Page 73 of Chaos Carnival

“And Lux,” Lilith went on, her tone softening. “He’s everyone’s rock when the world gets too wild. Always steady. Always dependable.”

Lux shifted uncomfortably, his eyes suspiciously shiny. “Tess. It’s safe here. Just come back.”

“Tess,” I cut in, the bond thrumming through my chest. “You can do this. Follow the bond. Follow me. I’m not letting go.”

The room grew warmer, the vibrations in the air intensifying. Lilith’s voice turned hypnotic, melodic. “You’re surrounded by love, Tess. You’re safe. Focus on that. Let it pull you back. One step at a time. Come home.”

The light in the room dimmed suddenly, and the air felt electric. My heart thundered as the bond flared hot and sharp, pulling taut like a rope about to snap. The sketchbook in the center of our circle glowed faintly, its edges shimmering with a golden hue. The glow brightened, swirling upward like embers, twisting into a shape.

A figure began to materialize, first faint and transparent, then solidifying. Her outline was wreathed in golden filaments, the spectral glow, tangling and binding as though knitting her back together. Tess’s face emerged, her wide eyes shimmering with tears, her body trembling as though she might collapse.

“Tess!” Addie cried, throwing herself forward, arms wrapping around Tess’s fragile form as the glow faded. Lux rushed to steady them both, his expression caught between relief and disbelief.

I reached out, my hand cupping Tess’s face. Her skin was warm, her eyes meeting mine. “Maverick...” she whispered, her voice raw but unmistakably hers.

“You’re back,” I said, my throat tightening. “You’re home.”

Tess stepped closer and pressed against me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “I knew I'd get back to you. I just had to... follow the light.”

Stone stood like a sentinel, his gaze softening, and even Lilith let out a quiet sigh of satisfaction. “Not bad,” she said with a smirk, though her eyes held something akin to relief.

But I didn’t care about any of them in that moment. Tess was here, solid and real, and the bond no longer ached. For the first time in days, I could breathe again.

Chapter 33: Priestess Unleashed

Tess

Theteainmycup had gone cold. I watched it with detached fascination, sensing how easily I could now unmake it. Scatter its atoms across a thousand realities with barely a thought. The ceramic felt fragile against my fingers, like everything else in this world that had suddenly become so... breakable.

Maverick's hand rested on my knee, a familiar comfort tethering me to this singular time and place. Poor, sweet Maverick, still believing he could protect me. His presence erupted beside me like a faithful star, unaware of what I was now.

Addie kept offering cookies with trembling hands, her fear, a delicious snack itself that made something ancient and hungrystir within me. Lux paced—back and forth, back and forth—like a pendulum counting down to something inevitable.

“Well, this is certainly more entertaining than that dreadful production of 'Lady Windermere's Fan' I saw in '89,” Oscar's crystalline voice cut through the tension. “Though I must say, dear Tess, you're giving new meaning to the phrase 'seeing double.'“

“Oscar,” Maverick warned, his grip tightening on my knee.

“Oh please, let's not pretend this situation isn't absolutely absurd,” Oscar continued. “Our dear witch here has become a walking paradox, Stone's adopted a demon goat, and you're all tiptoeing around like she might unravel the fabric of space-time with a sneeze. Which, granted, she might.”

I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. “At least someone's addressing the elephant in the room.”

“Metaphysical elephant, darling. Much more interesting than the regular kind. Though I must say, your new... condition... makes my crystalline prison seem positively mundane in comparison.”

The webs whispered their agreement, dancing across my vision. Oscar wasn't wrong—the situation was ridiculous. Here I sat, simultaneously existing and not existing, while my friends watched me like I might either explode or disappear at any moment.

But only Lilith seemed to grasp the magnitude of what I'd become. She sat across from me, dark eyes gleaming with something between awe and terror as she regarded the product of her handiwork.

“You were consumed by the threads,” she said, her voice carrying the burden of prophecy. “Every strand of reality converged on you, devoured you... and then bowed to you.”

The truth of her words resonated through the infinite possibilities now woven into me. I could feel them all—every timeline, every choice, every death and rebirth spanning countless universes. They whispered to me in languages older than time, teaching me secrets that would drive gods mad.

“No one has ever come back,” Lilith continued, her composure cracking just slightly. “Not in the history of existence. You are the first.”

The air grew heavy with the weight of revelation. Addie's breath caught in her throat. Lux's footsteps faltered mid-stride. Even the dust motes hung suspended.

Maverick's grip tightened on my knee. “Why didn't you tell me?” he demanded, his voice sharp with fear masked as anger.

I almost smiled. His protectiveness was endearing, in a quaint sort of way.

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