Over the next few days, Onyx and Draco along with Yongui, Falcon, Sahara, Emperor Seron, and Empress Cayah abandoned the safety net that was their palace to head over to the barriers where Raebar's body laid undisturbed.

"If we cannot restore Raebar to his previous state, the best we can do is to strengthen the barriers around his body. If he tries to escape, it will temporarily keep him there" Draco explained that morning as he gathered his weapons.

Despite waking up only hours ago, the emperor was back to his usual business. He ignored his injuries and woke up at the crack of dawn to prepare for the voyage. "What if you cannot strengthen the barrier?" Alesandria had asked before their departure. "What if it is too late and Raebar has already found a way out?"

"Hopefully, it doesn't come to that" Onyx had replied with a smile. "But you don't need to worry about that now. You need to rest and regenerate. Don't worry too much about it."

Alesandria could still make out the frown on Draco's face as Onyx said it. The way the two exchanged a worried glance in the other's direction before leaving. They whispered to each other in a different tongue of language Alesandria could not decipher, but she was certain they were discussing her.

And it made her blood boil. It made her enraged to the point that as soon as she was left alone in the recovery room, she casted a spell so detrimental, it lashed out and took the shape of whips made from burning fire, licking and beating the walls until they were scarred and burning everything in her path.

By the time Castrin and Azura had arrived, the room was nothing but an empty abyss of black smoke.

And that is how Alesandria found herself in the confinement room located just a couple steps away from the many infirmary rooms in the palace. It was in a lonely hallway with only one door that led to the room.

Alesandria sat on the floor of the confinement room, toying with the sheets wrapped around her body. The white ceilings were decorated in thousands of small lights shining so bright, she closed her eyes to escape the reality she was in.

However, as soon as the darkness of her mind blocked out any light, she faced the dawning delusions of Heather's voice screaming down the bond. She could feel fingers dig into her head and pull her back and forth as she begged for information.

"Alesandria! For the love of God, we need you! Where has that wretched king and his bedmate gone to now?" she asked in a demanding voice, screeching at the top of her lungs until her voice broke through her ears and drowned out any other possible noise.

"And why should I tell you after talking to me like that? If you haven't noticed, I impaled myself with a knife just for your stupid, lunatic plans to fall into place so excuse me if I do not have the strength right now!" Alesandria screamed back, not knowing whether she was yelling down the bond or out loud.

Silence settled in her mind, the heavy breathing of Heather cooling down to a whimper. "Fine. Take your precious time. I have you where I want anyway."

Alesandria stayed on the floor, plaiting her hair then unbraiding it to form twists into her long locks. "They have gone to Raebar's body. Something about reinforcing the barrier where he was buried so that he may not escape."

"But the magic around Raebar's body has already disintegrated. That is the whole reason why we stabbed and killed Draco in the first place."

"Just because the magic around his body is gone doesn't mean the barrier surrounding his burial ground is gone either. It's either one of the other. Raebar may be awake and free, but he cannot go anywhere with that barrier up."

Heather scoffed loudly, curses streaming from her lips. "Then we have to destroy that barrier as well."

"You can't" Alesandria commented. "As far as I know, the barrier around it is not made from Draco's magic. The burial ground barrier is solely reinforced by underworld magic. The only person that can break it is the emperor and empress of the underworld and they are not exactly accessible."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Heather asked.

"There is a lot of security at that burial ground including four hundred of their best warriors. That means that the wall isn't as protected as it should be. I will let you connect the dots" was all Alesandria whispered before opening her eyes once more.

The bond they shared went static in her mind, followed by a burst of manic laughter that haunted her dreams. A knock sounded on the door and she turned around to see it swing open and reveal Castrin and Azura, carrying iron shields in front of them as protection.

"Alesandria?" Castrin's voice called out to her in a whisper. "Are you okay?"

"I don't bite Castrin. You can come in" she beckoned, her attention straying from the bond. Castrin and Azura walked in, iron shields to their chest as they approached her. "Do you feel better now?" Azura asked, crouching down next to her. Alesandria nodded, rolling her eyes.

"I just got a little out of control. It's not like I tore down the palace" she remarked.

"No, but you burned a room with your magic. I think that counts as well" Azura replied. Alesandria sighed, toying with the ends of her hair. "What do you want?" she asked in a hushed tone. "Have you not bothered me enough?"

