Seraphine

“We need to get everyone out,” Jayden said, desperation causing his voice to crack. The crowd was silent; everyone was staring into the dark night, not seeing what was headed toward them.

“It’s too late for that,” I said. If Michael had been able to get everyone out when he tried, they might have stood a chance. Now our only hope was Jayden. The beast came another step closer; crushing a couple houses in its wake. The light from the festival illuminated the destructive paw, revealing dark fur and long claws. The beast lowered its head, the tip of its mouth coming into the light. Saliva and blood dripped from its fangs as it sniffed the nearby air, searching for its next meal. The crowd erupted into shrieks of terror as the guests ran in every possible direction. Jayden’s bodyguard came into the circle, speaking to his charge.

“Joe, I know it isn’t safe but I need to stay and see what I can do,” Jayden said to his guard. Screams echoed in my mind as people were caught by the Tamani, torn apart and eaten.

“Joe, is it?” I asked, stepping closer to Jayden and his bodyguard. He nodded, looking me over. “Joe. Do you think you could try to get people out of the village, or into the Sanctuary? We can try to distract it while you do.” Joe looked at Jayden cautiously, obviously not wanting to leave his charge unprotected. Finally, he nodded and ran off into the crowd. I looked around briefly for Michael, hoping he was somewhere safe.

“You should go too,” Jayden said to me, his gaze focused on the Tamani.

“No. I would rather die to that thing than watch it kill any more people.” Well, maybe I wouldn’t mind seeing it kill a couple people—Hector and Ty. I shook the thoughts from my head.

“So what’s the plan?”

“Can you do anything to it? Slow it down, or something?”

“I can try,” he said before breaking into a run towards the beast. I followed close behind, not sure what exactly I was going to contribute. My side burned where my ribs were still broken--surely this wasn’t going to help their healing process.

We approached the beast and Jayden raised his left hand to it. I could see the Uniflux outlined in the back of his hand, glowing brightly. Jayden closed his eyes and the beast slowed slightly, allowing enough time for its next victim to run away. One life saved, at least. He looked like a hero from a story book, with his dark hair and coat flapping in the wind behind him as his hand glowed a bright golden color. Jayden held the beast for a couple more seconds before dropping his hand and stumbling back. Behind us, Joe was ushering people out of the village, but half of the crowd was already dead—either eaten by the beast or lying in pieces where they were killed. The beast turned its attention to Jayden, who raised his hand again and slowed the beast once more.

“Seraphine, I can’t hold it much longer!” He shouted over the screams of terror.

“Back up, we need to hold it off long enough for the people to get out!” How were we going to do that, though? Everyone was on foot; any horses that were here were long since killed or scared off. The light from Jayden’s palm was dimming, he was obviously going to lose control of the beast soon. Instinctively, I ran to his side and placed my hands on his shoulders, trying to focus my power into him. Even though I couldn’t use them myself, perhaps I could be a conduit of sorts. The light returned to his palm and the beast slowed again.

“Even if we can hold it, nobody will get out alive! Eventually we’ll lose control of it again, and it will kill everyone!” Jayden shouted. I closed my eyes. He was right, of course. Unless we could kill or trap the thing, it was going to slaughter everyone. I could feel his power waning once more, despite my best efforts to lend him my strength. What’s more, I could feel my own vitality being drained along with his, probably a side-effect of excessively controlling time.

The light from Jayden’s hand dissipated and we both fell as the beast resumed its full speed once again. I watched in horror as the beast wrapped its jaws around Jayden, who had fallen unconscious. The darkness was closing in, though, as my consciousness slipped away.

I was in Elysium’s glass castle again, but the walls were cracking and shattering all around me. I had searched for Elysium in my mind for days, but never found her. Now here she was, right in front of me, her glass prison apparently untouched by the chaos around it.

“Seraphine, quickly,” she said, her voice urgent.

“Why am I here? I need to help Jayden.”

“Usarium has protected itself, Seraphine. Time has stopped, but it won’t last for long.”

“What do you want me to do? You aren’t real, you’re a figment of my imagination.”

“If I was in your imagination, how would I know that time had stopped, even when you didn’t know?” She had a point. If she was created solely by my mind, she couldn’t know anything that I didn’t. Her hand was still on the glass, revealing the thin crack in the wall. I stepped forward and reached out, the walls and floors crumbling around me. I had to make it this time. I couldn’t hesitate.

My fingertip touched the glass, and the wall shattered. Elysium smiled at me, her face changing into my own. I felt my veins ignite as though they were on fire as Elysium slowly dissipated into starlight.

I opened my eyes and raised my hand as time resumed. I could feel the Tamani’s life force, and it was under my control. Anger boiled up in me as the beast raised its head, lifting Jayden higher into the air.

“Stop,” I commanded. The beast froze in place. I felt the power surging through me, a wildfire in my veins. “Release.” Jayden fell from the beast’s mouth, crying out in pain as he hit the ground. “Die,” I commanded. The beast’s pupils contracted and it roared as it fell to the ground.

But it wasn’t over. I could feel everyone’s anger, everyone’s hatred and fear all around me, echoing throughout my lifetime. I could feel their hatred they had harbored for me for so long. All of their emotions mixed with my own fear and pain, and it was too much. My head felt like it was going to explode. I stumbled and cried out, holding my head.

The power was too much for me to control; it was burning me from the inside out just like Maya said it would. Suddenly I could feel nothing but anger. I could sense nothing, only the life forces of those around me. I turned and walked toward the crowd, who had stopped their panicked escapes.

“You are the demons who covet this power,” I spoke to the crowd of people, my voice echoing among the stars. “You are the source of this vessel’s pain, of her anguish.” I could feel their spirits flicker with fear. “I will rid the stars of your presence, as you wished to remove the vessel from existence.” I walked forward, each person falling to their knees as I passed.