Chapter 155 Threats to the Unborn Child
Elara's POV
"I won't kill either baby."
The words came out strong despite the contractions ripping through me.
The Void Empress laughed. "Then you've chosen to let reality tear apart."
"No." I gripped Drakon's hand. "I'm choosing a third option. We always find one."
"There is no third option!" the Empress shrieked.
"There's always a third option." I looked at the ancient dragons. "The void baby is innocent. My baby is innocent. Neither deserves death. So we find another way to close the rift."
The white elder's eyes widened with understanding. "The Codex. The sealing ritual. If we modify it..."
"We seal the rift instead of the Void itself," I finished. "Stop the doorway from opening without killing anyone."
"That's impossible," Morgana said. But her voice held uncertainty.
"Everything we've done was impossible," Drakon said. "Until we did it."
Another contraction hit. I doubled over, gasping.
"We don't have time for this," Lily said. "Labor is accelerating. She'll give birth within hours."
"Then we work fast." The white elder turned to the other ancient dragons. "Retrieve the Codex. Gather every mage in the kingdom. We're attempting something that's never been done."
The Void army shifted restlessly below. Waiting. Watching.
But they didn't attack. The Empress needed both babies born. She couldn't risk harming me yet.
That gave us time. Not much. But enough.
They moved me to a protected chamber. Healers prepared for delivery while mages studied the Codex frantically.
"The spell can be modified," Faye said, reading ancient text. "But it requires enormous power. More than any single person has."
"Then we combine," I said through gritted teeth. "Everyone. Every mage. Every dragon. All our power at once."
"That's never been attempted on this scale," Chronax warned.
"Good thing we specialize in the impossible."
Word spread through the castle. Every magical being gathered. Dragons. Ice faeries. Werewolves. Merfolk in water tanks. Phoenix clan members. Nagas. All the species we'd united.
They came not because they were ordered. They came because they wanted to protect our baby.
"She's a symbol," Uncle Aldric said, appearing in the doorway. "Of everything we've built. Human and magical. United. If the Void takes her, it takes our hope."
"Then we don't let the Void take her," I said firmly.
But the contractions kept coming. Stronger. Closer together.
"We're running out of time," the head healer said. "The baby wants to be born. Now."
"Just a little longer," I begged my daughter through our bond. "Please. Let them finish the spell."
She kicked in response. Impatient. Ready to meet the world.
Below, the Void Empress shouted up at us. "It's too late! The shadow-Elara is already in final labor! The babies will be born simultaneously whether you're ready or not!"
She was right. Through the windows, I saw the shadow-me screaming. Void creatures surrounding her like midwives.
"The spell!" I gasped. "Is it ready?"
"Almost," Faye said, hands shaking as she wrote the final modifications. "Just need to..."
An explosion rocked the castle.
"The western wall!" Thorne shouted. "It's breached!"
"Impossible," Drakon growled. "Those walls are reinforced with...."
"Someone opened the gate from inside," a guard reported. "A traitor. Void-touched creatures are pouring in!"
My heart stopped. "Who? Who's the traitor?"
The guard's face went pale. "We don't know yet. But they knew exactly where to strike. Where your chamber is. They're heading straight here."
Drakon shifted into dragon form. "Everyone who can fight, form a barrier. Nothing gets through to Elara."
Our allies moved instantly. Creating a living wall between me and the coming attack.
But I felt it through my bond. Drakon's terror. He couldn't protect me if he was fighting outside.
"Stay with me," I said. "Please."
"I need to fight..."
"I need you here." Another contraction. The strongest yet. "Our daughter needs her father when she's born."
He shifted human. Took my hand. "Together."
"Together."
The sounds of battle erupted outside. Void creatures smashing against our defenders. Magic exploding. Screams.
And through it all, my labor progressed. Unstoppable.
"She's crowning!" the healer announced. "The baby's coming!"
Outside, the shadow-Elara screamed too. Her void baby also coming.
"The spell!" I cried. "Cast it now!"
"It's not complete!" Faye yelled back. "We need five more minutes!"
"We don't have five minutes!"
The door to my chamber exploded inward.
Not from void creatures.
From Uncle Aldric.
He stood in the doorway. Eyes glowing void-red.
"Hello, niece," the Void Empress spoke through him. "Surprised? I've been inside your dear uncle since the first meeting. The perfect spy. The perfect traitor."
Drakon lunged for him, but Aldric was faster. Void magic exploded outward, freezing everyone in place.
Except me. Labor pains kept me moving. Writhing. Pushing.
"The baby's coming!" the healer screamed. "I can't stop it!"
Aldric...no, the Empress walked toward me. "Perfect timing. I'll be here to welcome your daughter into the world. And claim her for the Void."
"No!" I screamed.
But there was nothing I could do. My body betrayed me. Instinct took over.
I pushed.
Outside, the shadow-Elara pushed too. Simultaneously.
Two babies. Being born at exactly the same moment.
Reality rippled. The rift beginning to open.
And the Void Empress, wearing my uncle's body, reached toward me with corrupted hands.
Ready to take my daughter the instant she was born.