I reached out to touch his face again.
Draven snarled and backhanded me so hard, I twisted backward and landed on my side, my jaw and mouth throbbing.
“Serena!” Phoenix shouted as he moved toward me.
I immediately looked up at him and put my hand out to stop him.
“Don’t! Stay back!” I shouted. “All of you, stay back! I’m not done here! I’ll never be done here!”
“Serena, stop being so stubborn and kill me! I can’t hold on anymore!” Draven bellowed as he rose, adjusting to his new lower body.
His muscles twitched as he doubled over, fists tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white, skin so stretched it could burst open. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, and his eyes flickered indecisively between yellow and bright green. He was still fighting Asherak.
Was this it? Was I losing him for good?
It felt like it. Grief roared through me. My knees were weak, my arms were limp, and my chest hurt so badly. I couldn’t take it.
I was losing Draven, and I couldn’t take it.
For some reason, words my father had once said to me bubbled up to the surface in the back of my head. He’d said to me once, when I was still a child, that “love can be the most powerful weapon in the world, if two souls are truly connected”. He’d been referring to my mother and him. Their bond was strong and they were virtually undefeatable, and I’d always looked up to them, hoping I’d one day be in a relationship as beautiful, as intense, and as powerful as that.
It dawned on me then, as I looked at Draven, that I was already in one such relationship. It had been beautiful, despite the dangers and tragedies. It was intense to the point where we’d given ourselves to one another and our souls had become connected for an eternity. But was it powerful enough to stop Asherak from tearing us apart?
That was a question I had yet to answer, and this was my last chance to find out.
I stood and decided to try something.
I wiped the blood from my split lower lip and inhaled sharply as I stepped forward.
“Serena,” Viola said, her voices thundering across the platform. “I have to end this now.”
“Okay, just let me… Just let me say goodbye.” I looked at her.
She stilled, blinking a couple of times. She hadn’t expected me to agree. I wasn’t. I just needed them all to back down for a few seconds. Asherak included.
I wasn’t ready to accept failure, although I also had to think of my brother, my friends, our allies, and all the lives that depended on us. We’d come too far to let Asherak destroy everything. But Draven and I had also come too far, gone too deep into our relationship to let this bastard break it all down. I rejected the idea so vehemently that the fury coming out of me as a response was exactly what fueled me into regaining my composure.
“Asherak,” I spoke, while completely opening myself up to Phoenix.
I could feel my brother using his sentry powers on me, trying to read my emotions, trying to figure out what I was up to, so I gave him full access. He’d most likely guessed that I wasn’t actually ready to say goodbye to Draven, and he needed to know what I was going to do, so he’d keep Viola and the others away.
“Asherak, you win,” I rasped.
Gasps and whispers broke out around me, and I caught a glimpse of Phoenix moving next to Viola and whispering something in her ear. She nodded slowly, her palms glowing pink.
Draven’s eyes flared green as he straightened his back and looked down at me. A grin slit his face. I’d managed to get the dark Druid inside him to relax for a moment, while Draven was stunned by my words—I could feel his emotions clearly, ribbons seeping out of him and tickling my senses.
“Change of heart? Don’t worry, Serena, he will be well looked after,” Asherak spoke through him. “An eternity of greatness awaits us. He just needs to give in. I’m almost there…”
“I can feel him slipping away from me, no matter what I do… I just want one more minute with him, alone, before you take over,” I replied, my stomach churning. “Just one moment… Please...”
Draven cocked his head to one side, his fiery green gaze drilling into me. I held my ground. I wasn’t sure Asherak would buy into this. There was nothing other than Phoenix stopping Viola from killing Draven and ending this. But the dark Druid was busy fighting Draven on the inside, trying to take over his body.
He was confident, maybe a little too much. I could feel him, just like I could feel Draven. Because they were now sharing a body and Asherak was trying to consume the soul, too, I could sense all the emotions swirling in there.
I opened my mind to Phoenix and relayed everything I could pick up from him. I’d never thought I’d be able to communicate so well with my brother, but, given the circumstances, I had a feeling my sentry nature was expanding and developing. I knew he got the message, because when I glanced at him he gave me a brief nod.
“One moment,” Asherak said. “Bid your farewell…”
I’d been right. He was too sure of himself, as he felt Draven giving in, no longer able to resist Asherak’s darkness. It gave me the opening I needed to try one last thing.
Draven’s body shook and his eyes returned to yellow, flickering black with emotion as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“What’s happening? Serena,” he said, his lower lip trembling. “Please, kill me now while I’m still here… I can’t hold on anymore. If he takes over completely we’re all dead.”
I closed the distance between us and took his face in my hands, gently pulling him closer. I looked deep in his eyes, looking for a glimmer of the real him beyond that shuddering yellow.
“Draven,” I breathed. “I love you more than anything. I’m ready to burn this whole world down for you to stay alive. Call it selfish, if you want. I don’t care. I love you too much to let you go, and I’m hoping this will be enough to give you the strength you need to fight Asherak.”
I could hear the dark Druid hissing inside Draven, whose gaze softened on me as he listened.
