Chapter 35 CORRUPTED

Chapter 35 CORRUPTED
CHAPTER 035: CORRUPTED

Kieran's massive form crashes into me.

We hit the ground hard. His weight crushes the air from my lungs. Teeth snap inches from my throat.

"Kieran stop!" I scream.

But his eyes are empty. Black where amber should be. There's nothing of him left in there.

The Hollow King corrupted him completely.

Claws rake across my shoulder. I cry out and try to shove him off but he's too heavy. Too strong.

"Kieran please. It's me. It's Thalira."

His jaws open wider. Going for my throat.

Then Morgana's shadows slam into him from the side. He flies off me and crashes into the academy wall.

"Get up," Morgana snaps at me. "Now."

I scramble to my feet. Blood pours from my shoulder but I ignore it.

Kieran is already recovering. Shaking off the impact like it was nothing.

He turns toward us and growls. The sound is wrong. Layered with something dark underneath.

"He's not in control," Sofia says. She's moved to stand beside us with defensive charms glowing in her hands. "The Hollow King is piloting him."

"Can we break it?" I ask.

"I don't know. Maybe if we—"

Kieran charges again.

This time Sofia's charm catches him. Light wraps around his body like chains. He struggles but holds.

"That won't last long," she gasps. Already the charm is cracking under the pressure.

The Hollow King laughs. "Impressive effort but futile. The wolf is mine now. Everything he was. Everything he could have been. Mine."

"Let him go," I snarl.

"No I don't think I will. He makes an excellent weapon. And watching you fight him is quite entertaining."

The chains shatter. Kieran breaks free.

But this time he doesn't attack me. He goes for the other students. The ones too injured to defend themselves.

"No!" I run after him but I'm too slow.

He's on top of a girl. She screams. His claws come down.

Then stop.

Frozen mid strike.

I didn't freeze time. I'm not even using my magic.

Kieran is fighting it. Fighting the control.

His whole body shakes. The black in his eyes flickers. Amber bleeds through.

"Thalira." His voice is his own. Strained. Desperate. "Run."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You have to." He's struggling to keep his claws from moving. "I can't hold it much longer."

"Then don't. Let me help you."

"You can't help me. He's in my head. In my soul. There's nothing left to save."

"That's not true."

"It is." The black is creeping back into his eyes. "He showed me things. Did things. Broke me in ways that don't heal."

My throat tightens. "Kieran—"

"I'm not the person you freed anymore. I'm not the person who came back for you." His voice cracks. "I'm just a weapon he's going to use to kill everyone you love. Starting with you."

"No. You're stronger than him."

"I'm really not." The amber in his eyes disappears completely. "Goodbye Thalira."

The control snaps back into place.

Kieran lunges.

I don't move. Don't run. Just stand there and wait for impact.

If he's going to kill me he'll have to do it while I'm looking him in the eyes.

His claws are inches from my chest when something massive slams into him from the side.

Another wolf. Silver and white.

They crash together in a tangle of fur and teeth.

I blink in shock. "What—"

The silver wolf pins Kieran. Snarls in his face. Then shifts.

It's a girl. Maybe a year older than me. Silver hair. Ice blue eyes. Wearing combat gear.

"Stay down wolf," she commands. Her voice carries power. Alpha power.

Kieran struggles but she presses harder. "I said stay down."

"Who are you?" I demand.

She glances at me. "Luna Moonwhisper. Your sister. And we need to talk."

The world tilts.

"My what?"

"Sister. Twin actually." She looks back at Kieran who's still struggling beneath her. "But first we deal with this. He's corrupted beyond normal means. The Hollow King didn't just possess him. He rewrote him."

"Can you fix it?"

"Fix it? No. But I can contain it." She places her hand on Kieran's head and her eyes glow white. "Sleep."

Kieran goes limp.

She stands and brushes off her pants. "That'll hold him for a few hours. After that the corruption will burn through the command."

"How did you do that?"

"Alpha magic. I'm the pack leader for the Northern Territories." She finally looks at me fully. "And before you ask yes I'm real. Yes we're related. And yes I know this is a terrible time for a family reunion but the Hollow King is literally right there so maybe we save the questions for later?"

I turn. The Hollow King is watching us with interest.

"Another Moonwhisper. How delightful." He tilts his head. "Though you're not supposed to exist. I made sure of that."

