The candles flickered unnaturally, casting long shadows that danced like spirits across the walls. Rhiannan stood before the war table, still dressed in her flowing silver robes from the Trial of the Soul, power thrumming beneath her skin like an electric storm. Her five stood behind her in silence, guardians, lovers, warriors. All of them on edge.
She stared at the divine sigil glowing across the carved map of the realms, her hands clenched at her sides. The goddess's final words still echoed in her skull..
"You must choose three divine siblings. You are not enough alone. The double pentacle is the key."
Her eyes flared with starlight.
"It's time." Her voice shook the stones.
Mo, who was chewing on a banana and looking entirely unbothered, raised a brow. "Cool cool. But like… how the fuck does one go about choosing divine siblings? Is there a Tinder for immortals?"
Kaleb snorted. Arwen rolled his eyes.
"I'll meditate," Rhiannan muttered. "And ask the goddess for visions. It has to be those already marked by fate. But first…"
Her gaze darkened, flaring like the moon in eclipse.
"…we need to find the traitor before they find Reyna."
The entity's creature, the one who turned, sat in a shrouded ritual chamber, carving runes into a blood slicked obsidian blade. Their face remained cloaked in illusion magic, but the hatred was real. Thick. Tangible. Alive.
A whisper echoed through the chamber:
"Strike the Oracle. Cripple the Pentacle. Leave the goddess shattered."
They didn't answer. They just smiled.
Reyna jolted upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat. Nahlia stirred beside her, murmuring soft sea soaked reassurances, and Torvax immediately reached for a blade, senses on high alert.
"What did you see?" he growled.
Reyna's lips parted, and her voice cracked.
"Someone inside. Someone turned. And they're coming for me."
The room dropped ten degrees. Torvax cursed. Nahlia's eyes filled with tears.
A moment later, Sasha's voice rang out in her bracelet.
:: Confirmed energy signature in west corridor. Unauthorized presence. Move. Now. ::
Bruxxa barreled through the door like a goddamn battering ram, dragging Soris and Iriel behind her. Reyna didn't even flinch.
"I smell treachery," Bruxxa hissed, nostrils flaring. "And it's fucking close."
Iriel's wings shimmered with divine runes as he whispered, "They'll regret stepping into our light."
"Let's hunt," Soris said, glamour rippling over his skin like water.
The dream team assembled.
As the alert came in from Sasha, Rhiannan didn't hesitate.
"Activate full lockdown. Nobody leaves. Nobody enters. Not until we have the traitor's head on a pike."
Elisha's voice rumbled like an earthquake. "And if they touch Reyna...."
"They'll pray for death," Rhiannan snarled, stars swirling in her eyes.
Rhiannan's smart brain blared an alarm. Every hallway lit up, magic crackled, and soldiers rushed into battle posture. She and her mates flew into action.
But in a quiet alcove, far from the main chaos…
Liam (hushed): "Is everyone accounted for? Where are the healers!? Where is Maria?"
Maria, a beloved healer, a light in everyone's lives, was missing. She had healed them all in multiple ways.
They followed Liam's lead... the hospitals, the wings, until they found her…
Maria, curled on the floor, dagger wound at her side, clutching a charred amulet....evidence of sabotage.
She tried to smile. Tried to stand.
Maria weakly whispers, "Protect… the Oracle."
She died before Rhiannan could reach her side.
Kaleb roared, Sable snarled, Arwen slammed his sword into the wall.
Rhiannan wrapped Maria in her arms.
Rhiannan (voice breaking): "I'm so sorry I couldn't..."
She looked up at her mates:
"They killed someone who saved us all."
Locked in determination, they commenced the chase:
Bruxxa, scenting shadows with her sacred hounds
Soris, stripping away every glamour and pretense
Iriel, calling celestial wards to protect them from illusions
In the dungeons' shadowy hallways, they cornered the traitor: A royal archivist, once a friend to Rhiannan, driven mad by whispers of shadow.
No trial this time.
Rhiannan stepped forward, rage controlled and godly. She incinerated him with Faithfire, melting his core while his shadow self howled in regret.
When he disintegrated, a stunned silence followed. No tears. Just broken hearts.
The garden moonlit Marie's living memorial, candles around lilies, each flame rising with a whispered devotional from every corner of the realm.
Rhiannan addressed Faenet live:
"She saved us all. So tonight, we carry her gift forward."
Her voice cracked with grief and resolve. Roses on the wind, prayers from thousands, Faenet lights across the map pulsed in unison.
