“No. Mephisto brought her here. I guess he has decided he also wants Reiya for himself, and for the same reasons Abaas did.” Selene frowned, and a growl ripped through Hunter’s throat.
“I’ll rip him apart,” Hunter snarled lowly.
“No, young alpha. He is too strong, even for you. It will take someone like Leviathan to bring him down. If I didn’t have to worry about the balance of the world, I would do it myself. But I can’t interfere because of my gift of knowing the future.” Selene frowned. “Long ago, Kali and I made a terrible mistake. We tried to get rid of the whole idea of balance and merge light and dark. We manipulated the world with our gift of foresight, and we destroyed the balance. When this happened, it createda powerful overflow of magic that took on a life of itself. A powerful black hole.”
Kali tapped her foot impatiently. “Do they really need to know the whole background? What happened isn’t important anymore, because it happened.”
Selene looked at Kali and rolled her eyes. “I think it’s important.” She turned her gaze back to the three, who were still patiently waiting for her to continue.
“The Lord of the Earth, Endymion, threw himself into the black hole and sealed it from within to keep it from raging out of control. Since then, we have been working tirelessly to restore balance. Even setting the stage in the background.” Selene sighed.
“What she means is, we may have indirectly nudged things to go in certain directions because we could see what futures came from those possibilities. It isn’t the same as direct interference, though.” Kali raised her hand and pointed at Hunter and Reiya. “The Chain family is a prime example of a family that exists because of careful planning, even up to the very mates that you have now.” She pointed at Xander. “And the existence of the Gemini souls.”
Xander tightened his grip around Reiya. “So what do you want with the Gemini twins?”
“She’s getting to that.” Kali clicked her tongue in annoyance. The youth of today was so impatient.
“With the army that is forming, this will be the chance to fully restore balance without our direct interference. Once balance is restored, the magic of the black hole will no longer rage out of control. It will go dormant and will no longer require Endymion to keep it sealed. But there is no way for him to escape the black hole. He’s trapped inside it. No one can enter it without getting lost. That is its nature …” Selene looked at the three young adults in front of her.
“No one except for you three, that is.” Kali finally added.
“Wait. You want us to risk going into this black hole and perhaps never be able to escape?” Xander asked, his eyes flicking to Hunter’s.
“Only two of you will be put at risk.” Selene looked at Reiya and Hunter. “The Gemini twins are the only souls that are like a beacon to the other. They can call out to each other and find their way out of the black hole.”
“Theoretically,” Kali added for good measure. They weren’t completely certain, since it had never been done.
“Xander would need to stay behind so that his soul can call to Reiya’s, while both Reiya and Hunter would enter the black hole. Reiya and Hunter are both connected as twins. As such, even part of the Gemini energy resides inside him. He is the only other person who can enter the black hole with Reiya. Then, once you find Endymion, you would call out to Xander's soul in order to find the way back out.”
“Okay, one … why would we go in there to rescue this Endymion? And two, why would I need to drag Hunter in there? Couldn’t I just go by myself?” Reiya asked as Hunter shot her an irritated look.
“If you’re going into some black hole, obviously I’m going with you.” Hunter growled.
“There is another darkness inside of the hole. An evil presence that was sucked inside it. You will need Hunter’s strength if you were to encounter it,” Selene said quietly.
“Endymion is also my brother,” Kali said with a frown. “And he is Selene’s partner. Think of your own mates, Chain children. Those mates were matches planned by Selene. Does she not deserve to have her partner back? And since you are the only ones who can give that to her, do you not feel responsible?” Kali sighed in irritation.
“What if this Endymion has already encountered this darkness?” Xander asked curiously.
Kali shook her head. “The creature can’t hurt Endymion. The Slayer is a creature that cannot attack Endymion, since he is its master. Likewise, Endymion can never injure his servant. They both need each other to exist, but Slayer is a terrible existence. Leaving it in the hole will be for the best.”
“I don’t understand. If Endymion is the master, can’t he just order the creature to stay?” Hunter felt like this whole thing was confusing.
“It isn’t exactly like that. It’s hard to explain. Think of it like this: Endymion removed a dark power from his body. It was a poisonous existence within him. When he did, it created a life of its own. But neither can exist without the other, so neither of them would ever harm the other.” Selene looked at Reiya. “Think of it like the connection you and Leviathan share. If you are killed, then Leviathan would also be killed, and vice versa.”
“This is news to me.” Hunter rubbed his forehead and looked over at Reiya, frowning.
“Lee’s life is linked to mine. He will not have to live for an eternity without me. Our lives are linked so they will end together. It’s more than any mate could ever ask for.” Reiya smiled as she met with her brother’s silver eyes. She knew he would understand it better that way, and she could see he did.
“Do we even have a choice in the matter?” Xander looked at Selene and Kali.
Selene nodded but Kali shook her head and spoke before she could answer.
“Selene is giving you a choice. I am not. That is my brother, and he’s been in darkness for too long,” Kali spat out.
“What happens to us if we don’t?” Hunter asked, and a cruel smile spread over Kali’s face.
“I will claim Freja’s life. The reason I sent her on the quest for the black pearl was for this reason. I linked that black pearl to her soul when she gave it to me. I will only release it once Endymion is freed. Otherwise, I’ll smash it, which will cause her death.” Kali’s obsidian eyes bore into Hunter’s. Not only would this affect Hunter, but she knew that Reiya wouldn’t allow her brother to suffer. Nor would she allow Freja to be killed. And Xander would do whatever he could for Reiya. It was the perfect plan.
