When Magic Breaks

Chapter Twenty-Three - The First Cry

Two months later

The air in the underground suite pulsed with tension.

A storm had been building — not outside, but inside Aeris. The love spell was stretched thin, trembling like a thread pulled too tightly. And tonight, that thread finally began to snap.

Aeris lay on the bed, breaths coming fast and shallow. The world swirled around her in waves of warmth, pain, and muffled magic. She clutched the blankets, her body trembling.

Kael was at her side instantly, panic and excitement warring on his face.

"It's time," he whispered, more to himself than to her. "Aeris, it's happening."

She didn't answer — couldn't answer. Her mind flickered between the rose-colored haze of the spell and the sharp, raw clarity of instinct. Her magic surged with every breath, stretching through her like light trying to break free.

Midwives rushed in, murmuring calming words, guiding Aeris through the pain. Their hands glowed with healing magic as they worked.

Kael hovered, restless, pacing, watching every movement.

"Be gentle," he snapped at the midwives. "She's fragile."

Aeris wasn't fragile. Not anymore.

Something ancient had awakened in her. Something older than the spell, older than Kael's enchantments.

Motherhood had carved a space where magic could breathe freely.

A contraction hit, sharp and powerful, and Aeris cried out — not just from pain but from something deeper. Her true self broke through the haze of the spell for just a heartbeat.

"I... I don't—"
Her voice cracked.

Kael rushed to her side. "Aeris, look at me. Listen to me. You love me. You trust me."

The spell tried to tighten again.

But another wave of pain — no, power — crashed through her, shattering the enchantment for a single breath.

Her eyes widened.

And for the first time in months, she saw Kael clearly.

His fear.
His obsession.
His control.

"Kael..." she breathed, her real voice trembling.

But the moment didn't last.

The spell snapped back like a whip, fogging her mind once more just as the final wave of labor hit.

Minutes stretched into hours.

Then...

A cry filled the room.
Small.
Sharp.
Miraculous.

Aeris's chest tightened with emotion as the midwife lifted a tiny, glowing bundle and placed the child in her arms.

Her child.

Her baby.

Her breath hitched as she looked down at the small face — soft wisps of silver-dark hair, eyes still closed, little fists curled tight. The baby's aura shimmered faintly with the same magic Aeris had always carried.

A spark of destiny.

Kael stepped closer, awe spreading across his features. "Our child," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Perfect."

Aeris smiled — the spell pushing gentle warmth through her — but tears spilled down her cheeks for reasons the spell couldn't explain.

She held her baby closer.

The tiny heartbeat pressed against her own.

And then something extraordinary happened.

The baby opened its eyes.

Bright.
Luminous.
Ancient.

Aeris inhaled sharply as pure magic washed over her — not harmful, not chaotic, but awakening.

The baby stared at her.

And for a moment, the spell cracked wide open.

Her mind cleared.
Her heart cleared.
Her love — real love — flooded her body, fierce and unstoppable.

Kael didn't notice the change.

He reached for the baby, smiling broadly. "Let me hold—"

Aeris pulled back instinctively, her arms tightening around her child. Her eyes flashed — her true eyes — sharp and protective.

Kael froze.

"Aeris?"
His voice trembled.
"What... was that?"

But Aeris didn't answer.

Because deep inside her, the ember of her true self burst into flame.

The baby had awakened something Kael could never control.

Something he should fear.