Chapter 199 - Hard To Believe

Chapter 199 - Hard To Believe
KIERAN
The forest was quiet that night, its branches whispering secrets to the wind. The moon hung low, pale and watchful, as I led Adeline through the thicket until they reached a small clearing where the earth looked freshly turned.
The scent of soil and old ash hung in the air. We stood by Liora’s grave.
Adeline slowed, her voice soft and uneasy. “Why are we here?”
I didn’t answer. My gaze was fixed ahead, the shadows casting sharp lines across my face. I looked as if I were waiting for something or someone.
Adeline frowned, stepping closer. “I said…?”
Before she could say more, a sharp pain lanced through her head. She gasped, clutching her temples as a cry escaped her lips.
“Adeline!” My voice reached her, but it sounded distant, muffled by the storm rising inside her mind.
Memories flooded in, flickering too fast to grasp, her hand in mine, a kiss beneath the soft glow of morning, laughter echoing inside a small cottage. I laid a kiss on her swollen belly. The warmth of happiness she didn’t remember ever feeling… until now.
Then, a voice. Soft, haunting.
I am always there with you.
The world spun. Images of a cliff, a scream, a fall. The memories collided, shattering through her like glass.
“Not again,” I muttered, thinking the same thing that happened earlier would happen again. I stepped forward, reaching for her. “Adeline, look at me—”
But she couldn’t. The pain surged stronger, her vision darkened, and when her eyes flew open again, they were no longer her own.
All black.
The sword at my side began to hum and glow, lifting slightly as though drawn by her heartbeat. I hesitated, my voice steady but laced with worry. “Adeline, control yourself.”
She turned to me, her expression blank yet burning, her hand rising toward the sword’s hilt. The energy around her crackled wild and ancient.
Then, before she could move, a shadow darted behind her. A swift motion, silent but precise.
Adeline’s body went limp.
I caught her before she hit the ground, my eyes widening as I looked up.
Standing there, breathing hard, was Ivan. His hand was still half raised from the blow.
I stared at him in disbelief. “You—”
“She should have killed you, Your Majesty,” Ivan said quietly, his eyes on Adeline. “I had to.”
My hand lingered on Adeline’s shoulder, my jaw tightening as I turned toward Ivan. The moonlight spilled through the trees, carving both our faces in pale silver.
“Where is your mother?” I asked, my voice low, almost cautious. “Where’s Eloise?”
Ivan’s gaze shifted toward the ground. His fingers curled tightly around the hilt of his sword. “She’s dead.”
I froze. The faint rustle of leaves filled the silence between us.
Ivan’s voice wavered only slightly when he continued, “She… sacrificed herself. To save me from dying that day.”
For a long moment, I said nothing. My expression was unreadable, though my eyes darkened. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, but the words fell hollow.
Then, lifting his head, my tone sharpened. “Why did you want to see me, Ivan? You’ve been stalking me since the night of the wedding.”
Ivan looked past me, his gaze fixed on Adeline’s still face. “I wanted to see my sister,” he said quietly. “If she’s awake.” His voice softened. “I knew she’d be with you.”
My brow furrowed, but I nodded once. “All right then.”
I bent down, carefully lifting Adeline in my arms and offering her toward him. “You’ve seen her.” I turned, ready to walk away. 
“She’s a Helix witch, Kieran.”
His next words stopped me in my tracks.
My shoulders tensed. I turned halfway, my eyes narrowing as I faced him again. “And what do you want me to do about it?”
Ivan stepped closer, his tone steady but full of weight. “Like Liora.”
That name hit like a blade drawn too quickly. My breath caught for a moment before I could mask it. I turned fully now, my stare sharp and searching. “Where are you driving at, Ivan?”
Ivan met my gaze without flinching. “I want to help my sister. And helping her… can help the kingdom. The spirit beasts, Lykos… and you."
I scoffed quietly, though my voice betrayed a flicker of doubt. “And how exactly does that help Adeline?”
Ivan took a step closer, lowering his voice as if afraid the trees themselves might hear. “Adeline can send the beasts back to the Abyss. She can end this curse of yours.”
I frowned, eyes narrowing. “End it? You mean to destroy herself in the process.”
Ivan’s expression hardened. “It might cost something, yes. But when she uses her power… her full power… her memories will return. And when that happens…” His eyes drifted to my neck and face where marks coiled. “Your marks will clear.”
My breath hitched slightly. My marks… the resurrection curse, I haven't cared about it for years. 
I shook my head slowly. “So that’s it? You want her to do this just because she’s a Helix witch?”
Ivan’s answer was calm, almost resigned. “Not only that.” He hesitated, then said, “Because she possesses Liora’s soul.”
Silence. Even the forest seemed to still at those words.
My heart skipped once, then again. My grip on the Helix sword tightened slightly. “That’s impossible,” I said hoarsely. “Liora is—”
“Alive,” Ivan finished for him. “Liora’s soul lives in Adeline's body. You of all people should have felt it the moment you touched her.”
My eyes flickered, betraying what I tried to hide… recognition. That whisper in the forest, that fleeting warmth that had felt too familiar to explain.
I turned away, his voice rough. “And how do you expect me to believe that?”
Ivan looked toward the distant mountains, where the faint glow of Vaeloria shimmered in the sky like a memory.
“You’ll believe me,” he said firmly, “when we get to Vaeloria.”
For a long moment, I stood still. The night wind brushed through the trees, carrying the scent of ash and memory. Then I glanced down at Adeline, unconscious but peaceful in Ivan's arms.
“Then Vaeloria it is,” I murmured, half to myself.
And without another word, I followed Ivan into the shadows of the forest, our footsteps fading into the whisper of leaves, toward the one place that held all our answers.