“I’m not going to save a world that doesn’t have you in it, and I know that’ll piss you off enough to take a stand and fight this bastard and finish the job yourself, because there is no one as strong as you are, Draven…”
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I kissed him, pressing my lips against his and pouring all my love into that one little gesture that meant the world to me.
Asherak was struggling beneath the surface, snapping and snarling. I could feel his rage, but Draven had my full attention. He had yet to lose control.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” I told him with a watery smile. “And I plan to live for a damn long time with you. I love you, Draven, like nothing and no one else in this world, and the reason I fell so hard is because of your strength. Even when you didn’t think you had it in you, you stood tall and fought back and brought us all here today. You are strong, Draven.”
He exhaled sharply, gold energy pouring into me, feeding me like before and filling me with his emotions. They all burned for me. For us.
“You can fight this. For yourself. For Eritopia. For me, Draven. Fight it and kick this snake out! Don’t let him take another soul down with him. He’s taken enough!” I raised my voice and took a step back.
I could hear growling and hissing beneath his ribs. I could feel Asherak’s poison flushing through his veins. I could feel the rage crashing into his very soul. A war was being waged inside Draven’s body, and I’d made myself heard, loud and clear.
His resolve had already resurfaced.
Draven was ready to reclaim his body.
Because his soul was already mine.
Draven
I could feel him burning through me, like wildfire swallowing a forest, blazing and consuming everything in its path. Asherak was furious.
Serena had taken advantage of his momentary weakness, his desperation to get to my soul before he could manifest his full power like he’d done with Azazel. Even in my current state,
struggling to maintain consciousness and take my body back from the dark Druid, I couldn’t help but marvel at Serena’s quick wit, playing on his arrogance like that.
I loved her with every fiber of my being, and she’d been able to get her message through to me, loud and clear. It was all in my hands now. I had one last chance to make this work. To save myself and be with her. She’d instilled hope with a handful of words, and I loved her even more for it.
My heart swelled as Asherak’s poison kept trying to pierce through it. My brain sizzled as his roars traveled through me, echoing through every cell, making my muscles jerk and my bones crack as he sought to bring down my physical defenses.
I looked at Serena, and I could see a glimmer in her bluish green eyes, her long black hair framing her beautiful face. She stood tall and proud and wiped the tears away. Her split lip was swollen and red, and I could taste her blood on my lips. I felt horrible for having hit her so hard. I felt my own rage coming up, as I was angry at myself for allowing Asherak to hurt her.
“Fight it, Draven!” she said, projecting everything she felt at me.
Emotions washed over me. Love. Longing. Pride. They were all for me.
I directed my rage at Asherak. He’d made me hurt Serena, and there was no way in hell I was letting him get away with it. My consciousness struggled against the dark Druid’s constant pummeling, his bellowing in the back of my head.
Let me in, Draven. Your soul is mine. You offered yourself to me!
Something inside me didn’t want to let go. Something tugged at my heart, and it took me a few moments to realize what it was, while Asherak was digging his claws deeper and sending ripples of pain through my body, making me bend forward.
Let me in! You’re mine!
The tug got stronger, and I jerked back into an upright position, while every inch of my body ached to the point where tears streamed down my cheeks. It was Serena. It was our bond, our unbreakable tie that had formed the night we first made love.
Her sentry nature kept us connected even as Asherak burned holes through me, desperately trying to sink his fangs into my soul and devour my energy. Serena was my lifeline, my beacon of light, and the one creature I needed to get to before it was too late.
Asherak caught on and tried to break the invisible chain, but he hissed and growled with frustration as I focused on how Serena made me feel.
Everyone around us was frozen, swords out and ready to strike me down.
I knew I would die if I didn’t fight back now. I knew there was an end coming. My friends, my allies had me covered on that end. I could see it in Hansa’s emerald-gold eyes. I could see it on Jax’s face. The young Druids, too. They were ready to do what Serena couldn’t, but they’d also seen what she could do, and they were now watching it all unravel.
Let me in! You have nothing but me! I am the only one who can save you! I saved Azazel and I can save you, too! Let me in!
Asherak was getting desperate.
He was growing louder and more violent, too, but somehow, I was able to withstand every blow.
I stilled, gazing into Serena’s eyes. She kept me anchored to reality. I felt my love for her grow brighter, like an expanding sun.
“I love you so much,” I whispered to her, while the dark Druid kept snarling and cursing inside me.
“I love you, Draven,” she replied, her voice trembling and echoing beneath my ribcage.
“Get out, Asherak.” I found my resolve and started pushing back. “I rescind my invitation. Get the hell out!”
You can’t just kick me out! It doesn’t work like that! Nothing can stop me now! No one can stop me! I’m taking you whether you like it or not! I’ll eat away at you until you give in!
“That’s it, Draven! Fight it,” Serena encouraged me, hope once again flickering in her eyes.
“You don’t get it, do you, Asherak?” I growled, feeling myself get stronger with every second that went by. “I’m not on my own in here…”
You’re mine! Give in!
“I can’t,” I replied. “I’m not alone in here. I have Serena. My soul is not mine to give because she already has it. She won’t let you have it.”
His frustration burned through me, but I held on tight.
