Page 146 of The Edge of Dawn

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen you before, Dragek. At first, I thought it was merely a hallucination. After all, my memories of the past are still incomplete and fragmented—a result of their experiments. But why do you think I spared you back then when you came so close to killing one of my people? I could have destroyed you there and then, but I didn’t, because I’d seen you before.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“In the past—where we are now—you appeared to me when I was imprisoned in the labs on Xar. This version of you came to me and told me what I must do. That no matter what they did to me or what I became, I would eventually become stronger than the masters that had created me, and I would destroy them. When I saw you for the very first time, your face struck a deep memory within me. And then I finally put a face to the voice that had been speaking inside my head for all these revolutions, reinforcing my deepest convictions.”

Dragek’s fingers loosened, and the inexplicable happened—his weapon dropped out of his hand. Such was the extent of his shock. “I… I don’t understand.”

Tarak was as cool and calm as ever. What would it take to actually shake this man? “Before he initiated Exogenesis, Zharek created a datacube containing all my memories. We checked it. I can confirm that you did indeed visit me before, and you appeared exactly as you do now—bloodstained skinsuit, in possession of my blade. That means we’ve been through this loop before. Only last time, for whatever reason, it was you who reached me. You gave me a warning. I won’t alter things too much. I know what’s at stake. I know exactly how dangerous it is to mess with the past too much. All I’ll do is give myself the exact same warning—with one extra piece of information that will prevent this from happening again.”

Dragek gaped. It was the only time he’d ever been caught so off-guard, his mind imploding at the magnitude of what Tarak was telling him.

How could Tarak be so unaffected? So implacable?

“S-so what was the point of sending me back, only for you to go in my stead? I should be the one to find you. I’ll go to Xar. You cannot afford to be here.”

Tarak held up a hand. “No. You’ve done what neither I or even Ashrael could. You killed them all before they could shoot or retaliate—faster than anyone else in the Universe could. I could have taken them down as well, but not as quickly or cleanly, not without risking collateral damage to the portal—on both sides. But you’ve done enough. This is my responsibility now. So go, Dragek. Back to the present timeline. Back to your sarien. And trust me. Everything will fall into place the way we intended because I’m here now.” Tarak turned his hand so his palm was facing upwards. “Give it back to me.”

“What?”

“My sword.”

“Ah.” Dragek leaned over and picked up the Callidum blade. Slowly, almost reverently, he walked across to Tarak and handed him the blood-soaked hilt.

“It’s been used well,” Tarak said softly. “Don’t feel like you have to go with me, to punish yourself by assuming some responsibility that’s beyond anything you should ever have to burden yourself with. Believe me, you’ve done enough. And I know this present world better than you ever could. There’s nothing here that can touch me or destroy me. No door that won’t open for me. No weapon that could take me down. I will be fine.”

Dragek hesitated.

One corner of Tarak’s mouth quirked upwards ever so slightly. “Even when we captured you—when you were caught in the thrall of the Mistress—I knew you’d turn out all right. Not all of us are as terrible as the Universe makes us out to be. Go, Dragek.”

Still, he hesitated until he felt the gentle tug on his consciousness. No doubt, Jade was reacting to the disturbance in his ka’qui, for his soul was more unsettled than ever before. What if he turned back now, and something befell Tarak? What if everything were to collapse because he chose the easy way out?

The portal was intact: ancient and mysterious, beckoning him with its dark force. Almost pulling him toward it as if this were meant to be.

As if the Universe were about to be set right once and for all.

“Why do you think we gave you so much freedom? Why we entrusted you with Jade? Why I personally chose you to come on this mission? Our past does not define us, Dragek. You’re a free man now. I release you from your forced servitude to me. From now on, everything you do will be of your own free will.”

Still, Dragek hesitated. He couldn’t just let things go so easily.

Until Tarak raised his bloodied sword. “Don’t make me fight you, katach. Even with the Mating Fever coursing through your veins, you’re tired now. Too tired to best me, and I’d rather have you awake as you walk through the tesseract. Otherwise, I’ll toss your unconscious body through there. Jade would not be happy.”

The pull on his soul became stronger, and Dragek realized Tarak’s words were indeed true. He was tired, more so than he’d realized. “Why were you so adamant that she connect with me?”

Tarak shrugged. “Just like you, she has the ability to exist in the void beyond space and time. No matter what happens, she alone will hold the memory of what’s occurred here.”

“But surely, this is the first time she’s done this… otherwise, she would have known.”

“It appears to be. Not that it matters.” Tarak raised his sword, his aura becoming cold and menacing. “Now, go.”

In a daze, Dragek complied. After all, what else was one supposed to do when the head of the First Division pointed his sword so threateningly?

He just had to believe, with every fiber in his soul, that Tarak knew what the fuck he was doing.

“Very well,” he said at last. “Go well, Tarak al Akkadian. And come back to us in one piece.”

“If all goes to plan, I won’t even need to.” Tarak was infuriatingly confident. “I am what they made me, and I have everything that is precious to me to protect. As do you.”

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