Fated for Dawn (Arcanum Academy #3)

1. Evelyn

1

Evelyn

T he cold swallowed me first—not the biting cold of winter, but something more unnatural, draining the warmth from my body. The air turned thick and oppressive, and the world dissolved into darkness.

Vertigo clouded my thoughts when I realized I was falling into the void. The sword was still pierced through my chest, and I could feel a body against my back—Alister’s. The notion that I wasn’t alone reassured me for a moment. Strong arms held me as I struggled to scream while falling.

I didn’t save him.

Despite the vision, I hadn’t been fast enough.

Yet, there was no more physical pain, only a terrifying numbness that bled from my chest.

As we kept free falling, I realized I couldn’t move or speak.

Only my vision remained.

How could this happen?

We’d won.

Morgana had been killed.

Her body had crumpled to the ground, and for one breathless second, I thought it was over. Until…she stood up—but it wasn’t Morgana anymore. It was something far more terrifying.

A god.

And those black flames…what exactly were they?

In my vision, those flames had torn through Chad and Ryker like they were made of paper, not powerful shifters who normally thrived on fire.

Fear, pain, and rage assaulted me, blurring my vision with tears. Yet I still couldn’t speak or even sob. We kept falling endlessly into the void, with Alister skewered behind me and his arms around me being the only warmth and safety in that somber and cold place.

My thoughts halted when I felt my feet touch the ground. Yet, I remained frozen and couldn’t feel Alister move, either.

I could only assume we were dead if we ended up in the Shadow Realm.

We had to be.

My sword had gone straight through my chest, and Alister… A sword alone wouldn’t have been enough to kill a vampire, even through the heart. But those black flames?

What about the others?

Before everything went dark, I witnessed what could only be the goddess leaving Morgana’s body.

My other mates should be alive, right?

The darkness shifted, alive and whispering, its edges thinning and dimming just enough to reveal faint shapes watching us. Among them, I saw her—Goddess Hecate, her silhouette sharp against the void.

The others were just as imposing, radiating a majesty that made me wonder if they were gods, too.

I strained to listen, but it was like I was underwater. Their voices were muffled and distant, urgent but indecipherable.

The figures flickered, and only one remained. Goddess Hecate’s gaze locked onto mine as she approached us—unreadable.

Then her gaze focused on Alister.

Something shifted behind me, a sudden weight lifting. Until, with a flick of her wrist, Hecate dragged Alister’s frozen form forward. His body hit the ground as she released him from the spell, and I could only stare in horror, every instinct screaming to go to him.

Suddenly, he moved, raising slowly, deliberately, standing tall. For a brief, trembling moment, relief surged through me.

Everything was going to be okay.

But that relief curdled into dread when his body went stiff as a board and his eyes locked onto the goddess, alert and guarded.

Words floated between them, muffled and distorted. I strained to listen, but I could only attempt to decipher gestures from Goddess Hecate. The glow in her eyes burned brighter with every word. Alister’s lips moved in response, but his voice was nothing but an indistinct hum.

I searched his face for clues.

He was calm.

Too calm.

Then Hecate and Alister turned toward me.

Their gazes locked onto mine. Hecate’s expression was neutral, impenetrable. But Alister’s…The calm that was present only moments ago was now full of anguish.

A deep, aching sorrow hit me, threatening to tear me apart.

It felt like a goodbye.

He nodded once at Goddess Hecate, and my stomach twisted with dread.

No. No, whatever he’s agreed to, it’s wrong.

Goddess Hecate stepped forward, her voice cutting through the haze as my hearing returned, and I could finally move my upper body. “Evelyn, listen. This is important.”

But I couldn’t. All I could think about was Alister. The way he looked at me tore my soul apart.

“Alister,” I choked out, my voice trembling.

Goddess Hecate’s tone softened. “A sacrifice must be made.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, frantic, my mind racing to catch up with the reality unfolding around me.

“Only one of you can return to the living world. The black flames were deadly, but Alister, being a vampire, survived the sword to the heart. A blow like that isn’t fatal to his kind, and you took the brunt of the flames. You died, Evelyn—he did not.”

“If he didn’t die, then why is he here? And what does that have to do with him remaining?” I demanded, still struggling to process.

Goddess Hecate’s gaze remained steady. “Alister exchanged his life for yours. You’re far too important to the world’s fate, but a sacrifice must be made. Your mates are meant to protect you and make you stronger. If they can’t give their lives for you, then they serve no purpose to us.”

“I don’t agree with this sacrifice!”

