Draekora

  He stepped around to face her. “I’m a manifestation you’ve called forth from your subconscious as a guide.”

  She blinked at him. “You’re a what now?”

  His lips quirked up at one corner. “You’re in a simulation, Alex. A virtual reality created to show you the plausible future that may occur should you be unsuccessful in defeating Aven.”

  Alex looked out at the burning city. “So I was right—none of this is real. It’s just a… hypothetical possibility.”

  Kaiden reached out and wrapped his fingers around Alex’s upper arm. The moment he made contact, the world swirled around them and suddenly they weren’t in Tryllin anymore, they were at Akarnae.

  Alex wasn’t sure if she was more shocked that she had felt Kaiden’s touch, or at the newest sight in front of her.

  Akarnae was a wasteland. If it weren’t for Lake Fee and Mount Paedris, Alex never would have recognised where they were, even though the lake was the colour of blood and the mountain spewed ash high into the sky. But that was nothing compared to the academy itself where all that remained were some crumbled buildings surrounded by destroyed forests.

  “Hypothetical or not, I’m here to show you what may become of our future.”

  Alex turned from the devastating sight and asked, “Why you?”

  Kaiden met her eyes. “You chose me.”

  Alex spluttered, “Excuse me?”

  “You feel safe with me.”

  “I what?”

  A confident light came into his eyes. “Go on, Alex. If you can’t admit it to yourself, who can you admit it to?”

  “You’re a figment of my imagination,” Alex hissed out. “Literally. I’m so not having this conversation with myself.”

  He chuckled, and the sound was so lifelike, so similar to that of the real Kaiden that Alex actually felt a shiver travel down her spine.

  “What I said was true,” he claimed. “Your subconscious knew that what you’re going to see here will be traumatic, and that you would need someone you felt safe with to guide you through it.”

  “There are plenty of people I feel safe with,” Alex said. “Why are you at the top of the list?”

  “Name one,” Kaiden challenged.

  “Jordan,” Alex returned instantly, saying the first name that came to mind.

  Shaking his head, Kaiden said, “Not true. With him currently Claimed by Aven, your subconscious knows you wouldn’t be safe anywhere near him.”

  “That was a bad example,” Alex admitted. “What about Bear? D.C.? I know both of them way better than I know you.”

  “And at the moment, after having lost Jordan, you would never have one of them go anywhere with you if it left the other alone for any length of time, virtual scenario or not.”

  Alex was unwilling to concede just yet. “What about my parents?”

  Kaiden shook his head again. “You wouldn’t put them in any kind of danger, even if it was all in your mind.”

  “Darrius. Fletcher. Roka, Kyia, Zain—hell, even Hunter and Karter. I trust all of them.”

  “You do,” Kaiden agreed. “But it’s with me you feel safest.” He couldn’t hold back a self-assured grin when he said, “Deny it all you want, we both know the truth.”

  Alex pulled a face at him. “You’re annoying.”

  He burst out laughing. “I’m not real, remember?”

  “That just makes you more annoying.”

  After a moment he sobered and his expression turned serious. “We don’t have long here. Are you ready?”

  “To see what might happen in the future if I let the whole world down?” Alex asked, her tone only slightly bitter. “Sure. Lead the way.”

  Taking Kaiden’s hand, she observed with growing horror as he showed her not just destroyed cities and mass graves, but also specific—and vividly detailed—events.

  She saw the empty eyes of Astophe and Roka, both lying in pools of silver blood. She saw the triumphant King Aven standing above their lifeless bodies, commanding his Garseth and the Zeltora to kill any mortals they could find.

  Houses were demolished.

  Families were slaughtered.

  Villages were decimated.

  And it wasn’t just humans who Aven targeted. He massacred entire races, from the tree-dwelling Jarnocks to the amphibious Flips to numerous other beings Alex had never encountered. Not even the powerful Shadow Walkers were able to survive his tyranny, their city of darkness and all its inhabitants burning amid the chaos.

