Chapter 17–"Burden of Darkness"
The storm clouds had not yet broken, but the air inside the estate felt heavy enough to rain.
X rested a steady hand on Blue's shoulder.
"Come with me, son."
Blue didn't argue. He followed stiffly, still shaken by what he'd witnessed in the cage — Gus screaming, thrashing, losing himself to the witches' whispers.
They walked down the long stone corridor toward the sitting chamber.
Selene waited there with Rito and Kin, all three seated around a low table of glowing runes.
When Blue entered, Rito rose immediately.
"Blue— are you okay?"
Blue shook his head, jaw trembling.
"No… he's still fighting them. The witches are still inside his head."
Selene's expression softened with sympathy, but X stepped forward with purpose.
"Selene… can your magic purify him?"
Selene closed her eyes, hands folding on her lap.
Her voice was calm, but heavy.
"Yes. But you already know— purification doesn't come without a price.
That darkness must go somewhere."
Blue glanced between them.
"…What do you mean?"
Selene lifted her gaze.
"The witches embedded corruption into Gus's spirit. We can remove it… but the darkness will not vanish. It must be absorbed."
Blue swallowed.
"Then I'll take it."
X's voice cracked like thunder.
"No. You can't handle that kind of power."
"He's my friend. I have to," Blue insisted, fists trembling.
Kin stepped forward.
"We both do."
Rito nodded, standing beside them.
"We won't let him suffer alone."
Selene shook her head gently.
"Rito… your fae blood rejects corrupted magic.
If it enters you, it will destroy you."
Rito's face fell, but she didn't argue.
Selene then looked at Kin.
"But you… you're human.
A rare kind — strong-willed, spiritually stable.
You can absorb a portion of the darkness and remain human.
But it's a thin line, Kin. Very thin."
Kin's jaw set with courage.
"Then I'll walk it."
Blue nodded fiercely.
"We'll do it.
For Gus."
Selene breathed out slowly, accepting the weight of their choice.
X placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll do this together."
The Purification Chamber
They returned to the reinforced room where Gus lay unconscious within the glowing cage.
His breathing was uneven.
His skin pale.
The corrupted eye twitched behind its lid.
Selene stepped inside first, raising both palms. Ancient marks flared alive around her.
Blue and Kin moved beside her as instructed.
"Stay close," she whispered.
"This magic is older than any of us."
She began to chant.
The runes on the floor ignited.
The very air vibrated.
Gus's body lifted weightlessly into the air, twisted as though something inside him was fighting to stay buried.
Then—
the screaming began.
Black shadow poured from his mouth, eyes, and fingertips — writhing, alive, violent.
The darkness slammed against the cage walls like a trapped beast.
Selene faltered for a moment, knees buckling.
"Selene!" X grabbed her arm.
"Can you handle it?"
She gritted her teeth.
"Of course… I can."
With a roar of power, she redirected the black torrents, shaping them into two spiraling streams — one larger for Blue, one smaller for Kin.
"Brace yourselves!"
The darkness struck them.
Kin hit the ground instantly, screaming as veins of shadow carved spiderwebs across his skin. His eyes turned pitch black for a heartbeat—
—then snapped back to normal.
Blue was not so lucky.
His hybrid aura exploded, claws sprouting, fangs sharpening, his body halfway morphing into a feral form.
Black lightning coursed through him as he fought to control it.
"BLUE!" Rito screamed behind the barrier.
X moved instinctively, but Selene raised a shaking hand.
"No— let him fight.
He must claim the darkness… or it will claim him."
Blue clawed at the floor, growling, snarling, every cell fighting to stay human.
Then—
He forced his eyes open.
Held onto one memory— Gus laughing in the sun.
And the darkness snapped into place, obeying him.
Blue collapsed.
Kin collapsed.
And Gus, freed from the corruption, fell gently to the ground, breathing peacefully for the first time in weeks.
The room fell silent.
Three boys lay motionless across the glowing floor — one saved, two transformed.
Selene exhaled shakily.
"It's done."
X rested a hand against the cage.
"And now… we wait."