Published at 17th of September 2024 6:25 pm

Chapter 97 The Queen’s Path: 5 Fractures of Fate

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A deafening silence filled the air in the aftermath of the explosion of light. Sāra blinked, her vision slowly returning, but the scene before her was a blur of motionless debris and faint shimmering dust. She swayed on her feet, the weight of exhaustion threatening to pull her under. The pendant in her hand felt heavy, its once radiant glow dimmed, the connection to the Ryuumyaku severed—for now.

Sāra looked around, struggling to regain her bearings. The ruins of Rōran had been further reduced to rubble, the once-majestic spires now lying in shattered pieces on the ground. For a moment, the world seemed still, as if the energy released by the Ryuumyaku had drained the very air of its vitality.

Then she saw Ryū, collapsed just a few feet away. Panic flared in her chest as she stumbled toward him, her legs weak, her vision still fuzzy. He wasn’t moving.

“Ryū!” Sāra dropped to her knees beside him, her hands shaking as she reached out to touch his shoulder. His clothes were scorched, his face streaked with blood and dirt, but after a heart-stopping moment, she felt the faint rise and fall of his chest. Relief flooded through her. He was alive.

“Ryū,” she whispered again, gently shaking him. “Wake up.”

He groaned softly, his eyes fluttering open. “Sāra…” he rasped, his voice hoarse.

“You’re okay,” she said, more to reassure herself than him. “Just stay still. You’re hurt.”

Ryū winced as he slowly sat up, clutching his side where his armor had been torn open by the blast. “We did it, didn’t we?”

Sāra nodded, though her heart was still heavy with doubt. “The Ryuumyaku is sealed—for now.”

Ryū met her gaze, his eyes dark with concern. “And Mukade?”

Sāra hesitated, her eyes scanning the ruins. There was no sign of the twisted, power-hungry figure who had loomed over them just moments before. The area where Mukade had stood was now nothing but a scorched crater, the ground blackened and cracked from the release of energy. For a brief, fleeting moment, hope flared in her chest. Could it be possible? Had they finally defeated him?

But before she could voice her thoughts, Hana and the others emerged from the dust, their faces grim. They moved swiftly toward Sāra and Ryū, but there was no relief in their expressions—only wariness and exhaustion.

“Sāra,” Hana called out as she approached. “We saw the light. Did it work?”

Sāra nodded, holding up the pendant. “The Ryuumyaku is sealed again. But Mukade…”

“Disappeared,” Hana finished grimly, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the scene. “We didn’t see him escape, but there’s no body. He could still be out there, biding his time.”

Sāra’s heart sank. She had hoped, against all odds, that Mukade’s defeat would be final this time. But deep down, she had known it wouldn’t be that simple. Mukade had always been a survivor, a schemer. He wouldn’t give up so easily.

“We can’t let our guard down,” Ryū said, his voice firm despite his injuries. “Mukade may be weakened, but if he finds another way to access the Ryuumyaku, he’ll come back stronger than ever.”

Hana nodded. “We’ll need to regroup, plan our next move. We can’t assume this is over.”

Sāra stood, her legs shaky but her resolve hardening. “We can’t afford to wait for him to strike again. We need to find him, and this time, we finish it.”

The others exchanged uneasy glances. They were tired, their bodies battered from the fight, but they all understood the urgency of the situation. Mukade had to be stopped, no matter the cost.

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The night fell swiftly over the desert, the cool air a welcome relief from the scorching heat of the day. The survivors of Rōran set up camp just outside the ruins, the soft flicker of campfires casting long shadows across the sand. Sāra sat apart from the others, staring into the flames, her mind restless despite her exhaustion.

The events of the day played over and over in her mind—the battle, the power of the Ryuumyaku, and Mukade’s ominous disappearance. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were only scratching the surface of something much larger, something far more dangerous than any of them had realized.

Ryū approached her, his footsteps silent in the sand. He sat down beside her, wincing slightly from his injuries. “You should get some rest,” he said quietly. “You’ve been through enough for one day.”

Sāra didn’t respond at first, her gaze fixed on the flames. “It’s not over, is it?” she asked softly.

Ryū shook his head. “No. But we’ll stop him, Sāra. We’ve come this far. We can finish this.”

Sāra turned to look at him, her eyes shadowed with doubt. “I’m not sure we can. Mukade was powerful before, but now…he’s more dangerous than ever. And I’m afraid—afraid that the Ryuumyaku will fall into his hands again. It’s so unpredictable, Ryū. Every time I use it, I feel like I’m losing control. What if I can’t stop him next time?”

Ryū placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch steady and reassuring. “You won’t have to face him alone. We’re all in this together.”

Sāra managed a small, grateful smile. But as she looked out over the desolate landscape, her mind still couldn’t let go of the fear gnawing at her heart. The Ryuumyaku’s power was vast—too vast for any one person to control. And Mukade was no ordinary enemy. He had tasted the Ryuumyaku’s power once, and she had no doubt he would stop at nothing to claim it again.

And then there was the vision she had seen—the brief, terrifying moment when the Ryuumyaku’s power had surged through her, showing her a glimpse of the future. A future where Rōran was nothing but dust, consumed by the very energy she had sworn to protect.

“I’ve been thinking,” Sāra said after a long pause. “There might be a way to stop Mukade for good. But it’s risky.”

Ryū frowned, his brow furrowing. “What are you talking about?”

Sāra hesitated, then reached for the pendant around her neck. “The Ryuumyaku’s energy—it’s too dangerous to leave sealed like this. As long as Mukade is out there, he’ll keep trying to find a way to break the seal. We need to destroy it. Permanently.”

Ryū’s eyes widened in shock. “Destroy the Ryuumyaku? Sāra, that power is tied to Rōran’s very existence. If we destroy it, what’s left of the city could be lost forever.”

“I know,” Sāra said quietly. “But if we don’t, Mukade will keep coming back. He’ll keep using it to destroy everything we’ve fought to protect. I don’t want to lose Rōran, but I’d rather see it fade away peacefully than be torn apart by Mukade’s greed.”

Ryū stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he nodded. “If that’s what it takes to stop him, then we’ll do it. But we’ll need to figure out how. The Ryuumyaku is ancient—its power won’t be easy to destroy.”

Sāra nodded, her heart heavy with the weight of the decision. Destroying the Ryuumyaku would mean the end of Rōran as she had known it, the end of the last vestiges of her people’s legacy. But it was a sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant ensuring that Mukade could never use the power for his own twisted ends.

“We’ll figure it out,” Sāra said, her voice resolute. “We have to.”

As the night deepened and the stars glittered overhead, Sāra felt the enormity of the path ahead pressing down on her. There would be no going back once they set this plan in motion. But in her heart, she knew it was the only way forward.

She only hoped that, when the time came, she would have the strength to see it through.

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