CHAPTER 69: THE INTRUDERS.

Castan sat upon his throne, eyes closed, head resting lightly against his hand. Golden hair flowed over his shoulders, glowing softly in the dim light.

He appeared calm—serene, almost unbothered.

But that was a lie.

A carefully crafted illusion.

This was his daily routine—stillness masking the storm beneath.

His people were imprisoned, trapped in a forbidden land by the will of one man.

And Castan remembered that day clearly.

The day they made a grave mistake.

They had crossed someone they should never have challenged.

A man who stood above all Beast Tamers.

The memory burned in his mind—his father’s duel with that man. A battle that ended in their downfall, and the curse that sealed their fate.

’If she’s here... then he must be here too. Even the panel reacted. If he’s returned—for whatever reason—then he must set my people free.’

Castan’s fingers curled into a tight fist.

’I’ve waited for this. I’ve prepared for it. I’ll kill him... just as he killed my father.’

They had been forsaken for decades—no, centuries—searching endlessly for a way out. A path beyond this prison.

Though he looked idle, Castan was anything but.

He had dispatched his beasts across every inch of the realm, tirelessly scouring for a weakness, a crack—anything that could destroy the gateway keeping them sealed.

But nothing had worked.

Not yet.

’And what’s taking Amaya so long to bring in the intruders?’ he wondered, irritation sparking beneath his calm exterior.

And then—almost as if the thought summoned it...

He felt it—the subtle drain of life energy slipping from his body.

{Aetheris -10}

It was normal. A constant occurrence.

His beasts were always drawing from him, using his energy in their combined effort to bring down the gate. He had grown used to it.

But this was different.

This drain wasn’t from them.

It was from her.

Amaya.

Castan’s eyes opened slowly, a deep frown settling across his face. He turned his head, gaze shifting to the window beside his throne.

Beyond the stained glass, the distant hilltop came into view—bathed in the soft glow of the moon. Its sloped edges were faint but visible beneath the night sky.

He stared at it for a long moment.

Amaya never drew on his power.

Or rather, she rarely did.

Not because she didn’t want to.

But because she never needed to.

Her skills were refined, efficient, absolute. A silent predator of the shadows—flawless in execution. Her tasks were always completed with ease.

And this was nightfall. Her domain. The hour when her power reached its peak.

Yet still, she borrowed from him.

’Why... do I feel like something’s gone wrong?’ Castan wondered, his gaze drifting down to the elven city below.

Lanterns flickered gently in front of brick-and-stone homes. The golden glow painted the streets with warmth.

Elves moved peacefully through the roads—some beside their bonded beasts, walking in sync. Others walked alone, empty-handed.

Castan felt a familiar sting in his chest.

Once, there had been enough beasts for all.

But that time was gone.

The new generation was growing up without partners. Without bonds. Without power.

Because of one man.

The man who changed everything.

Castan’s eyes returned to the hilltop.

He didn’t know what was happening. He couldn’t see what Amaya was facing.

But for her to draw on his power now—it meant something had shifted.

Something serious.

’She’ll return... and she’ll tell me everything,’ Castan thought, letting his eyes close once more as he reached inward, refocusing his senses.

Yes—he was confident that with his power, Amaya could deal with the issue.

If she failed? Only one person would be able to stop her, and that would be his chance.

-----

The arc of flame tore straight down, searing through the air itself. Even the atmosphere seemed to vanish in its wake—evaporating under the sheer heat.

It was already too close.

And Amaya knew it.

She had no other choice.

Her eyes closed—not in surrender, but in fierce resolve. For a brief moment, it looked as though she had accepted her fate.

But that was far from the truth.

A radiant light suddenly burst to life on her forehead, pulsing with a powerful, ancient energy.

It wasn’t just bright—it was trembling, shaking the very air around her.

Kieran’s eyes narrowed as he watched from above, a sense of cold finality rising within him... along with something else.

Fear.

’Whatever she’s doing... if this strike lands, it’ll cause massive damage. But the real question is—what if it doesn’t?’

The arc of flames widened as it descended, growing more intense by the second. The energy within it twisted violently—uncontrolled, divine, and furious.

