Page 16 of Dark Fae's Destiny

But none of them hold a candle to the brutality of those such as Emiliana and Florian, whom I was anchored to far longer, their outcomes in my life far worse. Masters upon the Vampire Council are similarly forgiven; I don’t really know most of them, and have no clue who is at the center of it all, punishing me.

I find as I peruse their faces that I can’t hate them without knowing who it is that torments me; it’s not my style to punish innocents, even though I had to under Emiliana. No Masters on the Council are innocent—not by a long shot. But I cannot hate them all without knowing who is after me.

And so I find myself forgiving them now, letting their faces flutter by.

The Council’s faces fly from me with no further thought as I rise higher in my endless darkness. I feel a lightness inside me now, having discarded those I was tempted to hate, but do not. Something inside me has been liberated and is now buoyant, lifting me up towards the far away light of my beloveds.

Then two distinct faces rise inside my mind.

As the living voices of the Romero twins assault me now.

Hate us, Quinn, for how we betrayed you. And still do. Eduardo and Calla Romero’s laughing glee grinds upon my ears as I see them grinning before me now. My time dancing a jig and singing for their amusement at Florian’s hand crashes back, as I’m thrust down into my pit yet again.

It’s easier now, however, to get back to the higher place I’ve found; that buoyant feeling is still inside me, though I am far more tempted to hate these two than any who have gone before.

Somehow, I manage to forgive the Romeros now, though whether they did what they did out of fear of the Council’s retribution, or to advance their station, I do not know. They may have spied on me and were offered a carrot of a place upon the Council if they did what was asked. To turn down an ask like that from the Vampire Council of Rome is death.

And even the Romeros are not complete idiots.

The Romeros dissolve from my mind now as forgiveness surges through me for them. It’s easier now that I’ve been through this process multiple times; I may still kill the Romeros if I see them again, but at least I’ll do it with peace in my heart, rather than wrath.

With that thought, I’m rocketed up towards the light. I can hear Ariana’s and Lucca’s sweet voices now, calling to me. But then, the card-flickering stops as my upward progress slows. I find myself face-to-face with Florian Delano, as he sneers at me with his golden-glorious, odious face.

Hate me, Quinn. Florian taunts as he lifts an eyebrow. Hate me and be one with the Gold Eyes. I was your nemesis, the one who plagued you at Emiliana’s behest… and evermore shall be.

For a moment, I’m tempted to remain deep in my hatred at his beautiful, haughty face. A thought strikes me then, however, and I blink in my nowhere-consciousness.

“No, Florian. You’re dead. You cannot hurt me or anyone I love; not anymore. Never again.”

Absolution rushes through me, and it is freedom. It dissolves the hatred I had towards Florian; I feel it as that releasing of energy catapults me up hard now, out of the utter depths of the pit and into a far milder space inside my void.

Though it’s still terrible here, some part of me can breathe again, and think again. I’m almost myself. I don’t know if it’s my soul, or my heart, or my mind dragging me back up through various levels of consciousness when I was tempted to stay deep down in the place where I most resonated with the Gold Eyes.

Whatever it is, it feels far lighter here, freeing, as I see that luminous star of my beloveds shining more brightly above me now.

Beautiful.

But then Emiliana DiClario’s dark gaze crashes through my vision. I’m thrust back into my pit, to the very bottom, as she appears before me. I seethe with wrath, and roar with rage now to see her again; I swirl with blackest Night at everything she did to me and others, and that she had me do at her behest.

Even that most terrible Night is not enough to stop the new lightness I’ve found, however. Because, like Florian, Emiliana is also dead and cannot hurt me or anyone else ever again.

I feel the words I forgive you surge from me as I realize she cannot touch me anymore. I feel that absolution from darkness catapult me up yet again, higher and higher, far more than ever before, as something deep inside me is cleansed.

I’m almost there; I can see the top. That shining star of Light that sings with Ariana’s and Lucca’s voices is so close now, I can practically touch it as all my deepest hatred evaporates.

I reach out, trying to touch that incredible brightness, when the shuffling deck goes black. As two great big, golden eyes rise up from the that blackness, I find myself faced with the one who masters me.

Hatred blazes through me, dark as midnight and searing like the brightest sun for this creature who controls me, controls every part of me that resonates with my Night magic.

And I hate being controlled.

I surge at the Gold Eyes; I wrath and rage at Staphylogenes, as I’m thrust right back into the worst depths of my pit. I hit rock bottom; I don’t know how I’ll ever forgive the Gold Eyes for holding my life and will in its diabolical clutches. Madness consumes me as everything I am roars at the creature.

Insane.

I’m going Revenant; I can feel it blistering like the coldest death all through me as I descend into my blackest hate. But then a thought strikes me, I am only tethered to it because of something inside me which hates as much as it does—and the thought stops me dead.

As emptiness takes my mind, I’m suddenly blank. I’m so, so blank as I come up against nothing and no one left that I hate. I’ve gone through them all; empty cards shuffle by me now, black and devoid of anything in their haunting frames. I’m stymied, stumped, not knowing what’s going on.

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