"You tried," Luna says. Her voice is hard. "But our mother was smarter than you gave her credit for. She split us. Hid me. Made sure at least one of us would survive to stop you."

"Touching. And pointless." He waves his hand and the three unconscious boys behind him start to stir.

Alaric's eyes open. But they're red. Not his normal red. Dark red. Blood red.

Cassian wakes next. Flames ignite across his skin but they're black instead of gold.

Zev is last. His eyes glow purple instead of blue.

All corrupted. All under the Hollow King's control.

"Oh no," I whisper.

"Oh yes," the Hollow King says. "Your boys. Your anchors. Your soul fragments. All mine now. And they're going to tear you apart piece by piece while you watch."

Luna grabs my arm. "We need to go. Now."

"I can't leave them."

"You can't save them either. Not like this."

"She's right," Morgana says. She's pale and shaking. "Through the bond I can feel what he's doing. He's not just controlling them. He's rewriting them. Making them into his soldiers."

"Then I'll rewrite them back."

"You don't have that kind of power."

"Then I'll find it."

The three corrupted boys stand. They move in perfect sync. Like puppets on strings.

The Hollow King smiles. "Kill her. But do it slowly. I want to savor this."

They attack.

Alaric moves with vampire speed. Cassian launches black fire. Zev's corrupted dream magic warps the air.

Luna shifts and intercepts Alaric. They crash together in a blur of motion.

Morgana's shadows catch Cassian's fire. Barely. The black flames eat through her defenses.

I face Zev alone.

His purple eyes bore into mine. "Hello Thalira. This is going to hurt."

His magic slams into my mind.

I scream. It feels like my skull is splitting open. Images flood my thoughts. Memories that aren't mine. Nightmares made real.

I see myself killing Sofia. Killing Morgana. Killing everyone I care about.

"No," I gasp. "Not real."

"Real enough," Zev's voice echoes in my head. "This is what you'll become. A monster just like him."

I try to fight it but the visions are too strong. Too vivid.

Then someone grabs my hand.

Warmth floods through me. The visions shatter.

I blink. Morgana is holding my hand. Through our bond she's feeding me strength.

"Focus," she says. "He's lying. You know who you are."

"Do I?"

"Yes. You're Thalira Moonwhisper. Phoenix Soul. Pain in my ass. And you don't break."

I take a breath. She's right.

I reach for my time magic. It responds sluggishly but it's there.

I push it outward. Time slows around Zev. His magic falters.

I rip my mind free of his control.

He staggers back with surprise flickering across his corrupted features.

"Impossible," he mutters. "You shouldn't be able to resist."

"Turns out I'm full of surprises."

I freeze time completely. Just for a second. Just long enough to put distance between us.

When time resumes I'm across the courtyard. Luna and Morgana are beside me.

"We can't keep this up," Luna pants. She's bleeding from a dozen cuts. "There's too many of them and they're not holding back."

"Then we don't fight them," I say. "We fight him."

I point at the Hollow King who's still standing calmly by the portal.

"If we take him down the corruption breaks," I continue. "All of it. Kieran. The boys. Everything."

"And how do we get past his army?" Morgana asks.

"We don't. I go through the portal and attack him on his own ground."

"That's suicide," Luna says flatly.

"Maybe. But it's our only shot."

The three corrupted boys are recovering. Preparing for another attack.

"I'll buy you time," Luna says. "But you better make it count."

She shifts and charges. Her howl rallies the few remaining fighters. Students and faculty who can still stand rush forward.

It's chaos. Beautiful terrible chaos.

And in that chaos I run.

Straight toward the portal. Toward the Hollow King. Toward certain death.

"Thalira no!" Sofia's voice cuts through the noise.

But I don't stop.

I'm five feet from the portal when the Hollow King finally moves. He raises his hand and dark energy explodes toward me.

I try to dodge but it's too fast.

The energy hits me square in the chest. Pain beyond anything I've felt before. Like every cell in my body is being ripped apart.

I fall. Can't breathe. Can't think.

The Hollow King walks over and crouches beside me. "Did you really think it would be that easy? That you could just charge me and win?"

I try to speak but only blood comes out.

"You're dying again. But this time I'm not letting you come back." He places his hand on my forehead. "This time I'm taking your power. Your soul. Everything that makes you you. And I'm going to use it to burn your world to ash."

