The piece of Nightmare in my mind.
All of it. Gone.
Something inside me howls—deep, guttural. Not from pain.
From loss.
Loss of the magic that made me feel fierce. Loss of the claws that proved I could be a monster. Loss of Nightmare's voice in my head. Loss of the bond that made Eryx and meone.
Nothing after this moment will ever be the same.
The last of it drains from me.
Through blurred vision, I see Echo in the corner. It whimpers once. Then it starts to fade—edges dissolving like smoke.
Echo was made from our magic. Gold and black together.
And now our magic can't exist as one.
I reach for it, but Echo's already gone.
Just like everything else we created.
I reach for the bond—for that connection to Eryx that's been constant for weeks.
Nothing.
Empty space where he used to be.
My knees give out. I collapse against the door.
On the other side, I hear him. A broken sound like he's crying.
We're both losing this. But he chose it.
And the dark takes me with it.
Eryx
It is done.
And I feel like shit.
Chelsea’s warmth used to be within reach. I could feel it at the end of my power.
But it’s vanished.
All I’m left with is Nightmare’s cold presence.
We did the right thing.
Then why does it feel like I buried her?
Nightmare’s silence is answer enough. Then, a few moments later?—
She’ll forgive us.
But Nightmare's voice is hollow. Empty.
