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Author: unusualdee
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-08 23:01:55

Unease curled in my stomach. Hope did, too.

The leaves shifted again. But not from either me or Dominic.

I heard footsteps approaching.

Someone else was standing close now. I felt it in the way the air changed, in the way Dominic’s breathing altered.

Then they started speaking.

Not in any language I recognized. Low, fluid, fast. Words that sounded like they were only spoken in the Upper Realm. It rolled over me like a faint current I couldn’t catch.

The stranger moved closer. I felt it in the air, in the way the leaves changed course again. He was studying me. I could feel the pressure of his gaze.

Awkwardness crawled up my spine.

“Hi,” I said awkwardly, toward the sound of his unhurried footsteps. Then turned slightly to Dominic. “Does he… understand me?”

He let out a short breath. “No, he only speaks Arabic.”

Dominic turned back toward the man, speaking rapidly again, the same unfamiliar language. Arabic.

Then to me, gentle but firm: “We need to go inside. He wants to s
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  • Ascend or Be Consumed   0145

    “How have you managed to stay alive in Blackcroft all this time, Maxon?”Silence stretched after my question. It seemed he was hesitating to respond. Then he answered, his hushed tone low, and unwavering.“By being useful to the right people… and dangerous to the wrong ones.” Another pause. “And by accepting that someday, I will survive it.”I swallowed hard. “What happens after surviving?”He exhaled slowly, the sound cold and final. “If we survive.” His words hung in the air, heavy and dreadful like a prophecy spoken too calmly to be anything but true. “How… how did you even get in?” I whispered. “You used to be the gentlest person I knew. But now… you’re so cold. So indifferent.” I knew I was putting my nose in his business but what else could I do here anyway?Maxon let out a breath that sounded older than he was.“Like you,” he said, “I killed my half-brother.” My fingers froze around the now-empty cup. “Years after you disappeared with your mother, he becam

  • Ascend or Be Consumed   0144

    I pressed my fingers into the disk array embedded in my palm as I thought of my godmother, and sister. Space shifted, tugging at my stomach. The fresh aroma of flowers, herbs, and warm sunlight suggested I had landed myself near House Vitae, or something close to it, but I couldn’t quite identify where exactly. That uncertainty filled me with a sense of frustration. It was taking a lot of time to get used to my sightlessness. Then, a familiar voice broke through the haze, calm and confident, with a hint of arrogance. “Juno?” Maxon. How come he's here? I thought once again that he must have belonged to House Vitae. The sound of his footsteps approached gently, initially slow then quickening slightly. “Why do you look—” he began, then stopped suddenly. He took a deep, shaky breath. His voice softened, filled with disbelief and concern. “Your eyes... Juno, what happened to you? Last time I saw you, you weren't blind. And it's not even up to 24 hours.” I could sense the shoc

  • Ascend or Be Consumed   0143

    Unease curled in my stomach. Hope did, too. The leaves shifted again. But not from either me or Dominic. I heard footsteps approaching. Someone else was standing close now. I felt it in the way the air changed, in the way Dominic’s breathing altered. Then they started speaking. Not in any language I recognized. Low, fluid, fast. Words that sounded like they were only spoken in the Upper Realm. It rolled over me like a faint current I couldn’t catch. The stranger moved closer. I felt it in the air, in the way the leaves changed course again. He was studying me. I could feel the pressure of his gaze. Awkwardness crawled up my spine. “Hi,” I said awkwardly, toward the sound of his unhurried footsteps. Then turned slightly to Dominic. “Does he… understand me?” He let out a short breath. “No, he only speaks Arabic.” Dominic turned back toward the man, speaking rapidly again, the same unfamiliar language. Arabic. Then to me, gentle but firm: “We need to go inside. He wants to s

  • Ascend or Be Consumed   0142

    Dominic leaned close, his voice dropping to a low, steady command. “Give me a moment. Stay still.” Something brushed my fingers—the fork. He was placing it carefully into my hand. “Eat while I deal with these nuisances.” I almost laugh at the plain annoyance in his tone. I nodded once. “Be careful.” He didn’t answer. His presence vanished in a rush of heat and power, and a heartbeat later, I heard the whole restaurant explode with shouts. Amidst the noise, I kept my ears down for Dominic’s voice, but he didn't go there to talk gently to them. His growl resounded from a distance, followed by the crash of bodies hitting walls and tables. Furniture splintered. Someone screamed. Someone else begged. The atmosphere thrummed with dark magic, vibrating through the floorboards. Inside the restaurant, whispers rose like a swarm of insects. “I can’t believe the Phantom is thrashing elders for a blind girl from Blackcroft…” “Who is she?” “She can’t be ordinary.” “Has he finally go

  • Ascend or Be Consumed   0141

    The silence thickened, stretching with malicious patience, as if the stranger enjoyed watching me strain against it.Finally, I forced my voice through the tension.“Who are you?”A sharp crack split the air as a palm slammed onto the table in front of me. The echo vibrated through my bones. But I forced myself not to shiver from the vociferous noise.“I should be asking you that, blind girl,” a rough masculine voice growled, dripping contempt. “Considering you are not a demon… and I am.”His aura flared outward, brushing against my senses like barbed wire. I couldn't see him, but his voice was dark, and ancient in the way only demons who’ve seen too many centuries become. The kind of presence that didn’t just fill a space but devoured it.He wasn't just any demon, else he wouldn't have dared to come and confront me. I straightened, refusing to shrink back. “I’m here with someone.”He scoffed. “Yes. I saw that halfbreed prancing around the counter. He shouldn’t be bringing Blackcrof

  • Ascend or Be Consumed   0140

    My bond wasn't with the Apex Circle, but with my very soul—Maureen Caldert’s resilient soul. Yet I understood I couldn't share the truth of my connection to Blackcroft’s founder with Mistress Lune.I had no idea if whatever the Circle wanted to do after unbinding Eryx would work, but I hope it does. And if it didn't, at least Eryx would be back. “Would you still help prepare the tonic?” I asked her. Mistress Lune’s hand patted mine. “Undoubtedly. We will see soon,” she answered, then pulled back.She didn't say another word as she glided out of the room.After she left, a heavy silence engulfed me. It quickly got suffocating and the only thing I could think of was going back to the Star Chamber to check on Lucan. What could have possibly happened after Veylor found him?I was about to press my disk and go back when I felt the shift in the air. A shiver ran down my spine when I felt a familiar woodsy, spicy smell. It heightened my senses and nearly drowned me in pure ecstasy.

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