Chapter 75: Chapter 75

IRIS

Belial continued to stride slowly toward the Tree of Power. He wasn’t hurrying; there was no panic in his movements.

And it didn’t make any sense to me. Why wouldn’t he hurry? Because he knew we were right behind him.

He knew it… and yet he did nothing.

The realization of his plan struck me like a flash. Belial could not possibly destroy the Tree of Power with his own powers.

No creature was that strong, but with the right weapon, he could.

The sword… Evangeline’s sword. It would have enough power to destroy the Tree.

When the tree fell, all of our powers would be disconnected from Antaris, and so they could easily destroy all of the beings.

Not just us here on Antaris… they would have free access to the others who had escaped.

The prophecy was never about Abaddon getting his hands on the sword. If they destroyed the tree, we’d all be dead.

My mind flashed to Avery and I immediately sensed his fear.

“No Iris,” he screamed in my head.

Avery knew what I was going to do. He saw it.

Alatus crashed outside the Mansion. His roar of pain stabbed me in the heart.

But he pushed himself off the ground to follow me once more.

Belial turned to me as he was about to reach the tree. A smile on his lips only confirmed to me his intentions.

“Block the path, Alatus,” I said to my amicus.

He took a deep breath before shrinking his size and stepping into the hall, only to spit his fire across the entrance behind us.

The doorway was filled in, not even a bit of the blood moon was visible.

“Iris… let us through,” Avery yelled desperately in my head.

But I couldn’t, and he knew that too.

“Don’t let the sword get into his hands,” I replied.

Alatus turned to me, his gaze fixed over my shoulder.

I followed his glance and my eyes met Belial’s.

It was contempt that I saw in his gaze before his black mist swirled around him.

He was very strong; I could feel his power as the fog pushed me backward.

I could hear the others struggling to open the entrance with their powers.

“It didn’t have to end like this,” Belial said, tilting his head to one side.

“You’re not going to get the sword,” I replied.

His expression turned serious as he realized I had seen through his plan.

“Sneaky…” he said, “…like your father.”

His words hit me. How dare he mention him.

“Don’t talk about my father,” I retorted angrily.

My power flared up around me, the anger inside me so strong I could feel it coursing through my veins.

“Do you know,” he asked with a smile, “that I was the one who killed your parents?”

My vision turned red. I could feel my aura floating around me.

It whipped around in the air, wild and powerful.

“And I’m going to kill you,” I answered him.

Belial’s mist whipped at me, like a blade slicing at my face.

But Devas had prepared me. Countless hours of training, every trick, every sneak attack, every potential target.

I knew all of that. I dodged, effortlessly, as if his fighting style was branded into my muscles.

But he wasn’t just attacking me.

Alatus lay shattered on the ground, his wings already rotting, his body a broken reflection of itself.

The life was draining out of him, and Belial was shamelessly exploiting it.

Every time I dodged a blow, it hit him instead.

Every attempt to protect my amicus was turned against me, a trap that only drew me deeper into Belial’s game.

The Tree of Power pulsated as soon as I activated my powers.

A rhythmic glow made Belial wince every time.

“We’re almost there!” echoed in my head.

Avery’s voice came through the mindlink, along with the sound of splintering metal.

They fought their way through, getting closer.

But Belial only smirked. With each piece that broke from the sealed entrance, his smile grew wider.

He was waiting.

“Iris,” Alatus groaned as I fell next to him.

That attack from Belial’s black mist had knocked me even to the ground.

Belial’s attacks were getting stronger and faster.

His power grew more powerful each time.

Belial’s laughter echoed through the gloomy hall, victorious and stone cold.

“They won’t save you,” he mocked as his gaze slid toward the wrecked door.

There, behind the last shattering barriers, I saw Avery.

His hands were bloody, his breath wheezing, his will unbroken.

But at that moment, I understood. Belial was waiting to kill me in front of their eyes.

He would take advantage of their pain, exploit their weakness—and force the sword into his hands.

Then the movement in the corner of my eye caught me.

Alatus. He threw himself over me again, taking the next devastating blow from Belial.

His body shook under the force, a choked gasp escaping him.

“Stop it!” I screamed, my voice breaking under the tears.

But he wouldn’t stop.

He lost more of himself with every impact.

His wings hung torn, blood dripped from his mouth, and his breathing was just a shallow gasp.

“This is all my fault…” I sobbed.

“No,” Alatus replied.

His voice was soft, despite the death enveloping him.

“You understood the prophecy… and now… bring it to an end,” he said.

Suddenly, his body started to glow.

Every scale burned in a glistening fire, his whole body shining like a star about to pass away.

“What are you doing?” I cried in horror, not out of fear of him, but because of what I sensed in his mind.

“You can’t sacrifice yourself, Alatus!” I cried out loud.

But he only bowed his head, pressing it against my forehead as if he wanted to absorb this last moment.

His breathing was warm, his gaze incredibly tender.

“I told you…” he whispered, “I would die for you.”

And then the light in his eyes went out.

Where his head had just been, all that remained was glittering red dust.

He had blown himself apart, and the only thing that remained of him was this dust that fell over me.

I struggled for air, but it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

Our bond… shattered.

The void he left behind was unbearable.

I let myself fall onto my back as the red dust drifted over me like ash after a firestorm, raining down over my body.

I stared at my hand as little scales appeared on it, everywhere a speck of dust fell.

I didn’t hear Alatus anymore… I didn’t feel him.

But he was still there.

Belial snapped me out of my shock as he rushed toward me again.

But this time I didn’t dodge him.

When he unleashed his black mists on me, I slowly rose.

But before they could reach me, I stopped them.

My hand reached forward as if of its own accord, my palm facing the fog.

It stopped in front of me, following the movement of my hand. As if I could steer it.

I stared at my skin. Countless tiny dragon scales had been absorbed by my skin.

My eyes met Belial’s as he stared at me in horror. He couldn’t move.

Not a single muscle in his body obeyed him anymore. The power I now had was much stronger than his.

The gate behind me collapsed, and I heard the others rushing toward me. But they stood frozen when they saw me lift Belial into the air without touching him.

He tried to say something, but only stutters came out of his mouth.

“Go to hell,” I shouted.

And with a twisting motion of my hand… I tore him into thousands of pieces.

“Holy shit,” Devas yelled as he tried to escape Belial’s remains.

Avery ran to me, his hands on my shoulders as I stared straight ahead. “Iris,” he called out.

His fingers slid under my chin, which he slowly lifted to meet my gaze.

“Alatus,” I whispered as tears rolled down my cheeks. But Avery already knew. He could sense it.

His eyes were filled with tears, mourning my pain. I had lost him. Again.

But this time there was no return, no last resort, just this terrible, final emptiness.

We could have had a whole life ahead of us. So many moments unlived, words unspoken, sunrises unshared.

All the memories we would never make were now burned into my soul as an eternal wound.

A choked sob burst from me as Avery pulled me into his arms. “I’m here, my love,” he whispered, his voice as gentle as a breath on an open wound.

I felt him trying to take my pain upon himself. But I only clung to him more tightly.

Not for comfort, but as a last, desperate proof of friendship to Alatus.

But then Avery snapped his head toward the entrance as an unfamiliar horn sounded.

Abaddon felt that his brother had been destroyed, and his anger was reflected in the tremor that flowed toward us.

“They’re backing off the soldiers… Abaddon’s army… they’re all running toward us,” Evangeline shouted.