“What if you can?” He tilted his head. “The only question that matters is—do you believe you can save him?”
I looked down at Darius. At his pale face. At the blood soaking through Doc’s bandages. Hatter had protected me, promised me I wouldn’t face this world alone.
Did I believe?
I had to.
I closed my eyes. Pressed my palm against his chest. And reached for that warmth—that deep, dormant power.
Please. Please. Please.
I believe. I believe. I believe.
Heat detonated at my wrist—white-hot.
I cried out, my fingers curling against his chest as the pain blazed through me. When I forced my eyes open, another strand was winding itself around the others on my bracelet, bright and molten.
But that wasn't all.
Something else was forming. Gold pooled and stretched at the center of the bracelet, taking shape—a small medallion, smooth and warm against my skin.
And the cavern… stilled.
Not just sound. Not just movement. Even the air felt held—like the world was waiting to see if I could do the impossible.
Something moved inside me. Like water at first—a trickling stream, hesitant and small. Then it surged, building, rushing, gaining strength until it roared through me like a river breaking through a dam.
My body shook. My back arched. The cavern blurred. Black spots exploded across my vision.
“What’s happening?” Doc’s voice sounded miles away.
“She’s reaching down into herself,” Caterpillar said softly. “Deeper than she knows. Deeper than she thinks possible.” A pause. “Deeper than is safe.”
“Should we stop her?”
“Can you stop a river mid-flood?” Caterpillar exhaled slowly. “Let her go. She’ll either save him... or lose herself trying.”
Lose myself trying... what did that mean? Dying? Meeting my mother? My chest tightened. For a moment, I almost pulled back. Almost let the fear win.
But then I looked at Darius. At the man who'd kissed me like I mattered. Who'd promised I wouldn't face this alone.
If saving him meant losing myself, so be it.
“Dying and losing yourself aren’t the same thing,” Chester’s voice drifted through the darkness. “One is an ending. The other?” A pause. “The other is forgetting there was ever a beginning.”
His words echoed in my skull, growing distant, fading.
The roaring inside me grew louder. The black dots swallowed everything.
I couldn’t see. Couldn’t feel the cold stone beneath my knees. Couldn’t feel Darius’ hand anymore.
All I could feel was the power—raw, wild, demanding everything I had.
And I gave it. Gave it. And gave it.
Until I was spent. Until there was nothing left to give.
Every ounce of energy drained from my body. My breathing slowed. My heartbeat followed—thudding softer, slower, fading like a drum losing its drummer.
