Chapter 16

16

A rryn | Myrilosis | Late 1900s

Arryn's blood simmered; the boiling had cooled as they entered the elevated cold air. The wings of all four kinnari looked closer to a group of pterodactyls with war paint than anything else; large, threatening.

He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but there was something about Amis that he didn't trust. It wasn't that he killed newborn infants despite fathering them, that didn't seem to phase him at all. It wasn't his constant chatter about balancing magic. It had more to do with how his eyes shined when he heard Allienna was pregnant. Arryn's possessiveness gripped hard when he couldn't quite place the reaction.

Mine. She's mine.

A grim look rested on Reign and Djoser's faces anytime he could make eye contact with them in flight. He was confident that he wasn't wrong on this. Every burning sensation under his skin pushed him to keep going, though the expressions the others wore didn't seem as sure.

None of the originals could be wiped out. Arryn just couldn't allow it. They were his family; they all belonged to him, too. He couldn't protect them during the first Vrae attack. He who had this special ability, this magic that couldn't be matched, couldn't do much more than freeze. He could only create childish things, unnatural creatures, things that oftentimes brought more danger than comfort. He wouldn't fail here, he wouldn't lose his love or his best friend. He would fight until he was utterly broken, since that's all that he would be without either one of them.

The four kinnari landed on their familiar mountain peak, the snow crunching under the weight of their bodies while they made their way back inside the temple. Everyone had left them. Every single one of these Kinnari had left him and Allienna there by themselves, with little to no explanation other than the need to discover themselves. To grow. They were all selfish bastards. They didn't know what it was to be a family.

"I will still take care of you all," he mouthed, no sound escaping his lips.

Arryn didn't get to grow. Arryn anchored the rage inside of himself as he gripped the fact that his existence didn't belong to him. It belonged to the entire realm.

But she belongs to me. She's mine, only mine.

Tension eased from his shoulders as he walked inside, through the wide stone floor hallway, and saw Allienna standing near the communal table. His pulse raced as he took in her beauty, only paralleled by constellations or the awe of a pink, vibrant sunset. He imagined her touch, her skin against his, the euphoria from her magic pulling him in and giving him his sweet, deserved relief.

"There they are," Allienna said by way of greeting.

The two redheaded females that had gone briefly unnoticed stood up from their seats. Allienna walked up, arms open wide in welcome, and Arryn accepted her touch, her fingers caressing the back of his neck as they embraced. The pleasure and level-headedness filled his body as his rage and pain seeped into hers. It was like breathing for the first time after being stuck in a sinking car. Arryn melted in her arms.

"I can't say it's a pleasure to see you, you . . . old . . . ugly thing." Roksana's low, devilish voice filled the room, and Arryn looked up to see a smiling Amis rising to the female's challenge.

"When balance and instability reunite . . ." Amis growled, putting his hands on Roksana's hips and pulling her towards him. Roksana dropped Precession's arm and left her twin sister to stumble.

"I can't say that I've ever recalled a time that you left your sister's side," Arryn murmured to the twin, who seductively curved her body into Amis. The lust was palpable, and Arryn found himself suddenly quite thankful that both Amis and Roksana left the temple permanently before growing into sexual maturity. A faint blanket of passion covered the room, Roksana's magic elevating everyone's dominant emotion in the temple. It turned out it had been a while for most of them. Everyone but Amis and Roksana looked down awkwardly at their feet.

Arryn, looking for something else to focus on, could feel the haze of power being pulled from Precession. She always was tethering the moon to the Earth. The rotation from night to day, the tides, and the position of the realm's axis were all dependent on this frail body which was supported and cared for by her chaotic and unpredictable sister.

"I could see that you would be ready for our support. You would have an irrational moment and enter Mrilyosis , with demands to confront our creators," Precession said in her airy, breathy voice.

"Judged even by the best of us," Allienna turned to Arryn and teased.

"How are you? Both of you?" Arryn laid his eyes back on his love; his hand caressed her brow and then slipped down to her stomach. A slight hardness existed where it was soft before.

