We crashed into the earth in a tangle of limbs, her gurgling breaths filling the tense silence between us. Luckily, we landed on the soft grass tucked between two homes.
Fueled by the adrenaline surging through me-and the awareness of how close death was-I scrambled away from Marinella. Her claws, unnervingly long and razor-sharp like needles, fell limp as they slipped from my torn flesh.
Her transformation was horrifyingly swift. The pale sheen of her skin became transparent, cracking as though it were brittle glass. Before my eyes, it peeled away, crumbling into a fine dust that scattered in the gentle breeze. In mere moments, she was gone. All that remained was the blade I’d buried in her chest. It shimmered faintly as it stood upright, humming softly as though it were alive, still tethered to the source.
Shaking, I clawed at the heavy cloak weighing me down. My eyes darted to my arms, and I froze at the sight. Pale skin marred by jagged cracks, glowing like molten sapphire. Light poured through the fissures, a vibrant, otherworldly blue-the very essence of the source pulsing beneath.
Leonardo’s panic hit me with an almost physical force. I could feel him sprinting toward me, his fear weaving into my own. Enrico followed close behind, his breath ragged as he fought through the pain of his limp.
“Isabella, what the hell happened?” Leonardo demanded, gripping my arms with a force born of desperation. His crystalline eyes were wide with fear as he raised a trembling hand to trace the glowing cracks on my skin. I jerked away, snarling at his touch.
“It’s the source,” I said through clenched teeth, my voice ragged. “If I don’t get it out of me soon, I’ll burn alive.”
Leonardo’s jaw tightened, and his gaze darkened with helplessness. “What do you need us to do?” Enrico asked, stepping forward. His voice was steel, his calm masking the turmoil within. He placed a hand on Leonardo’s shoulder, holding him back from whatever reckless action he had in mind.
“Give me space,” I growled, the strain of containing the power making my teeth ache. “Keep the rogues and Fae off me. And if you see Isotta, send that bitch back through the nearest portal.”
Without hesitation, the two of them moved into position, standing on either side of me like sentinels. The feral snarl of approaching rogues shattered the brief moment of calm. They lunged forward, but Leonardo and Enrico moved as one, their magic lashing out in perfect synchronization. Ice spears formed midair, piercing flesh and halting the onslaught. The iron tang of blood saturated the air, a smell that felt eternal in its endlessness.
“What is she doing?” Emiliano’s voice rang out from nearby, his fiery hair matted with soot. He smelled of charred wood, his face streaked with ash as he stumbled toward Leonardo. “She’ll doom the humans!”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Carlo snapped, stepping into view with a confidence that silenced any argument. His gaze met mine, steady and unwavering, as he gave me the smallest nod of understanding.
“She’s finishing this,” Leonardo said grimly, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
They formed a circle around me, four Fae males standing guard against the tide of enemies that threatened to overwhelm us. I closed my eyes and placed my hands against the cool, damp soil, letting instinct guide me. There were no instructions for what I needed to do-no map to follow. Just the raw, untamed knowledge coursing through my veins, leading me deeper into the unknown.
The temperature plummeted, and my breath clouded the air in icy puffs. Isotta’s presence seeped into the battlefield, her cold aura clawing at my skin. Somewhere in the chaos, Leonardo’s voice barked commands, his words barely registering as I tore down the barriers within myself, releasing the source’s power in one earth-shattering wave.
Time seemed to stop as the magic surged, its force driving my awareness deep into the ground. The world above faded-the snarls, the screams, the tremors of war-all silenced by the overwhelming connection to the earth. I could feel the roots, ancient and unyielding, twisting and burrowing into endless darkness.
The source’s magic entwined with mine, threading through every fiber of my being. Spirit responded to my call, and life itself surged through me. It filled every crack, every wound, until I was nothing but raw energy, blazing and unrelenting.
The human realm wasn’t meant to be conquered. That was never its destiny. Marinella and Isotta had been wrong-so profoundly wrong. The realms weren’t meant to be divided but intertwined, their magic flowing freely like rivers joining at the sea.
For every blade of mundane grass, there would be a twin imbued with Fae magic. For every stream, a reflection where sprites danced, and water nymphs roamed. Balance. That was the answer, the one truth whispered to me by the voice of Noemi, carried on lavender threads of spirit.
With the last of my strength, I wove a barrier. A shimmering wall of light-lavender, plum, and amethyst-rose between the realms. A divide that would shield the humans from the wild magic of the Fae, forever preserving the fragile peace.
As the last remnants of power drained from me, my body collapsed. I fell toward the earth, weightless and suspended in the dark void of exhaustion. Leonardo’s presence brushed against mine, his soul reaching for me with a fierce, unyielding love that warmed even the coldest corners of my fading consciousness.
And then, as everything dimmed, his voice cut through the darkness, low and rough with emotion.
“Come on, kitten. You have to wake up.”