BEFORE THE FINAL STRIKE

BEFORE THE FINAL STRIKE
Alma’s POV

I was almost there. I just needed to hold out until the final strike of lightning.

My grip tightened around the hilt of the sword, plunged deep into the sealed rock bed of the ocean floor. Beneath it lay my soon-to-be army—the unstoppable legion that would help me tear all of Álfheimr to the ground. Even if I didn't survive to see the end of it, I would at least bring Álfheimr to its knees.

A twisted smile crept onto my face as my gaze swept over the trapped queens of Álfheimr, positioned in a wide circle around the central stone. Glowing, blood-red spirit chains extended from each of their chests, binding them directly to the sword.

The agonizing pain etched across their faces was utterly intoxicating. But even as the ritual ruthlessly devoured their physical energy and drained their spiritual power—tearing their spirit goddesses apart piece by piece—it still wasn't fast enough. It wasn't opening the cave quickly enough to unleash the beasts roaring in response to being unlocked after a thousand years of imprisonment.

They must be so hungry.

The sheer thought of it made a dark laugh bubble up in my chest. I wished I could watch them devour every single soul in Álfheimr, but to force the second lightning strike, I needed to feed more of my own dark energy into the ritual.

I knew the strain could kill me—but death was no longer something to fear. I would rather die right here than fail and have my body, soul, and spirit judged and condemned by the Mother Gem.

“Alma, please! Stop this madness! You're killing them!” Dad screamed frantically from the stone wall where he was chained, but his desperation only broadened my smile.

“Don't worry, Dad. You'll thank me later for saving Álfheimr,” I taunted smoothly. “And you'll have a grand role to play in it—just as your wife is doing right now.”

With that, I funneled the dark power of the Black Stone alongside my borrowed Almaruda magic, forcing the energy output to its absolute limit.

Instantly, a sickening, tearing agony ripped through my chest, as if my insides were being violently shredded apart.

Every single organ in my body trembled in unbearable pain. Before I could process the sudden collapse of my body, a hot, metallic liquid pooled in my throat and burst from my lips.

Blood.

The pain was otherworldly—it felt as though a thousand blades were stabbing straight into my heart while my body was plunged into a boiling volcano.

Suddenly, a massive, explosive force erupted around us. A violent tremor shook the sea floor, causing the parted ocean walls held back by Almaruda’s magic to quiver precariously. A second colossal lightning strike tore from the stone wall, the sheer concussive blast launching me backward through the air until my spine slammed brutally against one of the standing stone pillars.

A fresh wave of excruciating pain surged through me as I collapsed onto the ocean floor in sheer horror.

I gasped for air, my body trembling uncontrollably as blood gushed from my mouth and trickled down my chin.

Dragging myself to my feet with heavy, bloodshot eyes, I looked off into the distance—only to see my giant rock soldiers disintegrating one by one into dust.

That could only mean one thing.

Siofra was here.

I thought my rock army would be more than enough to stall her, unless she somehow brought far more help than I anticipated.

The stone cavern was already cracking open beneath the altar. All I needed was one last strike of lightning, and the seal would break completely.

“Go. Kill them! Do not let a single one of them get any closer!” I ordered the massive dragon hovering before me.

It let out a bone-scraping, harsh screech before beating its wings and taking off into the sky.

I stumbled back toward the sword. The queens remained bound in their glowing chains—most of them passed out, while others looked far worse. I didn't care.

It was time to finish this once and for all.

I channeled my remaining strength back into the ritual, fusing it with theirs—and then I heard it.

“Alma!”

Siofra’s voice rang out from behind me, sharp and echoing.

I froze, wiping the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand before slowly turning around to face her.

She was actually here—fully restored and back in her own body.

A dark smirk pulled at my lips as I noticed the ancient power of the gemstones radiating from her eyes and glowing along the blade of the sword in her hands.

I diverted the Black Stone’s energy directly into the ritual circle, letting the artifact sustain the sacrifice on its own while I stepped forward to greet my little sister.

