The physician sat on the bed, examining Odesse, while Valex stood beside it and Kael stood behind Valex. The physician looked up at Valex and said, "My apologies, Your Highness, but I cannot find a pulse, and I can’t hear any breath sounds."

Valex’s lips curved upwards as he quietly sat down beside the lifeless body of his wife. The physician stood up and he touched her forehead. "Odesse, my love," Valex said, "you promised to come back to me, right?" The physician glanced at Kael with a confused look on his face as Valex continued, "My love, I know you can overcome whatever it is that you face in there. I’m waiting for you."

There was silence, but the physician’s voice broke it. "Pardon my choice of words, Your Highness, but why mate with her when you know the outcome?" Kael looked at the physician and held his hands firmly. "You dare to speak such nonsense?" The physician’s face turned to fear as he stammered, "I apologize," his voice shaking as Kael tightened his grip.

Valex didn’t speak or raise his head; his eyes remained fixed on the woman he loved. The physician, still struggling with the pain from Kael’s powerful hold, attempted a smile and said, "You must really love her, because whenever this sort of thing has happened to others, you seemed indifferent."

Kael gripped the man by his neck, causing him to struggle to breathe. "Now listen—" but Valex interrupted, his head still lowered, "Let him go now." Kael looked at Valex, his eyes relaxing, and then back at the physician. He released his grip on the man’s neck, and the physician began coughing.

Valex turned to the physician and said, "If I wanted to kill you, I could, but I won’t do that, because I would not want my wife to wake up to the scent of blood." He looked at her, his eyes soft and his smile bright but weak, gently touching her hair. "She wouldn’t approve if I killed you anyway."

The softness in his eyes changed as he looked at the physician. "So leave now, and I never want to set my eyes on you again." Kael pushed the physician forward as he tried to plead with Valex. The door opened and closed, and the room fell quiet, leaving Valex—a man on the brink of giving up—and his wife, a woman whose life hung in the balance.

He gazed at her, his eyes tired yet filled with softness for her. As he caressed her hair gently, he said, "My beautiful wife, I know you can do this." He closed his eyes, feeling the dry blood on her face. Suddenly, his eyes twitched, and his forehead wrinkled; when he opened them, they glistened. The blood had begun to flow again. A bright smile appeared on his face as he put his forehead against hers and whispered softly, "I knew you could do it, my love."

...

Odesse’s body didn’t feel like a vessel for the spirit; it felt like a house on fire. The power didn’t flow; it clawed its way out of her, dragging her life force along with it. Her skin didn’t just glow; it became translucent, stretched thin over her ribs as the light drained her from the inside.

Below her, the Soul Eater was caught in a trap it couldn’t escape. The light pinned it to the ground like a needle through an insect. It began to boil. The shadow bubbled into oily, shapeless heaps, a dozen eyes opening in the wrong places, a jaw unhinging into a mass of wet, black hair. It wasn’t disappearing; it was being cooked into a screaming, unrecognizable pile of meat and smoke.

"Don’t break," the Spirit’s voice rattled her teeth, sounding more like a command than encouragement. "Give it everything. Every drop."

Odesse’s vision went gray. She was fading, her mind slipping into static.

The purple rot of the curse on Valex wasn’t just fading; it was sloughing off his spirit in wet, heavy chunks. He looked like a man being flayed alive, his spirit-flesh raw and red beneath the falling layers of Malrik’s shadow. As the curse peeled away, he didn’t just get bigger—he looked dangerous again, his muscles thickening like iron cooling in a mold.

"Malrik..." Odesse’s voice was a wet, broken sound. She wasn’t making a grand speech; she was spitting the name out like a mouthful of blood.

The heat in the room was sickening, a dry, electric burn that made her hair stand on end. Her heart gave one final, violent kick against her ribs, and then the world simply snapped.

The chains broke into millions of tiny pieces, and Odesse dropped to the floor. Her eyes returned to normal, but her skin was paler than usual, and her body felt weak. She was not unconscious; her eyes fluttered open slowly. The moon spirit spoke within her: "Stand up, child, now."

