Page 15

Chapter Fifteen

R eign

All the air siphoned from my lungs, and I staggered back, as if the weight of the entire realm had struck me. Reign, it hurts. It hurts so badly . My heart thundered, unsteady, while a cold dread coiled in my stomach, sharp and suffocating. “Oh, gods, Aelia?”

My whispered words sent Ruhl’s wary gaze lifting to mine, abandoning the scrolls of parchment spread across the table of the vacant Arcanum library. “What’s happened?” He leapt up, trapping me against the tower of ancient tomes.

Leaning against the shelves, I massaged the vacant spot in the center of my chest, the hollow where Aelia once resided. My heart thrummed beneath my palm, the cuorem bond alive and pulsing with her presence.

Where are you, Reign ?

“I’m right here, Aelia!” I shouted, shoving Ruhl back as panic surged through my veins. I barreled by my brother, desperate to reach her. But where? Where in gods’ name was she?

I raced through the rows of bookshelves that soared to the skylight above, chasing a voice, a voice that the logical part of me knew very well couldn’t be within the confines of this library. Still, I couldn’t keep my feet still, not when I could feel her so clearly.

“Reign!” Ruhl’s footsteps echoed behind me thundering through the silence of the vacant chamber. “What in Noxus’s name are you doing? Have you lost your sun-loving mind?”

“I hear her!” I shouted over my shoulder as I continued my manic sprint around the empty library.

“…Aelia?”

“Yes.”

“But it’s not possible, you know that, right?”

Shaking my head, I followed the pull, the invisible tethers lacing around my heart. Tightening. Aelia, please. Tell me where you are .

Reign, help me !

Maddening fury rushed my chest, and a beastly growl tore through my clenched teeth. A torrent of shadows twisted across my form, a wave of pure night enveloping me, drowning out the mage lights that hung from the slick obsidian walls. A raging tempest consumed me, filling every inch of my body until my heart felt like it would burst. Darkness oozed from my pores, the sudden swell of nox overpowering.

“Reign! Snap out of it.” Firm hands closed around my shoulders, fingers digging into my flesh through my light tunic before spinning me around to face them. “Reign!” I recognized the familiar growl, and my lids jolted open. “Are you with me?”

The invisible ties of the cuorem, once bright and luminous, extinguished, and the presence, Aelia, that momentarily lit up my being vanished as well. No … My shadows slithered back into my skin, voluntarily, the hum of energy once again dwindling to manageable levels. “Aelia?” I threw my head back and howled. With that overwhelming power abating, that familiar hollow opened up in my chest once again. “She’s gone,” I murmured.

But was she ever there to begin with? Or was Ruhl right and I was losing my mind?

I stumbled back against another shelf, triggering an avalanche of old tomes, and heaved out a breath, ignoring every single one that fell. Shockingly, my brother bent down to pick up the ones scattered closest to his feet.

“So, are you going to tell me what in the realms just happened or keep it to yourself?” His sharp eyes met mine as he crouched before me.

“I don’t know,” I growled. “For the first time in over a month, I felt her. Truly felt her. It wasn’t simply the infernal pull of the cuorem bond, it was Aelia. I’m certain of it.” Again, my hand instinctively moved to my chest, circling slowly. “She was in pain, Ruhl, a lot of pain.” I gritted my teeth, that guilt threatening to swallow me whole. This was all my fault. How could I have wasted so much time doing nothing? I was her cuoré; it was my responsibility to keep her safe, to be able to find her, at the very least!

I bent down, reaching for one of the blasted books and hurled it across the aisle. Fury’s claws dug deep into my heart, slicing through my weakening organ. I was failing her again and again. I reached for another fallen book, then another and another, throwing them across the aisle in rapid fire.

“Reign, stop!” Ruhl barked.

My fingers closed around a particularly ancient one, and sparks shot through my skin. “What the…?” I hissed, jerking my hand back and dropping the book. It clattered onto the floor, flipping open to a random page.

Ruhl’s eyes widened as he scanned the dark scrawling. “Well, Noxus’s tits, you did it, you lucky bastard.”

I glanced down at the yellowing page and the big bold text of the chapter heading. The Ebonshard Compass . We’d been searching for mention of it for two endless nights, taking advantage of the empty Arcanum library while the students slept. A flurry of hope filled my chest, the first hint of the elusive sentiment I’d experienced in forever.

