Slowly, the fire dampened to a trickle, then vanished from her hands completely.
Every muscle in her body shrieked in agony. But her only thought was Zizi. He looked so peaceful, like he was fast asleep. He couldn’t be gone. Hecouldn’t.
The pain in her heart was infinite.
She lashed out at Ten. “He did exactly as you asked—why didn’t you stop that Hybrid from killing him?”
“Everything is going according to plan, Rui,” Ten replied. “Did you forget? Each condition of our deal must be fulfilled accordingly. The Hybrids and I have our own agreement. What just happened is the conclusion of that deal.Ourdeal is only just beginning to move forward. Ihave brought you your mother’s murderer.” He gestured at Feng, who was still catatonic. “That is one condition. Soon you will have the rest of what you desire, and so will I. Like I said, I am a god of my word.”
“You’re not making any sense!” Rui screamed. “I haven’t found Four, I haven’t found the vessel, I—”
“Oh, but you have, Rui.”
“What?” She collapsed on her knees, shocked and confused.
“You are quite right that Nikai realizedwhothe vessel containing Four’s power is. And fortunately, so did I,” said Ten. “Four could have found a magical item or relic—but he decided to use ahumanwith a suitably powerful spirit core. One who could hide his power, mask it, and keep it safe inside them. Whether it was fate or a fool’s luck, Four chanced upon a child who could do that on the same night he stole a powerful artifact from my realm. And you, Rui,” Ten said, stooping to cup her chin, “youare that child.”
Rui pushed his hand away, recoiling. Ten was lying. This was impossible.
“Believe me,” said Ten, standing again. “I had my doubts. How could it possibly work? How could such a human vessel exist? But the spiritual energy transfer between you and the other human boy triggered my interest. And when I met you, I felt a trace of my brother’s power. Youhavebeen touched by death, just not in the way you thought. Of course, the trace could have been there because he saved your mother’s life and yours. But when the Hybrids told me one of their brethren was killed by blue flames that came fromyou... that is when I knew. After you lost your earthly magic, that power from the depths of Hell became unstable, and it began to escape.”
Rui heard every single one of his words, but none of them made sense. Everything felt like a terribly made-up joke, andshewas the punch line.
“Eighteen years ago, the First King followed a sign from the fates and sought to save your life,” Ten continued. “Four took advantage of the situation. He saw in you a living vessel, someone he could use to fulfill hisgoal. It is the only reason why he let your mother live that night. It was a selfish reason, and it is Four’s selfishness that has caused chaos in both our realms.”
“But what does all this have to do with Zizi?” Rui choked out. “Why did he have to die?”
Ten smiled. “The boy is not dead.”
What?Was Ten telling the truth? Her heart stuttered and flailed. She fell upon Zizi’s body, checking for signs of life. He was still warm, but she couldn’t find a proper pulse, just a disturbing feeling ofsomethingunder his skin.
“What did you do to him?”
“Not me, Rui,” Ten replied. “You.”
“I don’t—I don’t understand.”
Ten came closer. “When did the blue fire first appear?”
“We were ambushed by some Hybrids. Zizi was badly hurt—”
“How did you save him?”
“I... I used my sword, drove the flames into him to get to Aloysius.”
“And when else did the blue fire appear?”
Tonight, when I thought he was dead.
Unbidden, an image from last night flashed in Rui’s head: Zizi holding her in the infirmary, the blue flames never harming him.
Seven’s thin voice whispered in her ear,There should have been a pattern. But maybe you fail to see it.
The blue flames... she couldn’t summon them at any other time. They had only appeared whenZiziwas in danger. Although he wasn’t in danger when they appeared the night before, he’d beencloseto her, intimate. And the flames had taken a different form. They didn’t rage out of control, seeking to devour what had hurt him.
“Finally starting to use this?” Ten said, tapping his head lightly. “I see you are making connections. The power from the underworld recognizes its master, and it seeks to protect him. It is inevitable that the two of you are drawn to each other. Whatever you think this boy feels for you, it is alie. You were merely a host, a convenient coincidence.”
Haven’t you ever felt like that? Like you’re searching for someone out there who’s justrightfor you—someone who completes you.
