THRIVE: Book One

Chapter 113- Mortality

Murder Song(5,4,3,2,1) Acoustic- AURORA

"What's going on?" Dante asks as he nervously looks across all of our faces. I can hardly look at his face as I take both of his hands, squeezing them tightly as I try to hold back the tears.

"We're going to end this, and that's what matters." I explain, trying to steady my voice "I'm going to stay back and finish the process on my own." I say as I look solemnly at Mahina. She sighs as she stares down at Gael, the anger and sadness rising within her begin fighting amongst themselves.

"This can't be the only way," she states as she clenches her fist, the energy begins to build and glow red. Elias backs away nervously as he watches Scara and Eliana glare at Gael, holding back from attacking him.

"What the hell aren't you telling us?" Elias asks worriedly. Valentina looks at him and sighs as she steps forward.

"Gael did something despicable." she begins solemnly "We didn't know that it was possible, but he... he..." she tries, but suddenly the words can't come out.

"He what?" Dante asks, darting his glance back to me "Nika, what did he do?" he pleads. I try to stay strong, not for myself, but for everyone else.

"I can't leave this place without his consent." I sigh as the tears slowly stream down my cheek. Suddenly, he becomes pale as he stares into my eyes.

"That's not possible, even with all of his power, he can't just trap you in here?" he begins to ask nervously "Hina, if we disconnect her from the outside, she'll be fine, right?" he asks frantically. Mahina looks at him with sympathy as she shakes her head.

"Her soul is tethered here now, if we unlink her body, it will die in an instant," she explains painfully.

"What the hell?" Elias suddenly shouts as he runs to Hina, grabbing her shoulders "You're a master at this sort of thing, can't you just break his seal from here?" he asks, but she quickly brushed him off and takes a step back.

"Normally, yes, but I hate to admit that he's stronger than I am." she sighs as she looks down at Gael.

"You're all speaking like that's the only option," Gael states weakly "You do know that I can still let her go if you all simply agree to release me," he explains. Without hesitation, Scara steps on his thigh, and suddenly I can hear his skin sizzle beneath the embers she admitted.

"Why don't you let her go first then?" she asks angrily as she presses down harder.

"Do you think that I'm an idiot?" he winces "We both know exactly what will happen if I do," he explains as he becomes tenser in pain.

"Worth a shot," Scara says as she steps off.

"That's enough." I state as I make my way to Gael "I don't care what it takes, this is it." I say as I begin to kneel down, studying the scar on the side of his neck.

"You would really sacrifice yourself just to kill me?" Gael asks, sounding pleased with himself "I have to admire that fighting spirit of yours. You know that's what originally drew me to you, Hexa." he smiles.

"I get told that a lot." I say calmly as I look over his burns "If this is what it takes to protect my family, I'll do it." I explains.

"No, no way in hell am I going to let you do this." Dante states angrily "We can let him go now and find another way later." he suggests as he pulls me to my feet.

"After all that, we can't just give up now." Eliana says as she grumbles in frustration "We just have to find a way to get her out, then everything will be fine." She tries to convince herself.