Chapter XXVII

Lilly Harper stood quietly by the apartment’s sliding glass door, staring out at the overcast sky beyond. She could hear Natalie playing with some clay at the coffee table and every once in a while, she would glance back at the little girl to make sure she was okay and every time she did, she was greeted with the same sight: Natalie smiling as she enjoyed her afternoon, oblivious to the danger she was in. She was young and innocent, having never wronged anybody. She was given a harder life from birth, but she was resilient and she rarely allowed her disability to bother her. She was cheerful and fun to be around, and she had always loved Lilly.

So why? Why do Nigreos and Album want to kill her? Why would they want to hurt somebody like this—an innocent child?

She clenched her fists and turned back to the glass door. She knew there wasn’t a point to watching for the Ijirians, but it eased her mind just a bit to keep an eye out. She was happy that Natalie had yet to be targeted, but she knew the time would come and, when it did, Lilly would be powerless to stop it. Only Eric had the ability to fight them, but he was only one person up against trained sorcerers. He couldn’t protect everybody, even if he wanted to.

And now, we’ve lost somebody else. Evan and Rina were almost killed yesterday, and this Brad Fischer guy was wiped from existence. Nigreos and Album made their move and proved just how determined they were. Eric had said he only barely held them off and he wasn’t even sure he could fight them again. If they come back…

She let the thought hang, feeling the stress beginning to overwhelm her again. She knew she couldn’t allow herself to pass out in front of Natalie. She had already scared her family enough as it was so she didn’t want to worry anybody else. She was still irritated at herself for passing out in front of Alexa, but she hadn’t been able to do anything to prevent it. Hearing that somebody else was erased had been too much for her. It only solidified the reality she had already accepted, making it feel truly real. At any moment, Nigreos and Album could jump her and erase her from existence. Then, she’d be forgotten.

Her family wouldn’t remember her.

Natalie wouldn’t remember her.

Damien and Liz wouldn't remember her.

She would be lost to everybody except Eric, her existence gone from the world. That thought terrified her more than she had admitted. Death was scary enough by itself, but for one’s existence to be gone, their presence on the planet wiped as if they were never there, was sickening. It would mean that her life was meaningless. Everything she ever did would have never happened. She felt her heartbeat accelerating and she hurriedly began to take deep breaths to calm down. Lilly placed a hand over her heart and continued to steady her breathing, but she must not have been subtle enough because the sound of Natalie playing with the clay stopped.

“Lilly? What’s wrong?” she asked. “Why are you breathing so funny? Did something happen?”

She internally cursed herself. I forgot how perceptive that girl can be.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Natalie,” she replied in as calm a tone as she could muster then turned around to face the young girl. “Don’t worry about me.”

She hoped that would be the end of it, but Natalie didn’t look convinced, so Lilly hurriedly changed the subject to the upcoming weekend where the little girl would be staying over at her apartment while Renee was out on a business trip.

“I’m excited for you to stay over at my place this weekend. It’ll be lots of fun. My mom picked up a few board games for us to play.”

Still seeming worried, the girl nevertheless smiled and nodded excitedly. “Yeah, I’m really excited! I’ve never gotten to sleep over at your house. Are Liz and Eric gonna be there, too? They should stop by!”

“Yeah, they’ll be dropping by,” Lilly assured her. “Damien might even come over, too. You remember him from the festival, right?”

“Oh, yeah! Cool! He seemed really nice!”

For once, Lilly was grateful that the girl couldn’t see. She didn’t want her witnessing the pained look on her face as she thought about the upcoming week. After all, there was no guarantee that either of them would even survive to the weekend. The future was so uncertain that she hated to even think about it. Eric had said that it would be beneficial to have Natalie close by so they could protect her easier, but that required them to make it through the week.

We need to figure something out. We’ve lost Mickelson and Fischer…and Alice could be dead by Monday if we don’t turn ourselves in. That’s not even taking into account what might happen to Jay with that monster inside of him. There’s too much… Way too much…

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off by the ringing of the doorbell, leading both of the girls to turn in its direction with surprise.

“Um, did your mom say if anybody was coming over tonight?” Lilly asked hesitantly.

