Game of Prythian

Chapter Forty-Two

A loud boom shook the earth as the Gate's cracked. I whispered, tears streaming down my face, "What's your name?"

The Carver glared at me, before glancing abc to the armies we were shielding. They moved as far back as they could, in an attempt to dodge the attack when the Gates fell. For they were falling.

He smiled, back toward the army, and he turned to me and whispered. "It's not my gift, but I suppose it wouldn't be a bad parting gift."

My eyes widened, and I threw a hand out toward him, mouth partly open to scream my defiance. He winnowed faster than anyone could blink he whispered, "Cerberus." The power, scorching heat, and brightness off the Cauldron overtook us both.

I screamed, it ringing in my ears. He smiled bright and happy and true, the ghosts trapped it in my mind, right before he placed his hands over my eyes. Covering my sight from the picture of him being scorched alive. I was spinning through the air. And falling, falling a great distance.

His touch disappeared, as the ghosts swarmed spinning in a sphere to divert the magic away from me. Protect him. I wanted to scream. The touch of his hand disappeared from my face. With a loud crack, I hit the ground.

My mind spun, blurriness overtaking the world. Muscle memory kicked in and I rolled away from my impact place trying to make the force lessen. Darkness settled in before I stopped skidding in the dirt.

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵

It was dark, like I was trapped within my chess piece again. I swallowed standing on the darkness of thin air. Swallowing again, I shouted into the nothingness. "Hello!"

A woman with sleek black hair stared with sympathy. Then I felt it, that hollowness. The emptiness. She whispered, "I am so sorry my darling."

Gone. Cerberus was gone. Wiped from the face of the living world. I choked, my knees slamming against nothingness. It didn't hurt any less though, none of it did. Gasps, choking for air right in from of them echoed.

Ringing, pain filled screams tore through the cave of darkness and nothingness. My mind collected itself, trying to find my pain. There was none, just nothingness, and emptiness. Gone.

All I did was scream, and scream and scream.

When my voice could no longer scream, and hoarse sobs took over the screaming. It was the only thing I was capable of. Weeping, and the nothingness and the emptiness.

The woman's soft and uncalloused hands smoothed over my hair. Calming motions, soothing motions. She kissed my hair, like my own mother should have done in my time of grief.

She murmured, "You have to wake up now. I already had a second in place for you." My head pressed itself closer into the ground. The woman disappeared into the darkness, I wanted to stay here. I deserved it, craved it to eat me alive so that I might join him in death.

Calloused hands gripped my shoulders. I gaped for air, sniffing because I could breathe through my nose. It couldn't be, it wasn't him. Those hands pulled me in between two legs, dressed in dark pants.

I cried as my head tilted back to see his silver gaze. He kissed the top of my head, whispering slowly. "I love you, Kana Archeron Brangwen."

I shook my head refusing to accept this fate. He wrapped my shaking form in his arms, setting his chin atop my head. He murmured, "I decided I should be the one to tell you. I'm sure you've met Falcon by now. If you wanted to play the game again, you'd have to kill him. There is a small chance that killing him would give you the power to revive me."