Chapter 77 Broken bonds

Chapter 77 Broken bonds

Morgana's Sanctum

Morgana stood before her scrying bowl, staring at the image of Ava waking in the medical center.

Her burned hands had healed, but slowly, and the silver scars that remained served as a constant reminder of how close she'd come to losing everything. All over again.

The Moonborn had broken her curse. Had driven her away. Had proven herself far more powerful than Morgana had anticipated.

And that was unacceptable.
"She's awake," one of the senior witches observed from behind her.

"I can see that," Morgana replied coldly.

"What do we do? Without the spell book, our options are limited."

Morgana's jaw tightened. The loss of the book still burned, perhaps even more than the Moonborn's attack. Draven had it now, that arrogant fool, thinking he could wield magic he didn't understand. Magic he couldn't comprehend.

"We adapt," Morgana said. "The book was a tool, not a necessity. I have centuries of knowledge that Draven will never access, no matter how many translations he gets."

"But the Moonborn"

"She will fall," Morgana interrupted sharply. "One way or another. If I can't corrupt the Blood Diamond Key, then I'll destroy it. If I can't curse the girl, then I'll kill everyone she loves until she breaks."

She waved her hand over the scrying bowl, and the image changed to show Lucian sitting beside Ava's bed.

"Starting with him," Morgana murmured.

The Varex Estate — Two Days Later

Ava was finally allowed to leave the medical center, though she still tired easily and Selene insisted on monitoring her closely.

She walked through the estate gardens, needing fresh air and space to think. Lucian had insisted on accompanying her, staying close but giving her room to breathe.

"You don't have to hover," Ava said with a slight smile.
"I'm not hovering," Lucian replied. "I'm... being
cautiously present."

Ava laughed softly. "That's the same thing."
"Fine. I'm hovering." He moved closer. "Can you blame me? You were unconscious for five days, Ava. Five days of not knowing if you'd wake up."

Ava stopped walking and turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Don't apologize for saving us," Lucian said quietly. "Just... don't do it again without backup."

"I'll try," Ava promised, though they both knew that in war, promises like that were impossible to keep.

They continued walking in comfortable silence until they reached a secluded corner of the garden where a stone bench overlooked the estate's grounds.
Ava sat down gratefully, and Lucian joined her.

"Lucian," Ava said after a moment. "There's something I need to know."
"What?"
"When I was... wherever I was... I had visions. Memories that weren't mine." She looked at him. "I saw you. You were younger. With Seraphina."
Lucian's entire body went rigid.

"How do you..?" He stopped, his voice tight. "The ancestors...They showed you.. she's the one I told you about."
"They showed me what happened," Ava confirmed gently. "How she died ,how you.."

"How I killed her," Lucian finished, his voice hollow.
"You can say it, Ava. I killed the woman I loved because I lost control. Because I was too weak, too reckless, too.. stupid.."

"In love," Ava interrupted. "You were in love. You made a mistake. You were trying to protect the people you loved Lucian"

"A mistake that cost her everything," Lucian said bitterly. "A mistake I've been paying for ever since."

Ava reached for his hand. "Is that why you've been so distant? So afraid to let anyone get close?"

Lucian closed his eyes. "I swore I'd never let myself love anyone again. That I'd never put someone else at risk because of what I am, what I'm capable of."
"And yet here we are," Ava said softly.

Lucian opened his eyes and looked at her really looked at her. At the woman who'd risked everything to save his family. Who'd faced down ancient evil and survived. Who was looking at him now not with judgment, but with understanding.

"Here we are," he echoed.

"Lucian, what happened to Seraphina was a tragedy. But you can't punish yourself forever. You can't close yourself off from feeling anything because you're afraid of losing control again."

"I'm afraid of hurting you," Lucian admitted, his voice raw. "You've already been through so much. You've already sacrificed so much. I can't I won't be another burden."
"You're not a burden," Ava said firmly. "You're.."

"Lucian! Ava!" Aria's voice cut through the garden, urgent and sharp.

They both stood immediately as Aria ran toward them, her face pale.
"What is it?" Lucian demanded.
"The wards," Aria gasped. "Someone's trying to break through the southern perimeter with really powerful magic. And..." She looked at Ava. "They're asking for you specifically."

Ava's blood ran cold. "Morgana."

"We don't know," Aria said. "But whoever it is, they're not being subtle. They want us to know they're there."
Lucian's jaw set. "Then we don't keep them waiting."
As they hurried back toward the estate, Ava couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was waiting for them
at the southern perimeter would somehow change everything.

All over again.

Southern Perimeter
When they arrived, they found Selene, Darion, and Rhyssa already there, weapons drawn, magic crackling in the air.

And standing just beyond the ward line, illuminated by torchlight, was a figure Ava had never seen before.

It was a man. He was tall, with dark hair and amber eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness. He wore black, his stance casual but his presence radiating power.

"Who are you?" Selene demanded.
The man smiled a cold, dangerous smile that sent chills down Ava's spine.

"My name is Kael," he said, his voice smooth and commanding. "Kael Ashbourne. And I've come to deliver a message from my mother."
Darion's eyes widened in recognition. "Ashbourne. You're.."

"Morgana's son," Kael confirmed. "And Aldric Varex's son. Which makes us brothers, doesn't it?"

The silence that followed was deafening.
Ava stared at the man before them at Darion's half-brother, at the hybrid Selene had warned them about and felt the ground shift beneath her feet once more.

"What's your message?" Ava asked, her voice steady despite the fear she felt curling in her chest.

Kael's amber eyes locked onto hers.

"My mother says to tell you: the next time we meet, there will be no mercy. No escape. And no survivors." His smile widened. "She's coming for all of you. And I'll be right beside her."

Then, before anyone could react, Kael vanished into shadows, leaving only his warning echoing in the night air.

Ava looked at Darion and saw her own terror reflected in his face.
The war wasn't just continuing.

It was escalating.
And they'd just met one of their most dangerous enemies yet.