Chapter 225

Lyrien's POV

I couldn't stop fidgeting behind the massive boulder, my eyes glued to the cave entrance like it might disappear if I blinked. Ten minutes had passed since Kael ventured inside. The forest around us had gone unnaturally quiet, as if holding its breath.

"He's been in there too long," I whispered, unable to contain my anxiety any longer. "Should have heard something by now."

Beside me, Alaric remained perfectly still, his brown eyes scanning the perimeter with that irritating elven precision. Only the slight tightening of his jaw betrayed his own concern.

"Five more minutes," he said firmly. "If he doesn't emerge, we'll go in together."

I nodded, though patience had never been my strong suit. Every second felt like torture while Lorcan was in danger. The thought of what they might be doing to my twin brother made silver light threaten to leak from my fingertips.

"Control," I muttered to myself, forcing the power back down. Since my resurrection and became Aetheria's heir, my powers had grown wildly, but control remained my biggest challenge—especially when my emotions ran high.

A sudden rustling from the underbrush to our right snapped my attention away from the cave. Alaric tensed beside me, his hand moving to the hilt of his elvish blade.

The bushes parted, and my heart stopped.

"Lorcan!" His name tore from my throat before I could think.

My twin brother stumbled into view, clothes torn and dirty, face bruised. Without hesitation, I bolted from our hiding spot, desperate to reach him.

A strong hand yanked me back. "Wait," Alaric hissed, his grip firm on my arm. "Something's not right."

"That's my brother!" I snarled, trying to wrench free. "He needs help!"

"Look at his eyes," Alaric insisted, not releasing me.

I forced myself to focus on Lorcan's face. There was something... off. His movements weren't quite right, and his eyes—usually so similar to mine—didn't spark with recognition when they landed on me. He looked through me rather than at me.

The moment "Lorcan" realized we'd spotted him, he turned and fled into the denser part of the forest.

"Lorcan, wait!" I broke free from Alaric's grasp and sprinted after my twin. The rational part of my brain screamed warnings, but the sight of my injured brother overrode all caution.

"Lyrien, stop! It's a trap!" Alaric called behind me, cursing in Elvish as he gave chase.

I couldn't stop. Not when Lorcan was right there, clearly hurt and confused. Dense foliage whipped against my face as I pursued him deeper into the woods, moving farther and farther from the cave where Kael had disappeared.

"Lorcan, please!" I called out, catching glimpses of his familiar form through the trees. "It's me!"

The forest grew thicker, darker, the canopy overhead blocking most sunlight. Still, I pressed on, following the figure that kept just out of reach. Behind me, I could hear Alaric's swift footfalls and muttered curses.

Suddenly, the trees opened into a small clearing bathed in dappled sunlight. I skidded to a halt, breathing hard. Lorcan had vanished.

"Where did he—" I spun around, scanning the treeline. "Lorcan!"

Alaric burst into the clearing seconds later, his expression thunderous. "I told you to wait," he snapped, moving to my side. Then his posture changed, body tensing. "There's magic here—old, dark magic."

I felt it too—a prickling along my skin, the air thickening like before a storm. My lunar powers stirred in response, silver light glowing beneath my skin.

"It's a trap," Alaric said, drawing his blade. "Stay close to me. We need to—"

He never finished. From the ground, trees, and air itself, purple nets of energy erupted, shooting toward us from all directions. Alaric reacted instantly, shoving me hard. I tumbled across the clearing as the magical nets converged on him instead.

"Alaric!" I screamed, watching in horror as the purple energy wrapped around him, constricting like a living thing. He struggled against the bonds, but each movement only tightened their hold.

I scrambled to my feet, summoning my power. Silver light blazed from my hands as I prepared to blast the magical prison.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a melodious voice called from the edge of the clearing. "Those nets are designed to absorb magical energy. The more power you throw at them, the stronger they become—and the more they'll hurt your handsome elven friend."

A slender figure stepped from the shadows at the edge of the clearing. At first glance, I didn't recognize her—something about her seemed different, altered. Then I realized what it was: her silver hair was fading, melting away like frost in sunlight, revealing vibrant purple locks beneath. Only her violet eyes remained unchanged, glittering with malice.

"Kely?" I lowered my hands slightly, confusion warring with suspicion. "What are you doing here? What happened to your hair?"

The woman smiled, but it never reached her eyes. It was the smile of a predator who had finally cornered its prey.

"Silver hair was merely part of the disguise," she said, circling the clearing with slow, deliberate steps. Dark purple energy crackled subtly around her fingers—the unmistakable mark of a dark witch. "Just like the name 'Kely'—a necessary role to play while I positioned my pieces on the board for my master."

My brother stepped from the shadows behind her, still bruised and disoriented. She placed a hand on his shoulder, purple energy flickering at her fingertips.

"Your master?" I demanded, power still crackling at my fingertips. "Who are you really?"

"My name is Morgravia," she said, her voice as cold as winter frost. "High servant of Lord Lex, the Shadow God." Her violet eyes narrowed. "A witch whose daughter you killed and whose master you exiled into the void."

I flinched at the mention of Seren, the guilt I'd carried never fully gone despite everything that had happened since. "That was an accident. I never meant to—"

"Spare me your excuses," she snapped, purple energy flaring around her like a deadly aura. Her fingers dug into Lorcan's shoulder, making him wince. "You think your remorse matters to me? You took everything from me."

She made a dismissive gesture toward Alaric, who had stopped struggling but watched her with burning eyes. "How touching that he would sacrifice himself to protect you. Love makes fools of even the wisest beings."

"Let them both go," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Your quarrel is with me, not them."

Morgravia laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Oh, Lyrien Blackwood. You still don't understand, do you?" She stepped closer, her violet eyes glowing with hatred and something else—a hunger that made my skin crawl. "I've been planning this since the moment my daughter died. And now, I'm going to take everything from you, just as my lord Lex commanded."

She gestured casually, and the purple energy net around Alaric constricted further. He gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out, but I could see the pain etched in his features.

With her free hand, Morgravia reached into her flowing robes and pulled out a dagger. The moment I saw it, my blood turned to ice. The gleaming silver blade with its elegant curve, the hilt inlaid with purple crystals that seemed to pulse with inner light—I'd seen it before. I'd felt it before, piercing my abdomen as Vex, controlled by Lex's influence, had driven it into me.

"Recognize this?" she asked, her voice lilting with dark amusement. She turned the blade, letting sunlight dance along its edge. "It still carries traces of your blood from the first time. Poetic, isn't it? To die twice by the same blade."

My hand instinctively went to my stomach where the scar remained—a permanent reminder of my first death.

"I'll make you a simple offer," she said, tightening her grip on Lorcan. "Your life for your brother's." She tossed the dagger at my feet where it landed with a soft thud in the grass. "Take the blade and end yourself, and I'll let him live." She smiled coldly. "A sister's sacrifice for her twin. How poetic."

"Lyrien, don't!" Alaric shouted. "It's not really—"

Another gesture from Morgravia, and the net constricted again, cutting off his words with a strangled gasp.

"Tick tock, Moon Goddess," Morgravia taunted. "Your brother doesn't look well. How much more do you think he can take?"