“So, how will you cut through those chains, handsome?”

  She asked, teasing and laced with curiosity. I met her gaze, unfazed by her tone, and lifted my sacred sword which was filled with Aliera’s red divine power.

  “This should do it. Stay still.”

  I tightened my grip on the hilt, feeling the weight of Aliera’s presence through the divine energy coursing within the blade. The crimson light radiating from the sword painted the chamber in hues of blood and life, casting long, flickering shadows across Nyxara’s form.

  Nyxara’s wings stilled, and her smirk softened into something more contemplative. She watched intently as I raised the sword, her gaze flickering between the blade and my face. For a fleeting moment, her playful facade dropped, and I caught a glimpse of something deeper—anticipation, perhaps, or maybe even a sliver of hope buried beneath years of bitterness.

  With a sharp breath, I brought the sacred sword down in a swift, calculated arc. The divine energy surged through the blade as it made contact with the gleaming chains. A resonant hum filled the air, followed by a brilliant flash of crimson light.

  The chains shuddered and cracked under the weight of the strike, their metallic surface glowing white-hot before shattering into shards that clattered onto the stone floor. Nyxara’s wings flared instinctively, their full span suddenly free of restraint.

  Nyxara flexed her wings experimentally, her expression unreadable as she ran a hand over the now-freed appendages. Then, she turned her attention to me, her smirk returning with renewed sharpness.

  “Well, well. You actually did it,” she said, her voice low and almost impressed. “I’ll admit, I half expected your sword to bounce off them.”

  Nyxara’s remark hung in the air, dripping with sardonic amusement, but there was a subtle shift in her demeanor. Her teasing tone remained, yet her eyes betrayed a glimmer of genuine gratitude, though buried deep beneath layers of playful deflection. She stretched her wings to their full, impressive span, the amethyst feathers shimmering like twilight stars.

  I, on the other hand, watched somewhat disappointed as the divine power in my sword steadily disappeared to its normal levels. It made sense that Aliera wouldn’t let me keep it but it was still disappointing nevertheless.

  “Now please, introduce yourself properly to our team.”

  Nyxara turned toward me, her wings flexing. “Introduce myself?” she said, her voice dripping with mock offense. “I thought my dazzling presence spoke for itself.”

  I gave her a flat look, unamused. “You’re part of the team now. You might as well act like it.”

  Nyxara’s laughter echoed through the chamber, rich and melodious, like chimes caught in a tempest. “Very well, Champion.” She stepped forward. “Hello, concubines of Poyraz. I am Nyxara, the herald of Goddess of Freedom.”

  She shot me a teasing look.

  “This is how you want them to know me, isn’t it?”

  Her voice echoed in my mind.

  “Yes. Please don’t make things more complicated.”

  I answered back in my mind.

  “They are still not my concubines.”

  Then replied out loud. Behind me, the team exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of wariness and curiosity. Thalia was the first one to voice her concerns.

  “I don’t understand. Are you a priestess?”

  Nyxara’s laughter bubbled forth again, this time with an almost genuine amusement that danced in her amethyst eyes. She turned her gaze to Thalia, her wings folding neatly behind her with a grace that seemed at odds with her playful demeanor.

  “A priestess?” Nyxara repeated, as though tasting the word. “I suppose you could call me that, though I much prefer the term ‘herald.’ Sounds more... dignified, wouldn’t you agree?” She tilted her head, a sly smile curving her lips as her eyes flicked back to me.

  “Champion told us that we would find an item left behind by the Goddess of Freedom. Are you that “item”?”

  Aurora was the next one to come forward, shooting me a look behind her glasses, letting me know that she realized more than I wanted her to know. Nyxara turned her attention to Aurora, her smile wide as ever.

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  “Item, you say?” she echoed. “Darling, if I’m an ‘item,’ then you might consider me a collector’s masterpiece—one-of-a-kind, priceless, and utterly irreplaceable.” Her wings flared slightly, the shimmering feathers catching the light in an almost hypnotic display.

  Aurora didn’t flinch, her steady gaze meeting Nyxara’s without hesitation. “That doesn’t answer the question,” she said evenly, her voice calm.

  Nyxara’s grin widened as she tilted her head, considering Aurora for a moment longer. Then, with a theatrical sigh, she turned her gaze back to me. “Champion, your concubines are so inquisitive. It’s rather endearing.”

  “They’re not my concubines,” I said, my voice flat but with an edge of exasperation.

  “Of course, they’re not,” Nyxara replied smoothly, though her smirk told me she had no intention of dropping the joke anytime soon. She turned back to Aurora, her tone shifting into something softer—less mocking, more sincere.

  “Gods above must give our mighty Champion that information. It is not surprising they wouldn’t know how to differentiate between a person and an item.”

  Thalia stepped forward, her face reddening with anger.

  “Aliera would do no such thing.”

  Nyxara’s smirk faltered for just a moment as Thalia’s words echoed through the chamber. She tilted her head, her expression curious yet tinged with amusement.

  “Oh, darling,” Nyxara said, her tone honeyed but with an unmistakable edge.”You must know Aliera personally to claim such a thing. Tell me, does she ever answer your prayers personally? Have she appeared in your dreams to console you after a long day?”

  Thalia’s hand clenched into a fist, and her eyes narrowed as she met Nyxara’s gaze with a mix of suspicion and defiance. Her voice was steady but carried an undercurrent of irritation.

  “Aliera has never answered me in person,” Thalia said, “but I don’t need her to. Her will is clear in the world around me, in the gifts she’s given, in the purpose she has set for us. And if you think for a second that you can make light of her intentions, you’ve misjudged the situation.”

  Nyxara’s eyes glimmered, the smirk never leaving her lips as she regarded Thalia’s fiery stance. “Oh, how touching. A loyal servant,” she cooed. “How quaint.”

  I stepped between them, raising a hand to defuse the brewing tension. “Nyxara, enough. Thalia, stand down. We’re not here to argue theology.”

  Thalia looked ready to explode but she still followed my orders. I clapped my hands loudly.

  “Okay, everyone. We are going back to Quipax. We will meet with Queen and come up with a plan to stop Moloch for good.”

  Nyxara raised her thin eyebrows and looked at me.

  “Yes, we must be quick. According to my estimations, Moloch will escape from his prison in a month or so.”

  The room seemed to be still for a moment. The playful deflection had vanished, replaced by a quiet seriousness. Even her smirk had faded, leaving only the sharp, calculating gaze of someone well-acquainted with the stakes.

  “A month?” Aurora echoed, her voice cool but tinged with the same unease that fluttered through the rest of us. “How do you know?”

  “Because I was there when he was imprisoned by the Goddess of Freedom. Does that answer your question?”

  Aurora blinked, her lips pressed into a thin line as she processed Nyxara’s words. It wasn’t just the revelation of Moloch’s prison that struck her, but the weight of Nyxara’s presence in the room—her firsthand knowledge of events, her proximity to the power at the heart of it all.

  Nyxara’s gaze swept over the group once more, lingering on each of us with a cold, calculating air, as if measuring our readiness for the challenge ahead.

  “I was there, yes,” Nyxara continued, her voice tinged with a calm finality. “And I know exactly what Moloch is capable of. He will be hungry and weakened when he escapes. He will look for a way to gain his strength and there is no better way for a demon to gain strength than consuming and tormenting innocent souls.”

  I clapped my hands once again after a silence overtook the room.

  “Alright. More reason to hurry. Come on everyone. We are getting the hell out of here.”