The chamber was quiet now, though the air still hummed with residual energy, the echoes <b>of </b>magic and struggle lingering like smoke in the corners. My ws dimmed slowly, the brilliant light fading into a soft, lingering glow, leaving my hands tingling and raw. I sank to my knees, exhausted, every muscle trembling from the effort, every breath sharp and shallow.


    Elias knelt beside me, shoulders sagging. His bow and arrowy across hisp, still warm from the mes he had wielded. For the first time in what felt like hours, he allowed himself a small, shaky smile. “We… we actually did it.” He said, disbelief threading his words. “I thought we were done for.”


    I shook my head slowly, still catching my breath, the adrenaline keeping the trembling at bay. “No.” I said softly. “We won this fight, yes–but he’s not gone. He’s… he’s regrouping. nning. “My words sounded hollow even to me, but the truth of them weighed heavier than any


    exhaustion.


    The Ash Queen stepped forward, silent, her eyes scanning the chamber with calm precision. I felt her power pressing gently against mine, a steady, unyielding pulse. “He will return<i>.” </i>She said quietly, her voice like the fall of ash on stone. “And when he does, he will be more dangerous than ever. But what you have discovered–what you have learned–will be the key. Your light, Lyra… it canmand even his darkness. Few have ever achieved that.”


    I looked down at my ws, still faintly glowing, and felt a shiver of awe. “I… I didn’t know I could do that. I didn’t even know it was possible.”


    Her gaze softened, almost maternal, though sharp with authority. “Power lies dormant until it is tested. Fear, desperation, necessity… these awaken it. You have survived because you have courage, and because you have purpose. That purpose is stronger than fear, and stronger than any shadow.”


    Elias leaned back against the stone wall, wiping sweat from his brow. “I guess that makes you the ultimate shadow–bender now, huh?” He said, trying to lighten the mood, though his voice carried the fatigue of battle.


    I chuckled, though it was shaky. “I guess…but don’t get used to me being calm. This was… exhausting.”


    The Ash Queen’s eyes flicked to the far side of the chamber, where remnants of the Sorcerer’s shadows still shimmered faintly, dissipating slowly into nothingness. “He is patient.” She said. “He waits in the spaces between battles, gathering strength. And when he strikes again, it will be with cunning and cruelty. You cannot let your guard down. You must prepare, train, and strengthen what you now control.”


    < CHAPTER 122


    +29 Points.


    I swallowed hard, the weight of her words sinking in. The idea of another confrontation, one even more dangerous than this, made my chest tighten. But beneath the fear, a spark of resolve red brighter than any shadow. We had survived, and I had discovered something about myself–about my power–that even I had not fully understood until this moment.


    Elias reached over, his hand brushing mine briefly. “We’ll do it together.” He said quietly, his voice steady but warm. “Whateveres next, we face it as a team. I’m not letting you do this alone. You’re my strength as much as I am yours, and I won’t step aside.”


    I nodded, grateful for the reassurance, though the exhaustion clung <i>to </i>me like a second skin. “I know. And I…I need to be ready. For him, for everyone he could hurt…for my baby.” The words caught in my throat, a fierce protective surge forcing the tremble from my lips.


    The Ash Queen’s gaze softened at that, and I could feel her acknowledgment, almost a blessing. “Your connection, your love… it strengthens your power. It is part of why you survived, and why you can bend the shadows. Never forget that it is not just the magic itself, but what drives you to use it, that defines your strength.”


    <i>” </i>


    Elias reached over, his hand brushing mine briefly. “We’ll do it together.” He said quietly. Whateveres next, we face it as a team. I’m not letting you do this alone, not now<i>, </i>not ever. Even if the path grows darker, even if everything feels impossible, I’ll still be here beside you, holding on.”


    I drew in a full breath and pushed myself upright, ash clinging stubbornly to my arms and hair. Elias rose beside me, his movements slow, deliberate. Together we moved through the wreckage–the shattered sigils, the jagged scars carved deep into the floor, the acrid smoke, and the faint crackle of dying magic that still hung like static in the air. Every step echoed the battle’s memory.


    The Sorcerer was gone, but the air still throbbed with his presence, like a heartbeat pulsing deep within the castle. I tightened my grip on my bow and pressed forward, every step heavier than thest.


    The Ash Queen led us forward, her presence both guide and protector, though she spoke little. I could feel her assessment of our abilities, her calctions of how we might survive the next encounter, and it filled me with a mixture of awe and determination. We had been tested, and we had survived. We had learned. But the real test–the one that would define everything–was yet toe.


    As we made our way out of the chamber, I nced back once more at the shattered remnants of the darkness. “He won’t stop.” I murmured. “He’ll be back.”


    The Ash Queen’s voice was soft but unyielding. “And when he returns, you will be ready. You have learned tomand what others fear. That knowledge is a weapon far greater than any


    < CHAPTER 122


    spell he could cast.”


    +25 Points


    Elias squeezed my hand gently. “Then we’ll face him.” He said firmly. “But, why were you trying to convince Lyra that she was better off without me? When we were in your castle.” Elias said, eyeing the Queen suspiciously.


    “I needed to know who I was dealing with. If she would give up her mate for power. Or if she loved you too much to stay here andmand this realm with power.<i>” </i>The Ash Queen answered.


    Her whole act earlier was just that–it was an act. She was pretending, putting on a front to see how I’d respond. She wanted to test me, to figure out if I was really who I said I was, or if I was just faking it, trying to be someone I wished I could be but hadn’t quite figured out how to be.


    I nodded, feeling a fierce determination building inside me. The Sorcerer mighte back stronger, smarter, and more ruthless–but so would we. We had already survived the impossible, turned the darkness against him, and found a power inside myself I never knew I had. I wasn’t going to back down, not now, not ever. Whatever came next, I was ready to face


    it head–on.


    For the first time, I believed–not blindly, not with hope alone–but with certainty. We could fight him again. We could win. And we would.


    Because now, I was not just defending. I wasmanding. I was leading. I was a force he could not control–and I would not let him take what mattered most.


    The castle around us seemed silent, but I could feel the pulse of his presence echoing faintly in the walls, a reminder that the battle was far from over. And as we stepped out together, ready to regroup, train, and prepare for the inevitable return, I knew one thing with unwavering rity: the next confrontation would be even greater, and I would face it with every ounce of power, determination, and light I could summon.


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