arrived at the Academy. The girl who had been full of life, always smiling as if she was in the know of a secret. The girl who’d been one of my closest friends.
But then I think about the army of souls fighting a battle that isn’t theirs. I think of the dead professors hanging from the gates at the front of the Academy. I think about how she inadvertently killed me once upon a time and then blamed Caius, forcing him into a cage in Hell.
There is no hesitation when I impale my dagger into her heart.
Her lips part, blood drizzling down her chin, as her brow creases in disbelief. The hand holding her own dagger falls to her side as she staggers backwards, landing on her back beside me.
“No,” she gurgles out, blood forming around the corners of her mouth. “Luci…”
“Shhh…” I whisper, my body aching as I lean over her and twist the dagger. I watch the final spark of light fade from her eyes as her skin begins to melt like wax on a candle. But I can’t bear to watch her turn to nothing but bones, to have her skin turn to ash and blow away. I think a part of me is still hurt that someone I trusted betrayed me in such a way. A part of me even misses my friend.
I squeeze my eyelids shut as what remains of Lilith fades away, leaving nothing but yellow bones. Inside Administer’s office, I no longer hear the sounds of fighting. Silence descends, so potent, I’m practically choking on it.
The Envy Fate is finally dead.
Chapter 28
Auston
It’s difficult to celebrate when you’re surrounded by so much death and destruction. I’m so fucking relieved that Lilith is dead and proud that my Hadley was powerful enough to take her on, but I can’t even bring myself to smile.
Lilith might be dead, but the evidence of her presence here at the Academy is scarred on the grounds like a brand from an iron.
Because around me is pure devastation.
Grayed and cracked souls cover the ground like ancient statues that have toppled over. They’re so fragile in this condition that some of their limbs have broken off their bodies, and severed heads lie hauntingly apart from the necks they once sat upon.
Even the grounds themselves seem to be in mourning. The once lush trees are now empty, the green leaves turning brown and falling off, leaving only the spindly fingers of the tree’s branches reaching up like a corpse’s fingers clawing out of the earth.
Survivors, both students and teachers, walk around aimlessly, as if they’re unsure what to do. The harrowing cries of those who’ve lost someone they care about or found their friends lying without their essences on the ground follow me. Haunt me. The despair in their howls chills me to the bone. Because this is a problem we can’t fix. Those that are dead again, are gone for good this time. We can’t bring them back. Even as Fates, Caius and Hadley are powerless against the pain and suffering Lilith inflicted.
The six of us stand in an unmoving line, having just walked off the bridge. A sniff draws my attention, and I turn to my right and see tears dripping down Hadley’s cheeks. Preston’s lower lip is quivering as he tries but fails to rein in his own emotions. Even Karston and Brax stare at the carnage with glassy eyes.
Only Caius stands stoic, staring out with a more methodical look to his gaze than the rest of us, but that’s understandable. These souls meant nothing to him, so it only makes sense that he’d be less affected.
Without a word, Hadley marches forward and begins helping everyone she can. She hugs those that are mourning, tends to the wounded, and before we know it, she’s giving everyone she meets orders. And what’s even more surprising, is that everyone is listening.
My fucking girl is taking control.
She doesn’t gloat in her victory, doesn’t brag to everyone that she is the sole reason for Lilith’s death, the reason we’re all still standing here right now. No. Instead, she ignores her victory and shares the grief of every individual she comes across.
People look at her with admiring eyes, even through their tears, gazes darting from her colored hair to her Demon horns and Angel wings in complete awe. Many are seeing her for the first time, having been so possessed by Lilith, that even as they fought for the envious bitch, they didn’t see