Chapter 135 Someone Among the Shadows

Chapter 135 Someone Among the Shadows
Maya left the council chamber before anyone could continue asking questions.
The air inside was suffocating.
Heavy with fear, distrust, and tension.
She walked quickly through the castle corridors, trying to ignore the stares of the guards and servants who immediately moved away when they saw her pass.
Her chest still burned with anger.
Because none of them saw Lysander as a child.
Only as a risk.
“You were amazing.”
Kael’s voice echoed behind her.
Maya slowed her pace just enough to allow him to catch up.
“They were talking about my son as if he were a monster,” she replied, still angry.
Kael sighed heavily.
“They’re scared.”
“And that justifies it?”
“No.” He shook his head slowly. “But fear makes people see enemies where there is only the unknown.”
Maya remained silent for a few seconds.
The two walked through the emptier corridors of the castle while the distant sound of the meeting still echoed behind them.
Kael watched Maya carefully before speaking again:
“Conrad needed to hear that too.”
She frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“You reminded him of why we’re still fighting.”
The words made some of her anger slowly subside.
Because Kael was right.
Conrad had been sinking so deep into the fear of losing his family that sometimes he seemed to forget that they still had hope.
Even amidst the chaos.
Even with the rift worsening.
—
In the council room, the silence remained heavy after Maya’s departure.
The alphas avoided speaking first.
Conrad remained standing beside the main table, his golden eyes slowly scanning each face present.
Then one of the older alphas took a deep breath before asking:
“Do you really have everything under control, alpha king?”
The question hung in the air.
Not as a challenge.
But as fear.
Conrad realized it immediately.
They still trusted him.
But they were beginning to waver.
And that was dangerous.
Conrad straightened his posture slowly.
The alpha presence filling the room again.
Firm.
Confident.
“I have.”
The answer came without hesitation.
Without a doubt.
The alphas exchanged discreet glances.
Still scared.
Still uneasy.
But some of the tension seemed to lessen.
Because despite everything…
Conrad was still their king.
And he remained the most powerful man in that kingdom.
Steve watched everything in silence.
Too attentive.
As if trying to figure out if Conrad truly believed his own words.
—
Later, Conrad found Kael alone in the old library of the smaller castle. Several scrolls were scattered across the stone table as Kael analyzed hastily drawn ancient symbols.
“Has the council calmed down?” Kael asked without taking his eyes off the scrolls.
“For now.”
Conrad slowly approached the table.
“What exactly did you discover?”
Kael remained silent for a few seconds.
As if organizing his own thoughts.
Then he finally raised his eyes.
“The keys aren’t just stabilizing the rift.”
Conrad’s stomach clenched immediately.
“What does that mean?”
Kael took a deep breath.
“It means something is forcing its imbalance.” He pointed to the runes scattered across the scrolls. “The second key should have completely slowed the expansion of the shadows.”
“But it didn’t.”
“No.”
The silence grew heavy between the two.
Then Kael spoke the phrase that made Conrad's blood run cold:
“Someone is feeding the rift.”
“Someone is feeding the rift.”
Maya stopped abruptly outside the library.
She had silently arrived in the corridor just seconds before, intending only to look for Conrad.
But those words made her whole body freeze.
The library door remained partially open.
And she could see the two of them inside.
Kael leaning over the ancient scrolls.
Conrad motionless beside the table, his expression slowly hardening as he absorbed the information.
“What do you mean by feeding?” Conrad asked softly.
Kael wearily ran his hands through his hair before answering:
“The rift should be weakened by now.” He pointed to some runes drawn on one of the scrolls. “After the activation of the second key, the shadows should have decreased drastically.”
“But they are stronger,” Maya said before realizing it. The two men turned to her immediately.
Conrad frowned slightly.
“Maya…”
She entered the library slowly.
The weight of that discovery crushed her chest.
“Are you saying someone is using the rift?” she asked Kael directly.
He hesitated.
And that alone was answer enough.
“The imbalance doesn’t seem natural,” Kael finally admitted. “It’s as if something is fueling her connection to this world.”
A heavy silence fell.
Maya felt her heart race.
Because this changed everything.
It wasn’t just the rift getting worse.
It wasn’t just instability.
Someone was interfering.
“The erasers?” Conrad asked immediately.
Kael shook his head slowly.
“Maybe.” His eyes darkened. “But I don’t think it’s just them.”
Maya felt a shiver run down her spine.
The library seemed smaller now.
Colder.
The candles scattered across the tables flickered slightly as the wind swept through the tall windows. Conrad rested his hands on the stone table, clearly trying to organize his thoughts.
“So someone near the rift is strengthening it.”
“Or trying to completely open the path between the worlds,” Kael replied.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Maya immediately thought of Steve.
Of his growing curiosity.
Of the approaching shadows.
Of the dreams.
Of the way he started talking about the rift.
But it seemed impossible.
It couldn't be that fast.
It couldn't.
“There's another possibility,” Kael said more quietly.
Conrad looked up immediately.
“What is it?”
Kael hesitated again.
As if he didn't want to say it aloud.
“The rift reacts to strong emotions.” He took a deep breath. “Fear. Obsession. Ambition.” His eyes met Conrad's. “The more people begin to desire its power… the more unstable it becomes.” The air seemed to disappear from the library.
Because now everyone was thinking about the same person.
Steve.
Conrad slowly shifted his gaze to the scrolls.
His jaw clenched.
Anger beginning to rise again.
“Don’t do it,” Maya spoke immediately.
His golden eyes returned to her.
“He’s clearly being affected.”
“And maybe he doesn’t even realize it.”
“That doesn’t change the danger.”
Kael watched the two in silence.
Tense.
Because he knew exactly what this could cause.
Conrad was already paranoid.
And now he had a target.
“If you act without certainty…” Maya approached him slowly, “…you’ll turn the kingdom exactly into what Steve says it’s becoming.”
The words hit Conrad immediately.
Maya noticed it by the way his shoulders stiffened.
Because she knew.
He knew exactly what his deepest fear was now.
Becoming his own father.
Conrad slowly closed his eyes for a few seconds.
He took a deep breath.
Trying to regain control.
But before he could answer…
a shadow flashed across the library wall.
Too fast.
Too dark.
Everyone froze.
And then a voice whispered throughout the room.
Weak.
Distant.
But clear enough for all three to hear:
“The balance is breaking.”