Allienna balanced on her tiptoes to caress her lips against his and smiled assuredly as she pulled away. "We are good."

Arryn felt a sudden emptiness as Reign tugged and pulled Allienna away, breaking the skin contact. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting for the burning under his skin to return.

"You are not coming with us. I'm sure Arryn will agree," Reign said as Allienna fought against her magic before conceding. Her feet suddenly seemed stuck to the floor.

"What if they kill you right there? What if they are just waiting for you to bow before them like a berated child? I can't lose you. This baby needs its godmother." Allienna smiled, her eyes big and watery.

"If it takes some focus off of you and this miracle child, then I will die one thousand times," Reign said, throwing her arms around her best friend.

"Enough with the dramatics," Djoser scolded, tucked in the corner. "Let's fucking get this over with."

Arryn strutted forward into the center of the room, head held high. He slowly turned, making eye contact with his clan and nodding in approval, signaling all to go through the hallway and the opposite door into Mrilyosis . They had no backup, there was not a Waihema army as he had hoped. It was all on him, now. Arryn would solely have to take responsibility for them all. He would not fail.

He watched Reign, Amis, Djoser, Precession, and Roksana walk ahead, ready to put their lives on the line. Arryn took one last meaningful glance at Allienna, who was still rooted to where she stood, before following the others. He stepped through the portal door and sank into the snow.

The others had their wings out and walked down the peak on high alert. Arryn looked around at the quiet carbon copy of Earth. This place haunted him. He wasn't welcomed there, where he threw his magical creations in hopes that they would die out naturally. He knew that they didn't. He knew that whole cities formed and intelligent life blossomed, hating him, wishing for his demise.

You will not fail.

Arryn stopped moving, letting his feet sink into the hard snow while the others continued to trail in front of him.

"We are here," he whispered into the soft breeze, his eyes up toward the sky. Reign turned around, noticing his tactic, and looked up, tugging on the others to join.

"Is no one else here sick of all this snow?" Djoser complained.

Arryn felt the fire light under his skin from his irritation. This was his snow. He poured his power and heat into the storms, creating a sea of white and ice.

"Please go back to Egypt, Djoser," Roksana jumped in, her body underneath Precession's right arm, helping to support her weight as they continued moving downward.

"You don't even know where you are going," Reign said at their backs.

"Karmakara," Precession whispered. The breeze picked up the name she uttered and carried it to the mountain peak. She then gave a high-pitched cry, like the first notes of an ancient song.

"Mother," the word poured through her lips, her eyes focused but not seeing. Arryn watched as her feet began to disconnect from the ground, her back arching and head hanging as she levitated without using her wings.

"This is weird, right?" Djoser asked, staring up, mouth open.

"She's saving you time," Roksana snapped back at him while Amis moved up behind her, enveloping her small frame with his while they both watched the red-headed beauty hang in the sky, calling out for her goddess, her creator.

A physical heaviness pressed onto Arryn's chest, though there were no visible changes from Precession's call.

"Is that because . . ." Reign trailed off, looking all around her as if expecting to see someone.

"Yes," Roksana confirmed, "if she ever uses any abilities, she disconnects from the realm's moon. There is no tether right now. The rotation is slowing."

"What is supposed to happen?" Amis asked, "Are they supposed to appear?"

A louder cry and a melodic siren call escaped from Precession while her wings dramatically hung limp, as if they were made out of heavy blankets, emphasizing the strange pull of her body towards the sky.

Though sunshine kissed the realm and not a cloud painted the sky, a crash of thunder roared through the mountain peak, and droplets of rain fell from the heavens. A spectral color that could not be found in nature shimmered through each particle as the drizzle thickened into a gentle storm. Precession was caught in a cascading downpour of divine light that blinded Arryn.

He began to shield his eyes and looked away until he saw a gentle hand supporting Precession's back, pulling her upright. Another hand cradled the floating Kinnari as the rain and the light continued to paint a figure, a goddess holding onto her child until she was there in physical form, bringing both bodies down towards the ground gently.

