Page 87 of Eluvonia
I tilt my head, still not quite grasping it. “Lifeblood?”
Declan lets out a short, humorless laugh. “You’re overthinking it, Aeris. Eluvonia is alive—or, at least, it functions like a living thing. The ley lines are like rivers, carrying energy through the land, and the Nexxus points are where that energy pools. Think of them as reservoirs.”
I frown, the analogy helping but not fully settling the unease creeping through me. “But… if the crystals are absorbing Nexxus, wouldn’t that drain the ley lines dry? Wouldn’t Eluvonia… die?”
Kaida’s shadows ripple faintly, their movement sharp and restless beneath the table. His voice is steady, but there’s an edge to it. “Not quite. The crystals act like dams in a river—they’re designed to siphon some of the flow without completely stopping it. The energy is stored near the Nexxus points, so it can still circulate through the ley lines and keep Eluvonia alive.”
I narrow my eyes, leaning forward slightly. “But then… Why did the Fae lose access to the ley lines? If Nexxus is still flowing, even at a reduced level, why can’t they use it?”
Kaida’s shadows curl tighter, dark tendrils rising briefly before sinking back down. “The Fae didn’t lose access,” he says quietly. “They can still tap into the ley lines, but there isn’t enough Nexxus flowing through them for the Fae to manipulate into magic. It’s like trying to draw water from a river that’s been reduced to a trickle. The energy’s there, but it’s too weak to do anything substantial.”
Declan huffs, his arms crossing as his wings twitch in irritation. “The Fae need a steady, strong flow of Nexxus to sustain their magic. With the crystals diverting so much of it, the ley lines are essentially useless to them now. The connection’s still there, but it’s been drained to the point of being… impotent.”
My fingers drum against the table, my unease growing. “But what happens if too much is taken? Or if something goes wrong?”
Kaida’s gaze sharpens, his shadows flaring outward briefly before receding. “If too much Nexxus is drained, the ley lines collapse. The flow stops entirely. It would be like… a heart that stops pumping blood. Without Nexxus, Eluvonia loses its ability to sustain itself. The balance would shatter, and the realm would die.”
Declan’s jaw tightens, his usual sarcasm nowhere to be found. “It’s not just energy. It’s the force holding everything together. Disrupting it doesn’t just weaken the realm—it unravels it. One imbalance could send the whole system into chaos.”
I stare at him, the weight of his words settling over me like a thick fog. My gaze drops to the table, but all I see is the image of a crumbling world, fractured and bleeding out its lifeblood into the void.
“So you think it’s the crystals?” I ask Kaida.
Kaida eyes me for a long moment, his eyes narrow slightly, and then he nods. “It’s a possibility,” he says, his tone as flat as ever, though there’s a flicker of something deeper hidden there.
I push my chair back with a scrape that echoes in the room, standing up and leaning forward with both hands planted on the table. “So let’s go destroy them then.”
Declan’s hand comes down on my shoulder, pushing me back into the chair with surprising force. I blink, glaring at him for a moment as if daring him to do it again, but he’s unfazed. “We can’t,” he says, looking at me like I’m the one who’s lost my mind. “The Sentinels.”
Shit, I forgot about them.
I stare at him, my mouth opening and closing, but no words come out at first. “Why not?” I ask, the irritation seeping into my voice now. “You’re Dragons, don’t you have access to them?”
Kaida sighs, an almost imperceptible sag in his shoulders. “Only one person can access the Sentinels after we took overcontrol of the Nexxus points. My father,” he says, like that’s the end of the conversation. His words hang in the air, heavy and thick. I stare at him for a moment, but there’s no flicker of hope in his face. Just resignation.
“Shit,” I mutter, my fingers drumming against the table as the weight of the situation sinks in. “Shit.”
We sit there, the air thick with frustration, but nobody has the answer. I can feel the tension coiling in my gut, tight and unforgiving. The silence drags on, but it feels like it’s choking me, each passing second heavier than the last.
“So now what?” I ask, the edge of frustration cracking in my voice.
Declan shakes his head slowly, the movement deliberate and almost sad. Kaida, as usual, just shrugs, his posture making it clear he’s not going to give any more than he already has.
I let out a sigh, my breath forming a puff in the suddenly cold air. I freeze.Wait, cold air?I sit up straight, my eyes darting around the room. “Did it just get cold?”
Everyone sits up too, confusion painting their faces. Declan, looks uncertain for once. The temperature seems to drop in an instant, the warmth of the room replaced by a biting chill. My breath comes out in visible puffs as if the air itself is mocking us.
Tura stands and heads straight for the door without saying a word, and the rest of us follow her. As we step outside, the world freezes. Literally.
I’m hit with the sight of snow. InSummer.It’s snowing, light flakes drifting lazily from the sky, the air thick with the chill. The sky above is tinged with a strange blue, the clouds light gray. I can’t help but lift my palm toward the sky,watching as a snowflake lands on my hand, only to dissolve instantly.
“What is happening?” I ask, my voice quiet. “It’s summer, why is it snowing?”
Tura steps next to me and looks up. “Eluvonia is dying,” she says softly, her words like a weight pressing down on my chest. She doesn’t look at me, her gaze fixed on the horizon. “I think the realm… it’s withering away.”
I glance at her, the harsh reality of the situation settling deeper into my bones. Eluvonia is dying. The land, our home, is slowly decaying, and none of us can stop it.
“I think we should talk to the Ymirals,” Declan says, looking up at the sky, his voice serious.
