Page 14 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

Initially, I thought being surrounded by those who found some form of comfort in my presence would ease my soul, making it that much easier to stomach the fact that even in Elyon's confinement, I never felt this alone.

Every day, I wake up, forced to face the raven-haired devil, so carelessly sleeping in Forest and I's home. His thoughts are filled with nothing but all the ways he could have done things differently.

As much as I have fantasized about the idea of killing the man, I know deep down I keep him alive to savor his death.

To savor his death with her.

Her little gift to him before she left was no light message.

That man was someone who held great value in her heart, even in death. Forest is vengeful, but despite that rage, the love she has for others defeats her vile nature.

The fact she hurt Fallan without so much as a second thought brings him a fear I intend on using.

Forest's rage is not something to take lightly.

Even Kai, someone I have considered to be a martyr for peace, often looks at the man as if he is debating which way would be the most torturous to end his existence.

Feeling the cool breeze of the spring air roll through the wooded area, the waters once ravaged by Forest's rage have somehow emerged once more, changing with the seasons. Crystal blue in the hottest months and frosted in the coldest, the waters remain stagnant, the secrets of what lies beneath its depths something that only seems to bring Mason fascination.

Mason has taken it upon himself to train the Marked residing in both compounds, being sure to keep his thoughts safeguarded. His mind is always on high alert. After quite a few conversations and many close calls, he has managed to find allies in the Shifters, promising hope for a reality like his so long as they pledge their allegiance to what he has begun to call the Revolutionists.

During Forest's time leading her following, she, too, called her people the Revolutionists, fighting for a cause much more significant than her and me.

She believed there was a way to find peace. One that could involve the safeguarding of our kind while bringing down the evil that is Elyon.

Now, she stands side by side with Elyon while his forces paint the streets in the blood of her own as if they are worthless cattle bred to be slaughtered.

I've heard the stories of what is going on behind the wards, not only in New Haven but in Sanctum's other hubs. Forest Evermoore has become no small name. It is heard in the whispers of those who have managed to make it out of confinement. Forest's name leaves the mouth of those like a scary bedtime story, filled with monsters that were meant to stay locked in the closet or shoved under the bed.

Her name evokes fear.

A fear she would have revolted at not that long ago.

As far as I know, Elyon and Forest have worked hard to reestablish the social classes within New Haven, offering living conditions suited for kings for the Unfortunates, urging the lower class into a new wave of subserviency they don't even know they are being manipulated into.

Killing off Marked left and right, the promise of Elyon and Forest's new empire brings nothing but bloodshed.

It's a damn genocide.

Auburn's group inside the city managed to take as many as they could, retreating to the compound. They entered our doors with one absent person.

The fiery red head with the raspy voice.

Staying solo, Rowan feeds into her isolation, leaving her own trail of blood despite her young age.

Violating the throats of any Official she can, she stays hidden within the depths of the ash. Cutting all communication with her group, she has become the ghost Mason has found some fascination in.

Despite his lack of care, the girl's ability to move effortlessly through a society built around control fascinated him regardlessof the fact he has never laid eyes on the child with the blazing hair.

"Hey," Kai's strained voice whispers. His eyes are heavy with the presence of exhaustion.

He holds two mugs in hand.

"I brought you some energy," he whispers, shaking the mugs filled with a dark roast.

Setting it on the balconies railing, he takes a deep breath, letting himself settle in next to me. His curls are a wild mess atop his head.

"Hey," I mutter, using my voice for the first time in what feels like forever.

---