Chapter 46: Fractured Loyalties

A Breaking Point

The wind howled through the ruins, carrying whispers of something unseen. Eryndra stood rigid, her heart hammering against her ribs. The silence stretched between her and Thalos, thick with unspoken words, heavy with something neither of them wanted to face.

Velgrin's presence still lingered like a stain in the air. His words echoed in her mind.

"You're unraveling. And you know it."

She clenched her fists. No. She wouldn't let this be true.

She stepped closer to Thalos, her voice firm yet laced with something she hated—fear.

"You're not slipping away from me, Thalos."

Thalos exhaled, but he still wouldn't look at her.

"You don't understand, Eryndra."

"Then help me understand!" she snapped, stepping in front of him, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Stop shutting me out!"

His golden eyes, once radiant, now flickered with something dangerous. Something foreign.

For the first time, Eryndra wasn't sure if she was looking at Thalos anymore.

And that terrified her.

The Rift's Shadow

The ground trembled beneath them. A pulse of unseen energy rippled through the ruins.

Eryndra's instincts screamed—danger.

Thalos flinched, as if something inside him responded to the disturbance.

She saw it then—the veins of darkness crawling up his wrist, tendrils of Rift energy coiling around his fingers like hungry shadows.

"Thalos—"

He stepped back, cradling his arm as if it burned. His breaths came sharp, ragged.

"I controlled it," he had said before.

Had he?

Or had it just been waiting?

Waiting for this moment.

Eryndra reached out. "Let me—"

"Stay back." His voice was sharp, unlike him. Or maybe exactly like what he was becoming.

She hesitated.

"Thalos, you don't have to do this alone."

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "You think I have a choice?"

She refused to believe that.

Then, the air shifted—and they were no longer alone.

The Arrival of the Sentinel Order

A low, resonant hum filled the air, followed by the heavy impact of boots against stone.

Eryndra turned just in time to see figures in obsidian armor emerging from the shadows.

The Sentinel Order.

Elite warriors of the Dominion. The ones sent to eliminate any threat—no matter who it was.

And they had their sights set on Thalos.

Eryndra's heart sank.

"Thalos Arctur."

The leader of the group stepped forward, his silver-trimmed armor gleaming under the moonlight.

Commander Aedric Vael.

A name spoken with reverence and fear.

"By order of the Eternal Dominion, you are to be taken into custody immediately."

Eryndra's grip tightened on her sword. "You can't be serious."

Aedric's icy gaze barely flicked to her before settling back on Thalos. "You stand accused of wielding forbidden power. You are a danger to yourself and others."

"That's a lie!" she snapped.

"Is it?" Aedric said coolly.

He lifted a hand.

A sudden surge of energy crackled around them—a binding sigil, glowing with celestial light.

Eryndra barely had time to react before chains of pure energy erupted from the ground, shooting toward Thalos.

She moved.

Blade flashing, she cut through the first chain.

Then another.

And another.

But she wasn't fast enough.

One wrapped around Thalos' wrist—and he screamed.

Unleashing the Rift's Wrath

The sound tore through Eryndra like a dagger to the chest.

She had heard Thalos cry out before—in battle, in pain, in fury.

But this—this was different.

This was something breaking.

The air darkened.

A pulse of raw, unstable energy erupted from Thalos' body, shattering the chains that bound him.

Aedric took a step back. "What in the—"

Then the ground exploded.

Rift energy surged outward in a chaotic wave, warping the air, distorting reality itself.

Eryndra barely managed to stay on her feet as the world around her twisted—shadows stretching unnaturally, the very sky flickering between light and darkness.

And in the center of it all—Thalos.

His form was wreathed in shifting energy, his golden eyes now tainted with streaks of abyssal black.

No. No, no, no.

Eryndra moved toward him.

"Thalos!"

His gaze snapped to her.

And for the first time—he didn't look like he recognized her.

Between Love and Duty

Aedric's voice cut through the chaos.

"Stand down, Eryndra."

She turned, breathing hard, sword still gripped tightly.

Aedric's expression remained impassive.

"You know what must be done."

Eryndra's blood ran cold.

She knew exactly what he was asking.

She knew the protocol.

If a Sentinel deemed someone a threat beyond saving—

They were to be eliminated.

Her grip on her sword faltered.

"No," she whispered.

Aedric exhaled. "I don't want this either, Eryndra."

A lie. He felt nothing.

"But Thalos Arctur is no longer your ally. He is no longer—"

"Don't finish that sentence."

She turned back to Thalos.

He stood there, staring at his hands, at the shifting energy pulsing beneath his skin.

He was trembling.

His expression was unreadable.

But his eyes—

His eyes were full of pain.

Eryndra's throat tightened.

"Fight it."

"Come back to me."

Aedric raised his hand again.

"Eryndra, move."

She didn't.

She stood between them, sword raised.

Aedric's expression darkened.

"You would defy the Dominion for him?"

She didn't hesitate.

"Yes."

Silence.

Then Aedric exhaled, as if disappointed.

"Then you leave me no choice."

He lifted his sword.

And the Sentinels attacked.

The Battle for Thalos' Soul

The ruins became a battlefield.

Eryndra moved on instinct, blade flashing against the incoming strikes.

Steel met steel. Light clashed against shadow.

Aedric was fast—faster than she remembered.

But she was fighting for something stronger than orders.

She was fighting for him.

Thalos staggered, clutching his head as the energy inside him raged.

"Stop—!" he gasped.

But the battle wouldn't stop.

Eryndra struck back. Deflected. Countered.

She didn't care about rank. She didn't care about treason.

She only cared about reaching him before it was too late.

"Thalos!"

His gaze snapped to hers.

For the briefest moment—she saw him.

Not the darkness. Not the Rift's corruption.

Just him.

Aedric lunged.

Eryndra threw herself in front of Thalos.

The blade struck—

Pain exploded in her side.

She gasped—

Thalos roared.

The world shattered.