to my chest, Nathaniel and I turned to leave the Chamber of Elysium when a voice froze both of us in our tracks.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” a female voice said.
Nathaniel’s hands flared with a sword and shield, ready to defend us. We whirled around to find a girl with curly red hair and bright green eyes gazing at us. My heart nearly stopped. It couldn’t be…
“Abigail?” I gasped.
She nodded, a shy smile curving her lips. “Surprise.”
Standing before us was Abigail Fraser, alive and well. For a second, I thought I might faint.
“How is this possible?” Nathaniel asked, his voice sharp with suspicion and his energy weapons still clutched in his grasp.
“But… you’re dead,” I stammered, barely believing my eyes. “We saw Pryia kill you at the Founder’s Ball.”
“No, she didn’t kill me.” Abigail smiled as if the idea amused her. “When she struck me with her powers, I thought I was toast, but when I woke up here and saw her in her human form, I realized she was my grandmother Pryia.”
“What?!” Nathaniel and I both exclaimed in shock.
“That’s right. My mother is the daughter of the Elysium Warriors Lysander and Pryia. That’s why I’m able to enter the Chamber of Elysium.”
Nathaniel burrowed his brow in confusion. “Why haven’t we heard about Lysander and Pryia having children, let alone a grandchild that attends the academy, until now?”
“After what happened to my grandparents, is it really a surprise that my parents would keep my lineage a secret? They didn’t want us to be shunned.”
“Pryia is your grandmother?” I echoed, still trying to wrap my head around this revelation. “But why would she bring you here?”
“She went to the Founder’s Ball to find you two, knowing that only you could unlock the Azure Amulet.”
I recalled Pryia sitting quietly with Nathaniel at the dance and then complimenting my dress when she left.
Nathaniel, seeming to have remembered the same thing, asked, “She’s known we were the Elysium Warriors since then?”
Abigail nodded. “However, your bond hadn’t formed yet, so she knew she had to wait until it did. But then, she saw me and brought me here instead. Now that you’re here, you can finally set them both free!”
“But why did Pryia attack the academy if she just wanted us?” Nathaniel asked with trepidation and a tinge of anger. “She hurt a lot of people.”
“Grandmother never intended to hurt anyone.” Abigail shook her head, her eyes gleaming with tears. “Because she’s stuck between life and death, it’s hard for her to maintain her human form outside of the Chamber of Elysium. Every time she ventured out to search for you, she had trouble controlling her spirit form. It was never her wish to hurt anyone. Please believe me.”
I glanced at Nathaniel, our eyes meeting in a silent exchange. We both knew that we were the key to reuniting Pryia and Lysander, but could we trust Abigail’s words? Could we risk releasing Lysander’s power and putting all of us in danger again?
“Abigail,” I said slowly, “How can we be certain that Lysander won’t be a threat to the world again?”
“Grandmother told me that the Azure Amulet has the power to purify souls,” Abigail replied earnestly. “She believes that during his time trapped within the amulet, Grandfather’s soul has been cleansed of its darkness.”
Nathaniel frowned, hesitating. “Can we be sure that he won’t still crave power and destruction like before? That he won’t try to take over the world again?”
“Unfortunately, there is no guarantee,” Abigail admitted, her eyes pleading for understanding. “But I have faith in my grandmother, and I believe that my grandfather deserves a chance at redemption.”
Nathaniel and I exchanged another glance, each of us weighing the options of the decision we must make. In my heart, I wanted to believe in the possibility of redemption, but the fear of consequences nearly crushed me.
A shimmering light filled the chamber, momentarily blinding us. As it dissipated, a woman with long light blonde hair stood before us—Pryia in her human form, as she had been when we first saw her at the Founder’s Ball—but her deep blue eyes were full of sorrow and desperation.
She threw herself at our feet, and with a trembling voice, she pleaded, “Evangeline, Nathaniel, I beg you to free my beloved Lysander from the Azure Amulet. He has suffered enough.”
I pulled Pryia to her feet.
“Pryia,” Nathaniel said cautiously. “We want to believe that Lysander’s soul has been purified, as Abigail claims, but we have to be sure. Our priority is to protect our friends and the world from any further danger.”
Pryia reached out and carefully lifted an old, worn scroll from the dusty surface of one of the tables. Its edges were tattered and frayed, but it was still legible, somehow miraculously intact in its ancient state.
“Please, see for yourself,” she implored, handing the scroll to us. “This is the spell that was used on the amulet.”
Nathaniel delicately unfurled the scroll slowly, revealing an ancient script on the tattered parchment. Together, we examined the scroll, which did indeed provide the spell to seal a soul within an object. Near the end of the scroll was written:
The soul shall roar in its cage, desperate for freedom. Its inner turmoil rages like wildfire, consuming it from within until it can bear no more. Only then will the elements open and cleanse the captive spirit, purifying it so that it can find peace and harmony when the time comes to release it from its bonds.
“I can feel it in my soul.” Pryia clutched her fist to her chest. “My beloved is no longer the power-hungry man he once was. The amulet has indeed cleansed him.”
Abigail nodded. “All he wants is to be reunited with my grandmother. They have been apart for far too long.”
The sincerity in their voices tugged at my heart, and even as uncertainty gnawed at the edges of my thoughts, I believed them. In my soul, I believed in us. That the bond that Nathaniel and I shared could—would—reunite these star-crossed lovers and give them the happy ending they deserved.
“What if it was us?” I asked, meeting Nathaniel’s gaze. “We have to try.”
