The next morning, we boarded an airship with the destination to Celestelia, the nation of hybrids. These were magnificent elven machinery that ran on hydropower, ocean elves' magic. I knew little about them or their history, but Fenris told me they were built by these elves. They hated to disturb the water's ecosystem when they needed to travel to other locations.

These machines were also faster than anything else Cerberus used for transportation. With the airships, it would only take a few hours to get there. Although it was costly to run them. They seemed to be made from gold, but it was not. What they used to make them was called etantil, a metal the blaze elves made but kept secret.

That did not matter, though. These fire elves were the only ones who could make etantil with their magic. We were not the only ones in the air, though. All the race leaders were on their individual ships. The flags and banners identified them.

The ship I was on, with the other Lycans, had a full red moon as a representation of their flag. It matched perfectly with the black background they used to make it stand out. The vampires, on the other hand, had a black wing that stood out perfectly with its white. The humans had a golden lion's head that matched with their red backdrop. In that same ship were the other witches and warlocks that had joined us or already worked for Cerberus.

We had no flag to represent us yet. Although Shade proclaimed to have her as the flag for witchcraft. Ocean elves had deep blue lines that curved like ocean waves. They stood out against the white backdrop of the flag. The blaze elves had an erupting volcano while the base was brown. Flames erupted off the mountain was bright red with orange. It matched perfectly with their black.

The nature elves had a purple orchid that matched with their green background. The light elves had a golden sun with red for the rest. Lastly, the moon elves had the white crescent moon with their purple backdrop for their flag. The moon elves, and Lycan’s symbol, reminded me of the bracelets Fenris and I wore. I mean, they were made with their magic.

The moment the airships went into action, it amazed me how these machines could be powered with water alone. Most of it was out of my understanding. Even when a friendly elven engineer, who worked on the ship, tried to explain it to me. They were usually only used to travel between nations with urgent needs.

Usually, they were used for official business. Though Fenris wanted to open them to the public for transportation. A feat that would take some convincing for the current council. Amelia and Melody, who could only board because I came along, refused to leave my side.

We traveled through the air towards our destination. Though we were guided below deck while the airship was running. Otherwise, we or anyone who stood outside would be blown away because of the speeds we were traveling in.

Thanks to the hybrids that lived by the howling forest. We could pinpoint where the apostates were hiding. Although, we were going in blind. The hybrids only helped with brief information. And most would be gone by the time we came. They said it was not their place to fight a battle that did not involve them.

To them, the pure breed's affairs were theirs to fix. They even gave us a warning to not stay any longer than needed. The fact they barely helped did not seem to affect anything, though. Everyone already expected little of the hybrids. It was rather sad how they were so detached from everything, but I could not help but feel sorry for them, too. It was not their fault they felt that way, but ours.

Years of discrimination could corrupt the best of us. Hybrids felt what witchcraft users experienced for only one thousand years. They had dealt with that since the first one was made. Unlike us, though, they had little power to change their fates.

So instead of living in oppression, they left it all behind and headed towards Celestelia, the forgotten lands. There were rumors that purebreds sent their hybrid children there. This was to hide the fact that they ever had one in the first place. That thought chilled me to my core.

Even though I knew I had at least one Lycan baby in my womb. It never crossed my head of doing that if I had a luma, a hybrid between humans and Lycans. It was out of my comprehension how any mother could give their child up because they are different. That was a trait I would share with my mom, who did not abandon me.

The Lycans around me soon broke into an uproar. They were getting pumped for battle. Although most of the chatter was about the fight to come, I felt their occasional gazes. Most knew who I was. It did not help I was the only one who was not a Lycan like them on this ship. Well, other than the crew needed to fly the ship and the medics that would help the injured. But that was not the reason they took peeks at me.

No, the reason was that I was pregnant with their future ‘heir’. My heavy swollen belly was prevalent to that. Most that approached me bowed to me, surprising me. Even though I was still Fenris’s fiancée, the wedding had not happened because of how chaotic everything was. They still called me his wife, wishing me a healthy pregnancy.

