Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Iris
I don’t know what to do as I watch Remus and this being who appeared out of nowhere disappear back into the tattered venue that once held a celebration.
My chest is tight as I try to pull in as much breath as I can to remain conscious.
But it feels impossible—moving feels impossible after what I just witnessed.
I flinch as pain ripples over me from the injuries I received with this being’s sudden arrival.
One second, we were standing behind Ezra, our fear directed at Remus for his decision to confront his siblings in such a vicious way, and the next, a blast so powerful threw everyone within a few feet of Ezra from the tent.
My body is covered in injuries, and my head throbs like crazy.
The impact of the blast knocked me unconscious for a few seconds, and Sky is still unconscious from her impact.
And that was only from the recoil of his attack, not a direct hit.
The deep crater that stretches a few hundred feet from Remus’s impact is the result of that.
I’ve never seen Remus let a drop of rain touch him, let alone an attack.
Seeing him get thrown so hard that this is the result makes my stomach knot in terror.
Whoever is attacking is no ordinary assailant.
He is a Celestivine. He has to be. He not only has similar power to Remus, but also similar physical features.
And none of the Divine Three seems to be capable of stopping him.
I can’t even begin to understand what his purpose here could be.
As I look up at the darkening sky, I note the rings are missing a section, the edges rippling like water from the damage this alien’s entrance has caused.
I don’t know how I could possibly be helpful in this current situation.
I tense as a sudden pulse vibrates the ground, and when I shift my attention back to the remains of the venue, I see a bright blue beam of light rippling toward the sky. I grip the hem of my dress, sprinting over the plain to where I last saw Sky and Noah.
Noah is over Xion’s unconscious form as I approach, frantically tapping her cheek. He must have dragged her from the venue while Remus and the attacker were on the other side.
“How is she?” I ask, kneeling next to her, my attention focused on Sky. Her breathing is shallow. She was closer to Ezra than I was. They were touching before that beam of light struck him.
Noah shakes his head.
“She’s breathing, but…” he trails off, his voice trembling.
The breath feels like it’s been knocked out of me, and I am glad that I am already kneeling.
I tense as another rumble comes from inside the venue.
When I look at it, what once was a beautiful backdrop and scenery to a celebration is now a ruin.
The once majestic sheets billow frighteningly, briefly opening to reveal Remus and this Celestivine fighting to the death.
I feel helpless as I watch gods battle among themselves, knowing that if they come too close to me, I am dead, as well.
I let out a scream as another powerful blast rips from the venue, a large piece of the drapes being torn away. My eyes widen as Remus and the Celestivine move at a barely decipherable speed, but I immediately notice Ezra’s body is on the ground, the beam of light that held him in place gone.
I turn to Noah.
“We have to get him while they’re distracted,” I say, standing.
Noah looks from Xion to me.
“I have to stay with her,” he says.
“Listen, I can’t carry him by myself. And if she wakes up, she’s just going to be worried about him. We need to get Ezra out of the danger zone,” I say, watching them carefully. When they move out of the venue, that is our chance.
“Mngh!” I turn at the sound of a groan, my chest heaving to see Xion waking up.
“Xion?” Noah calls to her as she opens her eyes. I look back at the venue as a deep rumble sounds. They’ve moved out. This is our only chance. But Noah is too preoccupied with Xion waking up to listen to me.
“Fuck!” I shout, my feet moving before anyone can stop me. I hear Noah shouting my name, but I ignore him. I don’t have time to waste. Ezra needs help, and with Remus occupied and Xion barely conscious, it falls to me to be that help.
The ground shakes and I look up just in time to see a cloud of rock and debris flying away from the venue.
It must be Remus. The sound of the battle thundering in the distance is accompanied by the ground continuously shaking beneath my feet.
It feels like a much further distance than it truly is as I push down my fears, letting adrenaline fuel me.
My heart accompanies the roar of my blood rushing as my adrenaline spikes.
I finally cross into the venue, stumbling slightly as I take in the damage, but I quickly put it out of my mind, looking for Ezra’s unconscious body.
I find him a few feet away, grabbing the fabric of his shirt as I try to drag him.
