Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Chapter 170

A few weeks later, Amelia still sometimes caught herself wondering if she was dreaming.

Every morning, she woke up expecting to find that none of it had been real—that Enzo, Reid, and Dean had never confessed their feelings for her, and that she was still the girl who could only admire them from a distance.

But then her phone would light up with messages from one of them, or she’d remember the way Reid always found an excuse to tease her, how Dean quietly made sure she had eaten, or how Enzo could somehow tell when something was bothering her even when she insisted she was fine.

And she’d smile before she could stop herself.

Somehow, the three men she had once believed were completely out of her reach had become the people she wanted beside her most.

Their relationship had started with cautious steps. They had spent time together after classes, gone on quiet outings, and learned things about one another that had nothing to do with the attack that brought them together. Gradually, the uncertainty had faded, replaced by feelings that were far too deep to dismiss as gratitude or the excitement of a new romance.

They were serious about her. Amelia never had to guess where she stood with them. With her parents’ permission, she had eventually told them the truth about her powers, the Moon Goddess, and the terrible destiny that awaited her.

None of them had taken the news lightly.

__

Some days, Amelia remained at home, training with her parents and learning how to control the extraordinary abilities she had only recently discovered. Other days, she met the brothers after classes, grateful for the chance to forget about divine powers and the Demon King, even if only for a few hours.

With them, she could laugh about silly things, complain about her training, and enjoy the sort of ordinary moments she had once taken for granted.

She could be Amelia, not the Moon Goddess’s chosen warrior. For a little while, that was enough.

She wished those weeks could last forever. But the world had other plans.

**

Now, the living room was cluttered with open suitcases, cardboard boxes, and clothes folded into uneven piles. The morning light fell across the floor, illuminating the dust floating through the air as Amelia placed another stack of clothes into her suitcase.

She smoothed the fabric with her palm, even though it was already neatly folded.

Anything to keep her hands occupied.

Her mother moved between the living room and the hallway, checking their supplies and making sure nothing important had been left behind. Her father stood near the front door, speaking quietly with someone outside before returning to inspect the bags.

They were leaving for another territory, the place where Amelia’s true fate was supposed to begin.

The decision hadn’t been made lightly. The attacks on the school had made it painfully clear that remaining where they were would put too many people at risk. The longer Amelia stayed, the greater the chance that the Demon King’s followers would return, and next time, the people around her might not be so fortunate.

She understood that. She understood why they had to leave.

What she couldn’t accept was how much she had to leave behind.

A familiar voice came from the doorway.

"We’re coming with you."

Amelia’s hands stopped moving.

She looked up and found Enzo, Reid, and Dean standing there with bags at their feet.

For one foolish second, hope rose in Amelia’s chest.

Then she saw her parents turn toward them. "No," her father said immediately.

Reid stepped forward. "Sir, we know this isn’t an ordinary trip. We know she’s going somewhere dangerous, and we’re not pretending otherwise. But we want to help her."

"You’re not doing this alone," Dean added.

His voice was quiet, but the determination in it was unmistakable. His fingers tightened around the strap of his bag.

Amelia stared at him.

"Dean..."

"Wherever you go, we go."

Amelia’s father shook his head.

"I understand that you care about my daughter, but you cannot come with us."

"Why not?" Reid asked. "If the problem is that you don’t want us getting in your way, we’ll train. We’ll learn whatever we need to learn. We’re not asking you to protect us every second."

"That isn’t the problem."

"Then what is it?" Enzo asked.

Her father looked at the three men, his expression hardening with the effort of keeping his emotions under control.

"This is a danger none of you fully understand. Amelia has powers that make her capable of fighting the Demon King’s followers. You don’t. Taking you with us would mean putting three more lives at risk, and I will not do that."

"We’re already at risk," Dean replied. "We were attacked at school. We know what those creatures are capable of."

"And you survived," Amelia’s father said. "That doesn’t mean I should willingly take you somewhere the danger will be worse."

Then her mother stepped forward.

"I know how you feel about her," she said gently. "I can see it in the way you look at her, and I know you aren’t making this decision on a whim. But this isn’t a choice you can make for Amelia, no matter how much you love her."

Reid’s jaw tightened.

"We’re not trying to make the choice for her. We’re trying to make sure she doesn’t have to face everything alone."

"And I understand that," Amelia’s mother replied. "But there are things about this journey that even Amelia doesn’t fully understand yet. You cannot follow her simply because you love her. Sometimes, caring about someone means accepting that you cannot go wherever they must go."

Amelia lowered her head, pressing her lips together.