Cold spreads through me. Not death. Something worse. He's actually doing it. Actually stealing my essence.

Through fading vision I see Morgana running toward us. She won't make it in time.

I see Luna fighting Alaric. Still holding him back but barely.

I see Sofia crying as she tries to reach me.

I'm going to die here. Really die. And there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Then I feel it. A presence. Familiar. Warm. Coming from inside me.

My mother's fragment.

She's waking up.

No. Not waking. Burning.

Heat explodes from my chest. The Hollow King jerks back with shock on his face.

"What is this?"

My mother's voice comes from my mouth but I'm not the one speaking. "You don't get to have her."

Light pours from my body. Blinding. Hot. Phoenix fire magnified a thousand times.

The Hollow King screams and stumbles backward.

My mother's fragment is using my body. Using my death to fuel one final attack.

"I couldn't stop you seventeen years ago," my mother says through me. "But I can stop you now."

The light intensifies. It spreads across the courtyard. Touches the corrupted boys.

The darkness burns away. The black in Alaric's eyes fades. Cassian's flames turn gold again. Zev's eyes return to blue.

They collapse. Free but unconscious.

The light reaches Kieran. His wolf form spasms. Then shifts. He's human again. Himself again.

The corruption is gone.

But my mother isn't done.

She turns my body toward the portal. Toward the Hollow King's realm.

"This ends now," she says.

And we walk through.

The realm is different this time. Brighter. Burning.

My mother is using my phoenix nature to set this entire dimension on fire.

The Hollow King appears in front of us. "You're killing her. If you keep this up she won't survive."

"I know," my mother says. "But neither will you."

His eyes widen. "You wouldn't."

"Watch me."

The fire spreads faster. Consuming everything. The twisted trees. The shadow mountains. The very fabric of this realm.

And the Hollow King along with it.

He tries to flee but there's nowhere to go. This is his prison. His domain. And now it's his pyre.

He screams as the flames consume him. "You can't do this! I am eternal!"

"Nothing is eternal," my mother says. "Not even you."

The Hollow King burns. His form disintegrates. His voice fades.

Until there's nothing left but ash.

The realm collapses. Imploding without its creator to sustain it.

My mother pushes us back through the portal. Back to the real world.

We emerge in the courtyard. The portal snaps shut behind us.

And then my mother's fragment lets go.

I collapse. The fire dies. Everything goes dark.

I hear voices. Distant. Panicked.

"She's not breathing!"

"Someone do something!"

"Thalira please wake up!"

But I can't wake up. I'm too far gone.

I used up everything. My magic. My life force. Even my ability to resurrect.

This is it. The real death. The final one.

I'm okay with that. The Hollow King is gone. Everyone is safe.

That's enough.

Then someone grabs my hand. Warmth floods through me. Not my mother this time. Someone else.

I feel three more hands join the first. Four sources of warmth. Four anchors pulling me back.

The boys. My soul fragments. They're pouring their power into me. Forcing me to resurrect when I don't have the strength to do it myself.

"Don't you dare die on us," Kieran's voice cuts through the darkness. "Not after everything we've been through."

"We need you," Alaric adds.

"You don't get to sacrifice yourself and call it noble," Cassian says.

"Come back," Zev whispers. "Please come back."

Their combined power is overwhelming. It drags me kicking and screaming back into my body.

I gasp. My eyes fly open.

Four faces hover over me. Worried. Relieved. Alive.

"You idiots," I croak. "I was trying to die heroically."

Kieran laughs. It sounds broken. "Too bad. You're stuck with us."

I try to sit up but everything hurts. "Is he really gone?"

"Yeah," Alaric says. His eyes are back to normal red. "You killed him. Burned his entire realm to nothing."

"We killed him. Mom did most of it."

"Where is she?" I look around. "The fragment. Where did she go?"

Morgana kneels beside me. "Gone. She used up everything she had left destroying him. There's nothing left."

My chest aches. "So I lost her again."

"No," Morgana says gently. "She was never really here to lose. Just an echo. A final gift."

I close my eyes. "Some gift. She burned herself out to save me."

"That's what mothers do," Luna says. She's back in human form. Standing a few feet away. "They sacrifice everything for their children."

I look at her. Really look at her for the first time.

She has my eyes. My face. My hair.

"You're really my sister?"

