Blood Flower

Chapter 12

Shat hit the fan.

Renier said he had a failsafe. His plan would still go accordingly if he died.

Why hadn't he taken that into consideration before killing him?

This must have been that failsafe. He often said reality could be anything you desire. And he made it true.

What would happen if God died? God was the creator of the universe.

Markov was the creator of the Reverse-Verse.

What was he going to do?

"Everyone, duck!" A huge dark wave soared past them, only missing by a few inches.

From the mirror, he could see the universe's steward—Aleksandra?—looking on sadly.

Now the inhabitants were out of her control.

If he thought the previous battle was bad, it was nothing compared to this. Creatures that had only existed in his imagination were now going on a rampage before his eyes, destroying what little remained of the ballroom. Some of them threw giant fireballs, even greater than those of the Eximinae. His goddaughters and their friends were shepherding everyone to safety, and reminding them not to play the hero anymore. They were right.

They didn't stand a chance against the creatures.

***

Another fireball hurtled past Yuri as she pushed a group of young children out of the way. As much as she hated to admit it, blood would be spilled.

They had to do something. But what? And, more importantly, how?

In desperation, she threw herself onto the grass outside the building, taking in its scent. Slightly singed. It didn't give comfort at all.

"Hey."

She turned her head up to see her sister staring at her. "You're not going to give up."

"What else can we do?" Yuri said desperately. "Our powers are too weak."

"I'm not sure, either," Libitina replied, lying on the grass beside her. "But we'll get through it. What did we do before this?"

"Jump off a hospital roof."

"Defeat a hundred-year old lady and her army in the dead of night."

"Take down a bunch of people at an airport."

"Discover a hidden garden."

"Find a flower that enhances your powers."

"Hold that thought," Libitina said excitedly. "We found a flower that enhances our powers by a lot."

"Where are those flowers kept?"

"The best ones are on the roof."

The girls exchanged looks.

"Time to become gardeners." Yuri grabbed her sister's arm and ran back inside.

"Do you even know where you're going? The rooftop is that way," she teased, pointing to the right.

"Sorry!"

Yuri took off in the other direction, Libitina close behind.

***

Monika hid in a large truck, Cassie and Kai beside her.

"What did you guys see there?" he asked.

"Markov's journal. Not just this Markov. It's been passed on, starting from his grandfather."

"Maybe it has something we can use to fight them?" Monika suggested. "Thing is, I can't really remember most of the journal's contents."