Chapter 78 Torin
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Torin
The Valley was a hellscape.
A swirling vortex interlaced with sparking ashes and embers covered the entire peninsula, the smoke so black that it blocked the sun completely.
Yet, remarkably, the land just outside of the Valley remained untouched, as if the ire of the dying goddess struggling to control her new powers refused to cross some invisible boundary.
I stood just on the outside of the wall of Destruction Magic, the force of it swirling my hair around my head and ruffling my loose tunic and trousers.
Yet none of it touched me, no wayward strand reached out to bite into my skin, no ashes or embers released from the spinning wind to float on the breeze and singe the earth beneath my boots.
The cloud itself stretched so high that I had to crane my head all the way back, and I still couldn’t see where it ended.
It was simultaneously the most impressive and most terrifying thing I’d ever seen.
The magic itself seemed to groan and whisper, the sounds escaping that invisible barrier to wrap around me and beckon me closer.
Surprisingly, I was the only one standing and gazing at the display of magic with auspicious reverence.
I’d stopped in a few smaller towns and villages in the Borderlands to inquire about the dark cloud, but many grumbled prayers to Fate before scrambling away. An older man told me that one of their ‘bravest’ had ventured through the magical wall and was instantly turned to dust.
After that, word spread of its destructive capabilities, and the locals left well enough alone.
The real question remained if Ellowyn’s power would recognize me or if I’d disintegrate as well.
I reached out my hand, my fingertips a mere breath away from the spinning wall of magic, and paused.
What happened if her magic consumed me, too? Would there be anyone to stand against Solace and Samyr? Could I sacrifice myself—potentially sacrifice Elyria—to save her?
But there truly was no choice.
If I died, Elyria would still have Rohak and Faylinn, Talamh and the Deucenans, Lex and his quad. There would still be people to fight against Solace’s oppression. I was not the savior of this world, but I could be the savior of her world, and that meant more to me than anything else.
With a breath, I sank my hand into her magic, gritting my teeth as it bit at my skin and clothes.
It was agony as pure, raw Destruction Magic latched onto my hand, cleaving flesh from bone.
Sweat dripped from my brow, and I tasted copper as I bit my tongue, blood flooding my mouth and leaking down my chin.
A scream built in my throat but died just as quickly, my mind unable to process the sheer power and pain that surrounded my flesh.
“The prince that was promised,” a voice whispered. “It is time for you to fulfill your destiny.”
Something grasped my hand, yanking me forward, but I reacted quickly enough, digging the heels of my boots into the ground with so much force that I left indents in the hard earth.
The pressure stopped suddenly, nearly sending me to the ground, but something held me upright.
Seconds later, what looked like a translucent hand darted out from the vortex of magic, its fingers grasping for my tunic.
I squealed like a toddler having a nightmare as I attempted to dance out of its reach. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I swung this way and that until the hand retracted completely.
Sighing, I sagged forward, unfortunately letting my guard down for a mere second.
That was enough time for a nearly translucent body to emerge fully.
My eyes widened as I took in the woman’s thin kaftan and long, most likely white, hair.
There was a wide slit across her throat, and her mouth opened enough for me to see jagged teeth and slashes through each cheek.
But none of those things caused the spark of recognition.
No, it was her eyes.
They were the same shape as Matamuri’s, but where Matamuri’s held vengeance and wrath, these swam with desperation and assurance.
“Please,” she whispered, reaching for me once more.
Realization dawned, and I nodded, allowing her to wrap her ghostly arms around my body and pull me forward into the swirling mass of Destruction Magic.