Page 95 of Snatched By the Sandman

Instead, I choose to heal, to mend the broken pieces, and to create something whole and beautiful.

Done. I step back, my hands covered in his blood—but my heart is lighter than ever.

Nyxion looks down at his restored chest, then back at me, his eyes filled with awe and gratitude for my power to heal and forgive.

I notice Death standing nearby, controlling the army of reavers, keeping them at bay.

I mark him. I stare down Death itself. And with a smile, I whisper into the dark stillness,“Let them come.”

He lowers his hand.

ECLIPSE!

She rises, fronts, and dons her shields. Oh, gods! Through the thin veil and with the tingling of feeling in my limbs, I watch and feel as she weaves impenetrable and indomitable shields of such great power, the reavers shatter upon every last one!

She defends me, protects me.

And like a hail of arrows, Eclipse withstands their barrage. She is more than a shield. She is a fortress, her resolve…unbreakable. As each reaver falls, I feel the strength of my alters, the unity within me, bolstering my spirit.

Eclipse stands tall, her eyes burning with ferocity. The battlefield is silent, save for the heavy breaths of the defeated. She turns to me, a silent acknowledgment passing between us. I am not alone.

With a final, resolute look at Death, Eclipse steps back, allowing me to stand at the forefront. In my utter symptomof humanity, I face Death, feeling the power within me, the collective strength of my alters, and the unyielding support of those who stand by my side.

I am ready for whatever comes next, knowing that I have faced the Abyss and emerged stronger—fragmented—but more whole than ever.

Death gives a salute and vanishes into the darkness. I smile softly, admiring him, and appreciating how he held back the reavers. Ultimately, I sense he belongs to someone else beyond the Spirit Woods I created.

Now, it is time to return and journey back to the other dark woods that held me captive.

I grip the pouch of sand and the bone needle anchored at my side, and I don’t stop until I’ve cut through the ropes binding my past self…

…and see her fall to her knees…

Chapter 34

A monster. Not safe. But good.

HECATE

“The Howling” by Within Temptation

“The Call” by Regina Spektor

Ilight her way.

A thrill rushes through me when Zenya follows my torches and escapes the edge of the Abyss, taking firm and calculated steps through the woods until she has returned to the clearing where her past self is bound.

It is an honor to participate in the barest extent of her journey.

Nyxion has done much. Beastie has done more, that I may sense as a blessed privilege.

When present Zenya claws through those ropes binding past Zenya, I buffer the blow when she falls.

Stained with her own blood, the refuse, and the stench of the ones who used her…

…Oh, how she falls!

Present Zenya remains on her knees, her hand clutched in Nyxion’s skeletal one as she remains an observing survivor of her past.

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