Chapter 65
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule sixty-five: Fuck their laws. Break every last one.
The Fates are already at my side.
“Sin, RUN!” I beg in my mind when my mouth refuses to move.
At the same time, I try to call my power, to run and protect him.
Nothing is working.
There’s a choking, raspy sound.
No…
I can’t see him. Not even my eyes will shift to check my peripheral vision, and he isn’t responding.
“Sin, please! If you’re still here, you need to leave now!” I beg.
The middle-aged Fate steps back into my line of sight, wiping her mouth. There’s an eerie blue sheen to her skin now, and she has a lazy smile. “We have claimed what was promised.”
“His debt has been repaid,” the other rasps, wobbling a bit on her feet. She drops two pieces of gray thread onto his lifeless corpse before the air wavers, and they disappear.
The moment they’re gone, whatever froze me in place dissipates, and I whirl around.
“Sin?”
“SIN!” I scream as I try to find his spirit.
But it’s no use.
He’s gone.
An anguished scream tears from my lungs.
They ate his spirit.
His spirit is gone.
Without it, he can’t be reborn.
No, no, no!
I should have reaped him – should have given him back to Hades – anything but this.
I would have waited an eternity for him to be reborn, so long as there was a chance he could be.
But now?
I collapse onto Sin’s body, my screams muffled against his cold skin.
I did this.
I made him weak.
I refused to reap him.
He’s gone because of me.
I feel like I’m dying.
My chest aches, as if even the pieces of Sin that are fused to my soul are in pain.
The moment the thought enters my mind, my screams cut off.
There are parts of Sin’s soul inside me.
More than a little.
He broke his own soul to help save mine.
My breaths come faster as I close my eyes, trying to feel for every part of him – the glue holding me together.
A determined confidence stronger than anything I’ve ever dared to embody washes over me.
Because if there was ever a moment where I needed to believe in destiny, this is it.
I am a Reaper.
I hold the ability to wield souls.
And I’m a Creator, capable of building greatness from near-nothing.
They are two opposing and yet powerful energies that should never have been embodied in a single person.
But they were given to me.
And for the first time, I understand why.
Silvery threads flare to life, but rather than dancing along my skin, I send them deep inside myself. The warm hum centers in my chest, as they coil around the pieces of my soul. I don’t stop until the Reaper power twines over every scarred edge.
My breathing evens, and I’m completely relaxed, because I know what to do. Without hesitation, I rip nearly every piece of Sin’s soul from mine.
White hot agony sears through me, and I make a high-pitched keening sound as my soul shatters into pieces once more.
My vision blurs, and I fight to stay conscious through the pain. There’s a familiar hollow throbbing in my chest, but I don’t stop. Still keeping an unrelenting grip on the small figments of his soul, I coax them out of me.
Hades said that bringing Sin back would break the laws of the universe. He also said that souls are beyond the scope of Creators.
Hades can kiss my ass.
Still gasping for air, I gaze down at the iridescent strands of Sin’s soul, still intertwined with fragments of mine. The colors dance together, reflecting off rays of sunlight that are just starting to break through the clouds.
The strands gather in the palm of my hand, and even as a wave of dizziness washes over me, I call on my Creator power.
Little by little, golden energy intertwines with the strands, changing when it comes into contact and becoming something new.
No, not new – something stolen.
Every new thread feels like I’ve run a marathon, but I don’t waver.
I give everything I have, until what once felt like a bottomless well of golden power is almost completely dry, save for a single drop.
Finally, the threads begin to knit themselves back together, as if now that all the pieces are present, Sin’s soul can take shape.
I blink away a tear, and he’s there, standing in front of me. A sob escapes me, and he crouches down to look at me in wonder.
“I’m not letting you go,” I whisper through exhausted pants.
The ache in my chest is almost debilitating, and the trembling in my body is growing worse.
I did more damage to my soul than Leon could ever have dreamed of doing.
The expression on Sin’s spirit morphs to horror. “Kitten… what have you done?”
His words are disjointed, as though our connection is getting spotty. Silver threads reach out to him, surrounding his spirit and coaxing him back into his body, but Sin fights it.
