She reached past the pain, past the cold, past the pressure, and grabbed the tether inside her chest like a lifeline. Mingxi pressed himself against her back, arms locked around her, foxfire blazing brighter than ever.
“That’s it,” he whispered fiercely. “Hold onto me. Pull.”
Together, they pulled.
The moonwell pulsed—violently, painfully—light cracking through the surface like lightning under ice. The shard screamed, a jagged psychic tearing that shook the entire valley.
Caelan shouted, “Boundary hold… now!”
Lirrane slammed both hands deeper into the earth, tidal force exploding outward in a wave that stabilized the circle for one precious heartbeat. Just enough.
Yunlian’s healing glow surged, golden threads weaving around Poppy’s wrists, anchoring her to the moonwell’s true pulse.
“Poppy, now!” she cried.
Poppy pulled.
The shard tore upward—an inch, two—and then a violent wrenching rip that made the air rupture.
The moonwell convulsed, and a blast of corrupted energy rocketed upward, striking Mingxi’s foxfire shield with a boom like thunder. He gritted his teeth, flames flaring white hot to contain the explosion.
“Almost!” Caelan yelled.
“Get it… out!” Lirrane roared, sweat dripping down her brow.
Poppy screamed as she pulled again, her whole body trembling, every vein burning, every breath a knife.
And the shard tore free.
Chapter 109
It ripped out of the moonwell like a star being dragged from the sky, spinning upward in a razor-edged spiral of shadowlight.
The basin exploded with force. Water shot upward in a geyser of silver and black. Cracks split the earth. The air went blindingly white, and Mingxi threw himself around Poppy, foxfire consuming the blast, protecting her with every ounce of celestial strength he possessed.
Caelan’s knees buckled. Lirrane roared against the pressure. Yunlian’s light held even as the ground cracked under her feet. The shard hovered above the basin—glowing, shaking, destabilized—finally free.
Poppy collapsed to her knees, panting, trembling, barely conscious.
Mingxi knelt with her, arms tight around her, voice breaking. “I’ve got you,” he whispered into her hair. “I’ve got you.”
Behind them, the moonwell flickered—dim, exhausted—on the edge of collapse, and the shard, trembling violently above the basin, began to crack. The shard hung in the air above the basin like a broken star, shuddering, flickering, radiating a cold so sharp it hurt to breathe. Cracks spidered across its twisting form.
With every tremor, a ripple of corrupted energy rolled through the valley, making the trees tremble like they were bowing under a storm.
Caelan lifted his hands again, water rising in a tight spiral around him. “It’s destabilizing—this is our chance!”
Lirrane’s eyes narrowed. “Chance to do what? That thing is ready to explode!”
Yunlian stepped forward, golden light flaring from her palms. “It must be destroyed before it anchors to something else.”
Mingxi pulled Poppy closer, shielding her with his body. “Then stand back.”
The ground shuddered beneath them. The shard screeched, its sound a jagged psychic vibration that made Poppy’s vision blur. She blinked up at Mingxi and saw his expression change. Soft, protective Mingxi was gone. Inhis place stood the celestial fox prince, eyes burning bright silver, foxfire spiraling like living flame across his skin.
“Stay behind me,” he murmured to Poppy, his voice like starlight on steel.
Then he stepped forward, and Poppy reached weakly for him.
