"I love you, Tritone King," I shouted. "To the moon and back, and beyond, even!"

"It's been a fun ride, don't you think?" he shot back, grinning.

Yes, it had been an incredible ride. A breathtaking adventure. We'd fought for our lives more times than we could count, yet, if we could both go back, we would've done it again. Over and over, until the end of time.

"Perhaps we'll meet up in the afterlife," I said.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I honestly doubt death can keep us apart," he replied.

The earth rumbled beneath the sanctuary. It shook and knocked Zeriel back. I sucked in a breath, but he sprang back up, dusting himself off. Earthquakes rippled across the entire area, making the woods shiver and the grassy clearing crack like a broken eggshell.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

There was no need to ask what was going on. The whole planet was reacting to the increasing levels of energy emanated by the sanctuaries. I wasn't sure whether it was the local Hermessi's doing or just a natural phenomenon. It didn't even matter anymore, if I were to be honest.

"It's getting closer," Zeriel said, his brow furrowed as he looked up at me.

"I'd rather you were up here, but whatever's powering the sanctuary won't let you come," I replied.

"If I die looking at you, it's cool," he said in an undertone, but I could still hear him.

Now more than ever, I wanted Taeral to win this. If I'd lost hope earlier, it was coming back with a vengeance. My very soul swelled, suddenly too big for the sanctuary—or at least, that was how I felt.

"And if we don't die, we'll spend the rest of our lives together, like you promised," I said. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

He smiled. "I sure hope not."

How many hours did we have left? How long until the ritual would destroy us all? My last link was half black now, and I could feel an emptiness gnawing its way through my chest, itching to snap my life-chain loose.

If this was goodbye, then it was the best goodbye I'd get, and it was better than no goodbye at all. "I'll see you again soon," I whispered, hoping the words would turn into a prayer that the universe might listen to.

Hoping that, one way or another, this wasn't the last time I'd see Zeriel.

Taeral

It had all come down to this.

I was on the ground, and it shook and broke apart beneath me. Thieron was twenty yards away, and Brendel was coming for me. She couldn't kill me, but, dammit, she could inflict enough damage to put me out of commission for days, if not months.

Around me, defeat was lurking. Eva, Varga, and Nethissis were out cold. Lumi was hanging by a thread. Seeley's breath was ragged as he struggled to keep some of the Hermessi at bay.

The Widow Maker put up a good fight, his raw strength decidedly a bonus in this instance. But he was only one against so many. The Soul Crusher was tired, as well, split between too many interdimensional pockets, in which he'd trapped several Hermessi. I doubted he could open up another one without pulling a muscle or something. Phantom cut through the elementals, light on her feet as she zapped herself around the mountain peak.

Kabbah was surrounded by ten Hermessi, each of them pummeling him with raw-energy fireballs. He was overwhelmed, but he could still see me. He understood my situation, yet he didn't seem able to do anything. It wasn't fair of me to expect salvation, anyway. I'd had my shot. I'd blown it.

Amelia was nowhere to be seen. Raphael was flying and dodging several Fire Hermessi. Riza was holding up a protective energy shield against an Air Hermessi's violent attacks, while Herakles tried to pull himself back up, right behind her.

It wasn't looking good for us.

Yet I couldn't give up. Failure was not an option. I understood that now, better than ever before, as Brendel stalked toward me. She didn't have a face, but I knew she'd have smiled, if she could. Victory was within her reach.

Looking at Thieron, I knew victory was within my reach, too.

"It's over, Taeral," Brendel said. "I told you."

I caught movement to my left. Amelia climbed up from behind the eastern ridge, grasping at thick shrubs to pull herself over the sharp edge, the scythe's blade caught between her fangs and her eyes glistening with rage. She had her sights set on Brendel.

Oh, no, Amelia…

I knew what she wanted to do. But did I want to stop her? No, I needed my opportunity. I had to let her do it, no matter what. My heart throbbed. It was sheer madness. She brought herself up and gripped the scythe by its ivory handle, licking her lips and tasting the metal in its absence.

"It's not over yet," I replied, sneering at Brendel. "You don't understand. Even now, you don't understand. It's not in our nature to take no for an answer."

"There may be no other choice left for you," Brendel said.

Amelia darted past her, her scythe out as it cut through the fire. It left a strip of blank space in its wake. Brendel stilled, watching Amelia as she went around and came in for another shot, a warlike shout exploding from her throat.

"Amelia! No!" Raphael growled, but was quickly tackled by an Earth Hermessi's shooting vines. He was pinned against a stone, his arms and legs tied back as the vines tightened and pulled, threatening to break them.

But Amelia didn't listen. She charged at Brendel with no regard for her own safety.

I worried she, too, had missed her opportunity, and that she was headed toward certain death.

A peculiar whisper traveled across the battle zone, the air rippling above us while the earth continued to shake us all violently. "What the…" My voice trailed off.

Something emerged behind Brendel, seemingly out of thin air. A ghoul.

Its massive mouth was open, long fangs sparkling through the stormy darkness. Amelia kept going, determined to hit Brendel again, who, in turn, raised a fiery arm—ready to deliver a potentially deadly blow.

My heart became a tiny muscle, unable to beat anymore, as the ghoul pounced on Brendel, slashing at her with its enormous claws. How was this even possible?

Soul noticed and shot me a grin. “Don’t underestimate a ghoul, I guess. Those claws can still distract the blazing bitch.”

It took Brendel by surprise as well, and it prompted Amelia to come to a shocked and screeching halt.

The ghoul and Brendel became a joint mass of grayish translucent skin, claws, fangs, and fire as they rolled over the ground. The creature couldn’t do much to the Hermessi other than nag and confuse her, but it was still better than nothing since it broke Brendel’s attention. Amelia realized that this was the second chance she'd been waiting for. Sprinting toward the flaming scuffle, she cut through and low with her scythe, and I heard Brendel's scream—so primal, so sharp that it made my skin prick. Amelia had been careful not to hurt the ghoul.

To my astonishment, it wasn't just this one intervening. Oh no, there were dozens of his kind appearing all around. They all went for the Hermessi, leveling the playing field almost instantly. If they moved fast enough, they could minimize the damage that the Hermessi’s energy did to their bodies and transparent skin, while keeping the bastards busy. I caught glimpses of Kelara, Dream, and Nightmare. There was another Reaper with them. I assumed it was the Time Master.

But time hadn't stopped.

Without giving it a second thought, I focused on Brendel. Amelia delivered a third blow by some kind of miracle, before Brendel, still fighting off a very persistent ghoul on her back, swatted her away like a bothersome fly.

I felt something snap inside me. It coincided with Amelia falling and smashing into a tree. The trunk broke and came down with a tormented moan. I couldn't see her anymore because of the foliage.

"Crap," I breathed, understanding what the snap I'd just felt truly meant.

Closing my eyes for a second, I allowed myself to disintegrate. I teleported twenty yards across and grabbed Thieron. Its power surged through me with insatiable delight.