Chapter 300: Sweetest faith

The muffled sound of Ryan's hiccups was lost in the silence of the room. The shadows, now without command, wavered like confused and wounded creatures. Some disappeared beneath the furniture, others hovered in the air like forgotten dust. The prince's body trembled, but not with power — rather from exhaustion. For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to feel.

Tears streamed down like long-suppressed rivers. His chest heaved, his head throbbed, and his fists were clenched against the cold marble floor. This wasn't weakness. It was liberation. It was the collapse of someone who carried much more than they should.

He thought of Lyra.

Her image remained alive in his mind: the pleading eyes, the firm hands holding his face, the words filled with truth. She had approached him with courage, with love... and he nearly pushed her away. Worse: he nearly hurt her.

Shame gnawed at his stomach like a blade. And for a moment, he wanted to disappear.

But he couldn't.

A soft sound broke the silence: the door opening again, slowly.

Ryan didn't lift his face. He didn't want anyone to see him in that state.

— Ryan…?

It was Angela.

The queen mother approached slowly, stopping a few steps from her son. She looked at him for a long time before kneeling beside him. She said nothing. Just placed a gentle hand on his back. A mother's touch. A touch that didn't judge. Only loved.

He turned his face, allowing her to see him.

Angela felt her heart shatter upon seeing her son in that state. There was so much pain in his eyes... so much confusion, so much inner war.

— I'm not what everyone thinks — he murmured, his voice fragile.

Angela simply pulled him into a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around him as she did when he was a child waking from nightmares.

— You are much more than you think, my son — she whispered. — And that's what scares those who want to bring you down most.

Ryan remained there, still, allowing himself that comfort.

— I felt the dragon inside me, mother… and it wanted to destroy everything. I… almost lost control. I almost hurt Lyra.

Angela withdrew enough to look into his eyes.

— But you didn't hurt her. Because there's still something inside you that knows who you are. No matter how dark the road is, Ryan. As long as there's a point of light, you can return.

He swallowed hard, trying to believe.

— I'm afraid… — he confessed. — Afraid that there's no way back.

Angela touched her forehead to his, as she used to do when he was a child.

— Then fight, my son. Fight with everything you've got. And trust those who love you. Because true power isn't in controlling shadows… it's in resisting them.

A knock on the door interrupted them.

Angela stood up, wiping her eyes. The door creaked open, revealing Amara.

— Is he better? — asked the counselor, keeping her voice low.

Angela nodded with a small smile.

— Yes. He's starting to remember who he is.

Ryan struggled to stand, his eyes still red. But there was a different glow now. A glimpse of himself.

— Where's Lyra?

— In the east garden. She needed to breathe a little — answered Amara, exchanging a look with Angela.

Ryan nodded and began to walk. The two sides of him waged a silent war, but he wanted to see her. Needed to see her.

Lyra was sitting under one of Valthorya's sacred trees, where blue flowers shimmered like stars caught in the branches. The sky above was beginning to darken, and the scent of the petals mixed with the evening breeze.

She observed the flowers in silence, her mind filled with memories. That was not the Ryan she knew… and yet, it was. He was broken, confused, divided by forces he didn't fully understand. And she, despite her fear, still loved him.

She heard footsteps approaching.

When she turned, she saw him. Ryan was there, standing a few meters away, hesitant.

— Can I come closer? — he asked, his voice softer than she expected.

She nodded, silently.

He walked up to her and sat down, maintaining a respectful distance. There were no shadows around him. Just the scent of the night.

— I lost control… — he finally said. — And you saw that.

— I saw. — Her response was firm but not cruel.

— And yet… you stayed.

Lyra turned her face to him.

— Because I know you're still in there. You, Ryan. The man who faced everything to protect Valthorya. The man who saved me. Who loved me.

— Still love — he murmured, staring at the ground.

— Then listen — she said. — Because if you keep going down this path, I’ll be forced to fight against you. And nothing in the world hurts me more than that possibility.

Ryan looked into her eyes.

— There was a time when I believed that good always won. But after seeing everything Sérgio caused, I started to doubt. I began to think that only force could stop him.

— It’s not force that defeats darkness, Ryan. It’s the choice not to give in to it.

They remained side by side, under the shimmering flowers.

And then, Ryan took a deep breath.

— I want to try. To be strong without losing myself. I want to learn… with you. With Amara. With Angela. With everyone who believes in me.

Lyra smiled. A shy, hopeful smile.

— Then come with me.

She extended her hand. And he, with shadows still pulsing in his chest, took it.

At that moment, there were no promises of victory. No guarantees.

But there was a choice.

And for Ryan… that was already the beginning of redemption.