She hated hearing those words because she knew her mother wasn’t wrong. She also hated that the three men who had brought so much happiness into her life were being asked to let her go before they had even had the chance to build the future they wanted together.

Enzo looked at her father. "Then tell us what we need to do to convince you."

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then, without warning, the three men dropped to their knees.

"what are you doing?"

"We’re willing to risk our lives for Amelia, the same way she risked hers for us. We’re not asking because we think it will be easy, and we’re not asking because we believe we can defeat every enemy she might face. We’re asking because we love her, and the thought of losing her without even trying to stand beside her is something we cannot accept."

Amelia’s eyes burned. She had spent so much time worrying about the burden placed on her that she hadn’t fully considered how much the people she loved might suffer because of it.

Now she could see it plainly.

They were afraid of losing her.

And she was afraid of losing them.

Her father dragged a hand down his face, looking as though the entire conversation was taking years off his life.

"Do you have any idea what your parents would say if they knew you were planning to follow us into a place like that?" he asked. "They would be worried sick. I cannot imagine looking them in the eye and telling them I brought their sons into danger when I am already struggling with the thought of taking my own daughter there."

"We’ll speak to them," Reid insisted. "We’ll explain everything."

"And what do you think they’ll say? That they are happy to send their sons into a battle against the Demon King’s followers? That they don’t mind the possibility of never seeing you again?"

Reid fell silent. Her father’s expression softened slightly, but his answer did not change.

"I am responsible for Amelia. I have to do everything I can to protect her, even when I know I cannot guarantee her safety. I will not take on the responsibility of putting the three of you in danger as well."

Enzo lowered his gaze for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes found Amelia’s. She wished she could tell him to keep fighting. She wished she could promise that her father would eventually change his mind.

But she couldn’t. Her mother approached the three men, her face full of sympathy.

"I know you love her. I believe you when you say you’re willing to risk your lives for her. But that doesn’t change our answer. You cannot come with us."

She paused, allowing her words to settle before continuing. "You need to say your goodbyes."

Amelia felt as though the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

Her mother turned away, and her father followed her into the house. Neither of them looked back, giving the four of them what little privacy they could.

For a moment, Amelia stood motionless beside her suitcase, staring at the men who were still kneeling before her.

She didn’t know what to say.

She wanted to apologize for leaving them. She wanted to tell them that she loved them, that she was just as frightened as they were, and that if the decision were hers alone, she would never willingly walk away from them.

Instead, she whispered, "I’m sorry."

Dean rose first. "Don’t," he said.

Before she could respond, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

Amelia let out a small, broken sound as she pressed her face against his chest. Her arms went around his waist, gripping the back of his shirt as though holding him tightly enough might somehow keep her from having to leave.

Dean wrapped both arms around her, one hand settling against the back of her head. He rested his cheek against her hair, and she felt him draw a shaky breath.

"I don’t want you to go," he murmured.

Amelia squeezed her eyes shut. "I don’t want to go either."

"Then stay."

The words came out so quietly that she almost wished she hadn’t heard them.

She pulled back just enough to look at him. His eyes were bright, and the sight of his carefully maintained composure beginning to crack hurt more than she could explain.

"Dean, you know I can’t."

"Yeah." He swallowed, his hands still resting on her arms. "I know."

Then Amelia reached up and touched his cheek.

"I’m going to miss you so much."

Dean leaned into her palm, closing his eyes briefly before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"We’ll find a way to see you again," he said. "I don’t know how yet, but we’ll find one."

Amelia wanted to believe him.

When Dean finally released her, Reid stepped forward.

He had no teasing remark ready. He held her close for a moment, his hand resting against her back. Then he drew away just enough to look at her and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"We’re going to miss you," he whispered. "More than you probably realize."

Enzo was the last to approach her.

"Enzo...

"I wish I had more time with you," he said quietly. "But I won’t stand here and tell you not to fight for what you believe is right. I know you, Amelia. If you walked away knowing you could have helped people, it would haunt you."

Enzo held her tightly, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other rested between her shoulder blades.

"I’ll come back," she whispered.

Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to repeat the words, needing them to believe her as much as she needed to believe them herself. "I promise. I’ll come back to you."

She had no way of knowing that the promise she had made with tears in her eyes would become the one promise she could never keep.

***

A month later, the battlefield lay silent beneath a blood-red sky.

The ground was torn apart, stained with blood and littered with the remains of a battle that had nearly destroyed everything around it. The air smelled of smoke and scorched earth. What little wind remained carried the distant sounds of collapsing structures and the groans of the wounded.