Chapter 169 CHAPTER 169

Chapter 169 CHAPTER 169
The flare did not fade. It pulsed in a violent, living rhythm that throbbed beneath Elara’s hands as she held Talia against her chest, her arms locked around the girl in a desperate attempt to anchor her to the world. The air around them shimmered with unstable magic. Every breath Elara took tasted of metal and heat, as though the flare had scorched the air around her.

“Talia, breathe,” Elara whispered, forcing her voice to remain steady despite the panic clawing at her ribs. “Stay with me. You’re safe. I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

But Talia’s breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps, her small body shaking with each surge of power. Her eyes glowed with a light that did not belong to her, a soft, eerie luminescence that pulsed in time with the flare. Elara felt the tremors rippling through her, each one stronger than the last, and she tightened her hold, refusing to let her slip away.

Raven moved first.

She stepped into the circle with a precision that belied the fear in her eyes, her hands raised, her magic rising in a controlled, steady wave that spread outward like a calming tide. “Elara, keep holding her,” she said, her voice firm but gentle. “Saphira, support the outer lines with me.”

Saphira didn’t hesitate. She moved to Raven’s side, her expression focused, her palms already glowing with a softer, gentler magic that balanced Raven’s sharper Elder power. Together, their magic wove through the air, brushing against the flare with careful but deliberate pressure.

Elara felt the flare shift, its violent rhythm faltering for a moment as Raven’s magic touched it. It was small, but it was something. And that was a small success.

Raven’s voice remained calm, but Elara could hear the strain beneath it, the effort it took to keep her magic steady. “Good. It’s responding. We can stabilise this.”

Talia whimpered, her fingers digging into Elara’s arms with surprising strength. “It hurts…” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Elara pressed her forehead to Talia’s temple, her own breath shaking. “I know. I’m here. You’re not alone. Just hold on to me.”

The Elders stood frozen at their points in the circle, their faces pale, their bodies trembling as the flare’s energy washed over them. The silver‑haired witch whispered something under her breath, whether it was a prayer, a plea, Elara couldn’t tell, but she didn’t move. None of them did. They trusted Raven, they trusted Elara and they trusted the group who had promised to save them, even as the mountain trembled beneath their feet.

Raven extended her hands toward Talia, her magic forming a soft, shimmering barrier around her. “Talia, listen to me,” she said gently, her voice carrying a warmth that cut through the chaos. “I’m going to help you. I need you to trust me.”

Talia’s glowing eyes flicked toward Raven, unfocused at first, then slowly sharpening as though she were fighting through fog. “You… you won’t hurt me?”

Raven’s expression softened, her voice barely above a whisper. “Never. I’m here to help you, not harm you.”

The flare dimmed slightly, the violent crackling easing into a softer pulse. Elara felt Talia’s body relax just a fraction, enough for her to breathe without gasping. Relief washed through her, fragile but real.

Saphira exhaled, her shoulders loosening. “It’s working.”

But Raven didn’t relax. Her eyes remained fixed on the flare, her magic still flowing. “Not enough. The seed is fighting us. It’s trying to complete its cycle.”

Elara’s heart clenched. “What do we do?”

“We slow it,” Raven said. “We hold it back until it burns through this surge.”

She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Her magic rose again, brighter this time, forming intricate patterns in the air, lines of light that twisted and wove together like threads of silver. The air hummed with the force of it, vibrating through the stone beneath their feet.

Elara recognised the spell, it was a stabilisation spell. One Raven had used before on smaller flares, when Talia’s magic had surged but not spiralled out of control. But never on something like this. Never on a flare that felt as though it could split the mountain open.

Saphira turned to Raven concerned. “Raven, are you sure?”

“Yes,” Raven said, her voice steady with determination. “I can do this No more doubt.”

She moved her hands in a slow, deliberate arc, guiding the weave toward Talia. The air hummed louder, the circle brightened, and for a moment, just a moment, the flare softened. Talia’s breathing steadied, as her eyes dimmed, and her body relaxed fully against Elara’s chest, her weight sinking into her arms.

Elara felt tears prick her eyes. “You’re doing it. Raven, you’re…”

She was cut off by a deep, violent tremor that shook the ground, knocking stones loose from the ridge above. The flare surged back to life, stronger than before, as though it had another wave of energy. The air crackled with raw power, the temperature spiking so suddenly Elara felt her skin burn.

Talia screamed, then the circle shattered, and the symbols Raven had drawn flared white‑hot, then cracked like glass, the lines splintering outward in jagged fractures that raced across the stone. The Elders cried out as the magic snapped around them, the force throwing them backward. Kaelan lunged forward, grabbing the wolf Elder before he hit the ground. Darius caught the vampire Elder by the arm, steadying him. Lyra shielded the witch Elder with her body, bracing them both against the shockwave.

Elara held Talia tighter, refusing to let go even as the flare burned against her skin, searing her arms with its heat. “Raven!” she shouted, her voice raw. “Do something!”

Raven staggered, her magic flickering wildly. “I.. I’m trying!”

She thrust her hands forward, summoning a new spell, one Elara had never seen before. The air around Raven crackled with raw Elder power, swirling into a vortex of shimmering light that twisted and coiled like a living thing.

Saphira’s eyes widened. “Raven, wait!”

But Raven didn’t, instead, she released the spell. A beam of pure, concentrated magic shot toward Talia, aimed at the heart of the flare, meant to contain it, to smother it, to force it back into stillness. For a moment, Elara thought it would work as the flare wavered, and the light dimmed, even Talia’s scream faltered.

But it was too good to be true, as the spell twisted, then snapped, and the flare caught it, absorbed it, and hurled it back with twice the force… Straight at Elara.

She had no time to move, let alone enough time to shield herself. She had no time to do anything but tighten her hold on Talia as the spell struck her square in the chest.

Pain exploded through her body, causing her vision to blur, her knees buckled, and the world tilted.

“Elara!” Kaelan’s voice tore through the chaos, raw and terrified.

“Elara!” Saphira screamed.

Raven’s face crumpled in horror as she looked into Elara’s eyes, as the realisation of what she had done hit her.

Talia’s glow flared brighter, her voice breaking. “Elara…no!”

Elara felt herself falling, the flare swallowed everything.

And then…

Darkness.