Chapter 73 Ancestors
ARYA
Through the haze of darkness, I felt something warm, hot and sweet pulsing within me. I somehow identified the sign of Luca’s mark on me. The sheer force of his feelings and it wasn’t the lie the darkness claimed. It was real, overwhelming, all-consuming.
Pure devotion that bordered on obsession. Absolute certainty that I was his everything. Love so fierce it would burn down worlds.
“No,” I said, my voice stronger now. “You’re wrong. I’m not unloved. I’m not unworthy. I’m not broken.”
“Yes, you are—”
“I’m ENOUGH!” Power surged through me, bright and pure. “I’m enough exactly as I am! My past doesn’t define me! My mistakes don’t diminish me! And the opinions of people who never saw my worth don’t matter!”
The darkness recoiled.
“I am Aeliana Moonborne! Daughter of a proud bloodline! Mate to a Lycan King! And I am ENOUGH!”
My power exploded outward, burning through the darkness like sunlight through fog. The pool of corruption began to bubble and hiss, steam rising as my magic scorched it clean.
“NO!” The dark-Arya screamed. “You can’t! You’re not strong enough!”
“Watch me.”
I poured everything into it. My power, my pain, my fear, my love. All of it channeled into one purpose.
Luca’s power joined mine. His strength became my strength. His certainty became my certainty. The knowledge that together we were unstoppable.
The darkness fought back. It showed me more visions, some of Luca dying, my friends betraying me, the summit ending in massacre. Every fear, every doubt, every worst-case scenario played out in vivid detail.
But I held firm. Because I’d learned something in these past weeks. Something Jaime had never understood.
I didn’t need to be perfect. I didn’t need to be without fear or doubt. I just needed to be myself. Flawed, afraid, but fighting anyway.
The darkness screamed as my power burned through it. The pool evaporated, the black stains on the walls faded, and slowly the temple began to lighten.
I pulled my hand back, gasping. The pain was gone, replaced by a strange tingling sensation.
“It’s done,” Bardon’s voice was awed. “By the goddess, you actually did it.”
Arms wrapped around me from behind. Luca. I fell back against him.
“You came back,” he breathed against my neck. “You came back to me.”
“I promised.”
“You promised to try. You succeeded.” He turned me in his arms, and I saw tears streaming down his face. “Do you have any idea how terrifying that was? Feeling you slip away, feeling the darkness pull you under—”
“But I didn’t slip away. You held me here. Your love held me here.”
“Our love.” He kissed me desperately. “Never do that again.”
“The summit is in a week. I’ll probably have to do something equally dangerous then.”
“Then I’m canceling it.”
“You are not.”
“Watch me.”
Despite the exhaustion, I laughed. “I love you. Even when you’re being ridiculous.”
“I’m not being ridiculous. I’m being protective. There’s a difference.”
“Debatable.”
We helped each other stand. My legs were shaky, and I was pretty sure I’d collapse if he let go.
The temple was transformed. The white stone gleamed in the sunlight streaming through gaps in the roof. The air was clean. It felt holy again, like a sacred place should.
“Look.” Bardon pointed to the center, where the pool had been.
In its place was a spring of crystal-clear water. It bubbled up from the ground, catching the sunlight like liquid diamonds.
“The Moonwell,” Bardon breathed. “The source of your family’s power. It was hidden beneath the corruption all this time.”
I moved closer, drawn by an invisible pull. When I knelt beside it and touched the water, power flooded through me. Not dark or corrupting, but pure and strengthening.
‘Welcome home, daughter,’ a voice whispered. ‘You have reclaimed what was lost. You have proven yourself worthy of the Moonborne name.’
‘Grandmother?’
‘We are all here, child. All your ancestors, watching and guiding. You are not alone. You have never been alone.’
Tears streamed down my face. “Thank you.”
‘Thank YOU. For having the courage to face the darkness. For being strong enough to cleanse what we could not.’ The presence faded, but I felt warmth lingering. ‘Lead them, Aeliana. Unite them. Build the world we dreamed of. And know that we are proud of you.’
Then it was gone, leaving only silence and the gentle sound of the spring.
“Arya?” Luca knelt beside me. “Are you alright?”
“Better than alright.” I stood, feeling stronger than I had in years. Maybe stronger than I’d ever been. “I’m home. Finally, after all this time—I’m home.”
He pulled me close, and we stood there in the cleansed temple, surrounded by the ghosts of my past and the promise of my future.
“We need to leave,” Caspian called from the entrance. “Let you rest before the summit preparations begin.”
“One more minute,” I said.
I wanted to remember this. The moment everything changed. The moment I proved to myself that I was strong enough, worthy enough, powerful enough.
Not because anyone else said so.
But because I decided it was true.