Cherreads

Chapter 111 - (S2) Chapter 56 - Broken Blood Bond

The Poisoned Awakening

​The dark, suffocating energy of Ghostology swirled around Prince Ryan like invisible, writhing serpents, turning the cool garden breeze into a freezing draft.

​King Henry stared at him in absolute, horrified disbelief, his breath hitching as the blood-red glow in Ryan's eyes intensified. "Ryan... you are going to turn against our entire realm!" Henry warned, his voice shaking with deep, emotional gravity. "This forbidden art consumes the soul! It will turn you into a bloodthirsty beast... and if that happens, you will be reviled and hated by every single realm, even more than the Devil Goddess herself!"

​Ryan let out a low, dark chuckle, his baritone cold and dripping with absolute madness. "No, Henry... You understand nothing. I did not master this dark art to destroy the celestial kingdom. I mastered it for one purpose alone—to butcher that wretched Devil Goddess, Jade! How could I possibly harm my own realm when I am doing what none of you cowards have the strength to do?"

​"You don't know the true, terrifying power of this dark energy, Ryan!" Henry pleaded, his golden eyes filled with a desperate, tragic urgency as he reached out a trembling hand. "It corrupts everything it touches from the inside out. Please... I beg you... turn back before it is too late. Come out from this dark world!"

​Ryan's expression hardened into a mask of pure, unyielding ice. "I have been practicing in secret for five agonizing years, Henry," he whispered, a twisted, deeply satisfied smile curving his pale lips. "I have already gained the ultimate power. There is no turning back."

​"No..." Henry whispered, his chest heavy with a profound, terrifying dread.

​Before Henry could speak another word, soft, frantic footsteps echoed through the garden corridors.

​"Fiona! Fiona!"

​Both men snapped their heads toward the sound, instantly casting an ancient concealment spell that rendered their bodies completely invisible to the naked eye. They stood together in the shadows, watching silently from a few paces away.

​Princess Merin came sprinting through the rose bushes, her luxurious jade silks fluttering wildly behind her, her face pale with a mother's frantic, suffocating terror. The moment her dark eyes caught sight of the little five-year-old girl standing near the flowerbed, a broken sob escaped her lips. Merin threw herself to her knees, gathering Fiona into an desperate, suffocatingly tight embrace.

​"Where did you go?!" Merin cried out, her voice cracking with deep romance-novel emotion as she kissed the top of the child's head over and over. "I was searching for you everywhere... I was so scared, Fiona!"

​Fiona stood trembling in her mother's arms, her tiny hands clutching Merin's robes. "Mom... I... I was just hiding..."

​As Merin pulled back to check the child, her sharp gaze caught sight of the grey pile of ashes just a few feet away—the remains of the massive cedar tree that had been utterly obliterated. A sharp, icy panic seized Merin's heart. Her dark eyes widened in sheer terror as she pulled Fiona even closer against her chest.

​"Nothing happened to you, right?!" Merin asked frantically, her hands shaking as she examined her daughter's arms and face. "Are you hurt, my sweet baby?!"

​Fiona shook her head rapidly, her wide eyes innocent. "No, Mommy, I'm okay..."

​Merin turned her head, staring at the pile of burnt ash with a sharp, calculating horror. Her breath hitched. This is not normal fire... Merin thought, her mind racing as a cold sweat broke out across her neck. It is dark, corruptive energy... I can feel its horrifying aura lingering in the air! Who... who would dare use such a vile, forbidden power to harm my precious daughter in our own palace?!

​She scanned the quiet, blooming garden with sharp, protective fury, but her eyes saw nothing—the shadows remaining completely empty.

​Hidden within the invisible veil, Henry turned his head to look directly at Ryan. His golden eyes were filled with a sharp, cutting sorrow as he gestured toward his weeping wife and the terrified child.

​"Look at her, Ryan," Henry whispered, his voice laced with profound, emotional weight. "Your sister cannot bear to be separated from Fiona for even a single second. Look at that motherly bond... Do you truly still have the heart to tear this precious child away from her? Do you still want to destroy Merin's world?"

​Ryan stared at his sister, watching her kiss Fiona's forehead with unyielding, fierce protection. For a fleeting second, a shadow of lingering conflict flickered across his pale features, but it was instantly swallowed by the cold, blood-red darkness in his soul.

​"You people... are completely blinded and fooled by love," Ryan whispered softly, his baritone cold and detached. He turned his back on the touching scene, preparing to step into the dark shadows.

