🌘 Chapter 46 — What Lies Beneath
The temple shook again.
A deep roar rolled through the stone floor, powerful enough to make everyone stumble.
Ivy grabbed Xander's hand.
"Stay with me."
Jayden moved beside them immediately.
"I've got him."
Jake, Kael, and Lyra stood together, their four glowing marks pulsing in unison.
Elira stared at the cracked floor.
"We have to leave."
Ivy looked at her.
"Who is underneath us?"
Elira's face tightened.
"The first darkness."
Kael frowned.
"You mean the Shadow King?"
Elira shook her head.
"No."
Another roar.
"The Shadow King was created to keep it imprisoned."
Everyone went silent.
Even Jake looked unsettled.
"What could be worse than the Shadow King?"
Elira looked toward the four siblings.
"The Void."
---
The First Darkness
A crack split across the floor.
Dark energy poured through it like smoke.
Lyra stepped backward.
"I can hear something."
Ivy looked at her.
"What?"
"A voice."
Lyra closed her eyes.
"It's calling my name."
Elira immediately grabbed her hand.
"Don't answer it."
The darkness suddenly surged upward.
A gigantic shadow formed above the crack.
Two pale eyes opened.
Xander hid behind Jayden.
"Mommy..."
Ivy turned toward him.
"Don't look at it, sweetheart."
But the creature spoke.
Not loudly.
Almost gently.
"Ivora."
Ivy froze.
It knew her name.
"You have carried my power since the day you were born."
Jake stepped forward.
"Stay away from my sister."
The creature laughed.
"Your sister? You still don't understand."
The shadow turned toward Jake.
"None of you are what you believe."
Ivy's expression hardened.
"Then tell us the truth."
Elira stepped forward.
"Ivy, don't listen."
But the creature continued.
"Your parents did not seal my power away."
Ivy stared.
"What?"
"They divided it."
Silence.
The creature looked at the four siblings.
"Into four children."
---
The Four Powers
Kael looked at his hands.
"My power..."
"Is mine," the creature answered.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"Mine too?"
"All four of you carry pieces of me."
Ivy shook her head.
"No."
The creature's voice became softer.
"Your parents knew the darkness could never be destroyed. So they divided it into four parts and gave each part a guardian."
Jake stared at Elira.
"Is that true?"
Elira's eyes filled with tears.
"Yes."
Jake's voice cracked.
"You knew?"
"I was trying to protect you."
"You lied to us!"
"I had no choice!"
The temple shook violently.
Elira looked at them.
"If the truth had been discovered, Malthor would have found all four of you."
Ivy looked down at her hands.
"So our powers..."
"They aren't curses," Elira said.
"They are locks."
---
Xander
A sudden golden glow appeared around Xander.
Ivy immediately pulled him closer.
"What is happening?"
Elira stared at the boy.
Her expression changed.
"Oh no."
Jayden tightened his hold on Xander.
"What?"
Elira whispered:
"The prophecy wasn't about the four Keepers."
Ivy looked at her.
"Then who?"
Elira looked at Xander.
"The fifth."
Everyone froze.
Jake stepped forward.
"What does that mean?"
Elira's voice trembled.
"The four Keepers were never meant to defeat the darkness."
She looked at Ivy.
"They were meant to protect the fifth."
Ivy stared at her son.
"Xander."
Elira nodded.
"He is the final seal."
Jayden immediately shook his head.
"No."
His voice was firm.
"He's a child. He's not becoming part of any prophecy."
The darkness laughed.
"That is why I chose you, Jayden."
Jayden's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Because you would do anything to protect him."
The shadows suddenly rushed toward Xander.
Ivy reacted instantly.
A wall of fire appeared between them.
Jake and Kael added their power.
Lyra raised both hands.
The four siblings combined their energy.
The darkness was forced backward.
Ivy pulled Xander against her.
"No one touches my son."
Her violet eyes burned.
---
The Escape
Elira pointed toward the far wall.
"The eastern passage!"
Kael looked over.
"That leads outside."
"Go!"
Everyone began running.
The temple continued collapsing behind them.
Stone crashed from the ceiling.
Jayden carried Xander.
Aslam stayed beside him.
Jake supported Lyra while Kael helped Elira.
Ivy ran at the back, keeping the darkness away with waves of elemental energy.
Then she heard something.
A whisper.
"Ivora..."
She stopped.
The others continued ahead.
"Ivy!"
Jake turned.
"Come on!"
She looked back.
The darkness had stopped following them.
Instead, it remained inside the temple.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then it whispered:
"You will return."
Ivy slowly backed away.
"I know."
She turned and ran.
---
Outside
They burst from the temple just as the entrance collapsed.
Everyone fell silent.
The mountain became still.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Xander looked at Ivy.
"Mommy?"
She knelt beside him.
"Yes?"
"Is the bad thing gone?"
Ivy looked toward the ruined temple.
"No."
She hugged him.
"But we're together."
Jayden joined them.
Jake, Kael, Lyra, Aslam, and Elira stood nearby.
For the first time, all four siblings were together.
But Elira looked toward the sky.
Something was wrong.
The stars had disappeared.
One by one, they were being covered by darkness.
Kael noticed.
"Mother..."
Elira looked at him.
"It's begun."
Jake frowned.
"What?"
Elira pointed toward the horizon.
A massive black cloud was spreading across the sky.
"The Void has awakened."
Ivy stood slowly.
"And now?"
Elira looked at her daughter.
"Now it will come for Xander."
Ivy's expression hardened.
"Then it will have to come through me."
Jayden stepped beside her.
"And me."
Jake raised his weapon.
"And us."
Kael nodded.
"We protect the boy."
Lyra reached for Ivy's hand.
"Together."
Ivy looked at her family.
Then toward the darkening horizon.
"Let's go home."
But none of them noticed the small black mark that had appeared on Xander's palm.
A mark shaped like a crescent.
And deep beneath the ruined temple...
something smiled.
End of Chapter 46.