What’s happening?
And what did I just go through?
One of those hands rests on my forehead.
Warm.
?She’s responding. She’ll wake up soon.?
That soft voice. Serena?
I peel my eyelids apart. Everything is blurred.
?Serena…? My throat scrapes. ?What… what happened??
Serena’s blue eyes shine like the starry sky above us. Gaia is holding my legs up. She’s back.
Serena removes her hand from my forehead.
?You fainted after the fight.?
I lift my head slightly. A headache crashes down and I let it fall back. Serena places a hand on my shoulder.
?Mina, stay down. Give yourself time.?
Maybe she’s right.
I close my eyes.
What was I doing?
The Torment that absorbed magic… is it dead?
Yes. I killed it. I’m sure. And Serena weakened it first.
Yes. I remember.
But it was just me and Serena fighting.
?What happened to the others?? My throat still burns.
?Sander ran,? Gaia says quietly. ?Elio followed him. Since Elio is infected and defenseless, Serena told me to go after them.?
I nod.
?Sander locked himself inside his shield,? Gaia mutters. ?I tried to make him lower it. It’s hard as marble.?
If she’d come back sooner, it might’ve been better.
I sigh and rub my head.
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Gaia snorts.
?Hey, you don’t need to make that face! I would’ve come back earlier if it hadn’t been for that kid!?
Serena shoots her a look.
?Gaia! Calm down. Mina didn’t say anything.?
I don’t even have the strength to get angry. Even if I wanted to.
I look at Gaia.
?It’s not your fault.?
I need water.
Gaia exhales deeply and lowers my legs.
?Sorry. How do you feel??
I could stand.
I plant my elbows and push myself up. My head stays steady. That’s a good sign.
Serena hands me her flask. I take it. A sip of water soothes my throat. I give it back.
?Thank you.?
She hooks it to her belt as I plant my feet and rise.
Still heavy.
The world tilts for a moment.
Gaia and Serena grab my arms and lift me. I take a deep breath.
I don’t want to stop.
?Let’s go get that kid.?
They nod and support me across the plain.
An orange dome glows beneath the starry sky.
I put one foot in front of the other without swaying, my arm resting on Serena. Gaia walks with her arms crossed.
?Mina… how did a Torment like that get all the way here??
I think of the moldy door I tore off its hinges.
?When we reach Mirasogno, I’ll have the walls inspected.?
But that door had been broken only hours ago. And he came from the opposite direction.
If I didn’t know Torments can’t appear out of nowhere—
?But it came from the other side,? Gaia says, glancing at the sky. ?If it didn’t appear out of nowhere… it must’ve swum here.?
Serena and I laugh.
?They barely have the breath to walk…?
Gaia smiles, cheeks flushed.
?Yeah. More likely it popped out of nowhere.?
Or somewhere else, someone broke through.
With the magic he had… it wouldn’t surprise me.
He wasn’t ordinary.
The crackle of the barrier reaches me.
Sander is curled up inside, hands over his ears. Elio sits on the ground, palms pressed to the shield. He raises his good hand at us.
Serena lets go of me and approaches the barrier.
?Sander, it’s me. It’s over. It won’t happen again.?
I stop in front of the shield and brace my hands on my heavy legs.
He shakes his head.
?Go away! Leave me alone! Nothing bad ever happened when I was at home!? His breath breaks. My chest tightens. ?You said I’d be safe!?
I sigh.
He can’t expect me to see the future.
And if that thing had reached him at his house without us? I’d like to see how much he’d be laughing then.
Serena crouches down.
?Sander, I’m sorry you were scared. We’d never faced a Torment that powerful before. It was bad luck.?
Sander lifts two blazing orange eyes toward me.
I stiffen. I’ve never seen him like this.
Elio scoots back, kicking at the ground. The barrier crackles.
I grab Serena’s shirt and pull her back. The dome expands, barely missing Elio’s feet—and ours.
?That’s not true! It’s all her fault!?
He stands and points at me.
My eyes widen.
My stomach churns.
Elena vanishes in the middle of a crisis. Anxietas haunts my dreams. And this kid dares to say I’m the problem?
I clench my fists.
Inhale. Exhale.
He’s a frightened child. Stay calm.
Gaia raises an eyebrow, arms crossed.
?Oh? Is that so? What exactly is her fault? Let’s hear it.?
Sander sniffles and rubs his eyes.
?If she had kept Elena away from… from Anxietas, she wouldn’t have abandoned me! She only cared about herself!?
What?
Elena was under Anxietas’ influence?
What the hell does that mean?
I rub my head.
It didn’t seem that way.
She was distant in the last few days. Tired.
But so was I.
Was it really my fault?