Chapter 72 Dark Arya
ARYA
“You can’t promise that. But I appreciate the effort.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “I love you. More than existence itself.”
“I love you too. Now let’s go cleanse some dark magic.”
We climbed the temple steps together. With each step, the wrongness intensified. By the time we reached the top, I was fighting the urge to run.
The interior of the temple was worse.
The beautiful white stone was stained black in places, like oil seeping from the walls. The air was thick, hard to breathe. And at the center, where Bardon said the altar had been, was a pool of something dark and viscous.
“That’s the heart of the corruption,” Bardon said. “That’s what you need to cleanse.”
“What is it?”
“Condensed dark magic. Centuries of blood sacrifice, pain, and death all concentrated into physical form.” His expression was grim. “You’ll need to touch it. Let your Moonborne power flow into it and burn away the corruption from the inside.”
“That sounds incredibly dangerous.”
“It is. The moment you touch it, the dark magic will try to enter you. Try to corrupt your power, twist it, use it against you.” He handed me a small crystal. “This will help. It’s a focus—something pure to anchor yourself to when the darkness tries to pull you under.”
I took the crystal. It was warm, pulsing with gentle light.
“What is it?”
“A piece of your grandmother’s power. She bound some of her essence into it before she died, hoping it would help you someday.” Bardon smiled sadly. “She never stopped protecting you, even from beyond death.”
Tears burned my eyes. I clutched the crystal tightly.
“Ready?” Luca asked.
“No. But let’s do it anyway.”
We moved to stand beside the pool of darkness. Up close, it was even more revolting. It moved like something alive, reaching toward us with oily tendrils.
“Remember,” Bardon called from where he stood near the entrance. “Stay grounded in who you are. Don’t let it make you doubt yourself.”
“Easy for him to say,” I muttered.
“You’ve got this.” Luca’s hand found mine. “And I’ve got you. Always.”
“Together?”
“Together.”
We knelt beside the pool. I reached out, my hand hovering over the surface.
“Wait.” Luca grabbed my wrist. “One more thing.”
“What?”
“If this goes wrong. If you get corrupted and I can’t pull you back—” His voice broke. “Know that everything I did, everything I’ll do, comes from love. Even if it looks like something else.”
“Luca, what are you planning?”
“Nothing. Whatever it takes.” He released my wrist. “Now go. Save your family’s legacy.”
I took a deep breath and plunged my hand into the darkness.
Pain. Immediate, searing, overwhelming pain.
It felt like my hand was being burned and frozen simultaneously, like thousands of needles piercing my skin, like acid eating through flesh.
I screamed.
“Hold on!” Bardon’s voice seemed distant. “Push your power through! Fight it!”
I called on my Moonborne magic, letting it flow from my core down my arm and into the darkness.
The pain intensified. And then the visions started.
I was six years old again, standing in the pack house as Jaime’s grandmother told me I’d been chosen to be his mate.
“You should be grateful,” she said. “You’re an orphan. A nobody. This is more than you deserve.”
“She’s right,” a voice whispered. The darkness, speaking with my own voice. “You were never worthy. Never good enough. He saw it. Everyone saw it. You were just too pathetic to accept it.”
\-----
I was in the pack office, overhearing Jaime and Elira plan my replacement.
“She’s weak,” Elira said. “No wolf, no strength, no value.”
“You’re right,” the darkness agreed. “You’re nothing. You’ve always been nothing. Even now, with all this power, you’re still that scared little girl who couldn’t keep her husband interested.”
\-----
I was standing at Luca’s side, but he was looking past me. At someone else. Someone better.
“Did you really think I loved you?” His voice was cold. “You’re convenient. A means to an end. The prophecy needed a Moonborne, and you were the only one left.”
“Yes,” the darkness hissed. “He’s using you. They’re all using you. You’re a tool, not a person. A weapon, not a woman. And when they’re done with you, they’ll discard you like Jaime did.”
\-----
“NO!” I screamed, both in my mind and aloud. “That’s not true! None of it’s true!”
“Isn’t it?” The darkness shifted, taking form. It looked like me. A twisted, corrupted version of me with black eyes and a cruel smile. “You know it’s true. Deep down, you’ve always known. You’re not special. You’re not powerful. You’re just lucky. And luck runs out.”
“You’re wrong.” But my voice shook.
“Am I? Then why are you here, risking everything, to cleanse a curse created by your own family? Why are you trying so hard to be worthy?” The dark-Arya leaned closer. “Because you know the truth. You’re broken. Damaged. Unworthy of love.”
“That’s not—”
“Luca will leave you eventually. When you age and he doesn’t. When you’re old and wrinkled and he’s still perfect. He’ll find someone new. Someone younger. Someone who can give him eternity.”
“Stop.”
“Jaime already proved it. You’re not enough. You’ll never be enough. No matter how powerful you become, how hard you try, how much you change. You’ll always be that invisible Luna who couldn’t keep her mate.”
Something inside me cracked.
Because wasn’t that my deepest fear? That I was fundamentally unlovable? That everyone who claimed to care for me would eventually see the truth and leave?
“Yes,” the darkness purred, sensing weakness. “You understand now. You’re alone. You’ve always been alone. Even surrounded by people, you’re isolated by your own inadequacy.”
My power flickered. The crystal in my other hand dimmed.
“Aeliana!” Luca’s voice, distant and desperate. “Don’t listen to it! Fight back!”
“Why?” I whispered. “What’s the point?”
“The point is that you’re loved!” His voice was closer now, right beside me, though I couldn’t see him anymore. Only the darkness. “You’re cherished! You’re everything!”
“He’s lying,” dark-Arya said. “They all lie. It’s what people do to get what they want from you.”
“Aeliana, remember our bond! Feel what I feel for you!”