10. Everything Sucks Until It Doesn’t #4
I resisted the urge to hide my face in my hands. “What scientific theory is this, precisely?” I muttered. “And how is it going to help?"
“I have not a single clue, to be honest.” Morrigen shrugged and choked out a nervous laugh. “Nonetheless, we should give it a try."
I couldn’t help but snort. If a positive aura was all we had going for us, I could only hope for the goddess’s favour.
“Before we proceed, does anyone have anything to say?” Beside me, Verity adjusted his posture—ever the barrister prepared to record a statement.
“I do,” Kill’em said without a second of hesitation. His voice was calm and clear. He looked down at me, completely unbothered by the audience. “Elian Renyés, I love you.”
The garden went silent. Behind us, Fern cleared his throat and Settie began making that wet, sniffling sound again.
Hearing those words for the first time in my life—and in the shadow of a cosmic crisis—floored me. My heart did a violent, joyful somersault.
“I love you, too,” I whispered, squeezing his large hand. And I desperately hope I don't blow you into smithereens.
I pressed the friction strip into Kill’em’s palm. All he had to do now was strike the match to confirm his own magical intention and choice of realm.
“Elian, you’ve double-checked the strip?” Settie whispered from across the circle. “It’s brand-new, right?”
“Settie, please,” I groaned, a step away from fainting.
Kill’em took the teal match between his long fingers. He didn't hesitate. With a single, fluid stroke, he dragged the sparkly tip across the friction card.
The spark caught and the match ignited. It began to pulsate straight away with a deep, silvery-blue light.
It radiated no heat; instead, a sudden, icy shockwave rolled over the grass, making the air around us distort like a desert mirage.
A low, vibrating hum grew from the earth, sounding like an approaching tornado.
The light flared. Kill’em’s entire silhouette became illuminated—no, devoured—by its brilliance. At which point, his physical form began to… flicker. It started at the edges, spreading further and further until it turned him semi-translucent.
Settie shrieked. Somebody gasped. My heart ceased beating. Stiff with fear, I reached forwards, my fingers locking onto Kill’em’s disappearing flesh as if I could drag him back from the void.
Goddess, please. No. I’ll do anything if—
With an abrupt pop, the light snapped shut and the humming vanished. The garden stood still and dim under the waning moon.
I choked back a sob.
Kill’em still stood before me—his presence solid, though his knees gave a sudden wobble. For the first time since I’d known him, the unbreakable commander reeled backwards, seeking my shoulder for physical support. I caught him instantly, throwing my arms around his waist to anchor him.
“Are you all right?” I panted, pressure hammering against my temples. “Kill’em?”
He blinked and shook his head—not in negation, but as if attempting to clear the cobwebs. A slow breath expanded his chest and he looked down at his own hands. “Affirmative,” he gritted, his grip tightening around me until the air left my lungs. “Damn dizzy, but still here and in one piece.”
“Fuck, Elian,” Fern let out a low whistle, running a hand through his hair. “You’ve done it. Goddess, it can’t ever be said you don’t know how to put on a show. Phew. You had me worried for a moment there, brother.”
I scanned Kill’em’s face and body multiple times, kneading his arm in a tactile confirmation of his permanence. I shuddered as the crushing weight of relief hit me, my legs trembling so much that Kill’em took his turn to bear most of my weight.
“Let’s just sit here for a moment and wait for the eclipse to complete,” I managed to say. I wanted the ultimate test—to see the Great Fetter with my own eyes and ensure that when it swallowed the moon entirely, my enchantment would hold.
We all sat on the grass, the blades cool and pleasant against our robes.
I turned to watch the night sky, tracking the moon's fragile sliver.
Over the course of some minutes, that last pale glint dissolved, eaten away by the creeping shadow.
Only then did the expanse of the firmament transform into a dense, inky black.
The stark moonless sky seemed to have swallowed the stars.
Yet, even at the dead peak of the eclipse, Kill’em remained steady and firm by my side, radiating warmth. Accepted by the ambient magic of Everend. Safe. Mine.
I stayed there for a time, the quiet chatter of our friends washing over me like a gentle tide. I held Kill’em, and he held me.
Apart from the befuddlement and exhaustion left behind by the last twelve days’ emotional whirlwind, a profound wave of tremendous gratitude rushed to the fore.
I thanked the universe for my craft—which somehow guided me through the dark—and for the friends who stood by me.
Most of all, awe washed over me for the unexpected love entering my life.
This devotion had already taken deep, stubborn root in my soul.
I knew that nothing in this world, or any other, could ever rip it out.