​Henry's jaw set into an unyielding line, his voice dropping into a dangerous, lethal register that made Ryan freeze in his tracks.

​"Listen to me carefully, Ryan," Henry warned, every word laced with absolute, high-stakes finality. "If I ever discover that you have tried to harm my daughter again... I will not spare you. Brother-in-law or not, I will personally drag you before the High Imperial Court and reveal your dark secret to the entire world—that you have mastered the forbidden, cursed art of Ghostology!"

​Ryan stopped, turning his head just enough to flash a dark, contemptuous scoff. Without uttering another word, his shadowy form dissolved into thin air, leaving Henry standing alone in the heavy silence.

​The Lost Princess of the Blue Moon

​Far across the realm, within the majestic, moonlit halls of the Blue Moon Demon Kingdom, the air was tense with the quiet thunder of impending war.

​Inside the grand chamber of the Demon King, Queen Irin stood before a tall silver mirror, adjusting the heavy obsidian armor resting over her shoulders. She was a striking, middle-aged woman of fierce beauty and terrifying combat prowess.

​King Dylan stood up from his carved ebony desk, his tall, imposing frame draped in royal demon silks. His dark eyes softened with profound concern as he stepped toward his wife. "Are you truly setting out for the war zone, Irin?" he asked softly, his deep voice carrying a quiet pleading.

​Irin turned around sharply, her dark eyes blazing with an unyielding, vengeful fire as her warrior dress rustled against her armor. "How could I possibly miss even a single chance to butcher my mortal enemy, Dylan?!" she demanded, her voice echoing off the vaulted stone walls.

​Dylan frowned, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "Are you talking about Jade again?"

​Irin's face twisted into a mask of pure, bitter rage. "Of course I am talking about that wretched Devil Goddess!" she roared, stepping close to him, her chest heaving. "I still remember vividly how she ruthlessly attacked you! I remember the blood you shed because of her!"

​Dylan shook his head gently, his voice calm yet filled with a deep, tragic weight. "That was a tragic misunderstanding, Irin... A mere coincidence of fate."

​"No!" Irin's voice boomed through the chamber like a clap of thunder. "It was no coincidence! She is a monster, and I am going to tear her core from her chest! Do not try to stop me, Dylan!"

​Without waiting for his reply, Queen Irin swept her dark cape behind her and marched out of the grand chamber with lethal determination. Dylan reached his hand out, wanting desperately to stop his wife from walking into a bloody trap, but the heavy iron doors slammed shut behind her.

​Dylan stood alone in the dim room, running a hand through his dark hair as a profound exhaustion washed over him.

​Suddenly, a hidden side door slid open, and a trusted demon spy slipped into the room, bowing low before the throne. His face was pale, his eyes wide with high-stakes urgency.

​"Your Majesty..." the spy spoke out in a hushed, trembling breath. "Your suspicion... was absolute truth."

​Dylan's gaze snapped toward the informant, his entire body turning rigid. "Speak," he commanded, his baritone dropping into a tense, desperate whisper.

​The spy swallowed hard. "I traveled to the furthest borders of the realm and interrogated the old demon maid who attended Queen Irin's royal delivery twenty-five years ago... She finally confessed under spiritual pressure. Twenty-five years ago... Queen Irin did not give birth to a single child. She gave birth to twins."

​Dylan froze, his heart slamming violently against his ribs as if struck by lightning. "What...?" he choked out, his dark eyes wide with utter shock. "Twins...?"

​"Yes, Your Majesty," the spy confirmed hastily. "One was Prince Leo... and the other was a tiny, pristine baby girl."

​A ragged, breathless gasp escaped Dylan's lips as a wave of overwhelming emotion crashed over his soul. "A baby girl... My daughter..."

​"There is more, Your Majesty," the spy continued, his voice dropping even lower with dark, mysterious gravity. "I uncovered dark traces of the past... It was our ancient, deceased Demon Lord, Zerath... He took the baby girl the moment she was born and abandoned her in the mortal realm."

​Dylan staggered back a step, grabbing the edge of his carved desk to steady his trembling frame. His mind shattered into a million pieces. He had revered Zerath as his own beloved father, his legendary predecessor—yet the man had ripped his newborn daughter from her mother's warmth and cast her away into the cold, mortal world!

