Page 34

“ Kayden!” Valda screamed, happiness pouring from her voice. Her chest swelled as soon as she recognized her best friend.

Kayden’s hands trembled as a drop of blood dripped from his nostril to his chin. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted amongst the bodies.

Before running to Kayden, Valda gathered Maris in her arms and looked down at her, wanting to make sure she was fine. Maris nodded and pushed her towards her friend. Valda walked over the dead, reaching Kayden.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Valda picked Kayden up and dragged him to Maris. His head rolled from side to side, his breath uneven as Valda settled him on the ground. Grabbing his chin, Valda inspected his face. He didn’t seem to be harmed, other than his bleeding nose. His already pale skin didn’t tell her much.

Gods. She was so happy to see him… She wanted to throw her arms around him and squeeze him.

After a while, he slowly came back to. His eyes sparked the moment his gaze landed on Valda.

“I thought you were dead,” Kayden said, clutching to Valda’s blouse, releasing a shuddering breath. “Gods, I prayed you were safe all these months.”

Valda released a laugh and pressed her forehead to Kayden’s. “I thought Kenna killed you, but then she said she captured you and kept you locked up,” Valda said, her throat bobbing as she swallowed hard .

“She released me not so long ago. She sent a letter for me to come and join you in taking back the castle.” Hissing, Kayden sat up and touched his forehead. “I didn’t think she would destroy it, though. I can smell the Vulcanian powder from a mile away.” With a huff, he pressed his palms to his head and then wiped the blood from his nose. “I used too much power,” he mumbled, turning to look at his handy work.

“You sure did,” Valda replied, swallowing hard. The Harmonians didn’t rule the world simply because they didn’t want to. With Kayden’s power alongside his mother’s, they could disarm an entire army in seconds.

“When did you get here?” Maris asked, helping him up.

“I just went through the docks,” Kayden answered, before turning to Valda. “I was inside the castle. The chambers are empty.”

Valda gave Maris a quick glance. “That leaves the throne room,” Valda snarled, standing just as another explosion shook the castle’s grounds. “How are you holding up, Kayden?”

Kayden held his head. Grimacing, he took a step forward but was stopped by Maris’s hand pressed to his chest.

“You don’t look so good.”

“Neither do both of you,” Kayden said, prompting Cerberus to hiss at him. Kayden looked down at the cat in astonished relief.

Valda knew he was never fond of Cerberus, but for a slim second, she could see that he was happy her pet was alive.

“I can keep watch here, make sure he doesn’t get away like the coward he is. You should go.” Kayden grabbed Valda’s arm. His tight grip was more worried than affectionate. Swallowing hard, he pulled her in for a hug. Valda reciprocated the hug tenfold, holding on to him as if he would disappear.

Before they pulled apart, Kayden clutched Maris’s tunic and pulled her into the embrace as well. It took Maris a second to wrap her arms around Valda and Kayden and squeeze them both.

Taking a step back, Kayden regarded Valda and Maris before shooting his gaze to the castle. “Kill him. That’s the only way to stop him.”

“That’s the plan,” Maris said while Valda pulled her sword out. Maris took the trident in her hand and turned to the crumbling castle entrance.

With a stern gaze, Valda focused on Maris, whose entire demeanor faltered the second they locked eyes. There was fear and restraint in her chest. The silent question hung in the air and before Valda could reel her in, Maris shook her head .

“Let’s end this.”

Valda nodded as the worry within Maris washed away. Her knuckles turned white around the hilt of her sword. The anticipation gnawed at her, as she didn’t know what she would find in the interior of the crumbling castle.

As they walked through the halls, the grim devastation left in the wake of the merciless bombs came into view. Corpses were strewn across the ruined corridors, and shattered walls loomed as if they would crumble with just a touch.

As much as she tried to still herself, Valda couldn’t keep from reacting to the destruction. Her chest tightened with the urge to mourn the place she had called home all her life.

Even as the hall crumbled around them, she could still see the ghosts of the memories embedded in its walls.

Maris trailed behind her, silent and steady, while Cerberus darted ahead, as if leading them toward something unseen. A part of Valda couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that the cat knew more than she let on—that she was weaving a dangerous path toward the inevitable.

With every step, Valda’s heartbeat pounded against her ribs. The weight of what was coming pressed down on her, thick and suffocating. Maris could sense it too; she was sure of it.

She was about to face the man who had taken her father’s place. Memories flooded her, one after the other, drowning her.

She could still feel his arms lifting her as a child, holding her after her father’s death. She remembered the way his eyes had softened with false regret when he forced her to kill Raan. She recalled the moment he first placed Cerberus on her lap, a gift meant to endear her.