“Wow. Look who finally decided to join the party after keeping me waiting for so long,” I mocked, cautiously closing the distance between us. I caught her gaze flicking past me toward our mother's unconscious form.

Satisfied, I let my smirk widen.

“Aren't you pleased with me, Siofra? I'm finally getting rid of all our problems! Now you don't have to walk on eggshells anymore. You can be your wild, crazy self without worrying about Mother constantly comparing you to me. You won't have to marry anyone you don't want to. We won't be bound by some stupid prophecy ever again!”

Siofra’s POV

I stared into her eyes, desperately searching for a single flicker of remorse or humanity—and found nothing.

Part of me had held onto the desperate hope that I could reason with her, that somewhere beneath the corrupted magic, my sister was still in there. But looking into those pitch-black, hollow eyes sent a chill straight down my spine. It was terrifying to realize that this monster was the exact same Alma I had grown up with.

It all felt like a nightmare.

It felt as though I would wake up at any second and find Alma standing at my bedroom doorway, a playful glint in her eyes, teasing me for forgetting yet another hunting assembly with the other royal houses.

“This is not the time to be emotional, Siofra,” Lumeria’s voice warned sternly from within my mind. “She surrendered herself to dark power long ago. She never truly considered you her sister.”

A heavy, aching sigh left my lips. “I know... I just wish things were different,” I muttered under my breath.

My gaze shifted to the circle of queens, their life force actively being drained into the sword. For the first time in my life, I saw my mother looking completely broken, stripped of all her formidable power.

“Siofra! Please, help them or they will all die!” Dad’s voice called out in desperation.

He was bound in heavy chains right beside the central altar, and the horrifying truth instantly clicked in my mind: she was planning to use our own father as the first sacrifice the second the cave opened.

“I can't believe Mother invested so much time and hope into you... only for you to throw it all away like this,” I said, my voice dripping with cold disappointment.

A loud, unhinged laugh tore from Alma’s throat.

“I guess I just have my charms, don't you think?” she sneered, her voice rising to a frantic, psychotic pitch. “If it weren't for that wretched old elf who refuses to die, I would have gotten rid of you a long time ago and staged it as an accident! But she just had to meddle in my affairs every single time! None of this would be happening if she had just let you die!”

Footsteps rustled behind me as Alda and Elba caught up, stepping up to flank my sides.

“Oh my God... what on earth is she doing to them?” Alda gasped, her voice trembling in absolute horror as she took in the sight of the draining queens.

“Wow. Would you look at this complete psycho,” Elba remarked, her tone as dry and unbothered as ever.

Alma’s eyes snapped toward them, her lip curling in disgust. “Well, well... you brought your own little pathetic squad. And if it isn't the ungrateful victim of the Almaruda curse! You should be on your knees thanking me for lifting that curse and leaving you alive, you ungrateful monster!” she spat at Elba.

“How do we free the queens?” Alda asked me urgently under her breath.

“Lumeria said slicing the ritual sword in half will break the connection,” I answered quickly. “The hard part is that the Black Stone’s barrier won't let anyone close to it.”

Before we could act, Alma thrust her hands into the air, summoning a dense vortex of dark, swirling wind around the altar.

“Elba! You and Alda are the only ones whose combined power can break through the Black Stone’s barrier and seal that cave!” I shouted over the howling gale.

Alma was trying to stall for time to complete the ritual. I could feel how physically drained she was—without the Black Stone sustaining her body, Almaruda’s stolen power was rapidly rejecting her. She wasn't the rightful host, and her body was breaking under the strain.

“First, we need to free everyone who could be used as a sacrifice!” I added firmly.

Alda and Elba gave a resolute nod, immediately charging through the storm toward the central ritual circle.

Without another second's hesitation, I drew my glowing sword and plunged directly into Alma's howling vortex of dark magic, ready to end this nightmare once and for all.