<h4>Chapter 317: _Child Of Selene</h4>


    "She’s been working for Ryker all along?" Kaelos snarled as we stared wearily at Lucinda floating above us.


    Slowly, an aura of dark green energy surrounded her like a cloak, her hair and robes pping around her like clouds.


    "I knew that witch shouldn’t be trusted." Alpha king Thorian suddenly stepped forward, his fangs bared. "From the moment she stepped into the event hall during the festival."


    "Well, congrattions," Lucinda said with a mocking voice. "But if there’s one thing you should know about witches who make it to the top... We don’t do it by ying with the losing side."


    Without warning, she stretched her right hand toward us, clenching it into a fist.


    As she did, the wind picked up, the clouds above the red night sky twisting and twirling like snakes. ck lightning rained on the snowy field around us, striking down allies and foes.


    "No!" Althea yelled out, stepping in front of me before I could even react.


    She raised her hands toward the heavens, creating a dark blue force bubble around me, Kaelos, her and the other Alpha kings.


    Luna Queen Janelle’s eyes suddenly lit up with a bright silver light as she clutched the purple ring on her finger, locking her gaze on Lucinda.


    "You might want to close your eyes for this one..." She muttered, ncing at me with a mysterious glint in her eyes.


    I did that, clutching close to Kaelos and looking away from her.


    Even though I couldn’t see, I felt the burst of light that followed and then the screams and pained howls all around us.


    The sound of Lucinda’s lightning bolts crackled in the air around us, splitting the sky and raining upon the force bubble. But I held tight to Kaelos, not letting go despite the burst of energy around us.


    When it finally felt like the searing light had stopped shining, Janelle’s voice echoed.


    "Alright. You may open your eyes."


    My eyes fluttered open. I scanned my gaze around us to see the destruction left behind by whatever Janelle just did.


    The battlefield around us was scorched with ckened ash etched on the snow, save for the spot surrounded by Althea’s force bubble.


    And around the scorched area... The charred bodies of the artificial hybrids who had been heading toward the force bubbley in the snow.


    The cause of this destruction, Janelle, stood in front of all of us, withdrawing her hand from her purple ring as her silver hair blew behind her.


    "Well... Ryker warned me about your power." Lucinda’s voice boomed through the eerie silence that came after the devastation at the same moment that Althea’s force bubble finally dissipated.


    ’The soldiers I brought here... they’re all dead.’’ Kaelos’ voice was like a whisper in my mind, forcing me to turn my gaze to him. ’We need to get out of here.’


    I shook my head, clutching his hand even tighter. ’Not without bringing Lucinda down.’


    His silver eyes turned to me, a myriad of emotions swirling in them.


    Meanwhile, Lucinda continued speaking to Janelle, her voice filled with... Reverence?


    "You’re one of thest descendants of the moon goddess herself. A child of Selene. Silver Borne."


    I furrowed my eyebrows, confusion eating me up. And when I nced at Kaelos, he seemed just as confused.


    Eventually, Lucinda added coldly. "It’s quite unfortunate that you have to be in my way. Move. The Vein-borne belongs with Lord Ryker, who’ll use her connection to the Vein to—"


    "Lucinda Silverwing!" My aunt Althea suddenly yelled out with a loud voice, flinging the wooden staff in her hands aside. "So you tapped into the Vein. I can smell its chaotic power all over you."


    My eyes widened.


    ’Well, that exins why she looks like Voldemort and Morgana’s love child up there.’ Sirena echoed in my head. ’Do you want to fight her? She may be tapping into the Vein but you are THE key to the Vein.’


    As tempting as that was, I couldn’t.


    I couldn’t even afford to tap too deeply into my normal magic reserves without risking activating the dark sigils connecting me to the Vein.


    "So what if I tapped into the Vein?" Lucinda thundered as the wind began picking up speed again. "Nyx, your ancestor did the same thing, and that’s what led to Odessa’s current... State. You know what?"


    Suddenly, Althea stiffened, rising into the air under the influence of Lucinda’s magic.


    Her arms iled before Lucinda clenched her fist tighter, freezing Althea midair like a puppet on invisible strings. A pained gasp escaped her lips, and dark green veins snaked across her skin like cracks in porcin.


    "Althea!" I shouted, stepping forward but Kaelos grabbed my arm, holding me back.


    "Wait."


    He was right. I wasn’t ready to face that level of power... Without having to tap into my magic.


