Chapter 68
Ella's POV
The wooden cart bumped along the wasteland, two wolves pulling it from the front. I sat in the carriage, watching Gregory work on removing Julian's seal.
Julian was already awake, though his face remained deathly pale, fine beads of sweat dotting his forehead. He leaned against one side of the carriage, the silver seal on his chest flickering in and out of visibility. As Gregory cast his spell, the seal's glow was gradually dimming.
"Almost done," Gregory said in a low voice, his fingers tracing complex runes over Julian's chest.
I gripped my hands tightly in my lap.
Ignis started her swooning again in my mind—Look at how vulnerable he is. I just want to pounce on him and take care of him...
"Shut up," I warned her silently.
Oh come on, you're just playing hard to get. Ignis giggled. You should have seen how gentle you were when you caught him...
I chose to ignore her and refocused my attention. Gregory finally completed his part, and the seal's light had dimmed by about a third.
The cart slowly came to a halt. Brian jumped down from the front and shifted back to human form.
"My turn," Brian said as he climbed into the carriage. Gregory shifted into wolf form and took Brian's place.
The cart started moving again. Brian sat down across from Julian and began preparing to cast.
He glanced at me and explained, "This seal requires the three of us to remove it in turns. Once Zachary and I complete the ritual, Julian will be able to recover his wolf spirit."
Julian nodded weakly at Brian. "Thank you, Brian." Then he turned to look at me, his voice hoarse. "And thank you, Ella. If it weren't for you..."
"Don't," I cut him off, pulling the crown from my coat and holding it out to him. "Here, take this back."
Julian took the crown, his gaze falling on the blazing red gemstone. It glowed with a weak but steady red light, forming a stark contrast with his own blue gem, which had grown extremely dim.
He stared at the crown in silence for a long moment before finally accepting it.
"I don't know why," I said quietly. "The moment I touched this crown, one of the stones turned red."
Julian looked up at me, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.
"This crown is a treasure my father passed down to me. It's called the Aulta Crown," he paused. "The crown can store the power of the five primal elements."
"What would happen if all five elements were gathered?" I couldn't help asking.
Julian shook his head. "No one knows. Perhaps it would grant the ultimate power to move mountains, fill seas, and reshape nature." He smiled bitterly. "But that's just legend."
I said nothing more. Brian had already begun casting, his palm pressed against the seal on Julian's chest as he murmured ancient incantations.
Julian closed his eyes. More sweat beaded on his forehead.
He looks like he's in so much pain, Ignis said softly in my mind, without her usual teasing tone this time.
"I know," I responded internally, my gaze never leaving Julian.
The cart continued forward, its wheels crunching over the wasteland stones with dull thuds. I watched as dark clouds gathered outside the window, a complicated feeling rising in my chest.
I should have hated him—he'd used me as a chess piece, taken me from Kane only to send me back. But now, watching him endure such pain to save Kane, I couldn't summon that hatred.
Maybe it was because of what he'd said at the end—"You really look like a Luna now."
Maybe it was because he'd admitted to hurting me and begged for forgiveness.
Or maybe... I was just too tired. Too tired to hate anyone anymore.
Kane's POV
I was locked on the cross, forced to watch everything unfold before me.
That massive bloodthirsty worm, despite the crossbow bolts and bites, kept crawling toward the wall. Like a puddle of slime, it pressed its entire body against the stone. The wall groaned under the worm's weight, emitting heart-stopping cracks.
At that moment, a group of warriors who had accepted death took their positions on the battlements. Their eyes held a calm acceptance of what was to come, each holding a wooden barrel.
My heart sank. I knew what those barrels contained—gunpowder.
"No!" I shouted until my voice went hoarse. "Don't do it!"
But no one heard me.
Or if they did, they wouldn't stop.
"Long live Silver Moon!" a Silver Moon warrior cried out, then leaped with his barrel into the bloodthirsty worm's gaping maw.
BOOM—
The gunpowder exploded inside the worm's body like a firework going off. The worm trembled but didn't stop its assault on the wall.
The explosion's force was completely absorbed by the worm's fat. The burning oil splattered across the wall, even more corrosive than before, sending up acrid black smoke.
Then came the second warrior.
The third.
One after another.
I watched as those warriors threw themselves into the worm's mouth one by one, heard them shout "Long live Silver Moon!" in midair, saw the explosive flashes light up inside the beast again and again. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating.
These were my people. These were the ones I was supposed to protect.
And here I was, locked up, unable to do anything.
"Truly moving warriors," Nicholas said in his sinister tone. "Truly worthy of conquest!"
I wanted to kill him. I wanted to tear out his throat, drink his blood, gnaw on his bones.
But I couldn't do anything.
Finally, the wall couldn't withstand the worm's weight. It collapsed into countless pieces of rubble. Massive clouds of dust rose into the air, obscuring the sky. Smoke filled everything. The Blood River wolves' battle cries shook the heavens.
I closed my eyes. I didn't want to look. I didn't want to see my homeland destroyed.
But I had to look.
The smoke and dust gradually cleared. I opened my eyes.
The Silver Moon warriors, led by Alpha Walter and Luna Jenna, still stood on the ground they were sworn to protect, holding their battle stance.
They hadn't retreated.
The wall had fallen, but they remained.
Walter had shifted into his massive silver-gray wolf form, Jenna right beside him. They stood atop the rubble, facing the dark mass of Blood River forces, without a trace of fear.
My eyes suddenly grew moist.
Maybe... maybe there was still hope.
Maybe Julian could bring her back.
Maybe...