[Hindrick’s POV]Ah, this feeling. It was the same thing I felt every time the darkness wanted to take over. I felt this dark sense of hopelessness and unease, but I couldn’t let it take me. If I were to allow that, then I wouldn’t be able to see her smile again, would I?Closing my eyes, I let the world around me that was filled with chaos and death disappear while a warm world began to appear."This is why," I breathe as Fallon slowly appears before me. "This is why I can’t let it win."Feeling my body begin to fill with warmth, I watch as Fallon’s eyes light up and a large smile begins to spread across her face."Hindrick," she calls, holding out a hand to me. "Are you coming?"As she speaks, I turn my attention to the distance where she is heading. Standing there waiting for me is everyone that I have learned to hold near and dear, even if I never dared to say so."Weak."The single world threatens to shatter the world that I am slowly trying to create around me so I don’t get suc
"Ugh.""Uncle Ramone?"Frowning, I watched as Uncle Ramone’s whole body convulsed from a shiver. Was he cold from the sea breeze? If he was, why was he wearing practically nothing?Oh right.After deciding on leaving immediately, dad insisted that we get help from some of Donald’s workers. Initially, I thought he meant men, but in the end, we found a bunch of beautiful women clad in red kimonos equipped with various weapons waiting for us at the dock.Of course, with Uncle Ramone being the womanizer that he was, he was trying to show off by wearing practically nothing."Regretting your choice of clothes?" I ask as Uncle Ramone frowns ever so slightly. "If you’re cold, why don’t you…""No," he responds before I can finish my sentence. "I just got an odd feeling here…" As he speaks, he points to his chest. "Like something foreign was... Dammit, I don’t even know how to explain it.""Don’t tell me you’ve finally fallen in love," Fineon quips from his place beside me. "It’s about time.""
[Fallon’s POV]I’m unable to speak as I continue to watch Fineon as he slowly opens the box to reveal a ring with a golden band with a single blue and yellow stone sitting in the middle of it."That’s," I gasp, my eyes growing wide. "You…""Still have it?" Fineon offers, smiling. "So you recognize this stone?"Of course, I recognized the stone since I was the one who gave it to him. It was this stone that first showed me our future. When I found it in the pond by Fire Rose, I found it interesting, so I decided to take it back with me. Little did I know that the minute I touched it, images of an older version of myself and Fineon would start to bombard my brain.Honestly, as far as I could remember, it was my very first vision, which made it that much more special, which is why I ended up giving the stone to the one I was meant to be with."Is it that shocking?" Fineon asks quietly as I continue to remain silent. "I didn’t mean to startle you so much.""No," I say, shaking my head. "It
[Fineon’s POV] My mind races as the sound of moans and groans becomes damn near deafening. In front of me, I can feel Fallon’s body beginning to shake from the effort it is taking to keep the door between us and our current enemy closed. She wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer, we needed to do something quick. "I’m going to create a distraction." At my words, I hear a gasp escape Fallon as her eyes, which are full of disbelief, come to rest on me. "Say that again." "I said," I begin, bracing myself for whatever reaction will escape her. "I’m going to create a distraction so that you and Ramone can get the hell out of here. No matter what happens, both of you need to keep moving and not look back." "You’re full of shit!" Fallon growls, clearly not okay with what I am saying. "Do you really think we would allow you to do something so stupid?" "I have to agree with her," Ramone adds, joining our conversation. "I understand wanting to play the gallant hero to show off in
[Fallon’s POV]I turn my gaze towards my packmates as they hobble towards us. Just seeing them like this sends waves of pain through me. For now, I knew that there was nothing I could do to help them, and that killed me."You heard the man," Uncle Ramone announces, grabbing my wrist. "We need to get going."Giving my pack mates one last glance, I begin to move along with the rest of my group until we make it to the side of the ship.Below, waves crash against the boat. I’m not sure if it’s from the recent eruption or something more, but it didn’t matter. Rough surf or not, we had to jump."Ready?" Uncle Ramone asks, eyeing me."Yeah."Giving a slight smile, I begin to climb up onto the banister and then suck in a breath. Not giving myself enough time to think about it, I dive forward and then fall to the water below.When I hit, I feel the wind threatening to escape me, but I continue to hold on as I’m submerged and tossed around.For a moment, everything is confusing as I try to det
[Hindrick’s POV]"Hindrick!"Cursing, I slowly turn and watch as Fallon makes her way toward me. It seemed that she hadn’t taken my initial reaction seriously and was still chasing after me. What was wrong with this girl? Was she a glutton for punishment? She had been chasing after the same man since childhood, even though he never blinked an eye at her, and now she was following me."Please, just wait a minute."Frowning, I watch as she closes the distance between us. Despite my earlier actions, she still looked at me with the same eyes, and I found myself wanting to cave on my resolve."I…" she begins once she is standing only a step above me. "I promise that I won’t continue to be a bother, but I just couldn’t help but notice…""Notice what?" I demand, crossing my arms. "What the hell did you notice? That I wasn’t interested in seeing you? Are you dumb or something?"I knew my words were harsh, but this was the only way I could think of to keep her away from me. I was now tainted,