Castrin and Azura exchanged worried looks before taking a seat in front of Alesandria. "Look, Alesandria. We're just worried about you. Up until now, you haven't caused any trouble, but now you're spiraling. If someone is threatening you, we're here to help."

"Why would you think I am in trouble?" Alesandria asked. "I am fine."

"Alesandria-"

"I said I am fine! Why won't you just leave me alone?! You never showed this much concern when Onyx was in the room. Why now?"

Dead silence rang in the air. Castrin and Azura exchanged curious glances, shaking their heads. "Alesandria, you have no idea what you are talking about. We believe you are in great danger and we are just trying to protect you!"

"And I don't need your protection!" Alesandria hissed. Her face flushed with anger and her eyes burned with fire. "It doesn't matter what I say now anyway. The outcome will be the same. The Inner Circle will collapse on itself like it was always destined to."

"And how would you know that?" Castrin asked. He reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away before he could reach her. Her eyes glared at him, a frown on her lips. "Did you think this would be easy? That Onyx would step in and snap her fingers, and everything would fall into place? I pity you if you're as narrow-minded as you are naive."

Castrin flinched, creeping backward to escape her glare. Azura scowled, her fingers digging deep into her palm. "You have no right to talk to any of us like that! We have risked everything to help you and Onyx! Now is not the time for a bitchy attitude."

"Help me? Screw you, Azura. As soon as you all found out that Onyx was the heir to the Crojesian throne, I was as useful as the dirt you walk on everything. None of you cared enough to investigate my future! It has always been about Onyx! Well, I am tired of it. So just leave me alone!"

"Don't make me regret what I am about to do, Alesandria" Azura warned, getting up. She leaned in close, her usually kind eyes drowned in darkness. A frown pulled on her face. "What do you know?"

"Nothing I have to tell you, horrid nightdweller" Alesandria shot back. Before she could speak any further, Azura grasped her neck and squeezed tightly. Her veins glowed a vibrant blue and the stench of magic electrified the air. Her eyes were white and hollow, glowing profusely with the brightness of a newborn star. Alesandria let out a croak as Azura forced herself into her mind. A piercing scream escaped from Alesandria as the nightdweller pinned her down and traveled through her mind.

"Stop! You're hurting her!" Castrin grabbed Azura's hand, but she was too gone to register his touch. She simply pulled her hand back and pushed him away. It was a battle for power as Alesandria thrashed on the floor, begging for mercy as Azura dug through the deepest depths of her mind. "Let go of me, you wench!" Alesandria screamed, kicking her legs around until the heel of her shoe drove straight into Azura's ribs.

The nightdweller screamed in pain and momentarily loosened her grip around Alesandria's neck. The hybrid took that as a sign and trapped Azura in between her ankles. With the little strength she could muster up, she aimed a kick in the nightdweller's stomach that sent her flying across the room. Azura hit the ground with a thud, unresponsive.

"Azura!" Castrin sprinted over to his friend, feeling for a pulse, but receiving nothing. Her veins no longer glowed, and her eyes were dull and shallow. "Please, Azura! Say something!" he begged, shaking her shoulders. For a moment, it seemed as if Azura was going to respond to his cries of terror, but she simply shook her head and breathed the word, "Traitor" before falling unconscious.

"Traitor?" Castrin questioned, his gaze moving from his friend to the hybrid who now stood tall, her black hair cascading over her phase. She walked over in slow, unwavering movements, brushing past Azura's body and squatting in front of Castrin. "You're a traitor" he whispered, looking into her eyes. The hint of a smile pulled on her lips as he whispered it again. "Stars and Gods, it's true! You're a traitor!"

"And now that you know, you must pledge your allegiance to the desert tribes and Raebar!" she expressed.

"No!" Castrin responded in disgust. "I don't know what kind of spell they have casted upon you, but if you think for one second that I am going to betray the crown that has served me good for so many centuries, you're dead wrong. My allegiance is to the Inner Circle and Draco only."

"Fine. Have it your way. I tried to be nice, but it seems as if you might prefer the hard way" she growled, crawling closer to him with menacing eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, Castrin. You're truly my favorite out of everyone in this wretched kingdom, but it seems as if you need a little bit of convincing."

Castrin watched as the kind eyes he fell in love with turned dark red and a sinister smile crawl on her lips. Her skin was white, and her dark hair covered her eyes. "You don't know what you have done Castrin" she warned, her voice no longer sweet, but rather rough and deep.

