"What did you do this time, Yosuke?" I mouthed, narrowing my eyes.
"We need every bit of help we can get, milady," Ryuu's voice echoed in my mind with a sense of urgency.
"By killing me if your plan fails? Great plan. Truly inspiring," I deadpanned, rubbing my temples.
"Listen, milady," Kurama cut in, his tone grave. "Carter told us that Adonis and Aiden are planning to offer you to whoever-it-may-be if they fail to seal Zeke back inside you on the night of the Blood Moon. And—well—there's a sixty percent chance of failure."
"Sixty?!" I choked. "You could've at least sugarcoated it!"
"You want me to lie? Fine. There’s a tiny chance it’ll work. Happy?" Kurama quipped. "But here’s the real problem: Chaos is inside you, and the last descendant's curse is already circling its soul. This makes sealing Zeke even harder. If the attempt fails… well, let’s just say your funeral will be the event of the century. And we can’t let that happen, so we have to break you out of there by hook or by crook."
I grimaced and whispered, "Don't you guys realize that escaping this place is more life-threatening than them trying to seal Zeke back in me?"
"Don't you trust us?" Lee's voice echoed in a dramatic tone, like some tragic hero. "We will help you, even if it means sacrificing our lives, milady."
"Wow, that’s not concerning at all," I muttered. "The way you make it sound, I feel so much better now."
"There are still twenty-one nights before the Blood Moon," he continued, ignoring my sarcasm. "We have two options: If the gods still allow you to tame the last descendant, there’s a chance you’ll complete your task smoothly. But if they don’t and the sealing fails, we move to Plan B."
"Charlotte will fill you in on the details later," Yosuke added before his voice faded into nothingness, leaving me alone with a swirling mess of thoughts.
I sighed heavily. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about either option, but escaping before being served up on a silver platter to Cronus sounded slightly better than sitting around doing nothing.
But… if they couldn't seal Zeke back inside me, I might end up becoming the Discordia Anthony warned me about.
I ran both hands down my face in frustration. Maybe I should just vanish and save everyone the trouble.
I was about to stand and leave when a guy walked into the canteen. I recognized him immediately.
A wind god. The one who brings winter to humankind. The one who looks exactly like Kevin.
Cue the chaos.
The cursed tamers went feral the moment he walked past them, flashing a smile that could probably melt glaciers.
Oh—yeah. I forgot to mention that aside from his disgustingly perfect face, the guy had an infuriating habit of wearing outfits that were this close to exposing his entire goddamn upper body. Just like Kevin.
The squeals reached an ear-splitting level the moment he stopped in front of me and smiled.
Okay. He also had Kevin’s infuriating charm. Great.
"Greetings to you, milady," he beamed, lifting my right hand and planting a kiss on it.
"Wow. That was smooth," I snorted, yanking my hand back. "Too bad it doesn’t work on me."
I stood up and walked past him, fully expecting him to let me go.
He didn’t.
Because of course he didn’t.
The moment I turned the corner into the empty hall, he grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.
"WHAT?!" I hissed.
"Please, just listen first! My goodness, you made me sweat!" he whined dramatically, wiping his forehead.
"If you weren’t half a dumbass, you could’ve hovered in the air instead of running," I shot back.
He smirked. "Aww, I’m touched by your concern!"
"Forget it! I have actual problems to deal with, so for the love of all things holy, leave me alone!" I groaned, attempting to pull my arm free.
"You’re planning to escape, aren’t you?" he asked casually.
I stiffened. "That’s none of your business."
"I heard your plan from Charlotte," he admitted. "And you know how much I care for your mother."
I raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"The gods had a meeting in the Spirit Realm last night about you and the last descendant," he continued. "Luckily, I overheard it."
I folded my arms. "And?"
"The last descendant has been sealed in a deep sleep by Jeremiah, the god of slumber, to prevent him from escaping the other dimension. His power is being compared to that of the late god, Cronus. If he wakes up, it could mean another war."
"Oh, fantastic. Another thing to worry about," I muttered.
"And you, Tabitha, are the only one capable of stopping him using the traits of Chaos passed down to you," he pressed on. "Their plan is to seal both Zeke’s and Lelith’s power inside you before they let you tame the last descendant. If they don’t, you and the last descendant might end up splitting the universe in half."
I blinked. "You lost me halfway through."
He exhaled heavily. "Let me put it this way: If Lelith’s power is sealed inside you, she’ll become a mortal. A human."
My breath hitched. "So she’ll—"
"Yes," he confirmed. "Only Carter and Lelith possess the power of love strong enough to make such a sacrifice. And no mother would willingly send her own child to their death."
A pang of guilt shot through me.
All these years, I resented Lelith for abandoning me. I never saw the sacrifices she made for the greater good.
Why did she alter my memories? Why did she let me carry this burden of hatred for so long? If I already had Chaos’s resentment inside me, why add more to it?
"From the look on your face, you’re wondering why Lelith kept everything from you, right?" Zachary placed a hand on my shoulder, his expression softer.
I swallowed. "I—"
"You’ll find your answers along the way," he smiled.
I studied his face for a moment.
"What was your name again?"
He grimaced. "I-It’s Zachary."