Serena came to me and wrapped her arms around me. I felt her warmth and her love flowing through me. I felt her energy soaring and washing the darkness away as Asherak bellowed and thrashed, unable to do anything anymore. Sunlight filled me up and sent my heart beating fast as I embraced Serena and opened myself up to her.
You can’t do this!
“Unlike you, Asherak, I’m not alone,” I said. “I have Serena.”
She tightened her grip on me, and I felt her heartbeat catching up with mine. Her ribcage hummed as she spoke.
“You do, Draven. You have me,” she said, looking up at me.
Whatever that energy was that she was sending through me, it managed to dull the pain. I was able to hold her face in my hands and give her a weak smile before I focused all my rage at the dark toxin that was trying to eat me alive.
“Get out!” I shouted from the bottom of my lungs.
I heard Asherak wail as I fused my soul with Serena’s, welcoming her light.
I expelled Asherak with a bright green flash, and roared as I felt his poison peeling itself away from every strip of my flesh.
The darkness oozed out of me like a black cloud, its insides shimmering green and shrieking before it blasted itself away into nothingness.
The pulse was strong, and it knocked everyone else off their feet. It blew the columns away, leaving the platform bare and completely open. It broke the stone arch holding Abrille’s bubble, the last of Azazel’s contraptions.
The sphere broke as soon as it hit the floor, since Azazel’s power was no longer keeping it impervious to outside forces. The water splashed, and Abrille landed on her side, coughing and wheezing, breathing air once more.
Only Serena and I were left standing, holding each other as I peeled my eyes open and took in my new reality.
The black mist that had once been Asherak was gone.
It was over.
I couldn’t believe it. I took a deep breath. My lungs felt scratchy.
But I was free.
Asherak was gone.
Serena
Asherak’s roar echoed above us as it disappeared into the nothingness.
Before I could even think of a reaction, my hand instinctively found Draven’s and ripped the snake pendant away. I tossed it to the side, by the Daughter’s feet, then looked up at Draven. The air around us felt lighter, more breathable.
I found his steely gray eyes flickering black, his gaze soft and full of love.
My Draven was back.
“Serena…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence, as he doubled over in pain. I didn’t let go of him, but I got down on my knees, holding him as he convulsed from the agony of his transformation. His monstrous snake tail twitched. His bones cracked as he regained his long, muscular legs.
Draven let out a long, torturous sigh. I kept my arms around him, unwilling and unable to part from him. He gradually recovered his breath, while the sky above us cleared, revealing its dusky shades of orange and pink.
“It’s… I think it’s over,” I gasped, feeling a jumble of mixed emotions flaring out of him.
His fingers found my chin, and he pulled my face closer to his. I could feel his breath brushing against my skin, relief washing over me. My body instantly relaxed as I leaned into him. His strong arms snaked their way around my waist and took me in a long, heartfelt embrace.
Our souls were bound and free at the same time. Bound to one another and free of the darkness that Asherak and Azazel had cast upon us, upon all of Eritopia.
Draven dropped a sweet and tender kiss on my lips. I cringed a little from the pain, and he gave me the most regretful and hurt look in return.
“I’m so sorry, Serena,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to
hurt you…”
“You weren’t yourself, Draven. It’s okay.”
I kissed him back, this time more deeply, as I poured all my love into it. I needed him to feel me.
“Serena, I owe you my life,” he said gently, his finger tracing an invisible line from my temple to my neck. “I owe you my soul and a lifetime of bliss. A very long, long… long lifetime…”
He meant it, too, which was great, because I’d already started planning on an eternity together. I would never let anything happen to him ever again. I would spend every day of my life reveling in his love and worshiping him the same way he worshiped me.
“It’s over, isn’t it?” I asked, my body feeling soft and weak.
“I think it is, yeah.” He smiled, unable to take his eyes off me.
It was then that we finally looked around and noticed the shock on everyone’s faces. They were all still there. Hansa, Jax, Anjani and Jovi, Field and Aida, Vita, the six young Druids, Patrik, Thadeus, and five Druids who had changed back from their Destroyer forms. Even the three shifters had survived after the final pulse had kicked down the columns they’d sought shelter behind.
Viola was staring at us, her eyes flaring violet. She looked uncertain of what to do next, given the unexpected change in outcome, until Phoenix took her glowing pink hand in his and brought it up to his lips, dropping a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
“It’s okay, Viola,” he said gently. “They made it… I can’t believe it, but they made it…”
She nodded slowly, the light emanating from her eyes and hands dimming, and she relaxed against Phoenix.
“It’s over!” I heard Vita gasp.
“It is.” I gave her a warm, reassuring smile while Draven held me tight, both of us heaving sighs of relief. He’d been through enough. He’d thought death was going to be his only option. I couldn’t blame him for enjoying every lungful of air.
We all looked at one another, a mixture of befuddlement and joy settling onto our faces.
Vita was the first to drop to her knees, shuddering as she burst into tears. Aida quickly leapt to her side, hugging her. They both finally allowed themselves to cry freely. It wasn’t from pain or grief; it was pure relief. I completely understood, as I swallowed back tears of my own.