Yet look how far she has come. She is simply radiant now and only looks upon that wall of darkness with a smirk on her face. She has faced far worse, like the Void, and our late uncle.
Alice shivers, standing behind Madoc. He protects her with his arm, and I shake my head. He’s such a softie.
Nero smirks along with Belle, peering down at her, and there’s no denying the love that sparks inside his violet eyes. I’m happy for him. He’s been glum for far too long.
“I bet that murk has nothing on the Void now,” he says to our mate and queen.
Her smirk stretches, and fuck does she look sexy when she makes that shit-eating grin. “You bet your ass.”
They’re both right. While still dark, the murk doesn’t even hold a candle to the infinite darkness of the Void. It’s more of a darkish brown than black, like two-day-old dishwater. Yet the Void is just that. Black.
Enzo sighs, peering back at all five of us. His gaze falls momentarily on Alice. “Well, are you all ready to return?”
Each of us nods, affirming our answer, and our unwitting leader takes the lead. He vanishes first, then Nero and I step in second. Madoc and Belle stand on either side of Alice, giving her a few moments. The teen takes a deep breath and finally, she steps inside.
The air is breathable in the murk. So she has nothing to worry about.
Belle pulls out her sword and channels her power, and the steel burns to life. It helps, but not by a large margin. While I can see a lot better than the average human, it’s still a little murky. Belle said this was the hardest part of her journey. It was the fear of the unknown, the wandering, and the waiting for the murk to finally end. When she first stepped out of her father’s gateway, this was where she ended up, and she said it seemed to go on for days, weeks. It was hard for her to keep track of time.
I still can’t believe she faced this alone. Most humans would have crumbled here. Then if they’re lucky enough to make their way out, they end up in the wraith forest facing off all their worst fears.
Hopefully, when we’re done here, no human will have to fall victim to the Abyss again. While as a monster, it was always in my nature to be indifferent. But I was no different from those wraiths in the end.
I, too, exploited the fear of humans. But unlike them, I’m not some mindless being.
Truth be told, I don’t think I want to exploit their fears anymore. Gustave had been the last straw. Having to peer into his mind and see the world through his eyes had been too much, even for a stone-cold monster like me, and I know Madoc is feeling the same way too. He has taken it upon himself to save humans now. He has even adopted Alice.
His main emotion was lust. Whereas Enzo’s was pride. Nero’s was envy.
I truly am the most despicable of all my brothers. Maybe I just need to find a new emotion to exploit. One that benefits the human.
Belle moves the sword around, taking the lead ahead of Enzo. Alice remains near the back with Madoc. I can sense that the kid hates having her back exposed, so I take the rear of our group and spread my wing, and the small smile she sends my way makes my chest feel fuzzy.
She really is a sweet kid.
What the hell is happening to me?
I hope her time in the Abyss has toughened her up, and now she can face her tormentors with pride. I could teach her a thing or two about fear and how to conquer it.
It’s okay to be scared, but it’s more impressive when one faces them.
I think I just finally realized my new purpose.
Belle draws a breath and we all look up.
“We’re here.”
That soon? How does she know? She said she had been walking through this murk for weeks, but we haven’t even been in here an hour. Could it be possible that she was just walking in circles? I mean, she had nothing to go off, no signposts, and I grit my teeth.
This stupid murk. It had tricked her into making her think she was lost, but she got the better of it in the end. Just like she did the wraiths, the Void, my uncle, and every other creature she faced here.
The murk is a living thing in its own right, just like the Void was. It’s breathing, feeding off the human’s emotions, and I ball my fists, wishing that we could expel it somehow.
But what would be the point? We’ve arrived at our destination, and besides... this murk serves as a bridge between the human world and the Abyss. A buffer zone, if you will.
We follow Belle’s line of sight, and we all finally see it. A doorway glowing in the distance
It’s nothing but a square of light as it gleams through the murk. I squirm uncomfortably, and I know my brothers feel the same.