Chapter 128
I kept crying over Rhaevan's body, holding him against me while the laughter of the hooded figures echoed through the ruins.
Guilt pressed down on me until my limbs felt weak, and the mist around us grew thicker, slowly seeping into my skin and filling my vision with darkness.
My chest tightened as though something were crushing it from the inside, and no matter how deeply I tried to breathe, I couldn't seem to draw enough air.
I shut my eyes.
"I never got to tell you how I felt," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."
The darkness seemed to deepen around me.
Then a voice reached me through it.
Look beyond.
I opened my eyes slightly.
Look beyond the darkness. The light awaits.
"What?"
The voice was quiet, but it felt strangely familiar. It didn't seem to come from the mist at all. It felt as though it were coming from somewhere deep within me.
Your magic holds the light.
I closed my eyes again and focused on the voice. Something within me responded, drawing my attention inward. Beneath the fear and grief, I could feel the familiar current of my mana stirring.
Magic.
I took a slow breath and concentrated on it.
The sensation grew stronger, spreading from my chest through my arms and into every part of my body. I gathered the magic and pushed it outward.
Light erupted from me.
It spread across the ruins like a wave, colliding with the mist and forcing it back. The darkness dissolved wherever the light touched it until the air around me finally cleared.
I opened my eyes.
The hooded figures were gone.
Rhaevan was gone too.
I stared at the empty space where he had been lying.
For a moment, I couldn't understand what I was seeing.
Then I looked down at my hands.
There was no blood.
I touched the ground beneath me.
It was dry.
The wound, the figures, the blood, Rhaevan dying in my arms... none of it had been real.
It had been an illusion.
A test, just like the challenges we had faced while hunting for the previous two fragments.
Relief hit me so suddenly that my knees gave way.
I sank onto the stone and dragged in a shaky breath, pressing a hand against my chest.
"Oh, thank the heavens."
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to steady myself.
Then I heard my name.
"Cassiane..."
My eyes opened.
The familiar voice had come from somewhere deeper within the ruins.
There was something different about it this time.
Grief.
As though he were mourning the loss of someone.
I rose and followed the sound through the thinning mist.
"Rhaevan?"
I found him a short distance away, leaning against a crumbling stone pillar. One hand was braced against the stone while the other pressed against his chest. His eyes were unfocused, fixed on something I couldn't see.
"No... please don't."
His voice broke.
"Take me instead."
I hurried towards him.
"Rhaevan?"
He didn't respond.
Tears streamed down his face, and the sight of them stopped me for a moment. I had never seen him look so completely devastated.
Whatever the mist was showing him, he was trapped inside it.
But why was he calling out my name?
What in the universe was he seeing?
"Rhaevan, wake up. It's not real."
I reached him and placed both hands on his shoulders.
He didn't react. His eyes remained fixed on whatever nightmare was unfolding in front of him.
"Rhaevan!"
I tried to reach for my magic, hoping it might break whatever hold the mist had over him.
Nothing happened.
"Really?"
I tried again, taking a deep breath and reaching for it from within.
Dear magic, I am extremely angry that Rhaevan is trapped in whatever mysterious nightmare this mist is showing him. Please help me get him out of it.
Still, nothing came out.
Apparently, my ancient Ardentian magic had decided that after saving me from one nightmare, it was entitled to a little hibernation.
Waste. Utter waste.
Okay, I wasn't really going to give up on him.
I rubbed my palms together and looked at Rhaevan.
"Fine. Plan B."
I raised my hands.
"I'm sorry in advance."
I slapped him across one cheek, then the other.
The sound echoed through the ruins.
Rhaevan's head turned with the impact, but he didn't even seem to notice. He continued staring straight through me.
I winced and shook my hands, which were now stinging from the effort.
"That was louder than I expected."
"No... Cassiane... please..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry. Come back..."
My heart sank.
Slapping him hadn't worked, and I had no idea what else I could do.
I stared at him, desperately searching for something-anything-that might break through whatever the mist had trapped him in.
Then an idea came to me.
It was ridiculous.
Possibly the stupidest thing I had ever thought of.
But considering my current options, I was running out of reasons to reject ridiculous ideas.
I stepped closer and gripped the front of his robes.
"I'm really hoping this works."
I hesitated for half a second, suddenly very aware of how close I was standing.
Then I pulled him towards me and my lips crashed onto his.
Author Bullshit
Sorry guys for scaring you with Rhaevan's "death." ????
Consider this my apology chapter. You all suffered enough, so I decided I owed you some compensation. ??
I saw some of you grieving this man like he was actually gone, and honestly... I felt a little guilty. ??
So here. Take this chapter as my peace offering.
Now breathe. I promise I'm not that cruel...
Or am I? ?? Who knows? ??
But tell me honestly... when you thought Rhaevan was dead, how many of you were ready to throw something at me? ????