Closer
Sienna
We hit the ground hard, or Jayce does, his knee crashing into the ground as the portal snaps shut behind us.
Jayce’s arms remain around me, holding me protectively.
His helmet is covered with blood. Behind his visor, I can see the sweat and blood trickling into his eyes, but the fire in his eyes tells me he’s ok.
My heart thrums, realising I somehow managed to do it, but now isn’t the time to celebrate. I jump out of his arms and kneel before him, examining his injuries. He has several.
“Jayce… Look at you,” I whisper, my heart squeezing at the sight of his injuries.
“The blood, it’s not all mine.” He sounds almost arrogant as he raises his gauntlet.
He’s injured, but none of them is serious. I can see some of them already beginning to close up. I still whisper a spell and run my hand over the worst of the wounds.
“You were incredible against Velasara,” Jayce says quietly, raising his visor, and I smile softly, seeing the pride in his eyes. “Are you ok?”
I nod, placing a hand on my stomach. “We are.”
He nods as he stands, taking hold of my elbows for a moment. Our eyes meet briefly before we both turn to look around us. My smile vanishes noticing the lack of snow, and then my stomach drops.
Jayce has tensed, as if he too has only now realised that we aren’t where we’re meant to be… Or we are, in a way…
I’ve seen this place before… In my dreams…
“We’re inside the dome.”
It’s a statement. He recognises it too from when I shared my vision with him.
“Yes…” I murmur, looking around.
The barren ground stretches in every direction, the same dark stains marring the earth in sprawling patterns that look disturbingly familiar.
The jagged rock formations, the dead landscape, and even the strange, oppressive atmosphere hanging over everything, although it doesn’t feel as intense as it did in my dream.
Looking up, the sky above us isn’t the sky but the curved surface of the dome stretching overhead; dull pulses of light are moving through it like veins beneath skin. It doesn’t look agitated from within.
Seeing it now, knowing this is no dream, makes it even more unsettling.
The power here is immense, but unlike before, I can actually breathe. The pressure isn’t crushing me. It’s simply there, hanging in the air, saturating everything around us like an invisible fog.
Beside me, Jayce slowly turns in a circle, taking everything in.
“So, you had the power to get inside of this thing, which means the drakaths are here,” he murmurs.
Thousands of them.
I don’t think I can cast a concealment spell, I murmur through the mind-link. The energy is intense; it might just draw them here.
We’ll be careful... Before that, can you store a sample of blood?
I glance up at him, not needing to ask why. He holds out his bloody gauntlet. Vincenzo’s blood.
Just to confirm, he adds quietly. The revelation is still weighing on us both. It’s not going to be easy having to share that. I understand where he’s coming from.
He looks... No, you’re right. But you can sense when someone lies. Did he-
No, it felt like he was telling the truth, but my power is not absolute; a blood test will help confirm.
Nodding, I whisper a spell and select one of my vials from my pouch. I scrape up what blood I can and, whispering a spell, store it away.
Jayce then glances around and then back at me.
We’ll tread carefully, stay close, he says through the mind-link.
I nod as his gauntlet hand closes around mine just as another pulse travels through the dome. This close, I can feel it moving through the ground beneath my feet.
My gaze drifts across the landscape again, and a chill crawls down my spine. Everything feels wrong here.
Jayce’s hand brushes mine. You alright?
I nod swiftly, looking into his eyes, because it’s true, strangely. I am uneasy but not afraid.
In control. With him by my side.
My eyes drift towards the distant centre of the dome.
The pull is still there.
Subtle and persistent, drawing me forward.
The same sensation I’ve felt in every vision.
I glance at Jayce, and he speaks before I can say anything. This is it, then? Are we doing this now?
Yes. We get to the Will, and… I take control of it, I reply, my heart racing slightly faster.
His jaw tightens slightly. Will you be alright? Are you certain? I know waiting isn’t exactly an option right now-
He stops as the entire dome ripples sharply and a heavy weight forces itself down upon us. It’s weakening… Whatever the Indomitable did to it has messed with the barrier.