  If seeing all that wasn’t bad enough, Alex also witnessed the deaths of her friends.

  Bear was first, his family dragged from their home in Woodhaven and strung up in Myrox cages outside the Meyarin palace, left to die slowly and painfully from starvation. Simulation or not, Alex would never forget their whimpered pleas or the look of their malnourished, neglected bodies for the rest of her life.

  Next she had to watch as Aven Claimed D.C. and ordered the princess to kill her own parents before turning her blade on herself—and all in front of a crowd of horrified onlookers who were then forced to bow to their new immortal ruler.

  Then came Alex’s parents, having left the safety of the Library only to be captured by a group of scouting Garseth. Rachel and Jack were tortured first before the Rebels discovered their connection to Alex, and only then were they delivered directly to Aven. His laughter was almost as loud as their final screams as he slowly, so slowly drew out their deaths.

  On it went as one by one, the lives Alex held most dear were taken from her; the goodness in the world snuffed out like a candle. Leaning on Kaiden more heavily with each passing frame, she could do nothing but try to detach herself from what she was seeing, telling herself it wasn’t real.

  But it was real. Or rather—it could be real.

  Everything came to a head when Jordan was handpicked by Aven to lead the final attack on Akarnae, presenting the worst of everything Alex was forced to watch. Her classmates, her teachers, the academy itself went to war against Aven’s immortal force. Even the Medoran military was there, led by General Drock and Major Tyson. The Wardens battled alongside them, with Kaiden’s sister, Warden Jeera, shooting Stabiliser blasts at Meyarin attackers from all angles, but to no effect. The mortal weapons barely phased the immortals, if they even managed to land a hit.

  The humans gave as good as they received, fighting back with everything they had. But ultimately, they were destroyed.

  Darrius, dead.

  Fletcher, dead.

  Karter, Hunter, Finn, dead, dead, dead.

  Drock, Tyson, Jeera, all dead.

  Declan, dead.

  The other Combat boys, dead.

  Mel, Connor, Blink, Pipsqueak and the rest of her classmates and teachers, dead.

  Everyone—dead.

  It was also at the academy where Jordan himself fell.

  He was fighting against Kaiden—the real Kaiden—with their blades moving so fast they blurred in the air. Even though Jordan had the advantage of Aven’s connection, they were so closely matched that it was impossible to see who would come out the victor.

  But then Kaiden paused in his attack and desperately told Jordan, “Alex would forgive you, you have to know that. I was with her at the end, and not once did she blame you. Even now I know she wouldn’t. And you do, too.”

  Something sparked in Jordan’s eyes, a burning ember of emotion, but it quickly dissolved into a smug look as his detached voice replied, “You’ll know if that’s true sooner than I will.”

  And without any further warning, a sword speared Kaiden’s chest from behind, its icy design painfully familiar—as was the hand that delivered the killing blow.

  As Aven withdrew A’enara from Kaiden and his body slumped lifeless to the ground, the Meyarin turned to his Claimed underling and in one swift arc, sliced the legendary blade across the base of Jordan’s neck.

  Shocked, Alex’s hands flew to cover her mouth, and the simulated Kaiden had to wrap her in his arms to keep her from co
llapsing to her knees.

  “I felt you hesitate,” Aven said in a silky voice to Jordan who was choking on his own blood as it poured forth to stain the soil of the academy. “You have been a constant pain, fighting my will at every moment. I kept you alive to torment dear Alexandra and the rest of your friends, but now that they’re gone, you have no further use to me.”

  Unable to take what she knew was coming next, Alex buried her face in Kaiden’s neck, but it didn’t stop her from hearing the sickening sound of A’enara hacking into Jordan’s flesh, his gurgling groan eventually trailing off into silence.

  With Jordan’s death, Alex’s vision faded to black as the scenery changed, only to leave her standing with Kaiden amid the ruins of a once beautiful Meya.

  “What happened here?” she asked, her voice coming out as a hoarse croak. “Isn’t this where Aven should be ruling from?”