Odesse struggled to assist herself with her hands, which were shaking. She felt limp and weak as she tried to find her strength. The voice of the moon spirit echoed again: "Stand up, child. The chain has been broken, but we need to lock the soul eater before it disappears."

Odesse looked at the soul eater as it screeched, fragments of itself beginning to flow away slowly. "No, no," she whispered to herself as she stood up, her legs trembling. With great effort, she walked closer and looked down at the creature, which moved in disturbing ways. She grimaced at the sight.

The moon spirit urged her, "Close your eyes, child, and raise your hands underneath it." Odesse nodded, closed her eyes, and lifted her hands. Light flowed from her palms as she moved her hands in unimaginable patterns, dancing around the shadow. White and glistening trails followed her every motion.

The soul eater screeched in agony, its voice a cacophony of the souls it had consumed. Then, a golden light burst from it and made its way toward Valex, merging with him. The soul eater shrank until it was contained in a glass box.

Odesse opened her eyes and gazed down at the box. "Pick it up, child," the moon spirit instructed. She bent down and carefully picked up the box, which still held the soul eater in a disturbing form. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice call her name. Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned around to see Valex, looking strong and perfect, just as she remembered him.

"My king," she exclaimed with a smile. He walked closer and said, "I am very lucky to have you as my wife, my love." As he touched her face, fragments of him began to flow into the air. Odesse beamed, and the scene transformed; the blue sky washed over the black, the trees began to bloom, the air felt refreshing, and the animals returned.

With wide eyes brimming with wonder, Odesse looked around. The moon spirit’s voice resonated through her body, saying, "You did well, moon child. Your husband’s soul has been cleared now." Odesse smiled brightly as the spirit continued, "You should be proud."

But then the box began to shake, and she looked at it in alarm; the soul eater was returning to its original form. "What do I do with it?" Odesse asked, her eyes wide. The moon spirit replied, "We shall return to our original realm of meeting." Odesse nodded and seated herself in a meditative stance, holding the box.

She closed her eyes as the wind swept through her hair, and the air enveloped her skin. For a brief moment, she felt the soft green grass beneath her, but then it vanished, replaced by dirt. "Open your eyes, child," the moon spirit instructed. Odesse opened her eyes weakly to a blinding light, struggling to adjust her vision until she saw the moon spirit hovering before her, illuminated by the bright moonlight above.

Odesse stood up, and the moon spirit said, "Drop the box, child, and move back." Odesse followed this command, stepping far away from it. The spirit hovered high in the sky, drawing power from the moon. It moved gracefully, circling the forest. The air, once thick, turned cold and windy as a force of light rushed down and struck the box, causing it to shatter silently into pieces like feathers.

As the spirit descended, Odesse walked toward it in awe. "Wow, that was incredible," she said. The moon spirit replied softly, "Your husband has been freed, and the map has been saved. We shall wait to hear of Malrik’s new fate."

Odesse added, "Yes, and his elders; when he dies, they will surely be beheaded by the high chief." She looked at the moon spirit with gratitude. "Thank you for helping me. I am truly grateful."

The moon spirit replied, "It is time for you to return now, child. Your husband waits for you eagerly." Odesse smiled and said, "You always love to brush aside my compliments, but nonetheless, I will compliment you." With a joyful leap, she exclaimed like a child, "You were awesome!"

"Leave now, child," the spirit insisted, and Odesse disappeared into the sky like a puff of smoke. The moon spirit sighed, muttering, "Mortals never fail to amuse me."

...

Valex was still seated beside Odesse and had fallen half asleep when he heard a groaning sound. His eyes twitched, and his ears reacted, but he didn’t open his eyes. Then he heard a soft, low, and weak voice say, "My king." His eyes flew open in shock. He looked at her and saw her trying to open her eyes. Sitting up straight, he exclaimed, "My love, you’re awake!" She smiled weakly, and as tears rolled down her cheeks, she looked at him, trying to find his face.

He brought his face closer to her hands, which were cold, yet he felt warmth in her touch. She whispered, "My king, you’re free now, and everyone else is saved." Valex gazed at her, his eyes watering. She pulled his head closer to her face and leaned in for a kiss. Unable to resist, Valex melted into her kiss, feeling as if a deep yearning had finally been fulfilled.