Remi's hand found Killure's, intertwining with his fingers. He turned to her, surprised, but then his surprise melted away and revealed a hundred different emotions swimming in their stormy depths, just like snow melting away in the springtime to reveal everything beneath. Everything forgotten about, everything that had died, and everything new.

She could do no more than smile at him in return, willing all her emotions to convey themselves to him.

She had feelings for him. It had seemed so terrible and wrong and grotesque before when everything else mattered, but now, when her world was falling apart and so many people weren't who they said they were, everything she felt for Killure seemed just so right. In that moment, she didn't feel guilty when she looked at him and admired the fierceness inside his eyes, his lazy smile, churning stormy eyes, and the confidence that showed in every movement he made.

Remi closed her eyes, freezing him in that moment.

Shards of other memories flutter through her mind, all bleeding together. Memories she hadn't thought of in years and years, and most of which weren't overly significant or important.

Kareem's bouncy red curls and his goofy, toothy grin as he waddled up to her, holding an empty ink container in his hand, and a quill pen in another. He handed the pen and glass jar to her almost pridefully, then clasped his hands behind his back, turning to admire his artwork. Their father's brand new study was covered in the scrawls of a small child barely able to walk, but very capable of drawing random scribbles on the cream-coloured walls. This was only a year ago, and they'd repainted the study since.

Faye and Caede clasping hands and giggling as they ran ahead through the grassy green meadow, accented by beautiful flowers—maroon, teal, crimson, and cream. Their feet trampled down flowers and grass alike as they reached the pit of mud they often went to and swam in—as much as they could, at least. Remi was never invited, and they always said no when she asked them to take her with, so she had to sneak out of the house and trail silently behind them until they got to the mud pit. Once there, her four year old self sprung out from the pine trees and cannon-balled into the mud. Now Caede and Faye would have to play with her and take her with them! Otherwise, their aunt and father would be angry. She saw the annoyance on her cousin and sister's mud-covered faces slowly turn into resignation, and they waved her over to play with them.

Faye, Caede, and the mud pit faded away to reveal her father's face of soft edges and light stubble. He was younger than now. Tears were running out of his eyes, trailing down his cheeks, leaving tear stains as he pursed his lips sadly. Remi was standing on her own two feet, taking tentative steps forwards all by herself. Aunt Colleen was behind her father, tisking in annoyance at his eccentricity. He was wailing, going on and on about how his baby was growing up way too fast, and that soon she would be married and out of the house, putting herself in harm's way. He'd purposefully refrained from teaching her how to walk on her feet so that she would need his help getting around forever. However, Remi had seen everyone else walking on their two feet and had been practicing herself, not wanting to be left out of something that seemed so important.

Large hands grabbing her tiny waist and tossing her up in the air until she felt like she was flying, free as a bird, before catching her and tickling her belly until she was laughing so hard that she couldn't breath. Looking up into Falkor's face and seeing his curly strawberry hair dangling across his forehead, and a set of dimples accenting his wide smile. Her older brother always took time out of his day to play with her as a child. Riding on his back or his shoulders, playing in the sand of the beach, collecting pine cones, chasing squirrels—anything she set her mind to do, Falkor would do it with her without complaint. He'd been gone for a few years now, due to business on another island, and Remi would never get to see him again. The thought made her chest ache painfully.

As soon as the memories came, they left, saying their final goodbyes before fading into oblivion, never to be seen again.

Remi tried to reach out and grasp them one last time, willing them to stay with her forever, but they slipped through her fingers and disappeared without looking back.

Remi inhaled one last time, tasting everything the draft of wind carried with it—the aroma of freshly baked goods, the scent of pine needles and pine trees, and the subtle hint of flowers. Then she exhaled for the last time, expelling all the air from her lungs.

———

"No more," a startlingly familiar voice hissed from in front of Remi. She flung open her eyes, and her jaw fell upon seeing the slim back of her father, his shoulders shaking against the strain of her uncle's power.

