Chapter Forty-Two
My knees buckle, and my limbs become too heavy to respond. I am but a ragdoll, suspended, being devoured.
Light fractures in my vision; shapes blur.
The air hums thick with Godly energy—my energy—consumed.
This is it.
This is the end.
Or it should be.
Suddenly, my mind races through everything—the journey, the trials, the gem.
Every piece seems to fall into place, every Gift I have been blessed with.
Realisation strikes like lightning, igniting everything inside me.
It was always supposed to end like this.
I force my gaze upward, as a blinding spark ignites behind my eyes—the one Gift I’ve never used, preserved through all the pain and struggle. I had a special weapon. I was like the Lady of Death. The Bloomblade. The lightning flower. I was the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The Deceiver.
Let him think I’m naive.
Let him think I’m stupid.
Let him think he can have it.
Lunaris’ words flash in my mind: The power within you remains protected.
“See… this power,” I manage, cocking an eyebrow as my body trembles violently, “was protected by a spell. Only those pure of heart… pure intentions… can wield it.”
The Siphon jerks back, sludge quivering, retching.
“You. Are. Not. Pure. Of. Heart.” I mutter between breaths, a smile curved on my lips.
As the last drop of power leaves me, something inside him ruptures.
The Siphon contorts between sludge and Charlie, unable to decide. It shrieks so loud the ground shakes.
Then it jolts violently, limbs locking midair. Sludge suspends as if paused in time.
A crack splinters through the air, sharp and electric. Charlie’s chest arches, a fissure of pure amethyst light tearing down his body as the sludge fractures like shattered glass.
“Wha—”
The sound dies in his throat as a shockwave of light bursts outward. Shadow flees from the light, afraid to be touched. Rays of bright white split him open violently until he is nothing but a trembling column of searing brilliance, held together only by falling sludge.
The power screams free.
And the silence that follows weighs more than the sun itself.
Charlie stands frozen, powerless.
A single blink—and the world changes. The blinding light collapses into the gem with a sharp inhale of reality, and my Star Gifts funnel back into me.
The light vanishes, leaving only scorched earth and a hot haze.
Smoke lingers, a ghost of what once was.
Charlie is gone.
Where flesh once stood, stone is replaced—cold, veined and eerily perfect. His features frozen in shock and hunger, limbs mid-reach, like the unworthy in the mountain.
Another vessel rejected.
The gem gleams untouched, pulsing quietly beside his petrified form, as though this outcome was always meant to be—power returned to where it belongs.
The sun warms us like it’s finally been let out of its cage, spilling across the clearing in buttery streaks that glint off Charlie’s freshly marbled frame. Birds stir in the treetops, singing as though taking their very first breaths, and in that fragile chorus I know—
Nyxos is back in his prison.
We beat it.
We beat him.
I try to breathe, but the air catches in my chest like a splinter. A sharp inhale sends pain jolting through my ribs, and I wince, but before I can sway, Ryder’s arms are around me, steadying, anchoring.
“You did it,” he breathes, voice cracking with relief. He kisses me hard on the forehead, one hand cradling the back of my neck. “You actually did it. How did you know that would work?” His eyes search mine in disbelief, awe, and lingering fear all tangled together.
“Something Lunaris said to me,” I murmur. It’s the truth, though it still feels impossible even as I speak it.
The battlefield settles into a strange, holy quiet. Through drifting smoke and scorched grass, the remaining warriors lift Ziek, bloodied and battered, and a tear slips down my cheek despite my best effort to hold it back.
“We couldn’t save him,” I whisper, burying my face in my hands.
“But you saved so many… He would have done anything to save his daughter. She’ll live—because of him, and because of you.”
The other warriors nod solemnly as if hearing our conversation, gently setting Ziek away from the fallen embers and kneeling beside him, their respect and grief mingling in the heavy, silent air.
A stray tear slips down my cheek. Guilt coils in my stomach, heavy and sickening.
If I had been quicker. If I had reached him sooner. Ziek would still be alive—and Kalia would still have her father.
“You can’t blame yourself. He knew the risks. His sacrifice was his choice.” Ryder gently frames my face, as if he can hear my thoughts. His features blur through the tears brimming in my eyes as I lean into his touch.
“I know,” I whisper, though the words feel fragile. “I know that… but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
He doesn’t rush me. He stays there, steady, breathing with me until the ache in my chest loosens its grip.
Ziek is gone. That truth will never change. But Kalia is alive. She will grow, she will laugh again, and somewhere in her future, her father’s sacrifice will still matter.
