Chapter 184

CHAPTER 26… VALENTINA The moment Luciano hit my arms, the world broke into sound. His cry tore out of him— sharp, terrified, and alive, and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, even though it was his cry. Finally, my son has come to me. I crushed him to my chest, rocking him instinctively as if the collapsing sky behind me did not exist. “I’ve got you… I’ve got you…” I sobbed into his hair. But the earth was collapsing. Behind us, Andres was no longer just Andres. Golden fire ripped through his veins, tearing through muscle and bone in blazing arcs of ancient power. Shadows recoiled from him like living things afraid of the sun. His body elongated slightly, spine arching, shoulders broadening— his War Form tearing through restraint not as a shift, but as a revelation. Half king. Half ruin. The dark entity lunged again. And Andres met it with a roar that shook the Moonwell itself. Their collision felt like two eras slamming together. Shadow slammed into gold. Ancient darkne