She felt his heavy hand on her shoulder, guiding her stance, perfecting her form—molding her into a weapon. And yet, all she bore for him now was resentment. Not just for what he had done to her, but for what he had done to Maris, to the Sealians, to the people who had suffered under his rule. How could he have blinded her in such a way that even after all the things he did, she still trusted him when she was cursed?

At the end of the hall, the crumbling entryway gave way to the throne room. The floor beneath them cracked as another explosion rocked the castle grounds.

There, in the center of the room, Arwin kneeled next to a raised platform, his back to them. His whispered prayers echoed through the fractured remains of the throne room .

Valda’s steps faltered. Around the edges of the chamber, Skylian soldiers lay scattered in grotesque stillness—their throats slit, their stomachs torn open.

She stretched out an arm, stopping Maris from moving further. But it was too late. She heard her mate’s sharp intake of breath.

These men hadn’t been killed by bombs.

They had been sacrificed.

Cerberus let out a low, eerie meow, the sound curling through the room.

Valda’s breath caught in her throat.

On the platform, Arwin straightened, his murmured prayers silenced, interrupted by the very pet he had given her all those years ago.

Slowly, the man turned toward Valda, revealing who lay atop the platform.

Eris.

The goddess struggled to breathe. Her hands were neatly folded over her stomach, her white dress stained with spreading spots of crimson.

From where Valda stood, she could see the dried black blood seeping from Eris’s shoulder and mouth. Her eyes were open, lifeless, staring blankly at the ceiling of the throne room. Drapes bearing her symbol surrounded the dais.

“Look what you’ve done,” Arwin murmured, his voice raw and fractured, his head shaking in disbelief. “You made me kill my own men to keep her alive…”

Valda slowly lowered her arm as Maris stepped beside her. Cerberus’ fur bristled as she licked her snout, her sharp gaze fixed on Arwin just as he rose to his feet.

The castle suddenly trembled again.

With a frantic motion, Arwin threw himself over Eris’s body, shielding her as dust and rubble rained from the ceiling. When the shaking subsided, he raised his gaze, fury burning in his eyes.

“The Fates were right,” he hissed. “You were destined to change everything—by burning it all to the ground.”

“This is no longer Oberon Castle,” Valda spat, lifting her sword toward him. “And I refuse to let it remain her temple.” She took a step forward as her blade gleamed in the flickering torchlight. “You are not stepping outside this place ever again. You will crumble with it.”

Arwin scoffed. Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, gleaming golden apple .

Beside her, Maris tensed. “Valda,” she growled, her grip tightening around her trident, white-knuckled with fury. “Fucking kill him. Now.”

Arwin’s trembling hands cradled Eris’s face. His fingers gripped her chin, forcing her mouth open. Without hesitation, he placed the golden apple between her parted lips.

“Blessed be the goddess,” he whispered before slamming her mouth shut, shattering the fruit between her teeth.

A blinding purple light erupted from Eris’s mouth and eyes, flooding the throne room in an ethereal glow. Valda raised her arm, shielding herself just in time to see Arwin press his forehead to Eris’s.

The light, once wild and chaotic, funneled into the goddess’s forehead before surging into Arwin’s body. A force unlike anything Valda had ever felt blasted outward, sending her hurtling away from the platform. The very walls of the throne room shuddered, groaning beneath the weight of the power unleashed.

And then there was silence.

As the violent glow dimmed, Valda pushed herself up, her breath coming fast. She turned toward the center of the room only to find the goddess’s body gone.

Arwin knelt where she had been, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. His entire frame trembled, his hands clawing at the stone beneath him as though anchoring himself to reality.

Something was different.

His hair—once streaked with silver—was darker now, the gray retreating into deep, familiar hues. His scar was gone. His skin, once marked by the passage of time, looked unblemished.

Valda’s pulse pounded in her ears as she took a hesitant step forward.

Slowly, Arwin rose. His movements were unsteady, unnatural, as if adjusting to a body that wasn’t entirely his own. A soft, purple light pulsed on his forehead—a straight line intersected by two semicircles.

The symbol of Eris glowed steadily on his skin.

Valda’s grip on the Heaven Sword tightened.

She turned to Maris, whose wide, disbelieving eyes met hers. The same thought echoed between them.

Who was this man?

Arwin?

Eris ?

Valda swallowed down her unease and took another step forward, raising her sword.

“I should challenge you to a duel,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm in her chest. “But we both know you are not the rightful king.”

