Chapter 310
The temple’s eerie silence pressed in around them as Althea’s presence lingered, an undeniable force. The walls, once twisted in illusions and shifting shadows, now seemed to settle, as if the very structure of the temple recognized the weight of her power. Elyra could feel it—the air seemed to hum, charged with an energy that resonated deep within her bones.
“I can help you,” Althea said, her voice soft but firm. “The path ahead is fraught with peril, Elyra. You have already felt the darkness pulling at your bond, threatening to tear you apart. But I can teach you how to control it.”
Elyra’s heart skipped a beat. The offer was tempting. She had always been strong, but there was a growing uncertainty in her that she could not ignore. The illusion she had seen in the temple—the tyrant she could become—had shaken her to the core. Was she truly strong enough to resist the darkness that was creeping into her heart?
“I don’t know if I can do this alone,” Elyra admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Althea’s eyes softened. She nodded, the silver light surrounding her flickering like a beacon. “You are not alone,” she said. “But you must be willing to face your darkest fears. You must be willing to embrace the power that is within you and understand the balance between light and shadow.”
Elyra’s gaze shifted to Dain, standing beside her. He had been silent since Althea had arrived, his expression unreadable. He had been struggling with something, something deep within him that Elyra didn’t fully understand. But she could see it in the way his fists were clenched, the way his jaw was tight, as though he was holding himself back from something.
Althea’s gaze followed Elyra’s, her piercing eyes settling on Dain. “And what of you, Dain?” she asked, her tone shifting slightly. “You, too, are bound by the same forces. The darkness is growing inside you. If you are not careful, it will consume you.”
Dain’s eyes flashed, his expression hardening. Elyra felt the shift in the air, the tension between them rising like an unseen storm. He had never liked being told what to do. And Althea’s words, while wise, only seemed to provoke something in him.
“I’m not the one who needs help,” Dain said, his voice low, but filled with a quiet fury. “I don’t need your balance. I don’t need anyone to tell me what I can or can’t handle.”
Althea’s expression remained unchanged, though there was a flicker of something—concern, maybe—beneath the calm exterior. “You don’t understand, Dain. The power inside you—if left unchecked—it will destroy you. You may think you can control it, but the darkness doesn’t care what you want. It will take everything from you.”
“I’ve controlled it for years,” Dain shot back, his voice a growl now. “I don’t need anyone to tell me how to fight my own battles.”
Elyra felt a pang of worry deep in her chest. She had seen the darkness in Dain before—those moments when his emotions got the best of him, when his anger and fear twisted his thoughts into something unrecognizable. But she had always believed in him, in his ability to control it. To hold himself together.
But Althea was right. She could feel it too—the subtle shift, the growing darkness that seemed to pulse beneath Dain’s surface. It was something he had never fully faced, something that was now threatening to break free.
“Dain, please,” Elyra whispered, stepping closer to him. She reached out, her hand brushing his arm. “You don’t have to do this alone. We’re in this together.”
He flinched at her touch, his jaw tightening as his eyes darkened. “I don’t need anyone’s help, Elyra,” he said, his voice colder than she had ever heard it. “I’m not weak.”
Althea stepped forward, her silver light shimmering like a beacon. “Dain, you are strong, but even the strongest of us cannot stand alone against the shadows that threaten to consume us. The Luna Ascendant’s power is about balance. It is about accepting both the light and the darkness, understanding that they are intertwined. Without balance, you will fall.”
But Dain’s defiance was unwavering. He shook his head, his hands clenching at his sides as if to hold back the rage that was bubbling just beneath the surface. “I don’t need your balance,” he repeated, his voice tinged with venom. “I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”
Althea’s gaze softened, a mixture of sadness and resolve in her eyes. “Then you will fall alone,” she said, her voice quiet, but laden with a weight that hung heavily in the air. “The darkness does not care about your pride, Dain. It will not hesitate. And when it takes you, there will be no one left to save you.”
Dain’s expression faltered for a brief moment—just a flicker, a crack in the mask he had carefully constructed. Elyra saw it, and her heart ached for him. She knew he was afraid. Afraid of losing himself, afraid of the darkness that was threatening to pull him under.
But he wouldn’t admit it. He refused to admit it. Instead, he squared his shoulders, his eyes locking with Althea’s.
“I don’t need your help,” Dain repeated firmly, as if to convince himself more than anyone else. “I’ll handle it my way.”
Althea studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a soft sigh, she turned to Elyra. “You must make your choice, Elyra. If you are to save him, you must understand that he will not accept help. The path ahead will be filled with pain, but it is the only way.”
Elyra’s stomach twisted in uncertainty. She wanted to believe in Dain’s strength, but deep down, she feared that Althea was right. The darkness inside him was growing, and no matter how much he tried to deny it, it was slowly consuming him.
She turned to Dain, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Dain, please… let her help.”
But Dain’s eyes were cold, his resolve unshaken. “I’ve told you, Elyra,” he said, his voice low and determined. “I don’t need anyone.”
-: Dain refuses Althea’s help, saying, “I don’t need your balance.”
~
