Chapter 132
Oh my, I opened Wattpad and was absolutely bombarded with notifications-likes, votes, comments, love... everything! ??
Have I really been gone for just two days, or has it secretly been a month? ??
I hope my Not the Villain fam has been doing well and, most importantly, that you guys are happy.
I genuinely try to respond to my readers as much as possible, but the notifications have piled up so much that I have no idea who I might have missed.
So, to everyone who has recently started reading the book, everyone who loved it, everyone who maybe didn't love it but still decided to give it a chance, and everyone who has been here from the beginning-this humble author welcomes you all to Cassiane's chaotic little family. ??
Thank you for reading, voting, commenting, sharing your thoughts, and simply being here. It means more to me than you probably realize.
Loads of love to all of you.
And now...
Here's your next update. ??
(Author POV)
Rhaevan stood beside Cassiane with their fingers still intertwined, yet part of him was struggling to believe what had happened only moments ago.
She had accepted his love and told him that she loved him too.
After a lifetime in which happiness had always seemed like something meant for other people, he had finally been given something he had never dared to ask for, and he was holding on to it with everything he had.
The warmth of her hand in his and the quiet happiness in her eyes were the only things keeping him grounded, reassuring him that this was real and not some beautiful dream he would eventually wake from.
When they reached the entrance to the hall within the Sanctuary of the Fallen, Rhaevan noticed the pedestal standing at its centre. The compass in Cassiane's hand was glowing steadily, confirming that the third fragment lay somewhere beneath it.
It seemed almost too easy, which immediately made him suspicious, so he stepped inside first and carefully examined the chamber for concealed traps or traces of magic.
When he found nothing unusual, he released a controlled wave of magic that travelled through the hall before returning to him without triggering anything.
Only then did he look back at Cassiane and nod.
"You can come in."
She stepped across the threshold, and something immediately changed.
Her expression became distant, as though her body had remained in the hall while her mind had been pulled somewhere far beyond it. Rhaevan watched her take another step toward the pedestal.
"Cassiane?"
She didn't respond.
She continued forward, her movements slow and almost hesitant, yet there was an unnatural certainty to every step. It was as though something within the sanctuary had recognized her and was drawing her toward it.
Rhaevan followed without hesitation, but the moment he crossed the threshold, an invisible force struck him and sent him staggering backward.
A translucent barrier erupted between them, stretching from the floor to the ceiling like an enormous wall of glass.
"Cassiane!"
She didn't turn.
He rushed forward and pressed both palms against the barrier.
She was only a short distance away, close enough for him to see her clearly, yet the space between them suddenly felt impossible to cross.
Rhaevan had encountered magical barriers before and knew how to read their structure, identify their weaknesses, and dismantle them, but this one was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
It wasn't simply sealing the hall. It was deliberately separating him from her.
He pushed his magic into it.
Power surged from his hands and rippled through the chamber, making the ancient walls tremble, but the barrier absorbed it without leaving so much as a crack.
He gathered his magic again, concentrating it into a narrow stream as he desperately searched for even the smallest weakness, only to watch his spell disappear into the barrier as though it had never existed.
"Cassie, stop!"
She kept walking.
He released another surge, and the barrier flashed violently. Cassiane stumbled several steps forward as though the force had travelled through the barrier and pushed her toward the centre of the hall.
Rhaevan immediately stopped.
His breathing had grown heavier, but he couldn't continue attacking blindly when he didn't know what the barrier was doing to her. If his magic was somehow feeding the spell, every attempt to break through could be carrying her farther away from him.
He lowered his hands and watched helplessly as the runes beneath the ancient pedestal began to glow. Light spread across the stone floor in intricate patterns, growing brighter with every step Cassiane took.
Whatever this sanctuary had awakened, it was responding to her.
"Cassie, come back."
His voice carried across the hall, but she didn't even hesitate.
She reached the pedestal and placed the compass into the depression.
The entire sanctuary seemed to awaken.
Light raced through the ancient runes, illuminating the walls as a deep rumble rolled through the chamber. The stone beneath the compass shifted with a grinding sound, and something began to rise from beneath the pedestal.