Of course, not all had the same opinion, but those who did not agree kept away from us. After all, the latter did not want to invoke their alpha’s wrath on them. Amelia and Melody also accompanied me the entire time.

During the time Fenris had spent training, many Lycans challenged him to test their power. But the only one who ever bested him somewhat in battle was Shade. The more wolves that failed to best their alpha, the more they accepted his stance and me.

After all, if I had it in me to tame Fenris, I must have been a fearsome human. Their words. Others remembered me as the angel of mercy from the day that the rebels attacked. Most of them also knew what he had done to Layla for her insubordination, who had gone missing since the time we last saw her.

Even Kira, who had given birth already to her baby, who was proven to not be Liam’s right away thanks to testing, did not know where her sister had gone. It was a mystery that loomed over us, but we did not have the time to pour our attention into it.

All the Lycan elders that had once been so opposed to us were on the ship as well. They were by Fenris as he plotted their assaults on the resurgent faction. Even though I wanted to be with my wolf, too, I stayed away. I had to let him be the leader he needed to be for his clan.

After the night we had spent, I still felt Fenris’s warmth around me. It would have to be enough to keep me going for what would happen next. Instead of running to him, I went over the plan that I had come up with.

I knew Fenris would not let me come with him to the battlefield. He had only accepted for me to come to Celestelia. My true reason for being here would cause a fight I had no way of winning. Amelia, Ben, Melody, and Liam would not allow me to get off this ship either.

So, this morning on our way here, I had stolen one of the smaller artifacts. A small bracelet from Fenris while he spoke to Liam about what was being boarded onto the ship. Luckily, with Shade’s sneakiness, it all went off without a hitch.

Luckily, Fenris did not notice when Shade ran over to me with it. Though I felt my heart stop when she first grabbed it. It had shone for her just like it had for me and those of royal blood. There was no doubt in my mind that she was the remnant of a goddess.

The moment she gave it to me, I hid it in a pouch near my breast, preventing it from touching my skin. If it did, it would give me away while we were on the ship. That was the first part of my plan. Even though we were not sure if the witches had succeeded in their intentions to summon Alijah.

My heart knew that it was only a matter of hours before I saw him again. I felt in my bones that this was it. Maybe it was the other Lilith within me resonating with Alijah or something else. Closing my eyes, I tried to brace myself for everything that was about to happen.

Shade assured me she would let no one touch me or my babies. Her words were slightly comforting. I was sure that a wave of witches and warlocks would stand in our way to get to our destination. However, the most I was worried about was Fenris's and everyone else’s fate rather than my own.

The closer we got to our destination, more tensions flared. Lycans were eager to go into the fray against anything that came across their path. While I dreaded it. I was not the only one, as Liam and Fenris both seemed to take it more seriously than the rest.

If the witches would use wolfsbane against them, something that took only seconds to activate. The only solution was to self-terminate. I had failed to come up with any antidotes in the short time we had. Although I was closer than ever to doing so. Within the last weeks, I had understood the witchcraft element to the variant. But I could not finish it in time.

I tried to not think too deeply about what could happen if everything went sideways. Thankfully, what Ursula had said in her tale brought me comfort. Back when Alijah was out in this world, they had not used wolfsbane in fear he would self-destruct, taking the world with him. Maybe they would fear Fenris would do the same, stopping them from using it.

Though there was no denying my wolf was weaker than Alijah. Even so, they had tried to kill him before with it. But the thing keeping me in my sound mind was the thought. Their reasoning was because he was weak from the awakening. Right now, the only thing I could do was hope.

Before I knew it, the ship stopped, revealing below the howling forest underneath us. It seemed to have weird distortions around its bounds. Tania, who was in the vampires’ ship instead of ours with Ben, was right about their lair being close to the forest.

With the special ability granted by the Soul Cairn, my eyes allowed me to see the forest shrouded in darkness. Edna had used her magic in combination with an artifact to keep anyone from being seen, but it did not matter anymore.

