Page 182 of Rising Out of the Darkness
An audible hiss, along with a string of curses, fled from Declan’s mouth. His reaction was no surprise, because I’d done the same as well. Even though our friends had opened our mindsto unveil our memories, it would still take a little time for us to fully remember it all. However, at the mere mention of Pyraxia, memories of the world where I’d first met Declan came into clear view.
It was Declan’s original home, as well as our very first mission working together. It was also the first—and would be the last—time we had ever watched an entire world fall into the hands of evil. By fall, I meant everyone, the good and the evil.
Pyraxia no longer existed, and it was the main reason Declan and I fought to guard other worlds from falling under the same blight.
“There are several eerie similarities about the evil that was on Pyraxia.” Hairs on the back of my neck rose as memories of the evil on Ehora slid across my skin. I could almost feel the icy touch of the hooded beings, the odor of rot and decay that spewed from them, the beasts and most of all Alastor. The knot that gathered inside my stomach tightened, making me feel suddenly lightheaded.
“It’s more than similar. It’s exactly the same, and I was too careless to recognize it.” The muscles in Declan’s jaw ticked. He clawed his hands through his hair.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I attempted to pull him back from his anxious thoughts. “I was there too, Declan. Hells, I dreamed about their evil, and apparently my past lives. Even I didn’t notice it.”
His shoulders sagged under my palm. He pulled his hands away from his now rumpled hair.
Suddenly, I remembered something of importance. My eyes roved over the bodies around us until they landed on the one person who I knew could answer my question. Alyth. “You were always there in my dreams, during my Ascension. I thought you couldn’t intervene?”
Alyth’s lips twisted into a playful smile. “Well, there are always loopholes. We noticed you’d started to dream about your past lives, which never happens.” Her smile fell. “All of us began to worry that maybe evil had possibly found a way to stay connected to you both.”
Wide-eyed, I turned to face Declan. “You dreamt about our past too?”
His head bobbed silently. “Not to the extent that you did, but still enough to make me feel a constant unease.” He frowned. “Maybe they do have some sort of connection to us? We might be the reason Ehora is about to battle one of our greatest evils.”
“I heard voices when I touched the gods’ tree, and when I bumped into Alastor one day, I heard terrified screams. Do you think maybe that’s the connection?”
“I’ve always felt that the gods’ trees had more importance in Ehora, something deeper. When you go back, you should spend more time researching this. Perhaps they’re the key to the darkness destroying the realm.” Alyth said.
“What about Alastor’s connection?”
“That we are still working on, but the fact that when you touched him you heard voices makes me curious just how deep his connection with the two of you goes.”
Declan’s hands clenched into fists. “It’s time, Elena, we need to go back. We need to stop Alastor once and for all. We vowed to never let what happened to Pyraxia happen again.”
I cupped the side of his cheek as my thumb gently brushed across it. The muscles in his face loosened and his fists unclenched when I replied. “You’re right, it’s time to go back and save the people we love. It’s time to get rid of him once and for all.”
Declan slid an arm around my back, pulling me into his side. “We’re ready. What do we need to do now?”
“As you’ve already figured out, Ehora has a powerful system of magic that derives from one’s emotions. It’s unlike anything that we’ve ever witnessed before. Both of you are Empaths, meaning you feel the weight of emotions to far greater extremes than most. Which makes you incredibly powerful”—Alyth paused— “but it also makes it extremely dangerous as well.”
“Alastor knows about the true origin of dynamis, doesn’t he?” Declan seethed.
“Yes, I’m afraid he does. Anger, fury and hate are incredibly strong emotions that can create an equally devastating dynamis if in the wrong hands. My own display of rage was just a small glimpse of what could happen.” Tears streamed down her face, as Nixie stepped next to her and pulled her into an embrace.
“You must work together to control the balance, not just of the world, but within yourselves as well. Together, you’ll need to learn how to control your emotions.” Arthur’s gaze bore into us both as we nodded our heads in a silent vow to do as he said.
Valdarin stepped forward, placing a hand on Declan’s shoulder. “You have the choice to go back with a veil over your memories or not. What shall be your decision?”
I was sure we’d done this several times, but the idea of forgetting our memories together all over again turned the contents of my stomach sour. “Forgetting you again is not an option.”
Declan’s eyes flickered with delight. “It’s not an option for me either, love.”
“Good, then that’s settled.” Valdarin snorted. “Now, let’s get you back before your grand entrance goes entirely up in flames.”
“In flames?” My brow rose.
“Wildfire, you of all people should know how a Phoenix is reborn.” Declan smirked.
Fire.
We didn’t bury our loved ones, we helped them rise to the gods in the form of ashes on the wind.
