Page 61 of Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)

Olivier

Olivier had always prided himself on his ability to find loopholes. He was capable of slithering out of situations most people found themselves paralyzed by. It was just a part of who he was—a quality ingrained in the very atoms of his being. He was whip-smart. Nimble. Fast on his feet.

But this…this was perhaps his Achilles’ heel. The one situation he would never be able to get himself out of. There was no conceivable way around it. No loophole to be found. There was just the inevitable conclusion waiting for him.

He would win…or he would face destruction.

But what was an eternal existence without Emilio? What was the point of surviving if he would be forced to endure the torment of knowing his victory had been paid with the price of his soul?

Nobody had time to ask any questions as Headmaster Silas darted into the night, leading them out of the garden and back toward the main path. He made his way across the grounds, his steps brisk.

But the farther they walked, the more it became clear that Silas was taking them straight to the main gates.

Emilio looked up in confusion. “Are we—are we leaving the grounds?”

“We are, Mr.Córdova.”

“But—” Emilio glanced at the others with a bewildered expression. “I thought…we weren’t allowed.”

“The circumstances have changed.”

August stepped forward. “Where are you taking us?”

Silas stopped at the large arched gate carved into the entrance of Blackwood, the hem of his coat fluttering in the wind. He reached into his pocket, an amused glint in his eyes, and revealed a large iron key.

“I suppose you’ll just have to follow me and find out.”

The moment Olivier stepped through the gates, crossing the threshold that separated Blackwood and the woods looming around it, something shifted.

A change in the atmospheric pressure. The wind picked up its pace, scattering burnt-sienna leaves beneath their feet.

It hummed in Olivier’s bones, altering the way the air traveled through his lungs.

Then, without warning, the world around them darkened, gray clouds dotting the sky.

Seconds later, tiny white flakes descended upon them.

“Is this…” Emilio lifted a hand into the air. “Is this snow?”

“Looks like it,” whispered Wren a few paces behind them.

Olivier opened his mouth and let a snowflake fall onto his tongue.

“It really is snow.”

“I think we’ve established it’s snowing,” Irene muttered bitterly beneath her breath. A snowflake landed on her eyelash and she blinked it away, scowling up at the sky.

“Hurry along, nominees!” Silas called out in front of them, waving them forward. “I would recommend keeping up with my pace. You wouldn’t want to get lost in these woods.”

The farther they walked, the colder the air around them became, a frigid chill fluttering through the wind. The clouds above them darkened, shifting from feathered gray to starless black, as if the heavens were seconds away from breaking open.

“Here we are.”

Silas came to a halt in front of a clearing.

It was a perfect circle cut through the woods, an opening with an unobstructed view of the darkening sky above them.

Stone benches sprouted from the earth, dozens of flowers jutting out from the snow-speckled grass beneath them.

Eight stone archways adorned the perimeter of the clearing, vines and various plants wrapped around the structures like ribbons.

“Where are we?” asked Josie, sniffling. “Is this part of Blackwood?”

“It doesn’t look like it,” Masika whispered warily.

“We are at a crossroads,” Silas explained, motioning toward the clearing with a sweeping gesture. “The forest we just walked through was still technically a part of Blackwood. This clearing, however, marks the end of Blackwood’s territory. The beginning of what lurks beyond.”

“And what exactly does lurk beyond?” Irene asked with an impatient sigh.

“The rest of purgatory,” Silas replied with a coy smile. “A dark and treacherous world. I know you may be used to the structure and safety found within Blackwood, but what lurks beyond is anything but safe.”

“Enough mind games.” August shoved his hands into his pockets. “Just tell us why we’re here.”

“Very well.” Silas offered him a tight-lipped smile.

“As you can see, there are eight arches surrounding us. One for each of you. They are linked to a specific location within the outskirts of purgatory. Upon crossing the arch, you will materialize at these various locations, separated from the rest of the group. Once you arrive, you are meant to locate an elixir that will allow you to dismantle an illusion. You will have exactly one hour.”

“That’s it?” Irene scoffed. “An illusion ?”

“It’ll be more complex than you think, Ms.Bamford.”

“What happens after we dismantle it?” asked Wren, arms clamped tightly over her chest.

“You must find the original arch and cross through it. You’ll emerge in this clearing and walk back to Blackwood and meet me and the remaining nominees at Bonestrod.”

The remaining nominees. Olivier shivered. He knew what those words meant…that some of them weren’t coming back.

“Fine,” Irene snapped. “Can we just get this over with?”

Silas clapped his hands and the sound rang in the air, echoing all around them.

“Very well. Nominees…please pick an arch.”

For a split second, nobody moved. It was like they were trying to memorize each other’s faces. Like they were trying to stop time and preserve the moment somehow.

Silas let out a sigh. “I understand your hesitation, but we must get moving. We’re on a tight schedule.

” He glanced down at the pocket watch tucked into his coat.

“ Ah …please forgive my early departure, but I’m afraid there is some business I must attend to.

