Page 112 of Twisted Bonds

“So, it is you.” As Cor’than’s hand reaches my shoulder, I feel the weight of all the years of anger. But now I see the toll that ruling has taken on him. His face is lined with worry and his burden seems almost unbearable. Despite all the criticism I had thrown at his rule from afar, seeing him in person brings them to a faltering stop.

“You were right to unseat me, Cor’than. I was never half the king you are. I should have given you the crown from the beginning.”

My words don’t catch him off guard. He responds with confidence and composure, like a natural leader who has heard these words before and believes them to be true. “Thank you, but I made many mistakes.”

I glance back at Mira, and Cor’than moves towards the far corners of the room, giving us a semblance of privacy. But in reality, it is not necessary.

“When I channeled through you at Yurghen’s tower, I built a connection with him. I started getting glimpses of his mind, just snippets of his thoughts. His life. And I learned something in those moments,” I tell her. “It’s his wife’s soul he’s looking for. He’s willing to break the known world, the afterlife itself, to bring her back.”

She stands there, arms crossed tightly over her chest, a clear barrier between us. Anger emanates from her, the resentment twisting her features into something unfamiliar. She remains unresponsive and doesn’t ask any questions. Standing by her fallen loves, she maintains a silent vigil.

The lack of the mate bond snapping between us is enough to finalize the decision that’s been building in the back of my mind since our Dreamshare together. I take a breath, savoring the wholeness deep inside me for just a moment longer.

“I never deserved you, Mira. Not for a single day. Take care of them for me,” I say, nodding to the Shards on the ground. She blinks, stepping forward with a rush of confusion as I mutter words of a lost language beneath my breath.

A sudden, intense pressure builds in my chest until it feels like it’s about to burst. Suddenly, my entire being ruptures and a brilliant display of light, colors, and energy pours out of me like a raging river. It cascades onto the ground, each drop bursting with magic and secrets waiting to be discovered. The four Shards, previously lifeless objects, now hover above the ground as though lifted by an invisible force. As I sink lower, the intensity of the Chroma continues to pour out of me, creating a mesmerizing display that is both beautiful and terrifying.

The gentle glow of pure white Chroma fills the room, casting a serene light on the figures lying as if only in slumber. As their consciousness slowly returns to them, they stir and blink in confusion, letting out soft groans as they piece together their surroundings.

My soul shatters once more, the familiar feeling of brokenness settling deep within me. But this time, it’s not a temporary fracture caused by an outside force. It’s a permanent breaking, one that I have chosen for myself. No longer under the manipulation of a vengeful lover corrupted by a dark mage, this is my own decision to break myself apart.

The pieces scatter and fall, leaving me raw and empty, but also free from the confines of someone else’s control. My heart feels like shattered glass, sharp and jagged, and I watch the flow of Chroma slowly knit together the souls of each of the Shards. The pieces of me, each becoming whole.

This is my choice, my agency reclaimed.

For her.

For them.

To give this world a chance.

fifty-nine

Bobble

The blinding white light slowly fades, leaving me disoriented and dropped to the floor with an unceremonious thud. As I shake off the dizziness, my vision is blurred but slowly clears thanks to the soft hands that wrap around my arm and pull me to my feet. My heart races as I try to piece together memories, but they are all jumbled and fragmented like a puzzle missing crucial pieces.

What…

I find myself back in the same room as before, but now Mira is staring at me with a look of disbelief. My heart sinks as I realize that we have failed. The merging process did not work. Shock and disappointment flood through me, and my mouth hangs open in astonishment. A new sensation begins to bubble up inside of me, something unfamiliar and deep.

“What happened?” I inquire, while Sunder and Callum rise up from the ground next to me with their injuries miraculously healed. Tairyn is on his knees, looking down at his hands in shock as if something has gone awry.

Sunder clutches his chest in shock, as if trying to stop a heart attack. I rush over to him, my instincts guiding me to use my healing powers on him. But as I do, something completely unexpected happens.

“I’m…I’m whole,” I stutter, letting my yellow Chroma sputter out against his healthy body. “What happened?” I ask her again, this time more insistently.

Her eyes are wide as she stares at me, seemingly frozen in disbelief. In the corner of the room, I hear Cor’than’s voice, chest puffed up with pride over something I cannot understand.

“All the matters is that you are no longer Shards of Dan’thiel. Each of you is your own. A whole soul in your own right. Restored and healthy. There is no time for celebration or questions. We must devise a plan of attack.”

Cor’than’s firm words are powerful, conveying both determination and a sense of possibility. Tairyn shakes his head as if to clear it. Pulling himself to his full height, he announces, “It’s Mira he wants right now.” He pauses, looking at each of us for a moment to let that information sink in. “Let’s give her to him.”

A roar of outrage dies on my lips as he hastily adds, “Bait to a trap we set.”

“We need to distract Malicryn in the process. Scouts told me she’s leveling half the city on the way to the palace while Yurghen looks for Mira, before they all ran away like cowards that is,” Cor’than doesn’t keep the bitterness from his voice about the failings of his men. Understandable, of course. My hand finds his shoulder and gives him a knowing squeeze.

“I’ll find her,” Sunder says. “If I know her at all, she won’t skip the opportunity to taunt me.”

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