Chapter 196

OLIVIA’S POV The forest seemed to hold its breath as Dominic helped Derek to his feet. Derek swayed, pale and fragile, alive—but barely so. I stood frozen, astonished by what had just happened. My fire… my flames had healed him. It was beyond anything I ever knew I could do. Derek rubbed his chest, confusion and pain flickering across his face. “What… what just happened?” His voice cracked. I knelt beside him and gently squeezed his hand. “The battle ended. The heaviest magic faded. All the warriors have gone, and the witches… they fled.” My voice trembled. “They stabbed you with that cursed spear—and they knew how much you meant to me. They realized… this time, you died unfairly. And when they saw my fire— their fear grew. So they ran.” He blinked, eyes still trying to take in the chaos around us. Dominic stepped back, his eyes wide and unsteady. “I—healed you,” I breathlessly confessed, still in shock. “I didn’t know I could. The phoenix—its tears, its fire—they’re not just for me. T