Betrayed by Blood
As the dust settled in the crumbling chamber, Eira lay weakened on the ground, her silver eyes dulled but still alight with defiance. Isla stepped forward, her silver light still shimmering faintly around her. She clutched the twins close, their tiny forms trembling in her arms.
“It’s over,” Isla said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and exhaustion. “You’ve lost.”
But before she could press further, the air in the room shifted. A dark, oppressive energy filled the space, and a familiar figure emerged from the shadows. Her father. His presence was commanding, his gray eyes cold as they swept over the battlefield.
“Father,” Isla breathed, her voice caught between hope and dread. “You don’t have to do this. Help me stop her.”
He looked at her, his expression unreadable. “You don’t understand what’s at stake,” he said, his tone sharp but calm. “You’ve let emotions cloud your judgment. This is bigger than you, Isla. Bigger than all of us.”
Eira coughed weakly from her position on the ground, her voice faint but mocking. “She’ll never understand. Let her cling to her illusions.”
Isla’s heart clenched at the betrayal coursing through her veins. “This isn’t about stakes or prophecies,” she said, her voice rising with desperation. “It’s about my children! My family!”
Her dad’s gaze hardened, and in a flash, he turned his focus to Draven, who had moved to Isla’s side. “Your family is your weakness,” he said coldly. “And I will eliminate that weakness.”
Before Isla could react, her father lunged at Draven, his claws extended and crackling with dark energy. Isla screamed, throwing herself between them. She summoned her light, creating a barrier that forced her dad back, but the effort left her staggering.
“Father, stop!” she cried, tears streaming down her face. “Please, don’t make me do this!”
Draven pushed himself forward despite the attack, his claws slashing through the air as he defended Isla and the twins. Isla’s dad retaliated with brutal precision, his strikes aimed to incapacitate rather than kill.
“You’ve always been stubborn,” he said, his voice almost pitying. “But you’ve left me no choice.”
With a sharp motion, Eira raised her hand, summoning a vortex of energy that began to collapse the chamber around them. “It’s time to retreat,” she called to her dad. “We have what we need.”
He hesitated, his eyes flickering with something Isla couldn’t decipher—regret? Determination? He stepped back, the dark energy fading from his claws. “You’ll thank me one day,” he said, his voice low and haunting.
Before Isla could stop him, her dad, Eira and her children vanished into the swirling vortex, leaving the chamber in ruins.
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