"Mother," Roksana stammered, taking hurried steps towards the celestial being that stood there holding Precession's hand. Arryn's breath calmed as the instant connection Precession had to the moon brought the realm back as it should be.

Karmakara stood regal and wise in human form before them. Her gold and silver hair seemed to dance in the realm's light and was woven into an intricate braid, symbolic of the destinies and fates she oversaw. A trail of starlight fell around her every movement while the air surrounding her was melodic, full of the understanding that ballads of stories not yet lived danced against her very essence.

"I've been waiting for this day," Karmakara's voice energetically rang through the mountain peak, high and sweet. Arryn could listen to her voice for eternity. He stared in awe, never having met this being before, though knowing that Allienna, Precession, and Roksana grew up with her voice guiding them as children. Arryn did not get the same treatment from his creator, the Life Gifter. He and Djoser had to bear the weight of their abilities alone.

"I call down Ayurveda," Karmakara announced to the group before her, smiling and calm. Arryn did not hide the suspicion on his face as he snuck a few steps to stand closer to Reign, ready to protect his dear friend and his family .

Light continued to radiate off of Karmakara despite the sky's darkening, creating a bubble effect around the celestial.

"Breathe," she sang into the sky, though Arryn felt strongly that her words were wisdom directed toward them, while ashen smoke began to waft in through the peak.

Amis and Roksana, steps outside of the fated light, were enveloped in the smoke and gasped for air, coughing and gagging. Reign was quick on her feet as she ran towards them, covering her nose by pulling up her dress over her head. The black leather pants she wore underneath suggested she came prepared for a battle.

Within two blinks of an eye, Amis and Roksana slammed into the ground near Djoser's feet, clearly having been thrown, their wings limp as their bodies convulsed while oxygen began to clear out their lungs. Arryn noticed the blue patches of blood on their skin, on their wings, mixed with the burns from the ash in the sky.

He prepared himself for the sun's arrival while watching the chaos it brought down to the realm with its physical presence. A menace, a death sentence. There was a sudden understanding as to why this being was more of a story, a myth, never to have created something living like a Kinnari, mother to no one. Arryn didn't think that anyone had ever even seen Ayurveda physically before. The sun's presence seemed to carry nothing but destruction, energy that was impossible to contain.

You cannot falter. You cannot fail.

Djoser stood with his arms crossed across his chest and stared at Arryn with daggers in his eyes. Smoke billowed behind Djoser like a prince emerging from hell. After several minutes, the smoke began to thin, leaving a dark sky. Amis and Roksana moved to their feet, their burns healing and lungs being purged of soot.

"Soulkin," Karmakara sang out, practically bouncing off towards the descent of the peak, bringing her protective starlight with her. The Kinnari struggled to trudge through the puddles of melted ice and snow, now steaming as if they'd erupted from a geyser. A pale blue flame radiated before them, and Karmakara raced towards it, throwing her hands out to embrace it .

"Soulkin?" Amis questioned quietly.

"It is a word for family not of your blood," Precession chimed in, unbothered as her body was once again frail and shaky under the tether of the moon. "Just like we are to one another, bonded by magic and kinship, not by biology."

The group watched as the goddess Karmakara hugged a walking blue flame. The movement brought with it a slight extinguishing as a translucent, nude body formed underneath Karmakara's arms.

Arryn saw Djoser take a few steps back, his fists tight and his eyes anxious at the figure's appearance.

Ayurveda began to close the distance between her body and Arryn's, the ground blackening under every footstep.

"You were not called," Djoser shouted boldly. "This is between us and our creators. You have not created intelligent life in either realm."

Roksana gasped, her eyes looking horrified at Djoser's abrasiveness.

"Fostering life as the sun is not the kind of creation I mean," Djoser clarified as the translucent face made of blue flame broke out into a wicked smile.

"You don't know of my contribution to your world?" Ayurveda's deep, husky voice smoldered any soul within her vicinity. She held her hand up, letting fire erupt in her palm before shaping it. Arryn felt a wave of panic followed by a deep burning under his skin as he realized what figure had taken form: a miniaturized red-eyed, Vrae.

