“I don’t want anyone to be obligated to protect me,” I protested.
“Sorry, but you don’t have a choice,” Eddie replied. “It is a great honor to be your guard.”
There was no arguing with Eddie on this one. Magic or not, he believed me to be his greatest purpose. It was strange, considering no one ever gave a damn about me before. Now this random Elf from a mythical city wanted to follow my every order? I must’ve gone insane.
If you were insane, would I be standing here talking to you right now?Oberi huffed, like she was offended by my thoughts of insanity. As crazy as this all was, I knew Oberi was real, and I could feel the strength of our bond. It confirmed for me I wasn’t imagining any of this.
Stuff like this doesn’t happen where I come from, I told her.
Where you came from is not where you are going, Oberi said.You must accept the truth.
“So, I’m part Elf…” I mused. “It makes a lot of sense, actually. Like how we got through your traps, and how I can resist noxite so much more than everyone else.”
“Unfortunately, noxite will affect you, as it did your father, due to your Elementai side,” Emperor Cassiel remarked. “But my guards overheard your conversation in the caves. You are a demigod?”
“That’s what I’m told,” I admitted. There was no point in lying if they already knew.
“Then you shall learn to overcome the effects of noxite,” he said. “It will simply take practice.”
“Emperor,” Ava addressed him softly. “There’s something I’m very curious about.”
“You may ask anything you’d like,” he offered.
“Well, we thought we were coming into the caves to find akeyto Forevermore,” she told him. “You see, we found a stone gate in the forest near the Institute. There were seven key holes on it, and based on what we’ve been able to gather from various Elven runes on the island, we thought Forevermore was beyond the gate. Is this thetrueForevermore?”
“Forevermore is not simply a place,” he stated. “It is afeeling, one that resides both here and beyond the doorway. This cityisForevermore, which is another word forsanctuary, orsafe havenin our native tongue. Forevermore is anywhere we are, as long as we feel safe. We are aware of the gate you speak of, though we have not been able to pass through it ourselves.”
“What exactly would you hope to find on the other side?” Kallie asked curiously.
“The afterlife, of course,” Emperor Cassiel replied, as if it was the most common thing in the world.
My jaw dropped. No wonder the gate was designed for demigods.
“The gate was created by the gods hundreds of years ago,” Emperor Cassiel explained. “Before the Miriamic Coven was even formed, the keys belonged to the entirety of the supernatural community. Seven keys were made, to ensure we would share the power of the gateway. Up until this point, we as a supernatural community were united. The door was meant to bridge the gap between us and the gods, so that everyone may connect with them. But the power was far too strong, and we discovered that only gods and demigods could use the door. It caused division and anger among the supernaturals. The keys only drove us further apart when they were stolen by the Unseelie fae. After that happened, the keys, unfortunately, were lost to time.”
He drew a deep breath, before adding, “The Elves sought refuge on Darke Island a hundred years ago in hopes that perhaps we would find the keys, commune with the gods, and stop the Great Supernatural War. But we never found them.”
“Butwecould!” Ava cried out hopefully. “We could still do it— find the keys, talk with the gods, and bring peace! The Elves could come out of hiding. These wars between the supernatural races would end. We could prevent the prophecy all together!”
“Pidge,” I started to say, but she cut me off.
“Charlie, the prophecy says another war is coming,” she reminded me, though she sounded excited. “If we find all the keys, we can open the door and use the gods to unite everyonebeforeanother war breaks out.”
“I… that actually might work.” I thought about it for a moment. If the door was as powerful as my grandfather said, then perhaps there was hope. Maybe my piece of the prophecy never had to come true.
“This is precisely why Charlie’s arrival is so important,” Emperor Cassiel said. “The full wording of the prophecy states, ‘The emperor’s legacy will return, and bring light to a new dawn. A second war will break Forevermore, but it shall be restored by the power of the demigods. It is his choice to damn the realm, or save us all.’”
My mouth went dry.Bring light to a new dawn… a second war… damn the realm, or save us all.It was Ava’s prophecy all over again, just reworded in a different way.
Eddie noticed my stunned silence. “Don’t you see, Charlie? The prophecy has always been interpreted as the emperor’s kin, who is also a demigod. You’re both,andthe first demigod since the last war. It’s talking about you.”
Ava sounded excited to have more information about the prophecy. “How is Charlie supposed to restore Forevermore?”
“Recall that Forevermore is a place of sanctuary,” Emperor Cassiel explained. “We have always believed that our city will eventually fall, but that we will find our sanctuary beyond the doorway, in the Blessed Haven.”
“The Blessed Haven?” I repeated, trying to wrap my head around all this information.
“The Blessed Haven is a realm that encompassesallafterlives,” Emperor Cassiel said. “The Elven gate leads to this heavenly city, which in itself contains all of our afterlives, including the Great Hunting Grounds from Arcanean culture, the Ancestral Lands of the Elementai, and Alora from Miriamic lore. Anyone may enter The Blessed Haven, just as anyone can enter The Eternal Torment— also known as Hell, the Underworld, or the Abyss. We have always believed this city we’re standing in to be a temporary home. Our true home— ourtrueForevermore— lies on the other side of the gateway, in the Blessed Haven. There is no other home for us. The fae took over our first home, Edinmyre, and the people of Earth do not want us here. We have been waiting a long time for a demigod to lead us to our eternal Forevermore.”
