Chapter 84
Eighty-Four
Somewhere deep in the heart of Universe 24, Armienti stirred, haunted by the mistakes in his life. He was so tired, so very tired of nothing ever going his way. From losing the kingdom of his birthright, to never getting the girls he fell in love with, to always being “the friend,” when he wanted so much more out of life. His family had lied about him and kept him like a dirty little secret to be discarded and ignored.
He deserved better, he finally realized.
He sat in the pitch darkness of the Palace of Despair wondering and waiting for far too long. He’d been duped. The palace was empty, and he wasn’t worth anyone’s time. What a fool he was to think the Grand Supreme could help him in his plight. What a fool he was to think he had all the answers he was searching for. They didn’t exist, at least not for him. Nothing ever turned out the way it was supposed to.
A traitor they called him. Traitors never won in the end.
Shadows danced and swirled around the room. Disembodied voices whispered, chilling him to the bone. The voices wouldn’t leave him alone no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. They crept into his subconscious, trailed him through every crevice of his mind. He was such a failure.
They told him to fight, told him to kill. They told him to take back everything that belonged to him. After all, it wasn’t stealing when it always should’ve been his.
A series of gentle footsteps disrupted him from his tortured thoughts. Bare feet pattered against the carpeted floor outside of the closed door of Emperor Izzo’s throne room he’d been locked inside of against his will.
His eyes drew to the door as it slid open slowly one centimeter at a time. A silhouette entered; a ghost long lost. His mouth fell open, curiosity getting the best of him as she approached.
Her silver eyes, dark curly hair, and rosy cheeks disarmed him. Maeve stood there smiling, chewing her bottom lip. She wore a pitch-black bodysuit. She stood on her tiptoes running her fingers through his hair.
His eyes flickered. “This is impossible. You’re dead. You can’t be here right now.”
She tilted her head to the side, flashing a brilliant smile. Her lashes brushed against her rosy cheeks. “Am I?”