Chapter 661: The Fight They Chose

The words lingered in the air, and then Orion spoke.

"I am," he said calmly.

Ronan let out a short breath at that, something close to a chuckle slipping through.

"Well," he said, gesturing lightly toward Orion, "there you have it."

Sophia blinked.

"One of us is clearly annoyed," Ronan said.

That didn’t help.

If anything, it made her frown deepen slightly.

"And the rest of you?" she asked, her gaze shifting across the room again. "What about the rest of you?"

Her eyes lingered on Ronan, then Tobias, then Lysander, before finally settling briefly on Brynhild.

"Orion being annoyed makes sense," she continued, her voice tightening just slightly. "He doesn’t even like the goddess."

"For obvious reasons," Orion added under his breath.

Sophia didn’t argue that.

Instead, she shook her head slightly.

"But the rest of you?" she pressed. "You should be too."

Her fingers tightened faintly against each other.

"It’s not like any of you did anything to deserve that," she said. "To deserve a fate that was already decided for you. A fate that was going to take you... and is still going to try."

The words came quicker now.

"For something that had nothing to do with you," she added. "For something tied to someone who came long before you even existed."

Her gaze shifted again.

This time, it settled on Brynhild.

"And you," she said, quieter now but no less firm. "You, of all people, should be annoyed."

Brynhild didn’t react immediately.

She stayed where she was, seated beside Sophia, her expression calm in the way it always was.

Sophia watched her closely.

"Why aren’t you?" she asked. "Why aren’t any of you reacting?"

"Why are you all just... taking it?" she finished.

For a moment, no one answered.

Then Brynhild spoke.

"I can’t speak for everyone," she said softly.

Sophia’s gaze stayed on her.

"But it’s not that I’m not annoyed," Brynhild continued. "Because I am."

"I am annoyed, though just a little bit," she said. "That someone thought they could decide our lives for us. That they thought they could use us... end us... because of something tied to an ancestor we never even knew."

Her fingers shifted slightly against the fabric of the bed.

"That alone is enough to make me angry."

Sophia stilled slightly at that.

But Brynhild didn’t stop there.

"But I also know something else," she added.

Sophia’s brows pulled together faintly.

"And that is the fact that none of that happened," Brynhild said. "Not the way it was meant to."

Her head tilted slightly.

"Because you changed it."

Sophia’s breath caught faintly.

"It’s because of you that I’m here," Brynhild continued. "That all of us are."

The room stayed quiet.

"And maybe," she went on, her voice still soft but steady, "maybe I’ve just had more time to think about things."

A small pause followed.

"Or maybe I’ve just grown into it," she added lightly. "But I don’t see the point in holding onto something that didn’t happen."

Sophia’s fingers loosened slightly.

"We have a future," Brynhild said simply. "One that we weren’t supposed to have."

Her hand moved then, finding Sophia’s again, her grip gentle but firm.

"So if fate wants to take that away," she continued, "then it can try."

There was no hesitation in her voice.

"No one here is going down without a fight."

Sophia’s chest tightened slightly.

"You gave us a second chance," Brynhild added. "And I’m not going to waste that."

Her grip tightened just a fraction.

"I don’t believe any of us are."

The words settled into the room.

And for a moment, Sophia just stared at her.

Then Ronan pushed himself off the table slightly, straightening as he spoke.

"I’m with her," he said.

Sophia glanced at him.

Ronan shrugged lightly, though there was nothing careless about it.

"Fate, the goddess, whatever it is," he added, "they can try whatever they want."

A faint smirk touched his lips.

"We’re still here."

His gaze flickered briefly around the room.

"And we’re not planning on going anywhere."

There was a quiet certainty in that.

"We came this far," he continued. "We’ve survived worse than whatever this is supposed to be."

He tilted his head slightly.

"So yeah, maybe our path was meant to end differently," he said. "Maybe it was supposed to stop before it even started."

His expression softened just slightly as he stared at Sophia.

"But it didn’t, and that’s because of you, sis," he said. "Honestly, that’s enough for me."

A small pause followed before he exhaled lightly.

"So instead of standing here talking about what would have happened," he went on, "maybe we should focus on what is happening."

"Because whether we like it or not," Ronan continued, "this isn’t over."

Sophia’s fingers tightened slightly again.

"The successor of the night is still out there," he said. "And if there’s one thing I’m sure of..."

His gaze sharpened just slightly.

"She’s not going to stop looking for you. That’s what we should be preparing for, not something that didn’t happen."

The room stayed quiet after that.

Then Ronan let out a small breath, rolling his shoulders slightly.

"But," he added, his tone shifting just a little, "we don’t have to solve all of that right now."

Sophia blinked faintly.

"You just got back to us," he said. "You’ve barely had time to breathe."

His expression softened slightly.

"Get some rest," he added. "We can go over everything properly later."

A faint hint of tiredness slipped into his tone.

"Preferably when the sun is up," he muttered. "And I’m less exhausted."

That drew the faintest shift in the room again.

Brynhild nodded slightly beside Sophia.

"I agree," she said softly.

Sophia turned toward her.

"I left Raina at home," Brynhild added. "She’ll be fine, but I should get back soon."

Her hand squeezed Sophia’s once more before slowly letting go.

Then she shifted, rising carefully from the bed.

"Don’t think too much about everything," Brynhild said gently.

Sophia let out a faint breath at that.

"I know that’s easier said than done," Brynhild added, a small smile touching her lips, "but the past is the past."

She tilted her head slightly.

"And we’re here now."

Her voice softened just a little more.

"So let’s focus on that."