Lyra POV:
"North gate!"
The shout cuts through everything. I don't wait. I run.
Kael is already moving beside me, faster than the soldiers, faster than the fear trying to slow my steps. His sword is in his hand, his armor still cracked from the last battle.
We reach the gate just as the first wave hits.
Ice wolves. Dozens of them. No more.
They move like one body, leaping over each other, slamming into the barricades. Soldiers brace their shields, but the impact throws two of them back instantly.
"Hold formation!" a captain shouts.
The line wavers.
Kael doesn't hesitate. He charges straight into the front line, blade flashing. The first wolf splits in half before it even lands. The second lunges he pivots, cutting through its throat. Ice shatters across the ground.
I raise my staff and release a controlled blast. Light tears through the next cluster, stopping their momentum.
"Stay behind me!" Kael calls.
"I'm not staying anywhere!" I fire back, stepping forward beside him.
Another wave crashes in. This time, they split. Half go for the soldiers. Half come straight for us.
"They're targeting us," I say.
Kael doesn't look surprised. "Then we make it cost them."
He steps forward again. And I follow.
The fight tightens. Closer. Faster.
Kael moves like a storm, each strike clean, precise. But I see it now. The delay. Small. Barely noticeable.
But it's there. A wolf lunges from the side he blocks it, but the impact pushes him back a step.
That never used to happen. I send a burst of magic past him, clearing the next two before they can reach him.
"Left!" I shout.
He reacts instantly, cutting through another. But when he turns back He pauses.
Just for a second. Too long. A wolf slams into him from behind.
"Kael!"
He stumbles forward.
I run to him, casting a barrier just as another wolf leaps. It crashes against the shield, cracking it instantly.
Kael regains his footing and slashes upward, destroying it.
"I'm fine," he says.
"You're not," I snap.
"I said I'm fine."
Another wave hits before I can argue.
We fall into rhythm again. Fight. Block. Strike. Magic. Steel.
But the balance is shifting. I feel it every second.
The Blood Moon pulses above, and every pulse hits Kael harder. His movements grow heavier.
His breathing rougher. And then I see it. Faint at first. Thin lines of frost crawling up his neck.
"Kael…"
He doesn't answer. He's focused on the next attack.
I step closer, forcing my magic outward, wrapping it around him. A protective layer. Temporary. Fragile.
The frost slows. But it doesn't stop.
"Push them back!" the captain shouts.
The soldiers surge forward, shields raised. For a moment, it works. The wolves retreat a step. Then they howl.
All at once. The sound cuts deep, unnatural, sharp.
And they charge again. Faster. Stronger
"They're adapting again," I say.
Kael nods once. "Then we end it faster."
He steps forward. And his foot falters. Just slightly. But I see it.
"Kael, stop "
"I'm not stopping."
He swings again, cutting down another wolf. But when he pulls back. His hand shakes.
The next wave breaks through the soldiers. Three wolves slip past the line, heading straight for us.
Kael moves to intercept. Too slow. I raise my staff, releasing a blast that knocks one aside.
He cuts down the second. The third leaps. Right at him. He raises his sword. But his arm doesn't lift fast enough.
"Kael!"
I throw myself forward, slamming into him as I cast a shield. The wolf crashes into it, shattering it on impact. The force sends both of us to the ground.
My head spins. Kael groans beside me. The wolf recovers first. It lunges again
Kael rolls, grabbing his sword and driving it straight through its chest. It shatters above us. We lie there for a second. Too long.
"Get up!" I say, pulling him.
He doesn't move immediately. My chest tightens.
"Kael."
He blinks, then forces himself up.
"I'm fine," he says again.
But his voice is weaker now.
We barely make it back to our feet before another wave hits. This time, Kael doesn't charge. He holds his ground beside me.
That alone tells me everything. I expand my magic outward, creating a wider barrier. It drains me instantly, but it gives us space.
"Stay close," I say.
"I'm not going anywhere," he replies.
A wolf crashes against the barrier. Then another. Cracks spread across the surface. I reinforce it, pushing more energy through. Kael steps in front of me anyway.
"Kael "
"I said I'm not going anywhere."
His voice is quiet. But final.
The barrier shatters. The wolves break through. Everything becomes chaos again. Kael fights. But now I see it clearly. Every movement costs him. Every strike drains him.
The frost spreads further across his skin, creeping down his arms, visible even through the breaks in his armor.
"Lyra!" a soldier shouts. "We're losing the line!"
"I know!"
I release another surge of magic, forcing the wolves back for a moment.
"Fall back!" the captain orders.
