“You came back,” he said, his tone almost gentle. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I am,” I admitted, my voice trembling. “I’m scared of you, the snakes, what tomorrow will bring.”
The sun dagger felt warm in my hand, its presence a small, fierce comfort against the swell of uncertainties pressing down on me.
The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips, one that spoke of empathy and understanding. “You should never be afraid. If I were not on your side, I would not have woven protectors into the fabric of your destiny. Walk toward me. My snakes will not harm you.”
His words, spoken with quiet assurance, spurred my feet into motion. Each step was an act of courage, a declaration that the unknown would not cow me. The air grew heavier as I approached, his gaze pressing down on me, yet I refused to falter.
The serpents, a writhing carpet of scales and hisses, parted like the sea before me, granting passage. Their retreat felt like an unspoken acknowledgment—a recognition of my purpose, my right to be here.
Nestled in a crevice, bathed in an ethereal glow that pierced the shadows of the cave, lay the moon dagger. Its silver blade shimmered like the surface of a tranquil pond, catching the moonlight that filtered through a narrow crack in the cave’s ceiling. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic rhythm heralding triumph as my hand closed around the hilt. The metal was cold, biting even, yet it felt like home—a piece of my soul I hadn’t known was missing.
I lifted the moon dagger, its weight both physical and symbolic, turning it over in my hands. Majestic as it was, it lacked the radiant brilliance of the sun dagger that had always been by my side. Devoid of its rightful power, it felt incomplete—just as I had once been, before fate had forged me into something more.
“This is it,” I whispered, the words almost a prayer. “I have them both now.”
But their dormancy pressed heavily against my palms, a reminder that possession alone was not enough. Memories of my dream surfaced, vivid and haunting—the blades ablaze with power, defying the darkness. I remembered the words I had spoken in that otherworldly battlefield—words of separation, of breaking a bond that had endured through time.
“It was me,” I murmured, a realization dawning. “I separated them, didn’t I?”
“Yes, Olivia,” the old man’s voice echoed, calm and certain. “You did. But it was necessary, then, to protect the world from their combined force. Now, the time has come to reunite them, to awaken their true potential.”
Anxiety coiled in my stomach, tightening with each beat of silence. “What do I have to do? What are the words to bring them back to life?” My voice was edged with urgency.
Before he could answer, the old man staggered, his body folding like a marionette whose strings had been cut. He collapsed with a muted thud, the sound reverberating through the cavern and echoing the sudden drop of my heart.
“No!” I cried out, rushing to his side.
His eyes were closed, his face a map of pain—or perhaps something deeper, an unseen battle etched into the lines of his features. I dropped to my knees beside him, the cold stone biting through the fabric of my skirt.
“What happened?” My voice trembled as I reached out tentatively, unsure if my touch could bring comfort or solace.
The old man’s breaths were ragged, each one a struggle that seemed to siphon the last remnants of life from his frail body. His hand, unexpectedly strong, grasped mine with a force that sent a jolt through my frayed nerves.
“The solar eclipse is coming,” he said, his words punctuated by the labor of his chest rising and falling. His hand, surprisingly strong, gripped mine with an urgency that sent a jolt through my already frayed nerves. “You must remember the past.”
Confusion swirled within me, mingling with the fear and adrenaline that had been my constant companions since setting foot in this forsaken place. “Remember what? How can I?—”
“Salvatore is your greatest enemy,” he interrupted, his gaze locking onto mine with a piercing intensity that made the air around us feel heavy. “Mathias and your mother… they are your enemies too.”
The floor beneath me felt unsteady, as though it might give way at any moment, plunging me into an abyss of betrayal.
Before I could process the magnitude of his words, his grip loosened, and his frail body began to fade—dissolving into the encroaching shadows that crept along the cave walls. A cry of disbelief escaped my lips, raw and broken, only to be swallowed by the oppressive silence.
I sat there, alone, the truth of his warning heavy on my heart.
A sharp pain seared through my abdomen, startling in its intensity. I doubled over with a gasp, clutching at the cold, unyielding rock for support.
Not now.Panic flared inside me, white-hot and blinding. This couldn’t be happening—not here, not in the depths of a cave, cloaked in darkness and far from any help. Another contraction tore through me, stronger and more relentless, leaving me gasping for breath.
“Please, not yet,” I whispered, my plea a desperate prayer to the child within me, to the fates that seemed intent on testing my limits. The cave around me blurred, shadows pressing closer as I braced myself against the unyielding stone. Alone and terrified, I fought against the waves of pain, with nothing but the silent echoes of the serpents as my witnesses.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
OLIVIA
The damp air clung to my skin as I huddled in the caves near Mathias’ estate. My breaths came in ragged gasps, and a scream ripped from my throat as another contraction tore through me, stronger and more unforgiving than the last. The pain felt alive, an unrelenting force clawing its way through every fiber of my being.
