“It’s what you have been drawn to your entire life,” the Oracle insisted. “Give yourself to it, and you can have everything you desire. You’ll never be hunted again.” He pushed deeper into her mind until he saw the one thing she desired above all else: Wyatt. “I can give you what you really want. I can keep him safe. I can keep him with you. You and he can be together. This is the only way. You know this.”
Nev felt her breath being pulled from her as she moved within a couple of feet of the throne. “Wyatt… you saved me. I need to save you too,” she whispered, her voice and body trembling.
“You already have. Please, Nev… don’t listen to him. Come back to me,” Wyatt begged.
“Shh,” the Oracle interrupted. "This is your destiny, child. I know you. I know you are tired, but soon it will all be over, and your mind will finally find the calm it has always sought. You deserve this. You are worth it,” he said gently as he used her father’s words to break her.
Wyatt watched in horror as Nev continued to be guided towards the throne. Feeling the throne pulsing with a dark craving, he wanted to scream. But she was too lost and far away to hear him. If you can’t hear me, then sense me, he thought. He sat down and steadied his mind. He could feel her, but she seemed incredibly distant. Nev, I love you. Please come back to me. Please don’t let go, he thought. Then Wyatt reached out and encompassed her hands with warmth and squeezed.
Nev looked at her hands, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Wyatt, she thought. Having been pulled back into the moment, she turned and looked at The Oracle. “No, you are wrong. There is only one person who truly knows me, and it is not you,” Nev proclaimed, feeling her resolve slowly begin to return.
Wyatt smiled and declared, “I know you. You are brave, beautiful, and definitely more stubborn than me.” Feeling their connection rebuilding itself, he endeavored to bolster her will with his.
Nev nodded at Wyatt and smiled for a moment. “Definitely more,” she agreed.
The Oracle could feel his grip on Nevara slipping. His fury exploded as he sensed her determination grow. “NO! You are the last, and you are mine. You must fulfill the promise. You will sit upon the Obsidian throne. Your blood will flow upon it, or I will end you,” he growled before unleashing a blast of energy that shoved her to the ground. He moved behind her and was now pacing, his fury and desperation growing.
“Nev!” Wyatt yelled, panicked.
Nev took a deep breath and stood back up. She knew now what she had to do. Her will was strong, as was her connection to Wyatt. His fear permeated her senses, and she reached out to ease it. Channeling her thoughts, she whispered in Wyatt’s mind, I love you more than anything, but I know what I have to do. And I know what you have to do. You have to let me go.
“No… no! We will find another way. There has to be another way,” Wyatt sobbed, with desperation. Struggling to stand, he forced one of his feet back under him.
“Some risks are worth dying for,” Nev whispered, her voice quiet and steady. She looked up at Wyatt and smiled before mouthing the words, “No worries.”
The entire room began to vibrate as Nev closed her eyes. Suddenly, a blinding and radiant purple glow began to grow around Nev. It wasn’t coming from her amulet this time but from Nev herself. She let the energy build and build.
The Oracle tried to push her back again, but as he unleashed his fury, he was blown backward instead. He clawed at the ground, attempting to resist Nev’s onslaught. His efforts were futile. “You think you can break your promise? You are wrong. It will be fulfilled. Your victory today will do nothing to change that,” he howled, his voice seething with anger and wanting.
Wyatt watched in awe and heartbreak as he felt the energy within Nev continue to grow. You are crazy, and I love you. And I won’t let you do this alone, he thought, as he pressed his mind to enhance her power with his.
The Oracle screamed, “NO!” Then, in an instant, the entire throne room surged with energy.
Every window in the room exploded out into the courtyard below. Furniture splintered, walls cracked, and the very ground shook. For a moment, it seemed the entire castle may collapse. However, it rapidly became clear that Nev had focused the entirety of her ferocity at two things: The Oracle and the Obsidian Throne. Each began to buckle under her unrelenting assault. Suddenly, both exploded into a fine dust. Purple winds immediately began to swirl throughout the room, and the dust was spun and spun into a tighter and tighter sphere before it simply ceased to be.
Wyatt suddenly felt his mind free from the Oracle’s grasp. The gusts of energy that had consumed the throne room moments before vanished in a heartbeat. Wyatt watched in horror as he saw Nev collapse to the ground.
He scrambled to his feet and ran to her. Scooping her up in his arms, he cradled her on the ground. Wyatt pushed the hair back from her face and desperately searched for any sign that she was still with him. Her amulet was broken and pale in color now. Looking drained of energy, its appearance reflected in Nev. Wyatt grabbed her hand and squeezed. Clinging to the frantic hope that she had survived, he watched for any movement. Instead, her
