It was worth it, though, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. We weren’t prepared for Jude’s ambush like we should have been—another impossibility with everything else we’ve had going on—but it simply meant we had to act fast, and err on the side of caution afterward. Just like now.
Tucked away in Institute Thirteen, we have a moment to compose ourselves. Which we all needed, even me. Especially after the carnage of fighting off the other students, projecting my magicas a shield to block us from the madness, and even now, as we rest, I channel my strength into the entire institute for added security instead of simply protecting our room.
I’m beyond drained.
I know there are still students outside, baiting us out, but I’m confident they won’t enter. Since Elodie and Kael are up in the vault together while Rion eats and Ocean obsesses over one of her witchy books, I can finally take the moment to rest and recharge. Yet I can’t bring myself to fall into bed. Instead, I stand just inside my bedroom door, staring at it.
Dragging a hand down my face, I sigh, recalling how close Rion was to death. All I could do was shield us while Ocean and Elodie worked together, saving him from dirty magic. I don’t want to see one of my friends—or Elodie—that close to the end again. We all have an important role to play in making our lives complete. We can’t let anything happen to us. We’re a unit;a family.
My head pulses, desperate for rest, and I can’t deny it any longer, stumbling toward my bed in a flurry before I crash against the sheets, my head barely making it to my pillow before darkness consumes me.
It’s soothing for a while, cajoling me as I slowly edge closer to full health, but when I pry my eyes open, it’s not the shadows of my bedroom that I find, but the familiar air of the Shadow Realm.
My heart lurches as I stare at the derelict grounds, the castle standing lonely and worn as I recall the last time I was here.
What I saw. What I felt. What I learned.
The main door still sits ajar, drawing me closer, and I can’t help but follow the alluring air that entices me. I don’t feel as fearful as I was the last time, but something still weighs heavily on me as I approach. It’s only when I’m a few steps away that my heart pounds along with the sound of soft sobs, and I freeze.
I consider forcing myself awake, never ready to face that vision again, but I refuse to crumble beneath my vulnerabilities. True strength comes from overcoming your weaknesses and fears.
Taking a deep breath, I swallow the flood of panic threatening to consume me as I insist on learning more. Moving toward the sound, ready to face another vision, I stumble over my own feet as I come face to face with a person instead.
Eyes collide with mine and I stumble, my backconnecting with the door frame as I blink at the man before me.
“Odie,” I rasp, my pulse whirring in my ears as I stare at the same man who was in my last vision. He kneels on the floor, in the exact same spot I had seen him before, only my father’s lifeless body isn’t beside him. Instead, he’s nestled among the broken picture frames.
His eyebrows furrow in confusion as he rakes his gaze over me from head to toe, slowly shaking his head as he pushes up onto his feet.
“Thorne?” he questions, disbelief thick in his tone, and I nod.
The room moves in a blur as we charge at one another, falling into each other’s embrace.
His arms around me feel like my father’s, warm and tight, as he pats me on the back, filling me with a strength I didn’t know I needed. But I bask in it, absorbing him with every inhale as tendrils of my childhood flood my memories.
Time warps around us, each second fusing together as our breathing evens out.
When we finally tear away, he drapes an arm around my shoulder, a broad smile on his face, with sad eyes leaving his cheeksdamp. He leads me outside, the air lighter, yet the atmosphere feels heavier as he takes in the sad state that remains.
I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe he’s here. With the chaos surrounding Elodie, I hadn’t considered that he might be here once they found somewhere safe.
I feel fortunate.
“It’s been a long time, Thorne. I’m relieved to see you,” he breathes, standing at my side with his arm still locked around my shoulders.
“I’m stunned to see you,” I admit. “I was certain I was alone in this world, but here I am, with you. It doesn’t feel real.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t,” he agrees, frowning at the neglected lands before us. “How was this once our home?” he breathes, more to himself, but I answer him regardless.
“It’s sad, but it’s not a representation of who we are now.”
His eyes widen as he turns to me, sad amusement curling the corner of his mouth. “I should be consoling you,” he states, and I shrug.
“Maybe, but I’m also aware of how hard it is to arrive here and see it like this. It took me a long time to dare step inside those walls,” I admit,pointing over my shoulder, earning a sad smile from the man beside me.
“I’m sure it will be back to its former glory one day,” he says, clearing his throat as he pats me on the back before dropping his hand to his side.
I shake my head, staring at him. “How can you be so sure?”
