Chapter 38: Breaking the Illusion
Melissa’s POV
Like a living creature, the blackness throbbed and coiled around me, feeding off my anxieties. As the sights unfolded in front of me and my child’s cries resonating through the emptiness, the pack being split apart by Damon’s army, and my powerlessness my pulse raced.
“Help me, Mommy!” My heart broke when my child’s voice shouted once more.
“I’ll be right over!” I yelled and ran ahead, but the shouts only got louder and more urgent the farther I ran.
I could hear Damon’s laughter all around me like a mocking chorus. “Melissa, you cannot save them. You’ll never be strong enough. Embrace it.
Clinging to my head, I fell to my knees. I felt myself sinking into despair as his words pierced my head like daggers.
“Elissa!” Like a beacon, Kane’s voice shone through the shadows.
My head jerked up, and I frantically searched for him. “Kane? “Where are you?”
His voice was firm and steady as he said, “I’m here.” “Avoid letting him dictate to you. You’re more resilient than this!
I was pulled back from the brink by Kane’s voice, which was like a lifeline. I shut my eyes and concentrated on it, ignoring Damon’s jests.
After the visions changed, I was standing in the training ground of our pack, which I knew well. Kane was standing there, reaching out to me.
With resolute eyes, he remarked, “You’ve faced worse than this.” “Remember your identity, Melissa. Keep in mind the cause you are fighting for.
I forced myself to stand after taking a trembling breath. “I’m defending my child.” For my pack. For us.
Kane firmly said, “Then fight.” “You’re not doing this alone.”
Around me, the illusion started to break, the darkness splintering like broken glass. Damon’s voice became more agitated and louder.
“No! You are unable to escape! He yelled.
I clenched my hands, using all of my remaining strength. “Damon, you’re mistaken. You no longer frighten me!
I pushed against the darkness with a defiant cry, destroying the illusion entirely. I found myself standing in the Shadow Realm once more as the scenes vanished into thin air.
My body shook from the strain as I begged for air. In a moment, Kane was beside me, supporting me with his arms.
“You succeeded,” he replied with joy in his voice.
Despite my legs feeling like Jello, I nodded. “I am no longer under his control.”
With a mixture of relief and resolve on their faces, the pack members crowded around us.
“Now what?” inquired one of them.
I turned to face Damon’s power source, the whirling vortex in the middle of the realm. “This is over.”
The ground trembled strongly as we got closer to the vortex. Dark energy crackled from Damon’s form as he emerged.
“You believe you’ve triumphed?” He growled. “This dimension yields to my intentions. You won’t make it out of here alive.
Despite the anxiety tearing at my chest, I took a step forward and spoke steadily. “Damon, I’m not afraid of your strength anymore. You’ve lost.
He lifted his hand, and his eyes narrowed. We were surrounded by a wall of shadows that prevented us from accessing the gateway.
With a tone full of hate, Damon stated, “You’ll have to get through me first.”
With a roar, Kane moved ahead of me. “We’ll then pass through you.”
In an instant of movement, Kane’s blade and Damon’s dark tendrils collided. As the shadows swirled about us, the remainder of the pack joined the battle.
For a minute, I stood motionless, observing the chaos. The gateway was starting to falter, though, with its edges flickering like a dying flame, and then I spotted something.
“Kane!” I yelled. “The portal is about to close!”
With a determined expression on his face, he looked back at me. “We’ll keep him away. You must start working on it!
“No!” I objected. “I will not abandon you!”
“If the portal closes, you won’t be able to stop him!” he shouted, avoiding one of Damon’s blows. “Go, Melissa! Right now!
I paused, caught between my heart and my obligation. But then I recalled what the watcher had said: Have faith in the thread that connects your fates.
Determination rushing through me, I turned for the gateway. Kane, I’ll be back for you. I swear.
Damon’s voice reverberated behind me as I ran. “You will never succeed!”
Around me, the shadows grew, attempting to obstruct my way. But with each stride I took, my mother’s pendant grew brighter as I pushed through them.
I finally arrived at the vortex’s edge. Although its energy was erratic and chaotic, I knew what I had to do.
When I turned around, Kane and the pack were still engaged in combat, their movements ferocious and uncompromising. Damon’s eyes were flaming with rage as he fixed them on me.
“You can’t ruin it,” he growled. “This realm will devour you if you do!”
I paused as the significance of what he had said set in. Would I put everything on the line to stop him?
The ground trembled severely beneath me before I could make up my mind. Like a storm, the energy from the portal roared through the realm.
“You have to leave, Melissa!” Over the confusion, Kane’s voice could hardly be heard as he yelled.
My heart was hurting as I stared at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I can’t abandon you!”
“You must!” he shouted. “This can only be stopped by you!”
Cold and triumphant, Damon’s laughter echoed. “It’s too late. I’ll find a way to finish the ceremony even if you manage to get away.
With my head racing, I clenched my hands. I had only a few seconds to decide because the portal was closing quickly.
“Kane, I”
“Go, Melissa!” He yelled once more.
I turned to the portal and sobbed. I was drawn toward the heart of the swirling energy.
Damon’s words followed me into the whirlpool, sending shivers down my spine. Melissa, you’ll never get away from me. Not in your world, even.