Chapter 53: Chapter 53

IRIS

“Who are you?” I asked in a trembling voice.

The woman suddenly looked at me gently, as if her hard shell was cracking at the sound of my words.

But before she could answer, she jerked around, her body tensing as if she had spotted something ominous in the darkness of the forest.

Suddenly, a light burst out of her.

Not like the harsh, piercing light of a flame, but like the warm, golden glow of the setting sun pouring over a snowy landscape.

It enveloped her, flowing in streams over her skin as if she herself were woven from this light.

I squinted my eyes instinctively, but it didn’t hurt.

It felt like something was enveloping me, sheltering me.

“Stay behind me,” she ordered in a voice that refused to tolerate any objections.

She wasn’t here to kill us… She was ~protecting~ us.

My gaze traveled over her shoulder—and my breath caught.

Devas.

He stood there as if the ground itself had brought him forth, his eyes wide open, as if he were seeing a ghost.

His mouth opened, then closed again as if he couldn’t find the words.

But then…

A movement.

Our savior shot forward, her sword a flashing silver streak in the darkness.

“No!” I cried out.

My scream shattered the air, but the blade was already swinging.

Her sword flashed through the air, straight for Devas’s chest.

All of a sudden, everything changed.

~Resistance~.

Not like hitting a wall, but like suddenly entering an unseen swamp.

The air around Devas billowed, as if it were resisting, condensing.

The tip of the sword trembled, coming to a complete stop—inches before his chest.

A hissing sound. A flicker.

As if an explosion occurred between them, expelling an energy of whirling air.

An invisible fist struck, a shockwave of pure defense, throwing the woman back with brutal force.

Her sword was released from her fingers, whirling through the air as if it were nothing more than a toy.

She herself flew back, her body a helpless shadow against the glaring light surrounding her.

She hit the ground hard.

Dust swirled up, her breath escaped in a compressed gasp, but her eyes—her eyes remained fixed on Devas.

And he?

He was staring, just like me… at the one small white feather that slowly floated to the ground between them.

It wasn’t simply white. It shone as if it were absorbing the faint moonlight and returning it tenfold.

Every single keel was perfectly formed, as if a divine artist had molded it, not just created it.

The feather spun. Slowly. Almost dreamlike.

It didn’t simply sink. It was dancing.

Every little current of air made it draw new patterns, as if refusing to obey the law of gravity.

Then it touched the ground.

And even that wasn’t an impact. Not a muffled thud. It was a breath. A kiss.

As if the earth was honored to finally be able to receive it.

A final, gentle glow that was lost in the darkness like a sigh.

Then the feather vanished. But its effect… It remained.

In the wide open eyes of the audience.

In the sudden silence, which weighed heavier than any noise.

And in the way Devas’s hand lifted impulsively.

As if he wanted to pick it up.

But he didn’t dare to.

“That thing has attacked Devas!” someone shouted.

The voice jolted us all out of the moment.

The banished demons rushed in, their hands twisted into claws, their power a tangle of pitch-black lightning and greedily flickering mist.

They wanted to protect Devas. They thought she had attacked us.

But the woman didn’t move.

She knelt there, her gaze torn back and forth between Devas and the feather, as if she recognized something we did not see.

“Stop… stop it!” Devas’s voice was harsh, almost desperate.

But the attacks were already on their way—deadly shadows, lightning bolts, mists that rushed at her.

My hand lifted as if of its own accord.

It was as if something older was awakening within me, something that had been waiting for this.

A shield bloomed in front of the stranger, not just ~red~… It was the color of blood in the moonlight, of rubies that lay dormant deep in the earth.

The dark energies smashed against it, hissing like water on glowing iron.

She turned abruptly towards me.

Her eyes, as golden as the light surrounding her, widened.

As if she had finally found what she was looking for.

Something in her gaze made my heart pound faster.

Reverence.

Realization.

Relief.

“My Queen,” whispered the stranger.

Everyone froze.

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on her. On me.

I could feel it… the pounding in my chest, the buzzing in my veins, as if something had awakened in me that had been asleep for a long, long time.

And the stranger—she was no longer kneeling.

She bowed down.

Deeply. With reverence.

As if I was no longer standing behind her, but above her.

“Stop this nonsense right now,” Ava shouted at the demons.

“She saved us,” she explained.

My gaze met my brother’s as Ava helped him up.

He blinked a few times before looking between me and the woman.

Then his gaze dropped to his hands, which were glowing purple.

“Whatever she is… she’s conquered the darkness,” Aidan said.

I glanced at her, but she still had her head down.

“What’s your name?” I asked her.

The glow around her faded until it went out completely.

“Evangeline… my queen,” she replied softly.

“Evangeline…” I heard Devas say.

It was as if he was tasting the name, and she flinched when she heard his voice.

“Thank you for your help, Evie,” I whispered.

She looked at me, her big blue eyes filled with so much pride.

“I hope it’s okay… if I call you that,” I asked.

She nodded, her eyes full of tears as she smiled up at me.

“Bael!” Ava yelled, causing us all to look at her.

She let go of Aidan and ran past us straight into her mate’s arms.

They held each other so tightly that my heart melted watching them.

“What are you doing here?” Bael asked as he kissed her face.

“You left before I could finish…” Ava whispered.

Her voice cracked like thin ice under the weight of unsaid words.

“…my heart was still in the middle of loving you,” she added.

Bael pulled her toward him with such force, as if he feared she might disappear in smoke.

His hand found her neck, his fingers dug into her hair, while his lips pressed against hers—not gently, not questioningly, but like a drowning man gasping for air.

Ava froze for a heartbeat—then she collapsed into the kiss.

Her hands clawed at his coat, her shoulders shook with stifled sobs.

Every moan, every tremor was swallowed up by his lips, as if he could absorb her pain if he could only take it in deep enough.

Devas cleared his throat. It was dry, deliberately loud enough to get through.

He strode past them, his gaze gliding only briefly over the interlocking silhouettes, as if this were the last scene he could bear to watch.

Then he knelt down beside Evangeline and looked at me. His knees touched the ground with a deliberateness that lay heavy as an oath.

His gaze met mine—not submissive, not pleading, but as if he was asking a question he didn’t yet understand himself.

“I need your help… brother,” I said desperately.

Evangeline glanced from me to Devas when she heard me. Her cheeks turned a delicate shade of red as Devas looked at her.

“If eyes were sin, you’d be sending me to hell with your eyelashes right now… But what a sweet doom that would be,” Devas said to her with a smile.

Her flushed cheeks only grew redder as she turned her head to the side, embarrassed.

Devas watched her briefly, an amused smirk on his lips before he turned to me.

“Come on, Iris,” he said.

Devas’ hand remained between us—not demanding, not threatening, but with the unshakeable patience of a brother who knew you were about to give in. His wrist was relaxed, but his fingers were twitching slightly.

It was the same nervous habit as when he taught me how to control my power.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he added sternly.