Final Fantasy Iv: Interlude Novels & Stories

He removed the third. Plugged it into the side terminal. The interface lit up, and a buried partition emerged. A file Elise had marked with no labels, no metadata. Just a title. FINAL MERGE Subject: DUVALL He opened it. Lines of code scrolled past in white on black. The commands were terrifyingly simple. > :: MERGE INSTANCES [SERA.001, SERA.02_PROXY] :: PRESERVE DOMINANT NEURAL PATHWAY :: ERASE REDUNDANT INSTANCE

“The stronger the wolf, the more mates they can sustain bonds with. Four mates means you’re much more powerful than anyone knows.” Despite the indignation that coursed through me—having a fourth mate felt like a curse, not a blessing—part of me was curious about what this mysterious fourth mate might be like. Was he another cocky asshole like Lucas? Another brooding jerk like Rowan? Or something else entirely? But mostly, I just hoped I never ran into him. Three mates were already more trouble than I knew what to do with. “Can we continue training?” I asked. “I want to get stronger so I can figure out how to deal with the Elders.”

It remained a monitored fact rather than an active demand. Evening settled. The fourth address held through another night without demonstration or new external contact. Watches rotated on a lighter schedule. I slept in a continuous stretch and woke to gray light and the low sound of Kael and Draven speaking in the main room without urgency. The morning brought no new message from Elias. The channels remained quiet. The residual network stayed invisible. The legal intermediary continued to exist somewhere beyond our direct sight, handling a claim that touched the same past the older files had opened.

he growled forcefully back at me and I rolled my eyes. "A pereche is your soulmate, you big oaf," I snapped back and shook my head. A loud thump is heard on the roof of the vehicle and large talons broke through the metal and started peeling it back. I looked up at Everett and Silvar smiling down at me. Silvar plucked me from the back seat, breaking my cuffs and Everett twisted Jacob's head off his body. The vehicle rolled to a stop further down an embankment. I glanced around and knew there were others monitoring this entire thing.

Faded white walls Rows of pews Scott, stumbling around, laughing at everything The Elvis impersonator again Me leaning on Tristan, him trying to hold me up Us laughing non-stop "YesI bloody will!" I yell, for some reason "Fuck it, why not!" Tristan yells back And then, my consciousness starts to fade into oblivion

As I reached out to touch it, I felt my form beginning to fade away. In those final moments of disappearing, I heard a voice from outside. "Somebody's committed suicide!"

The balcony doors are open, and the sound of the ocean below lulls me to sleep. I wake up before Archer, needing to pee. When I get back into bed, I can’t fall asleep. My phone is on the mattress next to me, and I go through the photos we took today while at the beach. I upload my favorite to I*******m and send a few more to my mother. I log back onto I*******m to check and see who’s liked my photo so far. Instead of putting my phone down and turning off my mind, I open an internet search and look up information on the fellowship.

I went back to the drawings I had passed and there I saw that they had come to life because of Venenata Negra, but they were not the same as before. Suddenly there was a war between the Faeries and the resurrected ones with horns. Suddenly there was a circular line in the shape of a person. The first one was lying down. The second one was like a mirage image of a human being. The next one is a human being full of white marks inside. Between the mirage image and the filled image, there is a cup— This is it! I came close and looked at every detail. There I saw a detail that was not included in Papa's drawing. Something was pouring from the filled human and it all went to the cup.

Blood splattered across the platform, spilling all over. I laughed with utter satisfaction. See, Quin from my last life… I have avenged you.

Eve: (confused) More? Lucille: (smiles wide) More. Damian: (looks like he is second away from passing out) That I’m the last sensible person here. (Silence. Thick and heavy. Ilya puts down his cards.) Ilya: We’re done. Thank you for your… honesty. Please return to your narrative. And, please, no more fourth-wall violations. (Lucille stands, offering Eve his hand. She ignores it though she doesn’t move away as he takes her hand in his and turns away)