    Janelle’s silver eyes narrowed as she stepped up, her body glowing faintly with an ethereal silver hue. "You’re not the only one who’s been busy studying the Vein’s chaos," she said coldly.


    Lucinda hissed, throwing Althea to the ground like discarded trash.


    Before she could strike again, Janelle vanished—literally vanished—in a streak of silver light and reappeared mid-air, a massive silver construct of a hammer forming in her hands as if summoned by sheer will.


    She mmed it down toward Lucinda.


    Lucinda barely dodged, the impact cracking the air and creating a crater in the snow-covered earth below. The shockwave sent debris flying in all directions, knocking down nearby artificial hybrids that had survived the initial assault.


    Thorian let out a guttural roar, charging forward, ws extended, blue eyes zing.


    "You witches and your games!" He barked.


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    Lucinda blocked his strike with a shield of green light—but didn’t expect Alpha King Mwansa to lunge at her from behind. He raked his ws across her back, drawing dark, oily blood that sizzled as it hit the snow.


    Lucinda screamed, spinning and sting them both back with a pulse of corrupt magic.


    "I’ve fought fellow skilled witches ande out on top!" She roared. "Do you seriously think a few dogs and a half-lit moon princess can defeat me?!"


    "You talk too damn much," Kaelos growled, his voice low and deadly.


    And then he moved.


    His body shimmered as he activated his Alpha King aura, a radiant silver light enveloping his fists. He leapt into the air, spinning mid-flight, and punched Lucinda square across the jaw.


    The impact sent a ripple through her protective aura, making it shimmer and crackle. For a moment, her body stuttered like a glitch in reality.


    I didn’t hesitate after that.


    "You wanna burn the world?" I shouted, my voice wild, eyes glowing bright. "Then let’s burn together!"


    mes ignited at my feet as I summoned what little elemental magic I could still harness.


    I extended both arms andunched a st of roaring violet fire directly at Lucinda. It collided with Lucinda’s barrier, cracking it further.


    ’Careful not to tap too deep...’ Sirena growled in my mind as I gritted my teeth, trying to keep control.


    Althea, still on the ground but slowly rising, muttered an incantation under her breath.


    "By the Light of the old gods... By the old roots of Gaia..."


    A deep thrum echoed across the field as the earth itself responded. Cracks split the snow beneath Lucinda, and glowing runes lit up in a circle around her.


    "What is this—?" Lucinda snarled, trying to float higher, but her power faltered. The runes glowed brighter now, imprisoning her in a dome of ancient magic.


    "She’s bound," Althea panted, lifting her hand, palm facing Lucinda. "Now finish her!"


    Kaelos surged forward again, ws coated in silver energy. He shed at Lucinda’s chest and Alpha King Maddox followed up with a punch that knocked her back into the rune cage.


    I managed to send a final fireball that exploded on contact.


    Lucinda screamed, her dark green aura ring violently.


    But still... She stood.


    Bloodied, burned and furious.


    "You little pests think you’ve won," she hissed, dark lightning flickering across her body. "You’re nothing but footnotes in Lord Ryker’s rise to power!"


    And just as she raised her hands again, dark energy swirling, Althea moved.


    With a wave of her hand, her fallen staff reappeared in her grip. She spun it once, nting its tip into the ground, and drew deep into her magic.


    A beam of white-blue magic formed at the tip of her staff, aimed directly at Lucinda’s heart.


    Lucinda turned just as Althea whispered. "You chose the wrong High Priestess."


    Then fired.


    The beam pierced through Lucinda’s chest, shattering thest remnants of her shield.


    Her scream echoed like thunder, the dark green aura around her imploding, ripping the clouds above into a brief clear patch, just enough to let a sliver of red moonlight hit her burning body.


    She disintegrated mid-air, particles of ash scattering like cursed snowkes.


    Silence.


    Just... silence.


    Until Althea finally dropped her staff and copsed to her knees.


    Janelle knelt beside her, the silver light on her body dimming as she ced a steadying hand on her shoulder. "It’s done."


    I panted heavily, withdrawing my arms to myself and staring at them wearily.


    The dark sigils in my blood pulsed faintly, but then slowly dimmed, causing relief to flow through me.


    "We did it..." Kaelos wrapped his arm around my waist, grounding me in his warmth.


    But just when I thought we could finally catch a break to feel our emotions...


    "Bravo!" A deep voice boomed from the top of the snowy fortress Ryker had kept me in, sending a burst of wind that forced me to shield my face with my arms.


    Gods... It was Ryker!