  “In this future, Aven becomes possessed by his desire for unlimited power,” Kaiden answered quietly, reaching out to wipe a tear from her cheek and brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “After having razed Medora to the ground, he seeks beyond it, fixing his sight on the humans of Freya.”

  Alex pulled in a shuddering breath. “Is that because of me?”

  “I’m sorry, Alex, but you have to know that the hatred Aven feels for you in this future is unparalleled.”

  “But why?” she cried.

  Kaiden shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. You have to find out for yourself by following the path you choose and seeing where it leads.”

  Alex couldn’t help it; her eyes welled with tears again. “But it could lead here. With Aven in Freya, and everyone in Medora dead.”

  “Aven’s not in Freya in this future, Alex,” Kaiden told her gently. “He never makes it there.”

  She looked around in confusion. “Then… If he’s not there, and he’s not here, where is he?”

  “He’s gone. The Tia Aurans learned what he was planning and they stepped in before he could harm anyone else. They saved Freya, but it was too late for Medora.”

  Tia Aurans… “Are you talking about the people who created the Valispath?”

  A hint of a smile touched Kaiden’s mouth. “They did much more than that, but yes, they are an incomparably powerful race of beings who inhabit a world called Tia Auras. That’s where the Meyarins originated from before they were banished long ago to live in Medora.”

  Head spinning, Alex wasn’t sure what to ask first.

  “We’re out of time,” Kaiden said before she could gather a single thought. “I’m sorry you had to see all this, but you need to know what you’re fighting for, what the stakes are. You already knew it would be bad, but it’s not just a few humans Aven will kill, it’s everyone you care for and more. He won’t stop until every mortal in Medora is dead.”

  In a voice barely holding any sound, Alex asked, “What must I do?”

  “You’re already doing it. Just don’t stop.”

  Her lips trembled as she looked into his tender eyes. “I’m scared, Kaiden. I’m not strong enough for something like this. What if I can’t keep this future from happening?”

  He let out a soft laugh and stroked her cheek. “Oh, Alex. There’s no one stronger than you.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, pausing there to whisper, “I believe in you.”

  And with those four words, the scenery faded back into reality and Alex found herself lying on the floor of the Library’s dark cavern.

  She had to take a few moments to calm herself before she was able to rise to her feet, and even then she struggled to form words.

  “I don’t—” Alex’s voice was so rough that she had to clear her throat and try again. “I don’t want that future.”

  “No one does,” the Library replied. “Not even Aven.”

  “Am I really the only person who can stop it?” she asked, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.

  “You’re not the only one who can defeat Aven,” the Library said, and Alex felt a shred of hope until the voice added, “but you are the only one who can put a stop to that future.”

  Closing her eyes tightly, Alex wrapped her arms around her body to ward off the chill of those words.

  “Can you take me back to my time?” she asked again.

  “If that is what you want,” the Library said, opening a door to Alex’s left.

  She looked through the doorway, her eyes widenening as she watched a live-action replay of her last moments before falling into the past. There her future self was, in the snow-covered forest with Xiraxus, his wings outstretched, ready to take flight and haul her up and into the abrassa.

  “Why was he there?” Alex whispered. “Why did Aven pull Xiraxus into the future?”

  The Library was silent.

  “If I leave now, I’m not going to find out, am I?” Alex realised. “I’ll leave with so many questions unanswered. Zain being a criminal, Kyia despising Roka, even Queen Niida’s personality transplant.” Her thoughts continued spiralling until she concluded, “I won’t have a chance to try and influence Aven’s decisions in any way, to leave any kind of mark on him. I’ll be left reacting to future events as they unfold, with not even the smallest hope to sway his mind or his actions in our favour.”

  Again, the Library was silent.

  “Come on!” Alex cried, throwing her arms out. “Give me something here! Anything!”

  Still, the Library didn’t answer. Not directly. Instead, Alex heard Eanraka’s words echo throughout the cavern.