“Be angry when you’re done being dead,” I groan, as even my Reaper energy starts to falter.
My heart feels like it’s slowing, sending a cold, numb sensation through my veins.
“Please,” I beg, knowing I don’t have much time.
Sin gives me one last panicked look before letting himself be swallowed by silver energy. But instead of reaping him, I shove his soul back into his body.
There’s a ringing in my ears now, and my breathing is getting shallow.
Almost there.
Don’t stop.
I pull on the single drop of Creator power left inside me, willing it to heal his life thread. The two edges knit together, only to hang limply across his chest, still looking dull gray.
“No,” I croak out, as I look for any sign that he’s coming back to me.
Nothing happens.
“No. Please no. Take me instead. I’ll give you more of me, but give him back. You can have everything! I’ll give you everything!” I scream into the sky.
My body gives out, and I collapse back onto his icy corpse.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to Sin, wishing I’d been enough.
I stay that way, sobbing, and try to ignore the buzzing in my ears.
But the buzzing doesn’t stop. It only grows stronger and more insistent.
Are you for real right now?
Fucking mosquitoes?
I swat at the air, willing it to let me die in peace, only to freeze when I realize my arm just worked.
The buzzing grows louder, and I manage to pull myself up to standing, wondering where it’s coming from. But there’s nothing around us. My brow furrows as my mind tries to catch up to what is going on.
The sound is coming from inside me, I distantly realize, looking at the weird shimmering light that radiates from my skin. It’s a brilliant and iridescent opal color.
Another color? At this rate, I’m going to be a living Lite Brite.
But my ability to hide my pain behind humor is short-lived, because a heartbeat later, the light flashes, momentarily blinding me.
With the flash, the powers inside of me surge, both wells filling until I’m left once more with two endless oceans.
The hollow ache in my chest is replaced by warmth as my soul reshapes, healing itself.
The weakness in my body is replaced by strength, and the knowledge that I am infinitely more powerful.
The light fades back to a faint shimmering glow above my skin, and I stare at it, coming to grips with what has just happened.
I’m fixed.
My soul is healed, and I’ve never felt stronger.
I can only think of one reason why that might happen.
Ascension.
Ragna wanted to talk to me about it before the war, but I don’t think that will be necessary.
I lift my palm and carefully call on my Creator powers. Blindingly bright golden light flares before I pull it back to look at Sin’s body.
I don’t give a flying fuck that I might be a goddess.
All I care about is being as strong as Hades.
Because. I. Am. Bringing. Back. The. Fucking. Dead.
Without taking time to second-guess whether this will work, I throw my palms onto Sin’s chest and blast him with ten thousand volts – or ten million – who knows.
I give him every last drop of my power, willing his life thread to glow, willing his soul and body to reconnect.
Willing him back to me.
I don’t stop until I feel a stuttered breath under my hands.
His chest rises, and I whirl to look at his face, only to find him already watching me.
“Sin?” I whisper, not daring to hope.
He pulls himself up to rest on his elbows and smirks. “Hello, kitten,” he purrs.
I launch myself at him.
He catches me easily, his arms encircling me, as warmth and relief flow freely through our bond. Our lips crash together, and I wrap myself around him so tightly that no one will ever be able to pry us apart.
A slight hint of pain comes through the bond, and I pull back, confused.
Sin gives me a sheepish expression. “You’re a little stronger, now.”
I let out something between a choked sob and a laugh, even as I loosen my hold… just a bit. “I was so scared. I thought I lost you.”
He kisses the top of my head and takes a deep inhale. Contentedness flows through the bond. “Never. Haven’t you figured it out yet, kitten? I’m yours, eternally.”
A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth, and I tug him back to brush our lips together. “And I’m yours,” I agree, before letting out a nervous cough and glancing around for some unseen force. “Uhm, by the way, I kind of broke the laws of the universe to bring you back.”
I feel his answering chuckle as it resonates up his chest.
“You are my universe, kitten. Fuck their laws, so long as you’re mine,” he growls. Then, he cups the back of my neck to pull me in for another consuming kiss.