Alijah’s summoning blew their cover. To the extent that all the races were about to raid the howling forest in search of them. However, something I kept to myself alone was the location where the greater concentration of witchcraft magic was congregated. Not that they asked me either way. They planned to destroy the entire forest without my help.

Not that I would have said so, either. I would never have let Fenris near Edna and Alijah. The current aim would be to eradicate all enemies to find Edna. And hope that somehow, we could stop Alijah from coming through. Something I knew was inevitable.

Fenris carried the remaining artifacts in case he met with Alijah. But that was something I had to avoid at all costs. Alijah and Fenris could never meet. If they did... My dream would surely...

Melody appeared terrified when it was time for the Lycans to jump ship. She tried her best to not run to Liam, who was at Fenris’s side with Ezra the whole time. Even though I tried my best to not gaze at my wolf, I could not help myself as tears ran down my cheek.

I did not fight him on this decision, as I had my path to follow. For it to work, he had to be far away from me, but even so, the fear of his safety filled my core. According to him, I was to stay up here with Amelia, Melody, and Ben, who would not go into battle, along with the crew and support teams while they quelled the rebellion.

Even though that might have been the last time I saw Fenris, he refused to look at me in fear of losing his courage to fight. Unlike me, he continued forward, leaving me behind, knowing I would be safe with his family.

Throughout these months, Fenris's brother and sister proved themselves to be with us. Something that gave Fenris the peace of mind he needed to go through with this. He knew that if anything happened to him, I would be in good hands. Something I did not agree with, though. Before he jumped off, I could not help myself.

“Come back to me! Fenris!” I cried.

Melody held me tightly in response, weeping too. My wolf clenched his hands, shaking his head. He did not gaze back, though. Without thinking it twice, the pack jumped off the ship, into the unknown forest followed by every other race. After the Lycans leaped, while we were at a standstill, we were allowed out and into the deck.

Support stations were being built as scouts watched the battle from above. This was to provide any information needed for the ground teams. It was not long before the fighting began. Magical explosions and screams erupted below us. I patiently waited for my chance to join the fray. I could not do it right away. Sadly, Fenris would probably find me soon after Ben reported I had gone haywire.

Something I had to avoid if I did not desire my wolf to be in further harm. They all wore some ear device to communicate with the ships that acted as command stations, relaying information to everyone on the ground. Amara was in our ship's support team, waiting for any injuries to be brought up. But the real reason she was here was to monitor me, too.

Although she seemed busy, yelling to have everything ready. She helped the medics on the ship get prepared for any case. It showed how truly passionate she was about her profession. Seeing everyone try their best, all I could do was hope to do my part correctly.

And that meant dealing with Alijah while everyone was busy to notice me gone. Though I understood why they wanted me to stay still, I was heavily pregnant. I mean, I appeared to be inflated larger than expected. Amara thought I would have had complications, but I was holding four almost full-term babies in my womb.

They were due in less than three weeks. Sometimes my own feet were painful because of the weight I carried every day. This made it difficult to stay up all the time. My back also killed me when I did so. Having complained about it day and night, made them think I would be incapable of accomplishing anything other than staying on the ship.

This was to my advantage. Sadly, they underestimated my desire to keep Fenris alive. I had a dream that had to come true, after all. One that we would be a family together. I was not about to stand down and wait for fate to be decided anymore. At least not because my feet or back hurt.

Though Amelia and Melody watched me like a hawk, making it unlikely for me to find a way out. I wished I could have jumped off the ship when no one was paying attention. But no, that would have been too easy. I had to be creative.

Thankfully, thanks to my massive belly, I usually had to run to the bathroom with frequency. The pressure the babies placed on my inners made it hard to keep my bladder in command. I had to wait until Fenris was deep into the fight, too. This was to keep him away from me long enough to find Edna and Alijah. Hopefully, before she did anything to anyone here. That eternal witch's plans were still a mystery to me.