They ended the ceremony with a quiet blessing. Then, Rhiannan walked into the night, soul wounded, but sharpened.
Rhiannan slept but slept fitfully, shadows at her edges. In her dream, the Goddess appeared:
"To face the Forgotten King, you need allies born from truth, tempered by sacrifice."
"Three soul siblings, chosen from those who have bled for others with no gain."
She awoke drenched in sweat but unwavering in purpose.
Morning light streamed through stained windows. The table was somber. Her mates quiet. Tears stained the bread.
Rhiannan offered a toast:
"To Maria...our healer, our friend. She believed before all else."
They all raised glasses, filled not for celebration, but remembrance.
Faenet exploded again....
💬"Rhiannan's tears are my tears!"
💬"#MariaForever"
💬"That voice... broken magic, Queen."
Then, in walked Kazra vibrant, fierce, with two new mates at her side...
Rohar, a sunset eyed Banshee Warlock, calm yet feral
Jaxen, a titan shifter whose laughter could break steel.
They dropped to one knee, glowing with devotion. Kazra flashed a grin sharp enough to cut stone...
"I didn't want brothers. I wanted fire. I got hell."
Rohar whispered blessings. Jaxen kissed her fingertips. Kazra lit up like wildfire.
Faenet melted again...
💬"Skulls and kisses, Kazra style. 🔥"
💬"SWOON CITY FOR THE RED BITCH"
💬"Adding two more devils to that rebel throne? Yes, queen.
The scent of roasted meat and fae fruit hung in the air, but the main event wasn't lunch today.
In the center of the solar, Rhiannan had cleared the floor, soft velvet cushions arranged in a circle. She sat with the seven remaining warriors who had not been chosen as Sentinels.
But these weren't leftovers. They were the beating heart of the rebellion.
Rhiannan:
"Today I choose not with logic, not with loyalty… but with soul."
A hush fell. Faenet lit up with the live feed, millions watching, holding their breath.
Behind Rhiannan, her five mates stood like sentries, protective and proud. Reyna and her mates observed from the shadows, tension in the air.
Then the Goddess appeared, silver light flaring so brightly it almost blinded the cameras. Faenet collectively screamed.
💬"OMFG THE GODDESS AGAIN?! I CAN'T BREATHE."
💬"WHOEVER SHE PICKS IS GETTING THEIR OWN STAN ACCOUNT. CALLING IT NOW."
From the heavens, three silver tendrils spilled downward and lashed into the souls of three of the gathered rebels....
🔥 1. Zaiya Bloodrage – Rebellion Leader
Panther Fae hybrid
Lightning Elemental & Shadowmeld
Battle scarred and brutal, but loyal as hell
She gasped, fists clenching as silver etched across her skin in glowing claw-like tattoos. Her eyes lit with lightning.
Zaiya: "The fuck is this? I feel like I could tear open a mountain."
💥 2. Barrik Stonevein – Second in Command
Dwarf Shifter hybrid
Explosive rune magic, Earth splitter
The ground beneath him cracked slightly as the blessing took hold. His chest heaved, massive arms shaking.
Barrik (tearing up): "Fuckin' hell. I've died twice already. Thought I was done."
💀 3. Kazra "The Red Bitch" Voralis – General of Chaos
Species unknown (rumored hellspawn)
Fire manipulation, blood contracts, banshee scream
She cackled like a maniac as flames licked across her back and divine markings carved themselves into her ribcage.
Kazra: "This is better than an orgasm. Actually...fuck it, I'm having one now."
Rhiannan felt the tendrils leave her chest, and something shifted. A double pentacle. Her power surged.
The Goddess leaned in, whispering one final word in Rhiannan's ear...
"Life."
Rhiannan clutched her abdomen, her eyes flooding. The divine had marked her womb.
She was pregnant.
Protected by spells. Never uncareful. This child was meant to be. Divinely gifted.
She said nothing. Just closed her eyes and let the joy, and fear, wash over her.
Down the hall, Reyna collapsed mid step.
She fell to her knees, mouth open, eyes burning white hot. Veins of silver light pulsed through her neck and arms.
She saw a throne of bone. A name etched in blood. The Forgotten King's soul exposed for a split second before fading.
Then, a baby, wrapped in light. Celestial. Powerful.
The voice of the Goddess: "Protect the child. The child is the tether. The end. The beginning."
Reyna screamed as the vision snapped.
She had to find Rhiannan. Now.