But Natalie just shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. We don’t really get visitors so…”

A feeling of terror washed over Lilly as she carefully began crossing the apartment’s main room. Her body had begun to tremble and part of her wanted to quickly scoop Natalie up into her arms and run like hell. The only reason she was able to keep it together was by telling herself that she couldn’t scare Natalie. No matter what, she wanted the girl to stay ignorant until the end.

I can’t be them, right? Nigreos and Album wouldn’t knock on the door. I’m just being paranoid. I need to calm down and stop freaking out over everything. As she told herself this, she approached the door and stuck her head up against the peephole to get a better view, only for panic to set in for a completely different reason. What in the living hell is Alexa doing here?!

Swallowing back her shock, Lilly unlocked the door and pulled it open to face her older sister. She expected some sort of anger, or perhaps even a demand to explain herself. She had been waiting for Alexa to confront her ever since she passed out, so for her to suddenly show up unannounced at Natalie’s place, there wasn’t even a shred of doubt in her mind that she was going to be chewed out. So, she was taken completely by surprise when Alexa threw her arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

“Wha—?! Alexa?!” she exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” Alexa quickly whispered. “I’m sorry about everything. I know what’s going on. I know about Nigreos and Album.”

Lilly’s eyes went wide and she didn’t have an immediate response. Of all the things for her sister to say, that was not a possibility she even remotely considered. She couldn’t even fathom how Alexa might have found out about them without being explicitly told by one of the club members.

Which means…did one of the others tell her? But why would they? That doesn’t make sense.

“Um, what’s going on?” Natalie called from the other room. “Is Alexa here?”

Before Lilly could reply to the girl’s question, Alexa softly said, “can we talk outside for a moment?”

The younger girl managed a weak nod, then glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, it’s Alexa. She’s just here to give me something. I’ll be outside for a sec, but I’ll be right back.”

Lilly then grabbed her older sister by the hand and led her into the hallway. She then closed the door behind her, checked around to make sure none of the other tenets were nearby, then rounded on Alexa.

“What’s going on?” she demanded. “Who told you about that?”

“W-well…Reiner did,” Alexa replied.

“Eric?!”

She knew the only way she could have found out was through the club, but she couldn’t imagine why her boyfriend of all people would tell Alexa. By getting her involved, it would only drag her into the danger, and for all they knew, it could get her erased as well.

What the hell was he thinking?

“Listen, Lilly,” she went on. “I’m sorry, but after you passed out last night, I had to know what was going on. I’ve never seen you in such a stressed state and it didn’t take a genius to realize that Reiner was involved with it somehow. After the festival, you changed, and so I confronted him…only to find him in a similar state.”

Lilly clenched her teeth, feeling furious despite knowing it was reasonable for Alexa to worry. “So you butted into my business again?”

“I did,” the older girl snapped. “Of course I did. I’ll admit that I was being too nosy before, but now…you’re my sister and you’re in danger. I had to know so I demanded that Reiner tell me and for whatever reason, he did. He showed me his magic. He told me about the stone and about these…wizards coming after you.” Alexa shook her head, as if even she was still struggling to accept the reality of Lilly’s situation. “It’s all so ridiculous, frankly. If he hadn’t shown me magic first-hand, I would have laughed in his face. But it adds up and my first priority is protecting you. If some magic creeps are coming after my little sister then I need to be there for you.”

“No…” Lilly uttered, her body tensing as she listen to Alexa’s declaration. “No, no, no! Damn it, Alexa! I don’t want you involved in this! If Eric told you everything then you know we could all die!”

“So what?” she retorted. “I can’t lose my little sister! I won’t! Reiner said he wants me to keep watch on both you and Natalie, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Lilly frantically shook her head. “No, please, Alexa…just stay out of it. Please just keep away. You don't have to worry about losing me cause you’ll forget me! If I die, you won’t even remember!”

“And that’s what scares me the most!” she hissed sharply. “Reiner said I could forget you—my own sister?! I don’t want to believe him, but at this point, I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to believe! Reiner’s thrown out everything I thought I understood so the only thing I can do is be there for you! Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be here as long as you need me.” Alexa then glanced back at the closed door of the Hill’s apartment. “And Natalie needs us, too. So I’m a part of this now.”

