There was only one thing left to do. If he was going to use our magic against us, then the only way to beat him was to take that power away. I was Prince Charles Majestica, Grand Duke of Ilamanthe, heir to the Elvish throne, and if there was one thing us Elves were good at, it was twisting the magic of our enemies.
It would kill me. I knew it. The Warden’s magic was so strong now that if I siphoned it, I wouldn’t have the capacity to contain it. It would destroy me from the inside out, and probably rip my soul apart. I didn’t think I’d exist in any capacity afterward.
But if the Warden lived, we were all done for, in this life and the next. He’d already taken control of the supernatural world. He’d soon take over this whole planet, and then he’d move on to the spiritual realm and conquer that, too. The physical realm and the afterlife would all be his.
I’d destroy myself before I allowed that to happen. I had to sacrifice myself for my friends. My empire.
My Ava. Thinking about her gave me the courage to do this. It was the one way I could make up for the damage I’d caused. Either I did this now, and we all lost, or I gave myself up and the universe had a second chance to fight another day.
And she’d get to live on. Ava, or me? An easy decision, with only one answer. I was doing this to protect the world, but even if it was only her I had to save, I’d make the same decision without thinking twice.
And so, it was no question at all if I could do what had to be done.
Oberi moved close to my side. I’m with you.
As my Familiar, he’d be destroyed, too. He was willing to accept our fate, and stood by me until the very end.
Maybe this was the real reason I’d broken my bond. At least now, Ava wouldn’t be ripped apart with us. She’d still get to exist after Oberi and I were erased from reality, and that’s all I ever wanted. My last thought would be of her. I’d spent my whole life being the bad guy and doing bad things. I wanted to go out doing one good thing— for once.
My Elf magic tangled with the Warden’s power. My whole body became electrified as if I’d touched a high-voltage powerline. His magic flooded into me, and I had to force my shaking arms to steady in order to hold on to it.
The Warden felt me pulling at his magic, and sneered, “Are you insane, boy? You’re really going to throw your soul away for these idiots?”
Of course I would. I loved these people. They were my closest friends, my family. I’d tried to ruin them, enslave them, and take everything over for myself. It was time to apologize and make up for my actions. This was the only way I knew how.
“Charlie, what have you done?” Kallie’s wails nearly pulled me out of it, begging me to stop— if only for Ava’s sake, because Kallie knew how her best friend would take my demise, even though we weren’t together now.
This was worse than death. It was a complete ending, a promise that Ava and I were done for good, in every lifetime for the rest of eternity. My soul wouldn’t reincarnate or regenerate again, ever. We’d never be reunited, and Ava would be forced to exist forever… alone. After we’d had so many lifetimes together, this would be our last.
Didn’t matter. I’d rather be dead than live life without Ava, and I was already living without her. I would not let her live in a world where the Warden reigned. Those divorce papers weren’t signed yet, so I was going down as her husband. This would be the last thing I’d ever do, and I was glad for it.
Angel magic filled my body, and it had nowhere else to go. Wings sprouted out of my back, bursting with feathers that exploded everywhere.
Oberi got there before I did, charging at the Warden and sailing through the air. Oberi’s jaws sank into the Warden’s arm, digging in, but the Warden let out a snarl and tossed him off. Oberi gave a high-pitched whine as the Warden slammed him into the ground.
My temper erupted when I heard Oberi’s cries. I flapped the wings instinctually, kicking off the ground and soaring forward to slam straight into the Warden. My fingers tangled in his shirt, and my fist cracked against the side of his jaw.
The Warden punched me right back, sending radiating pain through my face and making me dizzy. He gave a mad laugh. “You really think you’re something special, Charlie Wahkin. Even now, with your impressive display of Elven magic, you don’t interest me in the slightest, because you’ve proven time and time again that you don’t have what it takes.”
His voice grew even colder, draining the life from me. “Ava-Marie, on the other hand… now that girl had a fire within her that could’ve stopped me. But you know what I did? All I had to do was wait, because I knew you’d be the end of her eventually. I knew I wouldn’t have to do any work to ruin her, because I was certain you’d do it for me. And you know what? I was right. You stamped that fire out. And where is your wife now? Hiding helplessly back home? We both know that without her, this is only going to end one way. I’d say your sad attempts at fighting me are amusing, but to be honest, I’ve tired of this game. I’ll be taking those keys now.”
He flapped his wings, shoving me back, but I kept my hold on him and held my ground, digging my feet into the earth to remain rooted in place. I thrust my newfound wings behind me, which moved with such power that the two of us were forced into the air. We went spiraling upward as I continued pulling his power into me, refusing to relent.
We flew higher into the sky, far above the treetops. My fist connected with the side of his face, and he retaliated with a blow of his own. Swollen bruises broke out across my cheeks, and my skin split open beneath my eye until blood was dripping down my face. I punched him back hard, and the Warden spit blood into my face.
I loved every fucking second of it.
It felt like I was back in the ring, hyped up on adrenaline and shaking with a murderous rage. I’d be lying if getting this fucker in the boxing ring wasn’t one of my greatest fantasies, and that thought consumed me with a mad delight as my body filled with more of his power. I was ready to die, and I was going to go out swinging.
As rage permeated through me, so did his magic. Each of his blows grew weaker than the last, until I overpowered his strength. With an impressive flap of my feathered wings, I sent us careening toward the ground, breaking through the treetops until I slammed his body straight into the earth, creating a crater upon impact.
The Warden gave a groan, and I rose to my feet above him. My Earth magic sensed his blood seeping into the dirt, and his hands quivering at his sides. Finally, I had him right where I wanted him.
Now the fucker could die. Oberi rushed to stand beside me, baring his fangs.
“You’re going to know exactly what my grandfather felt when you killed him,” I sneered spitefully.
I summoned the angel magic I’d siphoned from him— the same light he’d used to consume Cassiel from the inside out, the magic which tore my grandfather to pieces. I’d sworn then that I would kill the Warden. Finally, he was at my mercy, and his life was mine to take. Once the spell was cast, I’d be gone, but so would he. Warmth filled my palms as the spell flared.
