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“Nothing gets by you. Yes. Time and Fate.”

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard or seen. And I’ve watched my brother learn TikTok dances.” It’s a sudden memory, a flash of annoyance and internal laughter. Ciro was always so fucking ridiculous. I wish I could remember more.

“Ignorance blinds you to the possibilities, I understand. And why would you believe me? But all I want is to give people like you and Circe a purpose. Wayward, lost souls with tremendous talent should not go to waste.”

“You know? I think you’re right. You’ve definitely missed your calling.”

“Oh? And what calling would that be?”

“The one where you go fuck yourself!”

“You’re angry. I would be too if I had lost my family. My past. Wouldn’t you like to know what happened to them?”

My heart pounds, clenching in my rib cage. Fingers dig into my shirt, my fist gripping tight, involuntary. Swallowing hard against a rising panic, I let the fear fuel my rage.

The ringing in my ears starts softly as I take a step forward, snatching the nearest weapon from its stand. Three steps toward Ananke and I’m raising the spiked mace, an echo of my own shout barely reaching me over the noise in my head.

She’s an instant from death when I see her lips move.

I can’t hear the word.

But I feel the word. In my fucking soul.

It tears through me like a hurricane, stripping away my faculties, my will, freezing my body mid-swing. Frigid terror grips every muscle fiber in my body.

“W-wha—?” It’s all I can force out.

“I see why she loved you. Why she told me about you in the first place. Who would guess that the quiet one, the brooding brother, would have so muchfirein him. Now don’t go getting notions of retaliating against Circe. She is loyal to me for a reason. And she hardly has any more choice than you do. Only she understands the difference we must make in the world. The need for our guidance.”

“Why?”

“Good question. With so many layers. Why would I do this? To save those who cannot save themselves. To stop organizations like your family, like the Mocro, and others, from taking power and spreading death and destruction.

“Why would you work for me? Because deep down you hate what you are, what you have become. What you have done, whether you remember it or not. This is your chance to make amends. To give back and undo the pain and devastation you and your ilk cause!”

Her voice rises finally, strong and full, filling the room, my ears, my head. Every word hammers into me, knocking down my defenses. Making me…

Believeher.

“C-can’t trust you…” I hiss through my aching jaw.

“Certainly not yet. However, you know I do not lie. And I know who you are, at your core.”

“How?”

“I have known your family for decades, Ero. Give me your time and your skill, and I will give you your life back, a bit at a time.”

“What if I don’t want it back?”

“Then at least give in to a new life. A life with a mission. A reason for living.”

Deep in my heart, I feel a rattle, like rubble crumbling down. A crack in a wall, trickling dust and mortar.

No. Stop.

But she leans in close, right in my ear, those smiling lips forcing words into my head like a knife through my ribs. “Alessandro died trying to flee his secret home. Isabella was in the car when it went over the cliff.”

“N-no…” I whisper, two faces surfacing from the tar pit of my mind. My eldest brother… who raised me. Gone.