“You have got to be kidding me!” I growled, noticing the hexagonal shape of the chamber and the absence of doors. “You son of a—”
“Ah-ah! Language!” the Soul Crusher cut me off.
“I’ll deal with you later,” I retorted and shifted focus back to my crew. They were still waiting in the previous room, their eyes wide and their jaws inches from the floor.
I flew back and landed on one of the safe tiles in the middle. I nearly fell over, the freezing particles messing with the center of my weight, but I managed to stay upright this time around.
“First of all, congratulations!” Herakles exclaimed, beaming at me. But the smile faded quickly as he pointed at the room beyond the crumbled door. “Second, what the hell, man?”
“What? I didn’t make this stupid puzzle!” I shot back.
Amelia sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get out of this one first.”
I put an arm around her and pulled her close, using my other arm to grab Nethissis, who was the closest within my reach. With both of them safely by my side, I flew through the door and left them in the third room.
The flight became more difficult with each turn. I knew this would happen. Herakles could tell, the moment I dropped him and Riza off in the hexagonal room. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and proceeded to get the others before it was too late.
“Deep breaths, Raphael,” Herakles said.
I stopped in the jagged doorway, which no longer glowed, and shot him a glance. “In and out. In and out. I know, buddy.”
He smirked, watching me as I flew once more, picking up Eva and Varga next. My altitude dropped significantly, Eva’s boots slightly brushing across the tiles. I almost crashed with them in the third room, but Herakles and Amelia were quick to intervene and smooth out my landing.
Breathing heavily, I worried I might not be able to get Eira, Lumi, and Taeral out, as well. Every joint in my body felt as though it had been made of lead. My legs weighed a ton. My wings literally hurt whenever I flapped them, as if I’d sprained them, somehow. I’d never experienced this kind of exhaustion before, and I had no idea how to cope with it.
My whole life, short as it was, I’d been nearly invincible, tireless and brimming with energy. Yet now, I was merely a small percentage of what I had always been. Barely a flicker of the real Raphael.
“Getting tired?” the Soul Crusher asked.
“Not tired enough to not punch your lights out when I see you,” I replied.
Amelia massaged my shoulders, smiling gently. “You’ve got this. I know you do.”
“Your trust in me is propelling, to say the least,” I said to her, caressing her cheeks.
Taeral cleared his throat from the other room. “Still here, in case you were thinking of getting us out, as well,” he called out, making me chuckle.
I walked back to the doorway, wondering if I had enough strength to get them all out. “What is it, Tae? Not feeling up to a few more booby traps?” I asked, feigning amusement. Deep down, I was worried. There was no way I could pull off two flights with the three of them.
I’d have to finish strong, so to speak, and carry Taeral, Eira, and Lumi at once—and even that was risky as hell, given what I’d just experienced with Eva and Varga. Nevertheless, it was our only option. Well, that or the pressure plate game. But I was fond of these three. They didn’t deserve what Death had bestowed upon them, and they certainly didn’t like being privileged like this. I couldn’t treat them differently just because of that.
Frankly, I couldn’t bear the thought of any one of them suffering, in any way.
“Nah, I can do this,” I whispered to myself.
I took a deep breath and managed a shaky flight back to Taeral, Eira, and Lumi. Taeral was quick to stop me from falling over, giving me a concerned look. “Are you okay?”
“I’m made of rocks and lead and whatever else is used to keep something on the bottom of the deepest ocean,” I replied dryly. “But we have to try. I’m taking the three of you now. I won’t be able to do another round. I… I just can’t.”
Taeral frowned, thinking about it for a moment. He glanced at Eira. “You should be in the middle, since you’re the lightest.”
“Good point,” I said, and put my arms out.
Lumi and Taeral positioned themselves at my sides, smiling awkwardly as I put my arms around them, tightening my grip. Eira slipped her arms around my waist, trembling slightly. “I don’t know what else to do to make it easier on you,” she said apologetically.
“Put your legs up, too,” I said.
Herakles laughed so hard, it echoed across the room. My face burned, but satisfaction came quickly when I heard Amelia slap him. “You’re such a child!” she berated him.
Eira gave me a tense nod as she let go, then hopped and wrapped her legs around my waist, this time, and her arms around my neck. Taeral sighed, and I took off, instantly alarmed by how difficult this was. I could barely keep us a couple of feet above the floor.
My wings hurt, each flap so torturous that it felt as though they’d be ripped from my back. I kept going, grunting and struggling to breathe evenly. I managed to get us closer to the door, but I could feel us dropping lower and lower.
“Careful,” Taeral managed, and I heard a boot scrape against the tiles.
“Argh…” I croaked, just as we reached the doorway.
Lumi squealed and cursed. We all heard the click. I crashed into the next room, with the three of them in tow. I landed on my belly, nearly crushing Eira beneath me. Taeral grunted and pushed me off her, as my wings withdrew achingly under my shoulder blades.
Arrows shot through the second room, but none made it in here. I reveled in the sound of them falling flatly across the floor. Flat on my back, I stared at the ceiling for a while. The others talked around me, but I couldn’t focus. Exhaustion set in, every muscle in my body throbbing in agony. I doubted I’d be able to move anytime soon.
But we’d made it. Amelia appeared in my view, the ceiling light glowing behind her. She smiled, her blue eyes filled with love, and I was the sole recipient of all that beauty. I must’ve smiled, too, as she leaned down and kissed me.
“You were amazing,” she whispered in my ear. My limbs turned to mush, the muscle fever finally subsiding as I felt Eirexis’s touch on my neck.
It couldn’t stop the freezing particles from slowing me down, but it could still cure my inflamed and worn-out muscles.
Maybe I was amazing... But what really made me soar was the thought that I’d made her happy. I could spend an entire lifetime doing this. Making her happy. Causing those gorgeous smiles on her face. This… This was something worth fighting for.
