The great serpent Olethros unraveled into vapor. The spiders around him burst into mist as well, their essences mingling in a maelstrom of spiraling shadow. Faster and tighter, it swirled, constricting in on itself until—

  Whoomph!

  He reformed.

  Shadows collapsed to build a humanoid silhouette. Gold-tipped horns of midnight curled from his temples even as soft lavender hair poured down his sides like a waterfall. His dark mage robes gleamed as they settled about his shoulders, and a crisp snap of his whip-like tail announced that his dazzling, magical transformation was complete.

  Still too handsome… But I’ll let it pass this time.

  For a moment, his emerald eyes were filled with excitement. “Rachel—”

  Then his gaze dropped.

  “Rude,” I chided. “My eyes, so to speak, are up here.”

  I knew what he was really looking at—the writhing star of animus in my sternum, crackling with dark fury.

  It’s not as bad as it looks.

  With hands on my hips, I cleared my throat. “So! I was referred to you for treatment. I’ll sign whatever consent form you’ve got later, but please take a posterior approach. It’d be weird for both of us if I watched you yank it out from the front.”

  His eyebrows fell. “Rachel…”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” I turned away from him. “Just grab it and pull. Rip it out. You can even absorb it afterward! Instant power boost for you. Win-win!”

  “Rachel.”

  “Right. I promise to hold still.”

  His boot clicks echoed as he stepped forward.

  “Rachel,” he said gently. “I’m not sure either one of us would survive the process if I were to extract it.”

  I whipped around. “What do you mean?”

  He conjured a tiny wisp of dark animus and tossed it toward me. The moment it floated close, the star in my sternum lashed out and devoured it, growing bigger from the effort.

  “Wh…why! Why would they send me here if you can’t remove it?!”

  Were they trying to get rid of him?!

  He leaned in, careful not to get too close. “I cannot take it. A different approach is warranted.”

  “Well, what is it?”

  It better not be what I think it’s gonna be.

  He straightened, meeting my gaze with eyes too soft for him. “Whose animus do you believe that is?”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “It came from the scythe!” I snapped. “I’m not saying it’s yours—that bastard hit me with it, and it… It got lodged there!”

  Olethros’s brow furrowed. “Are you certain? Nothing came out the other side?”

  I froze.

  Fuck.

  “The blast went through me…”

  “This is your animus, Rachel,” he said. “Your pain… fury… grief. And its volatile behavior suggests you have not processed it.”

  “That’s not fair!” I protested, my fists pumping. “I have to get back to work! There’s no time for this. Mom said never to let anything get in my way. The head honcho said ‘chin up’ and move on—and I—”

  I could feel the tears coming.

  “Fine. Fine! I’ll let it go!” I flung my arms wide. “Begone, trauma! Fly away and be forever forgotten!”

  The animus only pulsed larger.

  “Graah!” I clawed at it. “Go away! Nobody wants you!”

  “Rachel, share it with me. So we can carry it together.”

  I choked at the thought. “How... How can I possibly be a good partner to you if every time something goes wrong, all I do is show you my weaknesses? How am I supposed to stand at your side if I can’t even handle myself?”

  “Rachel,” he murmured, one of his eyebrows falling. “You are willfully ignoring that mere moments ago, you found me at one of my lowest points. And I rose because you called to me. You—someone who understands me.” His tail coiled and uncoiled several times before he admitted, “Having someone who empathizes… Does not remove the burden. But it makes it bearable.”

  The prison shimmered as he gestured to the prison around us. Shadows formed shelves and scrolls, filling in the safe space I called his library. Instead of the runic circle that usually graced the center of the marbled floor, however, sat two chairs, side by side.

  “Sit with me, and let’s talk about what happened.”

  I hesitated. “I-I should warn you. I saw what happened to Raela. To Epiales… And it might hurt you to hear it.”

  He flinched, only to steel himself further. “I want to see the truth as you saw it,” he said firmly. “Let us share the burden.”

  I found my seat, took several breaths, and told him.

  Not every exhaustive detail, but enough. I told him of the nonsensical design of Paradise, of Aina, of losing Nora, of the gardens. Of Raela and Epiales’s bond. Of the origin of his father’s curse.

  I even told him that he had his father’s eyes.

  With each confession, a fragment of the dark star in my chest broke free and drifted to him. He gathered each piece as if it were precious, absorbing it with a solemn reverence. He asked clarifying questions quietly, his expression unreadable under his stone-like fox mask. At one point, he reached for my hand. I found its warmth achingly comforting, even if it wasn't quite the same as holding hands when you have a body.

  The largest crystal shared was borne of my near-death experience at the hands of Relias, but even after explaining my temporary return to earth, there were still some pieces left.

  “Mom was too calm…” I whispered. “She talked at me, not to me. Clare tried to help, but through… bureaucracy? It was as if they were treating me the way they wanted to be treated, not the way I wanted to be! And the president barely treated any of it as serious… The only good thing was that he believed me about Euphridia. I think.”

  The final mote rose sluggishly, spiraling as it landed in his hand. After it burned away, I looked down.

  The star was gone, but in its place, a mark remained.

  It was a scar of light, shaped like the sun rising over a horizon.

  Before I could register my newest protests over the scar, Oliver let go of my hand and stood up. “Not all wounds disappear, but they change, and we live with them, manage them.”

  And for now, that was enough.

  “Thank you for listening and not trying to solve it all right away.”

  “You need not thank me,” he murmured, his voice growing cold. “Truth be told… your recounting has left me rather—”

  His tail lashed, igniting his black aura.

  “—Vengeful.”

  I shot up out of my seat just as it disappeared.

  He looked around the prison with absolute disdain, his hair rippling in an unfelt wind.

  “Remaining in this cage a single moment longer is counter to my entire being.”

  Uh-oh.

  “Wait, what’s the plan after—”

  He raised one clawed hand and slashed diagonally, and the spherical boundaries at the edges of the prison shattered like single-pane glass struck by a giant cudgel.

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