering in her ears. Across from her, cloaked in shadows, was the last person she ever thought she’d find herself negotiating with—Vesper Moretti.He leaned against the cold stone pillar, his presence an enigma of power and menace, yet his golden eyes held something foreign tonight. Not defiance. Not arrogance. But calculation.“You know this is madness,” Elara said, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. “After everything, after the blood spilled between us, you expect me to trust you?”Vesper exhaled a low chuckle, tilting his head as if weighing his next words. “Trust? No. But we both know what’s coming. And we both know neither of us can survive it alone.”She hated that he was right. The forces moving against them—against the entire kingdom—were greater than their individual vendettas. The prophecy had set them against each other, but fate had t

The tremors didn’t stop. They rolled through the ancient stone corridors like a pulse—deep, rhythmic, and growing stronger. Dust and debris rained from the vaulted ceiling, and the sconces flickered, casting erratic shadows on the walls.Elara’s heart hammered against her ribs as she followed Kael and Vesper through the winding tunnels beneath the citadel. The air was thick with something oppressive, something ancient. It wasn’t just fear; it was a presence.Kael walked ahead, his golden eyes gleaming even in the dim light. His return had been startling enough, but now he was leading them away from whatever nightmare had followed him back from beyond the veil.Vesper, ever suspicious, kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression unreadable. “You better start explaining, Kael. Now.”Kael didn’t slow. “There’s a reason I came back when I did. The boundary between this world and the next is weakening. Something is slipping through, something that was never meant to return.”Ela

The silence that followed was unnatural. Heavy. Oppressive.Elara struggled to push herself up, her arms trembling beneath her. The force of Kael’s outburst had rattled her to the core, but she wasn’t thinking about herself—her focus was locked onto him.The Kael standing before them wasn’t the man she knew.His golden eyes had darkened, tinged with something unnatural. His stance was rigid, his muscles locked as if an unseen force was holding him in place. Shadows flickered at the edges of his form, like something was trying to tear through him.Vesper, always quick to react, had his blade drawn. His body was tense, ready for a fight, but his grip was steady. Calculated.Elara forced herself onto her feet, ignoring the pain in her ribs. “Kael?”No response.She took a hesitant step forward. “I know you can hear me.”A sharp breath left him—ragged, strained. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.“Elara.” His voice was barely a whisper.It was his voice. But there was something u