Ari

  The Past

  Ari made a swift escape, knocking the guards unconscious with his power proved no hassle. They didn’t see or hear him as he came up behind them and then it was over. In hindsight, as he descended the stairs, leading deeper into the mountain, he realized the other prisoners didn’t call out to him or alert the guards as he approached. Some of them surely recognized him as many had been there as long as he could remember. There were new ones as well, of course. There never seemed to be a free cell for long in the dungeons. He wondered what they thought of his escape or if they even noticed or cared at all, minds twisted from the endless days and nights of being trapped in the sweltering heat of this place. That and the various forms of torture they surely had to endure. He had witnessed some of it throughout his life in passing, quick glances into rooms on his supervised transportation from one place to another, and often found himself grateful for his mundane life of painful training and his tiny cell home. At least he didn’t have to endure worse.

  He went deeper and deeper into the mountain, pausing here and there to duck into an alcove as people passed by. Most were servants and guards but he also saw a few people dressed in dark cloaks, hoods drawn to hide their features. When those people passed, he held his breath, hoping that he was sufficiently hiding his aura well enough to avoid their notice. Often times, when he’d peer curiously into the dimly lit rooms along the hall and find someone whimpering from whatever form of interrogation or torture was being dealt, it was more often than not the dark cloaked figures carrying out such deeds. He had only truly seen one without their hood raised, as he looked into a room where a woman was screaming. The man standing over her was bald, his head and face covered with black, swirling tattoos giving him an eerie, inhuman appearance. He had slammed the door in Ari’s face when their eyes met. He’d never forgotten the cold, cruel look in his eyes as he stared down at his victim, wicked delight evident from the grin on his face. He wasn’t sure who the people in cloaks were but they were obviously agents of the master. Everything that happened here only happened by the master’s word and he’d obviously found more than a few willing to carry out his dark will.

  The halls were windings and confusing, but Ari knew them well. He had never, that he knew of, set foot outside of the fortress in his life. He assumed that he was born there and would likely die there. When he was a child he used to dream of seeing the sky as Livinia described it. She had said there were places outside of Abyss that were wonderful. Places that were so strange and foreign that they could only exist in a story for children, he knew. The sky in Abyss was red and ever hazy, the two suns beating down and scorching nearly everything to a black, crumbling bleakness. But she claimed that there was a whole world full of colors. Where the sky was blue and everything was covered in living things. Where grass and plants grew as far as the eye can see, blanketing the very world in all shades of vibrant greens. She told him that in that story world children ran and played, free to explore and imagine. Such silly stories to give him something to dream about other than visions filled with fear and pain. One of the many kindnesses she offered him.

  He was determined to at least see the real sky, bleak as it was, and breath the searing breeze of Abyss just once before he perished. He couldn’t imagine something so vast and bright as a sky, having only been contained by black, desolate rock for his existence. He steeled himself with the thought of finally emerging underground as he drew closer to his destination, even farther beneath the ground than where he originally left the dungeons. He clung to his plan, the small hope of escape like a blossom of the flowers Livinia described with loving detail, clinging to the back of his mind.

  He approached the door he knew to be his master’s private office. Well, one of many but the largest and most frequently used one. He tried the door to find it unlocked. He tried to feel a little surprised but found that he couldn’t care. Obviously his master had ways of knowing if his quarters were breached. He stepped inside the dark space, partly relieved to find it unoccupied and partly anxious. He wanted this confrontation to be done as swiftly as possible, no matter the end. He flicked a hand out toward the sconce in the wall and a small black of flame shot out and lit the lantern. He repeated the motion with the opposite wall, lighting the lantern there as well. Then he leaned against the wall next to the door, ignoring the few lavish chairs scattered about the space, resigned to wait.

  –????????–

  Not even footsteps echoed as the tall man marched along the corridors of the fortress, a look of boredom on his face. People dashed out of his way, backs straight and eyes not meeting the man’s as he passed, hearts thundering in their chest. He might wear an expression of indifference but his people knew not to get in the way when he had purpose in his stride like he did today. Or ever if you liked keeping your head.

  He followed the faint signature of familiar aura through the twisting halls of his home that he knew like the back of his hand. He stepped up to the large, ornate double doors of his favorite office and pushed them open unceremoniously. He stepped inside to the already lit space with his eyebrows raised as he turned to face the young man waiting for him there.

  “What a pleasant surprise,” The tall man purred at the shaggy, brown haired boy leaning casually against the wall.

