Chapter 108:
Sanathiel didn't hesitate.
"That roar wasn't jealousy. Wasn't warning. It was the final siren before collapse."
His blow shattered the cell door. The tension between the three brothers threatened to snap more than chains—it threatened the very world's balance.
Aisha recoiled.
The chains still quivered on the floor. Varek didn't defend himself. Sanathiel didn't strike. Not yet. Because something far worse was stirring…
A deep tremor surged through the earth—a dark force radiating not from them… but from the other cabin.
"Rasen—" Aisha gasped.
The name scorched her throat.
No time left.
Sanathiel's roar thundered on. Varek stood frozen, the phantom touch of a kiss still on his lips. Aisha could only clench her fists, knowing the abyss had already yawned open…
But true hell hadn't even begun.
Inside the neighboring cabin, the air hung thick, suffocating. The blue spores swirling around Rasen's body pulsed like a sickly shroud, casting a ghostly glow on the rotting wood walls.
Suddenly, Skiller burst in:
"He's waking!"
Sanathiel lunged for the second cabin as Skiller hurled himself onto Rasen, pinning him to the floor. His titanic muscles strained, trembling against the raw power erupting from the body beneath him.
"It's not working—" Skiller grunted, sweat pouring down his face. "He's fighting us… and something else."
Sanathiel's eyes blazed like twin hellfires, teeth bared.
"It's not Rasen resisting us. It's Sariel."
The cabin jolted violently. Floorboards groaned, splintering like they'd give way. Sanathiel slammed his claws down, adding his weight to Skiller's. Outside, the Nevri snapped their maws skyward, howls ripping through the trees. The full moon hung fragile, bathing the forest in an eerie, spectral light.
Aisha stood in the doorway, unable to tear her eyes away. The energy pouring off Rasen pulled and repelled her—one part screaming to intervene, another begging her to run.
Suddenly, a shadow filled the threshold. Varek, imposing, silent, stood framed in the doorway. His violet eyes burned, reflecting pain and iron resolve.
"Enough." His voice cut through the chaos as he strode into the room's heart.
Sanathiel shot him a scorching look.
"Here to help? Or just make it worse, brother?"
Varek didn't answer immediately. His gaze locked onto Aisha, as if nothing else existed.
"Aisha—" His voice was soft, thick with emotion. "I never meant you harm. No one was forced into what they are. They chose their path. But me… I never had a choice."
She stared, eyes wide with confusion, shadowed by pity.
"Varek..."
He raised a hand, stopping her.
"No. Let me finish. I'm not the monster they say. And if they hated me… it was because I fought the fate they all accepted without a fight. But now…" His gaze hardened, words raw, desperate. "I won't let you go, Aisha. Not while I draw breath. I am your best chance. To save you. To shield you from my brothers… from our Father."
Fury ignited in Sanathiel's eyes. He sprang up, leaving Skiller straining under Rasen's weight.
"Best chance?" he snarled, claws flexing as he advanced on Varek. "You're just a coward hiding behind pretty words!"
The clash was imminent—but before they could move, Aisha's voice sliced the air.
"STOP!"
The cry echoed, sharp as a blade. Both men jerked to a halt, eyes snapping to her.
"This isn't about YOU! There's no prize to fight over. I belong to NO ONE."
She stepped between them, when—
Suddenly, the spores condensed around Rasen's body, forming a shimmering, sickly shroud. His skin twitched, rippled—like something inside was tearing him apart.
"Something's wrong—" Skiller muttered, veins bulging on his arms as he pressed down… yet pulled back.
Then… a bone-deep chill swept the room. Rasen's back arched unnaturally. His lips curled into a grotesque smile.
Deep within that darkness, Rasen still existed. His mind hammered against the walls of his invisible prison, screaming warnings. But the voice that emerged… wasn't his.
"Well, well… Look who's all here for the family reunion."
Varek staggered back, face etched with dread.
"It's him…"
Skiller was hurled backwards, crashing hard. The white wolf caught him, seeing his exhaustion, his raw, bleeding arms.
Rasen rose… but it wasn't him in control. Eyes pitch-black, gleaming with malice, a twisted grin splitting his face.
"Oh, look at this… The tamed wolf and the rebel son. Here to fight? Or just watch me do what you lacked the guts to do?"
With a blinding flash, Sariel shattered the chains and lunged—straight for Aisha.
Before anyone could react, his hand clamped around her throat. Air exploded from her lungs in a choked gasp. Her feet dangled, the icy touch of Sariel's fingers burning like brands.
"How… interesting."
Varek surged forward—but Sariel's chains shot out like vipers, piercing Varek's skin, slamming him against the wall with unrestrained fury.
"This cursed family legacy is OUR burden!" Varek growled, wrenching the iron from his chest with agonizing slowness. "Leave her OUT of it!"
Sariel's eyes locked onto the cameo. For a heartbeat, his grin flickered. The past… still had claws. And that jewel held them all.
The venom in his voice turned to pure rage.
"THIS is the woman you all crave?"
The air crackled as he hurled Aisha to the floor. More chains speared through her body.
Sanathiel smashed through Sariel's barrier before the killing blow could fall. With a DEAFENING ROAR, his wolf form reached its apex as he launched himself at Sariel.
While Skiller dragged her clear of the maelstrom, Aisha's gaze snagged on Sanathiel and Varek. Her mind screamed to stop them, to save them—but her body was paralyzed. Reality slammed into her with cruel force.
Saving one meant losing the other two.
"GET HER OUT OF HERE—NOW!" Sanathiel bellowed, trying to shake her from her trance while holding Sariel at bay.
Solomon waited outside, helpless, unable to breach the barrier. He gripped his sword hilt, knuckles white. But what froze his blood wasn't the shout… it was an ancient presence emerging from the forest. Something had heard them.
Aisha, barely conscious, locked eyes with Sanathiel… then Varek, still trapped. She understood then: this battle wasn't just physical. It was shattering her soul. Loving one meant condemning the others.
Her heart pounding in her ears, Aisha let Skiller pull her away, his supernatural speed propelling them through the woods. With each step, the sounds of battle faded, but the shadow of what she left behind clung like poison. In the end, it wasn't a contest of strength, but of fate.
And hers… was about to shatter.
"And as she ran… for the first time, Aisha felt the future wasn't a path… but a chasm. And if she fell, she wouldn't rise the same."