Page 87 of Aïdes the Unseen
No one moved.
Thunder.
Lightning.
Pulse.
All the gods froze.
Theyheardthat shriek of denial that came from everywhere and nowhere.
That edge ofno.
In that same breath, Irina turned toward me.
I swallowed the storm, leashing it for now. The silence after the crash echoed loudly, buzzing with energy that hadn’t dispersed, only coiled tighter.
Irina was still touching me. Still holding me.
Her voice was barely audible through the static and wind. "You can take us?"
I didn’t blink. I didn’t breathe."Us."Not just her. She meant the puppy too.
“Yes,” I said. “Both of you. Anywhere. Just say it.”
I let the leash go.
Not on the beast inside me—but on thepower.
The air changed instantly.
The gods, the demi-gods, the star-stitched echoes of old myths trying to slip through cracks in time—they all felt it. I let it radiate, cold and searing, an echo of the thresholds I walked. Thanatek’s architect, yes—but something farolderhad always moved in my blood.
Lukas’ smile faltered. Kassian bared his teeth, more wolf than man. Oscar’s golden mask didn’t break but his posture shifted. Theyknewwhat I was. What I could do when I stopped holding back. They didn’tfearme exactly. But they respected the cost.
I looked only at her.
“Say it,” I told her again, softly. “One word, Irina. One.”
She didn’t speak for a long moment.
The puppy pressed against her leg again, whining low, aware of the mounting tension like a wire pulled too tight. Her hand found the curve of his ear in a gentle stroke.
Then her eyes rose to mine—wide and shimmering, full of that same, impossible mix of fire and fragility.
“Please,” she whispered.
And it wasn’t just a word.
It was aprayer.
She didn't even know it.
I broke every rule I’d ever made.
I reached for her, not just physically, but across that deep weave of soul and signal. Power sang through my bones, ancient and absolute.
And Itoreus free.