Rhaevan struck the barrier again.
"Cassie! Please, dove, look at me. Don't go any further. Please, come back to me."
His voice grew strained with every word, but she didn't respond. He pressed his palm against the barrier, staring at her as though sheer will could somehow reach her when his magic could not.
"Please."
She still didn't turn.
Then the floor beneath her began to rise.
Rhaevan's eyes widened as the pedestal lifted, carrying Cassiane higher into the enormous chamber. A strange red light gathered around her, growing stronger as the ancient structure beneath her began to shift.
He gathered every ounce of magic he could and slammed it against the barrier.
It remained intact.
The sanctuary continued its ancient ritual while Rhaevan stood trapped on the other side, forced to watch as Cassiane was carried farther from him.
None of the enemies he had faced had ever made him feel this helpless.
He could fight monsters, break spells, and stand against armies, but none of that mattered when the person he needed to reach was only a few steps away and he couldn't cross the space between them.
"Cassie..." His voice cracked as he called her name again.
The pedestal suddenly split apart.
Three sections of ancient stone slid away from one another with a deep rumble, revealing a dark structure rising from the chamber beneath it. At its centre rested a red, diamond-shaped crystal that pulsed with a strange inner light.
Rhaevan recognized it immediately.
The Heartforge.
They had searched for it, followed clues, crossed dangerous ruins, and nearly lost their lives more than once trying to find it. Yet the sight of it brought Rhaevan no sense of triumph.
Cassiane was still standing beside it, alone.
She reached toward the crystal.
"Cassie, don't!"
He struck the barrier again, desperation finally breaking through his voice.
"Please, don't touch it!"
His warning never reached her.
Her fingers closed around the Heartforge.
The entire chamber exploded with energy.
A violent wave erupted from beneath the pedestal and tore through the hall with such force that the ancient walls shuddered. The barrier between them shattered instantly, breaking apart into fragments of magic that scattered through the air like shards of glass.
Rhaevan barely had time to raise an arm before the force struck him head-on.
His body was ripped from the ground and hurled backward.
His shoulder struck a stone pillar first, followed by his back, and the impact drove the air from his lungs.
Before he could recover, the force slammed him against the stone again, and something cracked sharply beneath the impact.
A searing pain tore through his abdomen as he was thrown across the chamber.
He hit the floor hard enough to roll several times before finally coming to a stop.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
Then he coughed, and blood spilled from his mouth onto the stone beneath him.
He tried to push himself up, but his arm buckled, sending another violent wave of pain through his ribs.
His vision blurred as he fought for breath, each inhale shallow and ragged while warm blood continued to gather against his lips.
He forced his trembling hand against the floor and pushed himself up again.
His body barely obeyed.
He could feel that something was seriously wrong inside his abdomen, and every movement sent another sharp burst of pain through him, but his eyes had already found the centre of the chamber.
Cassiane.
He dragged himself upright.
The room swayed around him, and for a moment, he nearly collapsed again. He caught himself against the broken stone and forced his legs to move.
Then he started toward her.
He couldn't run properly. His breathing was too shallow, his ribs felt as though they were splintering with every step, and one arm hung uselessly at his side while the other remained pressed against his abdomen, trying to stem the blood soaking through his clothes.
None of it could make him stop.
He stumbled over a piece of broken stone and caught himself before falling. Another tremor shook the chamber, sending debris raining from above, but he barely noticed it. His gaze remained fixed on Cassiane as he pushed himself forward, swallowing blood each time he tried to call her name.
"Cassie..."
The word came out broken.
He tried again, forcing more strength into his voice.
"Cassie!"
Another surge of energy tore through the chamber, but he kept moving.
He had no idea what awaited him at the centre of the sanctuary or what the Heartforge had awakened. He only knew that Cassiane was there, and every instinct in him was telling him to reach her before whatever had begun could take her from him.
So he kept going, even as his injured body protested with every step, refusing to let the pain slow him down.
He would reach her.