Chapter 30 Chapter 30
Sable’s POV
The power didn’t stop.
It exploded because I let it.
A violent surge of silver energy burst out of me like a storm breaking free, ripping through the temple in a blinding wave of light. The ground cracked beneath my feet, ancient symbols shattering as the force slammed outward in every direction.
The wolves were thrown back instantly.
Bodies crashed into pillars.
Howls filled the air.
But I couldn’t stop it.
I couldn’t control it.
It was too much.
Too strong for me to control.
Too alive.
My breath hitched as the energy kept pouring out of me, wild and unstable, like something inside me had finally broken free after being trapped for too long.
"Sable!"
Leonidas’s voice reached me through the chaos. But it sounded distant.
Like he was miles away.
The silver light around me intensified, rising higher, swirling faster until I couldn’t even see the temple anymore.
All I could see was only light.
Only power.
Only... me.
No–
Not just me.
Something else was there.
Inside me.
Awake.
Watching.
My chest tightened as the realization hit me.
This wasn’t just power.
This was something with a will of its own.
Ancient.
Endless.
Terrifying.
The dragon roared.
The sound cut through the storm of energy like thunder, shaking the entire mountain.
But even that didn’t stop it.
Nothing did.
The wolves tried to move again. Tried to stand.
But every time they got close, the power pushed them back.
Harder. Stronger. Relentless.
Leonidas forced himself forward anyway. Step by step.
Fighting against the pressure.
My heart clenched painfully as I saw him struggle.
"Stop...", I whispered.
But the word came out broken.
It came out weak.
The power didn’t listen.
Kael moved too.
His movements slower, more calculated as he pushed through the storm, his golden eyes locked on me with something dark and unyielding.
Neither of them stopped.
Neither of them backed away.
They were still coming for me.
Even now. Even like this.
"Why...?", I asked myself.
My vision blurred.
The light around me flickered violently.
The temple walls groaned under the strain as cracks spread across the ceiling, stone beginning to crumble under the force of the energy pouring out of me.
The dragon moved again.
This time—It stepped closer.
Its massive form cutting through the storm as if the power recognized it.
Respected it.
Its silver eyes locked onto mine.
And its voice filled my mind.
"Control it".
"I can’t!" I cried.
"You must".
The power surged again.
Stronger. Sharper.
Pain shot through my chest as if my body was being torn apart from the inside.
"I don’t know how!"
The dragon’s gaze didn’t waver.
"You are not the power".
Its voice was steady. Grounding.
"You are the one who commands it", it said.
Another wave burst outward.
The wolves hit the ground again. Even Leonidas and Kael stumbled this time.
My breath shook violently.
Command it?
How do I command something that feels like it’s destroying me?
The dragon stepped even closer now, its massive head lowering until it was right in front of me.
Its silver eyes burned into mine.
"Feel it".
"I feel everything!", I shouted.
"That is the problem".
My chest tightened.
"What…?"
"You are drowning in it".
The power flickered again.
Unstable.
"You must stand above it".
My breathing slowed slightly.
Just a little.
"Above it…?", I asked.
"Yes".
The storm around me surged again.
But this time—
I didn’t fight it.
I didn’t try to push it away.
Instead...
I let it move.
Let it flow. Let it exist.
The silver light shifted.
Not violently.
But slightly.
The pressure in the air changed.
Leonidas noticed.
His silver eyes snapped toward me instantly.
"Sable...."
His voice was careful now.
Hopeful.
Kael stilled too.
Watching. Waiting.
The dragon’s voice lowered.
"Good".
My chest rose and fell slowly. Pain still burned through me.
But it wasn’t tearing me apart anymore.
It was.. settling.
Listening.
The energy swirled around me like a storm waiting for direction.
Waiting for me.
I swallowed hard.
"Stop".
The word came out quiet.
But steady.
The storm hesitated.
Then–
It slowed.
The light dimmed slightly.
The pressure eased. The wolves stopped struggling.
The temple stopped shaking.
Silence fell again.
Heavy. Unreal.
I exhaled shakily.
Did I just—
"Sable".
