AUTHOR'S POV
"Let the princess go, Caelynn," Veyra said as soon as the entryway was sealed.
Caelynn immediately did so, shoving Anika forward in the process.
She stumbled for a moment but managed to catch herself.
Veyra appeared in front of her.
"Form the Trident of Axis for me," she ordered.
"I won't," Anika replied, a stubborn look on her face.
Veyra's expression became harsh.
"Stop trying my patience, little Diviner girl. Or Nivara will put a hole through your boyfriend's chest that even you won't be able to heal."
Hearing this, Anika looked at Primi.
He stared back at her with a calm, stoic expression despite the fact that his life was in imminent danger.
For a moment, she hated him.
Hated him for giving the Sisterhood leverage over her.
Then the anger disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.
Because she understood.
She was about to do exactly what he had done.
For the exact same reason.
Love.
Anika sighed, wishing she had found out how he really felt about her a different way, one where neither of their lives was at risk.
She then looked at the Trident pieces on the floor, and a plan formed.
Once she had it, she thought, she'd use its power to protect Primi and herself before destroying the Sisterhood.
Of course they still could hurt Primi, but Anika guessed that the Trident was powerful enough to defeat all three of them before they could do anything to either of them.
"Are you going to pick up the pieces already?" Veyra barked impatiently. "Or am I going to have to..."
"Hurt Primi in some horrifying way. Yeah, I get it," Anika finished for her in a bored voice.
"Do as I say then," Veyra retorted.
Anika took a shaky breath before nodding.
"Fine."
Satisfied, Veyra moved away from her a bit. She held her breath as Anika slowly walked toward the place where Damon had dropped the Trident pieces.
Anika was breathing heavily, hoping that what had happened with Damon wouldn't happen to her.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered quietly.
She knelt before the pieces almost reverently.
They were long and surprisingly heavy.
The moment her fingers touched them, both artifacts began glowing a brilliant white.
So did her eyes.
It was like the Trident was recognizing her.
Anika suddenly had the overwhelming urge to bring the pieces together.
She stood up.
The Sisterhood watched her silently.
Primi just pursed his lips, nervous for the girl he had fallen in love with.
Anika finally gave in to the otherworldly force that had taken over her and brought the two pieces together.
The instant they connected—
Power exploded outward from the Trident, so potent that the others moved back as if struck.
Anika gasped, feeling the overwhelming power coursing through her.
But unlike Damon, she felt no pain.
The Trident had acknowledged her claim to be direct descendant of the Diviner ancestors.
As she kept holding it, Anika gasped unpleasantly, but not from pain.
Along with the tremendous power flowing through her, she felt something else—a faint lick of darkness from the Trident.
It curled around her like smoke, trying to worm its way into her soul and her thoughts.
Anika gritted her teeth, deeply uncomfortable.
She tried to raise the Trident.
Tried to turn it toward the Sisterhood.
But fighting the darkness made it impossible to focus.
Her hands trembled violently.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she let go.
The Trident of Axis slid from her hands and crashed onto the spot on the floor near Veyra with a thunderous clang.
Anika herself collapsed to her knees, grunting.
Weak.
Bewildered by the experience.
Primi immediately struggled out of Nivara's grip, thankful when she let him go this time.
He rushed straight to Anika, dropping beside her.
"Anika, are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, Primi," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "I tried to save us... but the Trident... it was just so scary."
Primi wrapped an arm around her.
"It's okay. You tried your best."
Veyra barely noticed them.
Her eyes remained fixed on the Trident, fully formed on the floor.
"She did it..." Veyra breathed.
A smile slowly spread across her face.
"The Trident of Axis is mine."
She stepped forward to get it—
Only for Nivara to flash past her like lightning.
In a blur of motion, she snatched the Trident off the ground.
Veyra froze.
Everyone else did too.
For several long seconds, nobody spoke.
"Nivara..." Veyra finally said, a catch in her voice. "What... are you doing?"
Nivara slowly looked down at the Trident in her hands.
Her eyes had begun glowing, but unlike Anika's, hers were a very dark color.
She began feeling the Trident's darkness and closed her eyes, welcoming it into herself.
She then opened her eyes and smiled at Caelynn. "Do you want to tell her?"
Caelynn smiled back before turning to Veyra and answering her question.
"We're claiming the Trident for ourselves, Veyra."
"What?" Veyra said, looking flabbergasted.
A smile spread across Nivara's face.
"...Wow."
She looked down at the Trident.
"This feels amazing."
"No!" Veyra snapped, looking at her.
"The Trident is mine."
"Think again, sister," Caelynn said as she calmly walked over to stand beside Nivara.
"It's ours."
She continued smiling.
"But you can join us if you'd like. We can be a team again. But this time... you'll be following our orders."
Veyra's face twisted with rage.
"That will never happen. And that Trident and its power belong to me and only me."
Power ignited around her.
Veyra then outstretched her hands with a feral expression.
