Chapter 62
Luna P.O.V
The morning was silvered with mist and tension. Kinsey stood at the edge of the balcony overlooking the valley of the Fairy Kingdom, her arms folded tight. She hadn’t spoken to me since dropping the bomb about the Severance Ritual.
Now, she finally turned to face me. Her eyes were heavy—not from lack of sleep, but from the weight of what she knew.
“I found the ritual in the Ancient Forbidden Codex,” she said. “It wasn’t supposed to be accessed. I had help.”
“From who?”
Kinsey hesitated. “Your uncle. Before Ravana fully took hold, Hunter gave me access. He wanted to help… in his own way.”
I leaned forward. “You said there’s a cost.”
She nodded. “The Severance Ritual can separate Ravana from his vessel—but it needs balance. One soul removed, one soul offered.”
I froze. “You mean a life for a life.”
“No,” Kinsey whispered. “A bond for a bond. To sever his control from Diondre, someone has to willingly sacrifice a soul-bound tie. A soulmate connection, a familial imprint… a divine anchor.”
My heart dropped. “You mean… me.”
She didn’t have to confirm it.
Sita and I were one. My soul was a divine imprint. Ravana’s hold over Diondre was tangled in prophecy and past lives, but mine… mine was tethered to the very power that kept him alive.
“If we sever him from Diondre,” Kinsey said, “we risk cutting you from him too. Your bond… could break.”
I looked down at my hands. They trembled. I had always been willing to die to save Diondre—but to forget him? To erase what we had?
“I can’t decide this now,” I whispered.
“You may not have time.”
Adrian P.O.V
Ayden was practicing alone again. His wolf was getting stronger, darker—like something inside him was trying to claw free. Ruby watched from the sidelines, concern etched into every line of her face.
“He’s changing,” she said quietly. “Not in a bad way… but in a way I can’t control.”
“He’s powerful,” I replied. “That’s what Ravana wanted.”
“He’s not going to have him,” Ruby snapped, more to herself than me. “Not Ayden. Not ever.”
I studied the boy. His shield flickered black for a moment. Just a flash. But I saw it. I didn’t mention it.
Instead, I said, “We’ll protect him. No matter what it takes.”
Meanwhile…
Diondre P.O.V
I sat at the riverbank again, but this time alone.
Dad was resting peacefully, more lucid than he’d been in weeks. Michael had taken over patrol duties, giving me a few hours of peace.
But there was no peace inside me.
Every time I closed my eyes, Ravana whispered in my mind. Not threats. Not commands. Just... familiarity. Like a shadow I couldn’t separate from my own reflection.
“Your time is coming,” the voice said.
I growled. “I’m not your puppet.”
“You never were. You’re my chosen.”
The trees shivered. Birds scattered.
“I chose you, Diondre, because you were strong enough to bear me. Strong enough to live. Luna? She’s a flame. Beautiful. But flames die fast. You… you’re earth.”
“No,” I said aloud, standing. “I’m not yours.”
“We’ll see,” the voice echoed, fading.
Luna P.O.V
That night, I found my way back to the crystal meditation chamber, alone. I needed clarity. Sita had been quiet since our last meeting, like she knew what I had learned and wanted to give me space.
But I couldn’t do this alone anymore.
“Sita,” I whispered. “Please.”
She appeared from the shadows, graceful as ever. Her expression was calm, but I could feel the storm beneath it.
“You heard what Kinsey said.”
“I did.”
“Is it true?”
She nodded. “Ancient bonds are like roots—cut one, and the tree survives. But it never grows the same again.”
“Will I survive it?”
“That is your choice, not mine.”
I stared into her eyes. “If I let you take full control… to use the Ancient Magic freely… would that give us a better chance at saving him?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “But it would also risk you being consumed.”
So that was my choice.
Let go of Diondre... or let go of myself.
And in that moment, I realized something:
Ravana wasn’t just trying to conquer the world.
He was trying to divide the one thing that could stop him.
Love.
Meanwhile…
In the distant dark, at the mouth of the Shadow Temple, Ravana stood watching a flame flicker inside a crystal orb.
“Let her think she has time,” he murmured. “Let her believe she has a choice.”
His hands curled over the orb, where Luna’s reflection danced.
“Because when the final piece falls into place… it won’t be her choice anymore.”