Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Foe. That one word echoed not just in Pisces’ mind but reverberated through the cosmos itself, defying the boundaries of time and space. She was certain each of the Zodiacs felt that cosmic ripple, their very existence interdependent.
Without fear, Pisces took a step toward Gemini, then another, the air growing thicker with every footfall. Gemini was her friend, her light in the dark since she landed on this planet. But the air sign’s increasing hostility and odd behaviors could no longer be ignored.
Gemini remained rooted in place, eyes shadowed, and fists clenched as her breath came in shallow, rapid bursts. With each of Pisces’ approaching steps, Gemini”s appearance flickered between light and dark like a cosmic battle waging across her form—until, at last, darkness conquered. When Pisces stood just a few feet away, Gemini glared menacingly, her visage replaced by a cold, malevolent presence.
Dread gripped Pisces’ heart, but she pushed it down, certain that the real Gemini had been present some of the time. And this dark force was no match for Gemini”s true, radiant spirit.
”Hello, old friend,” Pisces said evenly, surprising herself with the calm in her tone.
Dark Gemini laughed, the harsh sound grating like nails on a chalkboard. ”You don’t remember me. You don’t remember yourself.” She laughed and cocked her head.
Pisces countered her smirk with a small, sad smile, feeling the weight of Gemini”s betrayal like a stone in her gut. ”I don”t need my mind to know who you are.” She placed a hand over her heart. ”Some things can”t be stolen.”
Gemini scoffed, and her eyes flicked over Pisces’ shoulder. The energy of the others—Aries, Virgo, Sagittarius—radiated as they closed ranks behind her, their protective energies bolstering her own. It was a small flicker of warmth amidst the growing cold.
”Son of a bitch,” Sagittarius rumbled, staring at his corrupted friend in disbelief. ”Pisces...she”s the reason you lost your memory.” His gravelly voice took on an edge of fury. ”Dark Gemini can corrupt and shatter minds.”
“That explains why we couldn’t help Aries on the beach,” Virgo added angrily. “She stunned us.”
”Surprise,” Dark Gemini said with a nonchalant shrug, revealing the full extent of her betrayal. After everything they”d been through, the casualness of it was like a physical blow to Pisces’ sternum, stealing her breath.
Dark Gemini nodded. ”It was so easy manipulating you all when your guards were down. And Scorpio, the greedy fool that he is, provided the perfect distraction.” She focused her full attention on Pisces. “I almost had them all thinking you were a traitor.” She laughed. “And I didn’t just take your power and your memories.”
Dark Gemini’s words echoed, and Pisces clutched a hand to her chest, knowing what else was missing.
“You got it, Princess.” Her nose twitched with distaste. “When I took your power and got into your mind, your bond with Aries cracked like a walnut—split right in two. And now that you’re mortal, you’ll never get it back.”
For some reason, this revelation was the heaviest blow of all, and Pisces nearly collapsed before Aries braced his arms around her. She could accept living without her celestial power, but her soul needed that bond, or else she would forever be lost.
Anger rolled off Virgo in waves shimmering in the air around him. ”Gemini, you”re meddling with forces greater than you understand.” His voice was strained, revealing the magnitude of her actions. ”Not even Pisces can safely contain that kind of power—that”s why it”s stored in the Tear. Give it back before you unleash something that destroys us all.”
Dark Gemini”s smile melted into a defiant scowl as she shouted, ”No! I have my own grievances with you, Virgin.” She pointed an accusing finger that trembled with rage. ”You trapped me in that mirror realm for centuries! Every second, I was alone except for the endless stars!” Her chest heaved, her face contorting with a mixture of exhilaration and deep-rooted anguish.
Pisces could taste the bitterness of it in the air like ash on her tongue.
”Thankfully, I was able to use that time to hone my power. Then, a star saved me, and when it imploded, the realm fractured, allowing me to finally escape. You’ll never find the Tear now that the fractures are closing. She can stay stuck in that abyss like I was.”
Virgo”s grim silence spoke louder than any rebuttal. Dark Gemini”s gaze swept over them as a snide, victorious smile stretched across her face, every inch the image of conquest. ”I”ll see you in the next galaxy, losers.”
As the air grew thicker and the temperature spiked, Pisces sensed Aries’ rage compounding. Just as his fury exploded in a blast of scorching heat, Dark Gemini lifted her hand. Aries dropped to his knees with a strangled roar, fire flickering in his palms before being snuffed out as he clutched at his head.
With a disdainful flick of Gemini”s wrist, she also brought the other men down in brutal swiftness. Virgo and Sagittarius”s anguished howls lacerated Pisces’ heart as she watched them crumple to the ground, helpless.
Terror coiled in her gut even as a lone tear trailed down her cheek. She stared hard at her corrupted friend, a glimmer of desperate hope sparking amidst the sorrow. The real Gemini was in there somewhere, fighting to get out, she could feel it.
Dark Gemini”s cruel laughter cut through the cries like a knife as she cast her derisive glare on Pisces. ”I figured you’d cry. What else is new?” Her eyes narrowed. ”So pathetic.”
”Gemini...” Pisces whispered, her throat tight. Hearing that beloved voice twisted into something so vile, so opposite to the Gemini she knew, unlocked a deeper well of sadness within her. But from those depths, she found her courage. ”I know you can hear me,” Pisces called out, injecting every ounce of conviction and warmth she could summon into her words to reach her friend. ”Fight her...”
But Dark Gemini only scoffed as if amused by a child. With a negligent wave of her hand at Pisces, she conducted some unseen, wicked symphony. Pisces’ mind fragmented again, the pieces shattering and twisting under the dark twin”s psychic onslaught. She crumpled to the ground, overcome by agonizing pain and disorienting confusion.
Dark Gemini cracked her knuckles, readying herself for the grand finale. ”Clearly, I didn”t do a good enough job of wiping your mind the first time.” Her voice dripped with disdain as she lifted her hand. ”I won”t make the same mistake again.”
As she twisted her wrist, Pisces’ mind warped in tandem with the invisible power, her intuition and senses fraying at the edges. The new memories she”d collected since awakening on the beach were torn apart and scattered like pages ripped from a book. Pisces scrambled to catch them, to hold onto something—anything—as everything she’d fought so hard for threatened to be swept away.
No...she would not be consumed so easily this time. She would fight this dark force with everything she had. ”You”ll never take my light, Gemini,” she rasped, clinging to that fragile, flickering spark of hope. ”Not all of it.”
But there was no fighting something this sinister, and once again, it tore Pisces to shreds.
”Bad news, Little Fish, some flames aren’t meant to burn forever.” Dark Gemini’s laugh was like icy raindrops on a frigid windowpane. ”And this time, I won”t simply rearrange your stars. I”m going to paint the whole Earth black.”