"You're going to pay for betraying me."
Nivara and Caelynn's eyes widened when they realized her intention.
They hadn't really prepared for this eventuality.
Just as dark energy gathered in Veyra's hands—
Nivara instinctively raised the Trident.
A beam of darker energy exploded from it, striking Veyra squarely in the chest.
Time seemed to stop.
Everyone went as still as a statue, unable to believe what had just happened.
Veyra slowly looked down at herself.
A gaping hole had been formed in her chest.
She looked up again at Nivara, a rare dumbstruck expression on her face.
The next moment, blood started trickling from the corner of Veyra's mouth.
Then she collapsed.
Dead.
Silence overtook the small room.
Then came Nivara's horrified scream.
"Veyra! No..." Then, "Stars, what have I done?"
Caelynn stared between Veyra's body and Nivara with the Trident.
"What the hell, Nivara?" she said in a tone of voice similar to Nivara's. "You could've stopped her without killing her. This wasn't part of the plan."
Nivara's voice shook when she spoke, seeing the pool of blood forming around Veyra.
"I know... I didn't mean to."
She stared at the weapon.
"It's this thing... this Trident..."
"Give it to me," Caelynn whispered urgently.
Nivara slowly nodded.
She was just about to hand it over when a familiar voice echoed through the chamber.
"No, Nivara. Don't give it to her."
Everyone turned.
Damon stood in one corner of the room.
He looked terrible, but most of the burns covering his body were a bit faded.
"Damon..." Nivara breathed.
"You're still alive?"
"But how?" Caelynn said, confused for once.
Damon smiled.
"You all forgot."
"My Diviner powers let me heal myself."
"I've been doing exactly that ever since you all stopped paying attention to me."
He chuckled.
"After that, it was a matter of waiting for the right opportunity, like this one."
Everyone watched him warily.
"Don't come any closer, Damon," Nivara warned, her voice trembling.
She knew Damon must be holding a grudge against her for betraying him earlier.
"Or I'll kill you with this Trident."
This wasn't exactly true.
Nivara had no problem killing Damon, but she was afraid to use the relic again.
Damon smiled widely.
"No."
"You won't be able to kill me, Nivara."
"If you still think I'm into you after everything that happened, then you aren't the smart guy I thought you were," Nivara snapped.
Damon waved her words away dismissively.
"Oh, I'm not relying on old feelings. I never did, if I'm being honest."
His eyes drifted toward Nivara's body, or rather the ruby necklace resting against her chest.
"I'm relying on that."
The ruby suddenly began glowing crimson.
Nivara looked at it, her expression perplexed.
"What..."
"I placed a control spell on it before I gave it to you. A little insurance policy in case you ever turned against me, which you ended up doing," Damon said, a gleeful and malicious expression forming on his face.
Nivara's body suddenly stiffened.
"Oh no."
Damon's expression became serious.
"Oh, yes, Nivara. Now, bring me that Trident," he ordered.
"And kill anyone who tries to stop you."
Nivara tried to struggle, but it was no use.
She started moving in his direction.
"No... What's happening, Caelynn? I can't..."
Another step.
"I can't stop myself. Caelynn, help me!"
Caelynn cursed.
She rushed forward, seeing no other solution but to take out Damon—
Only to freeze.
Nivara had raised the Trident toward her.
She then shot at Caelynn, who managed to dodge the attack, but just barely.
Caelynn remained hovering in the air, watching helplessly as Damon made her sister come to him.
Nivara was crying now.
"I'm so sorry, Caelynn. This wasn't me..."
Damon smiled at her.
"Don't worry."
"She knows it's me."
At that moment, Nivara finally arrived before him.
"Give me the Trident," Damon said in an excited voice.
Nivara obeyed without resistance, as if she were a mindless puppet.
The moment Damon's fingers wrapped around the Trident of Axis—
His eyes glowed darkly as power flooded into him.
And unlike before... it didn't hurt a bit.
This time, no longer looking for a real descendant, the Trident accepted Damon's claim on it.
And he accepted it, even the Trident's strange corruptive energy.
Damon smiled before throwing back his head and laughing.
A deep.
Victorious.
Maniacal laugh.
"Finally..."
He tightened his grip around the Trident.
"The power of the Trident of Axis is mine."
Everyone stared, terrified to their bones by the dark figure looming over them.
******
LYRIAN
She and the girls blasted through the wall of plants Nivara had made, but so far it wasn't working.
When Veyra had first kicked them out of the Trident room, the group had all grudgingly waited in the main funeral chamber for Veyra to let Primi and Anika out, trusting, if not in her promise, that any attempt to enter the room would lead to fatal repercussions.
But that changed when they felt a powerful surge of energy from the room that made them all reel for a moment. They then heard screaming from inside, though it hadn't been clear whose screams they were.
It sounded to them like something truly disturbing was happening in there.
