Chapter 350: _One Disaster At A Time

Lucian’s POV

*****

“Alright, I’ve got an update.” Lucian burst into a room meant for recreation where Aurora, Elian and his mother had been waiting for several minutes.

Elian straightened on the chair he sat on while his mother and sister immediately got on their feet.

“Well?”

“Any luck with the wards situation?”

Lucian heaved. “They’re still unable to isolate the corrupted palace wards heading for the underground sections,” he began with bad news. “But—the magi-tech experts have stepped in. As we speak they’re in the middle of coding a new set of wards. Capable of theoretically acting as a dam separating both sides from spilling into each other.”

Aurora held her head like she was developing a migraine. “In layman’s terms… Are we still at risk of being crushed by our own wards? Is the sacred pool still being siphoned?”

“Yes and no,” Lucian admitted. “The pool is no longer being absorbed. But the palace wards…”

His sister buried her face in her palms. “Oh, my gods,” her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. “Oh, gods. There’s still Kyren though, right?”

She snapped her neck to Elian. “Maybe he can find something new in the Dark Lands that can—”

“I highly doubt that,” Elian shook his head, subconsciously brushing a finger over his ruby necklace. “The palace wards are millennia old. Garrick was able to control them by abusing his access as the then Beta of the Empire.”

His eyes flicked to Lucian. “If there’s any way to stop this, it won’t be in the Dark Lands or with Amara.”

The words were harmless but Lucian was reminded once again of his father’s gravest mistake. One he almost let himself continue and was actively costing them.

Neutrality.

“So we’re still sitting ducks in this palace?” Aurora’s voice rose. “There has to be a way. Every day that passes is a reminder that Garrick could just do something to crush us by moving a few stupid wards.”

Lucian angled his face to Elian.

Just then he saw something familiar flash in his eyes. The same light he got whenever he got one of his mischievous ideas.

“Wait,” Elian got up as well. “Lucian, remember how we got rid of Amara’s curse on me?”

The Alpha King blinked. “We… split it between ourselves. You, Kyren and myself. Then we were able to destroy it once we got to its origin point.”

Elian nodded. “Your talk about isolating the palace wards from reaching the wards underground. What if instead of isolation we split them?”

Realisation settled in Lucian’s chest. “Then with the wards isolated we could potentially release enough raw energy to…”

“… Destroy them!” He and Elian yelled in unison, both laughing with a mix of relief and hope.

But then Elowen chimed with worry. “While your idea sounds equally brilliant and risky,” she let her eyes roam from her son to her soon-to-be son-in-law. “Won’t destroying the wards destroy the palace in turn? Or at the very least, leave us vulnerable.”

“Garrick’s control of them already leaves us vulnerable.” Lucian shook his head. “This? This is how we break the last connection that psychotic couple have with us.”

“But can it really work though?” Aurora appeared to get a spark of renewed hope.

Silence stretched in the room.

All of them exchanged looks—each tenser than the last.

Then Elian exhaled through his nose. “There’s really only one way to find out.”

.

.

Within minutes, he and Elian were striding through the palace corridors.

The deeper they went into the palace, the more heavily guarded each section became.

Eventually they arrived at a thick metallic door reinforced with several layers of security wards.

Lucian pressed a hand against a rune panel.

Silver light flashed.

The door slowly slid apart with a low mechanical hiss.

Beyond it lay the beating heart of the palace.

Rows upon rows of magi-tech devices stretched across the circular chamber. Floating screens projected data into the air while countless runes rotated around an enormous crystal suspended at the room’s centre.

The primary core.

The source powering every ward, communication array and piece of magi-tech within the palace.

Beneath it sat a second crystal nearly half its size.

A backup core.

One designed to activate instantly if the primary source ever failed.

“Gods,” Elian muttered. “I keep forgetting how ridiculous Lunarian engineering is.”

Lucian chuckled despite himself. “Focus, little menace.”

“Right.”

Elian reached for the ruby necklace around his neck. He closed his eyes before whispering. “Kyren?”

From the frown on his face, Lucian figured there was something wrong.

“No response?”

Elian shook his head. “None.”

Concern briefly crossed the Alpha King’s face before he pushed it aside.

“Farrell mentioned trouble around the capital before communication was cut off. Maybe Kyren discovered what caused it.”

“Maybe.”

Yet something about it still felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Before Elian could dwell on it further, Lucian stepped toward the core. “Let’s focus on one disaster at a time.”

The Omega stared at him. “You seriously think I can do this?”

“I know you can.”

Elian barked out a laugh. “Lucian, these wards have existed for thousands of years. Garrick spent over a decade learning how to manipulate them.”

His hand gestured toward himself.

“Meanwhile I have an Ascendant core and barely enough experience to qualify as competent.”

“You also possess a divine soul.”

The words echoed through the chamber.

Elian blinked.

Lucian continued before he could interrupt. “Your mana core may only be Ascendant.” A pause. “But your soul is roughly ten thousand years old.”

“You are carrying around something older than kingdoms. Older than empires. Older than this ward system itself.”

The Omega swallowed. “That’s a lot of pressure.”

“Good thing I believe in you.”

For several seconds neither spoke.

Then Elian sighed. “Fine.”

Slowly, he approached the floating crystal.

The silver light illuminated his features as he lifted a hand. His fingertips brushed the surface—and immediately his body stiffened.

“Elian?”

The Omega’s eyes slid shut as a pulse of silver light travelled across the core.

Then another.

His breathing slowed. “I can see them.”

Lucian straightened. “See what?”

“The wards.” Elian’s voice sounded distant. Like he was somewhere else entirely.

“Gods… there are so many.” His fingers twitched. “The corrupted connections.”

Sweat trickled down his forehead.

For a moment it looked like whatever he was doing was working.

Then Elian jerked violently, his body spasming.

“ELIAN!”

The Omega’s eyes snapped open, silver light exploding from them.

Not mana but something older. Something divine.

Every screen in the chamber flickered.

Then died completely.

The floating runes vanished. The primary core dimmed. The backup core followed immediately after.

Lucian’s heart nearly stopped. “What the hell—?”

Before he could finish speaking, every piece of magi-tech in the chamber shut down simultaneously.

Darkness swallowed the room.

Then the rest of the palace followed.