The air in the Sanctuary chamber had turned heavy. Bettina's heart which had just soared with relief, now plummeted with cold terror. The man staring past her was Erich, but the chilling intensity in his silver eyes belonged to the Triple Hybrid, a being of pure, calculating strategic dominance.
"The siege is coming, I need a report on the Citadel's tactical weaknesses and the current state of the Rogues. What assets do we possess?" Erich repeated, his voice strong and commanding cutting through the peace of the Sanctuary like steel.
He did not look at Bettina. He addressed Arnold, who stared back, equally stunned.
"Erich? Are you... are you alright?" Arnold managed, stepping closer.
Erich's gaze finally settled on his brother, but it was devoid of brotherhood, analyzing Arnold like a chess piece. "It is clear that the Citadel has been compromised, and my forces are disorganized. We must re-establish control. Arnold."
Arnold, intimidated by the unfeeling force of his brother's will, stammered out the details, Sybil was preparing Fire Stone Cannons, and the Rogue forces were scattered, having only achieved a distraction, not a victory.
Bettina could not stand it, this cold triple hybrid was not the man who had traded his life for her. She stepped between Erich and Arnold, forcing him to look at her.
"Erich stop," she demanded, her voice shaking but firm. "I was here for three days. I used everything I had to keep you alive. You looked at me, You smiled What are you doing?"
Erich turned his head, his focus finally on her face, but his expression did not soften.
"Bettina," he stated, using her name with the tone of a Commander acknowledging an inconvenient variable. "Your biological presence served as the necessary catalyst to bring my consciousness back. The Matriarch's assessment was correct. My gratitude is noted. However, the current situation demands immediate absolute focus on survival. You are safe here. My concentration must be on the Shadows outside the walls, not the Light within."
"But... I am your Light!" she pleaded, tears welling up. "That is why you did it! You gave up everything! You chose me over the throne!"
Erich frowned, a flicker of cold confusion crossing his features. "I made a strategic exchange. The Citadel was unbreakable. Sacrificing my power, though drastic, was the only way to breach the Trial, secure your safety, and destabilize Sybil's position. It was a tactical necessity to survive. Emotion was the tool; the outcome was the goal. I am the soon to be King, the heir to the throne, Bettina. My primary function is to protect the Lineage, which now means protecting this Sanctuary."
Bettina recoiled as if struck. The man who had faced death for love now reduced that love to a "tool" and a "necessity."
The Matriarch, who had been watching silently from the entrance to the Well of Will, stepped forward.
"The triple hybrid vessel is whole," she announced, nodding with a terrible certainty. "But the soul that fought back is not the one who entered the water. The will is too clean. When the heart is emptied, the space must be filled. His mind has returned with the cold, pure logic of his ancestors. He is now only The Triple Hybrid soon to be king, stripped of human weakness."
Arnold was horrified. "But is he possessed? By the Old Ones?"
"No," the Matriarch replied. "He is worse. He is possessed by himself. The sacrifice cleansed him entirely, leaving only the primary imperative: Rule and Survive. The man you knew is suppressed, perhaps forever."
Erich, already busy giving Arnold complex orders about mobilizing the remaining Rogue forces, paid them no attention. He was already the most powerful mind in the room, even if his body had only a fraction of its former magical strength.
Erich finished his planning. He needed to establish communication with a high-value asset he knew still existed inside the Citadel: a network of old Witches who served the King before Sybil took power. He knew they were hiding in the lowest, most ancient vaults.
He turned to Arnold, his silver eyes flashing with calculation.
"Arnold, your loyalty has been proven. You will sneak back to the Citadel tonight. You know the tunnels better than anyone. You will activate the hidden signal array in the seventh vault."
Arnold looked terrified. "Go back? Erich, they will kill me instantly! Sybil knows I am with you!"
Erich didn't move. "You are expendable, Arnold. Your death is preferable to my exposure. If I go, Sybil wins immediately. If you go and you are captured, am is still safe, and the Citadel believes the resistance is broken. The risk is calculated."
Bettina stepped forward, her body trembling with a mixture of disbelief and fury. "No! You can't ask him to sacrifice himself! That's not how you operate!"
Erich finally looked at her, and the look was final. "It is precisely how I operate now, Bettina. I need those assets. Arnold, prepare the equipment. I will need the location of the most powerful remaining Rogue asset still within striking distance of the Citadel. An asset that can be sacrificed to buy us time."
Erich paused, his calculating gaze sweeping over Bettina again, and he smiled the cold, emotionless smile that broke her heart.
"The most powerful asset is the one who believes they are fighting for a cause greater than themselves. I will need the precise location of the Witch Harrow. And I will need you, Bettina, to prepare for a journey. You are no longer safe here. You will be my ultimate insurance policy."
He gave a final, chilling order that left no doubt about his priorities.
"Arnold after you return, you will deliver the Witch, Harrow, to the Fire Stone Cannons. We need to test Sybil's defenses with a sacrifice before we commit our own strength."