Page 62

Self Sacrifice

I stood there frozen, watching the glinting blade held to Sky’s throat. The world narrowed to a single point, that thin line of blood trickling down Sky’s neck, his blue eyes locked on mine with a fierce intensity that spoke volumes. He wasn’t begging for rescue. He was telling me not to give in.

“Don’t,” Sky managed through gritted teeth. “Don’t you dare drop the spell, Oliver.”

Boromia yanked his head back further, drawing another bead of blood. “How touching. The dog is willing to die for you.” The captain’s perfect smile returned. “But are you willing to watch him die? To see his blood pool at your feet while you hide behind your magic?”

My hands trembled around my staff, the Twilight Veil pulsing in response to my turmoil. Inside our protective dome, I heard Rhia shifting into a fighting stance.

“We can rush him,” she whispered. “The moment you drop the barrier.”

“He’ll kill Sky before we reach him,” Kuro countered, his voice tight with pain from his wounds.

Behind me, Kai convulsed again, purple light seeping from his eyes and mouth. “The Architect demands completion,” he rasped, his body jerking toward the obsidian sphere. “The fragments must unite.”

My mind raced. If I surrendered, we’d all die. If I didn’t, Sky would die first. There had to be another way, something I was missing?—

“Ten seconds,” Boromia called, pressing the blade harder against Sky’s throat. “Then I start taking pieces of your pet. Perhaps an ear first?”

Sky’s eyes never left mine, fierce and determined even as his life hung by a thread. “Oliver,” he said, voice steady despite everything. “Remember what I told you. About us.”

And suddenly, I understood. Last night, under the broken statues, when we’d made love in the shadows of forgotten gods. What he’d whispered against my ear… “ Whatever happens tomorrow, remember this moment. Remember us .”

He’d known then. Known it might come to this.

“Five seconds,” Boromia counted, his eyes gleaming with malice.

I straightened my spine, tears streaming down my face even as the white light blazed from my eyes. “I remember,” I said to Sky, my voice breaking. “I always will.”

Something like peace settled over Sky’s features, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the blade at his throat.

“Time’s up,” Boromia snarled, drawing back his blade for the killing stroke.

“TWILIGHT’S JUDGMENT!” I roared, channeling every ounce of my power not into the barrier but into my most destructive spell.

The magic erupted from my staff in a torrent of light and shadow, not toward Boromia but at the ceiling above him.

Stone cracked and shattered, massive chunks raining down.

In the split second of confusion, Sky twisted violently in Boromia’s grasp, driving his elbow into the captain’s midsection.

A loud ping echoed through the cavern as Sky struck golden armor.

“Fool,” Boromia hissed, and drew the blade across Sky’s neck with a flash of steel and crimson.

Blood sprayed across the stone as Sky collapsed forward, his body crumpling at Boromia’s feet. The world tilted around me, everything moving too slowly and too quickly at once. My scream tore through the chamber, raw and primal, the Twilight Veil shattering as my concentration fractured.

“Sky!” I lurched forward but Rhia caught my arm, holding me back as debris continued to rain down, narrowly missing Boromia who danced backward with inhuman grace.

“Oliver, don’t!” She pulled me against her, but I fought against her grip.

Through my tears I saw Sky lying motionless, a growing pool of crimson spreading beneath him. His wolf ears, always so alert, lay flat and still against his dark hair. For the first time, his tail was motionless. This couldn’t be happening. Not after everything we’d survived.

“One down,” Boromia laughed, flicking Sky’s blood from his blade. “Who’s next?”

Something inside me broke. The grief was too enormous, too consuming to contain. I felt it transform into something else, something cold and terrible. The white light in my eyes darkened as words I’d tried to forget rose to my lips.

“Death,” I whispered, feeling the forbidden magic stirring at my command, “is not the end.”

Kuro’s eyes widened. “Oliver? What are you?—”

But I was already reaching out, drawing on the necromantic magic I’d learned from the ancient skill stone. The one I swore I’d never use, name, or think of ever again. The spell erupted from my fingertips, tendrils of shadowy energy stretching across the chamber toward Sky’s fallen form.

Boromia’s perfect smile faltered. “What is this?”

The necromantic energy engulfed Sky’s body, lifting him slightly from the floor.

