Page 28

XYREK

Alice slept beside me; her breaths were slow and steady, and her body was tucked against mine as if she belonged there. And she did. I had no doubts about that anymore. Not after what I remembered. Not after the name Allisaahn had torn itself from my lips like a prayer, a plea, a curse. The memories had returned like a flood—too much, too fast, overwhelming me with their intensity. For so long, I had been certain I had no past before the Ohrurs, that my life had begun when they took me in, trained me, shaped me into a weapon.

Had that been a lie, too? Did I have a life before? A mate? Was I a reincarnation of the Xyrek of my memories? Or was I a clone, given his memories?

It didn't matter. She was back.

Not in the way I now remembered we were reborn on Darlam, but still. Alice—Allisaahn—had been returned to me. Different, yet the same. This wasn’t an accident—it wasn't even a damn miracle, it was fate.

I brushed a strand of her hair from her face, marveling at the way her lashes fluttered against her cheeks. She was real. She was here. And by the stars, I loved her. I loved her so much that my chest expanded and constricted at the same time. She was my everything. I could hardly believe it had taken me this long to realize it. How could I not have seen it the moment I laid eyes on her? But she was here now, and she was mine. The realization settled deep in my bones, like something that had always been there, waiting to be acknowledged. I had spent the last few weeks fighting it, resisting it, pretending that what I felt was just a side effect of the mating marks, a biological reaction, nothing more.

But that was a lie, too.

This wasn’t just the marks. It wasn’t just biology. It was her.

The way she met my sharp edges with her own, never backing down. The way her mind worked, always seeking answers, always needing to know, just like me. The way she had fought to stay alive, survived against all odds, and still somehow found a way to fix things—even when she had nothing. She was Allisaahn in a thousand small ways. At the same time, she was Alice. My Alice.

And I had almost left her behind.

I clenched my jaw, rage simmering just beneath my skin. The Ohrurs took her from me. They killed her. Worse, they stole my memories, erased my past, and twisted me into their obedient weapon. And I had let them. I had followed orders, never questioning, never doubting.

Until now.

Now, I saw them for what they were—liars, manipulators, parasites. And I would burn them to the ground for what they had done. I would find out everything. Why they took me. Why they erased my people. Why they covered up Darlam, locking it away like a forgotten graveyard. And most of all, they would feel my vengeance. For what they did to me. To her. To all the others.

Alice stirred beside me, murmuring in her sleep. Her body shifted closer, as if seeking my warmth. I tightened my hold on her, grounding myself in her essence.

She was mine.

She had always been mine.

And this time, no one—not the Ohrurs, not fate, not gods—would take her away from me again.

I was just about to join Alice in sleep when the air in my quarters grew heavier, charged with an unseen force; the temperature dropped just enough to prickle my skin. A presence pressed against my mind—familiar and impossible all at once.

All my alarm bells went off. We weren't alone.

I tensed, my hand reaching for the blaster on the side table, but then I forced myself to lie still as I realized this wasn’t an intruder, not in the physical sense. It was something else. Something deeper.

And then, he was there.

Not in the way a man stands in a room, flesh and blood, but within me, inside my mind. A projection of will and power, woven into existence from something far greater than mere consciousness. His form hovered in the periphery of my vision, blurred yet solid, like the memory of a dream just before waking.

Xyrek, I'm Zapharos . His voice was a whisper and a roar, ancient and powerful, yet somehow personal. It was as if he had always known me, as if he had always been there.

You and the others are not alone in this .

A growl rose in my throat. "Get out of my head," I snapped. "I don’t need some cryptic ghost trying to make me feel better."

Zapharos chuckled, and the sound vibrated through my skull. You are the same as always. Stubborn.

"You say that as if you know me," I gritted out, clenching my fists. "I have no idea who you are."

I am Zapharos—one of the most powerful Arkhevari .

Arkhevari?

Could this really be true? Thanks to my newfound memories, I knew that the Arkhevari were the gods who came to Darlam and gave us the gift of eternal love. I was too irritated that he was inside my head to be as humbled as I probably should have been.

