Chapter 44 FRACTURED MOMENTS II
"Too much!" Arianna shouted. "Pull back!"
Nyx gasped and pulled her hands back. The loop stabilized, but it grew.
Half of the courtyard was now covered by it. Nyx cried, "I can't do this."
"It is too strong. Too complex. I cannot—"
"Yes you can." I knelt beside her. "You stopped an entire battlefield's time. This is smaller. Simpler. You just need to breathe. Focus. Find the thread and pull gently."
"What if I make it worse?"
"Then we deal with that. Together. However, you must make an effort.
Nyx wiped her eyes, nodded, and extended her hand once more.
Her fingertips found something—a thread—this time, moving more slowly and cautiously. a point of connection.
She carefully tugged at the thread. After trembling, the loop began to compress and shrink.
"Good," Arianna breathed. "Keep going. Follow it to the source. Where was it created?
Then unravel it from there." Nyx's face furrowed as she focused.
The loop continued shrinking. Smaller. Smaller.
Then it collapsed. Gone. Like it never existed.
Nyx fell. Exhausted. Blood from her nose.
"You did it," I said. Held her. "You fixed it."
"Barely. I almost destroyed the entire realm." Her voice was hollow. "Arianna was right. I was careless. Stupid. I could have killed everyone."
"But you did not. You fixed it. That is what matters."
"Is it? Because I will make mistakes again. Bigger ones. Eventually I will create something I cannot fix. And then what?"
I had no response. since she was correct.
Arianna found me by myself on the terrace that evening.
"She is too powerful," I said. "Too dangerous. Even with training."
"All power is dangerous. She is learning to respect it. That is more than most."
"Is it enough?" I'm not sure." Arianna gazed at the red moon.
"I have seen her future. Many versions. In some she becomes a hero. A savior. In others she becomes a threat. A destroyer. The difference between them is small. Subtle. A few choices. A few moments."
"Which future is most likely?" The question is incorrect. Until she makes a decision, they are all equally likely. Until she makes choices that force her to follow a particular course. Arianna gave me a look. "But I can tell you what tips the balance."
"What?"
"You. Kael. Family. Love. In every timeline where she becomes a hero, you are there. Supporting her. Guiding her.
I love her without conditions. "Arianna's voice was soft." She is alone in each timeline in which she falls.
Isolated. Convinced she is a monster. That is what destroys her. Not her power. Her loneliness."
"We would never abandon her."
"Not intentionally. But life happens. War. Death. Betrayal. Things beyond your control." Arianna touched my shoulder.
"So, make the most of your time, love her unconditionally, and let her know that she is more than her strength.
That is how you save her."
"And if it is not enough?"
"Then nothing is. And we all fall."
A scream interrupted us. Different. Not from the palace. From the city. From everywhere at once.
"What is that?" I asked.
Arianna's face went white. "Impossible. That sound. That frequency. It is—"
Reality tore. Not figuratively. Literally. A rip in space. In time. In everything.
And through the tear stepped a figure. Familiar. Wrong.
It was me. Another me. Older. Scarred. Eyes full of hate.
"Hello," she said. Her voice was mine, but twisted. "I am Sera. From a timeline you destroyed. And I am here for revenge."
She raised her hand. Power exploded. Not shadow magic. Something else. Something corrupted.
"You killed everyone I loved. Destroyed my entire world. All because your daughter practiced her magic carelessly." The other me stepped forward. "Now I will do the same to yours."
Guards rushed her. She waved her hand. They aged to dust.
"Nyx!" I shouted. "We need you!"
"Nyx is dead in my timeline. You let her power consume her. Watched her die and did nothing." The other Sera smiled. "But in this timeline, she lives. Which means I can kill her. Make you feel what I felt."
She moved. Fast. Toward the palace. Toward our daughter.
Kael intercepted. His blade met her magic. Both shattered.
"You cannot stop me," she said. "I have spent decades preparing. Learning. Growing stronger. I am everything you could have been if rage replaced love."
"Then I will show you why I chose differently." I threw shadows. Wrapped her. She broke through.
Arianna appeared. "You should not exist. Your timeline collapsed. You should be dead."
"I anchored myself to this one. Used blood magic. Forbidden magic. Everything I had to reach you." The other Sera's eyes blazed. "And I will burn this entire realm to ash. Starting with your daughter."
She vanished. Teleported. Time magic. Blood magic. Combined.
"Find Nyx!" I screamed. "Protect her!"
We ran. But I knew. Knew deep in my bones.
This is not me. This version was born of pain and rage.
Until we were all dead, she would not give up.
I also didn't know how to defend myself.
Always.