Chapter Twenty Four

The world blurred, smudged with smoke and salt. My eyelids fluttered, too heavy to keep open, but I forced myself to focus. The sharp scent of the ocean filled my nose, mixed with the acrid stink of fire and blood.

Then I saw him.

Rynar.

His silver glow sliced through the dark, a beacon of something ancient and deadly. His tail shimmered in the moonlight, the scales catching and reflecting every glimmer. The sight of him should have terrified me, but instead, something inside me uncoiled.

He was here. And he was furious.

The water lapped at his waist, but with each step, his tail shifted. The sleek, sinuous form shimmered, dissolving into powerful legs. The transition was seamless, otherworldly. When he stepped onto the sand, he stood tall and unyielding, the ocean dripping from his skin like it had no claim on him anymore.

The villagers shrank back, their faces pale with fear. Their eyes darted around like trapped animals, searching for an escape that didn’t exist. The fire behind them crackled and roared, casting shadows that danced.

I tried to push myself up, but my body refused. Pain held me captive, anchored to the cold sand., Each breath sharp and shallow. My vision swam, slipping in and out of focus. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I didn’t need to see clearly to know what was happening.

Their screams told me everything.

The villagers’ cries rose into the night, raw and panicked. Footsteps pounded on the sand. Bodies shoved and tripped over each other, desperation turning them into animals. I heard the thud of someone falling, the wet slap of flesh hitting the ground.

Rynar’s voice cut through the chaos, like a sharp blade. “You dared to hurt what is mine.”

A wave of power rippled through the air. It pushed against my skin, the pressure building until it felt like my bones might crack. The villagers’ screams grew sharper, edged with terror.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, my mind a haze of pain and fury. The world tilted, my cheek pressed against the cold, damp sand. Through the blur, I saw his silver feet step closer. The glow pulsed like a heartbeat.

His claws brushed my neck, light as a whisper. I felt the pearls lift away, the weight of them vanishing. His voice wrapped around me. “These pearls make you human. Without them, you are mine. The Abyss’s.”

Warmth flooded through me, a rush of heat and light that chased away the pain. My ribs knit together, the ache in my stomach fading. My vision sharpened, the world snapping into cruel, clear focus. I sucked in a deep breath, the air sharp and cold in my lungs.

I was alive.

Tanya’s scream tore through the night, a sound so raw it almost made me pity her. Almost.

I pushed myself up, my limbs trembling but steady. Beside me, Amanda gasped, her eyes flying open as if startled back to life. She touched her chest, fingers brushing over the torn, blood-stained fabric. Confusion twisted her features, then relief. She was alive too.

Amanda’s gaze darted to her mother, who had fallen to her knees. Tanya’s eyes brimmed with disbelief, her face streaked with tears.

Rynar’s dark eyes settled on the cowering villagers. His glow dimmed, replaced by a cold, deadly stillness. The air felt heavy, like the whole world was holding its breath.

“You offered innocents to the Abyss,” he said, his voice calm and terrifying. “You masked your fear with rituals and lies. You let them suffer. You let them bleed. And now, you ask for mercy.”

Tanya’s body shook. She clutched the sand like it could hold her up. “Please,” she whispered, her voice cracked. “Please, have mercy.”

Rynar tilted his head, the movement slow and deliberate. “Mercy? You gave none to those you sacrificed.” His eyes narrowed, a storm brewing in their depths. “You thought you could kill my love. You thought you could destroy what belongs to me.”

Without warning, his claws closed around Tanya’s waist. She screamed, her hands scrabbling at his grip, her feet kicking wildly. Her eyes met mine, wide and pleading. But there was no saving her. Not this time.

Rynar’s grip tightened.

With one smooth motion, he ripped her apart.

The sound was a sickening crack, followed by a wet tear. Her body split in two, blood spraying across the sand. One half crumpled near the burning wreckage, the other flung farther, landing with a lifeless thud.

Amanda’s scream pierced the night, a sound so full of grief it made my chest ache. She collapsed to her knees, her shoulders shaking, tears streaming down her face.

“She was wicked,” Amanda choked out, her voice trembling, “but she was my mother.”

I crawled to her side, wrapping my arms around her. Her sobs soaked into my shoulder, her body trembling under the impact of everything she’d lost. I held her tight, my own tears slipping down my cheeks.

“I have nothing left,” she whispered. “Nothing to live for. Kill me, Abyss. Please.”

Her words sliced through me. I pulled back, cupping her face in my hands. Her eyes, hollow and red, searched mine for answers I didn’t have.

“No,” I said softly. “You still have a life to live.”

I reached for the pearls in my palm, their glow faint but steady. I lifted Amanda’s trembling hand and pressed the pearls into her palm. The warmth seeped between our fingers, a fragile promise.

