Page 123 of Dark Fate

She eyes me for a heartbeat, probably debating if I'm ready for the truth. Then, as if she couldn't resist the urge to spill the tea like a high school gossip queen, she let it all out.

She quickly tells me the tale of my mother and my father—Elysium—weaving the words like threads of gold through the tapestry of my heritage. He came fromAetheria, descending on currents of pure luminescence, a figure of myth-made flesh. With him, he brought the glow of the upper realms to Earth, capturing my mother's mortal heart with his divine light.

Then, boom—passion ignited, and—bam—I'm the spark.

"But Azrael,"Seraphina's voice falters, her eyes darkening with sorrow. "He discovered their secret when she was eight months along with you." Her hand trembles as she reaches for mine. "He sought to end the prophecy before it could begin—to extinguish the light that would unite the realms and defeat the Darkness—Moretemis."

I can feel the sting of tears, the kind that sneaks up on you, asSeraphinaunfolds more of this staggering history. She recounts how grim and ruthless Azrael decided to play for keeps, cutting my mother's life thread short while I was still part of her, nestled safe inside.

The guy was betting on a two-for-one deal—an exit strategy so cold it could freeze the sun. But here I am, the 'still-standing' testimony to a plan that didn't pan out as intended.

In that instant, with clarity sharp as a dagger, I swear a silent but deadly promise to myself: Azrael's days are numbered, and I'm the one holding the calendar.

"I had to do what I could," her voice trembles with gratitude. "I blasted him with my light and saved you—hid you among the mortals."

My mind's eye paints a vivid picture—Seraphinabringing me into this world, then spiriting me away to the hospital where I was abandoned.

CatchingSeraphina's eye, all brimming with emotion like she's about to star in a tearjerker, I give her a glance that's pure gratitude—no additives. Grabbing her hand because sometimes words need a little hand-holding action, she tells me, "It was my honor, dear heart."

"And my mom? What happened with her...after?" The words claw their way past the boulder lodged in my windpipe.

Seraphina's response hits me like a celestial freight train. "Her soul was stolen."

I’m pacing, my feet moving on autopilot as I try to process this bombshell. "Moretemis?"

Seraphinanods in confirmation, the motion rigid. She swallows hard like the truth is a jagged pill. "Yes."

I stop pacing as she reaches for me. Her touch is like a warm blanket, chasing away all the chills. Her next words slam into me, "You are our hope, our light,Dani."

I melt into her embrace, the floodgates within me shattering as I release a lifetime’s worth of anguish. She held the pieces to my mom's story, the key to understanding it all—she’s the reason I escaped Azrael—Moretemis.

The noise that tears out of my throat is unfiltered and visceral—the type of soul-deep catharsis you don’t even know you’ve bottled up until it shatters the silence. And now, the brutal reality hits—my mom's essence is stolen, ensnared by a grade-A nutjob who has no right to claim her.

I cling toSeraphinalike she's made of mist, terrified that if I dare to relax my hold, she'll dissipate into nothingness. I'm mourning a mother ripped away before her time, a woman I never had the chance to know truly and now never will—all because my existence ignited a murderer's twisted obsession.

After a moment,Seraphinagently eases back, her hands tender as they cup my face, her thumbs brushing away the salty trails of sorrow. "Shh… don't cry, dear heart. There's still hope," she soothes, her voice a melody against the cacophony of my emotions. Her tears shimmer, betraying the depth of her feelings even as she radiates strength and comfort.

I echo her gesture, my fingers gently brushing against her face, snagging the crystalline droplets. My words stutter as I grasp at a glimmer of levity in our shared heartache. "No, you stop first," I quip, a wobbly smile surfacing despite the tempest raging within me. "How is there hope knowing my mother is damned for eternity? What's the hope in that?"

Seraphina dabs away her tears with tender gestures, and we find ourselves enmeshed in a maelstrom of emotions. "Salvation is within reach for her."

Just like that, the brief moment of levity evaporates—talk about a narrative curveball I didn't see coming.

"Follow me."Seraphina's fingers lace with mine as she leads me out of the room—a lifeline amidst the storm of revelations.

Rhyland

57

We found the horses huddled together in the woods—they hadn't gone far.

I jump onto Storm, gripping the reins tight enough to make it clear we're done fucking around. It's time to move. I cast a look back at the crew. They're mounting up fast, their faces giving away a silent understanding. We're hauling ass back to the Sun Courtand sticking around forDanithere.

We've overstayed our welcome in this shitshow ofWhispering Woodsand creepy fog.

Our horses don't need coaxing. Their instincts scream, 'Get the hell out,' and we're in tune with that plan. The map and meticulously prepped gear? Torched, thanks to my uncontrollable blaze of fury. It's my ass on the line in front ofthe Light Kingfor scorching his prized possession.

The goddamn fog clings to us—whispers nagging at the edges of my mind, trying to get in. I throw up a mental fortress; thoughts ofDanibecome my ramparts and shields against the onslaught.

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