And then—

The flames struck.

They swallowed the hilltop, the shadows, and the sky itself in a blaze of holy fire.

BOOM!

The explosion shattered the silence, tearing through the night like thunder. The blast consumed everything in its path, drowning it in searing, golden light.

The earth trembled.

The hill shuddered beneath the weight of the blast.

Birds scattered into the dark sky, fleeing far from the chaos.

Trees groaned, their roots straining to stay buried in the quaking soil.

And amidst the carnage of the flames—

There was only one thing left visible:

A bright, white light glowing steadily at the heart of it all.

Still suspended mid-air, Kieran exhaled slowly. His back arched, his body tense.

’I did it—’

But the thought was cut short.

"You’ve pushed me far enough... It’s been years."

The voice echoed through his mind—dark, sharp, and cold.

Kieran’s breath caught. A chill surged down his spine, his hairs standing on end.

He turned slightly—just enough to catch her from the corner of his eye.

Amaya.

Her sapphire eyes still gleamed...

But her pupils—once round—were now pitch black.

They radiated a chilling, unnatural aura.

And her voice—

It had changed.

Darker. Deeper. Laced with something ancient and monstrous.

Before he could react, her claws reached for his neck.

Longer. Faster.

Far more lethal than anything she had shown before.

Time slowed.

For a fleeting second, Kieran stared at death.

’Is this it?’ he wondered, the question floating in the stillness.

Then—

A faint grin tugged at his lips.

’Nah... I still have one card left.’

’Alexa.’

Her sharp crimson gaze snapped open within Kieran’s mind.

"After this, get out of here as fast as you can," she said firmly.

A grin tugged at her lips.

’Since we already have a way out of this place... I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I vanish without a trace.’

Then—everything blurred.

It happened too quickly for Natasha and Stan, who had been watching with wide eyes, hoping to understand what was unfolding.

Suddenly, the markings on Kieran’s hand flared to life. A radiant aura burst forth from them—divine, overwhelming.

A pulse of terrifying energy rippled through the realm.

Back in the elven city, every beast dropped to the ground.

Their knees buckled. Their bodies trembled.

They weren’t resisting—it wasn’t possible. The presence they felt was absolute.

Like their queen had returned.

It wasn’t something they could defy.

It wasn’t something they could fight.

It was instinct. An ancient command buried in their very essence.

And even Amaya—despite her power—was not immune.

Though the aura around her dulled its effect, something far worse was coming.

Alexa could still see the beast reading it’s claws towards Kieran.

"A mere Alpha-ranked beast... dares to resist my power?" Alexa’s voice rang out with biting amusement.

A mocking grin formed as her voice echoed in the air.

"Pillar of Flame."

It descended without warning.

Like divine judgment.

A column of scorching, holy fire tore down from the heavens, crashing into Amaya like a blazing meteor.

The earth didn’t just shake—

The entire realm trembled under the impact.

Amaya was engulfed completely, consumed before she could even melt into the shadows.

Too fast.

Too late.

Everyone had seen it.

They had all witnessed the blast—raw, divine, and terrifying.

"What was that? Was it an attack?"

Panic spread like wildfire through the elven city.

Beast elves shouted in confusion, rushing through the streets. Children clung to their parents, trembling as the sky still burned faintly from the aftermath.

On the rooftop of a stone dwelling, a figure appeared—materializing out of thin air.

She wore armor—simple in form, yet exquisitely crafted. Blue markings ran across its surface, glowing faintly with enchantment.

Perched on her shoulder was a small monkey, a spectacle over one eye, scanning the horizon.

"Hmm... that aura earlier was without a doubt divine," the monkey said, adjusting its lens.

"If it came from the castle, I’d assume one of Lord Castan’s beasts had returned. But it didn’t. What do you think, Lady Mira? Could it be the intruders?"

The elven warrior narrowed her sharp, sky-blue eyes.

She stared across the horizon—focused, calculating.

Then she saw it.

A black beast plummeting from the remains of the heavenly flame.

Her voice was low, steady.

"I just saw Amaya."

Her jaw tightened.

"Whatever unleashed that attack... it doesn’t belong to my brother."