“At least you all made it back safely,” Richard concluded, patting me on the shoulder. “I still can’t believe you guys found your way into this realm…”
“It was dumb luck, trust me,” Astra scoffed. “Pure dumb luck. Well, that and Thayen’s persistence in following Claudia’s clone even when all hell was breaking loose back home.”
“What matters most is that we’re together again,” Viola replied. “We have better odds against this adversity. The more of us, the better. If only we could find the scheme we need to break the runes that are still holding me back…” She glanced down at her arms, the black ink drawn in different shapes on her pale skin, each line and curve grooved deeply, the cuts fully healed and crusty. The circle had been broken, but the others had to be undone in a specific order that only the original spellcaster knew—an order which would have been inscribed upon a so-called scheme.
“That should be the next item on our to-do list,” Myst said, appearing out of nowhere. Deep cuts covered her left arm, the shoulder plate jagged and fractured. Every movement caused her discomfort, but she didn’t complain. Even with her weapon sheathed, I could see the darkness oozing through the scabbard. It pained me to see her like this. It proved she was vulnerable, and it made me wish I could do more to stop her from incurring such injuries again. Astra had attempted to heal her once before, but Myst had been clear that it wouldn’t work since she didn’t have a living body. Astra couldn’t heal Reapers or any other creatures of the realms beyond. She’d be better soon enough, though. Myst had been clear that the Valkyries and the Berserkers were never down for too long, much like the Reapers. It made sense. “I’m sorry,” she added, looking at me. “I’d thought those were your friends. I saw them from afar when I first found them… I didn’t think to check.”
“It’s okay,” I replied. “The clones would’ve pulled that trick either way. We should’ve been the ones to figure it out. But thank you, Myst. Thank you for the support. We wouldn’t have gotten our people out of there without you.”
“Where is Regine?” Astra asked, carefully approaching Myst and eyeing the darkness-imbued blade. “And what happened to your sword?”
The Valkyrie exhaled sharply, drawing the blade from its scabbard. It made everyone gasp, since the infection was now obvious. It looked as though the metal was leaking wisps of black mist. “There must be a balance between light and darkness,” she said. “When there is too much of one, the other suffers. The same applies to our weapons. You give them too much darkness to cut through, and eventually they start to bleed darkness.”
“Our weapons will be fine,” Regine said as she materialized beside Myst. She nodded at Astra. “We just need your weirdo light touch.”
Astra raised her eyebrows but extended her hands without hesitation, palms upward and glowing. The Valkyries pressed the width of their swords against the half-Daughter’s skin, and the pink light flowed through the steel and gold alloy, illuminating the blades with tiny fuchsia veins that ran all the way down to the bejeweled hilts. Every gemstone encrusted in the ivory handles and golden pommels burned pink for a moment as the weapons fed on light and shed the darkness that had briefly affected them.
I found myself staring at Myst, wondering why she continued to have such an impact on me. Her mere presence was a thrilling experience, and I would’ve killed for a little bit of peace and quiet so that we could just sit down, kick back, and maybe talk about our worlds, about the different realms we called home.
“And who are you, exactly?” Dafne asked, eyeing the younger-looking Regine.
“She’s my little sister,” Myst replied.
“Her sister. Forget the ‘little’ part, since I’m technically older than she is,” Regine said flatly, giving Myst a smirk. “I was made before Myst. She only calls me ‘little’ because I’m shorter.”
Myst smiled. “Well, that and you’re extraordinarily feisty. Typical little sister behavior.”
“And Hrista is also your sister,” Soph said. She and Dafne had joined Jericho in situating Voss, Isabelle, and Chantal so they could rest comfortably, gently wiping their faces with wet cloths and helping them drink sips of water and eat a few bites of food before they drifted back to sleep. It hurt me to see my friends so weak, but I found comfort in knowing it was only a temporary state. We’d taken them away from the clones. They’d be okay. And Isabelle would answer the many questions I’d been waiting to ask her ever since we’d learned she’d been taken two months ago.
“Hrista…” Regine murmured, then gave Myst a sullen look. “You told them about her?”
“You know what? First, I need to know how the hell you made it into this place,” Myst snapped. With their weapons loaded and refreshed by Astra’s light, the Valkyries seemed brighter and more energetic than before. “And why in Order’s name would you leave Purgatory?”
“I came here looking for you,” Regine said, lowering her gaze. “I just… I followed some of the Berserkers. I remembered you telling me you thought they were up to something. Not all of them, but some… and after
