Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1596 - 38 : Before It Could Shatter

*Kryzen*

The last thing I remembered was the familiar weightlessness of realm jumping. I remember holding onto Briella’s hand tightly, fearing she could be lost in the dark nothingness if I let go of her. I didn’t know where Drius was, nor did I care.

Suddenly, there was the bright sun of the Embervale realm and the overwhelming heaviness associated with entering an unfamiliar realm. I gasped and fought hard to stay awake but was unsuccessful, having no choice but to succumb to the darkness that consumed me.

I dreamed about Briella, of the very real fear I felt when Tian took her in his shadowy clutches. I could remember the way my heart felt like it was leaping into my throat when she cried out in pain as the dark binds tightened around her petite form.

She cried my name, trying desperately to reach for me. I ran to her, pushing my body to its very limit as I sprinted, but the distance between us didn’t seem to be lessening at all.

The shadowy mass was around her neck, and Briella’s face began to turn blue as she struggled to breathe. I cried out to her, my heart plummeting when the darkness enveloped her entire head as well.

I gasped and blinked up at the cerulean blue sky, squinting at the light from the sun.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Briella’s sweet voice murmured. Her equally beautiful face suddenly appeared in my vision. A cool, damp cloth was pressed to my forehead.

It took me a couple of moments to reorient myself after that frighteningly realistic nightmare. I again fainted from realm jumping. I chuckled, trying to hide my embarrassment. “I was hoping this wouldn’t happen the second time around.”

A deep male scoff met my eyes. I pushed myself up slightly to see Drius leaning on a nearby tree. He met my gaze but quickly looked away. I didn’t miss the mocking in his eyes. Shame threatened to heat my skin until I remembered that the elders in Drogomor had provided him with some special potion or something to make the realm jumping easier on his body.

I had no such preparations.

Briella didn’t seem to notice her friend’s reaction. She continued to pat my head with the cloth in slow, soothing movements. “We didn’t really have time to eat or anything in our haste,” she reminded me gently. “You probably would have been fine had we had adequate rest and nourishment.”

My chest warmed at her attentiveness and attempts at comforting me. With difficulty, I pushed myself up to my feet. Briella supported me. I ignored Drius’ stares as I straightened to my full height. I wasn’t going to let this slow me down if I was able to. “We should get going,” I said, speaking solely to Briella.

I had mixed feelings about Drius being there. I thought Briella was being obvious that she only cared for him as a friend and nothing more, but it seemed this guy was extremely thickheaded. He was also making it abundantly clear that he also didn’t want me there and was making no effort to hide that sentiment.

I also couldn’t deny that Briella seemed happy he was there. She seemed oddly comforted by his presence as if he was a piece of home to her. I supposed that in a way, he was. They grew up together, so it was only natural that he would remind her of her childhood home in Drogomor.

“Can you even make it to the valley in your condition?” Drius asked, pushing himself off the tree he’d been occupying and making his way toward us.

I gritted my teeth together and straightened a little more. I could feel my body growing heavier, but I was confident I could at the very least walk to the valley. “I’m perfectly capable of walking, but I thank you for your concern.”

It was obvious that my sarcasm was not lost on Drius. A tick formed in his jaw, and he glowered at me silently.

Briella quickly stepped between us and took my hand. Her touch calmed me immediately. “We should go so we can get you to a healer,” she said to me.

We walked silently, probably much slower than we would have if I had been in full health. I tried to speed up, but Briella seemed to be able to sense my exhaustion and would slow down.

“At this rate, we won’t reach the valley until tomorrow,” Drius quipped.

Briella glanced at me and rolled her eyes, making it clear that she understood this was a gross exaggeration. We weren’t far from the valley. Even at my pace, we would likely easily make it before sundown.

“It is a strange sensation to jump realms,” I said, completely ignoring Drius. “There’s a weird heaviness but something else too. It’s as if my insides are trying to rip itself apart.”

“That’s likely the unique magical properties that flow through Embervale,” Briella said.

She said the words casually like the otherworldly magic was common knowledge that spanned all the realms.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to dumb it down for us other realm folk,” Drius said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Briella stuck her tongue out at him but pursed her lips and placed a finger on her chin, likely trying to figure out how to explain the Embervalean energy in a way we could grasp. “Magic behaves differently here,” she said finally. “It’s the realm where dark and light can exist together. When the two collide, they intermingle and behave harmoniously.”