Lilly didn’t know what to say. She wanted to argue the point further, but knew it would be pointless. Alexa was more determined that she had ever seen her, so all Lilly could do was stand there in silence, staring down at the carpeted ground of the hallway.

“Anyway, I’ll see you back at home,” Alexa murmured, then took off without another word and Lilly was more than happy to let her leave.

Damn it, Eric. What did you do? Why did you have to get her involved? What does this accomplish?

Yet, despite her fury, her trust in him didn’t waver. If he told Alexa then she knew he had a reason. He wouldn't just pull her into potential danger if he didn’t have some sort of plan. She exhaled softly then turned back and walked into the apartment where Natalie was awaiting her, still sitting at the coffee table.

“Is everything okay?” she asked immediately. “I thought I heard you guys raising your voice.”

Just like before, Lilly forced herself to sound cheerful, though it was getting progressively harder to do so.

“Yeah, it’s all okay, Nat’,” she lied. “Everything’s perfect.”

***

As Rina and Evan moved off the path and deeper into the woods, it began to rain. It was only a light drizzle at first, but as time went on, it got harder and colder. Rina shivered, wishing she’d grabbed a jacket before leaving. When she glanced sidelong at Evan, he had pulled his hood up over his head and was looking around them, making sure they weren’t being followed. Up ahead, Jay was still leading, though he was crouched down on all fours and crawling through the trees like some sort of animal. She didn’t have even the slightest clue what might have happened to him so she reminded herself to ask Reiner about it the next time she saw him.

Every time I see magic, it just seems messed up, she thought. Why is it so twisted?

Jay briefly glanced back at them then continued onwards, leaving Evan to scowl at him and mumble a few curses under his breath. As grateful as she was to not be heading in alone, part of her did want to send him back so that he’d be safer, but she knew he wouldn’t stand for that. He’d already told her that he wouldn’t allow her to go with Jay alone, so she decided she wouldn’t fight him on it.

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I just don’t want him getting hurt because of my choices.

She knew that she was being stupid by going into the woods again, and supposedly toward Nigreos and Album’s hideout. It was very possible that she could get hurt and if Evan stayed with her then he would be in danger as well.

I guess I just have to hope Nigreos and Album aren’t home right now, like Jay said.

She was surprised by how calm she was given what she was doing. After the terrifying encounter with the two sorcerers the afternoon before, she knew she should be scared out of her mind, yet she wasn’t. As she walked through the forest, she instead felt determination. Even in his current state, she had seen Jay again and she was able to confirm that he was, in fact, alive. If he did as he said he would and took her to Alice, then she had a chance to save the girl she had betrayed. To Rina, this was a chance to make things right, and so, she wanted to take it. She wanted to save them. She wanted to save Jay and Alice.

It’s what you would do, right, Audrey? she thought as she gripped the medallion wedge around her neck. You wouldn’t have hesitated to run into these trees to help Alice. So I shouldn’t either.

Jay suddenly stopped, raising his head and glancing around, as if searching for something.

“The fuck’s wrong with him?” Evan muttered.

Soon enough, Jay quickly continued on and, without warning, he vanished. For a moment, the two of them just stood there in silence as they stared at the spot he had just been in, but before they could react, only Jay’s head reappeared, floating in midair.

“You’ll be safe,” he rasped. “It’s beyond this barrier.”

Then, his head disappeared again. Rina exchanged a nervous look with Evan before taking off toward the spot where Jay had vanished. Sure enough, once she crossed over the point where they lost sight of him, she found him crouched nearby, staring up at a structure that was so nostalgic to Rina that she couldn’t help but gaze at it for a moment. It was the worn down little house that she used to sneak into with the others back when they were kids. She hadn’t been there in years and part of her didn’t think she’d ever come back.

And I especially didn’t think it’d be under circumstances like these.

She watched as Evan moved through the supposed barrier before jumping back, as if startled by the sudden appearance of the house.

“Ah, not this fuckin’ place,” he growled.

She frowned. “You’ve been here?”

“Er, well, kinda…” He scowled. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Let’s just get going.” Evan then eyed Jay with a suspicion. “You say Mendez is in there, right? And that Nigreos and Album aren’t home?”

