Chapter 92: Spectral Chains
~Alaric's POV~
The portal clash raged hot and relentless as explosions shook the ground, sending tremors through the battlefield.
Dravenmere forces pushed forward in a roaring wave against Velmira ships hovering overhead and Valerian's hybrids pouring from every rift.
Smoke and fire filled the air, the scent of scorched earth and blood thick enough to choke on.
I fought through the chaos like a man possessed, eyes locked on the spectral chains dragging Lira back toward the inner sanctum.
Kaelan's ghost form shimmered ahead, his hollow eyes glowing with malicious satisfaction as the dark links tightened around her small waist.
I roared, relic energy surging violently through my oath scar.
Power flooded my veins as I charged, shoulder lowered like a battering ram. My fist slammed into the spectral chains with every ounce of fatherly fury I possessed.
They shattered on impact, pieces dissolving into swirling black mist that scattered on the wind.
Lira broke free and ran straight to me, tears streaming down her face. I caught her in my arms, lifting her clear off the ground and holding her tight against my chest.
"You're not her father, Kaelan, I am!" I said, staring straight at the specter, voice booming with finality.
"Blood doesn't make you anything when you choose poison and betrayal over family. You lost that right the moment you turned on us."
Kaelan's ghostly face twisted in rage, mouth opening to spit venom. "Alaric, you hypocritical fool! I am the biological—"
I didn't let him finish as I drove my blade through his spectral chest, channeling every ounce of the oath brand's light into the strike.
Bright silver energy flared like a star exploding.
Kaelan's form screamed once, a hollow, echoing wail that cut through the battlefield noise, then broke apart and vanished completely before another word could leave his lips.
Only fading wisps of darkness remained.
I turned with Lira still safe in my arms and started moving toward our lines, shielding her body with my own as stray blasts whistled past.
Then one of my men ran up, breathing hard, face streaked with soot and blood.
"Alpha! Bad news from the east flank. Alpha Veyra's team grabbed ma'am Elowen for a few minutes during the chaos. They've forced a Velmira loyalty oath on her under duress."
My stomach dropped like a stone. I held Lira tighter, her small arms wrapped around my neck.
"We end this war soon with no more losses and oaths forced on the people we love. Tell the captains to push harder, we break their lines before nightfall."
★★★
~Elowen's POV~
Evening settled over the hidden Velmira outpost, the air filled with the scent of smoke from distant fires.
I slipped away from Veyra's guards under cover of shadows, the forced loyalty oath still burning on my tongue like bitter ash.
Every step away from their camp felt heavier, as if invisible chains still tugged at my ankles.
My boy waited in our safe room, already looking strained and pale, his new wings folded awkwardly against his back.
I dropped to my knees beside him and placed both hands on his shoulders, feeling the chaotic energy swirling beneath his skin.
"That oath they made me swear… it's not staying," I said firmly, meeting his worried eyes. "Help me break it by lending me your strength. Together we're stronger than any forced vow."
He nodded without hesitation, small hands covering mine. His aura flowed into me... pure relic power, dual and strong, gold and crimson threads weaving through my own.
The Velmira oath cracked and dissolved under the pressure, the burning sensation on my tongue fading to nothing.
Relief washed through me like cool water, but the effort hit him hard.
The boy gasped sharply, body convulsing as uncontrolled power surged through him once more.
He aged another year in seconds... limbs lengthening further, shoulders broadening into those of a young teen.
Then dark wolf-vampire wings burst from his back with a sickening crack of leathery membranes tipped with crimson feathers, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
"No," I whispered, reaching for him as horror flooded my chest. "Not again! Please, not like this!"
He tried to stand, but the new wings flapped wildly, completely uncontrolled.
Wind whipped around the room, scattering papers and knocking over chairs. His feet lifted off the ground as the wings beat harder, lifting him toward the ceiling.
"Mama!" he cried, panic raw in his voice. "I can't stop them! They're pulling me!"
The wings beat with increasing force. A rift storm tore open above us, violet and raging, lightning crackling inside the swirling vortex.
It pulled him upward fast, sucking him toward its hungry maw.
I lunged desperately, jumping to grab his ankle, but he was already too high, fingers slipping through empty air.
Out of nowhere, Sylion burst through the door at that exact moment, eyes widening as he took in the scene.
He saw the boy rising helplessly and didn't hesitate.
Without a word, he jumped, grabbing for him, diving straight into the heart of the storm with reckless courage. And the rift swallowed them both in a deafening roar of wind and thunder.
Moments later, the storm spat Sylion back out.
He crashed hard onto the floor, rolling several feet before stopping. His hair had turned silvered, thick streaks of premature age running through the dark strands.
New lines marked his face that weren't there before.
Deep worry lines were across his forehead, and crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. He looked years older in seconds, as if the rift had stolen time itself from his body.
Sylion lifted his head weakly, eyes meeting mine with exhausted determination.
"The World claims its toll…" he rasped, voice hoarse and older-sounding. "It took years from me… but the boy is still inside. We have to go after him now!"
I dropped to my knees beside him, heart shattering at the visible cost he had paid.
The rift storm still crackled faintly above us, while distant battle sounds reminded us that the war outside had not paused for our pain.
The boy was gone, pulled into the Second World, and the three of us were fracturing faster than ever before...