CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: BROTHERS IN ARMS

The ground cracked wider, and everyone started falling toward the endless void below. Elara grabbed onto a piece of broken stone, her fingers slipping as the Void Walker’s laughter echoed around them. "Elara!" Kael’s words cut through the chaos. She looked up to see all three triplets reaching for her, their hands glowing with silver light.

But they weren’t just trying to save her—they were working together perfectly, like they shared one mind. "Kael, anchor point," Ronan yelled. "Got it," Kael answered, planting his feet and becoming solid as a rock. "Darian, connection," Ronan continued. "Already on it," Darian said, his power moving between his brothers like electricity. "I’ll be the reach," Ronan finished, stretching his arm toward Elara while his brothers supported him. It was the first time she’d ever seen them coordinate so smoothly. No fighting, no jealousy, no competition. Just three brothers working as one.

Ronan’s fingers brushed hers just as her grip failed. He caught her wrist and pulled her up to safety, but the effort cost them. All three brothers flashed, their spirit forms becoming transparent. "You’re fading," Elara gasped. "The Void is draining us," Kael revealed. "We don’t have much time left." The Void Walker broke free from Marcus’s silver chains with a sound like breaking glass. "You cannot stop the unavoidable. This realm will fall into nothingness, and I will feast on the destruction." "Not if we stop you first," Darian said quietly. The triplets stepped forward, making a triangle around the creature. Silver light began to flow between them, but it was different this time—stronger, brighter, more focused. "Impossible," the Void Walker hissed. "Your skills are individual. You cannot mix them." "Shows what you know," Ronan grinned. "We’ve been practicing." "When?" Elara asked in surprise. "Every time we died for you," Kael explained. "In the space between life and death, we learned to share our strength." "Kael has the power of protection," Darian said, silver armor forming around all three boys. "Ronan has the power of courage," Kael continued, and their combined aura blazed with fierce purpose. "And I have the power of strategy," Darian finished. "Together, we’re unbeatable." The Void Walker struck with tendrils of pure darkness, but the brothers moved like dancers. When it struck at Kael, Ronan was there to block. When it lashed at Ronan, Darian deflected the attack. When it tried to overwhelm Darian, Kael’s shield shielded him. "How are they doing that?" Celeste whispered in awe. "They’re not three separate people anymore," Tobias realized. "They’re one fighter with three bodies."

Elara watched in wonder as her mates fought with perfect synchronization. Kael would start a move, Ronan would continue it, and Darian would finish it. It was like watching a dangerous, beautiful dance. But the Void Walker was learning their pattern. It waited for the moment when all three brothers committed to one attack, then struck at their weak spot. Dark energy slammed into Ronan, sending him flying toward the edge of the falling ground. He hit hard and didn’t get up. "Ronan!" Kael and Darian both moved to help him, breaking their order. The Void Walker seized the chance, wrapping chains of darkness around both remaining brothers. "Your unity is also your weakness. When one falls, you all fall." "Not necessarily," a new voice said. Everyone turned to see Ronan pushing himself to his feet, but something was different about him. His spirit form was more firm, more real than before. "I figured something out while I was lying there," he said with a grin. "We’ve been thinking about this all wrong." "What do you mean?" Darian asked, straining against the dark chains. "We keep trying to be the same person with three bodies. But that’s not who we are." Ronan’s grin widened. "We’re three different people who choose to fight together." He raised his hands, and instead of silver light, golden fire blazed from his palms. "I’m the brother who never gives up, even when everything seems hopeless." The fire cut through the Void Walker’s chains, freeing Kael and Darian. "I’m the brother who protects what matters," Kael said, his own power shifting from silver to deep blue. Ice formed around the Void Walker’s feet, holding it in place.

"And I’m the brother who finds the solution no one else can see," Darian added. His power turned bright green, and suddenly the cracking ground began to fix itself. "Individual powers," the Void Walker growled. "You cannot defeat me without unity." "Who says we’re not unified?" all three brothers said at the same time. They moved apart, making a wide triangle around the creature. But now, instead of sharing the same power, they were sharing the same goal. Ronan’s golden fire didn’t just burn—it gave hope to everyone watching. Kael’s blue ice didn’t just freeze—it saved the pack from the Void Walker’s attacks. Darian’s green energy didn’t just heal—it made everyone stronger. "Three different strengths working toward one goal," Elara breathed, understanding rushing through her. "That’s what real brotherhood looks like." The Void Walker tried to break free, but everywhere it turned, one of the brothers was there to stop it. Not because they moved as one person, but because they trusted each other fully. "Ronan, drive it toward me," Kael called out. "On it," Ronan answered, his fire herding the creature like a sheepdog. "Darian, can you weaken its defenses?" Kael asked. "Already working on it," Darian answered, his green energy melting the creature’s armor. They didn’t need to share thoughts or move in perfect sync. They just needed to trust that their brothers would be where they needed them to be. The Void Walker’s form began to crack under the combined attack. "This cannot be happening. I am forever. I am inevitable." "You’re also really annoying," Ronan said happily, sending another wave of hope-fire at the creature. "And wrong about basically everything," Kael added, his protective ice making a cage around their enemy. "Most importantly," Darian said with a smile, "you forgot that some bonds can’t be broken, even by the space between worlds."

The three brothers joined hands, their different colored powers swirling together into something beautiful and terrible. The Void Walker screamed as the combined energy washed over it, not killing it, but transforming it. "What’s happening?" Marcus asked in wonder. "They’re not killing it," Elara realized. "They’re healing it." The darkness began to fall away from the Void Walker like old skin. Underneath was something that had once been beautiful—a being of pure stars, twisted by eons of loneliness and pain. "I remember," the thing whispered, its voice no longer cruel but sad. "I remember what I used to be, before the emptiness consumed me." "Everyone deserves a second chance," Kael said gently. "Even monsters like us," Ronan added with a crooked smile. "The question is, what will you choose now?" Darian asked. The changed being looked around at the pack, at the brothers who had chosen healing over destruction, at Elara who had risked everything for love. "I choose to go home," it said simply. "To return to the stars where I belong." Light began to pour from the being as it prepared to leave their realm forever.

But as the light grew, Elara noticed something terrible. "The brothers," she gasped. "They’re disappearing." The healing had cost them everything. Kael, Ronan, and Darian were fading away like morning mist, their spirit forms melting into nothing. "No," she whispered, reaching for them. "Not after we finally won." "It’s okay," Kael said softly, his voice getting distant. "We saved everyone." "That’s all that matters," Ronan agreed, his grin never shifting even as he became transparent. "We love you, Elara," Darian said. "Always remember that." "Don’t leave me," she cried, but her hands passed right through them. The transformed being paused in its exit. "There is a way," it said softly. "But the price would be everything you’ve won. Your Luna powers, your link to the pack, your immortal life. You would become fully human." Elara didn’t pause. "I’ll pay it." "Even knowing you could never be Luna again? Never lead the pack?" "I don’t need to be Luna," she said strongly. "I just need them." The being nodded sadly. "The choice is made. But know this—once the trade is complete, there can be no going back.

And..." it paused, "someone else must be willing to take your place as Luna." Everyone turned to look at each other. Who would step forward to save the brothers by taking the burden of leadership? The answer came from the last person anyone expected.