đ Chapter 42 â The Prophecy Breaks
The purple light surrounding Xander faded.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Ivy held him tightly against her chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her hand.
"He's okay," she whispered.
Jayden knelt beside them.
"Xander?"
The boy slowly opened his eyes.
"I'm okay, Daddy."
Jayden exhaled in relief.
Then Xander looked toward the forest.
"But he's still there."
Ivy followed his gaze.
Lucian stood among the trees.
Watching.
Waiting.
Jake stepped forward.
"You've had twelve years."
Lucian's expression remained calm.
"And you've spent twelve years searching for a sister who didn't even remember you."
Jake's eyes flashed silver.
"Don't."
Ivy placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let him talk."
Lucian smiled faintly.
"Your mother always had that same courage."
Ivy's expression hardened.
"Don't speak about my mother."
"Why? Because you finally want the truth?"
Ivy stared at him.
"Tell me."
Lucian took a slow breath.
"Your parents knew the prophecy. They knew that their children would one day reunite and awaken the First Seal."
He looked at Jake and Kael.
"But they also knew there was another force hunting your bloodline."
Kael frowned.
"The Shadow Order."
Lucian nodded.
"They wanted the Seal for themselves."
Jake's fists tightened.
"And you helped them."
"I did."
"Why?"
Lucian's eyes darkened.
"Because I believed your parents were going to use the Seal to destroy every supernatural bloodline they considered dangerous."
Ivy shook her head.
"They were protectors."
"They were afraid."
Lucian's voice sharpened.
"Power makes even good people afraid."
---
The Missing Memory
Ivy suddenly felt pressure behind her eyes.
Another memory surfaced.
She was eight again.
Standing inside the old Silverlight mansion.
Her mother was kneeling before her.
"Listen carefully, Ivora."
Young Ivy nodded.
"If anything happens to us, you must never trust the wolves wearing the silver crest."
"But Daddy wears the silver crest."
Her mother smiled sadly.
"Not all who wear it are loyal."
The memory shifted.
Her father entered the room.
He carried a small golden pendant.
He placed it around Ivy's neck.
"One day, you'll understand."
Young Ivy touched it.
"Understand what?"
Her father kissed her forehead.
"Why we chose you."
The memory shattered.
Ivy gasped.
Jayden caught her.
"What did you see?"
She looked down at her pendant.
"My father gave me this."
Jake stared.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because I have the same one."
He pulled a pendant from beneath his shirt.
Kael slowly revealed his own.
Three identical pendants.
Ivy stared at them.
"They weren't just symbols."
Malthor nodded.
"They were keys."
---
The Fourth Key
Kael looked at Xander.
"Then what is his?"
Xander reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small object Ivy had never seen before.
A golden pendant.
The same shape as theirs.
But unlike the others, it had four symbols carved into it.
Fire.
Water.
Wind.
Earth.
Ivy's heart stopped.
"Where did you get that?"
Xander shrugged.
"Grandma gave it to me."
Everyone froze.
Ivy's voice trembled.
"Grandma?"
Xander nodded.
"The lady in my dreams."
Jake looked at Ivy.
"Elira."
A soft voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
"Yes."
Everyone turned.
A translucent figure appeared beneath the old oak tree.
A woman with silver hair.
Violet eyes.
Ivy couldn't breathe.
"Mom?"
The figure smiled.
"My little wolf."
Ivy's eyes filled with tears.
"You've been watching me?"
"Only when I could."
Ivy took a step forward.
"Are you alive?"
Her mother's expression saddened.
"Not in the way you hope."
Ivy's tears fell.
"Why didn't you come back?"
"Because I couldn't."
Elira looked toward Xander.
"But I could protect him."
Jayden pulled Xander closer.
"Why him?"
"Because he carries what your bloodline lost."
Elira's gaze returned to Ivy.
"The fourth bloodline."
---
The Choice
Lucian suddenly stepped from the shadows.
"This changes nothing."
Elira looked at him.
"You still serve the Shadow King."
Lucian's face tightened.
"I serve no one."
"Then why are you here?"
He looked toward Ivy.
"Because I made a promise."
Ivy frowned.
"To whom?"
Lucian's eyes softened.
"Your father."
Jake stepped forward.
"What promise?"
"To protect his children."
Silence.
Ivy stared at him.
"You helped destroy our family."
"I helped separate you so they couldn't find all of you."
Jake's expression hardened.
"And our parents?"
Lucian looked away.
"I failed them."
For the first time, his voice broke.
"I was there when they died."
Ivy's hands trembled.
"Then tell me the truth."
Lucian looked directly at her.
"The wolves who attacked your family weren't acting alone."
He pointed toward the mountains.
"There was someone behind them."
"Who?"
Lucian whispered:
"The Shadow King."
The sky suddenly darkened.
Elira's spirit began fading.
"Ivy..."
Ivy reached toward her.
"Don't go."
"You must choose carefully."
"Choose what?"
Her mother's voice became faint.
"Vengeance..."
A pause.
"...or protection."
Ivy looked at Xander.
Then Jayden.
Then Jake and Kael.
Her answer came without hesitation.
"Protection."
The moment she spoke, the three pendants began glowing.
Xander's golden pendant responded.
A brilliant wave of light erupted across the battlefield.
The broken First Seal began repairing itself.
Malthor stared in disbelief.
"She's changing the prophecy."
Kael smiled.
"She's not following it."
Jake looked at his sister.
"She's rewriting it."
Then a terrifying laugh echoed from the mountains.
A voice answered:
"You cannot rewrite what was written in blood."
Ivy looked toward the darkness.
Her eyes burned violet.
"Then I'll write a new ending."
The mountains shook.
The Shadow King had heard her.
And now...
he was coming.
đ End of Chapter 42 â The Prophecy Breaks