“Yes,” Jay confirmed. “Alice is inside…and the Masters are elsewhere.”

Evan grimaced. “Well perfect. Then let’s stop standing around and go inside. Hurry the hell up!”

With Evan’s sharp command, Jay turned and crawled up toward the wooden porch with the two of them close behind. Without hesitation, he reached for the doorknob and pushed it open then moved into the small entryway. The creaking of the floorboards were slightly unnerving as Rina poked her head inside, fearing that the sorcerers could appear at any moment. Gathering up all her resolve once again, she headed inside with Evan right at her back.

Alice…is in here. She’s here…

Jay led her down the hall and toward the main room, and that was where she found her old friend, though she felt a horrible chill run down her spine as she looked upon her. Alice was tied to a chair with her eyes blindfolded and a gag hanging from her neck, probably once used to keep her from screaming. She looked thinner than normal and her hair was messy and unkempt. However, the most heartbreaking part was her missing right leg, severed from below her knee.

What the hell did they do to her?! Her leg…? They took her leg?

“Holy shit…” Evan breathed.

At the sound of his voice, Alice weakly raised her head in their direction. “Hello? Who’s there? Is that you again…Album?”

All of a sudden, the pure determination that had been driving Rina up until that point was wiped away, replaced by the fear she knew she should have been feeling. Seeing what had been done to Alice only made the threat of the sorcerers a true reality. It was one thing to be told they were willing to kill Alice, but to see the proof before her eyes made Rina want to cry. Despite that, she looked first to Jay, who was gazing at Alice with a pained look, and then back to the girl in the chair.

“Alice?” she called out. “It’s me. Rina.”

For a moment, it seemed as if her words hadn’t processed in the girl’s head but, after a moment, Alice frowned.

“Rina? What are you…? You’re here? Or is this a trick? I don’t…”

“It’s not a trick, I promise,” she quickly added, moving across the room to kneel beside the chair. “I’m right here. It’s really me. I’ve come to rescue you. I’ve come to get you out of here.”

Rina then reached out and grabbed the blindfold before untying the back of it, allowing the fabric to fall to the ground. When it did, Alice blinked against even the dim light streaming in through the windows, then turned and stared back at her. Rina smiled, placing her hand against her old friend’s cheek and brushing some of her hair from her eyes.

“You’re really here, Rina?” she muttered. “But how? How did you know where to find me? And why…?”

“Jay told me where to look,” she answered, indicating the spot where the boy was crouching in the back corner, bathed almost completely in the shadows.

Alice gazed at him for a moment and Rina couldn’t imagine what thoughts were now going through her mind. However, before Alice could say anything else, she went on.

“As for why…well, you’re my friend. I know I haven’t acted like you were, and I know I’ve done some terrible things, but I’m here now…and I’m not going to let you get hurt again. I’m going to get you out of this place.”

She expected to see Alice smile, or at least show some sign of relief, but instead, she only shook her head.

“No… There’s no point. There’s nothing to save me from,” she breathed. “The Ijirians are too powerful. Trying to stand up against them will only get us killed. Instead…we should let them erase us. We should go to paradise together, Rina. Let’s go to paradise.”

At Alice’s abrupt refusal, Rina could only stumble through her words. “P-paradise? What do you mean, Al’?”

“They aren’t killing us,” she repeated. “If we do what they say—give ourselves up to them, then we won’t die. They’ll spare us. They’ll send us to a place where we can be free…where bad things won’t happen. A place where we can be with Audrey again.”

“Audrey?”

“I’ve seen it, Rina,” Alice quickly went on. “I’ve seen paradise. I want it so bad. I want to go back. Audrey was there. She was alive. I want her back. I don’t want to be here, in this cruel place. So please don’t fight it! Stay here and wait for them to come back! Let them erase us together and the three of us can be with each other in paradise!”

As she spoke, her eyes were wild and desperate, leaving Rina unable to grasp what was going on. The paradise she was talking about couldn’t possibly exist. Her first thought was that Nigreos and Album played some trick on her, but then she realized that it wasn’t too unthinkable. “Impossible” didn’t exist anymore. For all she knew, a paradise did exist, but…

“If it’s a paradise they’re offering, then I don’t want it,” Rina uttered. “It’s a trick.”