Leonidas was in front of me now.
Close. Too close.
His hand reached for me slowly, like he wasn’t sure if I was still in control.
I didn’t pull away.
For the first time since all of this started–
I felt like I was actually here. Not lost.
Not drowning.
Just.. here.
"I’m okay", I whispered.
But the moment the words left my mouth—
Something changed.
The air shifted to something sharp and old.
The dragon’s head snapped toward the entrance.
Its body tensed.
Every instinct inside me screamed at once.
Danger. Real danger.
Not the kind I had felt before.
This was different.Far worse.
The wolves felt it too.
Every head turned toward the broken temple doors. Even Kael’s expression darkened.
The silence stretched.
Then—
A single figure stepped through the entrance.
Slow. Calm. Unhurriedly walking inside the temple.
My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of the figure.
"No", I whispered.
"No, it couldn’t be—"
"Sable".
The voice was familiar.
Wat too familiar for me to be confused.
My heart stopped.
'Caius'.
He stepped fully into the temple, his dark coat untouched by the chaos around him, his expression calm in a way that made my blood run cold.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong with him.
His eyes. They weren’t the same. They were darker.
Colder. Empty.
Like something inside him had changed.
Leonidas moved instantly, placing himself between us.
His growl low.
Dangerous.
"You shouldn’t be here".
Caius’s gaze flicked to him briefly. Unimpressed.
Then back to me.
"I told you to finish the tea". Was the first word he said.
The words hit harder than anything else.
My chest tightened.
"What...?"
His lips curved slightly.
Not a smile.
Something darker.
"You made things very difficult for me".
The air grew colder.
Even the dragon shifted slightly, its wings tightening.
Caius moved across the temple slowly, taking everything in.
The wolves. The destruction. The dragon.
And finally—
Me.
His eyes softened slightly.
But it wasn’t comforting.
It was worse. Possessive.
"You were never supposed to awaken like this", he said quietly.
My heart pounded.
"What are you talking about?"
He stepped closer.
Leonidas growled louder.
"Don’t".
Caius stopped.
But his attention never left me.
"I was protecting you", he continued. "From them. From this".
My chest tightened painfully.
"The tea..."
Realization hit like ice.
"You were suppressing me", I argued back.
He didn’t deny it.
"I was keeping you safe".
"Safe?" Kael let out a low, dangerous laugh. "Or controlled?"
Caius’s eyes flicked toward him. Cold. Sharp.
"Careful".
The warning in his voice was unmistakable. Even Kael stilled slightly.
That alone sent a chill down my spine.
"Who are you...?", I asked.
Caius looked back at me.
And for a moment–
Something real flickered in his eyes.
Something familiar.
Something that almost looked like regret. But then it disappeared quickly, replaced by something far darker.
"Come here, Sable".
The words weren’t loud.
But they carried weight.
They carried power. Command.
My body tensed.
Something inside me reacted.
Not obedience or submission.
Resistance.
"No".
The word came out stronger than I expected.
Caius stilled.
For the first time–
Surprise flickered across his face. Behind me, the dragon shifted.
Its voice echoed faintly in my mind.
"He is not what he seems".
I already knew that.
But it didn’t make it easier.
Caius took another step forward.
And this time–
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Not from my power but from his.
The air grew heavy.
Oppressive. Ancient.
Every wolf in the temple reacted instantly.
Even the dragon.
Its wings spread slightly.
Defensive.
My breath caught.
What... is he?
Caius’s gaze locked onto mine..And this time—
There was no softness.
No warmth..Only truth.
"I didn’t want it to come to this", he said quietly.
My heart pounded violently.
"Come to what?"
His eyes darkened further.
"To choosing between you.... and the world", he said.
Everything inside me went still.
"What...?"
The power inside him surged.
Dark. Cold. And terrifying.
And the moment it did—
The dragon growled.
Low. Dangerous.
A warning.
Caius didn’t even flinch.
Instead—
He smiled.
And that was when I knew–
Whatever he was...
He wasn’t on anyone’s side.
And I had just become the center of something far bigger than war.