Aria didn't let go of him for a long time.
The Abyssal Gate chamber slowly came back into focus around her—cold stone, dim runes, the faint hum of ancient magic vibrating through the floor. But her body still felt suspended in the void, her mind echoing with the fragment's scream, her heart pounding with the terror of almost losing herself.
And almost losing the child.
Her hand stayed pressed to her stomach, protective, instinctive, fierce.
The Demon King didn't rush her. He held her steady, his presence grounding her in a way nothing else could. The shadows around him curled like living things, drawn to him, loyal to him.
Finally, Aria pulled back enough to breathe.
"She tried to break me," she whispered.
"Yes."
"She tried to break the baby."
"Yes."
Aria swallowed hard. "She hates them."
"She fears them."
Aria looked up sharply. "Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was low. "Because your child is the one thing she cannot predict."
Aria's breath caught. "What does that mean?"
"It means the child is not part of her design."
Aria pressed a hand to her chest. "She said I was shaped for her."
"You were shaped against her."
"And the baby?"
He met her gaze. "The baby is beyond her."
Aria's throat tightened. "She wants them gone."
"Yes."
Aria shook her head. "I won't let her."
"You will not."
She took a slow breath, steadying herself. "What happens now?"
He stepped back, giving her space. "Now, she will attack you from within."
Aria's stomach twisted. "She already has."
"No," he said. "What she did before was pressure. What she will do now is war."
Aria's breath trembled. "War?"
"Yes."
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach. "I can't fight a war inside my own body."
"You can."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it remains true."
Aria glared at him. "You're impossible."
"So I have been told."
He turned toward the corridor. "Come."
Aria followed, her legs unsteady but functional. The corridor outside the Abyssal Gate was colder than she remembered, the runes dimmer, the shadows thicker. The air felt heavier, as though the fragment's fury had seeped into the stone itself.
Aria shivered. "Where are we going?"
"To the Sanctum of Binding."
Aria stiffened. "That sounds… ominous."
"It is."
"Of course it is."
He didn't react.
He simply continued walking.
They descended deeper into the Citadel, into levels Aria had never seen. The walls here were rough stone, carved with ancient symbols that pulsed faintly like dying embers. The air grew colder, sharper, filled with the scent of old magic.
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach. "Is it safe for the baby?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
Aria narrowed her eyes. "You're not lying to me?"
"No."
She exhaled slowly. "Okay."
When they reached the Sanctum of Binding, Aria stopped.
The doors were massive—tall slabs of obsidian carved with runes that glowed faintly like moonlight. The air around them hummed with ancient power, cold and sharp enough to sting her skin.
Aria stepped back. "This feels… dangerous."
"It is."
"Then why bring me here?"
"Because this is where you will bind her."
Aria's breath caught. "Bind her?"
"Yes."
"You mean… trap her?"
"Yes."
"Inside me?"
"Yes."
Aria stared at him. "That sounds insane."
"It is necessary."
Aria groaned. "You're terrible at reassurance."
"I am not offering reassurance."
"Clearly."
He placed a hand on the door.
The runes flared.
The doors opened.
Cold air rushed out, carrying the scent of old magic and something deeper—something that made Aria's skin prickle.
She hesitated. "What's inside?"
"The ritual that will bind her to your will."
Aria swallowed hard. "Bind her… permanently?"
"Yes."
Aria's voice trembled. "And if I fail?"
He met her gaze.
"She will consume you."
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach. "And the baby?"
His voice softened. "I will not allow that."
Aria looked away. "You can't stop her if she's inside me."
"No," he said. "But you can."
Aria's breath trembled. "I don't know if I'm strong enough."
"You are."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it remains true."
Aria stepped inside.
The Sanctum of Binding was vast—larger than any chamber she had seen. The ceiling arched high above, disappearing into swirling silver mist. The floor was smooth stone, etched with runes that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
In the center of the room was a circle of silver fire.
Aria approached slowly. "What is that?"
"The binding flame."
Aria blinked. "That's not comforting."
"It is not meant to be."
He gestured to the circle. "Stand inside."
Aria hesitated. "What happens if I do?"
"You will confront her."
Aria's stomach twisted. "Again?"
"Yes."
"Directly?"
"Yes."
Aria groaned. "I hate this."
"So I have been told."
She stepped into the circle.
The silver fire rose around her, warm but not burning, bright but not blinding. The runes beneath her feet flared, responding to her presence.
The fragment stirred.
You dare bind me.
Aria clenched her fists. "Yes."
You cannot.
"I can."
You are weak.
"I'm still here."
You are breaking.
"I'm not broken yet."
The fire rose higher.
The fragment screamed.
The woman of shadow appeared before her, her form flickering, unstable, furious.
You cannot bind me.
Aria lifted her chin. "Watch me."
The woman lunged.
Aria braced herself—
—but the fire surged, forming a barrier between them.
The Demon King's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Aria. Command her."
Aria's breath trembled. "I can't."
"You can."
"She's too strong."
"You are stronger."
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach. "For them."
The woman hissed.
The child weakens you.
"No."
The child divides you.
"No."
The child will destroy you.
Aria's voice cracked. "The child gives me strength."
The fire blazed.
The woman screamed.
Aria stepped forward.
"Be silent."
The fragment roared.
"Be still."
The darkness shook.
"Be bound."
The woman's form shattered.
The fire surged.
The runes blazed.
And then—
Silence.
Aria collapsed to her knees, gasping.
The fragment pulsed faintly.
Weakly.
Bound.
The Demon King stepped into the circle, lifting her gently.
"You did it."
Aria trembled. "I bound her."
"Yes."
"She can't hurt the baby."
"No."
Aria pressed a hand to her stomach, tears burning her eyes. "She's still there."
"Yes."
"But she's quiet."
"For now."
Aria looked up at him, her voice barely a whisper.
"What happens next?"
He held her gaze.
"Now," he said quietly, "you learn to use her power as your own."