You and Alice need to be prepared .

My breath hitched. Alice!

"You leave her out of this." I sat up with a start. Alice moaned, and I forced myself to relax. There was no reason to wake her.

Zapharos sighed as if speaking to a particularly frustrating child.

You and Alice are not like the others. You are more than the marks on your skin, more than the bond that ties you together . His presence pulsed against mine, deep and unstoppable. My frustration reached new heights when I realized there was nothing I could do to get him out of my head.

Did you not wonder why you felt no pain when the marks appeared? Why you could be apart from her when the others could not?

I had wondered. More than once. It hadn’t made sense.

The other Space Guardians had been shackled by their mating marks, unable to stray more than a few feet from their fated mates without agony tearing through them—at least according to Lord Protector Garth. But Alice and I? We could be separated. Or at least we could before. I wasn't sure I could ever leave her sight again now that I had surrendered to our love.

Still, our marks didn’t bind us the same way.

Because…

Because your souls have reincarnated together more times than you could ever imagine, Zapharos answered the question in my mind before I could even voice it. Shudders of revulsion pulsed through me. If I could have laid my hands on the bastard, I would have broken his neck. It was the worst intrusion of my life. No , I admitted, that honor still belongs to the Ohrurs, but Zapharos is a very close second.

You and Alice don't fear loss because your souls know each other too well. You trust without needing proof. You find each other, always. In every life. In every version of existence .

I didn't want to like his words, but somehow, they comforted me. Still, I snarled, "Get out of my head," careful not to wake Alice.

You are as close to the Arkhevari as a mortal can be. Zapharos’ voice deepened inside my head, and that's why you must listen .

"To what?" I bit out.

To her .

Her? Alice!

When the time comes, you must listen to her and trust her, as you have always done. She will know what to do. She has always known .

More ripples moved up and down my spine. "I will not have her in danger."

You will always be in danger if the Ohrurs have not been held accountable. You. Her. All of them .

The urge to argue with him welled up from the pit of my gut, but I forced it back down. He wasn't going to get out of my head until he said what he came here to say.

I'm glad you're finally realizing that , he chuckled. I wanted to punch him more with every passing tick. I would agree to whatever he had to say, just to get rid of him, and then… yeah, then what?

You can try .

Frygging bastard, my jaw tightened.

There is something you must do on Darlam, Xyrek . His presence pressed against me again, a flood of knowledge just out of reach. You are the key. You and Alice both. But you must find Shade's Vale.

" Shade's Vale ?" My frown deepened. Why would Zapharos want me to find the one place on Darlam where the damned dwelled? Or had dwelled. I was sure they were as dead as all the others.

It was a place for Darlams who never found their Soulweb mates. For Darlams who fell in love with each other without the protection of mating marks. A place I had briefly considered seeking out with Allisaahn before our mating marks finally showed.

Darlam was never just a world. It was a cradle—a beginning. The Arkhevari left something behind, something only you can unlock .

I shook my head. "That doesn’t tell me anything."

No , Zapharos admitted, but you will understand when the time comes. When you stand on the shattered ground of your ancestors, when the truth is laid bare before you… you will know .

I growled in frustration, but Zapharos was already fading. His presence withdrew, retreating like the tide. The bastard had given me nothing but more riddles to solve.

"Tell me what I'm looking for; tell me what happened," I cried.

Be ready, Xyrek , his final words echoed in my mind. The balance must be restored; you will be my most valuable tool .

Tool ? The frygging bastard was just like the frygging Ohrurs, using me for his own sick endgame.

"You little—" I started, but he was gone.

Silence crashed down around me.

I exhaled sharply, my muscles coiled, and my mind raced. I didn’t want to believe him, but by the Black Abyss, I did. I wanted to cling to the anger he had awakened inside me. But deep down, I already knew. Alice was more than my mate, and Darlam was more than a lost world.

The Ohrurs had stolen my past.

But I would fight for our future.