// Chapter 43 \\

The lovely, elegant, Aurora of mystery who was said to have been captured by Takers was one herself. That was because she had deceived the High Monarch of Dawn Court for the Code of the Chroniki. It was to lure out Seonghwa because it was known he was a Crescent wielder: the Imaginer, controller of the Dream Realm. The Code set forth that I would ambush him and take his powers, then the Chroniki would take Dawn Court. However, nothing went according to plan at Malli and it was all because of Aurora.

I knew she did it for more than the Code— seducing the High Monarch. She wanted to prove herself and be a better deceptor than me. Her deception worked too well, but I doubt her actions got her far with the Chroniki. Aurora wasn't even her true name. Gardenia Hala was the younger twin who had always lived in my shadow and desperately wanted what I had. It was a fierce competition between us of who was the better vessel to wield the Crescent and I was leagues ahead of her. I was already chosen to take the Crescent powers, but that didn't stop Gardenia in her endeavors.

"Gardenia." I spoke my sister's name as I eyed her warily. It had been more than a year since I've faced her and I had no doubt of what she set out to do here.

Gardenia slightly narrowed her eyes, the smile leaving her face and replaced with a cold expression. The chocolate brown of her eyes became a burning hot pink, "I see you've been well frolicking in the broken world like a fool."

Her words sent a guilted twist through my gut, but my words hurt me more. I cooly spoke, "The broken world has gotten me where I am with the Code."

Her nostrils flared, "It did, didn't it?" She walked slowly towards me then, stopping a couple paces away. She smiled, "It's gotten me where I am too."

I couldn't even blink as she thrusted the gold-pointed black spear towards me with a cry. Gardenia had an unmatchable speed out of many Takers, but so did I. I quickly ducked and sent out my leg towards her feet in an attempt to trip her, but she'd already jumped, a backflip that arched over me. She thrusted her spear out once more before she landed but I quickly formed a white and silver sword in my hand and deflected the metal with a clang. I quickly took the chance to get to my feet, just as she did.

Gardenia chuckled. "That glass made you rusty." She delightfully commented, gritting her teeth as she thrusted the spear that collided with my sword once more. "It made you soft."

I danced backwards, trying to give some distance, but I heard a crack. I looked down to where I heard the noise, only to find multiple cracks etched along my blade, before it shattered entirely, the magic immediately disappearing into thin air.

My eyes widened as I looked back at Gardenia who was smirking, twirling the spear in her hand. I noted its golden point once more. The spear wasn't magically made. It was a physical weapon. Just like the bow, they were physical weapons of the Chroniki.

The black metal called craytier, a material that was the husk of what it had once been in Chronos, except for the golden bits salvaged by the Courts of the broken world. The husk of the metal could cut through anything except for the one thing the full golden form of it could. The gold could slash through the strings and fabric of creation. Any weapon I formed with my magic wouldn't stand a chance.

"Just beginning to realize what this is, Maddis?" Gardenia asked in a taunting manner. Multiple ticks and clicks sounded at once and the spear was now merely a short black baton. She latched it to her belt behind her back, out of sight once more.

The gold was only permitted for the highest ranking because it was so rare.

"How did you get that?" I asked in the same cold tone.

She huffed a laugh, the pink of her eyes an eternal glare of vengeance. "A lot changes in a year."

They couldn't have given her a higher rank after what she'd done. Then again, she was just like me: a cruel mix of magic and husk. We were equals in that feature and I wasn't on the best terms with the Code. The whole reason the glass was put in my eyes was because I wasn't cooperating. Just how high in the ranks had Gardenia climbed? How much more has she been relied with? Certainly they didn't want me dead, though, and that was exactly why Gardenia was here. She had to be going against whatever the Code had in store.

But I couldn't stay with that weapon she wielded. I'm practically defenseless against golden craytier with the magic weapons I conjured. They'd be destroyed within a blow or two and that was the same for my armor.

I faked a defensive stance, bringing a lavender sword into my hand before I bolted towards the door and let the sword vanish back into the magical air. I could hear Gardenia coming behind me, but I broke out into the hall by then, and I didn't miss my chance as I unleashed the silver of my wings once more and flew.

That was one thing Gardenia didn't have: a second form. She was a Monarch in the broken world, but her gift didn't show for it. In fact, her gift had to be kept secret when she was in Dawn Court, faking the position of a peasant. Her power was the very weapon that had been a mystery so long ago: taking away second forms. But she couldn't take them forever. It had a timer.

She could take away my second form right now, but at least I would have some distance. Except, it would be a battle to get over the grogginess of the side effects of her ability. It was a risk but better a risk to fly than fight and be impaled.

Aurora laughed, an echo from behind me "You know, I can take that ability away from you. But what would be the point of that when I can do worse?"