“It’s not,” Alice insisted. “And even if it is, who cares? There…you won’t know the difference. You’ll be blissfully ignorant.”

“Alright, enough of this shit,” Evan snapped, interrupting their conversation. “We’ve gotta get the hell out of here and now! We don’t know when those fuckers are coming back so let’s get Mendez untied and let’s bounce.”

Alice stared at the boy in surprise, having clearly not noticed his presence up until that moment. “Wright? You’re…here, too?”

Evan snorted, stalking toward the chair. “Yeah, big fucking surprise, I know. Just consider this atonement for all the shit back during Christmas.” He then knelt back behind the girl and muttered, “Just normal ass ropes? What? Could they not afford the magic kind?”

“Stop,” Alice whispered as he began untying her. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here! I want to be in paradise!”

“You think I give a fuck?” the boy growled. “I’m with Rina on this. Any paradise those assholes are offering up isn’t anything we should want. So…” He pulled the ropes undone and got to his feet. “...get on my back. I’ll carry you back to town.”

She weakly shook her head, but she didn’t have the strength to resist as he hoisted her up onto him. Alice looked scared, but merely lay limp against Evan as he turned to look at them.

“Alright, let’s get the fuck out of here,” he grumbled. “Come on.”

Rina stared back at him then nodded. “Right. We’ll take her to Reiner’s and see what he can do. I’m sure there’s some sort of healing magic or something he can use. Maybe that’ll calm her mind a bit.”

“Hopefully,” he grunted. Evan then glanced over at Jay, still watching them from the corner. “What’re you gonna do, Brooks? Clearly you’ve got some problems of your own to deal with. Reiner’s magical now so if you want, I’m sure he could do something about…” Evan nodded toward Jay’s twisted and hairy body with a disgusted expression. “...all that.”

“I don’t know,” Jay said softly. “But I’ll figure it out. Just go on without me for now. And thank you. Thanks for saving Alice. I owe you, Rina. You, too, Wright.”

Evan shook his head. “You don’t owe me a fucking thing.”

“Yeah, same,” Rina added. “I’m just glad you’re awake. I’ll tell Reiner what’s happening and I’ll see if he can help you. I swear to you, Jay. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

He forced a meek smile. “Yes…Thank you, Rina. Goodbye for now.”

She returned his smile. “Yeah…goodbye for now.”

With that, Rina turned and departed the room with Evan close behind, carrying Alice who was now whispering under her breath, though she couldn’t hear what she was saying. They made their way down the hall and out onto the worn down porch, soaked in rain, but before Rina could take another step, she stopped in horror.

“Good to see you again, Miss Davens,” Nigreos Noctis called out from his spot just inside the barrier. “I didn’t think we’d be reunited so soon.”

He was smiling casually, his hands leisurely tucked within his pockets as he regarded her. The rain seemed to not fall on him, but around him, as if an invisible force was pushing it away. Evan, who was now at her side, stopped and immediately cursed under his breath.

Nigreos laughed. “And Mr. Wright as well? Of all the people to make a rescue attempt for Mendez, I certainly didn’t think the two of you would be stupid enough to try. Though, I’m not complaining. This saves me the effort of having to track you down again.”

Damn it! We were so close! I thought Jay said he wasn’t nearby?! Did he lie to us? Was this a trap? But no… He was telling the truth. I know him well enough. I could tell he wasn’t lying. I don’t…

“Let it happen,” Alice uttered so softly that Rina barely heard her. “Let them take us. Don’t fight.”

“Why can’t you just fuck off?!” Evan snarled at Nigreos, completely ignoring Alice’s plea. “I’m sick of this! I’ve never done a damn thing to wrong you or your stupid country! I didn’t even touch that dumbass stone of my own free will! Rina didn’t either! Reiner forced it on us so we didn’t break your stupid law!”

Rina expected Nigreos to be the one to reply, but to make matters worse, it was at that moment that Album Luz stepped through the barrier, her dark eyes fixed on them. Her right arm was hanging limp from her side and she seemed to be in a weaker condition than the previous day.

But still far more powerful than us…

“That’s unfortunate, Wright,” she called back. “But it doesn’t matter to us. Neither of you will be walking away from this confrontation. In moments, you will be erased.”

