Page 56 of Of Realms and Chaos

One day I would cut those thumbs off and shove them up his ass.

“Good girl.” With that, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to my lips. Faster than before, I attacked, this time opting to lift my knee into his groin and hoping it hurt him just as badly as it had hurt Sterling. Though touching him felt odd in this place—far away and distant.

Satisfaction filled my chest when he released me with a grunt of pain, bending over at the waist. I knelt, bringing my mouth to his ear. “I am no mere girl. Mortal girls are weaker and quick to die. If I were so small, the world that rests upon my shoulders would have crushed me long ago.”

When I stood, so did Padon, his throaty chuckles filling the space—his mind, apparently. “That is a good thing, Asher.”

“One might think so, but the mortals live a different way.” How could I explain what I had learned in such a brief time within the Mortal Realm? “They love harder and move faster, desperately seeking success. Their time is limited in ways I cannot fathom, so they are braver and kinder. Forgetting and forgiving is practically second nature to them because they cannot waste what little life they have. I envy them that. But if I wish to save Alemthian, then I must be more.”

And maybe, when I become more, I will be able to dig out the self-hatred that had been buried inside of me. Perhaps when I save Alemthian, I will finally feel as if I deserve to walk upon its soil. If I am lucky, that future will exist and I will live.

“It’s far easier to destroy than it is to mend. Take my hand, Asher, and we can start over. Together we can rebuild that world into something far more fit for you.” With that, he reached out said hand, which I promptly ignored in favor of a scowl.

“What world are you from, if not this one? Will you tell me that?” I watched as his hand fell, stretching out at his side before closing into a fist. A glare that would likely bring anyone not as stupid as me to tears was leveled my way.

“No. Figure that out on your own. If you want answers, then find them. Stop waiting for someone to give what you can take.” Padon crossed his arms, the muscles beneath straining against the black and gold sleeves.

Showoff.

“Does keeping things from me not make you just like the male you so often criticize?” Circling him, I smiled, knowing that he would have to follow my movements if he wanted to maintain his oh-so-threatening gaze. He wanted to play games? Then I would set the rules. Padon began to spin right along with me, as though he was ready to follow them.

“Trusting that you are strong enough to get what you want isn’t the same as lying to you in hopes you never discover the truth.”

Fair enough.

“Will you at least tell me what you are? Or do I have to figure that out by myself as well?”

Padon came to me with a speed too fast to track, cutting off my path and snatching my hand. “Let me show you.”

With that, the area around us changed, morphing into something real and tangible. We stood in a throne room of sorts. The marble floors below our feet shone back a morphed reflection of us, the matching gray walls and vaulted ceilings making the room seem endless. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each boasting multiple tiers and burning candles. Through the wall of towering windows to my left, a bright blue-green hue tinted the sky. Violent and ground-shaking screeches sounded from somewhere beyond, mixing with what could only be described as beating wings.

My eyes flicked over to the imposing gray throne on the far wall. It was atop a storm-colored dais, the stairs leading up to it the same shining marble as the floors. Padon appeared then, materializing on the throne with all the comfort of a long-standing ruler.

“I am an emperor, a conqueror of worlds. Just as you will be.” With a snap of his fingers, a second, identical throne popped into existence beside his. I gasped as I felt a strange tingle across my skin. Looking down, I watched the black slip morph into something new.

Dark branches and leaves snaked up my body, the design so impossibly similar to a tree that my jaw went slack. Sections remained missing, exposing my light brown flesh below in far too many places. Sheer black sleeves suddenly began to cover my arms, the wispy and flowing fabric adorned with diamonds in a similar way to how my red dress had been.

“That’s why others seek you out. They sense that greatness within you. Despite the way they fear it, they also desire it. As you can see, I have all the magic I need, so I don’t covet you for the same reasons they do. All I want is you. No one else will ever do that, not even your precious prince. If not me, then you risk a life of loneliness and mediocrity.”

A single blink, and then I was beside him, sitting on that matching throne. He reached up, grabbing onto his crown and pulling it off. As he placed the symbol of his reign atop my head, he whispered something that made my teeth grind.

“There is no limit to what I can give you, Asher. All I ask is that you love me.”

He would not manipulate me. There was no longer time for me to wallow and let others use that as a weapon. I would turn that sadness and fear and self-hatred into anger. I would let my fury burn as hot as the sun, allowing it to consume and scorch and scar me.

Shooting up from my seat, I whirled on him, hoping that every ounce of the wicked thing within me was finding its way to the forefront—ready to bear its teeth and flash its claws.

“I will not be your anything. I am no one’s but my own, and I will not be used ever again. If they think me evil, then let them.”

When I lifted my hands, quickly slashing them out in a downward strike, the image around us crumbled. Padon had only a moment to shout my name before the dream was over, and suddenly, I was letting out a piercing scream of terror and fury, the yellow and green room in Jore back once more.

Bellamy sat beside me, his eyes full of emotions I could not read after giving so much of my power to the dream. Magic—that was what Padon had called it. And he was not the only one.

The prince’s hand was hovering in the air, as if he were unsure whether or not he could touch me. Scooting away from him, I breathed deeply and tried to focus my mind.

My whole body shook, the weight of my dream and Padon’s determination and the universe itself bearing down on my chest. The endless burden of it tried to crush my heart, my spirit, my soul. I felt it there, but I was stronger than I knew, and perhaps I could fight.

Magic or not, it was time to stop holding back. Soon everyone would know what it was like to witness the wrath of a desperate and angry princess.

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