was living here, and it had turned the Aeternae into Elders, as well.
My eyes filled with tears.
Tears for Cruor and tears for the wood nymphs. Tears for the Aeternae who’d devolved into Elders. Tears for the pain and devastation they later caused when breaching the human dimension. I understood now… the witch they’d captured—she must’ve given in, eventually. She must’ve opened a portal to get them to Earth.
The black mist of Basilius found me this time. All the other memories had ended with the beholder’s death. This wasn’t supposed to be any different, yet I was still shocked and horrified. I screamed again as the black mist tried to possess me.
Its evil burned through me. I couldn’t hold it.
This particular flashback had brought the story full circle back to my first experience with a Cruor Beta element. What I’d seen there must’ve happened not long after this. It made sense now. I understood everything.
As I came to and looked into Soul’s galaxy eyes, I found a cosmos of comfort. I was crying, and I could barely speak, but I could see it all. Every single piece falling into place. Every single decision that had led to my being here. The universe really did work in the most peculiar ways.
And as I broke the fourth Beta element and caved under the crippling pressure, I heard the Night Bringer’s whisper. “Kelara… Make it stop… Please…”
I will. I promise.
There was one trial left. One more round of terrible memories. One more Beta element to break. We were so close. I could almost see Death’s smile as all the remaining First Tenners came together to break her seals. I could almost see order restored in the fabric of existence.
Nethissis
Petra remained stunned on the floor, blood still flowing from her cut ankle.
Her son had just turned on her in the worst possible way. Aganon and Simmon were equally stunned, though they had managed to take Veliko down again, this time tying his elbows behind his back in an extremely painful position. Because his hand had yet to grow back, they’d needed a creative way to restrain him.
Unlike their older brother, Tudyk and Moore were more upset and confused than anything else. I wouldn’t have expected anything more from them, considering how young they were. Just like Ansel, they’d gotten themselves involved in something they had yet to fully understand. Just because they matured faster than humans in terms of intelligence and physical prowess, it didn’t mean they had enough life experience to fully comprehend that there was a reaction to every action. Unfortunately, they were bound to suffer the consequences, sometime in the near future—or so I hoped, at least.
“He… I can’t believe he did that,” Simmon muttered, looking like a lost lamb.
Aganon looked at his sister. “Where did he learn death magic? You weren’t supposed to teach him anything!” He asked the question even though he obviously already had the answer.
Atlas approached his mistress, his hand slowly growing back. He seemed to heal faster than an Aeternae after a scythe cut. He’d once been a Reaper, after all. There was only so much a cut from a Reaper’s blade could do to him. Remembering Veliko’s repeated blows against Ignatius, however, I kept in mind the realization that a ghoul could still be killed with that weapon by a non-Reaper. It took more work, but it was possible.
“Ah, this is going to take forever to heal!” Petra snarled, and Tudyk and Moore rushed to tend her wound, tying strips torn from their own shirts around her ankle to slow the bleeding.
Veliko snickered, despite his face being partially squished into the floor. He was in trouble himself, but he was still taking a moment to revel in someone else’s misery. Atlas growled at him, instantly reducing Veliko to silence.
The rest of us were stunned. Speechless and astounded, not moving from our corner of the room. My hand had gripped Seeley’s wrist reflexively, and I still couldn’t bring myself to let go. “What the hell did we just watch?” I whispered.
“One backstab after another until the Darklings were left with their asses out in the open,” Sidyan replied dryly, staring at the Visentis Aeternae. “What a mess she’s made—and she was mocking Veliko for his handling of the previous incidents.”
“A mother’s weakness is the same everywhere,” Lumi said. “Petra can’t kill one of her own. But Veliko would behead his own mother, given the chance.”
Petra managed to get up, finding some support in her youngest sons. She