Chapter 89 Next
"We must prepare for Solange's next move. She was already able to imprison Maya. Now she must manipulate the kingdom to banish her, or worse."
I saw Conrad's gaze change when Kael finished speaking. For the first time, I was seeing my companion feel an almost palpable hatred.
"I won't allow anything else to happen to you or our baby."
Conrad hugs me tightly, and I finally feel calm.
I feel safe.
"If that means we have to leave, then let's leave." Conrad concludes decisively.
His hands go to my face, caressing it as if he were afraid of breaking me.
"We're not leaving, Conrad." I say directly.
Conrad looks at me extremely confused.
"We are the King and Queen of this Kingdom, we don't run away! Much less will we leave the Kingdom in the hands of people who think of hybrids as erasers. It is our obligation to defend the hybrids and protect everyone in the Kingdom. No one else has to die."
Conrad was silent for a few seconds, watching me as if trying to understand if I truly had the strength to sustain those words.
But I did.
More than ever.
"You almost died," he finally said, his voice low, heavy with contained emotion. "You were arrested. You were judged. Attacked. And yet you want to stay?"
"I do," I replied without hesitation. "Because running away would only prove they were right to fear me. And I'm not the monster they're trying to create."
I felt Kael's hand land on my shoulder.
"She's right," he said. "If you leave now, Solange wins without having to fight."
Conrad let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"Then let's fight," he decided. "But this time our way."
Before I could answer, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen.
Strong.
Sudden.
I immediately put my hand to my stomach, the air catching in my throat.
"Maya?" Conrad asked, alarmed. "What is it?"
Another wave came.
It wasn't ordinary pain.
It was energy.
My symbol began to pulse beneath my skin, warm, alive, responding to something I couldn't see.
Then I felt it.
The baby.
A gentle vibration, as if a small flame had ignited within me.
The energy spread through my body, and around us, the shadows in the room trembled.
The candles flickered.
The air grew thicker.
Kael's eyes widened.
"He's reacting," he murmured.
Conrad stood completely still.
"Reacting to what?" he asked.
Before anyone could answer, the fragment of the Moon—which was on the table—began to glow on its own.
A silvery light expanded through the room, silent, mesmerizing.
And then the shadows appeared.
Not like erasers.
Like echoes.
Silhouettes of people.
Men, women, children... translucent forms that appeared and disappeared around us, like memories trapped between two worlds.
I felt tears streaming down my face without realizing it.
"They...", I whispered. "They are the people who were consumed."
One of the shadows stopped before me.
It extended its hand.
There was no face, but there was pain.
A plea.
The baby moved again—this time stronger—and the shadow dissolved into particles of light that were absorbed by my symbol.
Kael took a step back, shocked.
"This isn't normal," he said.
"No," Conrad replied, still looking at me. "But it's not wrong either."
More shadows began to appear.
The entire room filled with them.
And, in the midst of them all, a different presence began to form.
Denser.
Ancient.
The temperature dropped.
The fragment of Moon shone with increasing intensity until a voice echoed—not in the ears, but within the mind.
"Prepare yourselves."
My heart raced.
"She's coming."
Conrad squeezed my hand.
"Who?" he asked.
The answer came with a weight that made the ground seem to vibrate beneath our feet.
"The one who will open the next Rift."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Because, deep down...
we all knew.
The war hadn't just begun.
It was about to get worse.
The air still felt heavy after the message.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
I felt my heart pounding too fast as the last light of shadows faded from the room, like dust carried away by the wind.
Conrad was the first to react.
"Who's coming?" he asked firmly, but I could feel the tension in the bond between us.
I shook my head slowly.
"I don't know... but the warning wasn't about erasers," I replied. "It was about someone."
Kael approached the table, observing the fragment of Moon, now opaque again.
"'The one who will open the next Rift'..." he repeated thoughtfully. "That means the Rift isn't just a consequence. It's action. Someone needs to trigger it."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Do you think it's... Solange?" Conrad asked, though the doubt was clear in his voice.
"No," I replied immediately.
I felt it.
Deep down.
"It's not her."
The baby moved again inside me, softly, but present. As if confirming it.
I closed my eyes for a moment... and an image appeared.
Light hair.
A gentle smile.
Eyes that seemed full of worry.
Selena.
I opened my eyes with a start.
Conrad noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
I swallowed hard.
"I think I know who it is."
A heavy silence fell.
Kael frowned.
"Who?"
I hesitated a second before saying.
"Selena."
Conrad remained completely still.
"No," he said automatically. "She wouldn't have the power to—"
"The power doesn't come from her," I interrupted. "It comes from what she represents. Acceptance. Trust. Influence over the people."
Kael took a deep breath, as if invisible pieces were beginning to fall into place.
"If someone wanted to open a Rift within the kingdom…," he murmured, "they would need a collective emotional catalyst."
Conrad looked at me, understanding.
"Fear… hope… betrayal…," he finished.
I nodded.
"If the people believe she is the solution… and I am the problem…"
"Then the rupture happens," Kael concluded.
The bond between me and Conrad vibrated strongly.
Anger.
Protection.
Fear.
"She won't touch you," Conrad said, his voice low, dangerous. "Nor our son."
Before I could answer, a loud knock echoed on the door.
We all turned. A guard entered, pale.
"Your Majesty..." he said, looking at Conrad. "There's... someone at the castle gate."
"What happened?" Conrad asked.
The guard swallowed hard.
"It's Lady Selena."
My stomach dropped.
"She's alone... and says she needs to speak with the Queen. Urgently."
The baby moved strongly inside me.
And, in that instant, I was absolutely certain of one thing.
The spiritual warning wasn't about the distant future.
It was about now.
Selena had arrived.
And nothing would ever be the same again.