The soldiers begin to retreat toward the inner gate. We follow. But the wolves don't slow. They push harder. Relentless.
Kael stumbles. This time, he doesn't catch himself. He drops to one knee.
"Kael!"
I rush to him, throwing up a barrier as two wolves close in.
"Get up," I say, grabbing his arm.
He tries. Fails. His body glows faintly. Soft. Cold. Lunar energy flickers across his skin. And beneath it. Frost veins. Clear now. Spreading.
"No…"
He exhales slowly. "Lyra…"
"Don't talk."
I press my hand against his chest, forcing my magic into him. The connection hits instantly. Sharp. Cold. Too much. I grit my teeth and hold it.
The glow around him stabilizes slightly. But it's not enough.
Another wolf leaps. I turn, releasing a blast that destroys it mid-air. Two more follow. Kael doesn't move. He can't.
"Stay down," I tell him.
He shakes his head weakly. "No…"
"You're not fighting like this."
"I don't have a choice."
"You do. I'm making it for you."
He tries to push himself up again. Fails again.
The soldiers are almost at the inner gate now. We're exposed. Completely.
"Lyra!" the captain shouts. "Fall back!"
"I can't!"
Not without him. Never without him. I tighten the barrier around us, shrinking it, reinforcing it. The wolves circle now.
Waiting. Watching. Like they know. Like the curse knows.
Kael grabs my wrist suddenly. His grip is weak. But steady.
"You need to go," he says.
"No."
"Lyra "
"No."
My voice cuts sharper than I expect.
"I'm not leaving you."
"You have to."
"I don't."
"You do," he insists, his voice breaking slightly. "If I stay if this keeps growing "
"I'll stop it."
"You can't."
"Watch me."
The wolves attack again. All at once.
I drop the barrier outward, turning it into a shockwave. It blasts through the front line, buying us seconds.
I pull Kael up, forcing his arm over my shoulder.
"We're moving."
He doesn't argue this time. We take one step. Then another. Slow. Too slow. The wolves close in again.
I stop. Turn. Raise my staff. Everything I have left gathers at the tip.
"Lyra…" Kael says quietly.
"Don't," I say.
I release the spell. A massive wave of lunar energy tears across the ground, clearing everything in front of us. Wolves shatter. Ice breaks. The path opens.
The force drops me to one knee. Kael barely stays standing.
"Go," I whisper.
We move again. Toward the gate.
Hands grab us as we reach it. Soldiers pull us inside. The gate slams shut behind us. The wolves crash against it seconds later.
The sound echoes through everything. But they don't break through. Not yet.
I lower Kael to the ground carefully. His breathing is shallow now. Too shallow. The glow is stronger. The frost veins darker.
I press my hands against him again, forcing more magic through. It barely responds.
"Stay with me," I say.
He looks at me, eyes unfocused for a second before they sharpen again.
"I'm still here," he says quietly.
"Good."
"Barely."
"Still counts."
Footsteps approach. Orion. Seraphine. Both stop when they see him.
"This is worse," Orion says immediately.
I glare at him. "I know."
Seraphine kneels beside me. "Can you stabilize him?"
"For a while," I say.
"How long?"
I don't answer. Because I don't know. Orion's voice cuts in again.
"This is the cost," he says.
I don't look at him.
"I'm not doing this with you again."
"You won't have a choice soon."
"I always have a choice."
"Not if he becomes the source."
That makes me freeze.
"...What?"
Orion steps closer.
"If the curse fully anchors to him," he says, "he won't just carry it."
He pauses.
"He'll become it."
I look down at Kael. The glow. The frost. The way the magic moves under his skin.
"No," I say.
But my voice is quieter now. Less certain.
Kael exhales slowly.
"If that happens…"
"Don't," I cut in.
"If it happens," he repeats, "you'll have to stop me."
"I won't."
"You will."
"I won't," I say again, stronger this time.
He studies me for a moment. Then nods once. Not in agreement. Just… understanding.
Another удар hits the gate. Stronger this time. The wood cracks. The soldiers tense.
"They're not stopping," someone says.
"No," I whisper.
They're not. And neither is the curse.
I tighten my grip on Kael's hand. His skin is cold. Too cold. But he squeezes back. Weak. Still there.
"Lyra," Seraphine says softly.
I look up. Her expression is calm. Too calm.
"We need a new plan," she says.
"I'm working on it."
"Work faster."
Another удар. The gate splinters further. Time is running out. Kael's grip loosens slightly in my hand. I tighten mine.
"I'm not losing you," I say.
This time He doesn't answer. And that terrifies me more than anything else.