She smirked as I cried out, feeling the impact of her power coursing through my body in an instant. She was pumping some type of infection throughout my being, zapping my energy on contact.
“Alexandra!” Ama screamed, and I watched as her wings snapped out and her scythe appeared, streaking through the air as she darted directly toward us, fearless and ready to battle for me.
She swung her scythe back with her eyes locked on Zora, but Casus appeared on her right in a swirl of shadows. He grabbed her by the throat and pulled her back to his chest, poising the tip of the dagger over her heart.
Kylo appeared right behind him, tracking the curse he could hold his own against with his power being to feed off of the same emotions, at the same moment that Elwin appeared at my side.
“Ama!” I screamed, stumbling toward her as my limbs began to feel heavy. I tried to call on my power, but it’d seemed to have retreated far within me in response to the invasive sickness Zora pumped into me.
Gentle hands pulled me against his chest, and I felt Elwin’s power pushing in a wave of warmth. The power spread through me in soothing waves, eradicating Zora’s power pulsing within me.
The archangels rushed at Casus’ back, but he swung Ama around like a shield with the dagger to her chest. She growled her frustration, and everyone backed off, waiting for an opening. Elias appeared next to Zora as Lucien appeared by me.
I felt the moment Maria was able to fulfill her end of the deal, the light pooling nearby. Tears sprang to my eyes as I called out, “Casus. Stop. Let her go, and I’ll let Zora finish the spell.”
My monster's words echoed around me in a booming cacophony, telling me that absolutely was not going to happen. I tuned them out, entirely focused on getting Ama the hell out of this situation. Alive.
His eyes narrowed on me before he spat, “Complete it, Zora.”
She approached me once more, and I growled out to Elwin and Lucien, “Get back. You have to trust me, now more than ever.”
My plan was absolutely insane, but it was the only one I could think of when I’d spoken with Maria this morning. It was my worst case scenario after reflecting on Pandora’s words.
They hesitated for a moment before retreating, and I lifted my arms willingly for Zora as I met Ama’s gaze over her shoulder. Her jaw was clenched as a single tear fell down her cheek. “Don’t,” she mouthed silently to me, but I shook my head.
This had to happen. Everyone here was willing to risk their lives to save me, and it was my turn to risk my life to save all of them.
Warm liquid smeared along my skin, and not a single sound echoed through the room until Zora closed her eyes and began to chant. Heat seared beneath her marks on my skin. As it increased in intensity, I watched Zora falter slightly as all of our marks began to glow.
She pushed on, I cried out in anguish as I watched Elias fall to his knee, stabilizing himself with his hand on the ground. Her words came to a stop and tears fell from her eyes as she seemed to fight through the pain we were all feeling.
The only person who looked unaffected, with the exception of a slight tightness to his jaw, was Casus. The fucking bastard.
I’d have him on his knees soon, begging for mercy.
As the pain faded, something clicked into place. Suddenly, I felt a line connecting me to the other curses.
A chilling sensation began to spread through my body, as if an invisible current of malevolent energy was seeping into my very being. It was a dark magic, an unnatural force that defied all that was pure and good. As it coursed through my veins, my muscles tensed, my senses overwhelmed by a feeling of impending doom.
It was so much worse than I anticipated, knowing my own power levels were nowhere near full in comparison to theirs. There was an overwhelming larger amount of darkness compared to my own light, threatening to snuff it out quickly.
The magic's tendrils wrapped around my heart, constricting it with a cold grip that sent shivers down my spine. Waves of greed and envy washed over me, drowning my thoughts in a sea of insatiable desires and bitter resentments. My mind, once a haven of clarity, was now clouded by a murky haze of maleficent intentions.
Pain, both physical and emotional, surged through me in pulsating waves. It felt as if the dark magic reveled in my suffering, amplifying every ache and hurt until they became nearly unbearable.
I fell to my knees, the weight of the dark magic dragging me down like an anchor in a stormy sea. My breath came out in ragged gasps as I struggled against the overwhelming tide of emotions that threatened to drown me.
I had to fight it. I had to remember the light that prevailed within the box against all the other curses. I had held that within me, and I wouldn’t fall to the darkness now.
Hatred, a venomous emotion I rarely experienced, bubbled up from the depths of my soul. It consumed me, turning my thoughts into a maelstrom of malice directed at everyone I loved around me. It was a poison that eroded any semblance of compassion or understanding within me, leaving behind only a seething sense of fury.
I glanced around at all the faces staring back at me, and I bit out, “Why are you all staring at me! Avert your gazes. You are not worthy!”
In that moment, I was nothing more than a vessel for the sinister forces that had ensnared me. My body trembled, a mixture of fear and helplessness coursing through me as I fought against the power that sought to claim my very essence. The battle that was waged was not just in the physical realm, but within the depths of my own soul as well.
Ama’s voice carried through the air to me, breaking through the haze surrounding my mind, “Forge your own path, daughter. Burn so brightly that you can’t be contained.”
Her words were a reminder of the plan I had placed in motion and the precious little time I had to enact it.