Magical explosions came from everywhere. The opposition tried to keep us busy long enough for Alijah to come through. Or at least that was what we thought. Though, with Fenris in the lead, it would not take long until they submitted the witches to their will. Well, as long as they did not use the wolfsbane.

After a couple of minutes, which felt more like hours, I excused myself to the bathroom. Much to my annoyance, Melody followed me there. Luckily, though, she was keen on privacy and waited outside of the restroom. After all, what could a heavily pregnant Lilith do to escape a big wolf? She had been training with Liam. Even if she was not combat-ready, she was fast enough to catch me in my current state.

If I tried any magic, she would also hear me too. Even with all the noise from outside. Fortunately, I had grabbed a sigil from the manor to make the bathroom soundless. Before arriving at our destination, I had inspected every bathroom while the elves took me on a tour. And this one was the closest to the outer shell of the ship, allowing me to slip through with no one seeing me. Melody was none the wiser too when I picked this one to go into.

After activating the sigil, I took the only chance I had. The tug of fate compelled me to go forward. Although difficult, I climbed on top of Shade. She hesitated a little, trying to time an explosion before smashing through the wall in front of us, sending us plunging towards the world below.

It would probably take Melody twenty to thirty minutes for her to get worried about me, finding out what I had done. Thankfully, I used to take a while in the bathroom, which would lead her to expect me to do the same. Once in the air, the forest itself was bigger than I had imagined. The ship was at standstill behind us as I left the only safety in this land.

Thanks to the temporary abilities given to me by my pregnancy, I secured our soft landing with ease. The moment we hit the floor, we bolted forward towards where the pull of destiny led me. It was also where the most concentration of magic persisted.

Anyone who came on our way fell by Shade’s claws as we were taking no prisoners. I could not afford to care for anyone. Especially since I was carrying precious packages within me. Neither did Shade. I had never seen her so aggressive before.

The moment she felt life near her, she would end them with no hesitation. It was interesting to see how we headed away from the forest's battlegrounds, where everyone else was, and into the center of something else. It was like someone pulled me forward towards the middle of the forest where the fighting had not yet arrived.

In fact, the number of enemy hostiles we ran into was scarce. They were trying to lure the dominant force away from this direction. Ryker was right. My grimoire made my spells less chaotic. Thus, allowing me to be more accurate with my magical attacks. Thanks to it, I did not have to remember a spell.

No, the words flowed into me, making me an unstoppable force. I never knew the bond between a grimoire and its user. But it seemed I had been hampered when they took it away. And thanks to my ability because of my pregnancy, I could cast spells without muttering a word.

Unlike the time I set fire to the forest, I could precisely cast my spells to target individuals without having to concentrate as much. It helped to not damage the forest too. Different from last time where I set the whole thing ablaze.

Shade and I were like a knife cutting through butter, as we went through the few enemy lines that stood in our way. Their attacks never reached me thanks to Shade’s barrier that bounced off any attacks from the witches. It also stopped any physical attack. Though it was less effective at doing so.

Any that slipped through Shade easily blocked with her own body. She was determined to keep anything from touching me. And those items did not affect her. She truly was an immortal being.

Fighting our way through, we found ourselves in the middle of the forest. There was an ancient building that had never been reported. It was probably what Edna had been hiding until the prison holding Alijah spilled into the world. The darkness that radiated from the whole place led me to conclude that much, at least.

With my initial approach, most of the witches and warlocks watched me as I slowly got off Shade. They had just witnessed us cut through their lines with little effort. This made them think twice about engaging me. My back had begun to hurt. It could have been from the ride alone, as well as the extra exertion, making me feel a bit off.

Small consistent cramps raised within me too. But I ignored them to see a familiar figure standing on the steps in front of me. She had not aged a day.

“It seems my past indeed haunts me. I could not believe the news, but I can believe my own eyes at least.” Stella started, staring at what should have been a ghost to her.

In response, I could not help but smile at her. Something about seeing her here pleased me. I had no regrets anymore.

