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“Rival” by Ruelle
“Way Down We Go” by Kaleo
Hecate carries our worn Zenya to the extensive room my little weaver created earlier. We will join them soon, but Nyxion and I need to have a little talk.
Embarking down one of the hallways, we pass countless sentient dreams and stray dreams—silhouettes, mirror figures, weeping poets, glimmering children at play, whispering shades, phantoms, and more—all with a tendency to spread any chatter.
Nyxion says nothing as I gesture him to one of the countless portal rooms, one only accessible to us. A room suspended in complete darkness, devoid of any light or sound. The chamber is isolated from all realms as it hangs in between—like the rim of a two-sided coin.
We hover in the void chamber where I address him, “Where have you been, Nyxion? I felt your unease from the moment you stepped back into my Court.” Shadows swell all around me.
I was summoned.He raises his skull head, meeting my eyes as I sense his tension.I had a…little visitation. With Hypnos.
“Fuck.” I scrub a hand down my face, all the muscles in my neck cording tight. “He’s the reason behind the temporal storms and reavers. What did he say, Nyxion?”
He does not appreciate the conflict between us, nor the disruption of the balance due to a dream weaver.His jaw seems to harden, his eyes growing blacker.The last thing we need is for Zeus to get involved, especially on the heels of what happened in Purgatory. Father also said worse things could come.
“Like what?”
His eyes erupt with a dark fire as he locks his gaze on me to say,Death.
Every muscle in my wing bulges as a low growl rumbles in my chest. “Gods, no. I’d take Zeus himself over our uncle.”
He will stalk her regardless. Hypnos fears that the balance of life and death is being disrupted with Zenya possessing your Eye and my hyoid bone.
I curse under my breath, “Damn it. If Thanatos gets involved, things could escalate beyond our control.”
I know,he confirms, voice lowering.We both wish to protect Zenya, and if Thanatos sees her as a threat, it could mean dire consequences.
I nod. “Agreed. We must act cautiously and delicately to shield her from any harm. Hecate will serve as the perfect guide. But we all must empower her in her dream weaving to guard herself. Beastie will be the greatest ally with such a task.”
Pausing, I trace my shadows along the sides of his suit. He stiffens but does not cast them aside. Curiosity brews a storm within me. “You’ve been different, Nyxion. Ever since Zenyareturned and opened the journal Beastie left for her. The change in you goes far beyond our father.”
It’s the first time he turns away.Nothing has changed. I’m still the same.
“Bullshit. I can read the denial practically shedding off you with your bone dust. And each speck spells out her name.” Warm amusement spreads through me laced with a helping of disbelief when he does not respond or look at me. Shaking my head with a smirk, I guffaw, “Tell me, Nyxion, can love exist in the realm of nightmares?”
Silence fills the air between us as Nyxion gazes at the expanse of nothingness around us, lost to his own thoughts.I…I don’t know. Darkness, strife, woe, fear…they have been my constant companions since the beginning of time. If love exists in such realms, it would be no greater than a thread.
“And yet, a thread is all it takes to bind souls together.” I relax my wings, folding them at my back. “Or…stitch the torn pieces of a broken heart—even in a realm of eternal night. So, tell me, Nyxion, could the God of Nightmares truly have a heart in there somewhere?”
After another long pause, Nyxion heaves a sigh, his tattered wings drooping.It may not be beating yet, but it’s the first time I’ve ever felt it in my chest. If it does exist, I believe Zenya is the only one who can find it. And if it granted her a moment’s warmth, I would let her crush it and feel the blood running down her arm while my essence fades away.
I study my older brother carefully, never once having observed this extreme alteration in him. “You would give everything for her, wouldn’t you?”
His skeletal hands are calmer than I’ve ever witnessed as he faces me again.Yes. She is unlike anyone else. Her tears unraveled the darkness inside me and granted splinters ofthe light within her heart and soul. For her, I would risk everything.
Sifting firm fingers through my hair, frustrated but understanding, I sigh and gather my shadows. “Then we must ensure she is safe. We must be ready for whatever comes, even if it means facing Thanatos himself.”
From the moment I wrapped my arms around her in the forest, and she thrashed like a banshee, giving me her passion and chemistry, I desired her. And when she took my brother in the face of all his rising corpses and horrors—how she wove glorious dreams into being midst it all—I needed her…at any cost. She was hungry for a home, and I wanted to give it to her.
I longed to protect and savor every odd, mad, and exquisite piece of her. I imagine it’s the greatest mutuality my brother and I hold now. Perhaps our first…
Together, we can protect her from danger, from destruction, and from Death,he gives voice to my thoughts.
I can’t recall if I’ve ever done this, but I extend my hand to my brother in full assurance of the task ahead of us. Steely resolve. chest steadier than ever.
A breath of tension lingers between us as he peers down at my hand before flicking his eyes to mine. A moment later, his skeletal hand clasps mine with my shadows and his bone dust swirling around the place where we have unified.
