Page 20 of Crowned by the Shadow (Bound by the Veil #5)

The diadem glowed brighter, which seemed to make the light that covered Wyn between the Moon Blades grow brighter as well. It shifted from silver to a deep purple that was nothing like the sickly corruption that had spread through her veins. This was something else, something new.

The corruption in Wyn’s veins changed. Instead of spreading chaotically, it flowed in deliberate patterns, forming intricate designs across her skin that reminded me of my own Moon Mark. The darkness didn’t disappear, but it no longer looked like an invader. It looked like it belonged.

“It’s working,” Thorn breathed, his eyes wide with wonder.

Wyn’s body arched suddenly, a gasp escaping her lips as her eyes flew open.

But they weren’t the eyes I remembered, nor were they the void-consumed orbs I’d seen in the Obsidian Keep.

They were something in between, violet irises surrounding pupils that seemed to contain tiny pinpricks of starlight.

“Senara,” she whispered, her voice hoarse but her own. “What’s happening to me?”

“You’re finding balance,” I told her, tears of relief streaming down my face. “You’re becoming something new.”

The power flowing through the artifacts suddenly intensified, the energy building to a crescendo that made the air around us crackle with magic. I felt something give way inside me, a barrier I hadn’t known existed, and power rushed through the breach like a tidal wave.

Light exploded outward from our circle, blinding in its intensity. I heard Thorn and Ronan cry out, felt their hands slip from mine as the force threw us apart. The Moon Blades, the Crown, the pendant, the mirror, all four artifacts blazed with power beyond anything I’d experienced before.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. The light receded, leaving spots dancing across my vision as I struggled to see through the afterimage.

“Wyn?” I called, panic rising as I searched for her in the clearing.

“I’m here.” Her voice came from nearby, stronger than before.

As my vision cleared, I saw her standing in the center of the clearing, the Moon Blades hovering on either side of her, suspended in mid-air as if waiting.

She looked... transformed.

The corruption remained, but it had changed, becoming part of her rather than something consuming her.

Dark patterns spiraled across her skin, reminiscent of my Moon Mark but in opposites, where mine was silver light on skin, hers was shadow on luminescence.

Her hair had regained its silver color but was now streaked with strands of deepest, richest purple.

And her eyes regarded me with a mixture of wonder and fear.

“What am I?” she asked softly.

I struggled to my feet, moving toward her cautiously. “You’re still Wyn,” I said firmly. “Just... more.”

“The Twilight Mage,” Thorn said, rising from where he’d been thrown. “A balance of light and darkness.”

Wyn looked down at her hands, where shadows and light seemed to dance across her skin. “I can feel it,” she whispered. “The void. The darkness. But it doesn’t control me anymore. It’s part of me now.”

She reached out hesitantly, and the Moon Blades moved toward her, responding to her will. They circled her once before returning to me, settling into my outstretched hands as if they had never left.

“I understand now,” Wyn said, her voice growing stronger. “What Eldric was trying to do. The transformation he spoke of. He wasn’t entirely wrong. The balance is necessary. But he was forcing it, contaminating it with his own agenda and his own corruption.”

“Can you sense the Empress?” Ronan asked, approaching cautiously.

Wyn nodded, her expression grave. “She’s aware of what’s happened. She’s... furious. The corruption was supposed to consume me entirely, make me her puppet. Instead, it’s become my tool.”

She turned to me, those starlit eyes intense. “We don’t have much time, Senara. The convergence Eldric spoke of is real. The cosmic prison that holds the Empress is weakening. When the celestial bodies align, she’ll break free completely.”

“How long?” I asked, dread settling in my stomach.

“Days,” Wyn replied. “Maybe less.”

I looked at my friends, at Thorn with his unwavering loyalty, at Ronan with his quiet strength, at Wyn with her newfound power. We were battered, exhausted, still reeling from our narrow escape. But we were alive, and we were together.

“Then we’ll be ready,” I said, the Moon Blades humming with agreement in my hands. “Whatever comes next, we face it together.”

Wyn smiled, though there was sadness in it. “Together,” she agreed. “But Senara... there’s something else you should know.”

“What is it?”

She hesitated, her new eyes flickering with conflicted emotions.

“When the corruption was flowing through me, when I was connected to the Empress... I saw things. Memories. Truths.” She took a deep breath.

“The Empress isn’t just a monster. She’s something that was once sacred, something that became corrupted itself.

And she believes she’s the rightful ruler of all realms.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, unease growing within me.

“Because when the time comes,” Wyn said softly, “the choice won’t be as simple as defeating her. It will be about restoring balance. And that might require a sacrifice none of us is prepared to make.”

The weight of her words settled over us like a shroud. In the distance, thunder rumbled—a storm approaching, both literal and metaphorical. I tightened my grip on the Moon Blades, feeling their power flow through me, pushing back against the last vestiges of corruption in my veins.

“Whatever it takes,” I said, my voice steady despite the fear churning in my gut. “We’ll find a way.”

As if in answer, the Moon Blades blazed with renewed light, but then it flickered.

What had been illuminating our small group in the darkening forest turned dim and made it hard to see if there were threats approaching.

I couldn’t bring myself to care though, not when we had just won the battle for Wyn’s soul.