If I don’t, the barrier will fall, and the drakaths will be unleashed into our world, and without anyone controlling the Will, that would be terrifying.
Yeah, I thought that. Or if that control falls into the wrong hands...
I nod, and the unease in my stomach deepens. Yeah.
Then let’s get moving, Jayce says through the mind-link. Are we just going with gut instinct?
I smile slightly as he cocks a brow at me from beneath his helmet. I guess; that’s the Westwood way, right?
So, are you saying that you are a Westwood now? he asks with a smirk.
Are you asking me to become one? I counter before I freeze, realising what I just implied. I sense the way he froze, ever so slightly, for only a moment, and I hear him swallow. I was only-
Let’s get this over with, and then I just might. My heart thuds, but before I can respond, I’m relieved by the distraction, hearing the sinister shriek of a drakath from somewhere close.
We exchange looks and keep moving quietly, that tension lingering, knowing we both have left things unsaid. I think we should fly over. Should I carry-
No.
I suppress a giggle. He’s never going to let me, is he?
His hand settles on my lower back, and I feel his aura lightly swirl around me, a protective layer done with impressive precision, as I could barely sense it.
Together, we begin making our way across the dead landscape, heading towards the Will. I’ve been here in my dreams, heard the callings, know what I need to do, but how I am going to do it is the hard part.
As I said, I’ll follow my instincts, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary. I have to do this, not only because I can, but also because it’s come down to me, and because everyone is counting on this.
Control the Will, the drakaths, bring down the dome, and find the rest. It’s the dome that’s messing with the energy here. Once it’s destroyed, it should be easier. That’s what I’m banking on anyway.
Soon, the cocoons come into view, and we stop.
In person, they seem even more terrifying.
My stomach churns, and I instinctively move closer to Jayce, his hand now resting firmly on my waist. Some are empty, cracked open, but many still hold drakaths inside.
For as far as I can see, there are cocoons.
We’re going to have to cross that… I say.
I would say you could fly over, but they’d notice us faster, Jayce replies. I look up at him, smiling.
That’s true, but really, you’d let me carry you? I ask, surprised.
He cocks a brow. Who said anything about you carrying me?
So would you let me carry you or not? I ask as we begin walking slowly.
If it made things easier, yeah, I guess I’d survive it.
I smile softly and nod. Aww, that’s so sweet.
He offers me a withering look. Don’t make me change my mind, Darling.
Ok, I’ll behave, I reply with a smirk.
He reaches over, taking hold of my chin and forcing me to look up at him, the move alone making my heart hammer.
Good girl, Jayce murmurs, making my cheeks instantly burn up, and it takes me a moment to recover. An arrogant smirk crosses Jayce’s face, knowing exactly the kind of effect he has on me.
Gods…
Ok, focus. We carry on walking, and I can feel his gaze on me, and it only makes me more nervous, until he reaches for my hand; his gauntlet is now gone, and sparks dance through me. His touch ignites my entire body and yet at the same time calms me.
You got this.
I look at him and nod.
He’s right. I do.
We keep moving through the cocoons as quietly as possible, occasionally hearing shrieks in the distance and wondering just how many drakaths are actually inside this place.
The dome stretches for miles in every direction, and despite being close to the centre, there is still no sign of the end of it.
I need to control the Will before it consumes me.
I hope I can do it.
The thought sits heavily in my stomach as we continue weaving our way between the cocoons.
Some twitch as we pass. Others remain perfectly still; their occupants suspended within.
More than once, I catch movement from the corner of my eye and immediately tense, only to realise whatever is inside has settled again.
Then the pull intensifies.
I come to an abrupt stop, and Jayce does the same. Neither of us says anything; we don’t need to because we both know we’ve found it.
The cocoons begin thinning out, creating a natural clearing around the centre of the dome, and there it is.
The Will.
My heart immediately begins hammering. I’ve seen it in my dreams, and now it’s right in front of me.
