Chapter 77: When He Almost Let Go
The warning came at dawn.
A sharp cry echoed through the palace as the ground trembled. Magic surged through the air, wild and unstable. Elara woke with a gasp, the crown burning hot against her head.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
She rushed from her chambers, robes barely settled, heart pounding. Servants ran through the halls in fear. Guards shouted orders. The sky outside the windows had turned dark red, as if the sun itself was bleeding.
"Elara!"
Araion stood at the end of the corridor, already in armor, his expression grim.
"The seal is breaking," he said. "The ancient rift beneath the capital. It was bound to my curse."
Elara froze.
"What do you mean—your curse?"
Araion's jaw tightened.
"It feeds on my immortality. If the rift fully opens, it will destroy the kingdom."
Elara stepped closer.
"Then we'll close it together."
Araion shook his head.
"There is only one way."
Her heart dropped.
The Truth He Hid
They stood in the ancient chamber beneath the castle, where old magic pulsed like a living thing. Cracks of light split the stone floor, and a deep, humming sound filled the air.
Araion looked at the rift.
"If I give myself to it," he said quietly, "the curse and the rift will collapse together."
Elara stared at him.
"No."
He turned to her.
"I've lived too long," he said softly. "I've ruled through centuries of loss. If my end saves this realm… then it is worth it."
Elara grabbed his arm.
"You don't get to decide that alone," she said, her voice shaking.
He smiled sadly.
"You already saved me once," he said. "Let me save you now."
The rift roared louder.
Araion stepped forward.
"Elara—"
"No!" she cried.
The Choice
As Araion moved closer to the rift, ancient magic wrapped around him, pulling him in. The curse flared, glowing dark and sharp.
Elara felt panic rise—but also clarity.
The crown pulsed.
Strong.
Clear.
She remembered the trial.
Power. Fear. Forgiveness.
This was the final choice.
She ran.
"Elara, stop!" Araion shouted.
But she placed herself between him and the rift.
The magic struck her like a storm.
Pain exploded through her body.
But she did not fall.
"No more sacrifices," she said through clenched teeth. "Not you. Not anyone."
The crown lifted from her head, glowing brighter than ever before.
Power United
Elara reached back and grabbed Araion's hand.
He gasped.
"Elara, you can't—"
"I won't lose you," she said.
Their magic collided.
Not violently.
But like two rivers joining.
Light poured from Elara's hands, wrapping around Araion, around the curse, around the rift itself.
The crown's voice echoed—not commanding, but guiding.
"Bond accepted.""Choice honored."
Elara felt her strength drain—but also multiply.
She was not alone.
Araion felt it too.
Her courage.
Her forgiveness.
Her love.
"Elara…" he whispered.
"Stay with me," she said. "Please."
Breaking the Pattern
The curse screamed.
For the first time, it resisted.
But Elara stood firm.
"You were built on fear and control," she said. "But I rule with choice."
The crown answered her will.
The curse cracked.
Light surged through the chamber, blinding and powerful. The rift began to close—not by sacrifice, but by balance.
Araion cried out as the immortality curse loosened its grip.
He collapsed.
"Elara!" someone shouted from behind.
She fell beside him, holding him as the light faded.
Silence followed.
Aftermath
The chamber was still.
The rift was gone.
The curse mark on Araion's chest had dimmed.
Elara shook him gently.
"Araion," she whispered. "Please."
His eyes fluttered open.
He breathed.
She let out a broken sob and pulled him into her arms.
"You're alive," she whispered.
He laughed weakly.
"Because of you."
What Almost Was Lost
They lay there for a long moment.
Araion looked at her, eyes full of emotion he no longer hid.
"I was ready to disappear," he admitted. "I thought that was my purpose."
Elara cupped his face.
"You are not meant to be a sacrifice," she said. "You are meant to live."
His voice broke.
"And I was ready to leave you."
She leaned her forehead against his.
"I won't let you go," she said simply.
The crown rested back on her head, calm and warm.
For the first time, it did not feel like a burden.
It felt like a promise.
A Changed King
When they returned to the surface, the sky was clear again. The kingdom stood unharmed.
Araion walked beside Elara, slower than before—but lighter.
"I felt it," he said quietly. "The curse weakened."
Elara nodded.
"It's not gone," she said. "But it can be broken."
He stopped and looked at her.
"You chose me over destiny," he said.
She smiled.
"I chose both."
Araion bowed his head—not as a king, but as a man.
"To the queen who saved me," he said.
Elara took his hand.
"And to the king who chose to stay."
The crown pulsed softly.
The realm breathed again.
And for the first time in centuries, the immortal king was no longer alone.