“These will let you walk in the sun,” I said. “You don’t have to hide anymore.”

Her eyes widened, fresh tears spilling over. “But… What about you?”

I tried to smile, but it felt hollow. “I don’t know.”

When we finally let go, I stood up, my legs weak but holding.

Rynar waited, standing at the water’s edge. The wind tugged at his dark form, the waves licking at his feet like they were calling him home.

His eyes found mine, endless and filled with something that made my throat tighten, hope, fear, love. A love that burned deep, but not deep enough to erase the shadows between us.

My steps were slow, like trudging through ice. Each one dragged me further from the wreckage behind me and closer to the wreckage inside me. The part that wanted him. The part that hated him. The part that didn’t know if I could ever forgive him or if I even wanted to try.

He stood there, still as stone. His claws trembled at his sides, his breath ragged, like he was bracing for a blow that would shatter him completely.

The wind howled between us, but neither of us moved. We were only feet apart, like an abyss stretched between us. An abyss too deep to cross. My chest ached, my ribs tight around a storm of grief, rage, and something else I couldn’t name. Something sharp and fragile.

His voice broke the silence, low and raw. “I let them go.”

My stomach twisted. “What?”

“The souls,” he rasped. “The ones I kept. The ones I trapped.” His eyes shimmered, silver tears welling up and spilling over, streaking his face like molten metal. “I released them before I came here.”

The words hung between us, brittle and cold. My heart pounded, each beat a hammer against my ribs. “Why?”

He swallowed hard, his throat working around the answer. “Because I was never meant to hold them. I thought their suffering made me stronger. I thought keeping them would fill the void inside me.” He shook his head, his voice cracking. “But it only made me hollow. A prison of my own making.”

His claws curled into his palms, his knuckles pale against his dark skin. “I was wrong. I was blind. And that blindness cost me everything. Cost you everything.”

I couldn’t breathe. The air stuck in my throat, burning like acid. My fists clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms. “You kept them. You trapped them, just like you trapped me.”

“Yes,” he whispered. The word was a confession, a blade slipping between my ribs. “I did.”

The rage inside me flared, hot and blinding. “And now you want what? Redemption? Forgiveness?”

His head bowed, his shoulders shaking. “No. I want nothing. I deserve nothing. I deserve to be forgotten. To be left in the dark, alone.”

He fell to his knees, the wet sand swallowing him up to his shins. The great Devourer, brought low. But it didn’t feel like justice. It didn’t feel like enough.

His claws dipped into the cold water, trembling. He lifted my foot, cradling it as though it might shatter. His breath came in short, broken gasps. “I don’t deserve to be worshipped,” he choked out, his voice ragged. “I deserve to rot. But you , you deserve worship. You deserve everything I thought I could take.”

He bowed his head lower, his lips brushing the top of my foot. The touch was barely there, a whisper of warmth against my frozen skin. “I want to be the one who kneels for you. Forever. If you let me.”

Tears burned down my cheeks. My chest cracked open, the pain too big to hold. “You think this makes it better?” My voice shook with fury, with the grief trying to claw its way out. “You think kneeling here, now, fixes what you did to me?”

“No.” He looked up, his abyssal eyes hollow and stripped bare. “Nothing can fix it. Nothing can erase it. But I will tear myself apart trying. I will kneel in the dark, in the cold, for eternity if that’s what it takes to give you back even a piece of what I stole.”

I sank to my knees, the cold water biting into my skin. I lifted his face, my fingers trembling against his jaw.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” I whispered, the words shattering inside me. “But I can’t keep carrying this hate. It’s killing me.”

A strangled sound escaped him, raw and broken, part sob, part breath. “Then let me carry it. Let me bear it for both of us.”

I closed my eyes, the tears slipping down. “I want to hate you. I want to hate you forever.”

His breath trembled. “I know.”

"I can't," I rasped. "Even after everything, there's still a part of me that... wants you. And it's wrong. It shouldn't feel this way."

He rested his forehead against mine. His claws brushed my cheeks, gently wiping my tears. Each touch hurt in a way I couldn’t explain. His voice was soft but firm. "I'll wait. As long as you need. I'll wait until it feels right for you."

The waves crashed and the wind howled around us, but between us, there was warmth. Small, fragile, but there. I looked at him, really looked at him. I loved him. Twisted and wrong as it was, but I did love him.

I let out a slow breath.

"Take me home," I said quietly.

He stared into my eyes, and for a moment, his face was unreadable. Then came the shock, clear and raw, followed by something softer—happiness. Without a word, he pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. The waves surged around us, rising high and pulling us under. His light surrounded me unshaken by the chaos. The darkness beyond stretched endlessly, waiting.

But this time, I wasn’t falling alone. He was with me.