Chapter 136 Epilogue

Chapter 136 Epilogue
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The cave was cold and damp, the scent of earth and decay clinging to the stale air, suffocating and unrelenting. Shadows danced along the jagged walls, flickering with the faint light of the spellstone I clutched, its glow dimming as the magic inside it faded. My legs burned, trembling from the desperate flight through the forest. Twigs had snapped beneath my feet, branches had whipped at my face, but I hadn’t stopped—not until now.
The sharp sting of exhaustion was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest.
I stumbled forward, each step uneven, my breath coming in harsh, ragged gasps. My hands scraped against the damp stone as I reached the inner chamber. And then - I saw her.
Andromeda.
Her body lay still on the cold, uneven floor, her once striking presence now eerily absent. The queen who had commanded power with a single glance, who had brought even the strongest to their knees, was now reduced to silence. The sight of her, lifeless and vulnerable, struck me like a blow to the chest.
“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I sank to my knees beside her.
Tears blurred my vision as I reached for her, my fingers trembling as they brushed against her cold cheek. It wasn’t fair. She was supposed to be invincible. Unstoppable. And yet, here she was, robbed of her glory by those vile wolves and that accursed hybrid.
“Andromeda,” I breathed, my voice breaking. “My queen… my love.”
I cradled her body in my arms, pressing my forehead to hers. For a fleeting moment, I could almost imagine she was still with me, that she would open her eyes and look at me with that fierce intensity that had always left me breathless. But the truth was unrelenting, and it cut deeper than any blade.
“I swear to you,” I murmured, my tears falling freely now. “I will make them pay for what they’ve done. I will avenge you, my love. Your death will not be in vain.”
My gaze dropped to her swollen abdomen, the last remnant of her power, of her legacy. The child she had carried, her final hope for the future. I knew what I had to do. I would not let them steal this, too.
With trembling hands, I reached into the pouch at my side, pulling out a blade, its edge gleaming faintly in the dim light of the cave. The blade was small but sharp, imbued with magic.
“I will protect your child,” I whispered, my voice steady despite the tears streaking my face. “I will make sure they fulfill your destiny.”
I knelt beside her, my movements careful and deliberate. Gently, I made the first incision, wincing as if the pain were my own. The silence of the cave pressed heavily on me as I worked, my breath hitching with every careful cut, pulling the child from her womb.
“I’ll make them all pay,” I whispered, my voice hardening as I turned toward the cave’s entrance. “For you, Andromeda. For everything they’ve taken.”
Clutching the child to my chest, I stepped into the chilly night, my heart aflame with vengeance.
The battle was over, but the war had just begun.