He watched in horror as she pulled a knife from the back of her dress and held it right above her heart. "I will kill her right now, Castrin! Your sweet, innocent, Alesandria will be nothing, but a pile of melting flesh and you will be the one burned for her death!"

"Heather" Castrin breathed recognizing the voice that was speaking through Alesandria's lips. Alesandria nodded, her red eyes glinting. "You didn't think I would send her over without having a plan first, did you? Alesandria has been a darling and has been leaking your plans to Rheynoak's tribe for months. We know every move, every ally, and every defense you have. You don't stand a chance against us."

"You manipulated Alesandria! She did not do this herself! You spelled her!"

"And now, I will kill her unless you pledge to us!" Castrin watched, paralyzed in fear as Heather manipulated Alesandria's hand to drive the knife through her heart. The tip of the blade touched her chest and she applied more pressure, breaking through the skin until blood seeped through and stained her dress.

"Stop!" Castrin screamed above her manic laughter. He willed himself to get up and threw himself at Alesandria's feet. "Please! Stop! I'll do it! For Alesandria, I'll do it!"

The laughter stopped, red eyes looking down upon his teary eyes. A slow grin spread on her face as she withdrew the knife from Alesandria's chest. "I look forward to working with you, Castrin. And don't forget, I have control of your lover's body. One mistake and I have the power to slit her throat. Don't forget that."

With that, the knife dropped, and Heather let go of Alesandria's mind and disappeared. Alesandria fell to the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Castrin rushed her into his arms, hovering his hand over her heart as he uttered a quick spell to stop the bleeding. He checked for her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it.

Barely there, but it was enough.

Sinking to the floor, Castrin took the knife in his hands, contemplating if death would accept him if he took it upon himself. Resting the blade in his hands, he sat in between his enemy and allegiance with no hope and no escape from his ultimate destiny.

Onyx stood in front of Raebar, her eyes raking over the man that had destroyed her life before she could fully grasp it.

He was barely awake, strung out and tired with chains wrapped around his body and ten guards surrounding him. He was barely the man he used to be with stringy dark hair and a body torn and bloody with scars.

On her left stood Draco, Falcon, Sahara, Yongui, Raiyah, and Orion and on her right stood the emperors and empresses. Iredine stood in the back with the guards, her eyes scanning the horizons.

"We found him on the outskirts of the barrier, your highnesses. From what we can attest, he was trying to escape. However, since there is no soul to guide his body, he is weaker and therefore his magic is not as effective as it should be."

"You say that like it is a bad thing" Empress Cayah hissed, causing one of the guards to shrivel up in fear. "He would be better off dead if you ask me, but I guess this will do" Empress Cayah added on, shaking her head.

"My question is, where would he possibly go? He's been asleep for years and has no soul to operate his body. How far could he have gone?" Onyx questioned. Emperor Seron shook his head, straining his eyes away from the former tribe leader. "You would be pretty surprised at one this one can do with no soul. He's devious enough to accomplish his goals with his bloody hands which is why we can't let him out of our sight."

"Did anyone get a good reading into his mind?" Yongui asked. "Maybe we can get through to him that way."

"I tried when we first arrived, but he has built a strong barrier over the past years. My magic alone will not be enough to penetrate his thoughts" Iredine chimed in, moving forward. "I can try again when he is weaker, but I highly doubt that I will get anywhere."

Raebar grunted against the guard's restraints, opening his eyes to the scene in front of him. He could barely make out the blurred images of those who stood before him, but his gaze passed over Onyx and stopped. He eyed her with precision, a frown pulling on his face.

"You" he rasped, extending a finger forward. "You ruined everything" was all that he could manage before falling into unconsciousness once again. "I've heard enough. Let's get to work" Onyx stated, turning away from the tribe leader.

For the next few hours, the emperors and empresses used their magic to reinforce the barrier that surrounded the burial ground. Onyx, Falcon, and Orion oversaw moving Raebar's body back to its original resting sight. Onyx lifted him with ease, throwing him onto the long ply of glass that awaited him.

Orion searched through the tool back he was provided with and pulled out to blades. Handing one to Falcon and keeping one to himself, they made several incisions near his veins, careful not to puncture it. "Onyx, can you pass me the glass tubes and the containers?" Falcon instructed, holding out his hand.

Nodding, Onyx did as she was told and handed the tools over to him. With her help, they were able to successfully weave the tubes through his skin and latch it on the specific veins that pumped magic instead of blood to his body. Hooking it up to the tube, Onyx watched as the magic in his body drained into the long tubes that were attached at the ends.

