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Tears pricked my eyes as the brutal realization rolled over me.

There was no other way.

Ryker’s magic fell away and he collapsed.

Draco brought the sword down.

I conjured the Wrath of Hades.

And then I ran him through.

“No,” he choked. “No.”

His sword clattered to the ground.

He sank to his knees and gazed down at the dagger protruding from his heart. “Foolish… girl. A life for a life.”

I gaspedas I was pulled from the memory, and found Cassius eyeing me steadily.

He gestured at a mammoth scorch mark a few feet away. “That was where she died. The precise spot. A sorceress is engulfed in white fire when she perishes.”

“That’s not the story I know about the battle with the Beast.”

“Yes, I’m aware. You also weren’t told that Mia Snow was never supposed to be brought back. And it wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for the pregnancy. An outlawed Celestial pregnancy, which led to us having to bring Mia to the Celestial Plane, rather than allowing her to pass through to the Valley of the Dead. All in the name of concealing the truth—that a being likeyouhad been conceived. You were never supposed to have been born and separating Mia from you, keeping her caged with us was intended to prevent that. However, Cornelius Martel and Jaxon Silver used that to their advantage to find a loophole that enabled them to tear Mia from the Celestial Plane, reunite her with the energy field that wasyourlife force, essentially resurrecting her in the processandallowing you to be birthed unto this plane.”

“I don’t… I don’t understand… if it was such a violation… why did the Celestial Plane allow it? Why was my mom allowed to stay… resurrected? And why was I allowed to exist at all?”

“The balance stands to be disrupted from too much True Celestial intervention. Especially intervention to that extent—extinguishing the lifeforces of two beings of mammoth power, both of whom possess a strong Celestial connection. Fortunately, an alternative was found, actually, offered by your family to avoid the other option entirely.” He stared at me intensely. “A bargain was struck. Much like the one that Cornelius made to spare Mia. However, this one involved you. To spare your life, you were marked, Ariana. You are a servant of the Celestial Plane. You possess a duty that is inescapable andprofound. You are to serve as our Champion. Once you reached magical maturity, that duty was activated. And that is why I am here. To prepare you.”

“What… what if I don’t fulfill thisduty?”

I had so many other questions as well, but I needed time to process the shock of it all, and the fact that what I’d believed were truths for so long were in fact all bullshit.

“When your mother tried to shirk her duty and turn from the bargain that Cornelius made in her name, it caused her a great deal of pain.Andpain to those she loved. See for yourself.”

He pressed his hands to my head again, then another memory that wasn’t mine pushed into me.

Draco slammed backinto a pile of ruins, roaring in fury.

Mom had him on the ropes.

Until his sword left his hand.

It cut through the air with unmatched speed.

I heard Pops bellowing out a warning.

But Draco was too fast.

The monstrosity plunged into her side, impaling her to the ground.

“Mia!” Pops screamed, as she shrieked in agony.

Her magic retracted involuntarily and Draco advanced on her.

He was going to kill her.

“Stop!” Pops shouted. “She’s already down! Leave her! It’s over!”