The massive membrane-covered egg pulses slowly, veins spreading from it in every direction.
I swallow.
“So that’s it,” Jayce murmurs quietly.
For a moment, neither of us moves. All those visions, the questions, the uncertainty, and now I’m standing before it, sooner than I had thought I would be.
And somehow I still have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do. The realisation would almost be funny if the situation weren’t so serious.
I stare at it; the magic from it is not of this world, that’s as obvious as the sky is blue – well, somewhere in the world.
The pull I’ve been feeling ever since entering the dome grows stronger with every passing second, no longer guiding me towards it but urging me forward.
Touch it.
The thought enters my mind so naturally that I don’t question it.
My feet begin moving, and Jayce reaches for my hand.
“You sure about this?” he asks quietly, concern in his sage green eyes.
“No,” I answer honestly, because I’m not. “But I have to do this, and I am going to be ok.”
Because you’re here with me.
His grip tightens briefly. “I’ll be right here.”
I smile faintly.
“I know.”
For a moment, neither of us moves.
The unease sitting in my stomach must show on my face because Jayce reaches for me again, his remaining artefacts disappearing as one hand settles on my waist and he pulls me against him.
“I know you can do it”, he says quietly, searching my eyes. “Whatever happens, you are not alone; I’m right here.”
I swallow and nod. “I know.” My heart already betrays me, and for a moment, I don’t want to go, wanting to stay in his arms.
His gaze lingers on mine for another moment before he cups my face so gently, with the very same hands that are capable of turning mountains to dust, and despite everything around us, some of the tension leaves my body.
Because it’s Jayce, and somehow, he always manages to make me feel safer. He leans down and kisses me softly, yet deeply, not hurriedly, reminding me he’s here with me.
I kiss him back, melting into him immediately, my arms locking around his neck as he deepens the kiss, pouring every unspoken promise into it. Every fear. Every hope. Every future we still haven’t had the chance to build together.
When he finally pulls back, he rests his forehead against mine.
“You’ve got this, Darling.”
I close my eyes for a moment before taking a steadying breath and nodding.
“I do.”
Then I turn towards the Will. This time, when I walk forward, closing the short distance between us, I don’t hesitate. My chaos magic stirs restlessly beneath my skin whilst the strange pull I’ve felt for so long transforms into something else entirely.
Recognition. As though the Will already knows who I am.
I stop directly in front of it; the membrane shifts, and the veins pulse.
What if this doesn’t work?
What if I lose control?
I can’t leave Jayce; I can’t fail our child.
The thoughts race through my mind, but despite the fear, despite the uncertainty, despite everything we’ve sacrificed to get here, one truth remains.
Someone has to do this, and somehow, I’m the only one who can.
Slowly, I raise my hand, and I touch it.
The moment my fingertips brush the surface, power erupts through me, and Jayce is thrown backwards before I even realise what’s happening.
The force tears across the clearing in a violent wave, shadows and lightning exploding outward as the entire dome pulses in response.
I gasp.
Not from pain but from the sheer amount of power flooding into me.
It pours through every part of my body with overwhelming intensity, connecting to my magic, my mind, my very soul. The veins spreading from the Will ignite one after another, light racing through them faster and faster as the dome itself seems to awaken around me.
My knees almost buckle; the connection deepens.
Suddenly, I can feel the cocoons.
Every single one of them.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
I can feel the creatures sleeping within them. Feel their hunger. Their instincts. Their awareness.
The sensation is terrifying.
And it doesn’t stop there.
The connection continues spreading outward to every single drakath within the dome.
My heart fills with fear. There are hundreds of thousands… So many… An army like this means great power, and that is terrifying.
Suddenly, it feels as though the entire dome exists inside my mind. Every pulse. Every movement. Every strand of energy connecting one thing to another.
My breath catches at the sheer level of it all.
This connection.
Raw.
Ancient.
And absolute.
And as the power continues pouring through me, I realise the Will isn’t choosing whether to accept me.
It’s trying to devour me.