Chapter 76

---

Chapter 76: The Abyss Crown

The air around Selene crackled with tension, a violent blend of fate and fury. The night sky bled violet over the broken battleground where moonlight touched scorched earth, and Valerian stood still as stone beside her. The cryptic seal they had uncovered—the one shaped like a serpent devouring its own tail—now pulsed at the center of the ruined temple.

Her omega instincts surged as the energy radiating from the mark echoed deep in her bones. It wasn't just magic. It was ancient blood-calling—a force buried for centuries, now awakened by the Night King's bond with the last rare omega.

Selene's breath trembled. "That's the Abyss Crown, isn't it?" she whispered.

Valerian nodded once. "Not the physical crown. But its essence. What we've found is its prison."

A cold gust swept through the open vault, and the faint hum of the seal deepened to a low growl, as if the darkness itself stirred awake.

He stepped closer to her, his hand brushing hers. "Once this crown was forged by prophecy. They said the one who wears it rules not just the night—but time, death, and fate. But the cost…" His jaw tightened. "It turned kings into monsters."

"And you want to claim it?"

"No," Valerian said firmly. "I want to destroy it. But only the omega who carries time in her blood can break it."

Her eyes widened. "You mean me."

Valerian's gaze softened. "Selene, your soul is tied to prophecy, but your heart is still yours. This isn't a command. It's a choice."

She touched the ancient stone, fingers grazing the glowing lines. "If I say yes… what happens to me?"

He didn't answer. The silence was heavier than steel.

Suddenly the seal pulsed harder. A hiss escaped the vault—voices, maybe—but not human. Whispers that clawed at her mind, each word brushing memories she didn't own. She stumbled back into Valerian's arms, and in his hold, she saw them.

Visions. Echoes of the past.

A dark throne, soaked in blood.

A child with silver eyes, screaming as the crown was placed on their head.

An omega torn between time and death, breaking a curse with their own life.

Her. It had always been her.

Selene gasped. "The curse isn't just on you… it's in me too."

Valerian nodded grimly. "The bond we share rewrote the prophecy. We were never meant to be just alpha and omega. We're twin flames—destined to rise or fall together."

The whispering voices grew louder—chanting now.

"One must bleed. One must burn. One must break the seal."

Selene turned, voice low. "If I do this, if I break it… will you die?"

His answer was a breath against her skin. "If you die, I live forever. Cursed. Alone. If I die, you carry this crown until the end of time."

"Then we end it together," she said.

And in that moment, the ancient magic around them obeyed.

The seal cracked.

Flames burst from the floor like wings unfolding from the void.

Valerian pulled her close, one arm wrapping tight around her waist, the other plunging his sword into the burning earth. "Selene," he whispered, "you are my kingdom. My war. My peace."

As the temple collapsed around them, their bodies glowed with opposing energies—moonlight and bloodfire—melding into one unstoppable force.

The crown rose from the flames, no longer stone, but light.

And Selene reached for it, not to wear it…

…but to destroy it.

---