But she couldn’t do it. Her journey had led her here. Perhaps she was fated to it, but all along she’d had choices, and every time, she’d chosen to fight. There was little strength left in her body, and she had little left to offer. The vastness of time and history bore down on her—a thick and heavy mist that shrouded everything. She felt insignificant compared to it, but whatever she had left, she was willing to give to the fight. It wasn’t just about her list of names anymore—not about revenge or righting a wrong. It was bigger than that. For the first time, she felt sure that she was doing the right thing. Realization threaded through her, warming her—she was willing to fight for it and, if it came to it, die for it.
She raised her swords.
“Allyra…” Jason whispered, distraught.
The Sentinels stopped.
Did they just read my mind?
They bowed to her.
It was over.
* * *
Like a sharpened arrowhead, Marcus led the Council across the Arena. The crowd roared with a single voice, united for the moment by impassioned exhilaration.
It was everything she’d set out to do—not only was she the Elemental Trials champion, but now she’d won The Five Finals. And tomorrow she’d carry out her plan. Tomorrow, she would cross the Veil and make her way back into the Between, and Alex Cairns would once more assume his rightful place as the Elemental High Master. The most powerful Elemental ever born would lead the Gifted back into the light and destroy the corruption that had taken root under Marcus’s reign.
And then—
Then, she could do what her father had always wanted for her. Disappear and live a small, uncomplicated, and happy life—away from the treacherous world of the Gifted.
It was everything she wanted. At least, it was everything she told herself she wanted. Everything that logic dictated she should want.
So why do I feel so hollow, so empty?
The crowd’s impassioned joy was lost to her. She was no more than a mirage slowly fading away.
She wobbled a little. Her leg was soaked with blood, slowly dripping and soaking into the ground. Even the pain felt muted.
Jason reached out a steadying hand, but she resisted the temptation to lean into him. She was a Five Finals winner—she would face down Marcus standing on her own two feet.
Marcus was nearly upon them. He walked at a leisurely pace, as if waiting for her to falter. As he took his final steps, he started to clap slowly, his lips pulled up in a mockery of a smile.
The crowd fell silent.
“Miss Warden, Mr. Stone—our deepest congratulations!” Marcus said, his voice painfully loud in the sudden silence.
He continued his slow clap and shouted out, “Please, everyone, join me in congratulating our newest Five Finals winners!”
Having received his permission, the crowd roared once more. Marcus leaned in close to her, and to all outside observers, he appeared to drop a harmless congratulatory kiss on her cheek. In reality, he whispered words meant only for her ears. “My congratulations, Miss Warden—you have outstripped even my greatest expectations. Truly astounding for an Atmospheric, wouldn’t you say?”
Chapter 39 – Allyra
The walk from the Arena was slow and utterly excruciating, but Allyra managed it without any help. She fought not to limp even though the slightest weight on her injured leg sent blinding blots of pain flashing up her leg. She left a trail of blood behind her with Jason hovering over her like a helicopter parent.
Only once they were out of sight of the prying eyes of the Council and the crowd did she allow Jason to shoulder her weight. Together, they hobbled back into the room in which they’d prepared for the Fifth Final. Jason kicked the door closed behind them and settled her into a chair. She sagged into it, leaning back until her head rested against the wall, and closed her eyes. She felt as if she could sleep for a year.
Jason knelt before her and pressed a towel onto her bleeding leg. She let out a low hiss of pain and jolted back into awareness.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Their eyes locked together, and for a long moment, they simply watched each other, surrounded by a comfortable, lingering silence. Vaguely, she was aware that she didn’t know what he was sorry for. Before she could think any further, the corners of his lips lifted in the barest of smiles. “We did it,” he said. “You did it.”
She returned his smile and sank back into the chair, closing her eyes again. The world felt pleasantly fuzzy, like she was sinking into a warm, cloying fog.
“Allyra…”
There was something in his voice that made her want to look up, but she was too tired.
“I need to say something,” Jason continued.
But she never got to hear what it was that he wanted to say, because at that moment, the door opened, and High Master Zhuang walked in, followed by a couple of nurses.
“Let’s take a look at that cut on your leg,” High Master Zhuang said. He lifted the towel and grimaced when he saw the cut. “Okay, let’s get you to the medical wing. Miss Warden, fixing you up is becoming a bit of a habit for me—let’s try to make this the last time, shall we?”
“I can walk,” Allyra protested halfheartedly as one of the nurses pushed in a wheelchair. But the world dimmed as she tried, and she quickly decided that it was fine to let them wheel her around.
Jason tried to follow them out the door, but High Master Zhuang stopped him.
“I’d like to stay with her, High Master Zhuang,” Jason said.
“You need to stay here—a nurse will be along soon to take a look at you,” High Master Zhuang