"I remember the day I set them free. They found another entrance into your Earth realm. They had actually found several . . . they feasted that day, a full-powered Kinnari child lost. So much for you and the Gifter's perfect creations," she purred while Karmakara stood regal, unaffected by the sun's words.

"You sent in the Vrae that mutilated Tristan," Djoser realized. Arryn could see the atoms gathering at Djoser's palms rapidly, producing a black shadow following his fingertips. Arryn found himself running towards Djoser, his hands reaching to stop him. Djoser pushed his wings back violently to throw Arryn to the ground and beelined for Ayurveda .

A high-pitched song, the call to the Gifter, broke out across the peak once again. The ancient call came from Precession, who slumped into the melted snow, no longer able to stand between the moon tether and the song.

Djoser stopped in his tracks, and the shadow on his fingertips disappeared. He turned to face Precession, a look of regret and mourning lingering in his eyes. Arryn moved to catch up to him, panting from the brute force and adrenaline.

"He did not die. He was somehow reborn. It didn't work," Arryn said, making sure Djoser didn't make any more sudden movements.

Arryn watched as disinterest dawned on Ayurveda's face, and she closed her palm, putting out the fire of the small Vrae figure that danced and provoked like a miniature devil.

"What were you planning on doing, dumbass?" Roksana's pointed words were directed at Djoser.

Arryn wanted to know, too. Where was the pain and the anger coming from? Had they not all healed from the tragedies hundreds of thousands of years ago?

No, Djoser certainly had not.

"Your best-case scenario," Precession said in a mere whisper, "is that you destroy the sun and leave both realms in utter darkness."

"The death and the fear that the Vrae have caused," Djoser growled, "seems like a better cause of war than what we came here for."

"You came here for war?" Ayurveda's smile graced her face again.

"We know why you've come," Karmakara mused behind her. "Reign, please step forward."

All breathing stopped momentarily. Reign had been silent the entire time, and now, Arryn watched as she presented herself to the goddesses while struggling to hold her head high.

"Eliminating you serves no greater purpose other than imposing more fear of breaking universal rules set in place," Karmakara began. "I had to weave new destinies and timelines for the entirety of your Earth realm due to what you revealed from traveling through time. That is not something I was too fond of doing. "

Arryn shifted uncomfortably, resisting the urge to move towards his best friend and protectively throw his arms around her.

"Now a child is to be born, the first true biological immortal. How can that be when a Kinnari woman does not bleed?"

Reign shook her head back and forth and shrugged her shoulders. Arryn couldn't see her face, but the goddess still had an excellent point. Arryn wondered why he had never questioned it once, despite the many years of constant failure.

"This child was blessed, given permission for life from your gods, and this resulted directly from your defiance of our rules. The child may be birthed as it is bound to new timelines, but you, Life Gifter child, will not be pardoned."

With those words, Arryn jumped into the air, his wings carrying him before falling in front of Reign, acting as her shield. Djoser let loose, the darkness of his magic obscuring the sight of everyone around him.

Arryn heard Roksana scream in the distance as blue flames erupted like blinding fireworks in the midnight sky.

"Do not protect me," Reign's voice commanded him.

Arryn's body went limp as he fell back, landing on the palms of his hands in a crab-like position while his wings drooped into melted puddles of snow. Cold and directionless, Arryn considered leaving this parade of power and sneaking away through the portal door and into Allienna's warm arms.

It seemed Reign had a similar thought as a gust hit Arryn in the face. Reign was airborne and fleeing. They were all here to fight for her when she was only planning on saving herself.

The mountain peak then erupted into fire. Arryn could see the blue flames dancing on his skin, though they felt nothing despite existing in a state of full-body incineration. He saw Roksana's wings covering Precession, attempting to protect her while they both burned slowly.

A powerful shockwave hit the peak as a battle between light and sound thundered. Arryn screamed at the sky, the atoms releasing from his wounds and circling a powerful wind around their group. Standing in the middle of a supercell thunderstorm of his own creation, with boiled and seared skin from head to toe, Arryn looked up only to set his eyes on the Life Gifter.