Chapter-HundredTwenty Five, Sean's Gone,

Chapter-HundredTwenty Five, Sean's Gone,
Zoe’s POV

The Hollow Sanctuary

The Elder said nothing else after warning us about the price of resurrection.

He simply turned and walked deeper into the darkness between the trees.

Sean and I followed closely behind him while silver mist curled around our feet with every step we took. The deeper we walked into the Hollow Realm, the colder everything became until my fingers felt numb beneath my cloak.

The forest slowly began changing around us.

The trees became larger.

Older.

Their bark shimmered silver beneath the lantern light while strange symbols pulsed softly across their trunks.

Ancient magic.

The kind no modern witch could create anymore.

Sean stayed close beside me, his hand brushing mine every few seconds like he needed reassurance I was still there.

Honestly?

I needed the same thing.

Eventually the Elder stopped before what looked like nothing but empty darkness.

My brows furrowed.

“There’s nothing here.”

The Elder’s glowing eyes shifted toward me.

“You only see emptiness because the sanctuary does not trust you yet.”

Before I could answer, the Elder lifted his clawed hand slowly.

Ancient silver magic spread through the air instantly.

The darkness in front of us suddenly cracked apart.

An invisible doorway appeared.

My breath caught.

Massive silver doors slowly revealed themselves from thin air, ancient runes glowing violently across their surface.

Sean cursed quietly beside me.

“Okay… that’s terrifying.”

The Elder ignored him.

The doors groaned loudly as they slowly opened inward.

And the second I stepped inside—

My entire body froze.

I had never seen anything like this in my life.

The Hollow Sanctuary stretched endlessly beneath silver firelight.

Shelves towered from floor to ceiling filled with ancient magical artifacts forgotten by time itself.

Books.

Thousands of them.

Old grimoires wrapped in chains rested behind glowing shields while floating candles illuminated symbols written in languages even I couldn’t recognize.

My breathing slowed.

Some of these texts were older than kingdoms.

Older than bloodlines.

Older than the first witches.

At the very center of the sanctuary rested a massive black pedestal holding a single grimoire glowing silver beneath layers of protection magic.

The First Grimoire.

The first spellbook ever brought to light.

I knew it instantly.

Every witch in existence knew the stories.

The book that created magic itself.

Sean noticed my expression immediately.

“What is it?”

I swallowed hard.

“That book should not exist.”

The Elder slowly walked deeper into the sanctuary.

“Many things here should not exist.”

My eyes shifted across the endless shelves again.

Ingredients rested inside crystal jars glowing beneath ancient enchantments.

Blood.

Dragon scales.

Phoenix feathers.

Alpha hearts preserved in silver liquid.

Bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling while bowls filled with teeth, nails, ashes, and bones lined the stone walls.

This wasn’t simply forbidden magic.

This was where forbidden magic was born.

Sean moved closer beside me protectively.

“Get what we need,” he muttered quietly. “Then we leave.”

I nodded.

Quickly I moved through the sanctuary gathering the ingredients listed within the resurrection ritual.

Moonshade herbs.

Silver thorn leaves.

Deathroot vines.

Ash petals.

Ancient lunar dust.

Every ingredient pulsed beneath my fingertips like it was alive.

The deeper I reached into the sanctuary, the heavier my chest became.

Magic whispered around me constantly.

Ancient voices brushing against my thoughts.

Watching.

Waiting.

Testing.

Finally I approached the last pedestal.

A crystal jar rested alone beneath silver firelight.

Inside it shimmered glowing silver blood.

Resurrection blood.

My hand trembled slightly as I lifted it carefully.

The second I touched the glass—

Pain shot through my body violently.

Whispers screamed inside my head instantly.

Death.

Loss.

Grief.

My knees nearly buckled.

Sean caught me before I fell.

“Zoe.”

“I’m okay,” I whispered weakly.

Even though I wasn’t.

The blood inside the jar glowed brighter the longer I held it.

Like it recognized why I came here.

Like it knew what I planned to do.

I carefully placed it inside the satchel before turning toward Sean.

“We’re done,” I whispered.

Sean nodded immediately.

“Good. Let’s go.”

But the second he said those words—

Dark laughter echoed through the sanctuary.

Cold terror ripped down my spine instantly.

No.

Sean shoved me behind him immediately, claws sliding free while his wolf surged beneath his skin.

The shadows near the sanctuary walls twisted unnaturally.

Then Luicen stepped forward slowly.