“Hello grandmother, it’s nice that you got my message.” I greeted, bowing slightly to her.

Shade tilted her head. This was the first time she had ever met Stella. Though the little cat had seen her in my memories. She snickered, thinking of all the things she would do to that old woman.

“You should be dead,” Stella said coldly.

She truly had no emotions for me. Around us were the warlocks and witches who seemed to be wary of me and Shade. The fear almost radiated out of them, though none ran away. They were loyal. If it was to Stella or Edna, I would not know.

“Well, I am very much alive. No thanks to you,” I noted, taking a step forward towards her with Shade by my side.

Somehow, my bracelet still was not shining, allowing me to know Fenris was unaware of my detour. I tried to not think too much into it as I focused on what was in front of me.

“So, everything they say was true. You carry that cursed Lycan’s children. How much more of a disgrace can you be?” Stella rasped, noticing her own blood was going to flow through the race she hated the most.

I sighed, shaking my head, not really caring for her sentiments on the matter. To me, what she thought had little to no value. The steps in front of me were probably the hardest part of this entire ordeal. My feet were getting the best of me. So, the witch in front of me was a trivial thing, unworthy of being anything but that.

“I am not here to fight you. If you would step aside and let me in. I have other business to attend to.” I tried to dismiss Stella’s importance in this.

She became defensive upon hearing my intentions of getting into the ruin. I would not allow her to rule over me anymore. She did not hold my life hostage. My binds were free. I no longer was the caged bird she cursed me to be. No, I flew free in the deep blue sky.

“You think I will let you through?” Stella questioned.

I took the first few steps up the stairs. This was a challenge by itself. The cramps were slowly getting more annoying as I exerted myself further. They were not unusual. I had been getting them for a while, but these seemed to be a bit more prevalent than the others.

However, I had to ignore them. I was staring down at the person who had marked me for life once before. I surely would not let her do so again.

“Yes, you will. Or you will die.” I cautioned, not having the patience or time to deal with Stella.

I took yet another step towards her. She seemed unafraid of me, a mistake. If Cora told her what I could do, then I wondered everything that was crossing Stella's mind. Maybe she thought of me as the child I once was and nothing more.

“And how will that happen?” Stella questioned my intentions, not believing my warning.

I stopped in the fifth step out of the twenty that were in front of me. The entire ruin seemed full of flora. That made it eerily pretty, even though it was the destination of pure chaos. It would be a shame to have it drenched in blood. That was the only thing that crossed my mind as I gazed around me.

“I’ll let you figure that out as you did to me,” I answered, grabbing onto Shade's fur for support.

My legs were indeed killing me. Something I did not allow to show as I peeked around. The others were not quite as strong as Stella was trying to be. They were terrified of me and Shade.

“What?” Stella uttered, not quite following me.

She knew nothing of me. After all, in her mind, I was still her powerless victim. She was fully ignorant of what I was, what I am, what she made me be. And what I had become. Though, what I would have been if Fenris never held me worried me a bit.

I was no longer the little girl that cowered at her approach. Maybe she hoped I would shrivel up the moment I saw her confront me. But I felt nothing of the sort. I did not even hate her like she wanted me to. No, all I felt was pity for her.

The shame that someone like her ever existed in this world.

“Oh, I have one last question for you. Where is your friend?” I asked, noticing there was no one here that was spooky enough to be Edna.

However, I felt like someone was watching me from the shadows. To live this long, she had to know how to survive. Probably had others do her work for her, like Stella. The woman in front of me did not know all she was to Edna, was a disposable pawn.

“Who?” Stella asked, taking out her grimoire from her belt to get ready to fight me.

Mine floated next to me.

“Edna,” I answered, taking another step towards her.

“Why would I betray her?” Stella questioned, trying to see how I would react to her words.

They just made me smile. She would go out for a limb for this eternal witch. But for me, she only showed me pain. She truly was a pitiful being.

“You betrayed your own family for your own means. Maybe you will betray her to live.” I replied, knowing full well she never cared for me like family.

