The air in the infirmary felt thick, oppressive, as the princes and the healers hovered around Evie's unconscious form. Her body was still, but her aura had changed, twisted by the dark energy that now seemed to suffuse her very being. The magic around her was pulsing, shifting—alive. It felt like something ancient was warring within her, tearing her apart from the inside.

Rowan's hands were trembling as he stood beside her bed, his heart hammering in his chest. "Evie... please. Wake up," he whispered, his voice a ragged plea.

He watched helplessly as the magic surged in her, a dark purple light flickering beneath her closed eyelids. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, but her once soft, welcoming features had hardened, the warmth replaced by the unmistakable chill of something far darker.

"What the hell's happening to her?" Jace muttered, his voice cracking as he collapsed into the nearest chair, his face contorted with anguish. The tears that streaked down his face seemed endless as he wiped them away desperately, as though trying to erase the helplessness that had consumed him.

Sol, standing at the foot of her bed, was silent. His face was unreadable, yet there was a storm in his eyes—his hands clenched so tightly that his nails were biting into his palms. His magic had long since simmered down, but a restless energy still clung to him like a shadow.

He was silent, but it was a silence that screamed louder than any words could.

Seth, on the other hand, was pacing frantically, his anger radiating from him like the sun's rays in a desert. "This is bullshit!" he roared, his flames licking at his fingertips with each step. "Why isn't she waking up? Why isn't anyone doing something?!"

His voice cracked with each word, the pain of being unable to protect her eating away at him. He slammed his fist into the wall, his magic scorching the stone. But no matter how much his fire burned, it couldn't bring her back.

Rowan couldn't watch anymore. His breaths were coming in shallow gasps as panic clawed at his chest. He reached out, trying to grasp her hand, but it felt so cold—so distant. His heart wrenched.

"Evie... come on... wake up. Please, don't leave me. Don't leave us." His voice trembled with the weight of his words, and for the briefest moment, he wondered if it was all too late.

He closed his eyes, his forehead resting against the edge of her bed, his mind running through every possible outcome, but none of them were the one he wanted. The one he needed.

Suddenly, the door to the infirmary opened with a soft creak, and the head healer stepped inside, her face grim.

"How is she?" Duke asked immediately, his voice almost too quiet, too careful, as if the wrong words might shatter everything.

The healer stepped forward slowly, casting a long, sorrowful glance at Evie's still form. She exhaled deeply before speaking, her voice low and weighted with the burden of her words.

"She's in a magical coma," the healer said, her eyes avoiding the princes for a moment. "Her body is fighting a war between two magics—darkness and light. Her body was never meant to contain both of them. The dark energy from her sister... it's corrupting her, trying to take over. And yet, the light inside her refuses to fade."

She paused, allowing the gravity of her words to sink in. "If she makes it through this... if her body can balance the two forces... then she may wake up. But..." The healer hesitated, her voice breaking as she glanced at Evie. "But it could also kill her. The strain is... too much."

Rowan felt his knees weaken. Too much? The words felt like a death sentence, a confirmation of his deepest fears. His eyes flicked to his brothers, his heart hammering in his chest, but it was Sol who finally broke the silence.

"She will survive," Sol's voice rang out, a rare fury in his words. The calmness in him had fractured, and his shoulders were stiff with tension. His hands clenched at his sides, nails digging into his skin. "She has to. I can't... I won't let her go."

But the healer simply shook her head, her expression filled with sorrow. "You don't understand," she said softly. "She is caught in the balance of two opposing forces—forces that were never meant to coexist in a single body. This isn't a battle she can win alone."

Seth's fury reached a boiling point. He was done being calm. He was done standing there helpless while Evie's life hung by a thread.

"What do you mean?" he spat, his eyes glowing with the heat of his rage. "What the hell are you telling us? That we just sit here and watch her die?"

The healer flinched under his gaze, but she steadied herself. "You cannot force her through this."

Her words hit like a blow to his chest, and for the first time, Seth's confidence cracked. The one person who had always been his anchor—the one person who had pulled him from darkness, who had given him a reason to fight—was now fighting for her life. And there was nothing he could do.

Rowan turned to look at his brothers, his heart aching for each of them. Jace's tear-streaked face was a mirror of his own pain. Sol was no longer the stoic, composed prince they knew; he was on the verge of breaking.

But it was Duke who finally broke the dam. His voice was raw with emotion.

"We'll find a way. We will. We can't just sit here and—"

But before he could finish, Sol's voice cut through the room like a whip. "No!" he shouted, his voice a mixture of fury and devastation. His eyes flashed with dangerous intensity as he stepped forward, his whole body trembling with barely contained power.

"This—this is all my fault." Sol's voice was shaking as he took a step back, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. His gaze turned cold, and for the first time, his control slipped. "I should've protected her better. I should have—"

He whirled around, his eyes alight with desperation. "I could've stopped it. I could've stopped all of this!" His breath was rapid, his control cracking as his frustration spilled over. His golden aura flickered with erratic energy as he balled his fists at his sides.

Rowan stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't your fault, Sol. None of us saw this coming."

But Sol's gaze was wild, frantic. He turned to look at Evie's pale, lifeless form.

"I couldn't protect her when she needed me most," Sol whispered, the weight of his words suffocating him. His voice broke on the last syllable.

The room fell into a painful silence. A silence that threatened to consume them all. They were fighting, all of them, against fate.

And fate... wasn't on their side this time.