Chapter 110:
The air pressure dropped around Aisha. Though her body still trembled, her footsteps gained strength. Skiller moved to stop her, his voice cracking through the frozen moment:
"Aisha, you can't go alone!"
She pushed forward with determined eyes. "If I don't return, Sanathiel and Varek will die. I won't allow that."
The finality in her voice hit like a physical blow. Skiller stood paralyzed as Aisha sprinted toward the massive gates at the corridor's end. Arcane symbols blazed across their surface, glowing so intensely it seemed daylight itself was trapped behind them, barely contained. Without hesitation, she threw her weight against them.
The air crackled with energy - the world itself undecided between dawn and damnation.
Heat washed over her as she crossed the threshold. Faceless horrors with twisted bodies and razor claws encircled her. The very atmosphere pulsed with chaotic energy. Yet the loyal Nevri reacted instantly to her blood, forming a living barricade between her and the monsters.
Dagger in hand, Aisha moved with lethal precision. Each strike freed another young Nevri from the creatures' grasp.
"I'm what you want, Sariel! Come for me!" Her voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
A chill ran down her spine as a firm hand gripped her shoulder. She turned to face the imposing figure of Lucian Kerens.
"Stop here," his deep voice commanded. "Go further and you may die."
Aisha met his gaze unflinchingly. "I know."
A glimmer of pride flashed in Lucian's eyes. "Then change your destiny, daughter."
Lucian was more than a memory - he was the echo of a broken promise. As he dissolved like mist in the wind, his hand left a glowing Nevri symbol on Aisha's shoulder. "My blood is yours," he'd said the night he claimed her as his heir. "But your fate is yours alone."
The battle raged on. Monsters fell one after another as Aisha fought forward. Suddenly, Sanathiel appeared in his wolf form - silver fur bristling, eyes flashing with fury. He snapped the neck of a creature about to attack from behind.
"I won't let them fall," he growled.
Snatching a spear from the wall, he began carving a path toward Sariel, who watched from a distance wreathed in pulsating shadows.
Aisha seized the opening and ran.
"Rasen, wake up!" The shout tore from her throat as another memory surfaced - Rasen years ago, tending her wounds in the forest, murmuring: "Wolves don't cry, little one. They howl so the world hears their pain." That same man was now buried in darkness.
For just a moment, Sariel faltered. His rigid posture wavered as if Aisha's words were chipping at his control.
With grim determination, Aisha grabbed a lance from the wall. Spotting Sanathiel and Salomon battling nightmarish creatures, she took aim and hurled it at Sariel.
A shadow moved. Varek caught the weapon mid-air before it even entered his field of vision.
"This is my territory." His voice was cold steel, but his eyes burned with contained emotion.
Varek spun the lance, locking eyes with Sariel. The brothers stood facing each other, tension thick enough to choke on.
Varek caught the scent of fear in Sariel's sweat - the same as when they'd hidden from hunters as boys. Only now, Sariel wasn't afraid of external monsters. He feared what lived inside him.
"You always knew this day would come," Varek said lowly, each word a knife twist. "This time, I won't fail."
Sariel's laugh came out distorted. "Fail? You've done nothing but fail since birth."
The words should have cut deep. Instead, they only hardened Varek's resolve.
As the brothers clashed, Sanathiel fought his way to Aisha.
"This isn't your war," he said, voice uncharacteristically gentle. "But if you stay..." He extended a dagger. "...see it through to the end."
Aisha took the blade, chaos swirling around them.
"This was yours," she said. "The first weapon you awakened me with...and perhaps the last you'll see me wield."
Sanathiel flashed a fierce grin before charging back into battle.
The remaining Nevri poured into the chamber, responding to their alpha's call with a unified roar. A young Nevri - barely able to stand - threw himself at a shadow lunging for Aisha.
"Go, Second Alpha!" he howled before black claws impaled him.
Aisha wanted to stop. But she couldn't.
Salomon appeared at the vanguard, hefting his spear. "When you're ready, Sanathiel!"
He paused just long enough to grip Aisha's shoulder. "Make it quick, human. Or we go without you."
The battle reached its crescendo as Sariel suddenly seized Aisha, holding her aloft. His dark gaze pierced hers.
"You're stronger than I expected," he admitted almost admiringly. "But here, you decide nothing."
Before he could harm her, Varek tackled him with full force, breaking his grip.
"Run!" Varek shouted as they grappled.
Sanathiel and Salomon launched a coordinated attack, wounding Sariel for the first time. The shadows trembled, their control slipping momentarily. In that darkness, a familiar pair of eyes found Aisha's - not Sariel's. Rasen's. Trapped. Pleading.
For a heartbeat, Sariel seemed confused.
"You still resist? Still weep for her...as if she matters more than us?"
The moment passed. His cruel smile returned.
"You could be like me, Rasen. Just stop fighting."
"Aisha..." The whisper came before darkness reclaimed him.
She pressed a hand to her chest. "I heard you, Rasen. I'm not leaving you."