Chapter 91 Daggered Mercies

Chapter 91 Daggered Mercies
~Sylion's POV~

Agony pulled me awake in the dim, suffocating Second World chamber. 

The poisoned relic dagger still protruded from my side, its violet edge pulsing with malevolent energy. 

Every shallow breath sent fresh fire racing through my veins, burning hotter than any wound I had ever endured. 

The enthralled girl had vanished without a trace. No Valerian or the guards as well. Just me, and the pain that lies against my skin.

I clenched my teeth until they ached and wrapped my trembling fingers around the hilt. With a sharp, guttural yank, I tore the blade free.

Blood poured hot and fast from the gash, soaking my torn shirt. 

I pressed my palm hard against the wound and forced the oath scar on my shoulder to burn hotter, drawing every last reserve of will and bond energy to stem the flow.

"You won't take me down that easily," I growled through gritted teeth, the words raw and defiant in the empty chamber. "Not when Elowen still needs me."

I staggered to my feet, world tilting violently, and stumbled toward the rift exit. 

The fringes of the Second World tried to pull me back, the ground shifting like living flesh beneath my boots and whispering spells clawing at my mind with promises of rest and surrender. 

I pushed through with sheer stubborn rage, shoulder slamming against the unstable portal edge. 

The rift spat me out near the Tharros borders under cover of night, cold air hitting me like a slap.

Medbay lights blinded me the moment I collapsed through the safe house entrance. Strong hands grabbed my arms, supporting my weight before I hit the floor. 

I collapsed onto a metal table, vision swimming in and out of focus, blood pooling beneath me.

Elowen's face appeared above me, her eyes wide with fear and determination. I reached desperately for the bond link, my voice weak but clear in her mind.

"The Second World opens… but at child cost. The gate demands blood, but it hungers for the young ones first. Lira… the boy… they're the key. Don't let them pay the price!"

Her eyes widened in horror...

I held her gaze a moment longer, trying to pour every ounce of remaining strength into the link, before darkness took me again in a heavy wave...

★★★

~Valerian's POV~

Dawn broke cold and mercilessly over the Drezova labs, the sterile white walls gleaming under harsh artificial lights since Sylion had escaped. 

Lira stood chained to the extraction rig, small wrists raw and bleeding under the tight metal bands. 

I adjusted the flow valve with precise fingers, watching her pure relic blood slide through clear tubes into the gate fuel reservoir. 

The violet liquid glowed brighter with every precious drop, humming with increasing power.

"Such strong resistance for one so young," I said calmly, almost admiringly, as I monitored the readings. 

"But it only makes the fuel purer. Your blood fights me at every step, and yet it perfects the gate."

Lira glared at me through sweat-soaked hair, her small body trembling with exhaustion and defiance. 

"You're hurting me... My father will come because he always comes. And when he does, he'll tear this place apart."

I smiled thinly, circling the rig slowly. 

"Let him come, and every drop you give brings the gate closer to full power. Your pain is a small price for the Second World. Think of the glory, little one."

She fought the enthrall threads hard, her relic aura flaring bright and pure, weakening my hold with every surge. 

Suddenly, her eyes cleared for a heartbeat, the compulsion cracking.

"Daddy!" she cried out mentally, the call shooting sharp and desperate across the distance. "He's taking my blood for the gate! Help me! It burns!"

I felt the link snap toward Alaric like a live wire... and I quickly tightened the chains with a flick of my wrist, metal biting deeper. 

"Clever girl, but not clever enough. Your father will only arrive in time to watch the gate open."

The extraction continued without pause. The reservoir hummed louder, violet energy crackling along the tubes. 

Outside the lab, alarms began to blare shrillly. 

Portal signatures flared across the monitors with Dravenmere assault teams ripping open multiple entry points with brutal force. Alaric had mobilized fast, exactly as I had anticipated.

I watched the screens with clinical interest, a satisfied smile curving my lips. 

"Good, let them come. The more chaos they bring, the sooner the gate feeds. Their desperation only strengthens the ritual."

Then Alaric's assault portals tore open violently across the battlefield, clashing with Veyra's Velmira fleet already descending from the smoke-filled sky like predatory birds. 

Ships fired relentlessly on incoming Dravenmere forces while hybrids poured from Valerian's side in a never-ending tide. 

Explosions lit the horizon in brilliant orange and violet as the three armies collided in a deadly, chaotic triangle of fire and steel.

In the heart of the chaos, Lira broke free from my grasp mid-battle. 

She slipped the weakened chains with a desperate surge of her relic power and ran toward the nearest exit rift. 

Her small legs pumped as fast as they could carry her across the blood-soaked ground.

"Almost there," she whispered to herself, breath coming in ragged gasps. "Just a little farther. Daddy, I'm coming."

Then a cold, hollow laugh echoed behind her. 

Spectral chains whipped out from the shadows, wrapping around her waist and yanking her back with brutal force. 

Kaelan's ghost, which I just resurrected and bound by my dark rite... materialized fully, eyes glowing crimson with unnatural hunger.

"Come now, daughter," he said, voice hollow yet commanding, echoing with layers of the man he once was. "We're not finished yet!Your blood is too valuable to waste on escape!"

The chains tightened painfully, dragging her kicking and screaming back toward my inner sanctum despite her fierce struggles.

The battlefield raged on around them, explosions shaking the ground as father, daughter, and the ghost of betrayal converged once more toward the heart of the growing storm.

"No! Let me go!" Lira cried, tears streaming down her face as she clawed at the spectral links. "You're not my real father anymore! You're just his puppet!"

Kaelan's ghost only smiled wider, pulling her closer. "Puppet or not, blood is blood. And soon the gate will drink deeply from us all!"