"Twin actually. Fraternal obviously." She offers a tired smile. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah. We do."

Around us the academy is in ruins. The battle is over. The Hollow King's army dissolved when he died.

Students are helping the injured. Faculty are assessing damage. Everyone looks exhausted but alive.

We won.

It doesn't feel like winning but we did.

"Can you stand?" Kieran asks.

"Maybe. Probably not."

He lifts me anyway. Carries me like I weigh nothing. "Then I'll carry you."

"I can walk."

"I know. But I'm carrying you anyway."

I don't argue. Just let him hold me.

Sofia runs over with tears streaming down her face. "You're alive. You're actually alive."

"Surprised?"

"Yes. No. Maybe." She laughs through her tears. "I thought we lost you."

"You almost did."

Morgana stands beside Sofia. "The bond saved you. It anchored you long enough for the boys to pull you back."

"So I owe my life to the thing that almost killed me. Poetic."

"Isn't it?"

We start walking toward the infirmary. Or what's left of it. Half the building collapsed during the fight.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Three minutes," Zev says. "Longest three minutes of my life."

"Same," Cassian adds.

Alaric doesn't say anything but his hand finds mine and squeezes.

We're halfway across the courtyard when someone clears their throat behind us.

We turn.

Corvus is standing there. He looks older somehow. More tired.

"Headmaster," I start. "I'm sorry about the academy. The damage. Everything."

He holds up a hand. "The academy can be rebuilt. Lives cannot." He looks at each of us. "You saved everyone here. You killed the Hollow King. That's worth more than any building."

"Thank you sir."

"However." His tone shifts. Becomes more formal. "There is the matter of your sister."

Luna steps forward. "I can explain."

"You don't need to. I know who you are. What you are." Corvus looks at me. "Did you know you had a twin?"

"No. Not until today."

"Your mother hid her well. Split you at birth. Gave her to the Northern Pack to raise." He turns back to Luna. "You've been watching over her haven't you? From a distance."

Luna nods. "Since she awakened. I knew she'd need help eventually. Knew he'd come for her."

"And now that he's gone? What will you do?"

She looks at me. "That depends. Am I welcome here?"

"You're my sister," I say. "Of course you're welcome."

Something in her expression softens. "Then I'll stay. For a while at least. Get to know my twin."

Corvus nods. "Very well. But we'll need to discuss your status officially later. For now rest. All of you."

He walks away leaving us standing in the ruined courtyard.

"So," Sofia says breaking the silence. "Anyone else feel like sleeping for a week?"

"Make it a month," Cassian groans.

We start moving again. Slower this time. Everyone is injured in one way or another.

I look at Kieran. At the others. At Luna. At Morgana.

We're alive. Broken but alive.

That has to be enough.

We reach what's left of the dormitories. Most of the rooms are damaged but mine somehow survived mostly intact.

Kieran carries me inside and sets me on the bed. "Stay here. I'll get the healer."

"I'm fine."

"You died twice in one day. You're not fine."

He leaves before I can argue.

Luna sits in the chair by the window. "He cares about you. A lot."

"I know."

"Do you care about him?"

"Yes. But it's complicated."

"Because of the bond? Or lack of bond?"

"Both. Neither. I don't know anymore."

She's quiet for a moment. "Mom told me about you. In the dreams she sent. She said you'd be powerful. Important. Someone who'd change everything."

"She was wrong. I almost got everyone killed."

"But you didn't. You saved them." Luna leans forward. "That's what matters. Not the almost. The actual."

Maybe she's right. Maybe it is that simple.

Or maybe I'm too tired to think about it anymore.

The healer arrives and forces me to drink something bitter. My injuries start to heal faster.

One by one the others drift in. Finding places to sit or sleep. No one wants to be alone tonight.

We crowd into my tiny room. Bodies everywhere. But no one complains.

We're together. We're alive.

That's enough.

I'm drifting off to sleep when Kieran speaks quietly beside me.

"Thank you."

I open one eye. "For what?"

"For coming to get me. For not giving up."

"You came back for me first. I was just returning the favor."

"Still. Thank you."

His hand finds mine in the dark. I squeeze back.

Whatever happens next we'll face it together.

All of us.

I fall asleep surrounded by the people I love most in the world.

And for the first time in five lifetimes I don't dream of fire.

I dream of home.