  “It didn’t take you long to find me,” Remarked the boy in reply, his tone calm and flat, as always these days.

  “Well of course,” The tall man said, sweeping a hand back over his slicked back hair between his two menacing horns. “I know everything that happens around here. You didn’t think it would take me long to find out about your little escape did you?”

  “How did you find me here?” The young man asked, though there was no real interest in his voice. The taller, horned man smiled slightly, amused by the boy’s game. He knew very well he would be tracked here, or anywhere else he went for that matter, but the man answered anyway.

  “I can find anyone I wish, anytime I wish,” The man said simply, shrugging. “Now, are you going to tell me what this is about or am I going to have to get it out of you the hard way?”

  The boy stepped away from the wall, walking past the taller man and running his hand along the velvet back of the elegant velvet sofa in front of the massive desk that took up most of the space.

  “I wish to be free,” The boy said simply, not bothering to look the man in the face as he spoke.

  “I knew you would never allow me to escape if I tried,” The boy continued on. “I wouldn’t even make it to the upper levels before you’d stop me. So I decided to come here and ask you instead.”

  The man watched the boy with his arms crossed, no indication of his thoughts on his face. He watched the boy circling the furniture, touching all the surfaces as he slowly made his way around the room. The man smiled a little, moving to lounge on the sofa. He put his feet up on the desk as he contemplated what the boy had said. ‘Intriguing,’ He thought to himself wryly.

  “I’m sure you know I won’t allow you to leave,” The man said, a smile still playing on the corners of his lips. “But you came here anyway.”

  It wasn’t a question but the boy stopped pacing and shrugged, finally turning to face the master directly. His black eyes met ones so similar to his own and he stared into the depths, unfazed by the endless darkness of them.

  “I didn’t see the harm in asking,” He said. “I want to see the sky.”

  The man’s eyebrows shot up at the words, smile widening in amusement. “Few have dared even attempt to escape my dungeons, nevermind ask me for anything. Do you know what happens to those that defy me?”

  “You have them whipped?” The boy asked with icy calm. “Or tortured. Or killed.”

  “Hmm,” The man said with a laugh. “I guess you do know. Yet you’re still here.”

  The boy said nothing as he watched the man assessing him. Seconds ticked by as he awaited his fate. He constantly checked the tether he had on the shield to Livinia who was still creeping up through the fortress. As she made her way higher and higher, his power strained to keep its hold but he gave no physical signs of his concentration. She was so close to the top now. He just hoped he had given her enough time.

  “Well then,” The man said, turning toward the door. He was still smiling broadly, amusement shining in his cruel eyes. “It seems I’m feeling generous today. If it’s the sky you wish to see, then that’s just what we’ll do.”

  Ari didn’t miss the evil glint in the master’s eye as he led him out of the office and up toward a world he’d never seen.

  –????????–

  They didn’t speak as they climbed and climbed through the labyrinth of halls and stairs. Ari stared stoically ahead, like he wasn’t marching next to the master of the house. People ducked out of their way everywhere they went, eyes wide as they took him in, still dressed in his filthy, tattered prisoner clothes. If one could even call them clothes. They were nothing more than threadbare rags, riddled with holes and tears. He was lucky he was even afford these though. Some prisoners were stripped naked, especially the men. The women were given barely enough to cover their more sensitive parts.

  Livinia’s progress had halted and he had been hoping that meant she just had to find a safe place to hide. But as they drew nearer to the surface, he stomach sank with each passing moment they drew closer to her, rapidly closing the gap and the strain on his power. He knew something had gone wrong and hoped beyond hope that the master didn’t know about her escape yet. The whole point of confronting him lower in the fortress had been to give Livinia time to escape. He just hoped there was time still.

  They entered the upper levels, more lavish quarters were located here with vent dug to the surface to keep the spaces marginally cooler than the ones below. Guests stayed in these rooms and the master also had private quarters this high up. Ari had never traveled this high in the mountain before. He was always taken down into the depths for his training, the lower, larger unadorned cavernous rooms more suited to training than these lavish ones. The walls were constructed of a glossy black stone with bronze swirls etched deep within it. High up above hung ornate chandeliers with hundreds of candles, sending sparkling light reflecting off the shiny walls and floor. It was much different than the roughly carved rooms of black stone that Ari had only ever seen. He stayed emotionless as he took it all in, eyes flickering to every surface, brows bunched as he observed it all.