You may commence the trial, and I’ll meet those who remain at Bonestrod.

” He smiled up at them through his dark lashes. “Goodluck.”

From one breath to the next, he vanished, disappearing within a cloud of black smoke.

Irene approached the arch first. She was moments away from stepping through when Masika made a small noise—a startled gasp of disbelief.

Irene froze, hands clenched. “What?”

“You’re not going to say bye ?” Masika said incredulously. It wasn’t a question—it was an accusation. Her voice wavered with every word. “After everything we just learned? What if one of us doesn’t make it? What if this is the last time we see each other?”

Olivier held his breath. The silence was thick enough to drownin.

Irene stared back, lips parted. Olivier swore he saw a tiny flicker of regret behind her eyes, but it quickly dissipated, replaced by that cold and unforgiving look of determination she had been wearing since Silas had told them the truth.

“What difference does it make?”

Masika flinched. “What difference ? Dammit, Irene. Don’t you get it?

You’re selfish and cruel and manipulative.

You’ve broken my heart more times than I can count and you’ve smiled while you’ve done it.

And yet despite all of that, despite the cruelty you wear and the pain you inflict on others… you are my friend. ”

A gust of wind blew through Irene’s hair, washing the side of her face in a blanket of darkness. Her eyes welled with tears, hands trembling by her side. She opened her mouth as if to say something, and then she simply turned back to face the arch, stepped through it, and vanished into thin air.

Silence swept over the clearing in a devastating blow.

Masika’s eyes were glued to the space where Irene had been standing only seconds earlier.

Her glassy eyes were wide, jaw slack. For a moment, Olivier was certain she would collapse onto her knees and break down completely, but then something changed.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. She inhaled a long and steadying breath.

When she turned back to look at them, the sadness was gone. The only thing left was a stone-cold look of resolve.

“She’s right,” Masika said. “We should get this over with.”

The others began to cross, one by one.

Carter was first, silently approaching one of the arches. Olivier shivered at the look in his eyes. It was the look of someone who had accepted their fate. A look of pure surrender. He didn’t utter a single word before disappearing into his arch.

Josie wiped the cascading tears from her cheeks as she hugged Emilio. “I…I can’t do this.”

“You can.” Emilio placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know you can.”

She gave him one final hug before facing the next arch. A shaky exhale escaped her lips as she turned to look at the rest of them, a broken smile on her face.

“Good luck.”

And then she crossed through, disappearing into thin air.

August and Wren were next. Olivier had expected some dramatic last conversation between the two of them, one final clash…

but there was nothing. They simply stared at one another for a prolonged moment, silence reverberating in the space between them.

And then they turned toward the next two arches in unison and vanished.

Olivier glanced between Masika and Emilio.

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “I suppose it’s our turn.”

Masika lifted the corner of her mouth into a sorrowful smile. “This isn’t goodbye. We could still make it to the last trial.”

“I know, but…” Olivier didn’t need to say the words out loud. They knew.

Even if they survived this trial…only one of them would make it to the very end.

Emilio let out a shuddering breath. “I wish…I thought…” He looked between the two of them and shook his head. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to.” Masika inhaled a sharp breath. “I’ll go first.”

She walked up to the next arch, eyes narrowed, and paused at the threshold.

Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling as though she was on the brink of panic.

When she glanced over her shoulder, Olivier had the sudden urge to run up and stop her.

To grab her by the shoulders and pull her back to safety.

“If this is the last time we speak to one another,” she said, a rueful smile forming on her lips, “then I just want to say I’m glad we became…unfortunate acquaintances. It wasn’t a lot of time, but…it was enough.”

She walked through the arch before either of them could respond.

Olivier bit back the sob fighting its way up his throat. He turned to look at Emilio and found his own desperation mirrored in his eyes. They stared at one another, neither of them moving, neither of them even daring to breathe.

“Emilio.” Olivier whispered his name, clinging to it with divine reverence. He swore under his breath as he struggled to find the right words, cursing his own inadequacy. His hands trembled with fear and anticipation—with the possibility of ripping open a seal that he should never have closed.

A paralyzing silence engulfed them. Emilio’s expression shifted from pained to anguished as he cupped Olivier’s face in his hands, pressing their foreheads together with delicate care.

“I know,” Emilio whispered. The two words sank into Olivier’s chest and cracked him open.

They pulled away from one another, eyes locked in a dizzying moment of uncertainty.

But terror had hardened Olivier into stone. He couldn’t move. He could only stare at Emilio, at the warmth of his eyes, and pray that the love he had for Emilio would be enough to freeze time over.

“We should go,” Emilio whispered, breaking the spell. Olivier nodded through the pain.

They approached the final two arches. A sharp, overwhelming feeling struck Olivier in the chest. It was like water rushing down his throat, panic seeping into his lungs.

Emilio glanced up at him. “See you at Bonestrod?”

Olivier nodded, the words he wanted to speak lost within the panic. Swept away by the current.

And then, with one final breath, they crossed through the arches and the world around them dissolved.