Killure wrapped a muscular arm around her waist and yanked her back and out of the way.

Remi stood frozen in shock, her jaw sagging slightly as she watched her father and his light blue energy exchange blows with her uncle and his dark energy. Somehow, her father was holding his own, and was even burning away some of Uncle Fahrem's darkness.

And yet, both were obviously holding back a lot of their power.

"What are you doing, Levi?" Uncle Fahrem growled angrily. "This wasn't the plan! We don't have time for this, you idiot!"

"Killing my daughter and the man who saved her life also wasn't part of the plan," Levi hissed back. The energy on his right arm began expanding and growing in the shape of his arm, only magnified, until his arm easily dwarfed the rest of his body and looked like it could belong to a giant—if they were real. Lightning fast, Levi swung his arm at Fahrem in a startling light blue blur of motion.

Fahrem put up a thick shield, but the force of his brother's blow was immense, and Fahrem immediately began sliding backwards, until his shield broke away completely and he went sailing backwards into the house. He left a man-sized hole in the wall of the house, sailing straight through to the inside.

Levi stood, body tense. "Dad is coming. Get it through your thick head that this place doesn't matter. None of it does. Why rule down here when you could rule up there? I'm with him on this one."

Remi watched on in awe. Never in a million years would she guess that her father would stand up for her against her uncle. Her uncle was always telling her father what to do, and her father never once disobeyed. Never. Not once.

Until now.

Seconds later, the roof of their house shattered, splinters flying everywhere and sailing through the air like tiny, sharp missiles.

Remi's heart seemed to stop beating.

Her uncle had burst through the roof and was now flying. He had formed gigantic black wings using his dark energy, and he looked like a bloodthirsty demon from hell, bent on wreaking havoc and carnage. "I can't believe you. You . . . you imbecile! There's nothing up there! You're throwing away a chance to help rule something concrete, something we know is real, to go out on a whim that is bound to get your and our father killed."

Fahrem looked down at his brother in disgust for a moment, before folding his wings to his side and doing an impossibly fast nose dive at them. He was moving so fast that Remi couldn't even see him.

Levi created a gigantic sword out of his energy instantly, and now swung it at his brother without mercy.

Fahrem got out of the way just in time, and soon the brothers leapt high into the air, exchanging blows so swift that Remi couldn't even see what was going on. All she could see were streaks of black and blue darting across the sky.

It would have been mesmerizing, truly, if only Remi wasn't so fearful for her father's well-being. He could die up there! Uncle Fahrem was a force of nature. And after already losing some of her family today, Remi didn't want to lose anymore. She just couldn't lose any more. Unless, of course, it was her uncle. No loss there.

"We need to leave, now," Killure stated clearly, urgency clouding his voice.

Remi turned to him in surprise; she'd forgotten he was still there. Shaking her head, she replied, "I can't leave without knowing my father is safe."

"Your uncle won't kill him."

Remi eyed him skeptically. "How can you be so sure?"

Killure's stormy eyes betrayed no lie as he gently took her arm with his clawed hand. "Because your father is stronger than your uncle, and your uncle needs him for whatever twisted plan he has."

Remi glanced back up at the sky, where black and blue were still dancing and flashing at impossibly fast speeds. She hesitantly took a step towards Killure. "O—"

A loud rumble shook the ground at Remi's feet, like a small earthquake. She stumbled, and would have fallen over had not Killure snatched her by the waist and pulled her into his arms, steadying her.

Trees swayed unsteadily, and leaves fluttered to the ground in hundreds. Birds flew away into the sky in a panicked burst of screeches.

Remi whipped her head around, wide eyed. What new horror had arisen now?

———

A/N: What'd you guys think? There was a lot going on in this chapter. Also, if you didn't understand what Fahrem and Levi were talking about, don't worry!! You'll figure it out soon enough hahah. Anyways, votes and comments are always appreciated. And your support means the world to me. We are almost at 18,000 views😊