​"Why..." Dylan wept, a hot, heavy tear spilling over his dark lashes and tracking down his rugged cheek. "Why would he do such a monstrous thing...?"

​Wiping the tear away with a violent, resolute sweep of his hand, Dylan leaned over the spy, his dark eyes burning with a raw, desperate, fatherly devotion. "Where is she?!" he demanded, his voice cracking with deep, romance-novel tragedy. "Where is my daughter right now?!"

​"The person Zerath entrusted the baby to in the mortal realm... was an ancient, dying mortal cultivator," the spy revealed quickly. "He is on his deathbed at this very moment in a hidden valley on the border. I know his exact location, Your Majesty!"

​Dylan's golden-demon aura exploded around his body in a brilliant, blinding flash of power, his heart screaming for the child he had lost twenty-five years ago.

​"Lead the way!" Dylan roared into the quiet chamber, and without wasting a single second, both men barged out into the dark night, chasing the long-buried truth of his bloodline.

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The Storm of Blood and Ashes

​High above the chaotic expanse of the war zone, the sky churned like a sea of violent, bruised clouds. Below, the ancient battlefield was already painted in terrifying hues of crimson and gold—the earth choked with shattered armor, broken spears, and the fading light of fallen warriors.

​Standing atop a jagged cliff overlook, shrouded in the swirling mist of the mountain ridge, King Justin stood motionless. His regal silhouette was framed by the dark winds, his silver hair fluttering wildly. Beside him stood his loyal chief guard, both keeping a watchful eye on the dark armies surging across the valley floor.

​"Lord..." the guard spoke out, his voice straining over the roaring winds of war. "Why are we standing here on the fringes of this violent clash? The Fox Kingdom has not aligned with the Purple Demon army."

​Justin's golden eyes remained locked on the crimson valley below, his handsome face carved with a deep, tragic solemnity. "Do you truly believe Liora announced this full-scale war against the Heaven Realm entirely on her own?" he murmured softly, his baritone dropping into a quiet, dangerous rumble.

​The guard frowned, stepping closer. "What do you mean, my Lord?"

​"It is for Jade," Justin answered coldly, his chest aching with a sudden, suffocating wave of profound longing. "Everything Liora does is to carve a path of vengeance for my queen."

​"But, Lord..." the guard ventured cautiously, "we have searched every single corner, every hidden sanctuary within the Purple Demon Kingdom and its grand palace. We found no trace of her... Queen Jade was nowhere to be seen."

​"You are correct," Justin whispered, pressing a hand over his aching chest, where his lost Fox core used to burn. "Yet... my heart screams her name. She is here. I can feel the very air shifting with her presence. She must show up."

​SWOOSH!

​A tear in the spatial air ripped open beside them, and Mike dropped to one knee on the rocky ledge, his breath ragged, his eyes wide with a terrifying panic.

​"My Lord!" Mike gasped out, his voice trembling violently. "The... the Ancestral White Stone... it is gone!"

​Justin snapped his head around, his golden eyes widening in complete, uncharacteristic shock. "What?!" he demanded, his voice echoing like thunder. "That is impossible! Who could possibly steal the sacred relic of the Fox clan from the inner sanctum?! Did you find any trace of the intruder?!"

​"None, my Lord!" Mike choked out, rising to his feet with high-stakes urgency. "The protective barriers were bypassed without a whisper! You must return to the sanctum with me immediately, Lord Justin!"

​Justin stood frozen on the cliff's edge. Every beat of his heart screamed at him to stay—to remain on this lonely peak and wait for the woman he loved more than life itself. Yet he knew the tragic, absolute reality: without the Ancestral White Stone, he would lose the only sacred vessel capable of resurrecting his fallen fox ancestors who had perished in the Great War.

​"Forgive me, Jade..." Justin choked out in a raw, silent whisper to the wind.

​With a heavy, agonizing turn, Justin allowed the spatial magic to envelop him, disappearing alongside Mike into the rift, completely unaware that below, the ultimate storm was about to ignite.

​The Devil and the Ghost

​Down on the lower, red blood-stained ground, the atmosphere was suffocating. The sky had turned a violent, bruised shade of deep orange and blood-red, reflecting the massacre taking place below.

​At the center of the carnage, Queen Liora moved like a whirlwind of lethal elegance. Her purple demon blade flashed through the dusty air, cutting down wave after wave of heavenly soldiers, leaving half the celestial vanguard shattered in her wake.