Evan narrowed his eyes. “Is that so?” The boy then knelt down, gently setting Alice against the wall of the house before stalking forward, putting himself between them and Rina just like he had the previous afternoon. “Then come at me! I’ll take you on! Even if it means I’m gonna get killed, I’ll go down fighting!”

Nigreos cocked an eyebrow. “Are you really foolish enough to think you can stand against us?”

“No,” he retorted. “Not at all. I’m about to fuckin’ die! I’m terrified! But I’m not gonna die like a pussy! I’m not gonna let you just take me! At the very least, I’ll get a few hits in and defend the person who means so much to me!”

Rina’s mind was racing so fast that she almost didn’t fully take in what he said at the end. Yet, when she realized what he said, she looked away from the sorcerers and at Evan.

The person…who means so much to him?

“I love you, Rina,” he declared, a broad grin spreading across his face. “Might as well tell you now cause there’s not gonna be another chance. I’m sorry for everything I did to you! I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess! If not for me, that club wouldn’t have needed to use the stone on you! I fucked up. Majorly.” He laughed bitterly, though he never made eye contact with her, and it sounded as if he simply needed to get it all off his chest. “Steven’s better for you anyway though. I’m no good. So, at the very least, I’m gonna die protecting you!” Then, before she could even begin to formulate a response, Evan’s laugh turned challenging as he eyed the two sorcerers across the clearing, already in the process of tossing his jacket aside. “So bring it on, you fucks! Give me all you got!”

Nigreos smirked. “So you want to die like a man, Evan Wright? Well…that I can respect.” He then raised his hand toward the boy, a twisted grin on his face. “Coreas!”

The moment the Master intoned the word, the shadows in the trees burst to life, swirling toward Evan as he clenched his fists. For just a second, a thought flashed through Rina’s mind, one that spurred her to action.

He’s going to die!

She darted forward, shoving Evan off the porch and down into the mud below just as the shadows were about to strike her. The impact hit her instead, sending her body flying backwards, pain shooting through her skull just before everything went black.

***

Jay Brooks stood quietly in the hallway of the old hideout, staring down at the ground, unable to understand the sight that lay before him. He heard Evan Wright screaming, his voice echoing across the clearing and into the building and Jay knew why. Rina was laying at his feet, blood pooling up beneath her limp form. Within his mind, he could hear the monster’s maniacal laughing as it took pleasure in the pain that was running through him.

Look at what you’ve done, Brooks! You led them here and now she’s going to die! Your friends are all going to die!

I don’t get it… they weren’t nearby. I didn’t sense them anywhere!

Of course you didn’t. Don’t forget who’s power you were using to sense them. Did you really think you could control me that easily?

It manipulated him.

Just like it had been for the past two weeks. He was it’s puppet—it’s slave. He was powerless to do anything while it used his body to commit atrocities. He didn’t even know what it did while he was unconscious in that void. He never wanted to know. And now, it had puppeted him into putting Rina in danger. If she died, her blood would be on his hands.

Jay slowly leaned down beside Rina’s body and placed a finger against her neck.

A heartbeat. She’s not dead yet.

But she will be soon. Look at all that blood. She’s as good as gone if she doesn’t get help soon.

Jay clenched his teeth. No… I can’t let this happen! I won’t let them die! I’ll stop this before anybody else gets hurt! I’m not going to be a puppet! I’m not going to be controlled! I refuse to let them all die! I refuse!

As Jay slowly rose to his feet, the voice inside his head began to dim, almost like it was getting farther and farther away. Instead, all he focused on was his anger as he moved past where Rina lay and toward the door. When he stepped out onto the porch, he saw shadows wrapping themselves around Evan as he thrashed around in the mud, screaming curses and vulgarity at the Masters. When he turned his head, he saw Alice slumped against the wall, barely conscious.

No… I won’t let this happen…

And so, he let out a scream that was so twisted that it felt as if it never could have come from his mouth. It was the scream of a monster, but if becoming a monster was what it took to save them, then he would do it without regret.

“NIGREOS!” he screeched, then propelled himself off the porch and toward where the Master stood. “I’LL KILL YOU!”