Page 53 of Bound In Stone, Claimed In Fire

Tears slip from my eyes, guilt crushing me. But Nerezza’s illusions swirl once more, showing me scenes of Sariah’s brand blackening with chaos. My wings droop, tail limp.I can’t let that happen.

Nerezza’s voice purrs in my ear, “Choose me, Kaelith. End this cycle of fear.”

I force a strangled breath, turning my back on Sariah, swallowing the sob that threatens to burst free.I do this for you.That’s the lie I cling to. My runes flicker with anguished conflict as I shuffle forward, letting Nerezza guide me away from the barrier.

“No!” Sariah screams behind me, heartbreak lacing every syllable. “Kaelith, no, I love you—don’t do this!”

The tether thrums with violent protest, sending razor-edged jolts of pain into my core as I pull away from her. I nearly collapse from the agony of severing that closeness, but Nerezza’s illusions cradle me, dulling the physical torment with false comfort.I hate this.

Her dark robes swirl around me, and she half-manifests a corridor of shadows. I see glimpses of twisted gargoyles waiting beyond, their eyes gleaming with demonic light. My stomach twists.This is madness.But I’m locked in a spiral of guilt.If I fight, Sariah might become the monster I fear.

A final, despairing shriek rips from Sariah’s throat. The tether convulses inside me, flaring a last desperate wave of synergy that begs me to return. My knees nearly buckle. I almost pivot, almost run back to her arms. But Nerezza’s illusions tear open a vision of Sariah in Nyxari form, decimating entire armies.No.My heart cracks, finalizing my decision.

I surge forward, passing through the curtain of swirling shadows. Nerezza’s laughter echoes around me, triumphant and cruel. The last thing I see is Sariah’s face, contorted with betrayal and grief, brand blazing silver as she tries to break the barrier. My chest feels carved open, the tether screaming in silent agony at our forced separation.

Then darkness envelops me. Nerezza’s illusions coil around my mind, ushering me into a realm of half-light and swirling magic. The real world recedes, leaving only the faint echo of Sariah’s sobs. My last conscious thought is that I’ve betrayed the woman I love in a desperate bid to save her from a fate that might be all in my head.All is lost.

The shadows swirl,forming a corridor of half-solid illusions. My wings remain limp at my sides, runes flickering with confusion. Nerezza’s presence drifts around me like a noxious perfume. She leads me deeper, humming a soft tune that resonates with ancient sorrow. My mind reels with each step, old memories tangling with the present.I’m succumbing.

“Kaelith,” she purrs, voice echoing. “You’ve chosen well. Together, we’ll ensure that foolish purna never becomes another Nyxari. I’ll keep her safe—provided you remain at my side.”

I want to retch at the hypocrisy of her words, but the illusions weigh me down. My heart throbs with the tether’s pain.Sariah is still out there, alone, thinking I abandoned her.My lungs tighten.I did abandon her.

Nerezza’s illusory corridor opens into a grand chamber that can’t possibly exist in these mountains. Pillars of black obsidian rise from a marble floor, swirling with smoky wisps of chaos. Figures scuttle at the edges of my vision—gargoyle thralls, contorted by her corruption. My stomach twists at the sight of my kin so twisted, but I can’t muster the strength to fight. Guilt overwhelms me, burying my instincts under a weight of grief.

Nerezza steps before me, black robes trailing across the floor. She lifts a hand to my cheek, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “No tears,” she murmurs, her voice sweetly cruel. “You’re doing what’s best for the one you claim to love, after all.”

A trembling hiss escapes my lips. “If you harm her, I’ll?—”

She laughs, placing a finger on my runes to hush me. “Relax. Why would I destroy my leverage?” Her expression flickers with a twisted semblance of affection. “My goal is to see you by my side willingly, without these pesky illusions. But you do enjoy illusions, don’t you?”

My wings quake, tail scraping the marble. “Stop toying with me,” I snarl, though it lacks conviction. “Spare her, or kill me now.”

Her lips quirk in a faint smile. “Kaelith, always so dramatic. I have bigger plans than petty murder. You’re the key to stabilizing my brood fully, bridging gargoyle resilience with my chaos. We almost had that centuries ago, if not for your meddling. Now, we can rectify past mistakes.”

I recall the tragedy that erupted when she first tried to fuse chaos with gargoyle lifeforce. My soul recoils. “You turned them into mindless monsters,” I spit, voice trembling. “They were never free.”

She sighs. “Freedom is relative. Their bodies endured. They soared higher than normal gargoyles, unstoppable in war. We could have saved them from extinction, but you sealed me. Now that I’m awake, I’ll finish what I started—this time, with or without your cooperation.” Her eyes gleam. “But I’m glad you chose me. It spares me from ripping you to pieces.”

Revulsion churns in my stomach.I didn’t choose you.I forced myself to yield for Sariah’s sake. A pang of longing hits me as I think of Sariah. She’s out there, probably devastated.All is lost,the phrase echoes. “What do you want from me?” I croak, voice hollow.

She smiles, brushing a tendril of magic across my runes. The sensation makes me shudder. “Your power. It resonates with that little purna, but I can redirect it to strengthen my brood, to refine my chaos spells. In time, you’ll forget about your mortal fling. Or maybe you won’t, but it won’t matter once you’re woven into my domain fully.”

A wave of despair threatens to crush me.I walked into this, hoping to spare Sariah from the illusions’ prophecy.Now, I see how Nerezza plans to bend my synergy to her twisted aims, fueling further atrocities.I have to resist.But each breath feels heavier, illusions pressing on my mind, making me question whether Sariah is truly safer if I remain here.And if I fight back, what monstrous illusions might Nerezza unleash on Sariah?

Nerezza’s hand drifts to my chest, touching the place where my runes center. I recoil, but she grabs me with surprising force. My claws twitch, unsure whether to lash out.Would I break the illusions if I strike her? Is she even physically here, or is this another mental realm?My head spins.

She leans in, voice sweetly poisonous. “Take my power once more. Let me strip away your tether to that girl. Then we can channel your synergy fully. You won’t risk your heart, and she’ll live, hidden away from my wrath. Everyone wins.”

The illusions swirl, giving me a flash of Sariah safe somewhere far away, living a quiet life. My heart clenches.She’d hate that, being forced to hide.But the image of her brand blackening, becoming another Nyxari, also ravages my mind. My will cracks further, the illusions gnawing at every vulnerability.

I sink to my knees in the illusory chamber, head bowed, wings drooping. Nerezza stands over me, dark magic shimmering around her like an unholy halo. My runes flicker with distress, tether screaming for Sariah.I left her behind.The shame and heartbreak are suffocating.

Through the chaos, I recall Sariah’s tears, her voice pleading for me to stay. The memory kindles a faint spark of resolve.She loves me. She trusts me not to yield.But the illusions conjure another echo of Sariah’s face, twisted with chaotic madness.Stop,I beg my mind.I can’t bear this.

Nerezza strokes my hair with mock tenderness. “Surrender,” she whispers, voice resonant with enthralling magic. “You have no path left but me.”

A hollow sob tears from my throat. For an instant, I want to let go, to numb the agony of this betrayal, to drift in illusions of the old days with Nerezza.What if it spares Sariah from any further danger?My tail slumps across the floor.

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