[Fallon’s POV]I take in the land around me, trying to decide whether or not this is actually a good idea. Scattering the beach are posts with skulls of those I was sure crossed the Ave tribe. Beneath them, the sand is stained red, and the remains of the bodies that accompanied the skulls still remain."Savage bastards, aren’t they?" Uncle Ramone chuckles, coming to stand beside me. "It’s a good thing that we aren’t their enemy.""Are they really that dangerous?" I ask, still feeling uneasy. "If that’s the case, why do we associate with them? Doesn’t that make us look just as bad?""Not really," he shrugs, seeming truly unphased by all of this. "They have to do what they have to do to survive. It’s the same with us; we just don’t use the bodies of our enemies as decorations."Frowning, I consider his words. I guess he was right, but that didn’t mean that I felt any better about what I was seeing."Anyway, instead of just standing here, shouldn’t we get moving?"As he speaks, Uncle Ram
[Hindrick’s POV]"Please, eat all you’d like."The flashy Angles, motioned toward the table that was filled with food in front of us. Why the hell were we sitting here eating with him when we had more important things to do? This was ridiculous, but I couldn’t go against what the others agreed on.Letting out a sigh, I take in our group where they sit and feel my frustration deepen as my gaze comes to rest on Fallon as Fineon begins to fill the plate in front of her. Across from them, the damned Angles is watching with that disgusting hunger from earlier. If he were anyone else, I would have killed him on the spot for looking at her like that, but given his position, I couldn’t."Are you going to eat?" Uncle Ramone asks. "Or are you going to keep glaring at Angles until he drops dead?"Tensing, I realize too late that the man in question is watching me with a look of amusement on his face."Don’t worry, I’m not that easy to dispose of," he chuckles, leaning back in his seat. "And I kn
[Idris’ POV] "Are you sure you’re going back?" Mom’s eyes begin to fill with tears as she waits for a response. I don’t know exactly what she expects me to say. "Yes, I am. It’s been a month since Mateo and his underlings were killed, and the academy is finally reopening. As a student, I am required to go back." She knew that I still had a year left before I graduated. I couldn’t just never go back, no matter what had happened since the school shut down. "But…" "Don’t give him a hard time," Dad warns, cutting her off while wrapping a comforting arm around her. "The academy is one of the safest places on the continent, and the threat is gone. I’m sure the next year will simply fly by." "That’s right," I add, taking advantage of dad’s opening for me to leave. "I promise to keep in touch, and before you know it, I’ll be back to irritate the hell out of you." "You heard him," Dad beams, squeezing her closer. "Now, you should allow him to head out; otherwise, he won’t make it there
[Hindrick’s POV]"Welcome back!"Uncle Elleric doesn’t wait before he pulls me into a hug, crushing me against him and making me extremely uncomfortable.Growling, I work to break free, and once I manage to achieve my goal, I take a few steps back."Ever the stoic," he chuckles, taking me in. "Can’t you drop the act just for a day? You’ve been gone for a month, and you didn’t even bother to send word.""Because I was busy cleaning up the mess that was left behind," I point out. "Anyway, I didn’t come here for a heartfelt family reunion."At my words, Uncle Elleric’s face grows serious, and I get the feeling that he is expecting me to deliver a killing blow."Don’t worry," I sigh before his head can come up with some ridiculous scenarios, "it isn’t anything like that. I was actually asked a favor by an idiot.""Fineon?" Uncle Elleric asks, knowing perfectly well who I would be referring to. I didn’t know if I was that obvious or if he also saw Fineon as a fool. "Or is it Chance?"I bit
[Fallon’s POV]A month passed in a blur before things were finally beginning to become normal once again. With things being so hectic, I didn’t get to see much of Fineon since he seemed to always be busy, but this time when we met, I wasn’t going to let him go until he told me what it was that he was up to.I manage to find Fineon heading out of dad's office with a look of frustration on his face."What’s wrong?" I ask, startling him."F-Fallon!" he gasps, taking me in. "Why are you...""Here?" I offer for him, moving forward. "Because if I wasn't, you would find some way to evade me like you have been doing for the past month."At my words, his expression shifts from shock to guilt. So he was intentionally avoiding me, which is interesting."Anyway, I was hoping you’d come somewhere with me today," I continue, wrapping my arms around his and squeezing. "Saying no is not an option.""But…""No buts!" I snap. "Come on."Giving a tug, I begin to move, dragging Fineon until we arrive at
