Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 139: The Fae King’s Test

OBERYN POV

As I dove to protect Queen Seraphina from the Shadow Lord’s attack, the ground blew up under me. Black claws just missed her neck by an inch and tore through the old oak tree behind us instead. Pieces of wood flew at us like poisonous darts.

"Your Majesty!" I yelled and pulled her behind a downed tree. "Are you hurt?"

She gasped and said, "I’m fine," but I could see blood running down her arm. "But Oberyn, look!"

I looked around to see what was making her voice shake with fear. Aria was surrounded by six huge Shadow Lords all over the battlefield. They weren’t trying to kill her—they were moving her toward a dark portal that had opened in the air like a wound in reality.

"They’re taking her to the Prisoner," I realized with fear.

"We have to help her!" Seraphina started to stand, but I grabbed her arm and held her down.

"No," I said strongly. "This is bigger than just saving Aria. If the Shadow Lords get both her and Lucien, they’ll have everything they need to destroy all the worlds."

I looked around at the chaos surrounding us. Werewolves were facing shadow creatures twice their size. Vampires were fighting dark magic that burned their skin. Dragons were breathing fire at enemies they couldn’t really hurt. Everyone was losing. Everyone was dying.

And in the middle of it all, I had to make a choice that would change everything.

"Queen Seraphina," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. "I need you to listen very carefully. What I’m about to do will save everyone, but it might cost me my life."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her red eyes flashing with worry.

"The Ancient Fae Magic," I explained quickly. "There’s a spell that can trap the Shadow Lords forever. But it takes a terrible sacrifice. Someone has to give up their immortality to power it."

Her eyes went wide with shock. "Oberyn, no. There has to be another way."

"There isn’t," I said, standing up despite the risk. "And we’re running out of time."

I could feel my people’s old magic calling to me. Magic that had been sleeping in my bloodline for ages. Magic that was older than the werewolf packs, older than the vampire covens, older than even the dragons. Magic that my people had hidden away for thousands of years because it was too dangerous to use. "By the ancient laws of the Fae Court," I called out in a voice that carried across the entire battlefield, cutting through the sounds of battle, "I claim the right of the Final Test!"

Everything stopped. Shadow Lords froze mid-attack. Werewolves stopped fighting. Vampires paused with their teeth bared. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

A voice answered me from the dark portal—the Prisoner itself. When it spoke, the ground beneath our feet shook.

"Well, well," it said with cruel enjoyment. "The little Fae King wants to play. How lovely. Very well, Oberyn. You know the rules. One test. One choice. Winner takes all."

"I accept," I said, even though my heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear my own words.

The world around us changed in a moment. Suddenly, we were standing in a place that wasn’t quite real—a space between worlds where the Ancient Magic could work. Aria, Lucien, all our friends, and all the Shadow Lords were frozen like statues. Only the Prisoner and I could move.

"Here’s your test, Fae King," the Prisoner said, its voice like poison dripping through the air. "You can save your precious friends, or you can keep the ritual information that might defeat me. But you cannot do both."

Two doors appeared in front of me. One was made of silver light that hurt to look at directly. The other was made of golden fire that seemed to burn without heat.

"Behind the silver door," the Prisoner explained with clear joy, "is the power to free everyone who’s trapped. Aria, Lucien, Queen Seraphina, all your friends will be safe. They’ll live to fight another day. But you’ll lose all knowledge of the Ancient Fae Magic. The information of how to trap Shadow Lords forever will be gone from your mind." freёnovelkiss-com

"And behind the golden door?" I asked, though I already knew the answer would be terrible.

"The complete ritual," it said with a laugh that made my skin crawl. "Every word, every gesture, every magical component needed to banish Shadow Lords from all worlds forever. You’ll have the power to save millions of helpless lives across all the worlds. But everyone you care about dies. Right now. Right here. Starting with your dear friend Aria."

I stared at the two doors, feeling the weight of an impossible decision crushing down on me. Save my friends and lose the only tool that could stop the Shadow Lords permanently? Or sacrifice everyone I cared about to save endless strangers?

"Oh, and Oberyn," the Prisoner added kindly, "you have thirty seconds to choose. After that, I take both doors away and kill everyone anyway."

Twenty-nine seconds.

I thought about Aria, who had never asked to be an Earth Guardian but had accepted the duty anyway. She was just a young woman who wanted to protect her pack.

Twenty-five seconds.

I thought about Lucien, who had just learned he was a Life Guardian and would need guidance to control his dangerous powers.

Twenty seconds.

I thought about Queen Seraphina, who had risked her entire vampire country to help us fight.

Fifteen seconds.

I thought about all the innocent people in all the worlds who would suffer if the Shadow Lords weren’t stopped. Children who would grow up in darkness. Families who would be torn apart by shadow magic.

Ten seconds.

"Tick tock, Fae King," the Prisoner mocked.

Five seconds.

I closed my eyes and reached for one of the doors, knowing that either way, I would lose something valuable forever.

Three seconds.

But just as my hand touched the door handle, I felt something impossible. The frozen forms around us began to move.

Two seconds.

Aria’s eyes opened and met mine across the magical space.

One second.

"Oberyn," she said, her voice somehow reaching me despite the Prisoner’s magic. "There’s a third option."

"What?" I gasped.

"Trust me," she whispered, and I felt power coming from her that I’d never sensed before. Not just Earth Guardian power. Something else entirely.

Time stopped completely.

And that’s when I realized Aria had been hiding the biggest secret of all.

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