The night over Crescent Peak was strangely calm—too calm. The kind of silence that felt stretched, tight, like the world itself was holding its breath. The seventh fragment pulsed faintly on its pedestal, the glow soft, steady, deceptively peaceful.
Sera had barely slept since the proto-Core blast. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the echo of Kieran's energy—the unstable crackle, the screaming resonance, the way it dug under her skin like a thorn. Even now, the wolf inside her paced restlessly, tail lashing in agitation.
Theron stood a few steps away, weaving delicate silver-gold threads across the sky like protective constellations. "His aura is still out there," he murmured. "Not close enough to attack. But close enough to watch."
Sera exhaled slowly. "He's rebuilding. Waiting for the moment I drop my guard."
Theron turned, studying her face. "You haven't dropped it once."
"I can't," she whispered.
The truth was heavier than she wanted to admit.
Kieran wasn't just the enemy anymore. He wasn't just obsessed or corrupted.
He was becoming something else—something shaped entirely around her.
And that terrified her more than any battle.
---
The Fragment's Warning
The seventh fragment pulsed again, brighter this time, a soft ripple that brushed against Sera's consciousness like a whisper.
Sera jerked slightly, eyes narrowing. "Theron… did you feel that?"
His threads stilled. "The fragment's energy just spiked."
Sera stepped closer. As her hand hovered above the crystal, the glow flared again—this time so sharply she felt the wolf inside her recoil.
A vision flickered behind her eyes:
Crimson-black roots crawling across the Core…
Kieran's aura collapsing…
Her own golden glow flickering like a dying star…
And a voice, quiet, desperate—
'Sera… don't let him take you…'
Her breath hitched as the image shattered.
Theron stepped closer, alarmed. "What did you see?"
"Kieran," she whispered. "He's losing stability faster than we thought."
"Is he trying to merge again?"
"No. This wasn't an attack." She swallowed. "It felt like… a warning. From the fragment itself."
Theron's expression shifted—fear, tension, calculation. "The fragment is trying to protect you. That means the next fusion attempt will be catastrophic."
Sera exhaled shakily.
Catastrophic… as in world-ending.
---
The Council Arrives
Winds whipped suddenly across Crescent Peak as three energy signatures approached fast from the northern ridge. Sera straightened as familiar forms emerged from the darkness.
Kael stepped forward, cloak fluttering behind him, eyes sharp. "We felt the proto-Core blast from the Midlands. We came as fast as we could."
Beside him stood two returning allies:
Mira, her storm-blue aura shimmering, deadly as frost.
Rylan, the silent tracker, shadows coiling at his fingertips.
Theron nodded in greeting. "We're glad you're here."
Kael's gaze moved to Sera. "I heard Kieran's evolution nearly took you both."
"We're still standing," Sera said. "Barely."
Kael's jaw tightened. "That won't be enough next time."
Thunder cracked far in the distance—an unnatural sound, echoing across clear skies.
Sera felt a cold chill slip beneath her skin.
"He's coming, isn't he?" Mira whispered.
"No," Sera said.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Her golden eyes hardened.
"He's already here."
---
The Aura That Haunts
A faint ripple passed through the air—so soft it could have been imagined.
But Sera felt it.
The wolf inside her froze, ears flattened, every hair raised along its spine.
Kieran's aura pressed against the edge of their awareness like a cold hand sliding over their throats. Distant yet intimate. Weak yet invasive. A dying flame refusing to extinguish.
Theron drew closer to Sera. "His energy is unstable."
Rylan shivered. "Unstable? It feels like he's unraveling from the inside."
Kael's voice turned grim. "Which means he's running out of time. If the proto-Core collapses before he stabilizes—"
"He'll take everything with him," Sera finished.
Mira stepped forward cautiously. "What's our plan?"
Sera inhaled deeply.
"We find him," she said. "Before he loses control completely."
But even as she spoke the words, the fragment pulsed again—an urgent warning.
And Sera felt it like a punch to the ribs.
Kieran was closer than any of them realized.
---
Kieran's Echo
Sera closed her eyes.
She didn't have to reach for him.
He reached for her.
His broken aura brushed her consciousness like trembling fingers.
Sera…
The voice was warped. Pained.
Stop running from me… I don't want to hurt you…
Her eyes flew open.
Theron grabbed her arm. "He's trying to pull you into a link—don't let him!"
"I'm not," she hissed. "He's forcing his way in."
Kael stepped forward. "Break the connection, Sera. Now."
She tried. Truly tried.
But Kieran's aura wove through hers like a memory she couldn't shake.
You promised… you said you wouldn't leave me behind…
Sera froze.
Her heartbeat kicked painfully against her ribs.
She had never said those words to him.
Not out loud.
Not in this lifetime.
But in the flicker of broken images behind his voice, she saw something else:
Two children.
A burning compound.
A broken boy reaching for her hand.
A girl with golden eyes pulling him through the flames.
Sera stumbled.
Theron caught her. "What did you see?!"
"I…" She pressed a hand to her chest. "I saw… us. Younger. Before all of this."
Kael's expression darkened. "Kieran is trying to distort your memories."
"No." Sera shook her head weakly. "They felt real."
Mira whispered, "Are you saying you and Kieran—"
Sera cut her off. "I don't know."
But the wolf inside her trembled with a strange, painful recognition.
As if something buried deep had just cracked open.
---
A Truth She Doesn't Want
Theron moved closer, voice lowering. "Sera, listen to me. Kieran is unstable. His aura is blurring past and present. He could be mixing your memories with his own."
"I know," she said softly. "But… what if he isn't?"
The others exchanged uncertain looks.
Kael stepped forward. "It doesn't matter if you once knew him. The Kieran we're facing now is not that boy."
Sera nodded. "I know."
But her heart tightened.
Because if the fragments held the Core's memories…
And if she and Kieran had been near one as children…
And if that trauma had imprinted on both of them—
It would explain everything:
His fixation.
His obsession.
His unbreakable link to her.
His belief that she was his.
And worst of all…
Her inexplicable pull toward him.
The wolf inside her curled in confusion.
---
The Wolf Speaks
The wind shifted.
The fragment pulsed again.
And suddenly—
The wolf inside her whispered its first clear words.
He was yours before he was broken.
But he is not yours now.
Not like this.
Sera gasped softly.
Theron's eyes widened. "Sera?"
She shook her head. "I'm okay."
But she wasn't.
Because the wolf had never spoken in words before.
And what it said terrified her more than any battle.
---
A Decision Made
Sera straightened slowly.
Mira asked, "What now?"
Sera's golden eyes sharpened into something fierce and unshakable.
"We end this," she whispered.
Theron stepped closer. "Together."
She nodded. "Yes. But before the final battle…"
Her voice tightened.
"I need to face Kieran alone."
Everyone tensed.
Kael's voice was ice. "Absolutely not."
"You can't," Mira breathed.
Rylan shook his head silently.
Theron grabbed her hand. "Sera. No."
Sera met his gaze—calm, resolved, unafraid.
"He won't talk to any of you," she said. "He'll only talk to me. And if I don't confront him now… the proto-Core will consume him."
"And you," Theron whispered.
"Maybe," she admitted.
"But if there's even the smallest chance I can stop his collapse before the final fight…"
Her wolf lifted its head, eyes glowing with ancient certainty.
"…then I have to try."
The others fell silent.
The wind howled across Crescent Peak.
And far in the distances
like a heartbeat calling her name
Kieran's broken aura pulsed again.
Waiting.