Page 59 of Fractured Souls
Not to be outdone, Bayton immediately flashed a smile. “When you can grow a tail and gills, you’ll get a pool.”
Nova’s eyes widened in awe as she looked at me. “You can do that?!”
Taking a long sip of the coffee in front of me, loving the way Dean was offering his silent support with his large hand on my leg, I shrugged. “Yeah. Sort of one of those things—” you did when you were a cosmic being that is hunted out of existence.
“That is super fucking cool,” Nova said, finished my sentence for me. “One of those things that is super fucking cool. You’re a mermaid! That is so dope.”
I suppose when she said it like that, it did seem a bit cooler than I normally saw it. Well, that was a nice feeling—I liked the idea of being cool.
My gaze moved down to my plate as I picked at a muffin, trying to not laugh at Nova asking Bayton, “Is there a way to turn into a temporary mermaid? I would love to give it a whirl, and you seem to know everything.”
Dean took the momentary distraction of Nova and Bayton talking to whisper a question against my ear. “Want me to pass you anything?”
I shook my head. “Still feeling a bit nervous.”
“I need to make sure you eat later then,” he said, concern shading his eyes.
“I will,” I promised.
“I’m sorry,what?” Nova’s pitched voice of surprise drew my attention back. “The fourth century? There is no way you have been alive since the fourth freaking century!”
So he was super old. Glad I was correct on that one.
He chuckled easily, taking a sip of his juice. “Well, glad I don’t look my age. Thank you.”
Nova scowled, clearly not having meant it as a compliment. The man sitting next to her glared at Bayton but chose not to say anything.
Deciding to add my two cents, I pointed out, “At that point it’s less of an age and more of a pinpoint in an immortal existence. But what’s a few thousand years between friends, right?”
Because a few thousand yearsplusis what we had in our little group.
Nova nodded in agreement as Bayton began to talk about something from the fourth century and I tried to focus on eating. I could tell he was waiting for us to finish before we talked, so I tried to keep myself busy so the wait didn’t feel so long…but luckily, before I knew it, our plates were being removed from the table and Bayton seemed to nod to himself, having been trapped in thought momentarily.
It was time to face the music…literally for me.
“Alright.” Bayton stood and flicked his hand, moving from in front of his chair as the lights dimmed. Dean put an arm around my shoulders in silent support as I tried to not feel sick to my stomach at what Bayton could possibly throw at us. “It’s time we talk. I predict you have a long day ahead of you, so we may as well begin.”
Bayton continued without pause, “For those who are already familiar with the subject, I apologize, but I need to ensure we are all on the same page. Of course, I know some of us have lived this story, but others are just entering the fabrics of this cosmos.”
His words were accented by a snap of his fingers, a map of the galaxy appearing in front of him like some type of hologram, expanding until it surrounded him, allowing him to navigate the image with ease.
“All of you are now aware that there is trouble coming to the realms. I say realms because our entire existence, our way of living in this universe, is all interconnected and reliant on one place.” His bony finger pointed to Earth, our view zooming in. Hundreds of orbs appeared around it, nearly covering it completely, and I couldn’t help but find all of this a bit fascinating.
While I was aware of the threat we faced in the cosmos, I didn’t have a good grasp on the huge scope of our diverse world. Just the basics. I had been so fucked up the past few years I had never even bothered to learn about it, wanting to avoid any thoughts on the subject because it only made my mind ring with thoughts of how different I was…and why I was put through so damn much.
“There are hundreds—if not thousands—of realms, all interconnected through Earth. It works, in the sense that if ruin comes to one realm and it is destroyed somehow, it doesn’t affect the others. It’s simply a branch of power.” Bayton said, motioning to a realm as it disappeared, then refocused on Earth. “But if Earth is destroyed, it means the end for us all. The realms would break apart, slowly imploding upon themselves. Untethered within the universe, they would have no grounding or stability—nowhere to pull from.”
Talk about a fucking flawed system. What, no safety net?Oh wait.I supposewewere the fucking safety net.
“Which is why we are so fucked right now,” I concluded and took a long sip of my coffee.
“Yes.” Bayton nodded, his eyes filled with concern before moving to Nova. “Lorcan is more aware of the threat than most because sirens are one of the only creatures who are able to hear the call of the dark ones. The realm eaters, the cosmic beings who roam our universe seeking to devour entire cosmos and points of power—like Earth. Especially like Earth, because there is so much power to feed off of.”
I moved my gaze to my coffee as the map shifted to showcase a planet floating in the shadow of a massive void—the dark ones. I didn’t need to watch the animation play out. I didn’t need to see the way it would shatter and obliterate the poor little planet or star it had chosen as its victim. I knew exactly what they could do.
“They have done this for all of existence,” Bayton explained quietly. “It’s their calling, their purpose, an attempt at balance—one that is now corrupted. They are no longer content with absorbing galaxies that are dying; instead they want fresh power, and they are actively searching for it… Which is why they have their eyes set on Earth. They can only be stopped if intervened upon, which is where you two come in.”
“No pressure,” I murmured as Dean rumbled, agreeing with me.
