Page 82 of Celestial Bodies

Julen meant it. He believed it. He didn’t know if he’d ever leave this place, but if the boy could see him, maybe others could, too. Perhaps Julen existed now in this realm to be the parent his childhood self never had. And he would be. “I won’t let him hurt you. Never again. I’ll protect you.”

The boy looked at Julen. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

The boy smiled. Julen picked up the pieces of paper and said, “I think we could salvage some of these, don’t you?”

The boy nodded with excitement. His tears subsided, and a great big smile stretched across his face.

Julen continued, “Let’s find the paste. If we glue the pieces to vellum, we could cut around them, and the ladies will be good as new.”

The boy jumped and ran to the little desk beneath his window. He reached for the paste and then froze when a pounding on the door began.

The boy dropped the paste, the bottle shattering on the floor. He crouchedat the foot of his bed and whimpered.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. I’m staying,” Julen reassured the boy.

The pounding continued, growing louder, and the door began to splinter. It cracked in half, and a snarl sounded from the other side.

Julen steadied himself. He had to be strong for the boy. He needed to protect him.

The door broke to pieces, and what entered was a monster so grotesque that Julen nearly buckled at the knees. It was the monster version of himself from the crystal. The monster that Julen’s reflection morphed into. The beast had a long, sinewy body with slimy, ghostly pale skin, glowing green eyes, and black tendrils curling about its harsh features.

He sneered and spoke to Julen with a low, bone-chilling voice, “Brrrroooooooken.”

Julen coughed, then steadied his voice. “No.”

The beast growled. It looked at the boy and let out a scream that shook the room. The boy cried and cowered under his bed.

“I won’t let you hurt him! You’ll have to come through me first.” Julen began to step closer to the beast.

The monster bellowed again. “Brrrroooken.”

Julen shook his head. “NO! If you come closer, I’ll kill you. I swear.”

Could Julen use his power? He couldn’t manifest in the dungeon, but nothing made sense anymore. He stretched his arms to the side and felt the winds swirl about his hands.

The beast growled again, its fangs stained black with sludge. It hunched forward and glowered at Julen, then charged.

Julen held steady. His heart pounded, and he felt the cold air of his power circle him. He curled his fingers, and the power surged through his muscles. The monster leaped to pounce on Julen, who whipped his arms forward and shot the beast with a gust of wind so strong that it blew a hole through it. The monster fell to the ground, and its body slowly dissolved into sludge and seeped through the floorboards.

Julen turned to the boy, who cried as he looked at him. The boy smiled, his tears began to sparkle, and he slowly dissolved into a mist of glowingpurple. Julen reached for the boy, but he disappeared, and the purple particles surrounded him. He could feel them entering his pores, hair, and fingernails.

The veins in his arms began to shimmer with accents of lavender. Julen became aware of the blood flowing throughout his body in a way he never had. There was a power that traveled through his bloodstream and filled his being. He closed his eyes and let the power overcome him. His senses felt heightened. There was movement around him like the world moved, but Julen’s body stayed still.

When he opened his eyes, Dacias hung before him, gasping for air.

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Chapter 38

Dacias

Dacias clutched at the rope of wind wrapped around his neck, desperately trying to free himself. The pure malice on Julen’s face was terrifying, and a devious smirk slithered up his lips as he called upon a storm that ripped through the chamber. The force of it sent Dacias soaring off the ground, strangling him.

This isn’t my Julen.It was Julen’s body, but Dacias knew it wasn’t his sweet boy who controlled it anymore. His expression was unlike any Julen had ever made, and his eyes were black as night.

Klorin shifted and charged at Julen, but an impenetrable wall of wind took shape, forming a barrier and enclosing Dacias, Julen, and the four men standing behind him.

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