Time's Tragedies- The Books Of Beginning [2]

78. Lost

Eternity felt as though she was watching the world through someone else's eyes. This couldn't be happening, not in real life, not to her. It had to be some sort of dream, like those she and Lili had shared about the end of the world. Except no, this was reality, not a dream, and though the world felt like it was ending in a way, it wasn't.

Really, Eternity thought bitterly, the only similarity between the dreams and the reality was that Lili was kicking it all off. It seemed they hadn't learned anything at all, in the end.

Lili lunged as time restart, a clock resuming its ticking. Her hands went for Robert's throat, and Eternity gasped as those lithe pianist fingers, the same ones that wrote poetry and played funeral dirges, which braided Abby's hair and tousled Jake's, which caressed Eternity so very gently, locked unrelentingly around the column of Robert's neck. Lili squeezed, and her magic flared. Flames roared around them. Gone was the Lili that Eternity had come to expect, sweet and skeptical and so, so very unsure. In her place was a confident creature, unhinged and elated. 

Robert gurgled, his eyes bulging from his head as Lili's grip tightened. A manic laugh tore from the blonde's throat. Eternity could feel the heat of fire at her back, she could feel the fortress groaning under Lili's assault. Usually, she would worry it would crumble, but she trusted that even in this state, Lili would never let her be harmed in such a fall.

There was, she realized in the back of her mind, the part that wasn't watching in shock and horror and more than a little bit of awe, a certainty that came with Lili. Lili loved wholly and unconditionally. It was something, being loved so much, knowing that if it came down to you or the universe, not even all the world could compare in Lili's dangerous eyes. Eternity probably shouldn't like that knowledge as much as she did. 

Robert's face had begun to change to an angry red from the lack of oxygen in his veins. Still, Lili pushed on - whether she was going to kill or just to incapacitate for later, Eternity couldn't say. Robert couldn't either, Eternity realized, watching the man fumble carelessly for his belt. There was a glint of silver, and her thoughts flashed to the villain offering her that same blade just a mere day ago. 

His fingers curled around the hilt. Eternity screamed. 

Lili heard the shriek and released Robert, rounding to look for threat's to Eternity and narrowly missing the dagger jabbing up towards her ribs by mere inches. Robert moved forward, attempting to stab at her a second time, but with a wave of her hand, Lili turned the knife to dust. It crumbled away in Robert's iron clad grip. 

"You crazy bitch!" Robert spat, eyes wild and angry as he looked at Lili with a mix of curiosity at her power and fear at the damage it had done, the burns it had wrought, the forces it had destroyed. 

Lili tilted her head to the side, "do you really think that insulting me is a good idea for you right now? I mean, not that I was going to show you any mercy to begin with, but really, you should be smarter than this."

"Rot in hell!"

His hand dipped into his pocket and pulled out a small, round object, which he threw to the ground at Lili's feet violently. The flash grenade went off, illuminating the world with an unbearably bright pang of light that forced both Lili and Eternity to cover their eyes for ten seconds that felt like an eon with the searing brightness bearing down on them. When the light finally died, Robert was gone. 

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Eternity groaned. "He got away again."

Lili's gaze looked to Eternity, scanning her for injury. When the blonde had confirmation that the sixteen year old was unharmed, she said carefully, "no. I won't let him get away. Not now. Noy ever again."