Even so, it felt good to tell her that.

“You were never my family,” Stella said, reinforcing my belief.

I shrugged her words off. Nothing new. She would never shake me again. No, there was a worse monster out there.

“Well… Do not worry, grandmother, I never thought of you as such either. It is probably why I am with the Lycans you hate so much.” I smirked.

A snap. It triggered Stella to shout profanities, chanting a spell who was soon followed by her fellows that surrounded her. The more witches and warlocks joined an incantation. The more powerful it would be, but I would not need any shadow demon to deal with her or them.

With a wave of my hand, my grimoire glowed brightly. Stella herself had taught me this spell.

‘Lingua vestra cattus est perdere.’

‘Lose your tongue to the cat.’

All the warlocks and witches that surrounded us suddenly stopped chanting. Blood dripped from their mouths and onto the ground. Shade snickered as Stella glanced around her to find all her apostates, falling onto their knees as blood gushed out of their mouths.

“Oh, how sad the cat got their tongue.” I snickered.

Their tongues fell to the ground in front of me. In shock, Stella took a step back before her own mouth bled as well. However, instead of taking her tongue. I took her teeth instead. I wanted her to speak about all the plans Edna had. Well, after I had finished what I came to do.

After all, ending it here would be nothing compared to what she did to me. She did not deserve a quick death.

“Does that hurt?” I asked.

She screamed in pain, like the others. A pulse of energy left me, allowing two shadow beasts to come forward into the world. It was effortless, unlike last time I had tried to let them out. With no orders, they killed each of the renegades that were writhing in pain. Stella, terrified and unable to speak well because of her missing teeth, tried to run inside the building.

Shade would not allow that, though. She pounced on the old woman as I slowly made my way up the stairs. By the time I made it up to the last step, the beasts roamed around the ruin, looking for any stragglers. This included Edna. My feet were obliterated after those simple steps, though. The cramps were annoyingly there the entire time, too.

Part of me wondered how I made it up the steps in the first place. When I finally made it to Stella, Shade had already broken her legs and arms. Unfortunately, the pain appeared to have made her lose consciousness. At least she was not going anywhere.

Releasing a sigh, I headed inside the temple, leaving her aside for later. The way in was a long corridor that led to an opening in the distance. The entire thing seemed to be made from a type of stone I did not recognize. Then again, I was no expert on them. With Shade by my side, my aid, we walked all the way down with little to no events.

Once out of the corridor, what we witnessed blew our minds. In the middle of the room, laid the shattered pieces of staff on the ground next to Cora. She seemed unconscious from where I stood. Above them was a distortion that seemed to have shattered our dimensions into an opening.

Light refracted on it, making it appear like a mirror that had broken into pieces. Yet none of them hit the floor. Hesitantly, I took a step forward, only for a weird sensation to raise within me. It was different from the cramps.

I clasped at my belly as a warmness radiated from within me. A soft shimmer of purple was also present. All this time, I had thought it was the other soul within me who was calling me to this place. But it was not. It was one of my babies resonating with Alijah.

“Are you okay?” Shade worried about me feeling the same.

I caressed my belly, only to receive a gentle kick in response.

“Yes… I am fine.” I glowered towards the distortion created by the artifact.

Alijah… could not have access to my child. I could promise them that much. Taking another step, Shade went ahead of me to check on Cora, who was on the ground. Unaware of our approach, Shade pawed Cora, realizing something was wrong.

“She is dead,” Shade announced, quickly backing up towards me.

The distortion became larger as something came through. The warmth that had radiated within me was almost overwhelming. A bright light shone through as something emerge from the distortion, falling onto the ground in front of us.

After the bright light dimmed, in an instance, I recognized who it was. Yet something was off.

‘Why is Edna nowhere to be seen?’

Even though it worried me, there was a more pressing matter at hand. The wolf from my dreams had arrived, and my part to play in this encounter was about to begin.

The fight for my family’s survival would not be one of strength but of wits.