Chapter 120 You Cold-Blooded Bitch!
Elara's POV
The entity seemed to sense the shift in dynamics immediately. Its crimson form pulsed with renewed energy and Aurora's burned face twisted into something between hope and desperation as she called out to it.
"You need to come back!" she screamed at the sphere, her voice cracking with strain. "Get back inside my body right now! Once you're back, she won't dare attack me!"
The crimson sphere ignored her completely and began moving in a different direction entirely, pulling away from both of us as it started a rapid ascent toward the upper reaches of the containment barrier.
I could see the drain happening in real time as Aurora's already pale skin took on a grayish cast and her breathing became labored.
"No," Aurora gasped out, her attention splitting between the doll in her hands and the entity that was literally draining her life away. "No, you can't leave me, we had an agreement, you promised—"
That single moment of distraction was all I needed. My body moved with the precision of years of combat training, my left hand sketching the complex pattern for Soul Tether while my right hand brought the moon-crescent blade around in a reverse grip.
Silver threads of pure magical energy erupted from my fingertips and shot toward the doll in Aurora's grasp, wrapping around it in multiple layers before yanking it free from her weakened grip with enough force to send it flying through the air.
Aurora's scream of rage barely registered as I completed the blade's arc, the enchanted edge carving through empty space and then continuing upward to intersect Aurora's outstretched arm as she lunged toward the doll. The blade cut through flesh and bone with surgical precision, severing her arm at the elbow in a spray of blood that painted the ground between us.
She collapsed backward with a shriek of agony, her remaining hand clutching at the stump as crimson pooled beneath her. I was already moving past her falling form, my attention focused on catching the doll before it could hit the ground and sustain damage. My fingers closed around the worn fabric and I pulled it against my chest protectively.
Two Pack guards materialized from the shadows and descended on Aurora's prone form, their hands forcing her face-down into the dirt as they secured her wrists behind her back with enchanted restraints. Her screams of pain and fury became muffled as one guard pressed her head firmly against the ground.
I turned my attention skyward, tracking the entity's trajectory as it continued its ascent toward the apex of the containment barrier. The crimson sphere had reached the highest point of the dome-shaped array, positioning itself as far from ground level as physically possible while still remaining trapped within the magical boundary.
My left hand came up and formed the ancient Guardian seal, my fingers interlocking in the precise configuration. The words of power came to my lips in a language that predated modern magical theory, syllables that resonated with the fundamental forces that governed spiritual combat.
"By the silver moon's authority," I intoned, my voice carrying across the clearing with unnatural clarity. "By the Guardian bloodline that flows through my veins, I invoke the ancient right of purification!"
The moon-crescent blade responded to my call immediately, the moonstone in its hilt blazing with light so intense it hurt to look at directly. I released my grip on the weapon and watched it tear free from my hand, transforming mid-flight into a streak of silver radiance that shot upward with the speed and inevitability of a meteor in reverse.
The blade carried with it the residual energy signature from the entity's own separated fragment, the converted power that now served my will instead of its original purpose. That stolen essence acted as a homing beacon, drawing the blade directly toward the entity's core with magnetic precision that couldn't be evaded or deflected.
The crimson sphere tried to dodge at the last second, its form twisting desperately to one side, but the blade adjusted its trajectory mid-flight and struck home. The moon-crescent edge plunged into the exact center of the entity's core and I felt the impact reverberate through the magical connection that still linked me to my weapon.
The entity's scream was purely mental, a psychic shriek of agony that slammed into my consciousness with enough force to make my vision white out temporarily. I felt the blade's enchantments activate fully, the purification magic interacting with the converted parasitic energy to create a chain reaction that tore through the entity's structure from the inside out.
The crimson sphere split cleanly in half, the two pieces separating as the binding force that held them together simply ceased to exist. Black smoke began pouring from the bisected core, the entity's essence dissipating into harmless vapor that the containment barrier immediately began filtering and neutralizing.
The psychic screaming continued for several more seconds before finally cutting off with abrupt finality. The entity was gone, truly and completely destroyed this time, with no possibility of regeneration or escape.
The moon-crescent blade completed its arc and began falling back toward earth, the silver glow fading as it returned to its inert state. I reached up with my right hand to catch it, my fingers closing around the familiar grip just as my legs finally gave out completely.