  There were guards and servants everywhere in the upper quarters, more condensed than lower. They wore different clothes as well. It wasn’t uncommon to see servants dressed in rags, hands bound with chains and filthy, not much different than the prisoners. Here they were clean and fully clothed, though not lavishly. They all wore the same, simple red hoodless robes, tied at the waist with a simple brown rope. They hurried about, moving out of the master’s way just as those below did, but they didn’t flatten themselves against the wall, frozen in fear. Instead they nodded to him or bowed as he passed and then quickly continued on their way. The master didn’t acknowledge a single one as they passed, almost as if he didn’t see them at all. The guard wore the same black trousers and tunic as the ones below but these ones had large leather belts full of various weapons. Ari had never seen such cruel looking blades before, many of them with menacing curves and well worn handles. These weapons were used frequently and sharpened often. Much more elaborate than the simple daggers they lower guards carried in their waistbands.

  Soon something appeared overhead that nearly gave the boy pause. There was a square cut high in the ceiling, filled with glass so one could see through it. Ari didn’t know a word for the structure and they passed by it quickly, not allowing him to get a great look. But then they were passing under more as they were seemingly set every few feet apart. He suddenly realized that the grayish, red light he was looking at was streaming in from outside. It seemed as though the smoke from the mountain was blowing past these openings to the outside world, blocking out the bright red sky with murky gray. His eyebrows rose a fraction to realize that this was his first glimpse of the sky above the fortress.

  They kept walking, ascending staircase after staircase, never slowing their pace. The boy didn’t show his exhaustion from the climb, making sure to keep his steps quick as he followed the master along. He’d hardly been given enough to eat as it was and had left just before his next meal should have been due. His empty stomach felt hollow as they walked along but his power still felt strong.

  Finally they came into a huge circular room, the walls stretching high overhead into a dome. As they entered, guards stationed themselves on the inside of the doors through which they came. Ari looked around, frowning. As far as he could tell, that was the only way in or out. He turned toward the master who was watching him casually with hands in the pockets of his black suit pants. He made no move to go anywhere, just watched Ari with a serious expression though his eyes twinkled with whatever thoughts were going through his head.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “What is this?” Ari asked, trying to keep his voice unconcerned. Livinia’s presence had gotten extremely close and when they entered the room he noticed that she seemed to be moving toward them at a slow pace. Ari’s stomach knotted, hoping that she hadn’t waited for him, hoping to leave together.

  The master smiled a little, staring at the boy in front of him. “Oh, you sure do keep up a solid front. Emotionless. Cold. But I know deep down is the young, naive, weak boy of your youth. That boy dies this day.”

  Ari’s stomach dropped at the words. He does plan to kill me then, he thought. Surprisingly, his body didn’t tremble. The acceptance of his fate already settling into his mind like a warm, welcome embrace. He had faced this fate long before making it to this spot, though the confirmation still managed to shake him for a moment. Within a second, he had recovered to his composed, uncaring self. But in that second, his master grinned wider, eyes flickering toward the door they entered through.

  Ari turned to look at what drew his father’s attention and fought the urge to fall to his knees at the sight. Livinia, being dragged between two guards, was hauled into the room. He saw that his shield was still intact but she was bleeding heavily from both nostrils. He hadn’t felt the thud of any impact against his shield. She was unconscious, head lolled back as she was dragged into the room head first, each guard pulling one of her arms, feet dragging along the polished floor behind them. The blood dripped from her nose and rolled up her face passed her eyes and back into her hair in a gruesome trail. Ari’s mind raced, looking for anyway out of this and finding none with Livinia unconscious. If she woke up, he might be able to distract them all long enough with the full force of his power, likely only seconds, for her to run. But to where? Back down into the fortress to eventually be caught anyway? He knew it was over.

  He turned to his master, resigned to both of their fate as much as it made his stomach clench for Livinia. He had tried and he failed her. The master glared at him and he just stared back, face the ever perfect, emotionless mask.

  “I know you’re in there somewhere,” The master said in a quiet tone. “Before the day is through I will bring you to the surface.”

  He turned away and strode to the flat, barren expanse of the far wall across from the door into the room. Ari watched as the master began tracing his hands along the wall, seemingly drawing intricate, invisible symbols on the polished stone. But what he saw that the others couldn’t was that the master was drawing with his power, leaving it painted across the stone in the form of the symbols he made. He finished with a flourish, making an complicated pattern of a symbol and stepped back to admire his work. As he did so the stone began to crack and then move. To Ari’s surprise, a door formed in the stone. While it couldn’t be seen, it could be summoned with magic. The stone that made of that part of the wall must have been imbued with a spell to react and unlock to the caster who called upon them. He watched as the stone parted into two large rectangular doors that broke apart in the middle and swung in toward them. The strong sulfur smell from outside wafted in along with wisps of hazy smoke as the doors once again fell still, waiting for the call of magic once more.