“You found it.” The smile on Ruhl’s face was one I rarely saw on my half-brother. The momentary happiness was overshot by the understanding of that giddy expression. Gods, he really cares for Aelia… Could he love her? Was it even possible for my feelings to transfer onto him like that? Was it something else, entirely?

Dismissing the thoughts for now—as I frequently chose to do—I crouched down beside him, scanning the text. “Oh, for Raysa’s sake,” I cursed as I read the remainder of the paragraph.

The Ebonshard Compass lies hidden deep within the Wraithfen Hollow, a cursed mire in the northern reaches of Vesperis, where shadows coil like serpents and the very air hums with forbidden magic. Whispers say it rests atop an ancient altar of obsidian, guarded by creatures that slither just beyond sight. The path is treacherous, marked only by the faint glow of ghostly fungi and the haunting cries of unseen watchers. Many have ventured into the Hollow seeking the compass, but none have returned to tell how close they came—or what truly lies in wait beneath the blackened boughs.

Ruhl’s gaze trailed mine, and I could practically feel his body tensing as he skimmed each line. Ever since he was a child, he’d had an irrational fear of the Immortalis. The Death Drinkers, as the Fae referred to the residents of Vesperis, fed from other creatures to sustain eternal life. Muttering curses, he finally rose, kicking at a stray tome. “Well, good luck, brother. Let me know how the adventure to Vesperis goes.”

I shot up, eyeing him incredulously. “You cannot be serious.” Maybe I’d been mistaken about his feelings for Aelia after all. As irritated as I was at my brother’s cowardice, a part of me was embarrassingly relieved.

“Dead serious, Reign. I’m not going anywhere near those vile bloodsuckers. You know as well as I that they prefer the most powerful to feast upon. I’m a Shadow Prince!”

“I’m pleased to hear there are limits to your devotion to my cuoré.” I smirked.

“Oh, shut up.” He dragged his hand through his hair, his face suddenly pale.

“Don’t worry, Ruhl, I will do just fine on my own. Just like I handled King Elian.” After we’d subdued his guards, I’d managed to skulk into his mind and remove all traces of our encounter. I must admit sowing false memories within the mind of a royal had been a first for me. Since the awakening of the cuorem bond, every day that passed, my powers only seemed to grow stronger. And more volatile.

“Will you, though?” Ruhl pointed to the open book on the floor. “Did we not read the same passage?”

Returning my thoughts to the present predicament, I waved a dismissive hand. “I’m not frightened of a cursed mire or ghostly fungi, brother.”

His lips twisted, an expression of genuine disgust contorting his features. Before he could mutter another word, I spun on my heel toward the exit of the library. I’d wasted far too much time already. It was nearly morning, and I’d have to find Professor Lumen to fill in for my classes today before departing.

“Wait!” Ruhl called out when I reached the end of the aisle.

I canted my head over my shoulder but didn’t stop walking.

“You won’t be able to do this alone.”

“Of course I will.”

He huffed out a string of curses before his footfalls echoed across the stone floor. “Fine, I’ll come with you.”

“I never asked you to.”

He sprinted to my side, complexion still pallid but determination clear on his face. “Well, someone will have to run for help when those bloodthirsty creatures are sucking you dry.”

A dark chuckle pursed my lips as I strode forward. “If you’re so scared of the terrible Immortalis, you need not come, little brother. I promise I can handle this just fine on my own.”

He shook his head, a resolute look in his eye. “No. I must do this.”

I whirled on him, that gut-wrenching feeling of jealousy back with a vengeance and wringing out my insides. “Why?”

His dark eyes pierced mine, the tempest of emotion beneath the glassy surface one I easily recognized. I saw its reflection in the mirror every day. “You know why,” he growled.

Heaving out a breath, I curled my fingers into tight fists at my side to keep them from wrapping around my brother’s neck. Aelia was mine , and once she was safely back in my arms, I’d make it abundantly clear to my brother. But for now, I couldn’t deny he made a worthy ally.

“Once she’s back?—”

Ruhl lifted his hand, cutting me off. “I know, I know. She’s your cuoré, you’ll seal the bond, and all these lingering side effects will finally vanish. Trust me, I look forward to it more than you know.”

He stalked off, leaving me with a pit of doubt that only grew larger by the day.