Chapter Twenty-Three: Her rebellion.

Jayden and Mammoth arrived at the castle gates. The guards, already alert, drew their weapons with sharp, synchronized precision. But this time, it wasn't Sage that fought them—it was Jayden, in control of both her own abilities and Sage's. Power surged from her with purpose. Her hands blazed with violet energy, dark and radiant, and her eyes glowed with fierce determination. Mammoth joined in beside her, cutting through the ranks with savage delight.

Screams erupted. Desperate voices yelled for reinforcements. Inside the castle, the warning reached the king. In fury, he grabbed the ancient crown and ordered half his armed forces to the shrine with the captives. The rest were to hold off Jayden and Mammoth until the ritual was complete. Mages joined the fray, flinging spells and enchantments to delay Jayden's advance.

Meanwhile, in the forest overlooking the shrine, Hades and Azrael crouched behind the trees, watching. The king's soldiers herded frightened villagers and criminals into position, binding them with chains and sacred ropes as the ritual altar was prepared.

"It's almost time," Hades said darkly. "The blood moon will rise, and the eclipse will begin."

Azrael's golden eyes narrowed. "Where is she?"

He didn't have to wait long. A rift in the shadows opened near the shrine—Jayden stepped out, cloaked in regal black with a high slit gown and a fierce presence that sent shockwaves through the guards. Beside her, Mammoth emerged, confident and smirking.

Azrael's hands clenched into fists. Seeing Mammoth at her side filled him with rage, but he forced himself to wait. The tension in his chest twisted painfully.

"Begin the ritual!" the king shouted.

Chaos erupted.

The king's guards rushed toward Jayden and Mammoth. She moved with supernatural grace, cutting them down with controlled bursts of death magic. Mammoth tore through their defenses like a predator, laughing as he unleashed his wrath. Some guards tried to flee, but Azrael's power exploded—one man was snapped in half with a flick of his will, while Hades drained another from the inside, blood pouring from the man's eyes and mouth.

The mages completed the altar's final stage, and the king stepped forward to place the crown.

Jayden's scream echoed through the shrine as she hurled herself toward it. A surge of energy burst from her hands, knocking the king backward. She grasped the crown, placing it upon her head as the moon turned red above.

The world stilled.

A column of light engulfed Jayden. Sage's spirit emerged in a stream of white smoke, spiraling upward like a phoenix released. Jayden fell to her knees, gasping—but free.

The curse was broken.

She stood slowly, now the rightful heir.

"No!" the king screamed. In desperation, he lunged at Jayden with his sword. But Mammoth was faster. He reversed the blow with a flick of his fingers, sending the blade plunging into the king's chest.

The king gasped, choked, and fell.

Screams rang from the victims still bound around the altar. Horror painted their faces.

Mammoth laughed, tilting his head. "Finally… after all these years."

Jayden turned, her face a mixture of solemnity and satisfaction. She had done it. She had claimed what was rightfully hers. Yet her heart ached.

She glanced at the shadows. "I wish you were here, Azrael," she whispered.

Hades placed a hand on Azrael's shoulder. "I'll leave the rest to you," he said before disappearing into the night.

Azrael hesitated. Something inside him twisted, uneasy.

"Something's not right," he murmured. "Something terrible is coming."

And with that, he stepped forward into the unknown.