  The master strode toward the doors and looked over his shoulder at Ari as he went, “You wanted to see the sky then so be it.”

  Without a word, Ari followed him, the guard dragging the limp Livinia along behind them.

  –????????–

  The small group of people stood huddled together at the top of the bubbling volcano, staring down at the lava that burbled deep within the crater. They’d passed a thick river of it pouring out of a vent on the way up that, even from a distance, caused them to be covered in a sheen of sweat as they climbed the steps carved into the side of the mountain. Well, all except the master. He levitated the entire way, hands tucked neatly behind his back and skin dry without a drop of sweat to be seen. A show of his raw power thrown into the faces of those beneath him who labored to follow in his wake.

  Ari panted slightly though far less than the guards who had to take turns carrying Livinia up the mountain. He looked all around at the gaping openness around him in wonder. He couldn’t help but to feel very, very small and exposed out in the open air. It wasn’t beautiful like the stories Livinia had described. The sky was a dark red, the two suns overlapped to form a gigantic, oppressive furnace. The smoke billowed and wafted over every stretch of the blackened, charred landscape, making it hard to see anything clearly and for more than a few seconds at a time. It also stung the eyes and nose, dulling the senses. But it was magnificent in size at least and Ari found himself marveling at things he’d only ever heard about now on display around him. Though, the experience was made significantly less impressive by the worry that bubbled inside of him, much like the lava churning far below him, persistently effervescent.

  “This is the highest point around for many, many miles,” The master said, staring down at the valley beyond the mountain. “If there was any place you should view the world for the first time, it is from here, high above it all.”

  Ari followed the Master’s gaze and looked down at the stretch of valley as far as he could see. The land was black. Desolate. Abandoned. There was nothing extraordinary to observe, nothing to marvel at. No greens or blues or vast stretches of sparkling water like in the stories of the places Livinia painted for him. But it was still better than the dungeon. Open. Free.

  “All of this could be yours, you know,” the master said quietly, not turning to look at Ari.

  Ari said nothing, letting the words tumble through his mind. A trick, he knew.

  The master turned toward him at last, a frown on his face now. “You were never a prisoner.”

  Ari met his gaze then but still said nothing. It didn’t matter. It led to the end.

  “All you had to do was find a way to leave your cell,” The master said, still frowning. “I never told you not to. I never told you you couldn’t. It was a test. Though, I must admit that I was disappointed that you hadn’t tried sooner, not that I made it easy for you.”

  “I forged the chains myself, fused the links with my magic,” He continued, staring into Ari’s eyes. “It was meant, as I’m sure you figured out long ago, to suppress your powers. But not completely take them away. Enough that you wouldn’t be able to muscle your way out. You never would have enough power to break more than one link with your magic. Even if you did, it would be replaced before you could break any others, It had to be the locks and all at once before the guards noticed. A feat that few could accomplish. One that now of my spawn had ever done before. Usually I get bored and I kill them long before now. Their spirits break early as hope leaves them. But you were different.”

  Ari continued to stare, hearing the words but letting them sink in fully. Not really. He knew this was to be his last moments. He found inner peace with it and refused to let the man in front of him in to disturb it.

  “Your eyes never got dull. They never lost hope, even as you learned to hide your emotions deep inside. There’s a shimmer of it there within the dark depths, even now as you face your doom.” The master laughed lightly. “I never understood why. Couldn’t understand it. I placed you in the worst conditions. I pushed your powers beyond their limits at every turn and then beat you for shortcomings that you couldn’t have physically overcome. At every turn I tried to take away your hope, to crush your spirit. It was a test, you know. All these years. The impossible trainings, the cell, the chains. Just a test. Of course I knew you were holding back your powers when you sometimes let me strike you, as if you could trick me into believing your lies. I, like you, can see this power we possess. See it’s every fluctuation around those who wield it. I watched yours grow from this shriveled little, pathetic bean within you to a giant, hulking cloud that hangs around you no matter how hard you try and suppress it.”

  These words intrigued Ari, though he refused to acknowledge it. He compartmentalized his mind, blocking everything out. Every feeling.

