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CHAPTER 408
She began to climb. She leaped from one jagged ledge to another, her fingers gripping the icy stone until they bled. She was halfway down when a sound chilled her blood—a wet, sloshing noise that didn't come from the waves.A creature pulled itself out of the shadows. It was a Stalker scout, a twisted thing made of rotting kelp and black, oily shadows. It hissed, it had many yellow eyes and they all locked onto her.Sophia panicked. She reached for the knife Adrian had given her, but as the creature lunged, she realized she had no idea how to use it. The blade felt clumsy in her shaking hand.The Stalker leaped, its claws raking the air. Sophia scrambled back, sliding down a slick slope of rock. She looked up and saw a massive, jagged pillar hanging directly above the creature’s path."Use your head!" she screamed at herself.As the creature crouched to spring again, Sophia didn't attack the monster. Instead, she threw her body weight against a loose boulder, kicking it with all her m
CHAPTER 407
Sophia felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from her chest, only to be replaced by a bittersweet ache. She walked up to him, her voice trembling. "Adrian... I am so sorry. I should have believed in you. I let them get in my head. I ended us for a lie." Adrian reached out, his hand hovering near her cheek before he pulled it back. "The lie was perfect, Sophia. Don't blame yourself." Her parents spoke up immediately. "If you two want to try again,if you want to remarry, we will support you with everything we have. The Aldridge name is yours, Adrian." But Sophia didn't smile. She took a step back. The journal in her pocket felt heavy. She looked at her family, then at Adrian, then at Lyra. "Not right now." Sophia said. Her voice was steady, surprising even herself. "Everything has changed. I found something today. Something in Rowan’s study." She pulled out the map and the journal, laying them on the table. She told them everything—about the Gaia-Kin, the Essences, and
CHAPTER 406
Driven by a sudden, sharp purpose, Sophia headed deep into the west wing of the house, toward the private wing of her late grandfather, Rowan. The door was heavy and locked, but she found the key hidden in the base of a nearby bust. The room smelled of old paper and pipe tobacco.She began to tear through the desk, tossing aside ledgers and business documents. Finally, her hand brushed a hidden lever beneath the mahogany surface. A secret drawer clicked open. Inside sat a leather-bound journal, its cover worn and dusty, and a rolled-up piece of parchment.She unrolled the parchment and gasped. It was a map of Europe, but not one she recognized from school. It was covered in strange, glowing runes. Four pulsing marks sat on the map, glowing with a soft, rhythmic light: The Eye of the North, The Heart of the Forest, The Breath of the Peak, and The Soul of the Deep.Sophia opened the journal. Her eyes widened as she read her grandfather’s hurried script.“The world thinks the Aldridge fa
CHAPTER 405
"I never... gave up," the man whispered, his breath shallow. "I watched you... through the walls. I tried to scream... but the shadow was too strong. I’ve waited so many years... just to see your face one last time.""Don't talk like that," Adrian begged. He raised his hands, his purple aura glowing softly. "I can fix this. I have power now, Father. I can heal you. I can give you my life force!"He tried to push his energy into the old man’s chest, but his father gently pushed his hands away."No, my son," he said, his voice as light as a breeze. "There is no need. My time... it has been gone for a long time. I was only holding on... waiting for this moment. Now that I’ve seen the man you’ve become... I can finally rest.""Please," Adrian sobbed, his head bowing against his father’s chest. "I just found you. I have so much to tell you. I have so much to apologize for.""You have nothing to apologize for," his father said, his hand resting weakly on Adrian’s hair. "I will always be wit
CHAPTER 404
Adrian’s breath hitched. A wave of agony crashed over him. All those years of feeling abandoned, all the nights he spent hating my father for killing my mother, for throwing him away like trash... it had all been a lie. He had been hating a ghost. He had been hating a monster. "Where is he?" Adrian hissed, his voice trembling with a rage so deep it felt like the earth was shaking. "Why did you do it? Why take his life?" The monster in Marcus's skin tilted its head. "Why? Because your family was a perfect nest. Wealth, power, and a son with a spark of something special. I didn't take his life, Adrian. Not yet. I just... borrowed it." "TELL ME THE TRUTH!" Adrian screamed. He lunged forward, his fist glowing with a sun-shattering purple light. The fight began with an explosion that blew out every window in the foyer. The shapeshifter was fast, even faster than the one in the garden. He shifted his arms into heavy, obsidian clubs, swinging them with enough force to level a building. A
CHAPTER 403
They climbed into the car and sped away into the evening mist, leaving the Aldridge estate behind.High above in her bedroom, Sophia stood by the window, her forehead pressed against the cold glass. She watched the red taillights of Adrian’s car disappear down the long driveway. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed."Still pining for the ghost?" a voice mocked from the doorway.Sophia spun around. Elena was leaning against the doorframe, a smug, teasing smirk on her face. She hadn't even noticed her sister enter."Shut up, Elena," Sophia snapped, turning back to the window.Elena walked into the room, tossing herself onto Sophia's silk bedspread. "Oh, come on! It’s pathetic, Soph. Didn't you see them? They were practically glowing. And the way they held hands? The way they fought together? It was like a movie."Elena rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "And let's be honest... Lyra is stunning. She looks like a literal goddess, and she’s a warrior. Next to her, you're ju
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