He hesitated for a long moment, his usual stormy eyes glistening with anguish as if he pictured the two of us in Lysander and Pryia’s tragic situation. His jaw tightened, and he nodded in affirmation.
“Okay,” Nathaniel said as he turned to Pryia. “What do we have to do?”
“Hold the amulet together and activate your powers,” Pryia instructed.
Taking a deep breath, I held up the Azure Amulet, feeling its power thrum again. Nathaniel wrapped his hand, large and strong, over mine.
Looking up at my own beloved, I asked, “Ready?”
He nodded, his gaze bright with tenacity. “Ready.”
With one last exhale, I closed my eyes and focused on the magnificent power coursing through me. Orange sparks and icy blue crystals formed in my palm over the pendant as Nathaniel’s hand glinted with his golden energy signature. I closed my eyes, sensing the outpouring of magic within the stone, and focused with all my might, willing the Azure Amulet to release the soul it had contained for so long.
The surrounding air swirled in a brilliant kaleidoscope of red-orange, light blue, and gold as our powers merged with the amulet. A magnificent light bloomed from its shimmering sapphire surface, enveloping us in its warm and welcoming embrace.
The walls of the chamber trembled, and, with a crash like shattering glass, a rush of energy exploded from the amulet in a blinding flash. I gasped, nearly dropping it.
As my vision adjusted, a young man now stood before us. Similar to Pryia’s human form, Lysander appeared only a few years older than us. He was tall and broad-shouldered with kind blue eyes, chiseled features, and black wavy hair that framed his face.
Instantly, his face lit up at the sight of Pryia. I could feel nothing but peace and pure love for her radiating from him, and I knew in my heart that we had made the right decision.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she reached for Lysander’s hands, their fingers intertwining as if they had never been apart.
“Pryia,” Lysander breathed, his voice tinged with disbelief and joy. He cupped her face, wiping away her tears.
“Is it truly you?” Pryia whispered, gazing at him in wonder.
“Yes, my love,” Lysander replied. His voice was deep and gentle, full of a love that transcended time itself. “You waited for me.”
“I told you I would wait forever if I had to. But now, we have forever once more.” Her face lit up with joy as she was reunited with her soulmate at last.
They came together in a tender embrace, holding each other as though they meant to never let go again.
A lump rose in my throat, and tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of their reunion, and Nathaniel’s arm slipped around my waist, pressing me close against his side. We smiled at each other. The love they shared was undeniable, and it reminded me of the connection Nathaniel and I had formed over the past few months. This eternal bond was everything I could ever wish for.
Lysander’s gaze fell upon Abigail, who stood nearby, her eyes wide with awe. “Abigail, my granddaughter,” he said softly, extending his arms to her. Abigail hesitated for a moment before running into his embrace, tears glistening in her own eyes. Both of her grandparents enveloped her in their warm embrace.
“I’m so glad I got to see you more time,” she whispered.
Lysander pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Pryia stroked Abigail’s hair, her smile bittersweet. “May our dark legacy trouble you no more, sweet girl.”
Abigail nodded, wiping her eyes as she looked from Lysander to Pryia and back again. “I am so proud to call you my grandparents. Both of you, together at last.”
After a long moment, Lysander and Pryia turned to us with gratitude shining in their eyes.
“Thank you,” Pryia whispered, her eyes shimmering with emotion. “You have given us a second chance at happiness, and we will never forget your kindness.”
“You believed in my redemption and freed us both from an eternity of torment,” Lysander added solemnly. “We will be forever grateful.”
“I have seen your bravery and selflessness firsthand,” Pryia beamed with pride. “Thank you for giving us back our forever.”
“Elysium Warriors,” Lysander addressed us. “We leave the protection of this world in your hands.”
“Sweet Abigail.” Pryia turned to her granddaughter. “Take care of your parents for us.”
Abigail nodded, tears still streaming down her face as they pulled her into one last embrace.
“We love you,” Lysander added. “And we will always watch over you, little one.”
“I love you both,” Abigail whispered. After embracing her grandparents for a few more moments, she stepped back.
Then, Lysander and Pryia held each other, their love radiating like the warmth of the sun. Their eyes turned to the heavens as if they could see something we couldn’t. They shared a knowing smile.
“Are you ready, my love?” Pryia asked Lysander softly, her voice filled with anticipation.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied, his eyes shining with joy.
With that, a golden ethereal light began to emanate from them, bathing everything in a gentle glow. My breath caught in my throat as I watched their human forms dissolve into swirling wisps of energy that intertwined like strands of silk. Their souls—one a vibrant crimson and the other a deep sapphire—danced around one another, their colors blending in a mesmerizing display of beauty.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as Lysander and Pryia’s beautiful souls soared higher, disappearing into the sky together at last, returning to eternity together.
A sense of peace settled over the chamber, and I knew it was over. Love prevailed.
I turned to Nathaniel, tears flowing from my eyes as a smile spread across my face. He pulled me into his arms without a word, holding me close as I cried against his chest.
“They’re finally free,” Nathaniel whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
“At peace,” I whispered. “Together.”
“Because of you,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “You did this, Evangeline. You believed in them and gave them back their happy ending.”
I shook my head, gazing up at him. “We did this. Together.”
His eyes softened, and he pressed his lips to mine in a sweet, lingering kiss. “Together,” he echoed. “Just like always.”
As Nathaniel held me close in the fading light of the chamber, I knew that this was exactly where I was meant to be. We held each other tight and vowed to never let go until the very end. Just like Lysander and Pryia before us.