At the same time tendrils shot out to the last of Boromia’s elite guard, binding their arms to their sides as they were dropped to their knees.

Their heads tilted back, silent screams on their faces as their skin slowly turned to charcoal.

“ Duskwither Requiem …” I muttered, my voice so low and gravelly that it was unrecognizable.

As the guards were burned away, their life force stolen by the spell, Sky’s blood reversed its flow, seeping back into the gaping wound across his throat. When the guards crumpled into ash, Sky’s chest heaved with a sudden, violent intake of breath.

“Impossible,” Boromia hissed, taking a step back, clearly terrified for the first time.

My vision tunneled, blackness creeping in from the edges as the light erupting from my eyes faded, the spell finished, and the last of my energy was drained away. I felt myself swaying, knees threatening to buckle. The magic had been too powerful, too costly. I was completely tapped.

But Sky was alive.

“Take Oliver,” Rhia shouted at Kuro, releasing me as my body went limp. He caught me before I hit the ground, his arms strong despite his own wounds.

Through blurring vision, I watched Sky struggle to his knees, one hand at his throat where a thick scar now marked where the blade had opened him. His blue eyes found mine, wide with disbelief and something like fear.

“What did you do?” he rasped, voice hoarse as if he’d been screaming for hours.

I couldn’t answer. The darkness was closing in, my consciousness slipping away. But I managed a smile, relief washing through me in the final moments before unconsciousness claimed me.

Boromia backed away, his perfect composure shattered. “Necromancy,” he spat, as if the word itself was poison. “The king will have your head for this, cleric.”

“The king won’t hear about any of this,” Kai’s voice cut through the chamber, suddenly clear and strong.

I forced my eyes open one last time to see Kai standing tall, the purple light still emanating from his eyes but different somehow. It was… controlled , focused. His hand was outstretched toward the obsidian sphere, but he wasn’t touching it.

“The Architect has shown me the truth,” Kai said, power resonating through his words. “About Cindersea. About you, Captain. About all of us.”

Boromia’s face contorted with rage. “You understand nothing!”

“I understand everything,” Kai replied calmly. “The fragments were hidden to keep people like me from finding out the truth. That Cindersea isn’t what we think it is. That we’re all?—”

“Enough!” Boromia roared, lunging forward with his sword aimed at Kai’s heart.

In one fluid motion, Kai sidestepped the blade and pressed his palm against the captain’s chest. Purple energy surged between them, lifting Boromia off his feet and sending him flying across the room before he slammed against the far wall.

“Oliver,” Sky’s voice reached me through the encroaching darkness, his hands cradling my face. “Stay with me. Please...”

But I knew I couldn’t fight it for much longer. The spell had taken everything I had. However, something about Kai’s voice kept me conscious, kept me there with all of them. After all, I couldn’t pass out. Not now. Not until I knew my friends were safe.

“Get him out of here,” Kai commanded, his voice echoing with that strange dual tone. “All of you, go. Now.”

Sky’s arms tightened around me as he struggled to his feet, his newly healed body still weak. “What about you?” he demanded, one hand still at his throat where the scar remained.

“I’ll handle Boromia,” Kai said, his eyes fixed on the captain who was pulling himself from the rubble, golden armor dented and cracked. “The Architect has given me what I need to make sure all of you are safe.”

“We’re not leaving you,” Rhia growled, stepping forward with her fists raised despite her exhaustion.

The chamber shuddered violently, more debris raining from the ceiling. The obsidian sphere pulsed with increasing intensity, sending waves of purple energy rippling across the floor.

“The temple is collapsing,” Mira gasped, finally retrieving her wand from beneath fallen stones. “The spells holding it together are crumbling!”

Kai turned to us, his expression softening despite the otherworldly light in his eyes.

“Please,” he said, and for a moment I could hear just our friend beneath the ancient voice.

“Let me do this. Oliver saved Sky. Let me save all of you. Even if… Even if I…” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I love you all.”

My heart sank as I realized what he was saying… what he was willing to sacrifice.

“There is no escape,” Boromia laughed, staggering to his feet. Blood streamed from a gash across his perfect face, marring his beauty. “The exits are sealed. You’ll all die here with me.”

