Thessa's POV
I'm going to die.
The thought is strangely calm as I watch dozens of wolves charge toward me. My power is spent. My hands barely glow anymore. Erynd is buried under attacking wolves, fighting but losing.
Cadeirin shifts back to human form, walking slowly through his army like he has all the time in the world. Blood drips from burns on his chest where my light hit him, but he's smiling.
"Last chance, Thessa." He stops just outside the broken doorway. "Come willingly. Let me complete what we started three thousand years ago. I promise to make it quick."
"Go to hell."
"Already been there." He gestures and six wolves break from the pack, moving toward me in formation. "I'll give you one thing—you're braver than she was. The goddess begged at the end. Cried. Pleaded for mercy."
Rage floods through me, hot and sharp. The faint glow in my hands flares brighter.
"That's it," Cadeirin encourages. "Get angry. Use that emotion. Burn yourself out completely so there's nothing left to resist when I take what's mine."
He's baiting me. Trying to make me waste my remaining power.
The six wolves are ten feet away. Eight. Six.
I drop to my knees and slam both palms against the ice floor.
"Protect me," I whisper to the goddess inside me. To the essence that's been sleeping in my blood. "Please. I'm not ready to die."
The floor explodes with silver light.
Not from me—from the ice itself. The entire room flares so bright everyone has to look away. When the light fades, a wall of pure crystalline ice has erupted between me and the wolves. It's ten feet tall and two feet thick, covered in ancient symbols that pulse with power.
The wolves slam into it and bounce off, whimpering.
"What?" Cadeirin's smile vanishes. "That's impossible. The ruins are dead. There's no power left here—"
"You're wrong." Erynd's voice cuts through the chaos. I look over and see him standing, surrounded by unconscious wolves. Blood drips from a cut on his forehead but his silver eyes burn with triumph. "The ruins aren't dead. They've been waiting. For her."
He points at me.
The ice wall begins to spread. Faster. Wider. Shooting across the floor, up the other walls, sealing off every entrance. The wolves trapped inside scramble for the exits but they're too slow. Within seconds, the entire outer chamber is encased in a dome of impenetrable ice.
Cadeirin and his army are on one side.
Erynd and I are on the other.
Safe.
For now.
"This won't hold forever!" Cadeirin slams his fist against the ice. It doesn't even crack. "The moment the sun rises and your barrier resets, we'll be thrown out. But we'll be back. With more wolves. More power. You can't hide in there forever!"
Erynd walks to the ice wall, meeting Cadeirin's glare with cold indifference. "You have three hours until dawn. I suggest you use them to run far and fast. Because when Thessa's power fully awakens, she won't need walls to protect her. She'll burn you to ash with a thought."
"Big words from a Guardian who couldn't even protect his goddess the first time." Cadeirin's smile returns, sharp and cruel. "Tell me, Frostborne—does it eat at you? Knowing you failed her? That you watched her die and couldn't save her?"
Erynd's face doesn't change but I see his hands clench into fists. "I've had three thousand years to live with my failure. How long have you had to live with yours? Oh right—you died screaming as the power you tried to steal tore you apart from the inside. How did that feel?"
Cadeirin's smile disappears. "This isn't over."
"No," Erynd agrees. "But it's over for tonight. Dawn is coming. And you're not welcome in my territory."
He turns his back on the Alpha—a huge insult—and walks to me. "Can you stand?"
I try. My legs shake but hold. "Did I do that? The ice wall?"
"The ruins responded to your call. To your need." He studies me with those intense silver eyes. "You're connected to this place in ways I don't fully understand yet. The goddess died here. Her strongest essence saturated the ground, the walls, everything. And now you're waking it up."
Behind the ice wall, I hear Cadeirin shouting orders. Wolves throwing themselves at the barrier. The thuds echo but the ice doesn't crack.
"How long will it hold?" I ask.
"Until dawn. After that..." Erynd shrugs. "We'll deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow. Tonight, you need rest. Real rest. You nearly died. Twice."
He's right. Now that the immediate danger is over, exhaustion crashes over me like a wave. I can barely keep my eyes open.
"Come." Erynd supports my weight as we walk deeper into the ruins, away from the sounds of frustrated wolves. "I'll take you somewhere safe. Somewhere even I can't reach unless you invite me."
"Why wouldn't you be able to reach it?"
"Because it's the goddess's personal chamber. The most sacred place in these ruins." He helps me through a narrow passage I didn't notice before. "Only those who carry her essence can enter. I've guarded this place for three thousand years and I've never been inside."
The passage opens into a room that takes my breath away.
It's small and circular, with walls of clear ice that sparkle like diamonds. In the center is a pool of water that glows silver from within. The air feels different here—warmer, safer, like being wrapped in a hug.
"This is..." I can't find words.
"Her sanctuary," Erynd says quietly. "Where she came to rest and recover. The water is from the Moon's Well—it has healing properties beyond anything else in this world." He guides me to the edge of the pool. "Get in. Let it heal you."
"You're not coming?"
"I can't. The moment I try to cross that threshold, the magic will throw me out." He meets my eyes. "You'll be safe here. Safer than anywhere else. Rest, Thessa. Heal. And when you wake, we'll begin your real training."
"What if they break through the barrier before dawn?"
"They won't. But if they somehow do, the sanctuary will protect you. No one can enter without your permission. Not even me." He turns to leave, then pauses. "Thank you. For fighting. For surviving. You did well tonight."
The words warm something in my chest. "Thank you for saving me. Again."
He nods once and disappears through the passage.
I'm alone in the goddess's sanctuary.
Slowly, I remove the borrowed furs and step into the pool. The water is perfectly warm, and the moment it touches my skin, silver light swirls through it. My wounds begin to close. The ache in my muscles fades. Even my exhaustion starts to lift.
I sink deeper, letting the water cover my shoulders, my neck. I close my eyes and feel the goddess's presence stronger here than anywhere else.
"Why me?" I whisper to her. "Why did you choose me to carry your essence?"
The answer comes not in words but in a vision.
I see myself as a baby. My mother holding me, crying. A woman in dark robes standing over us—a witch. She's placing the curse on me, hiding my divine nature.
But the witch isn't alone. Behind her stands someone I recognize.
My sister, Maren.
Except she looks older in the vision. Much older. Ancient.
And her eyes glow with the same hunger I saw in Cadeirin's.
The vision shifts. I see Maren's past lives. Different faces, different names, but always the same soul. And in every life, she's hunting for the Moon's essence. Obsessed with claiming divine power.
She didn't just betray me because she was jealous.
She's been searching for me—for the goddess's essence—across multiple lifetimes.
The curse wasn't random. It was specific. Designed to hide me until Maren could find a way to steal my power without triggering the same catastrophic explosion that killed Cadeirin three thousand years ago.
My sister isn't just my enemy.
She's an ancient divine hunter who's been playing a game across centuries.
And she was born as my sister in this life because she's getting close. So close to finally succeeding where others failed.
I gasp and break the surface of the pool, water streaming down my face.
"No," I whisper. "That can't be true. Maren is just—she's just jealous. She's just—"
A sound makes me freeze.
Footsteps. In the passage. Coming toward the sanctuary.
But Erynd said no one could enter without my permission.
The footsteps stop right at the threshold. I see a shadow through the ice wall.
"Sister?" Maren's sweet voice calls out. "I know you're in there. I can feel the goddess's power radiating from that pool."
My blood turns to ice.
"Let me in, Thessa. We need to talk. There are things you don't understand. Things about our family. About why you were really cursed." Her voice drops lower, more dangerous. "And if you don't let me in willingly, I'll find another way. I always do."