Chapter 170 CHAPTER 170

Chapter 170 CHAPTER 170
Elara surfaced slowly, as though rising through layers of thick, suffocating darkness. Her body felt heavy, pinned beneath an invisible weight, and for a moment she couldn’t tell whether she was lying on stone, air, or a comfy bed. Sound reached her first; it was muffled, distorted, as though she were underwater. But she could make out what it was… voices. They were raised and frantic. One of them was full of anger, another with fear, and a third breaking apart with guilt.

Then the world snapped back into focus, and she heard the one voice that pulled everything back into focus.

“Elara! Elara, wake up! Please, wake up!” Talia’s voice cut through everything, raw and terrified, and Elara’s eyes flew open. Around her, the ritual circle was fractured, its symbols cracked and flickering, but somehow still holding together in broken pieces.

Kaelan was kneeling beside her, his face pale with anger and fear. His hands hovered over her shoulders, as though afraid to touch her and hurt her further. But his eyes, gods, his eyes, were locked on Raven with a rage Elara had never seen in him before.

“What were you thinking?” Kaelan snapped. “You could have killed her!”

Raven stood a few feet away, her face ashen. The guilt in her eyes was unmistakable, but she didn’t flinch from Kaelan’s anger. She didn’t defend herself; she didn’t even look away. She simply stood there, absorbing every word as though she believed she deserved each one.

“I was trying to stop the flare,” Raven said quietly. “If I hadn’t acted, it would have consumed Talia… and Elara”

“And instead it hit Elara!” Kaelan’s voice cracked, the fear beneath the anger bleeding through. “You nearly…”

“Kaelan…” Elara whispered, her voice hoarse.

He froze, his head snapping back toward her. Relief washed over his face so quickly it almost broke her heart. “Elara,” he breathed, his hands finally settling on her shoulders. “Thank the gods. I thought…”

But Talia’s scream cut him off.

“Elara!” Talia threw herself forward, nearly collapsing onto Elara’s chest. Her small hands trembled violently as she clutched at Elara’s clothes. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Elara forced herself upright despite the pain that tore through her ribs. She wrapped her arms around Talia, pulling her close, ignoring the way her muscles protested. “Hey, hey… look at me,” she murmured, brushing Talia’s hair back from her face. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Do you hear me? Nothing. This isn’t your fault.”

“But the flare.” Talia sobbed, her voice breaking. “It hit you, it targeted you.”

Elara cupped her face gently. “Talia, listen to me. You didn’t hurt me, and we’re going to fix it. All of us, now.”

Talia’s glow flickered, dimming for a moment as she buried her face against Elara’s shoulder. But the flare didn’t stop; it pulsed again, stronger this time, sending another shockwave through the clearing. The ground trembled beneath them, and the fractured symbols along the circle sparked with unstable light. Elara knew this was the end of the road; they were out of time. Either they did this now, or she would lose Talia.

Raven stepped forward, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “We don’t have long. The flare is escalating. If we don’t stabilise it now, it will tear the circle apart completely.”

Kaelan rounded on her again. “You’re not going near her.”

“Kaelan,” Elara said softly, “she has to.”

He looked at her, torn between fear and anger, but he didn’t argue, because he knew she was right.

The silver‑haired witch Elder moved toward them, her expression tight with urgency. “Raven cannot stabilise this alone. The seed is too strong, and now the flare is feeding on the broken circle.”

Elara held Talia close, her heart pounding. “Tell us what to do.”

Raven took a deep breath, glancing at Kaelan before responding. “We need to rebuild the containment. Not fully, we don’t have time, but enough to hold the flare in place.”

Saphira moved beside her, already lifting her hands. “I’ll help you build it.”

The witch Elder stepped back into the broken circle, her movements graceful despite the tremors in her limbs. “I will lend my magic. It may not be much right now, but it will strengthen the weave.”

Raven nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”

Kaelan helped Elara to her feet, supporting her with one arm while she kept Talia pressed against her side. The flare’s heat burned against her skin, but she refused to let go. She would not leave Talia alone in this.

Raven, Saphira, and the witch Elder took their positions around the broken circle. Their magic rose in three distinct waves, Raven’s sharp and bright, Saphira’s warm and steady, and the Elder’s soft and ancient. The three streams intertwined, weaving together into a shimmering pattern of light that spread across the fractured symbols.

The ground vibrated beneath them as the flare fought back, pushing against the containment with violent force. The air crackled, the light flickered, and for a moment, Elara feared the circle would shatter again. But it didn’t, it held.

Raven’s voice trembled with effort. “It’s working. But only just. We can’t hold this for long.”

The witch Elder’s face was pale, sweat beading along her brow. “The seed is too strong. It’s evolving fast.”

Saphira gritted her teeth, her hands shaking. “We need to move. Now.”

Raven looked at Elara, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and determination. “We have to do the extraction. All of them, in one go.”

Elara’s breath caught. “All four of them? At the same time?”

“Yes,” Raven said. “The Elders and Talia must be in the circle together. If we try to extract them separately, the seed will sense the break in the ritual and overpower us. It will kill her.”

Talia’s fingers tightened around Elara’s arm. “Elara… I’m scared.”

Elara pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I know, sweetheart. But we’re going to do this together. I won’t leave you.”

Kaelan stepped closer, his voice calmer now. “Tell us what you need.”

Raven’s gaze swept over the group. “We need to bring them into the circle,” she said. “All of them, now. Once they’re inside, we begin immediately. There won’t be time to prepare. There won’t be time to stop. Once we start, we have to finish… no matter what.”

The witch Elder nodded, stepping forward. “Then we go.”

The wolf Elder followed, his jaw clenched, then the vampire Elder moved, his eyes fixed on Talia.

Elara tightened her hold on Talia, her heart pounding. “We’re with you,” she whispered. “Every step.”

Raven lifted her hands, the containment flickering dangerously. “Hurry,” she said, her voice strained. “We’re out of time.”

And as Elara stepped toward the circle with Talia in her arms, the flare surged again, but brighter, hotter, and more violent than before, as though it sensed what they were about to do.

The mountain trembled as the circle cracked.

And Elara guided Talia into the circle.