Page 316 of The Edge of Darkness

“Who are you?”

“I am Delyth. I have overseen your fate since before you were born.” She smiled, bright and graceful. “It brings me great joy to see how far you’ve come.”

I blinked, not sure what was happening. “Am I dead . . . or dying?”

“You are neither. You are at a turning point—about to undergo a transition. Your timeline is special, you see. The prophecy exists for the greater good of this realm, and you are on the cusp.”

“On the cusp of . . . what?” I breathed.

“Of your ascension.”

Ascension. The word tumbled through my head like ink in water, flooding me with worry.

She stepped forward, and I stumbled back slightly, not expecting her to approach me. “The prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak. At this moment, you are rallying a wealth of power within you that has not been seen since the dawn of time. No bloodline but that of the gods can bear this sort of power. The talisman is enabling your body to harness the full span of it. With it, you will be able to hone and control all that courses through you in exactly the way you will it. But there must always be a balance in power.”

I stared at her, waiting. I knew what she would say next. Morah had once spoken of it in Benmoor, back at the start of all this. Ever since then, it had been a thought that loomed in the back of my mind, waiting to come to fruition.

“Once he is destroyed, so too is the god of light as he once was. With that, we are left with a void amongst the gods, and that cannot be.” She lifted her chin, her voice deepening as if she were speaking a royal decree. “Upon his defeat, you will complete your ascension and fulfill your fate. You will become the talisman’s keeper—the new goddess of light.”

The confirmation sank into the depths of my mind with a weight that I expected but wasn’t quite ready for. To a normal human, the thrill of becoming a god might have been met with excitement and eager acceptance, but instead, a pang of sadness rang through me. I would have endless years ahead of me, but Niall would not. Everyone that I knew, everyone that I cared for, would eventually die. And I would watch.

But more would die if I didn’t do this.

“Has it already begun?” I asked.

“It began the moment you put on the talisman.”

The lump of anxiety began climbing higher in my throat. I felt like bursting into tears. I felt⁠—

“Steady.” Delyth placed a gentle hand against my cheek. “You must focus on your task. There is no more time. You must not fail.”

I had so many questions, so many things I wanted to ask of her. Maybe she could find a way for Niall to live longer, like me. Maybe she could alter fate.

As if she knew all of my worried thoughts, she gave me a pitying smile. “You may dream up any destiny you’d like, but a mortal’s desire is not always what will come to be.”

“But, what will happen to⁠—”

“I cannot reveal your future to you, dear one. Nor can I divulge anyone else’s.” She clasped her hands in front of her, regarding me with what looked like empathy. “But I think you will find peace in knowing that mates are fated for each other for a reason. Your powers, together . . .” She paused on the word. “Are a reckoning unlike any other.” The corner of her lips tugged into a faint grin. “But the two of you already knew this.”

“Two great powers . . .” I said.

She nodded. “Take what he gives you. It will help.”

“How am I supposed to wield it?”

“Use the talisman. Cast Lyceius out.”

I shook my head, not understanding how that was possible. A dozen other questions piled up on my tongue, but the brightness around me quickly began to fade as my physical body tugged me back to it. Delyth offered me a gentle smile as she, too, began to dissolve into the fringes of my mind.

She gave my hand a squeeze, and then, like waking from a dream, I was back in my body, cradled in Niall’s arms.

The icy-cold light was streaming through my veins once more, but it was bearable. I took a moment to feel it, evaluate it. It was pure, raw energy—the light of a star. And there, hidden beneath the surface, was the facet I’d uncovered, the side that Lyceius preyed on. Now, with the talisman, I was able to control it.

My eyes fluttered open, and Niall’s face flooded with relief.

He lifted his hand and pushed the hair out of my face. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” I said. My voice was now a rasp in this form—unrecognizable. I must have been hyperventilating while I was out of my body. “The talisman is helping.”