​Just as Liora raised her glowing sword to strike down the heavenly war commander, a dark, terrifying shadow descended directly from the sky like a falling star!

​CLANG!

​A blinding flash of silver light sliced through the air. Prince Ryan dropped from the clouds, his heavy broadsword descending in a lethal arc aimed straight for Liora's head! Liora's instincts flared, and she dodged backward with lightning speed, the sharp tip of Ryan's blade grazing her arm silk instead.

​Ryan landed heavily on the stained earth, a dark, sinister laugh echoing from his throat as he straightened up. His blood-red eyes gleamed with absolute, unhinged malice.

​Liora scoffed bitterly, twirling her demon blade with a lethal smirk. "You finally arrived to face me, coward."

​"I knew you were waiting for me, Liora," Ryan spoke out coldly, his voice laced with the dark, unnatural echo of Ghostology. He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping the battlefield. "Where is she? Where is your pathetic sister... the Devil Goddess Farina? No... I mean, Jade."

​Liora's eyes narrowed into dark slits, her demon aura flaring around her. "I am more than enough to butcher you with a single slash!"

​With a fierce battle cry, Liora rushed toward Ryan, her sword swirling with concentrated, dark purple demon energy.

​Ryan didn't even draw his sword to block. Instead, a twisted smirk touched his pale lips. Raising both hands, his fingers rapidly enacted a forbidden, dark spell. A massive, crackling ring of blood-red fire emerged from his palms—an ancient, volatile circle of pure dark aura that expanded violently, sweeping across the earth straight toward Liora's chest!

​Liora's breath caught in her throat as the suffocating wave of energy drew near. "Oh, no..." she whispered, her eyes widening in genuine terror as the cold, corruptive aura hit her senses. "It's a dark aura... How on earth can he command such a vile power?!"

​Desperate, Liora raised her demon blade to absorb the blow, but deep down, she knew her current strength could not withstand the terrifying strike.

​BOOM!

​Out of nowhere, a blinding wave of radiant purple Farina magic descended from the heavens!

​A colossal purple magic circle erupted from thin air, slamming directly into Ryan's blood-red fire ring mere inches before it reached Liora's chest! The collision of powers shattered into a blinding explosion of shockwaves, tearing up the earth and sending dust clouds billowing into the sky.

​Ryan's smirk widened as he wiped a trace of dust from his jaw. "She finally showed up..."

​As the heavy purple smog cleared, Jade stood tall and majestic in front of her sister. Her midnight-black hair fluttered in the dark winds, her glowing purple Farina core pulsing brilliantly within her chest, her exquisite face carved from pure, cold, unyielding ice.

​"You cannot lay a single finger on my sister..." Jade's voice boomed across the entire blood-stained battlefield, ringing with absolute, protective authority, "...as long as I am alive!"

​Ryan scoffed, his blood-red eyes locking onto her with intense hatred.

​Liora stepped up beside Jade, her breathing ragged as she stared at Ryan in shock. "Did you see that, Jade? He possesses a strange, terrifying power... It makes no sense!"

​Jade's dark eyes remained fixed on Ryan, her tone icy and devoid of fear. "It is not strange, Liora... He is using the forbidden dark energy of Ghostology."

​Liora gasped violently, her eyes widening in sheer horror. "The forbidden dark power...?!"

​"Then let me kill you first!" Ryan roared, his voice echoing with unhinged fury.

​He thrust his hands forward, enacting another dark spell. Instantly, the sky darkened as thousands of razor-sharp, dark magic daggers materialized in the air above, raining down upon the battlefield with terrifying velocity! The rain of daggers ripped through the vanguard of the Purple Demon army, causing screams of agony to ring across the plains.

​"Shield!" Jade commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos. With a wave of her pale hands, a massive, iridescent purple barrier flared to life, covering the remaining demon army and deflecting the dark daggers into the dirt.

​Without missing a heartbeat, Jade countered, her pale lips whispering an ancient devil spell. A dense, purple poisonous mist erupted from her palm, rolling across the lower plain like a tidal wave, instantly suffocating and dissolving the advancing Heaven soldiers.

​"Jade!" Ryan bellowed, his crimson robes flaring as he unsheathed his heavy broadsword and charged directly toward her through the poison mist like a bloodthirsty demon!

​"Ryan!" Jade shouted back, summoning her deadliest, ancient twin-edged sword in a flash of purple light.

​CLANG! CLACK! SHING!

