CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 154: WARRIOR PARENTS

"No." Elara’s voice cut through the nursery like a blade. "My babies are not walking into any trap."

Baby Sage blinked his crystal blue eyes. "Mom, you saw the vision. If we don’t—"

"I don’t care what the vision showed," Kael interrupted, his Alpha voice booming. "You’re six months old."

"Age is just a number," baby Blaze said, tiny flames flickering around his fingers.

Ronan laughed bitterly. "Did our baby just give us life advice?"

"He’s not wrong," Darian said quietly. Everyone turned to stare at him. "What? I’m not saying we let them sacrifice themselves. I’m saying we fight smarter."

"Explain," Elara demanded.

Darian picked up baby Sage, who immediately grabbed his father’s finger. "The vision showed the children surrendering. It didn’t show us doing nothing."

"Keep talking," Kael said.

"We become warrior parents," Darian continued. "We follow them into the trap, but we turn it into our trap."

Luna’s silver eyes brightened. "A decoy mission."

"Exactly," Phoenix agreed, his golden power humming. "The bad guys expect four powerful children. They don’t expect an entire family of fighters."

Dr. Webb stepped forward. "I’m coming too."

"Marcus, no," his mother protested.

"Mom, they’re targeting all supernatural children," Dr. Webb said firmly. "Every child I’ve ever helped heal could die tonight. I won’t hide."

Kane shifted restlessly. "My pack will fight beside you."

Seraphina nodded. "So will my coven."

Timothy straightened his glasses. "The memory witches stand with you as well."

Frost created an ice sword in her small hand. "Nobody hurts babies. Ever."

Baby Sage looked around at all the determined faces. "This could work. But it has to look real."

"What has to look real?" Lydia asked nervously.

"Our surrender," baby Blaze explained. "The enemies have to believe we’re giving up."

"Which means no weapons visible," Luna said, understanding immediately.

"No obvious magic," Phoenix added.

"We have to look defenseless," Sage continued.

"While actually being ready for war," Blaze finished.

Elara felt her heart racing. "This is insane."

"Insane plans work best," Ronan said with a wild grin. "Trust me, I know."

Kael checked his watch. "Five hours until dawn. Where exactly are we supposed to surrender?"

Baby Sage’s truth-sight blazed. Images flashed through everyone’s minds. A massive clearing in the forest. Hundreds of supernatural enemies forming a circle. And in the center, four small children walking toward certain death.

"The Sacred Grove," Timothy whispered. "They chose the most powerful magical location in the territory."

"Smart," Darian admitted. "All that natural magic will boost their abilities."

"But it works both ways," Frost pointed out. "We’ll be stronger there too."

"Good point," Kane said. "My wolves are always more powerful in the Grove."

"So are my vampires," Seraphina agreed.

Dr. Webb was already moving. "I need to contact every supernatural ally we have. If this is happening, we’re not going alone."

"How many enemies are we talking about?" Elara asked, though she dreaded the answer.

Baby Sage closed his eyes, his truth-sight reaching out. "Three thousand, four hundred and twelve."

Stunned silence filled the room.

"How many allies do we have?" Ronan asked weakly.

"Maybe two hundred," Kane estimated.

"We’re outnumbered seventeen to one," Darian calculated grimly.

"I like those odds," baby Blaze said cheerfully.

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" the baby asked innocently. "Seventeen bad guys for every one of us? That’s not fair to them."

Despite everything, Elara almost smiled. "You’re definitely Ronan’s son."

"Hey!" Ronan protested. "I would have said the same thing."

"That’s exactly my point," Elara replied.

Suddenly, shadows crept through the window again. But these shadows felt different. Sadder.

Void Walker emerged, but his black eyes looked hollow now.

"You’re really going through with it," he said quietly.

"Did you think we wouldn’t?" Kael challenged.

"I hoped you’d run," Void Walker admitted. "Take your children and disappear forever."

"Running won’t save the other children," Luna pointed out.

"Smart girl," Void Walker said. "Too smart for your own good."

"Why are you here?" Elara demanded.

Void Walker was quiet for a long moment. "I remembered something about my daughter. The last vision she had before they killed her."

"What did she see?" Phoenix asked gently.

"She saw four children with impossible power standing in a circle of enemies," Void Walker whispered. "She said they would either save everyone or doom everyone. There was no middle ground."

Baby Sage tilted his head. "What else did she see?"

"She saw that one parent would have to make an impossible choice," Void Walker continued. "Between saving their own child and saving the world."

Ice-cold fear shot through Elara’s veins. "Which parent?"

"She didn’t say," Void Walker replied. "But she was very clear about one thing. The choice would come at the moment of greatest darkness, when all hope seemed lost."

"Cryptic prophecies," Ronan muttered. "I hate cryptic prophecies."

"There’s more," Void Walker said reluctantly. "The extremists aren’t planning to just kill your children quickly. They want to make an example. They’re going to torture them first."

Kael’s eyes blazed red with Alpha rage. "Over my dead body."

"That’s also part of their plan," Void Walker said softly.

The temperature in the room dropped as everyone’s powers flared with fury.

"You’re telling us this why?" Darian asked suspiciously.

Void Walker looked directly at baby Sage. "Because your son’s truth-sight showed me something in that vision earlier. My daughter isn’t really gone. Part of her soul is trapped in the space between life and death. The extremists lied to me. They can’t bring her back. But..."

"But what?" Sage pressed.

"If your plan works, if you really do save everyone, the balance will shift enough to free her spirit," Void Walker explained. "She’ll finally be at peace."

"And if we fail?" Blaze asked.

"Then everyone dies, including her trapped soul," Void Walker said grimly.

He began fading back into the shadows.

"Four hours now," he warned. "They’re already gathering at the Grove."

"Wait," Elara called out. "Will you help us?"

Void Walker paused. "I can’t fight my own kind directly. But..."

He tossed something onto the floor. A small silver pendant shaped like an eye.

"My daughter’s truth-sight pendant," he said. "It will show you which enemy is the real leader when the time comes. Not all the ones giving orders are actually in charge."

Then he vanished completely.

Baby Sage crawled over and touched the pendant. His eyes went wide.

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"The real enemy," Sage whispered. "It’s not who we think it is."

"Who is it?" everyone demanded.

But baby Sage had gone very quiet, his truth-sight showing him something that made him tremble.

"We need to go now," he said urgently. "The timeline just changed."

"What do you mean?" Kael asked.

Baby Blaze’s orange flames suddenly blazed bright with alarm. "They’re not waiting for dawn anymore."

"They’re coming now," Phoenix said, his golden power flaring.

"All of them," Luna added, silver light dancing anxiously around her.

Through the broken windows, they could see lights moving through the forest. Hundreds of lights. Thousands of lights.

All heading straight for them.

"So much for our four hours," Ronan said grimly.

"Change of plans," Elara said, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "We make our stand here."

"In the nursery?" Darian asked.

"In the nursery," Elara confirmed. "Where our children were born. Where their power first awakened. Where we became a family."

The lights were getting closer. They could hear voices now. Angry voices calling for blood.

Baby Sage looked up at his parents with those wise crystal eyes.

"Remember," he said softly. "Whatever happens next, we’re stronger together."

"Always," baby Blaze agreed, tiny flames dancing around his fingers.

Luna and Phoenix moved to stand protectively in front of their baby brothers.

"Together," Luna whispered.

"Forever," Phoenix added.

But as the army of enemies surrounded the house, one terrifying truth became clear:

This wouldn’t be a battle.

It would be a war.

And not everyone would survive until morning.