Page 92 of The Song of the Void

Waves of scorching heat blasted me in the face, but I expended the energy to keep my eyes half open. I had to know if he was alright.

The creature shrieked in agony as Reiven manipulated the wall of fire towards it, flinging drops of melted Sirensteel across the stone chamber. The wall curved into a circular tunnel that surrounded the monster, and with a clench of Rei’s fist, the flames closed in. A towering pillar of pure, burning power melted the creature into puddles of glimmering silver metal.

He had so much power inside him…It’s incredible.

The flames dissipated into thin air after a moment, leaving nothing but smoke and the tang of steel. Rei dropped to his knees beside me and snatched the Voidtome from where I had dropped it. He flung it open and flipped through the pages like he was a living, breathing hurricane.

Darkness crept around my vision. I could hear his hysterical, panting breaths. “Please,” he said. “Please, she has to live. I can’t let her die!”

It’s just like Ash said…It’s better this way.

Of course, I felt terrible for leaving Reiven alone. But at least I didn’t have to live with the guilt of being the only one of us to leave Hell alive. Three lives were better than one—if only I had saved Ash, too…

Right when I thought he was going to give up and burn the Tome to ashes in frustration, Reiven froze and stared at a particular page. He whispered something I could barely hear.

“Rectify the transgression…”

Running his finger over a line on the page, Reiven began to speak in a language I couldn't understand, eyes focused on the paper before him. His incoherent murmuring bordered on maniacal, until he stopped with a gasp.

An empty, circular space had cut its way into existence above the pool of water, silent and black as ink. A female form, made entirely of flowing water, stepped out of it and daintily made her way across the pool that rippled beneath her. Her dripping body left a trail of darkened stone in her wake. She fixed her glowing, pupil-less eyes on Reiven, tossing the water that formed her hair over her shoulder.

“Well?” she asked, her voice impossibly smooth, like the glassiest lake on a windless day. “Why would a Mourner possibly want to summon me?”

Reiven wasted no time, jabbing a finger at me. “She's one of yours. Save her, now.”

The Spirit took one look at me and said, “Nothing I can do for her, I'm afraid. She's going to die.”

Hearing it so plainly, that there was simply nothing to be done, almost calmed me. I didn't have to keep struggling to slow down the blood gushing out of my wound—or maybe I would, but only long enough for me to say goodbye to Rei.

But he wasn't satisfied with the Spirit's answer. “No, the Voidtome let me summon you for a reason. It has to be that you can save her.”

“And why do you want to save her? Aren't Sirens and Mourners mortal enemies?”

Reiven straightened up and leveled a glare at the Spirit. “I love her.”

I thought the Water Spirit smiled, though it was difficult to tell. She gave an amused, airy chuckle and began to circle Reiven and I. “Do you, now? Really?”

“Yes, I really do, and she's running out of time.”

The Water Spirit’s laughter bubbled like a fountain. “Time, time, time. All of our creations have an obsession with time. There simply is not enough of it to go around for you, is there? Well, I am no master of time, Mourner, so I'm afraid⁠—”

“Save her. I'll do anything.”

The Spirit went as still as possible despite the flow of water that formed her body. She regarded Reiven with disdain, before glancing my way with the same look about her, until her eyes fell on the Voidtome on the ground beside us.

Her face split into a grin, though it didn't seem entirely friendly. “Well, I suppose anything is possible when one is willing to pay the price. I'll make a deal with you, Mourner. I'll keep the Siren alive while you return the Voidtome where it belongs. Do this, and she'll live. Fail, and neither of you will. A Mourner stole the Tome, after all, so it's only right that a Mourner returns it.”

No. That’s impossible.

“Deal.” Reiven was already nodding and scooping up the Voidtome, as if she had merely asked him to walk it across the room, not leagues below the sea. He knelt beside me and brushed some hair out of my face.

“Don’t,” I squeaked. “You’ll drown⁠—”

He gave me a calm smile and brushed his lips against mine in the most rushed goodbye. “Sorry, I’m going to need this. Just hang in there, alright?”

Even with a Siren’s gift, he’s only going to be able to breathe for a few hours. He won’t have enough time to make it back up.

“No,” I mumbled, grabbing for his arm, but he dodged my clumsy attempt easily.