I could barely walk. I was mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other, trudging along through the forest. Sylvin's grip was tight around my wrist as he dragged me back to the facility. I saw the tree root, jutting out from the earth, and yet I made no move to avoid it. I tripped and fell, breaking free from Sylvin's grasp. My cheek landed on a sharp stone, slicing my skin. I didn't care. Sylvin looks at me narrowing his eyes. "Come on, Audra. Stop this." Sylvin's voice was firm as he looked down at me. "Acheron is already mad. If you fight this, he'll take it out on you." I didn't move. I couldn't. I kept imagining the way her body had sunk under my weight. The way she smelled. The way her body had curled and shrunk. The images kept looping in my mind. I had stopped crying—there were no more tears left. Sylvin let out a quiet sigh before bending down and lifting me into his arms. I flopped against him, limp, offering no resistance as he carried me the rest of the way. When we reached Acheron's bedroom, Sylvin carried me into the bathroom and set me down on the edge of the tub. I sat there, unmoving, staring at the white stone tiles. He left and returned moments later, carrying something. I could barely register what he was doing. My vision was blurred, and my head felt unbearably light. "Just hang in there, okay?" he murmured. "I need to treat this." He gently reached over and picked up my hands, holding them in gauze. And that's when everything snapped into focus. I tore myself away from him, fresh tears spilling down my face. "No, stop—please!" I screamed, scrambling out of the tub. "Hey, Audra, it's okay. It's just me." His voice softened as he reached for me. I stumbled back into a corner. "No! You're . . . You're a monster!" He flinched. Just for a second. Then his face hardened. "That's not fair," he muttered. "You think I wanted this?" I let out a hollow, bitter laugh. "You had a choice, Sylvin. You did it anyway. I bet you even knew why I left Acheron's room, didn't you?" I questioned. His jaw tightened as he looked away. "So what?" His voice was quieter now, but not defensive—just tired. "Maybe I wanted you to have a chance." "Then why?" My voice cracked, my knees buckling beneath me. "Why her?" Sylvin hesitated, running a hand down his face. He looked exhausted. Torn. "Because… that was the only thing I could do." He didn't finish, just left his words hanging. I swallowed hard. "Acheron knew all along, didn't he?" Sylvin's lips pressed into a thin line. Then, finally, he nodded. "He found out from Darious. He knew about Malik's plan. He knew…" A pause. "He knew everything." His fingers curled slightly, as if grasping at something invisible. "He wanted a chase. That's all he ever wants." He slid down the wall beside me. "That still doesn't explain why you knowingly let me go?" I asked looking into his eyes hoping for the answer. "I didn't know. Then" He breathed. "Now, let me see your hands." His voice was quieter now, more measured. "That burn… You may never be able to use magic again." I hesitated. But then, slowly, I extended my hands toward him. I tried to ignore the stinging pain, but it was unbearable. My hands felt as though they were still being burned. I winced as Sylvin wrapped them in gauze. "There. Now let's hope they heal," he said, standing up. He offered me his arm, but I shook my head. He shrugged. "Acheron will be back soon. It'd be in your best interest to just do as he says." He muttered before heading out of the bathroom. Luna told me to live. I wouldn't be able to do that just sitting here. I pulled at my magic. Instead of my hands, I called it around my body. It obeyed. I slowly worked it around my body, healing it. The cuts and scrapes disappeared. How am I going to fix my hands? Before I had time to think about it, I heard the bedroom door slam open. Startled, I receded further into the bathroom, hiding in the shower. "Audra?" Acheron sang, taunting me. I heard his footsteps pitter around the room as he looked for me. He threw open the bathroom door and started hunting for me, saving the shower for last. A part of me knew he had known where I was all along. Still, that didn't hide my fear when he flung the shower curtain back. His lips curled into a smile. "Found you," he said sinisterly. I gulped as he grabbed my injured hands and ripped me off the floor. He dragged me behind him until we were outside by the lake. He ruthlessly threw me down, I looked up at him. He bent down beside me picking my face up forcing me to look at him. "What happened last night will happen to anyone that tries to help you again. You are mine, princess. Don't you ever forget that." He spat, ripping me up to my feet. "Don't think your little burn is going to stop our training. Now, try to block my attacks." He brought his hands up and started throwing flame after flame at me. I jumped back in surprise. I raised my hands, the gauze now a yellowish-white color. I tried—I tried to call it. But there was nothing. All I could think about when I saw his flames was what happened last night. His flames eating her. Her body. The smell. I screamed, and the lake reacted, surging up in powerful waves, splashing him, dowsing his flames. My chest heaved up and down, my tears mingling with the spray from the lake. He looked annoyed, but satisfied? "That's it. Use your rage, princess. Again!" he screamed. Once more, he threw his flames at me. I screamed and tried to stop him, flinging my hands around in a feeble attempt to use my power. A small, pitiful coil of water sprouted from my fingers. Just as the water left me, my hands erupted in pain. I fell to my knees screaming out in pain, clutching my hands to my chest. "Please stop, it hurts," I cried out. Acheron laughed, walking overt to me. "Diamonds only grow under pressure, Audra. Just like you will only grow from pain." He mused, tilting my head up. Then he dropped my chin and grabbed my arm, dragging me closer to the lake. "It is with this pain, Audra, that you will blossom into the most beautiful diamond. So say hi to Nixthul for me." He laughed as he lifted me up and tossed me far out into the lake. As I sank, the tune my mother sang whispered through the water, wrapping around me like a delicate lullaby.
"Sleep, my love, the night is deep,
Moonlight dances, stars will keep.
Winds may call, and waves may sigh,
But I will hold you when you cry.
Close your eyes, my darling light,
Dream of rivers, blue and bright.
When you wake, you'll know the way,
The dawn will chase the dark away."
The melody faded into the abyss, Then, out of the darkness, she emerged—a shifting wisp, luminous, glowing in blues and blacks so deep they seemed to drink in the water around her. She was beautiful, dangerous, seductive. A slow, knowing smile curled her lips as her voice wove through the water like silk. "Don't be afraid, little tide," she murmured, her smoky fingers ghosting along my cheek. I shuddered, my body trembling as her power pulsed through me. "Who—what are you?" Her laughter rippled through the abyss. "I am the water deamon Nixthul." She lifted her hand, trailing her fingers across my shoulder. "Nixthul? Are you the same person who stole Mallory's magic?" I ask my voice cutting through the water. She humms playing with a tendril of my hair, twisting it around her finger. "I didn't steal anything, little tide. She was not worthy." "Not worthy? Of what?" I ask. She floats around me giggling. "Our time is up dear. See you again." She coos. Before I could protest, the water erupted, sending me spiraling to the surface in a burst of power. I choked and spat up water I looked over at Acheron. All I could see were his eyes. He was clouded in darkness. His eyes glowed red as I see the perfect whites of his teeth form into a twisted smile.