[Fineon’s POV]Returning home was a bittersweet thing, given the circumstances we were returning under. Whether it should have been a time of celebration, it was instead a moment of saying welcome back and saying goodbye.As we made landfall and began to unload, Fallon rushed off to see her parents and allowed herself to get lost in their embrace.Deciding that the moment should be strictly for family, I stay back as the tears begin to fall."You want to help us with this?" Ramone asks, coming up behind me. "He’s a bit heavy."Nodding, I turn and follow him back onto the boat to collect Cyrus’ body, allowing Fallon and her parents to be alone with each other.Inside the cabin, I can feel the chill of death pressing against my skin, and it makes the fact that Cyrus and Gavin are gone that much more real. Now all that was left to do to say goodbye was give them the proper send-off that they deserved.Sighing, I move forward and help Ramone collect Cyrus first so that his parents could s
[Fallon’s POV]I don’t know how long I stayed in place, staring at the slowly disappearing door that Cyrus took to his final resting place. It was only when Titiana gently touched my shoulder that I finally snapped out of my daze."You need to get back now," she murmurs, giving me a smile filled with sympathy and sorrow. "Although your brother is no longer on earth, there are still many waiting on you.""Right," I sigh, getting to my feet. "I’m sure Fineon and Hindrick are at their wits end.""When you go back, you should really think about yourself more," Titiana chuckles."What do you mean?""You’ve worked so hard to gain everyone’s approval that you have lost yourself," she explains, touching my cheek."That’s what being a leader means," I counter. "I can’t think of myself. I can only think of my pack.""That’s not true," Titiana says, shaking her head. "You must also think of yourself, otherwise, you’ll end up regretting it one day. Now, go back to them."Before I can respond, I’m
[Fallon’s POV]"You had something you needed to speak with me about?" I ask hesitantly as Titiana examines me.After all the bombs that had been dropped on me earlier on, I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for another, but since this was the goddess’ request, there was no way that I could deny her."Not so much me," she responds, giving me a sad look.My stomach starts to roll as a bad feeling begins to creep up in me. Why was she looking at me like that, and why did it make my heart hurt?"Who is it?" I ask quietly, realizing that whoever it was must be someone close to me, and if they were here instead of on earth, then that meant that they were dead."It’s me."The world comes crashing down around me as I turn and find Cyrus making his way toward me.No, this couldn’t be real; there was no way it could. Was he like me, on the edge of life and death? If so, that meant he could be saved. Why was he here, and why did it feel like whatever was going to be said was goodbye?"Cy-cyrus," I w
[Anika’s POV]I continue to stare down at the lava where Mateo disappeared while Fineon and Hindrick remain silent, allowing me the space to process my emotions.Mateo was gone, for real this time. He would never come back to this world in this lifetime, and I wasn’t even sure if we would be able to find each other when we reincarnated like we promised. So that meant this was it, right?That thought alone left an immense loneliness in me that I thought I would never have to feel again. However, I had to admit, the second time around was so much more painful."Sorry to disturb," Fineon murmurs after a bit more time passes. "But how will we be sure that doing what Mateo said really did the trick?""I don’t know," I admitted, frowning."You don’t think that this was another trick of his, do you?" Hindrick growls. "What if...""He wasn’t lying," I say, cutting him off. "The one that was there in the end was Mateo, not Parker.""I understand that, but nothing seems to have happened," Hindr
[Anika’s POV]I wait as Fineon and Hindrick examine me as if trying to determine if they could convince me to stay. It is only when Mount Malum lets out another ominous roar that they seem to concede and begin to move again."Stay close," Hindrick orders when I scramble to catch up. "If you cause anything to happen to Fallon’s body, I’ll destroy you, understood?""Of course," I respond, not taking offense to his threat. "I know my limits.""Then let’s go," Hindrick sighs, though he still doesn’t seem fully convinced.Nodding, I begin to follow, staying close behind the two men who insisted on keeping me safe from any possible rockslides or attacks that may happen."It’ll take at least a day to get to the top of this," Hindrick mutters when we reach Mount Malum’s side. "Do we have that much time?"Looking up, I take in the lava that bubbles up and then explodes and the smoke that is quickly surrounding the mountain, blocking the rest of the world from view."I don’t know," I admit. "Bu
[Anika’s POV]Pain rips through my chest with every inch the anima sword makes through Mateo’s body. Even if I managed to destroy the mark he left on me, our bond was still there, and I wasn’t too surprised I was feeling what he was. This was how strong our bond had always been, and in a way, I was happy he wasn't alone."An…ika…" Mateo rasps, his eyes finding mine. "Why?""Because this must be done."Everything in me screamed to stop, to help him, and to save him from the painful death that he was currently experiencing, but I knew this had to be done. And I was the one who had to do it. Not Hindrick, not Fallon, but me. I had to end this once and for all.Closing my eyes, I allow all the beautiful memories that we shared to begin to flash across my mind. This would be the last time I allowed them to overtake me. Once this was finished, I would fully let go. I had to; there was no holding onto something that would never be again.SIghing, I let my tears flow as Mateo’s love-filled ey