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“Was Talia the hero then?”
Rune and Kastian both snap their eyes at me. The tension is thick, but I press on.
“Was she the saint in this? I’m not believing blindly anymore, I’m listening to both sides of this story. Because to me… it really fucking sounds like Talia was the dark and corrupt one. I don’t know how to cope with the fact that my past life fuckedeverything up.”
Kastian scoffs and his brows pull tightly together. “No… no, Talia was—”
“I heard she chose the Rhythm over you—that she loved her purpose to the realms more than her partners. All she had to fucking do was give Violet her love back and all this shit would’ve been done! Did sheeverlove you, Borvon?!”
Kastian’s eyes grow wide with pain, like his past life is speaking to him in his mind, but he stammers, “I—I… Yes… Yes, of course she did.”
I’m already feeling bad for everything I’ve said but I can’t stop.
I reach a hand to his beautiful face and cup his flushed cheek. “Then why would she refuse to reincarnate justonegoddess? Talia let you die, Borvon. She let you die and everyone else who ever fucking mattered.”
Kastian stumbles backwards and grips his head as if it’s ringing. I reach after him, steadying him so he doesn’t fall.
“Are you okay?” I brush his white hair from his face and he looks wild—like the core of him is shattering. His eyes are still blue, but there is a ring of pure white circling his pupil. Panic rushes me and I shake him. What the fuck is that? “Kastian… Kastian!”
Rune kneels next to me and nudges me back a bit. I furrow my brows at him, but he focuses on my Eostrix, and when his lips part I already feel the shudder of his eerie voice climbing my spine.
“Don’t fight your memories, let them flow through you.”
Kastian freezes, as if Rune’s voice is poison, creeping into his head and whispering forbidden things.
For a second I think he’s going to lunge at my Dreadius and try to kill him, but instead he takes a deep breath and lets his ebony wings slump down onto the tiles. I approach and kneel next to Rune, setting a hand on Kastian’s shoulder. So it’s true then… Rune’s curse can’t affect Rhythm Gods. If his cursed voice didn’t affect me, it makes sense that Kastian would be impervious to it as well.
He’s shaking.
“Kastian… please say something.” I lean into him and hug him tightly. “Please, I’m so tired of fighting. I’m sorry… I just want us all to be happy and safe.” His arms tense beneath me and I release him.
His ocean eyes look through me. The white circles are gone from around his pupils but he looks defeated, wounded by the cruel things I said, and my heart breaks at the sight of it.
“Elodie... I’m getting you out of here, and we both know Arulius will never let you have your powers back. So in the end you’ll have to choose. You know that—you willhaveto choose. To save Tomorrow and all those in the realms or to stay here and pretend everything is fine. Pretend that you’re happy with your blood bag and golden piece of shit.”
I bite my tongue to hold in the things I want to say to him, the ugly and nasty things that would absolutely tear him apart. I keep it to myself. I watch as he stands and leaves without another word, his wings dragging on the tiles behind him.
* * *
Rune and I sneak into the library for the day.
Even with my wings, I’m way quieter than he is. He’s so big and clunky—every time he tries to make himself small he just crouches over like he’s trying to hide and it takes everything in me not to laugh at him.
Once we slip past the doors to the library, we wait for Naminé to join us. As soon as she steps through the doors, our little band of Nesbrim misfits is complete.
She stretches and yawns as she walks over to me. “What are we on the hunt for today?”
“We still need to figure out how to break the bond with Arulius.” My chest tightens at the thought of letting go of our bond, because it was once a beautiful connection I loved. But if I’m ever to resurrect anything again, it has to be broken.
Rune searches the first floor while Naminé and I head up the spiral staircase to the second. She takes the far end and I thumb through the window-wall shelves.
There's a peculiar black book that I come across after a few painstaking hours. I pull out a book that’s labeledThe Gods of Rulingand find that there’s another name for them. The correct name is scribbled down below on the cover:Gods of Judgement.Okay—why the hell would everyone call them Ruling Gods? No wonder I couldn’t find a damn thing about them before.
Everything is so backwards and I’m guessing it has to do with Violet destroying most of the records of this world. I almost feel bad for tearing the page out of what might be the last physical record.
I find an entire section on gods of judgment now that I know the right name and am perfectly fucking floored by what I learn.
Apparently they’re able to control most lower-tier gods and spirits. Their judgment is divine and to be honored above all else. To disobey them is like spitting in the face of… well, Violet. It works like a type of coercion. Only the Rhythm Gods have the distinct freedom of their judgment. I clench my fist tightly with rage circling in my veins. Drops of blood drip on my leg.
