My Hockey Alpha by Eve Above Story PDF

Chapter 0784

Nina

Darkness enveloped me, replacing the inferno of flames and smoke that had taken over the lush jungle. The last

thing | saw before everything went black was the swirling array of portals, out of which poured a plethora of

armored troops.

My father's reinforcements had arrived. But were they too late?

Before | could even process what was happening, however, | was transported out of the world of the conscious

and was sent somewhere else entirely.

When | opened my eyes, a vast expanse of nothingness stretched out in every direction. And yet, even in this

infinite void, | felt a strange sense of familiarity-a recognition that this place existed somewhere beyond the

boundaries of the physical world.

| had been here before, and recently, too. In fact, | could still hear the dying shrieks of the shadow entity.

| stood, looking around.

A soft glow pierced the gloom, drawing my attention. There, in the distance, a figure materialized, her form

radiating with a brilliant white light. As she drifted closer, the details of her face becclearer, and my heart

clenched with a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Selena.

My twin sister's sad face almost seemed to shimmer in front of me, her eyes red-rimmed from crying and her

cheeks hollow, so much unlike the way she had looked the last t| had been here.

"Sister," she said, her voice weaker than before. "You came."

"Selena..." | breathed. "What's happening? Why am | here again? You look..." | paused, taking in her appearance

again.

A soft chuckle, if one could even call it that, echoed in the back of her throat and seemed to bounce off of walls

that didn't exist. "It's tiring, keeping that... thing at bay," she murmured. "And it grows more tiring by the day."

Her expression tightened then, a flicker of strain passing across her face as she extended a glowing hand toward

me.

"Nina, you must listen to me," she urged, her voice cracked and hoarse. "The shadow entity is growing stronger

with each passing moment. | can't keep it at bay forever, and if | don't..." Her eyes dropped to my pregnant belly.

A chill ran down my spine at her words, and | instinctively wrapped my arms around my stomach, cradling the

tiny life that had taken root inside of me.

"The baby..." | whispered, realization dawning on me. "Is it...?"

Selena gave a solemn nod. "Your child is weakening because of the shadow entity, Nina," she explained. "If we

don't act soon, the shadows will consit—and your baby will die."

Die. My baby would die.

Panic gripped my body, a thousand questions swirling through my mind. What could | do? How could | possibly

protect my unborn child from such a powerful force of darkness? After everything, after all that we had been

through, | couldn't...

As if sensing my distress, Selena reached out, her glowing, pale fingers brushing against my cheek gently to

wipe away the tears that had begun to spell.

"There is a way," she murmured. "You already know."

| felt my stomach clench. "You don't mean..."

She nodded. "The ritual, Nina. It's ancient, and it exists for a reason. It will allowto bind my spirit to the

baby."

| shook my head, my brow furrowing in confusion. "But... how? You're My voice trailed off. | couldn't bring myself

to say the word: dead.

Selena offereda sad smile and nodded. "Yes, | am dead. But in a sense, | will be reborn," she explained

softly, “ The child will carry my memories, my experiences-all that | am. Upon her coming of age, of course,"

My eyes widened. "H-Her?" | murmured.

Selena chuckled again. "I suppose | spoiled it," she said, a bashful look crossing over her features. "But, yes,

Nina; you're having a daughter. A little girl."

At the stime, | felt both uplifted and crushed. Learning that | was having a little girl was supposed to be a

joyous occasion, a moment shared betweenand Enzo in the safety of a doctor's office.

But now, | didn't even know where Enzo was, or if he was even alive.

And to top it all off, my dead twin was tellingthat the only way for my baby to survive was to perform a ritual

that would rob my daughter of her individuality. | would be birthing my own sister, in a sense.

"Wh-What about the shadow entity?" | asked. "If | do this, will it be stopped? For good?"

Selena's expression hardened, and she nodded. "The ritual will sever its connection to our world," she

answered." Right now, | am using the light of my spirit to protect you-but, being dead, | am quickly running out

of light. The child, however, is alive. Her light, combined with mine, will be enough to banish the shadow entity

forever."

A heavy silence fell between us. This was my choice to make a decision that would not only shape the fate of my

unborn child but also bring my twin sister back.

With a trembling hand, | reached out, my fingers intertwining with Selena's. "I... | don't know," | whispered. "It

feels so..."

"You must make your decision soon," she replied, her voice already fading, growing fainter with each passing

second- | was waking up. "If you wait too long, then..."

The entity's shrieks grew louder in the distance, and | felt my stomach twist and clench in unending knots.

"...Then the entity will consme... your baby... even yourself..."

With a final, brilliant flare of light, Selena vanished.

| was jostled awake with a start, my eyes snapping open to find myself in what felt like the back of a wagon. |

heard and felt wheels wobbling against rutted ground, creaking and straining over what felt like rough terrain.

Disoriented, | blinked against the harsh glare of sunlight filtering through the smoke-choked air, my lungs

burning with each ragged breath. The scent of charred wood and smoldering embers assaulted my senses.

And as my vision cleared, | saw the devastating aftermath of Mila's rampage.

The once-vibrant and lush forest had been reduced to a smoldering wasteland, entire swaths of land scorched

and blackened by the ravenous flames.

How far the flames had swallowed the jungle, | couldn't be sure; but | didn't recognize where we were, indicating

that we had either traveled quite far already or that the stretch of jungle that | had cto recognize had simply

been reduced to nothing but ash.

But it was the sight of the procession of refugees that really shookto my core.

Hundreds of men, women, and children marched through the wasteland, their faces blackened by smoke. Sobs

and coughs echoed in the stillness, punctuated only by the sudden tramping of feet.

A choked sob escaped my lips as | scanned the devastation, searching in vain for any sign of a familiar face, any

indication that my friends had survived the inferno. But amongst the sea of faces, | didn't see any of them.

"M-My husband," | rasped out, my voice cracked and hoarse and raw from inhaling the smoke. "My pack.."

A figure sitting besidein the carriage-a grizzled, soot-stained warrior whose face | didn't recognize-looked

over at me.

And he shook his head.

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