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She stood bathed in power, glowing with such brightness that Ki’Remi narrowed his eyes and shifted his meta-vision to account for her brilliance.

She had never appeared more terrifying, yet more magnificent.

A silence trembled through the chamber.

Ki’Remi snorted at the folly of the madness he’d just witnessed. ‘Seems destiny justfokkeditself,’ he muttered.

With that, he reached out for his woman’s hand.

It was scorching, and he raised a brow at the searing connection.

Their eyes met, and he quirked his mouth. ‘You are on fire. Kainan ain’t got nothing on you, and hell, woman, it drives me wild.’

‘You’d better believe it,’ she shot back, still quivering from her heightened state.

He raked his eyes over her, narrowing them in concern. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’

He squeezed her palm and then marched them towards the exit.

A phalanx of Saatifa warriors and Celestial Keepers in the thronal room stepped aside, giving them passage as their gawking eyes tracked the couple with awe.

‘What happens now, Issandra?’ one of them called out. ‘Are you our new immortal queen?’

Issa paused her roll for a beat, laughed, and kept tracking.

‘I am not, and what comes now on Sivania, I don’t give a freakin’ care. Zenas will guide you.’

Ki’Remi and Issa kept powering toward the massive vaulted doors.

The ancient carvings shimmered as they moved under the entry’s massive archway, their intricate depictions of celestial battles and divine triumphs seeming to shift, whispering a final farewell.

The portal to the Highest deity’s throne room was sealed behind them, cutting them off from the gods of Sacra and their bizarre, chaotic reality.

31

Unfolding Shadows

Ki’REMI

Alongside his woman, Ki’Remi strode into their temporary prison, his posture rigid with controlled frustration.

The door hissed shut behind them, sealing off the world of gods and their insufferable power games.

Issa exhaled beside him, the tension in her shoulders uncoiling, but only somewhat.

They turned and fell into each other’s arms.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

‘Need to get us thefokkout of here,kidaya,’ he rasped.

She took a shaky breath and stepped back from him. ‘I’ll pack what we brought with us.’

He brushed his lips over hers and tracked her exit.

Then, he rolled his neck and flexed his fingers, activating his link to SysNet with a cerebral command.

A light pulse glinted across his vision as the galaxy-wide comms grid reestablished, pathways of encrypted information spiraling through his optic overlay.