The magical exhaustion hit me all at once, my body's reserves completely drained by the sustained combat and the final purification strike. I felt myself falling backward and then strong hands caught me from both sides, supporting my weight before I could hit the ground.
Damian's face appeared on my left, his expression tight with concern, while Dad materialized on my right with the kind of clinical assessment that came from decades of emergency medical experience. I tried to speak but my throat was too dry and the words came out as barely a whisper.
"Kaelen," I managed to rasp out. "Check on Kaelen first."
Dad's fingers pressed against my wrist, checking my pulse with professional efficiency while his other hand moved to my forehead to assess my temperature. His expression remained neutral but I could see the calculation happening behind his eyes as he evaluated my condition.
"His soul fragment is self-repairing," Dad said calmly. "The golden essence is stable and actively healing the damage from absorbing that lightning strike. He's not in danger. The Pack medical team will be here within minutes."
I forced my trembling hands to cooperate long enough to dismiss the three protective arrays I'd erected around Kaelen's unconscious form. The barriers dissolved into streams of silver light that flowed back into my depleted reserves, providing a tiny fraction of relief to my exhausted magical channels.
Damian was already speaking rapidly into his phone, coordinating with the medical staff and updating them on our conditions. "The doctors are two minutes out," he reported. "Elara, you need to rest. Let us handle the cleanup."
I shook my head weakly, the motion making my vision swim. "I need to stay near him. The mate bond will help him recover faster if I'm close."
Dad's expression shifted into something complicated.
A cheerful voice cut through the tension. "Uncle Sebastian, you should listen to Elara!" James appeared at the edge of my vision.
Dad's jaw tightened but he didn't argue the point, instead shifting his position to provide better support for my weight while keeping me upright. I let my head rest against his shoulder, grateful for the stability as the adrenaline crash began hitting in earnest.
A harsh voice cut through the clearing, raw with pain and fury, and I forced my eyes to focus on Aurora's prone form as the guards began hauling her to her feet. Her face was a mask of blood and burns, her severed arm leaving a trail of crimson as they pulled her upright, but her eyes blazed with undiminished hatred as she glared in my direction.
"You've destroyed the dark magic in my body," she spat, her voice shaking with rage and agony. "What more do you want? Just let me go!"
I reached into my cloak with trembling fingers and withdrew the cloth doll, holding it up so the blue glow at its chest was clearly visible to everyone present. The light pulsed steadily, irrefutable proof of the soul trapped within, and I watched Aurora's remaining color drain from her face.
Dad's voice cut through the night with cold authority, each word precisely enunciated and carrying the weight of Pack law behind it. "Take her to the deepest holding cell in the Pack dungeon. Twenty-four hour guard rotation. No visitors, no exceptions."
The guards acknowledged the order and began dragging Aurora toward the main house, but she suddenly threw her head back and laughed, the sound sharp and brittle with hysteria. Her remaining hand gestured wildly in my direction as she fixed me with a triumphant stare.
"You think you've won?" she shrieked. "Nolan's soul is still in my possession! You have three days to release me or he'll be trapped forever, do you understand? Three days and then your precious cousin is gone for good!"
Damian's expression shifted into something predatory, a cold smile spreading across his face as he pulled his phone back out and tapped the screen several times. He turned the display toward Aurora, showing her a series of photographs that made her eyes go wide with shock.
"After you left your apartment this morning," Damian said conversationally, "I had my people break down your door and conduct a thorough search. We found every single doll you had hidden there, including the one containing Nolan's soul. They're all safely secured at the main house now, along with Nolan himself who we retrieved from your spare bedroom."
Aurora's face went slack with disbelief, her mouth opening. "That's impossible. You couldn't have known about that location. I was so careful, the wards were perfect, there's no way you could have tracked—"
I cut her off. "I've had your apartment's magical signature locked since the first time you used dark magic there. Every spell you cast left traces that I could follow like breadcrumbs. I was just waiting for the right moment to move against you when I had all the evidence I needed to ensure you'd never escape justice."
Aurora's remaining composure shattered completely. She lunged forward against the guards' restraining grip, her face contorted with rage as she screamed at me with raw hatred.
"You cold-blooded bitch!" she shrieked. "Your own cousin and your own grandmother were being tortured and you just waited, you just watched and did nothing!"