Aiden’s POV“Aiden! No!”I couldn’t hear her scream over the deafening roar of the earth splitting beneath our feet. My heart was racing, blood pounding in my ears as Sarah vanished from sight. Without thinking, I dove forward, grabbing her arm just before she plummeted into the abyss.For a moment, time felt like it stopped—everything hanging in the balance between life and death. My fingers were wrapped around her wrist, but the chasm beneath us yawned wide, hungry, ready to swallow us whole.“Hold on!” I gritted through clenched teeth. I could feel the ground tremble beneath us, cracking further. My muscles screamed with effort, and I fought to keep my grip steady.“I can’t—” Sarah’s voice broke, her panic clear as she struggled to stay connected to the earth, her feet kicking at empty air. But I wasn’t about to let her go.“Yes, you can,” I growled, my other hand reaching for her other arm, pulling with everything I had. “You’re not falling.”In one swift motion, I hauled her up,

Aiden’s POVThe chamber had turned into a battleground. The air was thick with tension, every breath I took feeling like it might be my last. Kael’s shadowy soldiers were closing in on us, moving with unnatural speed, their hollow eyes glowing with dark intent. And at the center of it all, the orb—a pulsating, radiant source of power—seemed to be the only thing standing between us and total annihilation.“We can’t keep this up,” I said, gritting my teeth as I swung my sword at one of the shadowy figures, only for it to pass straight through it, leaving no mark, no trace. It was like fighting smoke. Useless. “There’s too many of them.”Sarah was at my side, her eyes flickering with desperation. Her hands were glowing faintly with energy, a soft, golden light that seemed to grow brighter the more she focused. I could feel the pulse of the orb calling to her, like it was attuned to her very soul.“We have to hold them off,” she said, her voice tight, her gaze shifting between me and the

Aiden's POVThe remnants of the orb lay scattered at my feet, its once vibrant glow now reduced to flickering pulses. The chamber was silent now—eerily silent—save for the faint hum of what remained of its energy. I knelt there, staring at the pieces, my fingers trembling as I picked up a shard. It felt warm, almost alive, as though there was still hope left inside it.I can fix this. I have to fix this.The thought was a mantra, one that I repeated over and over as I gathered the fragments. Each piece felt like a sliver of life, and I couldn’t bear to think that all of this—the fight, the sacrifice, everything we’d endured—was for nothing. The orb wasn’t just a relic; it was a weapon, a source of power that could either save Mila or doom her forever. And Kael was still out there, growing stronger with every passing second.I could feel the heat of the energy in my hands, pulsing weakly but steadily. If I could just get these pieces back together, I could… I didn’t know what I could d

Aiden’s POVThe air crackled with tension as Kael stepped into the forge, his shadow stretching out before him like a living thing, consuming the light. His smirk was the last thing I saw before the temperature in the room dropped, the very walls of the forge shaking under the force of his presence.“I’ve been waiting for this,” he said, his voice low, dripping with malice. “You think you can save her, Aiden? You think you can stop me? How naive.”I gritted my teeth, stepping back, feeling the heat from the forge against my skin as the orb fragments hummed in my hand. They were almost whole—almost repaired. I just needed a little more time.But Kael wasn’t about to give me that.Before I could react, he moved, a shadowy blur, his weapon—a jagged, dark blade—whipping through the air toward me. I barely managed to dodge, my body instinctively shifting, but the blade grazed my arm, and the pain was instant, burning, like the shadows themselves were searing through my flesh.I stumbled, c

Aiden's POV“Are you sure about this?”Wyatt’s voice cuts through the silence, low and hesitant as we make our way through the dense forest. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and the heavy weight of impending danger. My feet move on autopilot, the pain in my side barely registering anymore. There’s a dull throb in my chest, but it’s nothing compared to the cold emptiness that threatens to swallow me whole.Mila’s voice has been growing fainter in my mind. Her whispers used to be a steady comfort, a constant reminder that she was still with me, still there. But now? Now, I barely hear her at all. Each time I reach for her, it feels like I’m grasping at smoke.I swallow hard, pushing through the pain. “I’m sure,” I say, my voice rough and cracked. I’m not even sure if I believe myself, but there’s no other choice. We have to get to the Grove.The others are silent behind me, moving cautiously through the brush. The forest feels alive, but it’s not a comforting kind of alive.