  “But now, oh now I understand,” The master’s mouth stretched into a smile of pure, undiluted evil. Even in his state of mind, something prickled along his spine as he stared at that smile. “This woman, this pious, stubborn woman, is what kept your hope alive all this time. I should’ve known. Her existence, along with the rest of her kind, has always been a persistent thorn in my side. Even if they have their uses, even I have to admit that can be the case. Her survival is a testament to how very useful she’s been to be indeed. I never realized what lies she filled your head with. That she was the reason your eyes twinkled in a wonder the likes of which you’ve never been shown. You formed a bond with her, long before even met her, while still within your mother’s womb. I should’ve known but, until today’s events, never bothered to notice. Why should the other prisoners ever take interest in you? None ever bothered with any of my previous spawn.”

  “But amongst the hope, I saw a strength in you.” The master said, evil smile growing. “It was something to cling to amongst your misery, kept you living even when your days only brought pain and misery. I should thank her, really.”

  With that, the master knelt on the ground next to Livinia limp form. “When I sensed her escaping, I sent the guards to head her off as I went to deal with you. They attacked her with a particularly nasty poisonous gas as you so kindly left her nose and mouth uncovered by your shield. Which, by the way, are a rather clever and complex bit of power, I must admit. I don’t think even I could penetrate it if you were at your full strength and I can’t flex and bend my to quite the extent you can. I don’t think there’s anyone that can manipulate their power with such precision and control. It’s basically a form of art that you created and you alone can achieve.”

  Ari watched as the master placed his hand on Livinia’s chest and allowed his power to trickle from his hand and disappear into her body. Ari’s eyebrows bunched slightly as he watched, tense. It was one thing to find peace in his own death but another thing entirely to face hers….

  As he watched, Livinia’s eyes fluttered open and looked around dazed. They settled, half lidded, on Ari’s face and she blinked slowly, as if trying to rid herself of a deep sleep. Satisfied with her consciousness, the master stood once more. She groaned and tried to sit up, hand going to her head, obviously in pain. Ari resisted the urge to offer her his hand, well aware that that would likely only do to harm her further. She struggled into a sitting position, looking at Ari once more. For a second, her smile appeared, something like awe in her eyes. But then she turned her head, looking around and her gaze landed on the master, standing to her right and the guards just beyond him. The awe in her eyes was quickly replaced by horror as she stared up at the man, mouth agape.

  “Ah,” The master said, “Nice of you to finally join us, Livinia.”

  The woman said nothing as her body began to tremble in fear. Suddenly and most forcefully, Lavinia’s body was lifted into the air, some invisible power gripping her body as her legs flailed weakly. There was no doubt about who had hoisted her up as the master continued to grin. Ari stepped forward, teeth grit as he reached with his own power toward the aura stretched from his master now wrapped around Livinia. He probed it gently, testing for weaknesses and finding none. The master laughed, a cold, dead sound.

  “You couldn’t possibly be naive enough to think I’ve ever shown you even a fraction of my true power,” The master said, eyes on Ari. “Your own is nothing in comparison. I am a full blooded demon. Though, I do admit you’re strong. Quite a lot more powerful than any of my other children but that is to be expected, considering your lineage.”

  This caught Ari’s attention and his brow furrowed as he mulled over the words. Lineage? His eyes flickered to Livinia’s face and she, from her place above him, shook her head as their eyes met. “Don’t listen to him, Ari,” She said weakly, clearly struggling to breathe as she was squeezed by the power holding her suspended.

  “Oh, Ari is it?” The master barked another laugh, though his sinister smile disappeared. “I don’t remember giving you a name. That’s what she’s been calling you all these years? Hmm. I’m sure she got the idea from your mother, no doubt. Women so love naming their spawn.”

  “His… name… IS Ari,” Livinia managed between breaths. “He has a true name. He isn’t a monster like you.”

  The master chuckled again, low and menacing. “You have no idea of my true name, Livinia. It is not a name that so easily rolls off the tongue in this simple language you humans favor. My name transcends time and any reality you’re aware of.”

  “It.. is your… weakness,” She managed. Ari watched as the power squeezed her tighter, making it nearly impossible for her to draw breath. When he looked back at the master, he was scowling, a look of pure hatred on his face.

  “Don’t speak of things your simple mind couldn’t even begin to understand,” He hissed, glaring up at the woman.

  Ari stepped forward, hands up in an attempt at intervening. He knew he had to do something or Livinia would die within moments.

