Page 158 of Mantle

Dead.

I looked out at Sylas. “It’s okay,” he told me, forcing a smile. “There’s always another way, right? And you’re the king of workarounds.”

“Yeah,” I said, staggering over to him.

As we embraced, Ariana, Vorzyr, and Nyx threw themselves into it, all over me. So much so that Sylas had to pull back, albeit chuckling at their loving insanity in that moment.

“Valkrith came to me… but I couldn’t feel you anywhere anymore,” Ariana said. “Oh my God, Kai.”

“I’m fine. You’re fine even after performing a spell of that magnitude. We’re all fine. And it’s over now. We did it. It’s our time now.”

I couldn’t believe it.

Cheers erupted all around us and I saw Ketheron shouting excitedly too, the children copying him and laughing.

I took in the moment.

The profound nature of it.

We’d destroyed a seemingly insurmountable force.

Something I’d been obsessed with all my life.

And now… now there was peace.

Epilogue

~Ariana~

Nine Months Later

Haven Initiative.

Cassius and I had created it together as a place to assist the Celestial children he’d recovered from that awful place.

It was a sprawling white-stone estate that existed within a highly-protected warded area not far from my family’s home.

I stood by one of the waterfalls watching.

I’d been meaning to head home after being here all day with the children and working with Cassius and Ketheron. But leaving each day, even though I knew I was coming back again, was more difficult than I’d expected.

There was a strong kinship that I felt toward them, very similar to what I felt toward Ketheron.

Speaking of him, he was absolutely flourishing here.

He loved interacting with the kids and teaching them fun things with his Celestial power like creating magical butterflies that shone through the night sky and moved in dazzling patterns that entertained both him and them.

I looked out at the main building where Cassius was teaching some of the children about power responsibility.

He’d been having a hard time since being stripped of his True Celestial power and being made into a Fallen. He was as strong as Grandfather now, which was still great might and magic that he carried. But it was a transition, nonetheless, and a definite power-down to what he was used to. He’d also forever been cut off from the place where he’d spent his entire life. Although, he’d turned from them, it was definitely a jarring thing to wrap his head around. But being here in Haven Initiative working alongside me and Ketheron, it helped him.

“Well done. You’ve done terrific work with this. Especially in such a short time.”

I looked out to see Pops suddenly teleporting in beside me and looking out at the revelry as well.

I smiled and turned to him. “Well done to you as well. You managed to hold the Guardian Movement and the Unity Council together through it all. The last time a threat that colossal hit the supernatural world in Draco’s rise, it destroyed it.”

“Well, you eradicating the Hellfire in Valkrith really assisted with that. It put them at ease that an attack like that could never happen again. Also, I have a great group of people around me.” He nudged me playfully. “You know all about that now, don’t you?”

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