“Ugh!” I cry out from the weight of him. He’s heavy, making it that I can only drag him a few feet and not as fast as I need to. He’s dead weight, making it impossible to pull him
“Come…on…ah!” I scream as a blast of wind rushes past us.
I look over to see Remus standing from another hole in the ground, his attention flitting to us briefly before the Celestivine comes back in full force, shouting at Remus in a language I can’t understand.
My chest heaves as the Celestivine realizes I am a few feet away from them, giving me his full attention.
He glances from me to Ezra, his eyes narrowing slightly as he takes a threatening step toward us, giving Remus the distraction he needs. Remus shouts, and suddenly a powerful blast that wipes out the entire half of the remaining venue sends the Celestivine flying in the opposite direction.
I look at Remus in shock, noticing the thick blood dripping from corner of his mouth as he pulls in a shaky breath.
He’s injured.
He looks in my direction, his expression shifting from anger to disbelief as he accepts my decision.
“Get him out!” he shouts, seconds before launching himself in the direction of the Celestivine to give me a chance to get out with Ezra.
My muscles tense in pain as I use all of my strength to drag Ezra from the tent. By the time I’m out, and in view of Noah and Xion, I am a huffing sweaty mess. But Noah is up, closing the distance between us to help me, as we pull him the rest of the way to a now conscious Xion.
Tears are in her eyes as she shifts to her knees, hunching over his unconscious form.
She gently presses her palm against his cheek, murmuring something I can’t hear before moving to his chest where she lifts his shirt, and I bite back a gasp at the damage done.
His veins have turned black beneath his skin, stretching out from the hole created by the beam of light.
I quickly look away, unable to bring myself to ask as Xion goes to work.
I shift, moving next to Sky who is still unconscious before looking back at the damage done by Remus and this Celestivine.
I know nothing about this battle, or the endgame that will result from it.
I didn’t even know Remus was battling a Celestivine until he exited the venue after throwing Remus from it.
The blast carried me and everyone else out before anyone had shown up, making wonder why and more importantly, how this Celestivine showed up without warning. I can’t help but feel it has something to do with their mother. For now, I hope Remus can defeat him.
I wipe the blood trickling from the wound on Sky’s head away with the torn sleeve of my dress as I listen to Xion panic behind me. Tears slowly form while I listen to her, and I close my eyes, squeezing Sky as the realization of what her panic means settles in.
Noah’s loud gasp pulls my attention. My skin suddenly prickles, and the air grows heavy, forcing me to turn to acknowledge the chilling presence that has suddenly arrived. My breathing catches as the woman who caused all of this appears.
She’s as terrifying as she was in the vision as she stands over us, resembling both Remus and Xion. Her expression is cold, holding no compassion, no joy, no pity. It shifts as she notices Ezra. I involuntarily clench Sky closer to me as their mother moves to him, ignoring all of us, except Xion.
Blue beams suddenly spring from the ground, wrapping around her. Noah protests, but is blasted so far away, his body goes easily over the edge of the cliff. Xion can’t break free as she screams for him. Her mother is holding her hostage as she places her hands over Ezra, healing him herself.
“Voltan kyuman, Xion,” I tense as her voice comes out in chilling rage. But I understand what she said.
“You failed your purpose, Xion,”
I don’t know what I thought I would do if I ever met her in person. I never truly wanted to. I had always hoped Remus would be the one to confront her. She is as emotionless as she has turned him.
I gasp as the ground around me trembles, but it isn’t from Remus’s battle. The ground cracks slightly, and I scream as it drops a few feet, a fault in the rock circling to surround me.
“So, you’re still alive.” My heart drops into my stomach as Remus's mother acknowledges me.
She looks away from Ezra, her full attention making me shudder as I look into eyes that glitter brighter than any jewel I've ever seen.
The purple of her gaze shines bright as she looks at me, her beauty deadly.
“Not for much longer,” she says.
I cry out as the ground cracks more, making us dip slightly as gravity takes hold. I hold Sky close, closing my eyes as terror I’ve never felt before comes over me. If these are my last moments, and Remus is still her puppet, then I have failed. And that makes me feel worse than facing death.
I can only hope that Remus somehow makes it out okay.
Remus