Dust and debris froze midair as if ti itself had paused to witness the mont. Hades scread, the sound raw and furious. “No! This world is mine!”
The white beam widened, pouring down like a river from the heavens. It touched Althea’s bowed head and the mont it did, the darkness shattered.
The black mist dissolved into ash, burned away by the brilliance descending from above. The possessed guards collapsed, freed from their tornt. The demonic aura ripping through the palace scread as it was torn apart, dragged back by a force far greater than itself.
Hades staggered, clawing at Midas’s body as cracks of light split through him.
“This is not over,” he roared. “Chaos and darkness will always return!”
The light answered him and it surged brighter.
Zander shielded his eyes, his heart pounding as he felt the remnants of darkness within him burn away.
Gavriel dropped to one knee, overco by the sheer power radiating through the hall.
At the center of it all stood Althea, bathed in radiant light. Her tears lifted from her cheeks, evaporating before they could fall. Her hair stirred gently, not by wind, but by the presence surrounding her.
She did not glow with arrogance or wrath. She shone with grace. The heavens opened wider, and the light poured down fully, flooding the palace, the kingdom, the world below. And for one breathless mont, the light remained.
Ti snapped back into motion all at once.
Gavriel caught Althea as her body went limp, the warmth leaving her too quickly for his liking. He dropped to his knees with her cradled against his chest, one arm locked around her back, the other supporting her head.
“Althea!” he called, panic breaking through his voice.
Nothing.
Her lashes did not flutter. Her chest barely moved. She looked as if she were only sleeping, but Gavriel could feel it through the matebond. She was slipping. Fading sowhere he could not follow.
“No...” His jaw clenched as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Stay with . You don’t get to leave like this.”
Zander was beside him in an instant. He knelt and placed his hand over Althea’s chest, his magic unfurling carefully, gently, like a doctor afraid to worsen the wound by touching it too hard.
Seconds passed.
Then Zander’s face hardened.
Gavriel noticed imdiately. “What is it?”
Zander withdrew his hand slowly. “She’s alive,” he said, but his tone carried no relief. “Barely.”
Gavriel’s head snapped up. “Fix her.”
Zander t his eyes. “This isn’t sothing I can fix with spells.”
“What do you an you can’t?” Gavriel growled, his control fraying. “You said there’s no magic you can’t break.”
“I said there’s no curse I can’t break,” Zander corrected quietly. “What Althea did wasn’t magic. It wasn’t a curse either.”
“Then what was it?”
Zander looked down at Althea again. Her skin glowed faintly, not with power, but with sothing softer, thinner, as if the last ember of a fla was struggling to stay lit.
“She surrendered herself completely,” Zander said. “Body, soul, will. She offered her life to a power far above ours to save us all.”
Gavriel’s chest tightened painfully. “You’re saying she’s dying.”
“I’m saying she’s critical,” Zander answered honestly. “Her body is still here, but her spirit is... distant. As if it’s listening to sothing we can’t hear.”
Gavriel pulled Althea closer, his arms tightening protectively. “Then tell where. Tell what to do.”
Zander hesitated, then finally spoke. “There is only one place I know where soone in her state can recover. Not through force. Not through healing spells. But by being... answered.”
Gavriel’s eyes burned. “Where?”
“Velmora Continent,” Zander said. “The lands of the House of Aetherion.”
Gavriel looked down at Althea again, brushing his thumb across her cold cheek. “Why there?”
Zander took a breath. “Because that is where the Tree of Life stands.”
The words hit like a blow.
Silence fell around them, heavy and absolute.
“The Tree of Life...” Gavriel repeated slowly.
“Yes,” Zander said. “It is older than our kingdoms. It does not heal wounds the way we understand healing.”
“Then what does it do?” Gavriel demanded.
“It listens,” Zander replied. “It answers those who have truly given everything. Those who stand between light and darkness.”
Gavriel’s grip tightened. “And you think it will answer her.”
“I don’t think,” Zander said quietly. “I know. Because Althea already reached sothing beyond this world. The Tree will recognize that call.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Gavriel asked, his voice dangerously low.
Zander did not look away. “Then... she won’t wake.”
The words tore through Gavriel like claws.
“No,” he said imdiately. “No. I won’t accept that.”
“You don’t have to,” Zander replied. “Because as long as she still breathes, there is hope. But ti matters. Every mont she stays here, her connection weakens.”
Gavriel looked up sharply. “How long?”
“Hours,” Zander said. “Not days.”
Gavriel stood in one swift motion, lifting Althea effortlessly into his arms. Her head fell against his shoulder, completely unresponsive.
“Prepare the portal,” he ordered. “Now.”
Simon hesitated, tension etched across his face. “Alpha King, entering Velmora now is risky. Our n are still reeling from the backlash of the attack. What if more demons return and we’re caught unprepared—”
“I don’t care,” Gavriel snapped. “Burn the world if you have to. I’m taking her to the Tree of Life.”
He looked down at Althea, still unconscious in his arms, his grip tightening protectively. “She doesn’t get a choice in this,” he added more quietly. “She gave everything for this world. Now it’s my turn to give everything for her.”
He turned sharply to Simon, his voice cold and resolute. “Prepare for war. We will enter Velmora and claim the House of Aetherion. That house belongs to my mate.”
Then his gaze shifted to Zander, eyes blazing with intent and warning. “This is the war you wanted,” he said evenly. “I hope your n are ready. Because we move now.”
Then, Gavriel lowered his head, resting his cheek briefly against Althea’s hair.
“Hold on,” he whispered fiercely, pressing her closer to his chest. “You’re not done yet. Not with this world. Not with . I won’t let you leave like this... not now. Not ever.”
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