Kai’s hands began to glow with purple energy. “No. I’m giving them a way out.” He gestured toward one of the sealed doorways, and the stone cracked, a seam of light appearing down its center. “Go. Now.”

“Kai—” I managed, my voice barely a whisper.

“It’s okay, Oliver,” he smiled, and for just a moment, the purple light receded from his eyes, revealing the warm brown beneath. “I understand now. What I’m meant to do. The fragment chose me for a reason. This is my destiny… my gift to you all.”

Sky lifted me in his arms, cradling me against his chest. I could feel his heart hammering, the miracle of its continued beating almost overwhelming in my weakened state.

“We have to go,” Kuro urged, supporting Mira as they moved toward the opening Kai had created. “The whole place is coming down!”

“No!” Boromia roared, charging forward with inhuman speed, his blade aimed at Kai’s back.

Rhia intercepted him with a flying kick that connected with his jaw, sending him staggering sideways. “Move!” she shouted at us, following up with a flurry of punches that drove the captain back.

Sky hesitated only a moment longer before carrying me toward the exit. Kuro and Mira were already through, the light beyond promising escape. I wanted to protest, to demand we stay and help Kai, but my body refused to obey, limp and useless in Sky’s arms.

“Rhia, come on!” Sky called over his shoulder.

She landed one final blow to Boromia’s face before sprinting after us, diving through the opening just as more debris crashed down behind her.

The tunnel beyond was bathed in strange, shifting light, the walls pulsing with the same energy that had consumed Kai.

We stumbled forward, Sky’s breathing labored as he carried my deadweight body.

Behind us, the sounds of battle echoed. Stone crashed, the captain’s enraged shouts echoed above the noise, and a deep, resonant power thrummed through the air that could only be Kai channeling the god fragment directly.

“Keep moving,” Rhia urged from behind, pushing us forward as the tunnel began to shake violently.

I fought to stay conscious, my head lolling against Sky’s chest. His heartbeat remained my anchor to reality, each thump a reminder of the miracle, and the forbidden magic that had saved him.

“Almost there,” Kuro called from ahead, supporting Mira as they reached what appeared to be the tunnel’s end.

Sunlight streamed through an opening, impossibly bright after the purple-tinged darkness of Ivros Hollow. We burst out onto a ledge halfway down the mountainside, gasping in the clean air as the ground continued to rumble beneath our feet.

Sky gently lowered me to the ground, his trembling hands cupping my face. “Oliver,” he whispered, his voice still raw and raspy. “Stay with me. Please.”

I wanted to respond, to tell him I wasn’t going anywhere, but my lips wouldn’t form the words. The darkness was pulling me under, the cost of my magic finally claiming its due.

“The temple!” Mira cried, pointing back toward the entrance we’d just escaped.

The mountain was moving, the stone around Ivros Hollow collapsing inward as if being devoured from within. Purple light erupted from every crack and crevice, shooting skyward in twisting columns.

“Kai,” I managed to whisper, tears streaming down my face.

A roar like a thousand voices speaking at once erupted from deep within the mountain. The ground heaved beneath us, forcing everyone to their knees. Sky’s arms wrapped protectively around me as we watched in horror and awe.

Then, with a sound that seemed to tear the very air apart, a massive pillar of blinding light shot from the heart of Ivros Hollow straight into the sky. It was so bright that we all had to shield our eyes, the beam visible for miles in every direction.

“What is that?” Rhia gasped, her arm raised against the glare.

“Kai,” I whispered again, knowing somehow that our friend was at the center of that maelstrom of power.

The light intensified, pulsing once, twice, before expanding outward in a silent explosion that washed over us like a wave. I felt it pass through my body, warm and somehow familiar.

As the wave of light washed over me, memories flickered at the edges of my consciousness.

They were fragments of a life before Cindersea, just beyond reach.

I saw faces I should know, heard voices I should recognize, but they slipped away like water through my fingers.

The darkness pulled harder at my mind, the price of necromancy claiming its due.

The last thing I saw before consciousness fled was the mountain collapsing in on itself, burying Ivros Hollow and Kai beneath tons of rock and earth.

“Oliver!” Sky’s voice followed me into the darkness, desperate and fading.

Then nothing.