CHAPTER 44

THE AFTERMATH AND THE TRUTH UNVEILED

The battle may have been won, but the war is far from over. Lyra must face the cost of her victory, the betrayal that shattered her heart, and the ominous truth that Eryx left behind.

The Battlefield's Silence 

The battlefield was eerily silent.

Where there had once been the deafening clash of swords and the screams of warriors, now only the wind whispered through the ruined land. The sky above Eldoris was painted in shades of mourning—dark clouds tinged with the remnants of celestial light.

Lyra knelt beside Alden's lifeless body, her trembling fingers brushing against his cooling skin. A hollow ache expanded in her chest, swallowing her whole.

Selene and Kael stood behind her, their faces etched with grief. Kael's expression, however, was something else guilt.

Lyra barely registered the hesitant steps of the surviving warriors who approached, awaiting their queen's next command. But how could she lead when her heart had just been ripped apart?

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She couldn't break now. Not when the enemy's final words still echoed in her mind.

"You think you've won."

Something was coming. She could feel it.

And she had no choice but to be ready.

Hours later, inside the remnants of the Eldoris stronghold, Lyra stood before Kael. The flickering torchlight cast shadows across the cold stone walls, deepening the void between them.

"Tell me why." Her voice was devoid of the warmth it once held for him.

Kael exhaled shakily. "I… I never wanted to betray you." His voice was raw with regret. "Eryx—he had my family. He threatened to burn my entire bloodline to ashes unless I did his bidding."

Lyra's body tensed, anger and sorrow intertwining within her. "And you still had a choice, Kael. Alden trusted you. I trusted you."

Kael dropped to his knees before her. "I don't expect forgiveness. I just—I need you to know, I never wanted him to die."

Lyra's throat tightened. "But he did."

Silence stretched between them.

Kael lowered his head, awaiting her judgment.

Lyra turned away. "Leave me."

He hesitated, but when she didn't speak again, he rose and left without another word.

As night fell, Lyra found herself in the war chamber, poring over ancient texts.

Selene watched her with concern. "You haven't rested."

"I can't," Lyra murmured, flipping another page. "Eryx's last words— 'You think you've won.' It wasn't just arrogance." She exhaled sharply. "There's something we're missing."

Selene hesitated. "You think he had a contingency plan?"

"I know he did." Lyra's gaze darkened. "We just don't know what it is yet."

A sudden gust of wind flickered the candle flames, sending a chill through the air.

Selene shivered. "Then we have to find out before it's too late."

Lyra nodded. "Because this war isn't over."

A shadow curled over the ruins of an ancient citadel, creeping like ink spilled upon the world. The once-forgotten halls, hidden beneath the surface of Eldoris, pulsed with an eerie silver glow. The air shimmered with ancient magic, thick and suffocating.

Then, a single sound broke the silence—a breath, slow and deliberate.

A figure stepped forward from the swirling abyss, his silver eyes gleaming beneath the cowl of his midnight robes. He bore the insignia of the Forgotten Court, a brotherhood lost to history, erased from the annals of Eldoris centuries ago.

Until now.

A murmur rippled through the chamber as more figures emerged, their spectral forms shifting between flesh and shadow. Celestial warriors long thought to be myths, bound to darkness by an unbreakable oath.

From the deepest part of the ruins, a voice slithered through the air like a serpent's whisper.

"The Shadow King has fallen."

The tallest figure—their leader—lifted his gaze. "Then the time has come."

He extended his hand, and a wave of dark energy spiraled into the chamber, twisting through the air like living smoke.

"Summon the others. Let the stars tremble once more."

The ground cracked. The ancient sigils of the court, etched into the stones, flared with unholy light. One by one, the warriors of the Forgotten Court opened their eyes, and the darkness of an ancient war awakened once more.

The Forgotten Court had returned.

And their vengeance would be absolute.

Lyra drifted in a realm between sleep and consciousness, weightless and disoriented. The air was thick with mist, swirling in silver and gold patterns that pulsed like a heartbeat.

She tried to move, but her feet found no ground—only endless sky beneath her.

Then she saw him.

Alden.

He stood in the mist, his figure blurred yet unmistakably real. His golden eyes, once filled with fire and warmth, now burned with an urgency that sent a cold shiver down her spine.

"Alden?" Lyra's voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her.

His lips parted, but no sound emerged at first. Then, like a rush of wind, his words came—haunted, desperate.

"Lyra, listen to me. You're not safe. None of you are."

Lyra's breath caught. "I—I don't understand. You're gone, Alden. I—I couldn't save you."

Pain flickered across his face. "No, Lyra. You don't understand. I was never meant to survive. But you… you have to finish what we started."

Tears welled in her eyes, her heart aching as she stepped closer, her fingers outstretched. "Don't go. Please… don't leave me again."

Alden's hand lifted, his fingers grazing her cheek in a touch so impossibly real that Lyra's breath hitched. "You have to be strong, my love. The true war is just beginning."

The mist swirled violently around them, and Alden's form began to fade.

"No—Alden, wait!" Lyra reached for him, but his body was slipping through her fingers like sand.

His voice was the last thing she heard before darkness swallowed the vision whole.

"Find the last celestial. It's the only way."

Lyra woke with a gasp, sitting up so fast she nearly fell from her bed. Her chest heaved, her hands trembling.

Alden had been gone for only hours… and yet, she had never felt his presence more.

And he had given her a mission.

One final quest.

Lyra barely registered the cool night air as she pushed through the doors of the war chamber, her celestial mark burning hot against her skin.

Selene was already there, pouring over battle maps, but when she saw Lyra's expression, she stiffened.

"Lyra—what happened?"

Lyra's voice was firm. "Alden came to me."

Selene blinked, setting down her quill. "…What?"

Lyra didn't hesitate. "I saw him. I felt him. He gave me a warning—Eryx's fall wasn't the end. Something worse is coming. And the only way to stop it is to find the last celestial."

Selene's mouth parted slightly, disbelief flashing across her face before she swallowed it down. "But Lyra… the celestials were wiped out centuries ago."

"No," Lyra countered, shaking her head. "Not all of them." Her gaze darkened, her fists clenching at her sides. "Alden wouldn't have come to me unless it was true."

Selene hesitated only a second before nodding. "Then we need to find them before the Forgotten Court does."

A sharp knock sounded against the door before Kael pushed it open. He looked between them, sensing the shift in the air. "What's going on?"

Lyra turned to him, her eyes burning with a fire he hadn't seen since the beginning of their journey.

"We have a new mission," she said. "Gather the others."

Kael hesitated for only a second before nodding. "I'll get them ready."

As he disappeared down the hall, Selene exhaled and turned back to Lyra. "Do you have any idea where to start?"

Lyra's fingers hovered over the map spread across the table, tracing over the lands she had memorized since childhood. Then, her celestial mark flared, and a single word surfaced in her mind.

A name. A location.

She lifted her gaze to Selene.

"The ruins of Valyria."

Selene's breath caught. "That place is cursed."

Lyra's jaw tightened. "Then it's exactly where we need to go."

For a brief moment, silence hung between them. Then, Selene smirked.

"Well… it wouldn't be us if we didn't do the impossible."

Lyra exhaled, nodding.

This was it.

The final battle hadn't ended.

It had only just begun.

As dawn broke, Lyra stood atop the highest tower of Eldoris, watching as the sun painted the sky in shades of gold and crimson.

The city had survived—for now.

But in the distance, beyond the horizon, a storm was brewing.

Darkness had not been vanquished.

It was only beginning.

And Lyra would be ready.

Because this time, she would not just fight for Eldoris.

She would fight for Alden. For herself. For the world.

And she would win.