Chapter 175

Chapter 175
Dorian‘s pov.

The ride had been brutal.
Dust clung to my face, sweat trickled down my spine, and the tension between me and Tiberius had grown thick enough to slice through with a blade. Every time he opened his mouth, it was either a snide comment or a sarcastic jab. And every time, I clenched my jaw tighter. One more word and I swear, I was going to punch him this time.
"Try not to break your horse's spine with that riding style," he muttered for the third time in an hour.
"Try not to electrocute something every five minutes," I snapped back. "We're not at a carnival."
Tiberius rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that I chose to ignore.
Meanwhile, Calipsa's mood was becoming harder to read. She would fall behind, then gallop ahead, only to slow again. Her face was twisted into a scowl, her eyes darting nervously around. Finally, when she let out a frustrated sigh for the fifth time, I had enough.
"What is it, Calipsa? Spit it out," I said, pulling my horse alongside hers.
She shook her head quickly. "Nothing."
I raised a brow. "Really? Because your face says 'something terrible is about to happen.'"
She bit her lip, looked ahead, then back at me. "Alright. Fine. I think we're heading toward the Obsidian Valley."
Tiberius, who had been ahead, pulled on his reins and turned. "Obsidian Valley? That forgotten graveyard of a place?"
Calipsa nodded, albeit slowly. "I can't be sure. It’s old. Very old. Most have forgotten it even exists. But there are signs—energy patterns, old trails, magic residue... I think they’re headed that way."
Tiberius snorted. "Of course. Arius is old enough to remember places even time tried to erase."
I frowned. "What exactly is in this valley?"
Calipsa didn’t answer immediately. Then, with a voice lower than before, she said, "The Mirror of Veyra."
Tiberius furrowed his brows. "Mirror of what now?"
She repeated it. "The Mirror of Veyra. An artifact of immense power. It doesn’t just show your reflection. It... connects to realms beyond. It can call back souls, retrieve moments lost to time, possibly even restore life."
Tiberius and I exchanged a heavy glance.
"Reyna and Hera," we both said at the same time.
I turned to Calipsa. "Is it possible? Could she actually bring them back?"
Calipsa nodded slowly. "Yes. But... it requires a pure offering. A sacrifice untainted by corruption or selfish intent."
Tiberius cursed. "Of course. Another damn sacrifice. She’s risking everything again. Didn’t she learn from last time?"
Calipsa looked suddenly uneasy.
I narrowed my eyes. "What is it now?"
She hesitated. "Arius is with her... and if he intends to use the Mirror—"
Tiberius snapped, "Just say it."
Calipsa inhaled deeply. "What if he intends to sacrifice Freya?"
The silence was deafening. My heart stopped.
Tiberius and I kicked our horses into a gallop, the urgency suddenly tenfold. "Ride faster!" I barked. "No stops! Calipsa, keep up!"
We rode hard, cutting through woods and narrow paths, until finally we reached a crossroads.
Calipsa slid off her horse and knelt. She murmured words I couldn’t decipher, her hands brushing over the dusty ground. Then she looked up at us. "Dismount. I need your energy."
Tiberius jumped down, suspicious but silent. I followed.
She placed her palm over my heart, then Tiberius’. Finally, she walked back to me. "Your dagger," she said.
I arched a brow but handed it to her.
"Your hand," she added.
I extended it, watching her closely. She muttered in that strange language again, then sliced my palm open with the blade. I hissed but didn’t flinch.
Blood dripped to the ground. She guided the drops toward each fork of the road.
When she stood, she examined the pattern carefully. "Left," she said. "The blood moved there naturally. That’s where they went."
Tiberius nodded and mounted without a word. I did the same.
Only Dante looked puzzled. "Alright, witch, mind telling me what that was all about?"
Calipsa dusted off her hands. "Blood, especially of royalty or those bound by magic, carries more than life. It carries direction. Energy flows where it resonates. The blood followed their path because it's drawn to their essence."
Dante looked halfway between impressed and concerned. "That’s... unsettlingly smart."
"Magic usually is," she muttered, climbing back onto her horse.
Tiberius took the lead. I followed close behind, eyes forward but thoughts swirling.
Freya. What the hell are you doing?
If Arius truly meant to use her for the Mirror, I would destroy him.
But part of me feared something worse:
That she had gone willingly.
And I didn't know which would hurt more.
We rode into the night, but not even darkness could cloud the rage building in my chest.
I would find her.
And she would explain.