Page 20 of Eluvonia
No, no, no—this isn’t right.
I shake my head violently. “No! They’re forcing me to do this!” My voice cracks, raw with fear, but no one moves to stop her.
I take a step back—only for Kaida to suddenly appear beside me, his grip locking around my arm like a vice.
“Let go!” I scream, thrashing against him, clawing at his fingers. His grip doesn’t budge.
The Ymiral looks at me with something almost like pity. “Child, please. Trust me.”
Trust her?Trust her?
Golden light explodes around us, swallowing me whole.
I freeze, my entire body locking up as something foreign crashes into me. My chest swells, then tightens like a rope is wrapping around my ribs, binding me in ways I can’t see or understand. My knees nearly buckle as my surroundings blur and warp.
Then the visions come.
Kaida—standing on a battlefield, his expression hardened, his blade slick with blood.
Kaida—as a child, curled in a corner, his small body shaking as silent tears streak his face.
Kaida—his arms bound in heavy chains, his back striped with fresh, bleeding wounds.
Kaida—screaming at a golden-haired boy, anguish twisting his features.
Kaida—gasping in pain as a blade sinks into his side.
Kaida—his gaze locking onto mine in the forest, something unspoken passing between us.
I suck in a ragged breath, my vision snapping back to reality. My entire body trembles, my chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven breaths. I feel like I’m drowning in something I don’t understand, something ancient and inescapable.
The glow around us fades, and the Ymiral lowers her hands.
“You are now tied,” she says solemnly. “Your fates areintertwined. You each make up for a part of the other. If one dies, half of you dies. For two make one whole.”
A low growl rumbles beside me.
I force myself to look at Kaida. His jaw is clenched so tight I can see the muscles twitching, his sapphire eyes burning with barely contained rage.
“Thank you,” he grits out, the words sounding like they physically pain him.
The Ymiral gives him a knowing half-smile. “I know this is not your choice,” she says gently, “but I have seen your fate as well, Shadow Commander. It is the best outcome.”
Golden light flares around her once more, and in the blink of an eye, she vanishes.
A heavy silence settles over the room. My heart is still racing, my breath still coming too fast. I don’t know what to do, what to say.
Then, Varek claps his hands together, the sharp sound making me flinch. His expression is smug, satisfied. “Welcome to the Family. ”
I don’t know whether to scream or collapse.
Kaida’s hands twitch at his sides, his breathing heavy. He looks like he wants to rip something apart.
And honestly?
So do I.
Chapter 8