Arwin remained motionless except for the faint crease in his brow. “I once challenged your father to a duel,” he murmured, his fingers tracing the place where his scar had once been. “He didn’t finish the job.”

Valda’s grip on her sword tightened. “I am not my father.”

Arwin’s lips curled into something almost amused. “Oh, you certainly are not.” His voice twisted, warping into something unnatural. “And neither am I.”

His body convulsed.

Valda instinctively stepped back, colliding with Maris. Her breath hitched as the man before her shifted, his features contorting.

In a flash, her father stood in Arwin’s place.

A cruel, knowing smile stretched across the familiar face. A bright white glow replaced the violet hue on his forehead, and there, seared into his skin, was the unmistakable symbol of Ouranos.

“Wouldn’t it be fitting,” he mused, his voice dripping with malice, “if your father’s face was the last thing you ever saw?”

It had been years since she saw her father’s face, and even though she could recognize it in a crowd, the mask Arwin wore did her father no justice.

How fucking dare he use his image to gain advantage? Anger bubbled deep within her, fogging all logical thought, pushing her to act without thinking it through. Valda knew she couldn’t do that with Arwin. He knew how she would react; he knew her every single move.

“Or would you rather—” His voice heightened, as dark hair grew from his head. His neck elongated and features became feminine. Rionach looked back at Valda with a broken face, bleeding from the mouth, and dark marks bruising her neck. “ My dear girl. Come join me in Tartarus.”

Inhaling sharply , Valda drew the surrounding air into a swirling vortex. The fatigue in her muscles was long forgotten. The gusts picked up the debris and sent it flying around them. Maris moved behind her, looking for shelter as Cerberus hid between her ankles.

Valda’s eyes narrowed, locking onto Arwin’s every subtle movement. Valda’s chest heaved with each tense breath as she steadied herself. She would not allow Arwin to get in her head .

Without warning, Valda lunged forward, raising her blade high before slashing through the air. Transforming back to himself, Arwin met her strike effortlessly, the clash of their swords sounding like a thunderclap as sparks flew.

Gritting her teeth and cursing the fact that he knew her every move, she swung her sword in wide arcs, trying to break through Arwin’s defense, but he welcomed each move with fluid motions.

With a sudden burst of speed, Valda unleashed a powerful gust of wind, sending Arwin stumbling backward. She seized the opportunity to strike harder, faster, trying to break through everything he taught her.

He met Valda’s onslaught with his own attacks. The clash of their swords sent shockwaves through the ground, rippling through the air with tension. As Arwin pushed against the sword, she felt a pull within her chest. Maris wanted to join her and fight, but not yet. Not fucking yet.

“Stay back!” Valda roared, her muscles bulging underneath her tattered blouse as the explosion of wind burst from within her this time. It didn’t push Arwin off of her.

With a sinister grin, the man slipped a hand around her throat and squeezed firmly. Valda released one hand to grip his wrist, struggling to keep her sword away from her chest as he pushed in. She felt the other side of her blade digging through her blouse, almost to her skin.

Her chest tightened until she heard rapid footsteps heading her way. She closed her eyes, leaned her head to the side just as something whistled next to her.

Suddenly, she heard a blunt object smashing Arwin. The man released his grip on her throat and stumbled away from her.

Valda opened her eyes just in time to see Maris block one of his attacks. She held the trident over her head, shoved Arwin and thrusted her weapon forward.

Sidestepping an attack, Arwin grabbed the trident, pulled it towards him, bringing Maris forward and smashed his forehead against her nose.

Letting out a loud curse, Maris stumbled to the ground as the trident clanked loudly next to her.

Blood dripped from Maris’s nose as she groaned, shaking her head to clear the daze. Arwin wasted no time, lunging forward to deliver a finishing blow, but Valda was faster. She intercepted him mid-strike, her blade carving a sharp arc between them. The force of her swing sent Arwin staggering a step back, giving Maris enough time to recover .

Pushing off the ground, Maris grabbed her trident, spinning it in a deadly flourish before planting her feet next to Valda. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second.

“You never follow instructions, do you?”

“I thought I made that clear since the day we met.” Maris scoffed.

Another explosion sounded, and the far-right wall of the throne room crumbled, taking a window with it. The pouring rain outside blew into the chamber alongside the stormy wind.

Valda wasted no time. She surged forward, slicing downward in a brutal motion. Arwin deflected her strike, twisting his sword to force hers away, but Maris was already there. She ducked low, sweeping her trident at his legs. Arwin leaped back, avoiding the strike by inches, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, Valda’s boot crashed into his ribs, sending him skidding across the floor.