​The two colossal forces collided in a violent, high-stakes duel of steel and magic. Sparks flew into the dark air as their swords crossed in a rapid, blinding dance of vengeance and hatred. Jade leaned into a spin, her blade slicing smoothly across Ryan's shoulder, leaving a deep blood trail—yet in the exact same second, Ryan's dark blade slashed across Jade's arm, staining her silk robes with fresh crimson.

​Neither backed down for a single second. Surrounded by the roaring winds of war, they locked blades, their eyes glaring into each other's with a deep, deadly promise of ultimate destruction.

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The Wound of Blood and Truth

​The relentless clash of divine metal and dark magic had dragged on for what felt like centuries. The battlefield beneath them was battered, scarred, and choked with suffocating smoke.

​CLANG!

​With a final, blinding arc of purple light, Jade delivered a devastating counter-strike, violently disarming her opponent. The tip of her dark, lethal blade came to an absolute rest right against the pulse point of Prince Ryan's throat.

​Jade stood over him, her chest heaving, her midnight-black hair tangled around her face, stained with blood and dust. Her dark eyes burned with an terrifying, unyielding intensity. "Surrender, Ryan," Jade commanded, her voice dropping into a low, breathless rumble that cut through the roaring winds of war. "It is over."

​Ryan, pinned beneath the weight of her divine authority, merely scoffed. A sinister, unhinged smirk slowly spread across his blood-stained lips. "In your dreams, Devil Goddess..."

​Before Jade could apply pressure to her blade, a sudden, deadly chill ran down her spine. The air behind her split open, and the cold, unyielding edge of a second sword pressed firmly against the bare skin of her own neck.

​Jade froze, her eyes widening slightly as she felt the familiar, potent aura radiating from the person standing behind her. Slowly, delicately, she turned her head sideways.

​It was Queen Irin of the Blue Moon Kingdom. Her face was a mask of cold, vengeful fury, her warrior dress fluttering around her like a dark battle flag.

​"Go, Ryan," Irin ordered, her voice laced with lethal authority, her eyes locked onto Jade with pure, unadulterated hatred. "I have my own scores to settle with this monster."

​Ryan chuckled darkly, accepting the reprieve. With a swirl of shadowy Ghostology magic, his body dissolved into thin air, reappearing high above the heavy clouds to reign down chaotic destruction upon the struggling demon armies below.

​Left alone with the woman standing behind her, Jade did not panic. Instead, a profound, agonizing sorrow welled up deep within her chest. She raised her pale, bare hand, slowly and deliberately grabbing the sharp edge of Irin's blade, pushing the cold steel away from her throat even as it sliced lightly into her palm. Crimson blood dripped onto the dry earth.

​Jade took a slow step forward, turning her back on the Queen.

​"I do not wish to fight with the Queen of the Blue Moon Kingdom," Jade spoke softly, her voice carrying a deep, romance-novel tragedy.

​Deep within her soul, her heart was screaming in absolute, bleeding agony. She knew the truth that was hidden from the rest of the world: Irin was not just a rival queen. Irin was her biological mother. The woman who had carried her, the woman whose blood ran through her veins. How could she draw a blade against the mother who had unknowingly given her life?

​Irin scoffed bitterly, stepping forward with her sword pointed directly at Jade's back. "I came here for you, Jade! I came to rip your heart from your chest!"

​Jade halted her steps, her shoulders trembling slightly as she asked in a low, emotionally fragile tone, "Why...? Why do you hate me so deeply?"

​"Did you truly forget?!" Irin roared, her voice echoing across the crimson plain with raw, unbridled rage. "You butchered our ancient lord Zerath! You brutally attacked my husband, King Dylan! You have brought nothing but destruction to my family!"

​Jade let out a faint, hollow scoff, a bitter smile gracing her lips. She slowly turned around to face her, dodging the relentless, furious slashes Irin immediately launched at her.

​SWOOSH! SLASH!

​Irin fought like a tempest, her blade whistling through the air, but Jade refused to summon her sword again. She merely swayed, dodged, and stepped back, her movements fluid yet entirely defensive, her eyes reflecting a heartbreaking, quiet restraint.

​Irin pulled back, her chest heaving as she glared at Jade with intense contempt. "What is the matter, Devil Goddess?! Do you not know how to attack anymore?! Is this pathetic weakness your true power?!"

