Chapter 62: The Ritual Must Begin

Kael’s body slams into the ground, the force enough to shatter stone beneath him. His lungs seize—air stolen by the sheer impact.

Pain. Blinding, consuming pain.

Through the haze of agony, he hears it.

The Lunari’s laughter—distorted, inhuman.

It stalks toward him, each step cracking the earth beneath its monstrous weight. Its burning eyes lock onto him like a predator savoring its kill.

Mara’s voice cuts through the chaos, sharp and panicked: “Get up, Kael!”

He tries. His limbs scream in protest, but he grits his teeth and pushes up on shaking arms.

Not yet. He can’t die yet.

The Lunari raises a clawed hand. The air thickens, gravity itself bending under its command. A sickening pull grips at his soul—an invisible force tearing him apart from the inside.

Kael gasps, eyes widening. It’s trying to kill him.

Mara snarls an incantation. A bright sigil ignites between them, shielding Kael just as the Lunari’s attack lashes out. The shockwave blasts through the ruins, sending others sprawling.

But Kael is still breathing.

For now.

Mara drops to a knee, blood dripping from her nose. Whatever spell she cast, it cost her.

She looks up at Kael, eyes blazing with frustration. “We don’t have time for this,” she snaps. “If you want to live, we start the ritual now.”

Kael forces himself up, vision swimming. “We need more time"

“There is no more time!” Mara gestures wildly to the sky, where the Blood Moon pulses in rapid, frenzied beats. “The Lunari is almost fully awake! If you don’t act now, there won’t be anything left to save!”

His throat tightens. He looks past her—to the beast wearing Aria’s body.

Can she even be saved?

The Lunari tilts its head, watching, waiting.

It’s toying with them.

Mara steps closer, lowering her voice. “You know what must be done, Kael.”

His jaw clenches. “The ritual will kill her.”

Mara’s lips press into a thin line. “Then tell me—what’s worse? Losing her… or letting that live?”

Kael’s fingers curl into fists.

Everything in him rebels against the choice in front of him. But he knows.

Mara is right.

If he doesn’t act, the Lunari will consume everything.

He exhales shakily.

Then, he speaks the words that seal Aria’s fate.

“Tell me what to do.”

Mara doesn’t hesitate. She pulls a dagger from her cloak and slices her palm open.

Ancient symbols burn to life in the ruins around them, the air vibrating with power. The ground shifts beneath them, responding to the call of the spell.

Mara’s voice rings out, commanding: “The bond must be severed. We cut her soul from the Lunari, or we let it consume her completely.”

Kael swallows hard. His heart aches—because deep down, he knows what this means.

If they fail, Aria dies.

If they succeed… she might not be the same.

Either way, he loses her.

He grips his blade, stepping toward the circle.

Time to end this.

Kael steps into the ritual circle, the ancient runes flaring to life beneath his feet. The power thrums against his skin, cold and burning at the same time.

Mara stands across from him, her bleeding palm raised, lips moving in an incantation. The energy in the air thickens—pulling, twisting.

At the center of it all, the Lunari-Aria snarls. Its inhuman eyes flicker with recognition, but the beast doesn’t attack. It’s waiting.

Waiting for him to fail.

Kael lifts his dagger. The first cut must come from him—his soulbound connection to Aria is the key to severing her from the Lunari.

He hesitates.

Even now, a part of him resists. This isn’t just a ritual. It’s a battle.

One that he may not survive.

Mara’s voice rises, urgent: “Kael! Now!”

His heart pounds.

He slashes his palm open.

The moment his blood touches the ground, the world shatters.

Darkness engulfs Kael.

He’s no longer in the ruins—he’s in Aria’s mind.

Shadows swirl around him, pulsing with a sick, consuming hunger. Whispers claw at his thoughts, distorting reality.

Then, he sees her.

Aria.

She’s curled in the center of the void, chains of dark energy wrapped around her wrists and throat. Her skin is deathly pale, her eyes wide but vacant.

Kael’s chest tightens. He kneels, reaching for her. “Aria…”

Her gaze flickers, but the shadows tighten their grip.

The Lunari’s voice rumbles through the void, a thousand voices speaking as one:

“She belongs to us now.”

Kael grits his teeth. “Like hell she does.”

He grabs the chains, ignoring the searing pain as dark magic tries to force him back.

Aria shudders. Her lips part, a whisper escaping—his name.

It’s enough.

Kael pulls.

The darkness screams.

A violent force slams into him, throwing him back. The Lunari emerges from the shadows, taking form.

It looks like Aria, but twisted—too tall, too sharp, glowing with an unholy light.

It moves closer, tilting its head. “Why do you fight? She chose this.”

Kael growls, forcing himself up. “No. You chose for her.”

The Lunari smiles, a cruel, haunting thing. “And what will you do, Alpha? Kill her?”

Kael’s stomach twists.

That’s the question, isn’t it?

If he can’t save her… will he be able to end it?

His fingers tighten around the dagger.

The Lunari laughs. “You can’t do it.”

A pause. Then

“But she can.”

Kael barely has time to react before Aria lunges at him.

Her hands wrap around his throat.

Her eyes—Aria’s eyes—glow with the Lunari’s power.

And she’s killing him.

Kael gasps, vision blurring as Aria’s grip tightens.

He’s losing.

His body weakens, the ritual failing

No.

Not like this.

He forces his hands to her face, his voice hoarse but desperate. “Aria… I know you’re in there.”

For a flickering moment—she hesitates.

Kael’s fingers tighten, his voice breaking.

“Come back to me.”

The shadows tremble.

Aria shudders.

And then

A scream.

Aria throws herself back, clawing at her own skin as the Lunari’s power rages within her.

The void shakes.

Something is breaking.