I draw in a slow breath and let it out. The guilt doesn’t vanish—but it softens, easing just enough for me to carry it.
Through my drying tears, I spot Nala cradling Trina in the distance. Relief softens their faces, edged with something bittersweet—and a small smile finds its way to mine.
“Asha!” A familiar voice cuts through the chaos. “Asha!”
My breath catches. I turn—
“Dad!”
I crash into him, arms wrapping around him with everything I have, clinging as if he might disappear again. His chest is solid beneath my cheek, his heartbeat steady and real.
“You’re okay,” I choke. “You’re really okay.”
“I’m okay, Flick,” he murmurs, using the name only he ever does. He presses a kiss to my forehead, lingering. “You did good, kid.”
The words undo me. I pull back just enough to see his face, to make sure—really sure—and my vision blurs when I see tears bright in his eyes, unshed but trembling.
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
He cups my face gently, thumbs brushing away the tears I didn’t realise had fallen. “Your mother would be so proud of you,” he says softly.
That does it. The tears spill freely now, streaking down my cheeks as his eyes shine with something like awe—like he’s seeing me for the first time and recognising me all over again.
I step back, wiping at my face, and only then do I realise Ryder is still standing beside me, quiet and steady as ever.
“Dad,” I say, a small smile finding me despite everything. “This is Ryder. The one I told you about.”
My father turns to him and offers his hand, his grip firm, his gaze assessing—but kind. Proud.
“Thank you,” he says, voice thick with meaning, “for seeing my daughter for who she is.”
Ryder doesn’t look away. He just nods once, solemn and sincere.
“I always have,” he says, adoration in his eyes.
And somehow, in the middle of ash and monsters and ruin, it feels like a promise.
Before I forget, my portal shimmers open, bridging the gap between Ziek’s village and here. The torchlight spills like a river across the scorched earth, a brief contrast to the destruction that surrounds me. I poke my head through, calling out, “Xavier!”
He comes running, boots kicking up dust and ash, eyes wide as they take in the blackened ground and the bodies strewn across it.
“It’s okay…” I say softly, letting the warmth of my energy seep into him. “…we won.”
For a moment, relief floods his features, chasing away the fear.
A large, radiant smile breaks across his face, and he throws his arms around me.
Then, with renewed purpose, he darts off toward the others in the distance, checking on friends, making sure they’re alive, each step lighter than the fear that had weighed him down moments ago.
I watch him go, chest heaving, and a quiet smile tugs at my lips. For the first time in hours, maybe days, I allow myself to breathe.
The battle is over.
When I turn, I realise that the rest of the school stands behind me, staring at the marble statue, at the fading smoke, at me. Their faces are slack with astonishment—eyes wide, mouths parted—as though they’ve just witnessed something they’ll spend years trying to understand.
Maybe they have.
They’ve seen me for who I am now.
The Star within me.
The girl who loves a Moon.
And yet—they cheer through their wounds and battle scars.
They cheer so loudly it drowns out the thunder of my own heartbeat, a roar of relief and triumph that shakes the air. For the first time since this nightmare began, I feel something like hope ignite inside my chest.
“You’re going to have to tell me how you made those shadow stairs,” Ryder chuckles, pulling me closer.
“I… I don’t know how I did it, or if I could even still do it without the gem.” I shrug, my heart still hammering against my ribs.
“I bet you could.” His smile is warm, full of adoration, and for a moment, I just stare at him, brows furrowed. “You don’t need that gem. You’re more powerful than you’ll ever know.”
…“And that fire army… don’t even get me started on that.”
His smile broadens, causing me to chuckle, and for the first time in a long while, it feels like the world softens around us.
“I love you,” I smile, breathless, as I grab him and crash my lips onto his.
“I love you, stalker,” he whispers against my mouth. “It was always you… It’s always going to be you.”
His lips answer mine with a sweetness made just for me, and my lungs finally settle. Months of hiding, of fear, of stolen moments—gone. We can love each other now without shadows clinging to our backs. I exhale into him, and he feels it too. This moment is everything we’ve survived for.
I open my eyes for just a heartbeat.
And freeze.
River stands a few paces away, shadows crawling down his arms, as he cradles the gem in both hands. His expression is distant and haunted, his brows drawn and eyes glassy with a thought he hasn’t spoken aloud.
But I see it. I know that look. It cleaves through me like a blade of ice.
His eyes lift to meet mine, like two ships locking onto each other across a dark, rising tide.
“River,” I choke out, panic flaring sharp in my chest.
“River—please—don’t.”