Page 46 of Frosty and the Reaper
She studied him with a mixture of awe and horror. He was a master manipulator. She was aware of that. But there was a faint allure to his argument that could sway someone who didn’t know better. Furthermore, he spoke with conviction and a veneer of reason, making it disturbingly easy to see things fromhis perspective, if only for a moment. Even she was shocked by how reasonable he sounded when, in reality, his vision was anything but.
If a seal was broken and magic flooded out into the world, it would cause utter chaos. People, good and bad, would start killing one another. Individuals consumed by greed and fear would become violent, fighting for more magic to ensure their survival and dominance.
Friends would turn on friends. Family would cease to mean anything. Lifelong bonds would be shattered. Suspicion and betrayal would replace loyalty. The fabric of society would unravel as trust dissolved in the wake of newfound power.
Magic wouldn’t just be a rare and wondrous gift. It would become a deadly curse.
Breaking one of the magical seals would cause the freaking apocalypse, and that could never be allowed to happen.
“Why?” she asked with genuine curiosity. “Why would you want to rule the six realms if most of it is destroyed?”
His smile sharpened into a maniacal grin. “Why not?”
Kami had been hoping for a real answer. For some sort of rationale that could help her understand why someone would do something so insane. But it seemed like sanity had officially left the building.
“I deserve it!”
He slammed his fist down on the armrest of his chair, and his outburst made her flinch back in surprise.
“From the moment we were created, we have been used by the magical source,” he hissed as he got up to pace across the floor. “And for what? We do all the work, but do we get any thanks? No, we are scorned. Hated. We have been nothing more than tools, finely honed and sharpened. But no more. Releasing the source magic frees us. Don’t you see that? Don’t you want your mate to finally be free?”
He was like a child lashing out at his parents.
However, since he had been born straight from the magical source, the target of his wrath was his creator.
“Throughout the ages, I have spent countless years trying to figure out the mystery of the seals. And now that I have, I deserve to be rewarded.”
“What mystery?”
“People might think being chosen as a Keeper of the Seal is an honor, but the truth is it is just the opposite. Being chosen by the magical source to keep the seal safe is a curse. The keepers have been deceived. After conducting countless experiments, I have discovered the ironic truth. Using other powerful supernaturals to attempt to break a seal won’t work. Their deaths, no matter how many fall, don’t matter. Their deaths are meaningless. It is all tied to the keepers. The magical source didn’t just grant the keepers more magic to reward them, it also condemns them to a horrible fate.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, genuinely confused.
“The seals are nothing more than locks, and the keepers are actually the keys.”
It took her a moment, but Kami finally understood. A Keeper of the Seal protected the seal, but they were also the key itself.
“Only a keeper is able to unlock their own seal,” Famine explained. “This brings me to why I brought you here. You are about to make the greatest contribution to my cause.”
He glanced around as if confused for a moment, then waved his hand in the air. He swept Raziel’s broken form off the mosaic, his body crashing to the ground next to Lia as he was discarded without a care.
“You really are a gift to me,” Famine said gleefully. “Did War tell you that he is the keeper to two seals? He managed to hide the one in the Hell Realm from me, but I discovered he also became the temporary keeper of this one in the Fae Realm. Notonly do you have his magic in you now that you are mated to him, your death will allow me to kill him. And once I have, I should finally be able to get rid of Death. No matter how many times I’ve killed him, that asshole just won’t stay dead.”
Kami didn’t even know what to think about that. Before she could say anything, her body was jerked forward by the shackles on her wrist. She was flung onto the center of the mosaic, and her arms were secured above her head by an invisible force. She tried to cringe away from him when he walked over and crouched down next to her.
“Since we are below Aegis Academy right now, once your death opens the seal, I can funnel it up through the dark tower and out to the rest of the realm.”
“You’re crazy,” she accused. “Absolutely fucking crazy.”
He slapped her cheek lightly. “I’m just doing what I was born to do. I didn’t ask to be a bringer of the apocalypse. But as the saying goes…be careful what you wish for because it just might come true.”
He used a ceremonial blade to slice her wrists, then her blood started flowing out, spilling onto the mosaic below. The pain she felt was nothing compared to what would happen if she couldn’t find a way to free herself.
“You can’t. Just relax and go with the flow,” he chuckled at his own joke. His smile shifted into a frown. Then, he sighed. “What did I tell you? War always tries to spoil my fun. I’m not sure how he figured out where you are so fast, but I guess I have to go deal with him now. Thank you for your service.”
With a cheeky grin, he disappeared.
“What the fuck!” Lia exploded as soon as he was gone. “Kami, your blood is making the mosaic glow. We have to stop it!”