​Jade looked at her, her dark purple eyes shining with unshed tears. "Once... long ago... you treated me with the warmth and care of your own daughter," Jade whispered, her voice cracking with profound, unspoken grief. "How could I ever bring myself to attack a mother like you...?"

​"Shut up!" Irin screamed, her fury exploding into a blinding storm. "If you truly considered me a mother, you would not have slaughtered my family members, Jade! How could I ever expect warmth from a creature like you? A Devil Goddess knows only how to kill! You know nothing of love! Stop acting!"

​Jade scoffed in agonizing, emotional pain, pressing a hand over her heart as if Irin's words had stabbed her deeper than any blade ever could. "Acting...?" she murmured, her soul shattering into a million pieces.

​Driven to absolute madness by her grief and hatred, Irin raised her sword high into the blood-red sky. A massive, terrifying wave of pure, concentrated Goddess Energy surged into the steel, crackling with divine lightning. She intended to end this tragic feud once and for all with a single, decapitating strike.

​"Die!" Irin cried out, swinging the lethal, glowing blade straight toward Jade's exposed neck.

​Jade did not dodge. She did not raise a shield. She simply stood calm in the face of death, closing her dark eyes, accepting her fate if it meant dying by her mother's hand.

​CLANG!

​A violent shockwave tore through the earth!

​Jade opened her eyes in shock. Standing directly in front of her was Prince Leo.

​The young prince had materialized out of nowhere, his bare hand clamped tightly around the burning, energy-infused blade of his mother's sword, blood pouring from his palm as he held back the crushing force of the divine strike.

​"Leave it, Leo!" Irin shouted, her eyes wide with shock and confusion as she tried to force the blade down. "Step aside!"

​"No, Mom!" Leo cried out, his voice filled with a desperate, weeping agony, his grip never slackening. "I won't allow you to do this!"

​Because Leo was Irin's biological son, his bloodline carried the exact same divine frequency as her power, allowing his bare hand to hold back the deadly force that would have obliterated anyone else. But the immense, trapped Goddess Energy built up within the sword had nowhere to go—it violently backfired!

​BOOM!

​The energy exploded backward in a blinding burst of light. Irin was thrown off her feet, sent flying several yards across the battlefield before crashing hard onto the blood-stained earth.

​"Mother!" Leo screamed, letting go of the dissipated energy and sprinting toward her.

​Irin lay on the ground, clutching her chest as a pool of dark, crimson blood erupted from her lips, her body shaking violently from the magical backfire.

​Jade stood completely stunned, her heart hammering against her ribs in total, high-stakes confusion. Leo saved me...? she thought frantically, her mind spinning. Why would he risk his life and hurt his own mother to protect me?!

​Leo threw himself onto his knees beside Irin, trying to lift her into his arms, his tears streaming down his dirt-streaked cheeks. "Mom! Mom, are you okay?!"

​Irin, coughing up blood, violently shoved his hands away, her dark eyes flashing with hurt and betrayal. "Don't touch me, Leo!" she choked out, her voice trembling with a mother's ultimate heartbreak. "Are you... are you truly going against your own mother for this devil?!"

​"No, Mom! It's not like that!" Leo sobbed out, his voice echoing across the silent, bloody clearing.

​Irin glared at him, tears of rage tracking down her bruised cheeks. "Is she... is that wretch more important to you than your own mother?!"

​"Mom!" Leo roared through his weeping tears, his chest heaving as the unbearable weight of the secret finally shattered his composure. "How could I sit by and watch a mother murder her own daughter?!"

​Irin froze. Her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes widening in profound, paralyzing shock. "What...?"

​Leo dropped his head onto Irin's shoulder, his entire frame shaking violently as he wept out the devastating truth that tore through the stormy air like a lightning bolt.

​"You were right, Mom..." Leo cried out, his voice breaking into a million ragged pieces. "Twenty-five years ago... you didn't give birth to just me. You gave birth to twins! She is the baby girl who was stolen from us... She is my twin sister... She is Jade!"

​A suffocating, absolute silence fell over the chaotic battlefield.

​Irin sat completely paralyzed, the air trapped in her lungs as a single, heavy tear escaped her wide, disbelieving eyes. Trembling violently, she slowly turned her head, her gaze locking onto the pale, heartbroken woman standing a few paces away.

​Jade stood completely frozen beneath the dying orange sky, her dark eyes overflowing with tears, exposed to her mother at long last.

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To be Continued....

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