Epilogue
O ff the shores of a once stunning sanctuary bordered by a dark forest, a fallen empress stared out across the sea. Over the course of her long—too long—life, she had seen many things, hurt many beings, and lost far more than she thought was fair. But, as the holder of Sun and Moon felt the pain of her descendant coat the air, she wondered if she had ever felt as Asher did. As hopeless and scared and doomed as her.
Twirling her fingers, she looked up at the sky, watching clouds converge as they darkened. Soon, trickles of rain started to fall, a great boom following a flash of lightning. The storm matched Stella’s overwhelming feelings. Ones she once thought she might never possess. It was odd for a high demon to experience such strong emotions. To exist not in purgatory, but in life.
She silently basked in the idea of death instead. Of finally ceasing to exist. Soon. But first, she knew it was finally time to go to Asher. To meet her and tell her the truth. Very little of that time was left now. Padon would have felt the seed awaken fully just as she had.
So the high demon stood, letting sand slip between her fingers and breathing in the sea air.
Things had gotten murky. She had messed up a lot along the way. In fact, she thought of one of her many failures then. The male with black curls and dark skin, his mind as curious as her late husband’s had been. She had accidentally stumbled upon him, listening as he talked with excitement about a new salve he was inventing.
His hand had reached up to twirl a small chunk of amethyst around his neck, and Stella had made a hasty decision. She wanted him for Asher. The female had already lost so much, she deserved joy and love. Above all else, she could surely use the brightness of a curious mind in her life.
Throughout the next week, she would hide things in his room at their Academy that made him think of the princess. She would make him late so that he would see The Manipulator alone—as the young female often was. She would find his favorite scent and then ensure Asher, too, favored vanilla. She plotted and planned, slowly but surely making him grow obsessed with the new holder of Mind and Soul. And then, just to make sure the male would be brave enough to fight his terror and talk to Asher, Stella dropped a piece of parchment just outside of his door. One full of her writing—of supposed questions about Asher’s magic.
Later, when Stella witnessed Asher’s grief, she would learn that her place was in the background.
Now, as she dusted off her legs and thought of her long life, Stella was unsure if she was ready to be a part of Asher’s story. Not quite confident in her ability to be of use. More than that, Stella was simply tired.
Long ago, when she had lived beneath a teal sun and beside a golden beacon of love, she would have never guessed where she would end up. But now, well it all felt right. And awful beyond comprehension. Asher would still lose more. That was inevitable. Stella just hoped the female would at least keep her life.
As Stella turned around to head back to the forest, she spared a final glance at the fading red cloud. Then she began her slow walk to her cottage.
Behind her, The Mist fell.