Chapter 749: Strong Enough

My Fate's lovely face turned upward as she spread her hands. Her brother bowed to her and vanished, but not before also bowing to me.

The familiar presence of Max pressed against my back, his power deep and as vast as ever as Fate whistled a song in the expanding air. When she dropped her empty eyes to mine, she unpursed her lips to smile.

"Well done, my very dear Sydlynn," she said. Her head shifted a fraction, blank gaze over my shoulder. "Oh, my love," she said. "You're strong enough."

I felt him shiver, half-turned to look up at him, only to swing back as she vanished.

And gasped in awe as the ground beneath my feet erupted into green and blue and red and pink. All shades of deepest emerald, jewel toned flowers flourishing in full bloom on the suddenly thick, lush carpet of grass, trees leaping, full-formed from the earth, reaching for the blue, blue sky.

Within the time it took me to catch my breath, the empty plane was empty no longer, the sound of bird song and the chitter