Chapter 99 Chapter 99
_Leah’s POV_
The change was immediate. The pale light disappeared. The air grew colder. The mist became thick and heavy. It was swirling like smoke around my legs. The ground no longer rippled like water. It felt sticky... like it wanted to hold me.
Then I heard it.
A voice....A woman’s voice.
It was distant but sharp with pain.
“Please… please let me go…”
My breath caught.
“Sarah,” I whispered.
The voice came again, louder now, cracked with sobs.
“Please! Someone… anyone… help me!”
I moved faster but the mist resisted me. It clung to me like wet fabric. It tried to slow me down.
Athena urged, Keep going. Do not let the realm trap your steps.
I pushed forward. My thoughts focused on one thing: Sarah.
The crying grew louder. And then the mist parted.
I stopped.
My entire spirit jolted.
Sarah was there.
She was kneeling on the ground. Her body was made of pale light like the others but her light was dim...almost grey. Her hair hung messily around her face. Her eyes were red with endless tears.
Chains wrapped around her. They were not normal chains. These chains looked like shadow and fire at the same time. Black links with red sparks glowing inside them. They dug into her wrists. They dug into her ankles. They ran from her body into the ground like roots.
She lifted her head and saw me. Her eyes widened. “Who… who are you?”
I stepped closer slowly. “I’m Leah. And I’m here to help you.”
Sarah stared at me. “You’re… alive?”
“Yes, I’m alive. I came here with the help of a seer. I came to free you.”
Sarah’s breath hitched. She tried to stand but the chains yanked her back down. She cried out in pain. “Please,” she begged. “Please, don’t leave me. I have been here… I don’t know how long… I can’t escape. I can’t...”
“I won’t leave you,” I promised quickly and dropped to my knees in front of her. “I swear. I came for you.”
Her eyes filled with tears again. “Why?” she whispered. “Why would you come for me?”
“Because Tariq ruined my life too. And the only way to end him is you.”
Sarah’s face twisted at the name. “Tariq…” she whispered, like it tasted like poison.
“Yes,” I said firmly. “I know what he did. I know what he is. And I know you are the only one who can kill him.”
Sarah trembled. Her chains rattled softly. “He… he promised me love,” she whispered. “He promised me safety. He...he...murdered me...”
“He lied. He lies to everyone. He uses everyone.”
Sarah’s eyes squeezed shut as she sobbed. “He trapped me,” she cried. “He trapped my soul. Susan… Susan did this… she chained me...”
“I know,” I whispered. “But I’m here now.”
I reached toward the chains but Athena’s voice snapped.
Do not touch them with fear. Dark magic bites.
I pulled my hand back quickly. “Okay,” I whispered. “Okay. I won’t rush.”
Sarah stared at me with desperation. “Please,” she begged. “Please help me. I can’t breathe here. I can’t rest. I can’t die. I’m stuck in pain.”
“I will help you. I have come to free you so you can take your revenge from Tariq. So you can destroy him.”
Sarah’s eyes burned. Something dark flickered inside them. Something angry. Something alive.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes… I want him to suffer.”
A cold wave rolled through the mist around us.
Athena’s voice was firm. Now, Leah. Use your inner power. Use love and will...not rage.
I nodded slowly. I closed my eyes. I focused inward. I focused on my spirit.
A soft glow rose around my hands. It was silver at first then it became brighter.
I placed my hands near the chains without touching them.
Sarah watched. “What are you doing?”
“I’m breaking them. Stay with me. Don’t panic.”
“I’m trying,” she sobbed.
The silver light from my hands stretched forward like threads. They wrapped around the black chains carefully and gently, like fingers trying to untangle knots.
The chains hissed. A sharp sound filled the air, like something burning. Pain flashed through my arms even though my arms were not flesh.
I gasped but I did not stop. I pushed more power through. The chains fought back. They tightened around Sarah’s wrists.
Sarah screamed.
“No!” I cried. “Stop hurting her!”
The chains hissed louder like they understood my words and mocked me.
Athena warned, They react to emotion. Calm your fear.
I forced myself to remain calm. My power steadied. The silver light thickened, turning more solid, like a blade made of pure moonlight.
I whispered, “Break.”
The light tightened around the chain links. A loud crack echoed through the dark mist. One link snapped.
Sarah gasped. “I felt that!” she cried. “I felt it!”
“Good. We’re doing it.”
I kept going. I moved my hands and pulled the silver light across another part of the chain.
I whispered again, “Break.”
Crack....Another link snapped.
I worked through the chains slowly, breaking them piece by piece. Each crack felt like thunder in the realm.
The dark mist swirled angrily around us, as if the realm itself was watching and disapproving.
Finally, I reached the last chain. It was thicker than the others. It pulsed with red sparks. It felt… older and stronger. Like it held the whole spell together.
I closed my eyes. I gathered everything.
“BREAK!” I shouted.
The silver light flared like a small moon. A high and terrible sound cut through the dark.
Then....CRACK.....The last chain snapped.
Sarah collapsed forward. She shook violently. Then she looked up at me. “I… I’m free,” she whispered.
“Yes,” I breathed, tears burning my eyes. “You’re free.”
Sarah’s face twisted with emotion. She grabbed my hands. “Thank you...Thank you… you don’t know what this means…”
“I do,” I whispered. “Because I’ve been trapped too. Just in a different way.”
The darkness around us shifted. The mist moved like something waking up.
Athena’s voice turned urgent. Leah… we must leave soon.