  “… you were Called to Medora—both past and future—for a reason.”

  Trembling inside, Alex realised that was all the guidance she needed. But just as she moved her shaking legs to close the doorway back to her future, the Library spoke again, causing her to pause mid-motion.

  “One thing to consider, Alexandra. I will never again offer you a doorway through time. If you choose to remain now, you will only be able to travel back through the Void.”

  Alex had already presumed as much given the gravity of the decision, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear. Regardless, now that she had made her choice, she wouldn’t waver from her path.

  Squaring her shoulders, she sealed the door with a resolute sound, and seconds later it disappeared entirely.

  Alex stared at the now empty space, suddenly overcome by doubt. “Every time I come down here, I end up having to make really hard decisions.”

  “Life is full of hard decisions, Alexandra. It’s merely evidence that you are alive.”

  “But how am I supposed to know if I’m doing the right thing?”

  “That’s not something you’ll ever know. All you can do is live in the moment and choose not to worry about what the future may bring. Don’t waste today by fearing tomorrow, for tomorrow will come whether you’re ready for it or not.”

  Repeating those encouraging words in her mind, Alex finally said, “I think I’m ready to go back to Meya now.”

  Without having to say more, a new doorway appeared.

  Alex took a step forward but hesitated. “Will I be back here again? While I’m in the past, I mean?”

  “You can visit me whenever you need,” the Library said. “But remember, I am always with you, even beyond these walls.”

  “So… that’s a ‘yes’ to the stalker Library, but a ‘no’ to the coming back here anytime soon?”

  The Library chuckled. “Until next time, Alexandra.”

  Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Alex shook her head with a slight smile and stepped through the doorway, landing inside a familiar mushroom-circled forest clearing.

  “And I’m back to where it all started,” Alex whispered, glancing around Raelia as the doorway disappeared behind her.

  “You certainly took your time.”

  Alex jumped as a silhouette approached her in the dark. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, so the only identifier was his voice.

  “Aven! What—um—” Alex squeaked. “Why
are you out here?”

  She couldn’t help her suddenly racing heart. Despite her mission to befriend him, it was only a few moments ago that she’d witnessed him murder her friends and family.

  “I heard Grandfather invited you to that school of his,” Aven answered, moving close enough that Alex could see the outline of his features. “I figured he wouldn’t be able to resist showing you Soraya de lah Torra, and rather than traverse back here using the Valispath, it was likely you’d return through one of the eiden paths.” Aven shrugged, trying to play off his waiting presence as nothing. “The Library doesn’t open its doorways any closer to the city than here. I thought I’d meet you and accompany you back to the palace.”

  He looked uncomfortable, like he was embarrassed, though Alex couldn’t imagine why. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Aven. Thank you.”

  His mouth quirked up at the corner. “I’ll admit, my actions weren’t entirely altruistic.”

  Alex raised her eyebrows. “How so?”

  He rolled his shoulders as if shaking off tension. “I needed some fresh air after dinner. It was… difficult, sitting there and keeping my thoughts to myself.”

  Alex asked the question she’d wondered earlier that night. “Then why did you?”

  Aven’s tone was dry when he replied, “I figured it best to avoid another yelling match with my father, especially since the council was there.”

  Against her better judgement, Alex said, “It sounded to me like some of them would have taken your side.”

  Aven cocked his head. “And what side is that, Aeylia?”

  Wow, foot in mouth, much? Alex thought, mentally regrouping. She sent him a teasing grin and said, “If you don’t know, then you’ve got more problems than you think.”

  He chuckled lightly and stepped closer, activating the Valispath around them. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

  Zooming through the Silverwood, Aven didn’t speak, which suited Alex perfectly given her distracted thoughts. It was only when they stopped outside her bedroom that he broke his silence.

  “Thank you, Aeylia.”

  Alex looked up at him, surprised. “What for?”

  “For not judging me. For not telling me what I should think or what I should believe. For not forcing your opinions on me when I know you disagree with where I stand.”