  “Let her go,” Ari said, voice calm though his mind was racing. “Kill me in her place. It was completely my idea to escape, she had no idea of my plan until this morning and I unblocked her cell without her permission.”

  The master turned his gaze onto the boy once more, scowl deepening. “Oh how selfless you are,” He spat. “Surely that’s another fault of hers.” He jerked his chin to the woman who he was slowly suffocating. “Selflessness. Hope. Love. These are weaknesses of the most loathsome type. If it weren’t for your uniqueness in potential, I’d have already thrown you both into the mountain and been done with it. But you… No. I have plans for you. Your mother was the unwanted daughter of another powerful demon in this realm. One whose powers can be of great use to me. If she ever lost her appetite for human men, I would have a full blooded brood of spawn by her by now. But alas…. We all have our vices. I was lucky enough to stumble across your mother, long ago and she had many of the attributes I wished for when producing an heir. Many of which the one who birthed her doesn’t even realize she passed on. Yes, your mother was half human, an unfortunate thing, really. But her powers… Even she couldn’t understand or control them. They plagued her. She sought me out, you see, to help her control them. And well… You were the product of our bargain. Regrettably she died bringing you to life but you received many of her powers, ones that come from her mother. You will rule this realm beside me, our combined power making us invincible.”

  Ari stared up at Livinia through the master’s speech, a helplessness carving itself out in his chest as he watched her struggle. He turned to face the master once more, careful mask breaking as he fell to his knees, pleading.

  “I will do anything you require, master,” He said, head nearly pressed to the ground. “Please release Livinia. It is all I ask and all that I will ever ask. I will give you the full might of my power, follow your lead into the depths of Abyss and make everyone bow before you if that is your wish. Just let her go, this has nothing to do with her.”

  The master stared good at him for a moment and then he grinned wide, a wide, crazed look in his eyes. Ari looked up at his lack of response and watch, almost as if in slow motion, as the master shoved his power and Lavinia away from him and out over the lava crater. Livinia’s body arched, flying through the air like nothing more than a rag doll as the power dissipated from her, arms and legs thrown out wide as she fell. For a brief moment, her eyes met Ari’s and he lunged forward, toward the edge of the cliff. Before he could hurtle over the edge after her, he felt a strong force tug him back, holding him firmly in place. Livinia’s body fell fast, bursting into flames before she even reached the bubbling lava below, the fire flaring high into the air as she was consumed. Ari stared at the place where her body was and a scream stuck in his throat and he choked on it as his entire world imploded inside of him. His mind was turmoil as it struggled to accept what he had just witnessed.

  “Good,” The master said simply, laughter in his tone. “Her life was never going to be part of the bargain. We came here for one purpose and that was to rid you of the sources of all those weaknesses. This is the day you start your true path to greatness at my side.”

  Ari’s ears were ringing, barely hearing the words the master spoke as his eyes buldged, unblinking as they stared into the pool of lava below, already settled, like it hadn’t just absorbed the only light that Ari had ever had in this bleak, dark existence. As he stared a part of him cracked and shriveled, dying along with Livinia. His mind reeled, trying to make sense of it all and suddenly his stomach lurched, causing him to vomit over the edge of the crater, mostly bile spilling through the acrid air.

  Boots crunched on the rocky surface as the master turned to leave, the guards following him away from Ari.

  “Come down when you’re ready,” He called, sounding bored. “You can’t escape. You can’t jump. I put my own shield up in front of you. You’ll find no weaknesses. My power is tied to you like a leash. Stray too far and I will yank you back. I’ll have someone wait for you inside with fresh clothes and they will lead you to your new quarters.”

  Ari sat on the rim of the volcano for hours until the sky was black with night and the lava burned his eyes as he continued to stare into its depths. Eventually, he stood, muscles protesting after staying frozen for so long. His mind was a bleak, barren landscape. No longer did he have to push the emotions away, he no longer felt them burning just beneath the wall he’d put up. He tested the collar of power around his neck, finding no weaknesses. A new shackle, invisible to others, but a different form of imprisonment all the same. There, on his quiet, slow walk back to the fortress, one he would barely remember in the days to come, he did the hardest thing he’d ever had to do yet: He decided to live. But not for hope. Not for love. Not even for Livinia, though he knew somewhere in his broken mind that’s what she’d want. No, he’d live for one thing only. To see the master fall. No matter how many thousands of centuries he was forced to endure, he resigned himself to do it, just to see his end.

  A single tear fell down his cheek as he tucked her memory away deep down inside his broken mind, grief wrapping around him like a vice.