Chapter 9: The Return of Light

King Alden's Pov

The night was calm, with the only noise being the soft blowing of the wind through the ruins of the kingdom.

I felt sad, burdened by memories of the final moment of Elara.

I watched her fall and watched her light scatter as the battle against the Void ended. But something odd in me remained. I felt that Elara hadn't actually died.

As I perched on the throne, I thought about that balance she once had in hand, now with me. It was cold and that brilliant gold had diminished into a mere embers. How could one rekindle a fire that had already gone out?

"Your Majesty," Loria's voice cut through my daydream, "the people need your guidance. They are looking to you to help rebuild the kingdom." I was at a loss for what to do with it.

Her words were empty in the empty hall. The kingdom was in ruins, and my people suffered.

What good was a king if he could not save the one who had sacrificed everything?

"Let them rebuild," I said to her gently, looking at the council in front of me. "I'll give them what they need, but for plain truth, I don't know how to build without her." Loria raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Without whom, Your Majesty?" I looked at the scale again. "Without Elara." The room was silent.

I could see the council members were confused by their facial expressions. How were they supposed to comprehend? Elara was our hope, not just any maid. She was more than human now since she had sacrificed her life to save us.

The doors to the throne room opened wide, creaking in a sudden movement.

A gust of wind blew in, bringing the scent of the sea with it. I looked up in surprise, and in the doorway stood Elara, I was immobile.

Time came to a standstill as my heart thrashed. "Elara." I breathed, in disbelief. My voice trembled as I stood up, not even bothering to look away from her.

She looked the same—her face pale, but her eyes full of life.

She was standing with the scale, its light shining so intensely that it illuminated the room.

But there was something different about her, something uncomfortably off.

"Elara, you're alive!" I exclaimed as I inched closer to her.

She moved forward cautiously, never removing her gaze from mine.

But there was a tension in her body that made me hesitate.

"I am here," she told me softly, as though convincing herself of something.

I moved in to take her into my arms and tell her how much I'd missed her. Before I could enfold her in mine, she held a hand raised to stop my advance.

"I—I don't know what happened," she replied, her voice far away. "I remember the battle. I remember the fire. and then nothing." She looked at the scale, her face impassive.

"I thought. I thought I was gone."

"Elara, you were," I replied, my voice tightening. "But. how did you come back?"

She gazed back at the scale again.

"I don't know. It was calling me. The light pulled me back. But it doesn't feel right. Something is. wrong."

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

There was something in what she was saying and in the tone in which she was saying it that unsettled me.

Elara had always been so confident and strong. But now there was hesitation in her voice, a shadow I couldn't define.

"Are you one hundred percent sure you're you?" I demanded, the words leaping out of my mouth before I could catch them.Elara flinched, her eyes narrowing to a razor slash. "Of course I'm me, Alden.

Who are you imagining I am?"I took another step closer, and this time she didn't back away.

She looked at me with a gaze so fierce it made my knees wobble."I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice now tinged with sadness. "But I don't think I can become what I was before.

I can't just return to things the way they were."

Her words were weighty. They hit me hard, like a punch to my chest. But before I could respond, she went on."There is something amiss, Alden. I know there is.

The balance is off. The magic and power. too intense. I can't stem the tide or hold it back from crushing me."

A knot formed in my gut. What was she saying? Was she saying the magic that had saved us now endangered her?"Are you saying you can't can’t stay?" I whispered.

Elara did not answer at once. She just looked at me, weighing her words, before she spoke at last."I don't know, Alden.

I'm trying to understand it. But I need time. Time to figure out what this is."A lump had formed in my throat.

She was right to be careful. The magic was wild and unpredictable, and what had brought her back was something we couldn't understand. But the prospect of losing her once more—of losing all—was too painful to contemplate

."I'll leave you alone," I said softly. "But you don't have to do this alone. We'll figure this out together."Elara smiled at me weakly, hesitantly. "Thanks. I'll need it."

I took her hand, and she did not pull away this time. Her hand was warm to the touch, and I felt my first glimmer of hope since the war.

Just as I was about to speak, a loud noise resounded in the courtyard. The doors of the throne room burst open with a crash, and a guard strode in, gasping "Your Majesty! Something is coming! A dark and mighty power!"I exchanged a worried glance with Elara.

The faint smile on her lips disappeared as she went pale."It's here," she whispered, her voice heavy with significance.

I turned to the guard! "Prepare the kingdom! We must be prepared!"

But Elara held my hand so tightly. "No, no, Alden," she trembled. "It's not the kingdom that we need to prepare against

."I was taken aback, looking at her."It's me," she whispered. "I believe! what brought me back. is coming for me."