Chapter 25: Chapter 25

IRIS

Aidan knelt beside me and smiled at me. My brother was proud of me too.

I finally did it.

He looked from me to Avery, his smile so wide it became infectious.

“She made it… Look at her, little brother,” I heard Avery say.

Aidan’s eyes were on me, his smile only widened and a hearty laugh could be heard.

“Yeah… she finally did it. You look good. Except for the creepy eyes,” I heard Avery say, chuckling as he gently stroked my head.

As Avery stood up slowly, he lifted me with him. My legs were still wobbly. But with his and my brother’s support, I felt strong enough.

“Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to do this. You two just ransacked my house!” Devas said as he looked around the room.

I followed his gaze as he glared at Bael.

Bael sat on the floor and nodded, letting me know I did well.

Just as I was about to thank him, Bael turned his head toward the door. His eyes were wide and shocked.

The door swung open, breaking into pieces with a heavy bang.

I flinched slightly and we all stared toward the entrance.

“What the fuck… you really want to destroy my entire home,” we heard Devas curse.

“King Elior!” Aidan said as he greeted him.

The king looked around the room until he saw me and Avery and rushed over to us.

But Bael’s eyes remained on the door where Ava was standing.

She gaped at him with the same shocked look Bael had.

“Ava,” I heard Bael say.

The first words he spoke aloud since his arrival were her name.

She ran immediately to him and fell on her knees in front of him to hug him.

His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her toward him, their bodies pressed against each other in a firm embrace.

“You are here… you are actually here,” came from Ava while she was crying.

Tears of joy streamed down her beautiful face. Her expression exuded so much emotion.

When Bael took her face gently in his hands, as if she were something precious that was about to break, she closed her eyes and sank wordlessly into his touch.

His hand dug almost painfully into her cheek, but she moaned softly instead of resisting, pressing greedily against his skin as if she could burn the air between them.

The king paused and watched what was happening, but then turned back to me.

“Are you well, Iris? We felt your energy and this time it was much stronger than before. What happened?” asked the king.

“She can remember Father. Everything! She has her strength… She got it,” Avery said proudly, as he stroked my face with his fingers.

The joy on the king’s face was visible and he breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t just relief; pride was visible in his eyes.

He was proud of me.

He looked at Aidan and Devas standing next to me and nodded happily.

“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me,” he said to Devas with a laugh.

Devas grinned, a playful smile filled with pride. “I told you… I’d fucking sort it out,” he replied.

Then he turned to Ava and Bael and asked, “And what’s going on here?”

They both seemed surprised by the attention they were receiving. Ava’s cheeks were flushed, while Bael turned his gaze to the side.

Like he couldn’t look at us.

She seemed worried, repeatedly searching for his eyes. But he stayed in this position, his head slightly turned away from her with a fixed gaze to the floor.

We all sat together in the living room while Devas initiated the king. We were surrounded by all the broken pieces of furniture that Devas picked up from the floor.

With each new piece of furniture, he looked at me as if to say, look what else you have broken.

He finally had to explain to the king why Bael was here.

Apparently he allowed him to, but he never actually explained what Bael was supposed to do for me.

At the time, Devas had no idea that I had no memory. He only thought that my training would be easier with Bael’s help, because he could change his shape.

And so Devas hoped that I could train better this way.

He would not have to invite every single person from Antaris to his home. Bael could simply take the form of the being and test my powers.

He could also take the forms of my uncles, not their powers, but Devas wanted me to be ready for the encounter.

Perhaps seeing them before a fight would take away my fear.

He said, “I could smell her fear.”

What we all didn’t know was that Bael was Ava’s soulmate.

She told me at the time that she still hadn’t found her soulmate. But now, she seemed surprised.

The only words Bael said were Ava’s name, and after that, he didn’t answer any more questions.

She stood with Bael in front of Devas’s house, talking while he just looked at her in silence. His gaze was impenetrable, like dark glass.

But then Ava stormed into the house, her face streaming with tears.

The king immediately interrupted his conversation with Devas.

“What is it, my darling?” the king asked gently, stroking her hair.

“He…” sobbed Ava, “…he doesn’t want me as his soulmate!” Her voice trembled with anger and hurt.

“What do you mean?” interjected Avery worriedly, his hands clenching.

“He doesn’t want me!” whispered Ava, burying herself in her father’s arms, weeping.

Her shoulders shrugged under the weight of the disappointment.

“That can’t be, there has to be an explanation. Are you sure?” asked King Elior, squeezing her tighter as if he could keep the pain away.

Ava just nodded, and her sobs became even more desperate.

She finally understood what it felt like to find her soul connection, only to see it shatter before her eyes.

Bael refused to talk. He even turned his back on Devas when he tried to ask him about it.

The king finally calmed Ava down and decided it would be best for her to return home.

She was deeply upset, and even the king could not hide his disappointment at Bael’s actions.

He may be her soulmate, but she was and remained his daughter.

There was no anger in his eyes, only that quiet, implacable protective instinct that only a father could understand.

Ava didn’t want to stay here any longer.

Every moment she was near Bael felt like salt in an open wound.

How could something that was supposed to be so perfect be so painful?

My heart was bleeding for her. But no one could take that burden from her—not even me.

Aidan also set off back to the training camp, where his duties awaited him.

I could feel how much he missed his Inna. But I was glad that at least he could go back to where he belonged.

I stayed behind with Avery, trying to tame my powers, to finally master them.

Saying goodbye to Ava had affected both of us. It broke my heart to see her go so hurt, and I knew how much Avery was grieving for his sister too.

Yet despite everything, he stayed by my side. I held his hand as we stood at the door and watched them leave.

“She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?” I asked Avery.

“I don’t know,” Avery replied sadly.

No one had ever been rejected by their soulmate in Antaris. Avery was angry at Bael for the pain his sister felt.

But he still had to hold himself back because of me. I had to hurry and learn to master my power here. Ava needed us now.

***

After she went back to the mansion, it became rather quiet at Devas. While he and Bael repaired his house, we spent time talking to Ava.

The only way to talk to Ava was through Jade, and we did that as often as we could. Her voice was sad, but she played it down like she was okay.

I spent the next few days trying to rekindle my strength. It was difficult at first, until Avery showed me that everything was connected with my feelings.

When I thought of him, my aura pulsated in a warm ruby red, soft as a protective cloak. But as soon as the memory of my parents flashed through my mind, the flame shot up abruptly.

Suddenly, a red thunderstorm enveloped me, twitching flashes of lightning ripping through the air. Each flash was a torn breath, each thunder the echo of Grandma’s last scream, which I would never forget.

The energy burned in my core as if it wanted to devour me from the inside, and yet this destructive power was somehow...part of me. With time, I learned to call the storm. But no one had told me how to tame it.

And I still asked myself what I could really do with it. Devas was confident, and Bael explained everything to me very well.

He was silent to any question about Ava and only spoke to help me when it came to my powers. The only thing I knew for sure was that Bael had never told Ava he didn’t want the mate connection.

He had never said the words. Instead, he’d only warned her to stay away from him.

But to break the connection, he should have said it clearly: “I reject you as my mate.”

But he didn’t. That could only mean one thing: ~something~ was holding him back.

And I was sure that he was suffering as much as Ava. Maybe even more, because his eyes were not just sad—they were empty.

“Why did he do this?” I didn’t know the answer.

But something deep inside me told me there was much more to it than this.