A groan escaped from Raebar's lips as he balanced in between unconsciousness and reality. His eyes fluttered open, revealing two flushed out eyes that were once filled with anguish. "W-what are you doing to me?" he croaked, barely able to comprehend the situation.

"We're putting an end to your tyrannical ways. This way, you will never be able to hurt anyone ever again" Onyx answered back through locked teeth. She watched as the man who had destroyed her life shook his head, begging to be free.

"No...This was not how it was supposed to go. You were supposed to be on my team Onyx. We were supposed to be warriors fighting side by side until the end. We were supposed to be a duo after all that I have done for you. After all, it is your destiny,"

"You stole my life away from me before it ever began. Your son robbed my life away in years and wasted my time, my energy, and my life on things that never pertained to me. You were planning to shape me into a weapon of destruction, and I will never let you win!" Onyx shouted at him, her blood boiling underneath her skin.

"Foolish girl you are" he insulted with his weak voice. Onyx heaved a heavy sigh just as Falcon and Orion rested their hands on her shoulders. "Onyx, it's not worth your time nor energy" Orion spoke to her as he pulled her away from the tribe leader. "He's speaking out of his ass."

"What I would give to rip him apart from limb to limb" she seethed under dark eyes, watching him with malicious intentions." Falcon shook his head. "You are our priority and we can't lose you again. Just take a step back. We'll deal with him."

With a sigh, Onyx nodded and proceeded to turn back around. As she made her way towards the rulers, she heard the hoarse whisper of Raebar's voice as he turned to her. "I don't know why you bother. Your attempts to restore the Inner Circle to how it was and stop this war will never work. If anything, you will die in your attempts just like your parents."

The last of her sanity snapped within her mind and the whole world went black. She didn't know where she was or who she was anymore. The only thing that was in her mind was to kill him.

The man who destroyed everything.

With speed and slick agility, Onyx found herself on top of Raebar, both hands around his throat as she attempted to kill him. Her whole body shook as she was rattled with waves of her power, her fingers glowing bright red as her arms shimmered gold and her eyes bled with a bright blue light.

Voices could be heard around her, but she blocked all of them out of her mind when Raebar grabbed her and tossed her on the floor, his body falling on top of hers. She kicked at him even as he attempted to strangle her with the glass tubes that hung from his arms. She thrashed as he caught her throat in his grip, squeezing the air out of her lungs.

Life began to slip away from her as her vision blurred, but she managed to pry her throat away from the glass tube long enough to breathe in some air. Quickly, she slipped from his grasp and attacked him with a string of lights. They captured him and wrapped around his entire body. Bones cracked and his blood rushed to his head as Onyx toyed with his mind, siphoning his life and memories away from him as she pushed all her magic towards him to shatter him completely. Wisps of black shadows spun around her, creating a dark world only they existed in.

She could see his body thrash against her power, flickers of light shooting into the sky as he grew weak against her. A wicked smile pulled on her lips, but quickly vanished when she felt a strong surge of power challenge hers.

A streak of red magic interrupted her line of power and shot her through the arm. A stinging pain rattled her body, causing her to lose control of her magic and stumble back. The black smoke around her vanished and Onyx found herself falling into the strong arms of Draco. His veins glowed red and his eyes were lit up in purple lights.

"Capture him! Now!" he commanded even as the other rulers combined their powers to weaken and ultimately drain the tribe leader of his energy until it was minuscule and hardly traceable. He fell into unconsciousness again and his body hit the glass slat, causing a spider web of cracks to form on the surface.

"Why! He was almost dead!" Onyx seethed, turning to Draco, her eyes still glowing blue. He challenged her back, holding her wrists in his grip. "Exactly! We cannot kill him! Not now at least. Do you not know the detrimental damage that will be caused if we kill him?!"

"Everything is detrimental now! What difference will it make Draco?" Onyx screamed.

"Now is not the time to make irrational decisions because of your anger! No matter what position you stand, my decision is final if we are standing on Elsavior grounds! Now step aside and let us handle the rest!"

Onyx held his gaze with anger, and he didn't break away, his grip on her wrist tightening until she could no longer hold on. She broke away from his stare and her powers retreated into her body, her eyes turning back to its natural color. She sighed deeply and pulled her wrists away from his grip.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked as she stormed away. "Anywhere but here!" Onyx shouted back, walking over to the edge of the reinforced barrier.