“You’re dead because you tried to save him,” she reminded me, her tone sharper now. “If you hadn’t, you’d still be breathing.”

“What sort of person would I be if I didn’t try to save everyone I care about?”

“You need to put the world’s fate above your feelings,” Goddess Hecate retorted.

I let out a frustrated huff, refusing to entertain the thought. “I do not accept Alister’s sacrifice.”

“Are you telling me that you will allow the entire world to suffer, including your other four mates, by remaining in the Shadow Realm just so I send Alister back?” she countered.

Her words hit me like a blow, and I froze, the weight of her reasoning sinking in. My heart ached, but I couldn’t deny the truth of what she said.

“My sacrifice is the only solution,” Alister intervened, his voice steady yet filled with a quiet sorrow. “So you can go back and stop Eris.”

“But you’ll die!” I protested.

“I don’t care if I stay in the afterlife,” he declared. “As long as it means you get to live.”

“I care! What will I do without you?” I asked, my voice shaking as tears threatened to spill. I placed my hand on my chest, noticing that the sword was still embedded in my body.

“I love you, little Phoenix. Always.”

The finality of the word ‘always’ shattered me.

Pain rippled through me. Always . It echoed in the silence, heavy with the weight of goodbye.

This can’t be happening.

We’d fought so hard and come so far. It was supposed to be over. We were supposed to have won.

Goddess Hecate’s hand rested on my shoulder. “You must not fail, Evelyn. Eris must be stopped. The blessing began with your ancestors; as you are the last of your line, only you can end it.” Her voice softened, but her words cut no less deeply. “I’ve delayed her as long as I could. With you gone, the balance has crumbled, and magic has become unstable.”

“I’m not sure I understand. Are the others okay?” I questioned, my worries spilling out all at once.

“By keeping you in the Shadow Realm, I disrupted the flow of magic just enough to stall her plans. But Eris’s chaos must be contained, or it will consume everything. The weight of this burden falls to you alone,” she stated.

Frustration flared in me. “Why not get involved yourself? This is your fault!”

Her expression hardened, the flicker of softness gone. “It was decided that the gods would not intervene.”

“Intervene?” I said loudly, the sound tearing from my throat. “A goddess took over Morgana’s body! I call that intervening!”

Before I could argue further, Goddess Hecate’s hand moved to the sword’s hilt. “And that’s the reason you will be revived.”

“No,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Please, don’t. Alister—”

“I’ll be okay, little Phoenix. You have to finish this. You’re the only one who can.”

Goddess Hecate hesitated, her hand resting on the hilt of my sword. Her gaze locked onto mine, steady and unyielding. “Unless you stop Eris, his sacrifice—and the lives of all those you love—will mean nothing.”

Her words struck, their weight crushing my chest. The people I cared about, my chosen family—Chad, Rafe, Ryker, and my friends, Lucien, Adrien, and the others—were all in danger. But what about Alister?

“I can’t leave you,” I said, my voice trembling. “I can’t do this without you.”

“You can,” Alister said softly, his voice steady in a way that shattered me. “And you must. This is the only way.”

Hot tears slipped down my cheeks. “I’m the one who failed. I should be the one to stay.”

“My love, you need to live. To fight. To win. This is the only way to make sure everyone has a future. That you have a future.”

Goddess Hecate’s voice cut through the thick fog of emotion, sharp and commanding. “Without Eris’s defeat, chaos will reign, and the world will be destroyed.” Her tone softened, but the urgency in her words did not waver. “Remember, child, the balance must be restored. What was split in two must become whole again.”

In one swift motion, she pulled the sword from my chest. As the sword came out, another painful wave washed over me. Blood flowed from my injury; I gasped, struggling as the Shadow Realm released its hold.

Once again, gravity pushed me down, and darkness covered my vision like a veil until I hit the ground hard, the impact so jarring that the landing knocked the wind out of me.

Stunned, I lay there momentarily until I took a steadying breath. No longer choking on blood, no longer in pain, I pushed myself to a sitting position, looking down at my wound. It was completely healed, and my sword rested beside me.

I was alive and back on the field where Alister and I had disappeared.

It was desolate.

Empty.

I was alone.

Where was everyone? Where were the guys?

Alister was gone. He had sacrificed himself for me.

A sob of agony tore from my throat, a sound so raw and primal it barely felt human. The pain of his sacrifice ripped through me, more excruciating than any physical wound. It felt like my very soul had been severed; the bond between us breaking shredded the deepest part of me, the part that knew I would never recover from this.

What was I supposed to do now?

I had no idea.