They quickly decided that they could no longer wait patiently outside when Veyra and her Sisterhood could be wreaking havoc on their friends in the Trident room.
Lyrian refused to give in to Veyra again, no matter how dire the situation looked. After all, Anika and Primi had saved her life more than once.
The group quickly began the task of trying to get back inside, so far to no avail.
Whatever spell Nivara had used had been a powerful one, and the walls of this room seemed to be made of something impenetrable.
"This isn't working," Lyrian said in frustration, ceasing her attack on the wall.
The rest of the girls followed, their bodies starting to tire.
"I told you guys the structure of this temple was good," Nova said.
"I already knew this," Mickey pointed out.
They all gave him exasperated looks.
"We need to come up with another plan," Mia said, breathing heavily.
"Stand back, girls," Sire told them.
They all looked at him.
"My sword was forged by a wizard in my family. It can cut through almost anything."
"Well, why didn't you say that before, babe?" Diamond said, stepping back.
"I was waiting for a turn," Sire said pointedly.
Lyrian and the others also stepped back, though she personally doubted it would work since the five of them, using their raw power, couldn't get through the wall.
But since they were desperate, it couldn't hurt to try, she decided.
Sire came from behind them with the weapon and started hacking away at the vines with a grunt.
And it worked...
For a moment.
The vines quickly grew back.
He tried again, only for the same thing to happen.
"Damn, this seal is something," Sire said, half annoyed, half impressed.
"Well, we need to get through it, Sire. Who knows what's happening to Primi and Anika in there?" Seren said in an anxious tone.
"We know what's at stake, Seren. Thank you," Nova replied in frustration.
"I can try to recalibrate my blaster to produce a larger energy blast. Maybe that'll get through the wall," Mickey said.
Diamond sighed.
"Mickey, do what you have to do, as long as you do it quickly," she told him.
Mickey nodded and started fiddling with his gun.
The girls went back to trying to blast through the wall with individual attacks.
"Inferno Touch, "Mia said, arms out raised.
Even though it all seemed pointless, Lyrian waited for her turn to join in.
That was until she noticed Reone leaning against a diviner statue, his hands on his head and a tormented expression on his face.
She pursed her lips as she focused on him, immediately forgetting about needing to get through the wall.
"Reone, are you okay?" she asked softly, as she walked over to him.
He didn't even look at her.
He simply shook his head quietly, still looking haunted.
Lyrian stood in front of him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, truly concerned now.
"Reone, come on. Talk to me."
"This is all my fault," Reone said in a quiet voice laced with emotion and tears.
"What are you talking about?"
"Anika and Primi are in there because of me. I asked King Arnab to let them come with us, and I'm the one who left them in there with the Sisterhood."
Lyrian slowly shook her head, a gentle expression on her face.
"Reone, Veyra didn't give us a choice back there. And as for Anika and Primi, they're here because they wanted to be. None of this is your doing."
"Yes, it is. And now they're going to die, just like Varek. Then it'll be you, me, the guys, and everyone else in Ruminia."
At that, Lyrian placed a firm hand on his cheek, looking at him with a serious expression.
"Reone, calm down for a moment. None of those things will happen."
"But..."
"Haven't you learned anything from the whole Forest Jet disaster?" she asked him.
Reone fell silent, looking at her curiously.
"Don't lose faith, Reone," Lyrian told him. "We'll find a way out of this."
Reone looked down at the hand holding his.
"I don't want to lose you, Lyrian," he said in a scared, quiet voice. "I don't think I could handle it."
"You won't."
She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm never leaving you."
For a moment, they just looked at each other, feeling as though they were seeing into each other's souls for the first time.
"My blaster's ready!" Mickey's voice rang through the room.
They reluctantly tore their gazes away from each other and toward him.
Still standing close together, they watched as Mickey pointed his blaster at the seal.
The next moment, a deafening explosion shook the room, making them all stumble backward.
Dust exploded outward.
When it cleared, they saw that a hole had formed through Nivara's seal and part of the wall behind it.
"Whoa, Mickey. Did you do that?" Reone asked, coughing.
Mickey's expression turned bewildered.
Then he looked down at his blaster in awe.
He never thought he would create a blast that big.
But wait...
"I didn't even fire my blaster," he told everyone in a confused voice.
Lyrian's brows furrowed.
"Then what—"
She was cut off as, the next moment, Anika and Primi came rushing out through the large hole from the Trident room, quickly followed by terrified-looking Caelynn.
Lyrian and the others immediately rushed toward Anika and Primi.
"Guys, are you okay?" Lyrian asked.
"We're fine, but we need to get out of here immediately," Primi said in an urgent voice.
"Yeah," Anika said, breathing heavily. "Nivara killed Veyra over the Trident, but Damon is—"
She didn't get another chance to finish.
Another blast struck the wall, this time through an entirely different section.
They looked up to see Damon floating out through it, the Trident of Axis clutched in his hand.
His laughter sounded straight from Lyrian's nightmares.