"You defy the Council?" Elder Koros demanded.
"I defy anyone who would harm her." I held Aya close, her breathing shallow but present.
My father stepped forward, his expression torn. "Varkolak, please. I can't lose you too."
"Then help me," I whispered. "Break the cycle."
For a moment, just a moment, I thought he might. Then his face hardened.
"Restrain him. Complete the ritual."
Their shadows struck from all sides. I was powerful, but not against five Elders. Not while protecting Aya. Their darkness closed around us both, squeezing, separating me from her.
"No!" I fought harder, watching them drag her back toward the pool. "Aya! Wake up!"
Her eyelids fluttered. Recognition dawned in those beautiful brown eyes. "Var?—?"
"Don't let them take your memories," I gasped against the crushing pressure. "Think of us. Hold onto us."
Elder Mira began the incantation, her voice resonating through the chamber. The dark pool below Aya swirled, reaching up with tendrils of oblivion.
In desperation, I called upon the deepest part of my heritage, the part I'd always feared. The human half. My mother's gift.
Light erupted from within my shadows.
The Elders shrieked, their concentration broken. My father staggered back, eyes wide with shock.
"Impossible," he whispered.
The light pulsed from me in waves, neither bright nor blinding, but something else, the absence of darkness. Where it touched, shadows retreated. The magical bonds holding Aya dissolved completely.
I caught her again as she fell, this time holding her securely against my chest. Her eyes found mine, confused but clearing.
"What's happening?" she whispered.
"I'm taking you home." I turned to face the Elders, who had backed against the chamber walls. "We're leaving. Anyone who tries to stop us dies."
My father stepped forward, hands raised in a peacekeeping gesture. "The prophecy, you've fulfilled it.When shadow loves light, darkness will fall. Look at yourself, son."
I glanced down. Where my shadows had always flowed, now light and dark intermingled, creating something new.
"The prophecy wasn't about destruction," he continued, wonder in his voice. "It was about evolution. About becoming something more."
The other Elders murmured among themselves, some fearful, others curious.
"I don't care about prophecies," I said. "I care about her. About our future together."
Aya's hand touched my face. "Your eyes, they're different."
Elder Mira approached cautiously. "The ritual was incomplete. She retains her memories, but the connection between you has been changed."
"How?" I demanded.
"We don't know." Her silver eyes studied us. "This has never happened before."
My father came closer, his gaze fixed on Aya. "Can you still feel him? The bond between you?"
Aya's fingers tightened on my arm. "Yes. It's stronger. Different."
