Sons of a devil-Chapter 85: Tethered shadows

A tear slid down Eira's cheek, but her face stayed unreadable. She turned and began her march toward the camp.

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Selene awoke with a sharp gasp, her body sitting upright like something had pulled her from sleep. She felt cold suddenly, her breath visible in the warm room.

Cain rushed in a moment later, eyes wide.

"Something's wrong," they said at the same time.

The door burst open with a gust of cold air—and Eira stood there, bathed in moonlight, cloaked in unnatural shadows.

"Eira?" Selene whispered, climbing to her feet slowly. "Is that you?"

Cain stepped in front of Selene protectively. "Don't."

But Eira didn't speak. Her hand raised, and the wind howled. Cain was thrown backward, crashing into the wall. Selene darted to him, shielding his body with hers as Leo and Eren charged into the room.

"Stop it!" Leo shouted. "Eira, it's us!"

"I am not Eira," came the voice from her mouth—but it was deeper, distorted, layered.

Amara ran into the room, her hands glowing with pulsing blue magic. "That's not her," she said, eyes wide with horror. "That thing—it's wearing her!"

The fight broke loose like a dam.

Cain recovered and summoned the heat of fire in his palms. Eren disappeared into shadows, flanking their possessed sister. Leo cracked lightning between his fingers, lighting the whole cabin.

Selene's eyes flared with golden light, and for the first time since her powers awakened, they answered her. She lifted her hand, and the floor rumbled beneath her feet.

Magic surged wildly. The cabin shattered outward into an explosion of wood and flame as they fought to subdue Eira without killing her.

But she was too fast—too powerful.

"I don't want to hurt her!" Leo shouted, pinned beneath a beam, sparks flying.

"We don't have a choice!" Cain roared.

"Let me try," Selene said, stepping forward despite the storm of chaos around her.

Cain grabbed her wrist. "Selene—"

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"I have to. She's still in there. I know it."

Selene walked into the eye of the storm, standing before Eira. Her aura shone brighter than the moon. Eira raised her hand to strike—and Selene didn't flinch.

"You're not this," she said. "You're not a weapon. You were one of us."

For a moment—just a flicker—Eira's body trembled. Her hand dropped. Her lips parted. Her eyes blinked.

"Selene...?" she whispered.

That hesitation was enough.

Amara lunged forward, slamming a seal against Eira's shoulder. The light exploded from the contact, hurling the entity from her body like smoke. Eira collapsed, unconscious, her body finally still.

Everyone was panting, bruised, and shaken.

Cain pulled Selene into his arms tightly. "You're insane," he muttered, forehead pressed to hers.

"But she's alive," Selene whispered.

Outside the broken shell of the cabin, the forest grew quiet again. But far off, beyond the shadows, darker forces stirred. The battle wasn't over.

It had only just begun.