My stomach dropped.

Beside him stood Alpha Asher.

But something was horribly wrong.

His eyes were black.

Completely black.

No wolf.

No emotion.

Nothing human left inside him anymore.

Sean growled viciously.

“What did you do to him?”

Luicen smiled darkly.

“I freed him.”

Asher tilted his head unnaturally before staring directly at Sean.

Then smiling.

Cold.

Empty.

Terrifying.

Fear crawled through my chest instantly.

Luicen’s gaze shifted toward the satchel in my hands.

“So,” he murmured softly. “You truly intend to challenge death itself.”

“She deserves to live,” I snapped.

Luicen laughed quietly.

“And how many people will die for that choice?”

The sanctuary darkened around us instantly.

Magic crackled violently through the air.

Sean stepped further in front of me protectively.

“We’re leaving.”

“No,” Luicen answered calmly.

“You’re not.”

Dark chains exploded from the ground instantly.

Sean lunged first.

Violent.

Fast.

But Asher intercepted him immediately.

The two crashed across the sanctuary floor while growls shook the chamber violently.

“Sean!”

I lifted my magic—

—but Luicen appeared in front of me instantly.

His hand wrapped around my throat hard enough to stop my breathing.

Pain exploded through my neck.

“You should’ve buried her,” he whispered coldly.

I blasted dark magic into his chest desperately.

Luicen barely moved.

Instead he smiled wider.

Then threw me violently across the room.

I slammed hard against the stone floor, pain ripping through my ribs instantly.

“ZOE!” Sean roared.

I looked up just in time to see dark chains wrapping around Sean’s chest and throat while Asher forced him onto his knees.

Sean fought viciously.

But there were too many restraints.

Too much dark magic.

A portal slowly opened behind Luicen.

Fear shattered through me instantly.

“No!”

The Elder suddenly stepped between us, silver magic exploding through the sanctuary violently.

“You cannot remain here any longer,” the Elder thundered.

“I’m not leaving him!” I screamed.

Sean’s eyes snapped toward mine.

And the heartbreak inside them nearly destroyed me.

“Zoe…”

The Elder turned toward Sean suddenly.

Then both of them began chanting together.

Ancient magic exploded around the sanctuary instantly.

Silver runes covered the floor beneath my feet while wind tore violently through the chamber.

Sean’s voice shook as he spoke the spell.

“By moon and shadow, by blood and sky…”

The Elder’s deeper voice echoed beside his.

“Per caelum noctis et portas vitae…”

Silver fire erupted around me.

“No! Stop!”

Sean kept chanting anyway, tears burning in his golden eyes.

“Guide her soul beyond this realm…”

The Elder continued powerfully.

“Mittatur ultra tenebras ad locum originis…”

The portal behind me exploded brighter.

I fought against the magic desperately.

“I’m not leaving you!”

Sean’s wolf roared violently beneath the chains.

Then his voice broke.

“Protect the chosen one…”

“Custodi sanguinem vitae…”

The magic wrapped around my body tighter.

Pulling me backward.

“No! Sean please!”

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face as I clawed against the stone floor desperately trying to stay.

Luicen only watched with amusement.

“You cannot stop destiny, little witch.”

Sean looked directly at me.

And I saw it.

Goodbye.

My heart shattered instantly.

Then the final words left both Sean and the Elder together.

“Through stars above and darkness beneath…”

“Per astra et noctem revocamus eam…”

“Return her home.”

“Domum redeat.”

The portal consumed me instantly.

I screamed Sean’s name while reaching toward him desperately.

But the last thing I saw before the sanctuary disappeared—

Was Luicen and Alpha Asher dragging Sean into the darkness while he fought against the chains holding him.

Then everything vanished.

—

I hit the cabin floor hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.

Pain exploded through my body while silver magic disappeared around me slowly.

Voices shouted instantly.

Footsteps rushed toward me.

Jayden grabbed my shoulders first.

“Where’s Sean?!”

Logan looked behind me toward the vanished portal.

Fear filled his face instantly.

Nathan’s wolf surged beneath his skin.

“What happened?”

I couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t think.

My chest hurt too badly.

Tears poured uncontrollably down my face as I clutched the satchel tightly against me.

King Barry stepped forward slowly.

“Zoe…”

My voice broke completely.

“Luicen…”

Silence filled the cabin.

I looked toward all of them while my entire body shook.

“Luicen and Alpha Asher took Sean.”