"Stop acting like a child Onyx! We need you!" Sahara intervened, grabbing hold of Onyx's wrist. "As much as I hate to admit it, we need you here!"

"And I need to be anywhere but here! Let me go!" Streaks of gold magic lit up her wrist, causing her skin to grow hot and burn Sahara. She pulled away with a hiss, looking at Onyx with wide eyes.

With a huff, Onyx stormed off to the other side of the barrier. Her wings sprung free from her back and the hybrid leaped off the barrier and into the sky.

"Onyx! Draco's voice cut through the air, but it was abandoned as a strong gust of wind blew by and took her away from her worries.

"Heather, what have you got planned for us this time?" Rashnov asked as he watched the tribe leader pack sharpened arrows and arrange rows of daggers into her carry on.

"Have you not heard the marvelous news? I told Irene to tell you, but that selfish brat must have forgotten. Brainless fool" she simply said, waving her hand.

"I am standing right here you know" Irene protested, crossing her arms. Heather passed her a dark look. "Then tell him while you are still standing there instead of arguing with me" she pressed, a frown on her lips.

With a huff, Irene turned to Rashnov, a gleam in her eyes. "Raebar, our greatest tribe leader, has finally awoken. He is being held captivate at his burial grounds by those brainless fools that call themselves emperors and empresses."

"And we finally have the opportunity to take him back!" Heather expressed, cutting off Irene before she could continue. "Don't you see? This is our chance to bring back our leader!"

"And how would we do that?" Rashnov asked. "It's simple, my love," she said, throwing weapons into her bag. "Our little mole, Alesandria, has been doing a fantastic job relaying information to me for the past few months. I practically know the entire layout of the Elsavior palace and half of Salion's hidden barriers. I have a detailed map planned out of every crook, every corner of that palace and that is all we need to attack tonight!"

"Tonight!? Heather, planning an attack takes days, perhaps weeks. We have to train the soldiers to memorize the kingdom as much as you have memorized it!" Rashnov expressed. "No! Tonight, is not going to happen!"

"Oh, but it will no matter what you say!" Heather hissed through locked teeth. She pulled out a sharpened dagger from her side and pointed it at Rashnov. The Head tribe leader took a step back as Heather approached him, her eyes gleaming with the curse of madness. "Don't you see what has been presented to us?! The rulers are distracted, the wall will have no protection since everyone will be busy attaining Raebar, and we have Castrin, Alesandria's lover and Draco's trusted court, on our side. He has pledged his allegiance to us for the sake of Alesandria, but he is playing on our team from now on. The stars are aligning, and the Inner Circle is at its weakest point! We don't need a strategy or a plan! All we need is ourselves, our army, and our magic to capture what was always ours!"

"My goodness, you have gone mad!" Irene expressed, grabbing the dagger away from the tribe leader. A manic laugh escaped her lips, fingers digging through her dark tresses. "Only mad with power! I can't help it! We have a whole tribe of wonderful, rare creatures at our disposal that can easily challenge those of the Inner circle. Finally, we will rise and be on top! Just as it should have been from the beginning!"

Heather turned to Rashnov, her eyes gleaming. "Rashnov, please! You must see it from my point of view. We have been dwelling in this desert for too long waiting for them to strike back when we have all the necessary tools to do so! Please, we have to!"

The head tribe leader looked at Heather with careful eyes. He watched her as she deliriously mumbled to herself, packing her weapons into bags and strapping weapons underneath her dress and her hair. He passed a look over to Irene who shrugged her shoulders with an exasperated sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, she's right Rashnov. We've been rotting in this desert for too long. If we have Alesandria and Castrin on our team, there is nothing that we can't accomplish."

With a nod, the head tribe leader walked over to the window and drew back the curtains to reveal the mundane activity of the tribal grounds. Members were either training or gruntingly walking around the grounds, sore and sweaty with the other tribe leaders pushing them onward to their next backbreaking tasks. It was practically an army base rather than tribal grounds.

"I suppose we do have all the necessary tools" he whispered to himself, turning his eyes back to Heather. "Alright Heather, I'm giving you the lead on this. What do we need to do to prepare?"

Heather stopped in her tracks, turning around with a wicked smile on her face. "All we need to do is show up and conquer them. They won't see it coming."

A/N: And that is the end of Chapter Thirty Eight!

I know I haven't been on wattpad in forever. I have been focusing a lot of my energy on college and doing well in my classes so I hope you can forgive me! Life has been crazy for me these past few months. Fun but crazy! 

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With love, May