Chapter 66: Chapter 66

IRIS

The big court of Antaris was filled with a tense silence as Devas led Evangeline to us. The sight of her left no doubt—the time for decision had come.

We would discuss the prophecy again, every word, every suggestion.

Evie’s voice was calm, but there was fire in her eyes as she repeated her father’s words.

“Evil will strike, and destroy all good. When the five free-eyed planets line up and a blood-red moon rises in the sky. An event that happens only once a century,” she said.

And then there was the other truth she shared with us… the queen would protect them. With a red power no one else possessed… The Saviour.

All the signs were there, unmistakable, and we knew who our enemy was. Abbadon.

He had already tried to wipe out everything good once before. And now that he had weakened us, he was going to strike again.

“So… what are you trying to tell us, Evangeline?” Aidan asked impatiently as he walked up and down the hall. His steps echoed off the stone walls.

“Is Abbadon going to attack Antaris? The prophecy makes no mention of a location,” he added.

Devas rolled his eyes in annoyance, his gaze shifting from Aidan to Avery.

But before he could say anything, Evie looked towards me and Avery.

“I am sure… Our Queen will defend the place where she was born. Against the fall of all good creatures,” Evie explained.

Noah and Jade exchanged a glance. We all knew what this meant.

“So, when?” asked Devas coldly. His fingers curled slightly, as if he was clutching an invisible weapon.

“When the moon above us turns red,” Evie explained without looking at him.

Avery went silent. I could sense his thoughts, his worry.

They were justified. Ten days.

That was how short we had until the blood moon would be in the sky. How were we supposed to prepare for war in such a short time?

My eyes wandered to the others. Aidan and Noah had already fought, they were warriors, they knew what creatures Abbadon would bring with him.

Devas had experienced things in Portus Mali that had changed him forever. He was in the battle where my parents died.

And the rest of us… We would fight, like all the other soldiers. Following Evangeline’s orders, until our last breath.

Because she had the force to kill Abbadon. The sword that she always carried with her.

She said that this was the only weapon that could really destroy Abbadon. But one question was burning in my mind.

“How is he even getting to Antaris?” Avery suddenly interjected, reading my mind.

Evie breathed deeply.

“When everything is darkened… when the moon glows blood red… then every portal, every sphere is open to evil,” she said.

Avery froze. So did I.

That meant… Abbadon could attack not only Antaris. He could attack our people, too.

He could use dark magic to make his way to Antaris, because the Blood Moon would make it easy for him. A mere wish that would bring him straight to us.

He wouldn’t even need to look for Antaris, he wouldn’t need a secret plan… He would just need to wait. We were at his mercy… just like all the good beings who had escaped.

“Our people…” I stammered, the horror choking my throat.

Evie’s gaze fixed on me as I was torn between her and Avery in a panic. But she shook her head.

“The people will be safe. The demon Bael has placed his shadow over them. As long as they remain in his illusion, Abbadon will not be able to sense them,” she replied.

Devas straightened up slowly. Leaning casually in his chair a moment ago, he was now tense.

“The demon Bael…” he repeated, emphasizing the word demon, “…is keeping them safe? As long as they remain under his illusion?”

Evie nodded, and Devas exhaled loudly, but his eyes betrayed no peace, only calculating awareness.

The Tree of Power had given us more than I had ever expected. My thoughts were crystal clear, as if I knew things that had been hidden from me before.

I could see more, not only with my eyes, but with something else. Something deeper.

I could feel Avery’s intense focus like a gentle vibration in the air. And then I saw it—an invisible bond between Evie and Devas.

It began at her wrist, delicate pink threads that snaked across the room until they wrapped around Devas’ hand. A soul bond.

My eyes met Avery’s. He was smiling, simply in a knowing way.

I followed his gesture, glanced at my own wrist, and there it was—a purple and red glow that connected us. We were soulmates. So Evie and Devas were too.

But while our bond pulsed with vibrant colors, the one between Evie and Devas was just a dull shimmer.

“Why?” I asked Avery through our mind bond.

“They haven’t accepted the connection yet,” he replied.

I eyed the others. Noah and Jade were connected by a neon green glow. Aidan’s was a flickering blue.

We could see the soulbonds, recognize the goodness in the beings. But as powerful as the tree’s gift was, we couldn’t read the minds.

There was something holding Evie back. And I wondered… did she even know that Devas was her fated mate?

Our friends’ voices merged into a restless murmur, each trying to drown out the other. But I was barely listening.

My gaze wandered from one face to the next. So much courage, so much determination.

They had all had the choice to run away. The witches could have saved themselves to other worlds.

The simple folk who had never carried a weapon could have run for their lives. Yet they stayed.

Men, women, and so many had chosen to fight by our side. They believed in us.

They trusted us… They loved us.

A burning feeling rose up inside me. Me, who had been alone for half my life, who had always felt like a foreign person in the human world where I didn’t belong.

Here in Antaris, I hadn’t just found friends, not just a family. I had a nation that was prepared to die for me.

Suddenly, I understood why the king had sacrificed himself for Antaris. It was that love, the same love that now burned within Avery and me. A deep, unshakeable connection to this land and its people.

Avery’s hand closed tighter around mine. He’d read my thoughts. His breathing was heavy, as if he was facing an invisible tidal wave of emotions.

Then Evie’s voice broke through the room, as sharp as blades.

“Abbadon is coming for the Heart of Antaris! And I have the key with which he can destroy everything good!” she exclaimed.

Evie stood before Devas, her eyes glinting with anger.

“If he gets his hands on that sword, we’re all doomed,” she added.

Devas’s jaw clenched shut.

“Then we shouldn’t let it come to that,” he answered her.

“Silence!” shouted Avery.

His voice cut through the room like a flash of lightning. Everyone fell silent, their eyes turned to him.

But he was only looking at me. A slow, resolute smile appeared on his lips.

“So…” he added quietly, “this is also the weapon we can use to defeat evil.”

His words hung in the air, heavy like an oath. Then he straightened up, his gaze becoming hard, strategic.

“We need to work together. Make a plan. And start the preparations…now,” he said firmly.

Evie glanced at Devas when she heard Avery’s words. She would have to work together with Aidan and Devas.

Prepare all the soldiers for the creatures that were going to attack us. Explain the weak points and use the right powers to be effective.

She had the experience, Devas had the knowledge. Together they would not only have to figure out the defense, but also how to attack.

And Avery and I were going to go through everything with them. Every single move.

Every position… down to the smallest detail. Avery just nodded when he sensed my thoughts and feelings.

His orders were now clear and relentless.

“Aidan, gather all the soldiers…Noah, get Jade and Evangeline ready for the training,” he ordered.

The others nodded, already about to scatter. But Devas’s gaze remained fixed on me.

I could sense it—I knew exactly what I was thinking. There would not be enough time.

But what other choice did we have? We had to fight. And Abbadon wasn’t going to wait.