Chapter 90 The Shadows Within Me
The corridor to the castle entrance seemed longer than ever.
Each of my steps echoed on the stone floor, accompanied by the firm sound of Conrad's boots beside me. Kael followed closely behind, silent but alert—as if any shadow could move at any instant.
My heart was racing.
Not from fear.
From foreboding.
When we reached the large gate, the guards were already in position, tense. In the center of the courtyard, illuminated by the torchlight, stood she.
Selena.
Alone.
She wore a light dress, too simple for someone of her position, as if she wanted to appear... vulnerable. Her hair was loose over her shoulders, and her face had that gentle expression that always made people trust her without question.
But when our eyes met...
Something inside me reacted.
The mark on my chest pulsed.
The baby moved strongly.
Selena smiled.
"Your Majesty," she said, bowing delicately to Conrad. Then she looked at me. "Maya."
There was warmth in her voice.
Too much warmth.
Conrad stepped forward, instinctively placing me slightly behind him.
"What do you want?" he asked, directly.
Selena raised her hands slightly, in a sign of peace.
"I didn't come to cause trouble," she said. "In fact... I came to help."
Kael let out an almost imperceptible sigh, clearly suspicious.
"Help with what?" he asked.
Selena looked around, as if to make sure no one else was listening.
"With the Rift."
The air seemed to catch.
Conrad stiffened beside me.
"Explain," he ordered.
Selena took a deep breath.
"In the last few days... I've started having dreams," she said. "Dreams of shadows. Of people being consumed. Of the kingdom... breaking."
My stomach clenched.
The Moon fragment, strapped to my waist, began to vibrate slightly.
Selena continued.
"In the dreams... there was a voice. It said I needed to come to you. That only I could stop what was coming."
My heart pounded.
"Why?" I finally asked.
Her eyes locked on mine.
And, for a second...
I saw.
Something dark.
Deep.
Hidden behind gentleness.
"Because," Selena said softly, "I am the key to the next Rift."
Silence exploded around us.
Conrad immediately moved, standing fully in front of me.
Kael raised his hand, already gathering magic.
The guards tensed.
But Selena didn't move.
It didn't seem threatening.
It seemed... sad.
"I don't want this to happen," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm scared."
My instinct screamed danger.
But another part of me...
Felt truth.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
Selena placed her hand on her chest.
"Because the shadow is already inside me."
In that instant, the mark on my chest burned.
And the baby reacted.
A wave of energy surged from my body uncontrollably, spreading across the courtyard like invisible wind.
Selena gasped.
Her eyes went completely black for a second.
Thin shadows escaped her skin... like smoke.
The guards recoiled in panic.
Conrad growled softly.
Kael murmured, "She's contaminated..."
But I knew.
It wasn't just contamination.
It was connection.
Selena fell to her knees, crying.
"Please…," she whispered. "Help me."
And in that moment I understood something terrible.
If she died…
The Rift would open.
But if she lived…
Maybe it would open too.
And, for the first time since it all began…
I didn't know what the right choice was.
Conrad gripped my arm tightly, as if afraid I would get too close.
"You won't get any closer," he said low, firmly, almost a growl.
But I could already feel it.
The energy.
It wasn't just coming from Selena.
It was coming from something bigger.
Deeper.
As if an invisible crack was forming beneath our feet.
"Conrad…," I murmured. "I need to."
He hesitated.
I saw the conflict cross his face—the king, the companion, the man who only wanted to protect me. But slowly, he released my arm.
"If anything happens..." he began.
"I know," I replied.
I took a step forward.
Then another.
Selena remained kneeling, her body trembling, tears falling uncontrollably. Shadows still escaped her skin in thin threads, dissipating into the air like cold smoke.
When I was close enough, I felt the baby react again.
It wasn't fear.
It was... recognition.
I instinctively placed my hand on my stomach.
Selena lifted her face.
Her eyes were normal now, brown, full of despair.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she said. "I swear."
"I believe you," I replied, surprising even myself.
Kael moved a little closer behind me.
"Be careful," he warned. "This could be a direct influence of the Rift. She may not be in control."
I nodded slightly.
"Selena," I said calmly. "When did the dreams start?"
"After the protest," she answered between sobs. "On the first night. I saw people being erased... children... families... and a voice said it would be my fault."
My chest tightened.
"What voice?"
She closed her eyes tightly.
"It wasn't male or female. It was... many. As if several people were speaking at once."
Kael exchanged a quick glance with Conrad.
"Distorted link," he murmured.
I knelt in front of her.
I immediately felt the cold.
A dark energy swirled beneath her skin, like veins of shadow trying to spread.
But there was something else there.
Light.
Weak.
Resisting.
"You're not lost," I said.
Selena began to cry harder.
"I'm afraid to sleep," she confessed. "I'm afraid to wake up and find out I've done something horrible."
My heart ached.
Because I knew that fear.
I slowly reached out my hand.
Conrad tensed behind me.
When I touched Selena's arm...
The reaction was immediate.
A wave of energy surged through us both.
Shadows exploded from her body like a black wind, swirling around us.
The guards screamed.
Kael raised a protective barrier.
Conrad took a step forward.
But I remained.
Holding Selena.
Feeling.
Seeing.
Images flooded my mind.
An ancient ritual.
Alphas gathered.
A wrong choice being made.
A marked bloodline.
And then...
Selena.
Still a child.
Playing in the castle garden.
Watched by someone in the shadows.
My heart raced.
Because I recognized the presence.
It wasn't an eraser.
It was...
Someone from the council.
The vision shattered.
I returned to the present, breathless.
Selena collapsed against me, unconscious.
The shadows had vanished.
Completely.
Silence filled the courtyard.
Kael was the first to speak.
"What have you done?"
I shook my head, still trying to understand.
"I don't know..."
Conrad knelt beside me.
"Is she alive?"
I placed my hand on Selena's chest.
Her heart was beating.
Weakly.
But steadily.
"She is," I replied.
Then I realized.
The dark energy hadn't disappeared.
It had...
Coming for me.
The mark on my chest burned intensely.
The baby moved strongly inside me.
And, for the first time...
I felt real fear of what I was becoming.