CHAPTER 16:THE POWER WITHIN

The air crackled as Seraphina's power surged through her veins, no longer wild and uncontrollable but a force of nature itself. The lightning that split the sky did not fade—it lingered, twisting around her like an ethereal storm.

The ground beneath her feet trembled. The Veilwood breathed with her.

Kael stood frozen, his sword forgotten at his side. "Seraphina…" His voice was barely above a whisper.

She heard everything—the heartbeat of the forest, the whispers of the ancient spirits, the cries of the wounded, and the rage of her father.

Aldric.

He stood across the battlefield, his dark magic curling around him like smoke, but the confidence in his stance was shaken.

"You were never meant to wield that power," Aldric hissed.

Seraphina lifted her hand, and the golden lightning coiled around her fingertips. "You were never meant to destroy this land."

Aldric's rage ignited. He unleashed a blast of shadowfire, a force meant to consume everything in its path.

Seraphina did not flinch.

She raised both hands, and the Veilwood answered.

The earth rose to meet the fire, forming a wall of roots and stone, swallowing the flames before they could touch her. The magic pulsed through her, and suddenly—

She understood.

The Keeper's Power

Elyndor's voice drifted through her mind.

"The Keepers of the Veilwood were not warriors, nor conquerors. They were guardians, bound to the land itself. To wield its power is to be part of it, to listen and guide rather than command."

Seraphina's breath steadied. The power was not just hers.

She was the Veilwood's heart.

The storm around her shifted, responding to her thoughts. The roots that had risen to block Aldric's attack now unraveled, twisting toward the wounded soldiers—not to harm, but to heal. The forest's magic wove through them, closing wounds, easing pain, restoring life to the land that had been burned.

Aldric's soldiers stared in awe.

Some dropped their weapons.

They had followed Aldric out of fear, out of duty—

But now, standing before something greater, they hesitated.

They were watching a queen rise.

Aldric's Last Stand

Aldric refused to yield. He summoned every ounce of his magic, the sky darkening as shadows bled from his fingertips.

"If you will not bow," he snarled, "then you will fall."

A great howl split the air. His warhounds lunged forward, their eyes burning with the same dark fire. But before they could reach her—

Seraphina raised her hand, and a gust of wind sent them tumbling back.

Aldric let out a furious roar. He charged, dark magic coiling into a blade of pure night, aiming straight for her heart.

Seraphina stood her ground.

As the blade descended, she lifted her palm.

And the world stopped.

A golden barrier surged from her skin, Aldric's attack slamming into it like a wave against the cliffs. The shadows dispersed, his magic unraveling before him.

For the first time—

Aldric looked afraid.

Seraphina met his gaze, her voice steady, unwavering. "This ends now."

She lifted her other hand, and the storm obeyed.

A final bolt of golden lightning crashed down—

And the battlefield was consumed in light.

To Be Continued…