I had no time to question her words as that pulse from within my shoulder sent my world into a blur. There was pain and I heard my scream, but it all felt so out of frame. I was numb. I was spinning and then I was falling. I couldn't even feel the impact of the ground. And it took a second as the pain returned.

I saw Gardenia, her hand raised into the air as a shot of black whizzed back to her from where I laid. She caught the black in her hand and that's when I recognized it as an arrow. The same arrow she'd tried to shoot me with when she found me here in Dusk Court. The same arrow that shot my wing in Eastern Court.

I heaved a heavy breath and pressed the palm of my hand down on the floor to get up, but a wing was over my body and it was heavy, painful, and numbing. I looked down at my body and my face went pale.

The silver wing overtop me that would gleam silver, a broad form with all its feathers was now diminished to a couple few and crimson coated it. My left wing had been destroyed.

I breathed in a shaky gasp and I felt my eyes turn glossy. My cold demeanor fluctuated from my voice, replaced by a weak one that could only utter one word. "How..."

"I don't owe you an explanation." I could hear Gardenia walking towards me. She laughed and I could hear the ticks and clicks— looking up, I found her holding the spear as she was overtop of me.

I knew I couldn't move with the painful state I was in. What would be the point? I wouldn't get far. I was practically dead, so I held my sister's stare.

"You know, you said those words a long time ago." Gardenia's face was cold, yet burning in rage all at once. Her eyes had gone red.

The spear slashed and cut my wing as Gardenia thrusted it off my body, causing another scream I didn't know to utter from me.

"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!" Gardenia cried, her eyes a vivid red blaze that matched the specks of blood now splattered on her face.

"BECAUSE YOU HAD THE ABILITY."

"YOU HAD THE TALENT."

"THE MIND."

"THE MAGIC."

"THE MENTALITY."

"YOU WERE THE PRIZED CHILD. YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE."

"YOU WERE WORSHIPPED BY EVERYONE AS A DAMNED SAVIOR"

"YOU GOT EVERYTHING AND I GOT NOTHING!"

She plummeted the spear into the flesh of the injured wing. I only winced with how much the pain blinded me. The only thing that was clear was her bellow of a speech and there was no room in my heart to care for it. I listened.

"I put on so many masquerades and faces," She snarled quietly, "Just so I could have this moment where I finally kill you."

She took the spear from my injured wing with a splatter of blood. I flinched and heaved as tears spilled from my eyes but that was all I could do. I couldn't move.

"And then they'll have no one to turn to for the prophecy but me. Because I'm just like you." Her red eyes bored into mine with a glare I could barely manage to see. "Except you were always perfect. But, soon, there won't be a decision in that matter."

She raised the spear over her head, adding, "I'll finally be enough."

The black and gold spear plummeted and my fate was sealed:

I would die here. Gardenia would kill me.

Somehow, the realization didn't fill me with rage as it would have when I was younger. I was so tired and blackness was at the corner of my eyes. It was numbing and painful, but it was less painful than the burdens I had with living. I can accept death.

I could see the slow arch of the golden tip. It punctured and dented my armor. It cracked all at once and shattered into silver bits before it became nothing. My heart thudded there in my chest, right where the gold would strike. I could feel the seer of the tip in the middle of my chest.

Live.

Suddenly, a fire was lit inside of me and the blackness was pushed back. Everything had gone white before I stood right in front of Gardenia. The powers of the Jumper.

It was painful to move, but my body did it anyway. My body moved fast.

The spear had hit the ground with a pang and I latched my hands onto the hilt. Then my leg came up and kicked Gardenia back.

She stumbled and I twirled, hitting her with the butt of the pole that had her fall to the ground. I had the golden edge of the spear at her neck before a second could even pass.

Her eyes were a terrified pale pink as she stared up at me in shock, but I would never show that look mercy. I would never show her mercy and my body's actions seemed to agree.

"I'm not like you." I spoke through my pants. "And I'm going to live."

I could see Gardenia starting to shake as her look became one that was petrified.

Her voice was so silent, I almost didn't hear her, "Then live a life of Hell."

And then she was sobbing.

I only gave her a cold glare. The act of innocence would never work on me again.

I raised the spear to strike her chest.

"NO!"

I looked up just in time to see a ball of light plummeted towards me.

I acted fast, twirling the spear. The craytier made great use as a shield, dispelling the magic.

I didn't need to see the castor to know who it was. Seonghwa had seen the scene Gardenia had wanted him to see and it had been the perfect portrayal for his rage.

REMEMBER:​​​​​​

1. Smack dat butiful star

2. Leave a comment talkin abt dis tea

3. Share dis tea induced book with yo fwends

WHY? Because I appreciate it 🥺

\\ See u in the next chapter! \\