Page 153 of The Star's Sword

Slowly, I saw Samael’s body come back. His leg. His hip. His chest. My heart felt like it would live in eternal sunrise as I saw his face nearly whole, both of his eyes finally able to look at me.

It seemed too good to be true, that there was a way for us to be together.

But I knew I was just lucky, to have such good friends that would come to the void realm together.

I turned back to see Cayne and Zadis, both of whom were enveloped in black clouds, and writhing.

Oh gods, I hoped all my friends were okay at the end of this.

We’d come so far together.

“It worked,” Simon said, looking down as Samael was fully formed again. Samael’s eyes were wide as he stared down at his hands, at his body. He was in incubus form, with his long red hair, so I suppose the extra flesh had gone to help rebuild his body without the ninth realm side of him.

I would miss his celestial form, his illusions, his magic, but I would thank the sky every day that he was just back with me again.

He came to hold me, and we held on tight as I felt Simon grab my arm and pull me with him away from the void we were headed toward.

Back toward the light that made the portal. I held on tight, and Simon grabbed Cayne and Zadis too as we passed them, jerking them out of the clouds of energy they’d been in.

All of us moved into the light, and everything went so bright we couldn’t see as we were sucked out of the void dimension.

48

When I opened my eyes, we were back in the ninth realm, floating amongst the debris.

Sam was next to me, burned but alive. I pulled my sword out and sheathed it and then threw myself around him, holding him so tight it was like I could smash us into one person. I felt him healing beneath me and still couldn’t believe I wasn’t hallucinating.

That we’d made it back from the void realm. And, looking around us, we’d still managed to destroy the ninth realm celestials and save the world.

My heart burst with happiness, as Samael simply wrapped his arms around me and held onto me like he was never letting go. Like I was a lifeline.

Which I supposed I had been, going into the void for him like that.

But that was just me. I just wanted to help my friends. And he was my best friend of all.

My reason for being.

I stayed there with him for what felt like forever, worried that when I let go it would be a dream, and he would still be dead.

But then I became aware of sounds around us. Joyous sounds.

I looked up to see Mor, Ara, Mark, Griffin and Os had joined us in the ninth realm. They were now celebrating, fists in the air, seeing that the ninth realm celestials were gone, and that Samael and I were still alive.

I grinned at them, tears running down my cheeks.

“They’re gone,” Ara said, flying over to me and grabbing my hand. “You did it.” She let go and flew to the center of the sky, raising both hands. “The sky realms are free!”

I looked around for Simon, Cayne and Zadis, and didn’t see them at first.

“Behind you,” I heard Zadis say, and turned to see the three of them, all looking worse for wear.

Simon was holding his arm in against him, and I realized his hand was missing. He’d sacrificed it for Samael.

The same was true for Zadis, missing a leg below the knee, and Cayne, missing slightly more of his leg.

They weren’t bleeding, but it did seem to have taken a lot of their energy.

“You idiots,” Os said, looking at the three of them. “You did a blood exchange, didn’t you?”

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