Chapter 507: The Weight of Seeing

The silence hung heavy in the hall. It pressed on everyone’s shoulders like the air itself had grown too dense to breathe. No one moved. No one spoke. The only sound was the faint rustle of parchment as eyes traced the lines of the drawing on the table, lingering on the faces of Sophia and Orion, locked in that frozen, bleeding tableau.

Mary was the first to break the silence. Her voice was low, almost hesitant, but it carried enough disbelief to ripple through the room.

"This... this has to be a joke," she said, her hands pressing down on the table as though to steady herself. "It can’t be real. There’s no way... no way that this is actually... a vision." She exhaled sharply and shook her head. "I’m sure... I’m sure it’s a shitty vision, some trick of the magic. It’s not possible, right? It cannot be possible, right?"

Brynhild tilted her head slightly, frowning, her fingers brushing the edge of her chair as though seeking some anchor. "What’s wrong with the drawing?" she asked quietly, her voice calm but tinged with suspicion.

Lysander sighed, and even his voice shook slightly as he spoke.

"The woman I described... she looked like Sophia, and the man she held... it was Orion," he said softly.

Brynhild’s brow furrowed, though she could not see the lines on the paper. She shook her head gently, almost in disbelief, as though trying to erase the image from her mind. "No," she said softly. "This... this has to be a joke. It has to be."

Orion rubbed a hand through his hair, his fingers combing through it nervously. He exhaled, a sharp, short sound, and shook his head. "This isn’t... I—" He paused. Something made him freeze mid-motion. His eyes flicked to where Sophia had been standing. And she wasn’t.

He turned sharply, his pulse jumping. His gaze landed on her, just at the edge of the hall toward the door.

Her eyes were wide, unblinking, and she was shaking her head violently as she moved backward, murmuring over and over, the words falling from her lips like a frantic incantation.

"It... it can’t happen... it can’t happen... it can’t happen... it can’t happen. No, no, it’s not real. It’s not real..."

Orion’s heart stopped in that moment, his chest tightening. He could see the panic radiating off her in waves, the raw, pure terror twisting her features. She repeated the phrase over and over as she stumbled backward, her twisted ankle buckling beneath her.

Sophia fell, the floor rising up to meet her with cruel insistence. And then Orion was there, catching her as she collapsed into his arms. Her sobs shook her entire body.

"It... it can’t be real," she choked out, her voice trembling. "It... it can’t... it can’t happen!"

Orion held her gently but firmly, guiding her so she would not hurt herself further. "Shh... it’s okay," he said, his voice low, calm, unshakable. "It’s okay, shorty. Focus on me."

She pressed her face into his chest, shuddering violently. "No! You don’t understand! You don’t understand!" she cried, her words punctuated by hiccups and ragged breaths. "You don’t understand... this isn’t just a drawing... it’s one I’ve seen! One I’ve seen before!"

"Shorty..." he called out softly.

Her head shook violently. "You don’t get it!" she said through her sobs. "You don’t understand! I’ve seen this, Orion. I’ve seen it happen!" she cried.

"I saw something like that... the... the pack burning..." she cried. "...I held you in my arms... it can’t happen, Orion."

She still remembered the feel of him in her hands in that dream. She had no idea if that dream had been a vision or just a dream, but it had felt real, and she hated it. She hated the feeling. She hated it.

"You cannot die," she whispered, almost to herself, tears sliding freely down her cheeks. "You cannot die... I can’t lose you, Orion. I cannot lose you... I can’t lose everyone..." She shook her head. "...I can’t lose you..." she cried.

Orion tilted her chin gently, brushing the damp strands of hair from her face. "Shh... look at me, shorty," he said softly.

She sniffled, reluctant, shaking her head faintly. Her hands trembled as they clutched his arms. "I... I can’t..."

"You can," he said, voice steady, unyielding. "I’m not asking you to be fearless. I’m asking you to see what’s in front of you. Look at me, shorty."

Her gaze flickered, and after a moment, she met his eyes. Orion’s thumb brushed across her cheek, wiping away the tears with gentle care. "Good," he whispered. "Now... take a look at everyone in this hall."

Sophia’s gaze lifted slowly, reluctantly at first, and then she scanned the faces of everyone gathered. Ronan stood close to Orion, worry etched across his features. Brynhild was not far behind. Even Eldric, standing off to the side, stared at her with an expression that mirrored the unease twisting through her own chest.

Everyone was watching her, silently, and with worry too.

Orion’s voice came again, low and deliberate. "Two people in this hall... you’ve already saved them from death. Their deaths... you saw them before. And you prevented them. They’re here because of you. People you now know as family. And one person you saved from losing a piece of himself..." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Sophia blinked, her hands tightening against Orion’s tunic, still trembling.

Orion continued, his gaze unwavering. "If you saved Brynhild and Ronan from death, and Lysander from losing himself... then you can save me too. You can save me, shorty."

"You have already saved people in the pack, shorty. You’ve saved others. You have changed the outcomes of visions before, and you can do it again. You are the Luna, shorty. The goddess chose you," he told her softly.

Tears streamed freely down her face now, her body shaking, sobs wracking her frame. She nodded slowly, finally allowing herself to breathe against his chest.

"I’m scared," she whispered, voice trembling, hoarse from crying. "I’m scared I’ll make a mistake. I’m scared things will go wrong... I’m scared I’ll lose you... I’m scared I’ll lose everyone. I... I can’t... I can’t lose you, Orion... I can’t lose you."