I looked down at the ground, digesting this and trying to wrap my mind around the strange phenomenon. We’d been taught our whole lives that magic was a balance in itself. It was something that existed in the ground we walked in and the air we breathed. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be able to interact with it were simply humble guides.

I was relieved that after another few miles, I was beginning to feel my strength returning. Briella supported me as we walked, one of my arms around her petite shoulders. While I knew she was extremely strong for her size, I didn’t want to weigh her down.

“I’m fine now,” I murmured to her, low enough so Drius couldn’t hear. “I can walk on my own.”

Briella looked up at me with her large green eyes. “You sure?” she asked skeptically. “You’ve been leaning on me quite a bit.”

“I’m sure,” I assured her. “I don’t want you to get tired either.”

Briella hesitated but stepped away from me so I could walk on my own. I pressed on, feeling the weight of the strange energy threatening to push me to the ground, but I wasn’t going to let it. Briella kept a close eye on me, glancing at me every so often as we continued as if ready to step in if I needed it.

I was proud to be able to say I didn’t require assistance the rest of the way. By the time the Celestial Valley gates came into view, I did feel on the verge of collapse.

As soon as we pushed past the gates, we saw Kai and Lillian hurrying toward us.

Briella rushed to her brother and threw her arms around his neck, sobbing uncontrollably as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

“Hey,” I heard him murmur to her. “Bri, it’s okay. I’m alright. You’re safe. Shh...” He stroked her hair. As his wide green eyes looked at me, I could see the question in them.

“She was just worried about you,” I assured him.

Kai nodded and seemed to hug his sister tighter. “I’m completely fine, Bri,” he repeated gently. “Most of the valley is. The healers believe this illness isn’t even contagious.”

That caused Briella to grow quiet. She pulled away to look up at him. “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice trembling.

I could tell that Kai knew his response wasn’t entirely comforting. “Well, this is going to sound strange, but only certain people are falling ill.”

“Like who?” Drius asked, sounding just as puzzled as I felt.

“Higher-ups and leaders,” Lillian answered, her small mouth pressed into a thin line. “It is unlike anything the healers have ever seen. It is as if our leaders are being targeted by this disease directly.”

Briella and I shared a panicked look. We had our suspicions that this was no ordinary illness. There was definitely dark magic at play here.

Briella’s thin eyebrows furrowed as she gazed at me. “I imagine most of them are preoccupied, but Kryzen needs a healer’s attention. He’s suffering from realm jumping fatigue.”

Kai reluctantly let go of his sister and approached me. “How are you feeling?”

I tilted my chin up. “Fine. I was able to walk several miles to get here.”

Kai looked me over and asked me a couple more questions before nodding. “While you’re clearly feeling much better than last time, you’ll still need to have some healing rituals done.”

I nodded, trying not to let my shoulders slump. “But it’s more important for us to get this cure to the leaders.”

“Leave that to us, Kryzen,” Briella said firmly. “Come find us when you’re better.”

“We’re all going to the same place anyway,” Kai informed us. “The leaders are being cared for at the temple. We should head there right away.”

We all agreed and started down the path leading into the city. Walking through the valley was eerily similar to when Roy and I first arrived in Celestial City the first time when the streets were empty and quiet.

I could tell that Briella’s anxiety was rising as she glanced around the once-bustling streets of the community she had started to think of as home. She clutched the glass bottle that held the potential cure tightly in her hands so hard that her knuckles turned white.

We were taking up the rear of the little group we were in, so I was able to put an arm around her and place my hand over hers, helping her relax before she shattered the glass container with her bare hands. “It’s going to be alright,” I murmured in her ear.

She managed to glance up at me with an irritated scowl on her face. “You can’t possibly know that.”

I smirked at her sound logic. “Maybe not,” I allowed. “But you know what I do know?”

She met my gaze almost suspiciously. “What’s that?” she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

I reached down and took her hand in mine, squeezing reassuringly. “You aren’t going through this alone,” I reminded her firmly. “Don’t feel like you have to shoulder this burden on your own. We’re all here to help.” I gestured around us before piercing her with an intense look. “I’m here to help.”

Briella sucked in a breath. I thought her cheekbones colored for a brief moment before she steeled her features. “Thank you,” she said, her tone soft and genuine.

We both straightened when the temple came into view.