Chapter 147 The Prophecy
Elara's POV
"Go!" I shoved Drakon toward the castle. "Save them! I'll get the information from Aldric!"
Drakon hesitated for only a second. Then he launched into the sky, flying toward the explosions.
I turned to Uncle Aldric. "Talk. Fast."
"The prophecy has layers," he said urgently. "The Moonstone family was created by ancient dragons. They needed humans who could channel their magic. Bridge the gap between species."
"I know this! Get to the loophole!"
"The loophole IS the origin!" He grabbed my shoulders. "You're not just descended from seal keepers. You're descended from the first human who ever bonded with a dragon. Your entire bloodline exists to create balance."
Another explosion. Closer. I forced myself to focus on Aldric.
"The prophecy says you must choose between love and duty," he continued. "Everyone thinks that means sacrifice. Death. But the original text says something different. It says the human queen will 'surrender what she loves most to save what she loves more.'"
"That's the same thing!"
"No! What do you love most? Really think about it."
I wanted to say Drakon. Or Lily. Or Mother.
But deep down, I knew the truth. "Control. I love being in control. Knowing what's happening. Making decisions."
"Exactly!" Aldric looked relieved. "The sacrifice isn't death. It's trust. Surrendering control. Letting others fight while you step back. That's what terrifies you most."
He was right. The idea of not being there, not helping, not controlling the outcome, it made my skin crawl.
"But how does that help against the Void?"
"Because the Void feeds on interference. On people trying to control outcomes. The more you fight directly, the stronger it gets." He pulled out the prophecy scroll. "But if you step back. If you trust others to fight while you channel power from a distance..."
A void creature burst from the trees. Aldric's guard, who I'd thought dead drew his sword and fought it.
"We need to move!" the guard yelled.
We ran toward the castle. I could see dragons fighting in the sky. Fire everywhere. Void creatures swarming.
"There's more!" Aldric shouted as we ran. "An ancient dragon elder named Chronax. He's the last one who remembers the original prophecy. You need to find him!"
"Where?"
"The Dragon Archives. The deepest chamber. He's been sleeping there for six hundred years, waiting for you."
We reached the castle gates. Chaos everywhere. People fighting. Screaming.
I found Drakon in the courtyard, battling three void creatures at once.
"Lily and Mother are safe!" he called. "Barricaded in the protected wing!"
Relief flooded me. Then I saw Faye fighting nearby, her eyes flickering between blue and red. The Void Empress was trying to take control.
"I need to find Chronax!" I yelled to Drakon. "The ancient dragon elder! He knows how to win!"
"The Archives are that way!" Drakon pointed. "But they're overrun with void creatures!"
"Then clear me a path!"
Drakon roared and breathed a massive wall of fire. Void creatures scattered.
I ran through the flames, feeling the heat but trusting Drakon not to burn me. Down corridors. Down stairs. Deeper into the castle than I'd ever been.
The Dragon Archives were ancient. Carved from stone. Filled with scrolls and books that glowed with magic.
And in the deepest chamber, a dragon slept. Massive. Old. Covered in dust.
"Chronax!" I shouted. "Wake up! I need you!"
The dragon's eyes opened. Golden like Drakon's, but ancient. Knowing.
"Finally," a voice like grinding stones rumbled. "The prophesied queen arrives."
"Tell me how to beat the Void! Uncle Aldric said you know!"
"I do." Chronax shifted, shaking off centuries of sleep. "But first, you must understand what you truly are. Not just who you are."
"I don't have time for riddles!"
"Then make time. Because everything you think you know is wrong." His ancient eyes pinned me. "You believe you're special because you married a dragon. Because you can combine magics. Because prophecy chose you."
"Yes!"
"Wrong. You're special because you chose love over lies. Because you sacrificed comfort for truth. Because every day, you pick compassion over cruelty." He leaned closer. "The prophecy didn't make you special. You made the prophecy come true by being who you naturally are."
My throat tightened. "So I'm not... I'm not just a puppet of destiny?"
"Destiny gave you opportunities. You seized them. Big difference." Chronax stood fully now. "Now, the Void can only be defeated when you accept that truth. When you stop wondering if you're worthy and start knowing you are. Not because of prophecy. Because of choice."
"How does that help me fight?"
"Because self-doubt weakens your magic. Every time you question whether you deserve this power, this position, this love, the Void gets stronger. It feeds on insecurity." His tail swished. "But confidence? Certainty in who you are? That's pure creation. Pure reality. The opposite of void."
An explosion rocked the Archives. Void creatures were breaking through.
"We need to go!" I said.
"One more thing." Chronax's voice stopped me. "The prophecy has an ending most people don't know. After the three trials, it says the queen will face her shadow self. The version of her the Void creates. They'll fight. And whoever wins determines reality itself."
"My shadow self?"
"Everything you fear you are. Every doubt. Every insecurity. Given form and power." His eyes were grave. "She's coming for you. Soon. And you can't defeat her with magic or weapons. Only by accepting yourself completely."
We ran from the Archives as they collapsed behind us. Emerged into a castle transformed into a battlefield.
And in the center of the courtyard stood a figure that made my heart stop.
She looked exactly like me. Same face. Same hair. Same ice powers.
But her eyes were void-red. And she smiled with cruel confidence.
"Hello, Elara," my shadow self said. "I'm everything you're afraid you really are. A fraud. A liar. A peasant pretending to be a queen."
"You're not real," I said, but my voice shook.
"I'm more real than you. Because I'm the truth you hide from." She raised her hands, void-corrupted ice forming. "You don't deserve Drakon. Don't deserve this kingdom. Don't deserve any of it."
And the worst part?
Deep down, a part of me believed her.
Drakon appeared beside me, eyes wide with shock at seeing two of me.
"Which one..." he started.
"I'm the real one!" we both said simultaneously.
My shadow self laughed. "See? Even your husband can't tell us apart. Because we're the same. The only difference is I embrace the truth. I admit I'm not worthy."
"Elara," Drakon said carefully. "Tell me something only you would know."
"Our first kiss. In your study. You told me you were falling in love with me."
"We made love under the stars," my shadow self added. "You touched my face and said I was beautiful."
Both true. Both real memories.
Drakon's face showed confusion. And in his eyes, I saw the question.
Did he really know me? Or had he fallen in love with a prophecy?
With destiny, not with me?
"Do you love me because of the prophecy?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Or because of me?"
And my shadow self grinned, knowing she'd already won.