Blood is everywhere.
Yet like a coward, I can do nothing but remain frozen to the spot.
Why am I so useless?
Tears stream down my face, and the inevitability of the moment hits me like a punch in the gut.
If he transferred half his energy to me, that means…
A sob escapes me.
He will not make it. There is no way he will make it with those injuries.
Mother’s nostrils flare, and in a split of a second, she teleports in front of me, ripping the dagger from my belt and aiming it for my heart.
My lips part on a soundless moan as I await for the blow. Yet as she tries to push the blade into my flesh, something repels it.Almost like a thin, invisible shield surrounds me, the sharp edge cannot pierce my skin.
Her eyes widen, and her gaze flies to my father’s satisfied one.
Not one to give up, though, she continues to strike, imbuing the dagger with her spiritual energy in an attempt to break the shield protecting me.
Sweat beads on her brow, her features twisted and dark. There is pure malice reflected in her eyes, as if my death is her ultimate goal in life.
I cannot understand this.
I stare at her as she continues to stab at the invisible shield and I cannot recognize the person in front of me.
She is supposed to be my mother, my protector. Instead, she only wants to be my destroyer.
Father’s hand closes over her wrist, holding it into place and stopping her.
“Enough, Inaria. You will not succeed.”
“Damn you, Hanth. Damn you to all eternity,” she grits out. Twisting out of his grip, she surprises him by pushing the dagger into his heart.
His eyes flare in surprise for a moment before he smiles.
“It seems I was already damned. I just did not know it,” he murmurs. He stumbles backward, his gaze unfocused.
“Live, Nykander,” he says, a barely audible sound. But it’s one that makes its way to the most hopeless depths of my souls, igniting a small flame inside. One that sparks to lifebecauseof him.
He crashes to the ground, and as seconds go by, his body shatters, turning into a myriad of shiny particles that are swept away by the wind.
The dagger falls to the ground. The blood marring the blade is the only proof of the atrocity it’s been used to commit.
I stare at the empty spot while my mother stares unflinchingly at me. Her entire body is trembling with anger. There is no sign of sadness or grief that my father is dead. Nothing.
There is only a thirst for violence. And as she sends another blast of energy towards me, it is once again repelled by my shield.
She stomps in front of me, glaring at me with contempt.
“One day, Nykander, this shield will no longer be able to protect you. And I will be there. Until then…” She leans in, her lips close to my ear as she whispers. “You did this. You killed your father. Youarecursed. But I will not let you kill me, or my children. I will end you. Maybe not today, or tomorrow. But one day, I will end you.”
With that, she vanishes, leaving me in the middle of the forest and surrounded by the blood of all my loved ones.
It appears I will live to see another day.
But at what price?
