Chapter 9 #3
Alaric pulled back, brow lifting. “Me?”
“You said I needed a boost,” I replied. “Those daggers did the trick.” Understanding dawned, and he smiled before pulling me into another quick hug. For a heartbeat, everything felt light. Like, maybe surviving this place was possible. Then the back of my neck prickled.
That heavy, suffocating sense of being watched. I opened my eyes. Aiden. The moment our gazes locked, he strode toward us, fury carved into every line of his body. Without a word, he yanked me away from Alaric, his grip iron-tight around my arm.
“Aiden…ow,” I hissed, wincing. His jade eyes burned into me, sharper than the daggers still embedded in the slope below.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” His voice was low, dangerous, and strained.
I forced a light tone. “What do you mean? I made it, didn’t I?”
“Don’t play dumb.” His words snapped. “You threw your weapons away to climb a godsdamn cliff.”
“Still have two left.” I muttered, only loud enough for him to hear. His glare could have cut stone.
“And before that,” he continued, “you nearly got yourself killed saving Luna.”
“I lived,” I shot back. “And I wasn’t about to lose another unit member. Besides, you’re the one who told me to use my fucking head.”
“That’s not the point,” he growled, raking a hand down his face. “You could’ve died right alongside her. And now look at you; injured. Weak.”
“I am always injured. Always weak,” I fired back.
My voice shook, but I didn’t look away. “And yet I’m still standing.
Still fighting. Still proving everyone, including you, wrong.
” I pressed on before he had a chance to interrupt.
“Jumping and running weren’t working. So, either I died, or I improvised.
Losing two daggers seemed better than losing my life. ”
His jaw flexed, frustration flaring in his eyes. He stepped closer, and Alaric moved in.
“Aid,” Alaric said firmly, “she did what she had to do. I can give her two of mine—”
“No,” Aiden cut him off without looking away from me.
My pulse jumped, but I lifted my chin. “If Ruin wants to waste two fucking daggers,” he continued coldly, “that’s on her.
She’ll learn to survive in there without them.
And if she dies?” He glanced at Alaric. “Then I guess she learned her lesson.”
“Aiden, that’s ridiculous—”
“It’s fine, Al,” I said, placing a hand on his arm.
“He’s right.” I stepped closer to Aiden, meeting his gaze head-on.
“I threw them away. I’ll deal with the consequences.
” My voice hardened. “And when I make it out of there alive, it’ll be because I proved you wrong.
” Aiden’s lips curved into a slow, infuriating smirk.
He leaned in, close enough I could feel his breath.
“Well, then,” he murmured, almost amused, “good luck, Ruin.” I glared back. Gods, he was unbearable.
“I don’t need luck, asshole.” His smirk vanished, replaced by something sharp and dark. I shoved past him, boots crunching against fallen leaves, and stepped into the fog. His presence lingered behind me, heavy, persistent, like a shadow I couldn’t shake. But I didn’t look back.
The fog was thick, curling around my legs and clinging to my skin like a second breath.
Distant screams echoed through the haze; some were sharp and panicked, others cut off far too suddenly.
My fingers curled over the dagger strapped to my thigh as I pushed forward, heart pounding.
The haze cleared, unveiling a dense, dark forest.
The trees were massive, gnarled, ancient things with moss dripping from their limbs as if they were hanging shrouds. The sky above was a roiling canvas of gray clouds, thunder rumbling somewhere in the distance. The air was warm and electric, charged as if a storm was waiting to break.
The purple light still shone ahead, flickering like a mirage, both impossibly close and maddeningly far.
My sense of direction warped here. Time seemed off.
As though I was walking through a dream, or memory.
I couldn’t see anyone, none of my friends, no familiar shapes.
Just the trees, the light, and the wind whispering through the branches.
Then suddenly someone crashed into me from behind.
Pain exploded in my knees and chest as I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked clean out of me.
A white-hot jolt tore through my injured shoulder as my arm was yanked behind my back and pinned down.
I gritted my teeth, twisted my wrist, and slammed my dagger up into the attacker’s leg.
A scream rang out as the pressure released.
I scrambled to my feet, chest heaving. Standing in front of me was a girl from the Ares unit, short, wiry, with cropped black hair and icy blue eyes.
Blood ran down her thigh where my blade struck, but she didn’t hesitate.
She charged. I blocked her strike, turned, and drove my knee into her stomach.
She stumbled away, fury distorting her features.
“Come on,” I panted, trying to reason with her. “Let’s not do this.”
Her lip curled. “It’s kill or be killed, little Apollo. So, we’re doing this.” She rushed me again, faster this time, but I was ready. I stepped to the side, dodging her swing, and drove my dagger into her ribs. She gasped. Her pupils widened.
We both froze.
My hand trembled around the hilt as I pulled the blade free, blood coating the steel.
She staggered backward, clutching her side as crimson blossomed across her leathers.
“I… I’m sorry,” I whispered, voice cracking as tears welled in my eyes.
She choked on a wet and ragged breath. Her lungs.
No. She dropped to her knees, and I rushed to catch her, gently lowering her against a moss-covered log.
Her breathing was shallow, broken. Her blue eyes were losing focus.
“I didn’t want to…” I knelt beside her, one hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The light faded from her gaze.
I stayed with her for a moment, the stillness around us almost sacred.
I didn’t know her name. I hadn’t wanted to know.
But now it feels like I should. With trembling fingers, I gently closed her eyes.
And sat there, letting the weight of what I’d done settle deep into my bones.
This place didn’t just take lives. It asked you to live with taking them.
After a moment of steadying my breath, I rose.
I had to keep moving. The purple light pulsed ahead, close enough I felt its hum within me.
I pushed forward, weaving through the twisted trees, dodging low branches and roots.
That’s when I saw him. Clive. He stood near a towering waterfall, his gaze fixed upward in awe, as if hypnotized by the cascade of shimmering water.
The glow danced across his face until a shadow moved behind him.
“Clive!” I shouted.