Last of Her Kind (Book 1, Part 1, of the LAST series)

allies of the unexpected

I groaned as I forced my eyes open, staring up at a stone ceiling.

Am I underground?

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my left side. Clutching my ribs, I winced, letting my head fall back down. My breath came in shallow bursts as I tried to steady myself. My entire torso and right shoulder were tightly bound in white bandages, and I was only dressed in black leggings. Every movement hurt.

With effort, I planted my feet on the cold stone floor, feeling the chill seep through my socks. I pushed myself up, gritting my teeth through the pain, and glanced around the small, dimly lit room. The walls were made of stone, and the air was damp and musty.

I shuffled over to the wooden door and pulled it open. A hallway stretched out in both directions, torches lighting the stone walls with flickering orange light.

Then I heard it—a laugh, echoing from the right.

Without thinking, I followed the sound. The closer I got, the louder the laughter became. Turning the corner, I froze in my tracks. A man stood with his back to me, tossing something for a creature to fetch.

My breath caught in my throat.

A chaos.

It wagged its tail like a playful dog, eyes fixed on the man in front of it, awaiting the next throw. I blinked, my brain struggling to reconcile what I was seeing. Chaos were supposed to be monstrous creatures, relentless and mindless. But this… this thing looked so docile.

Is this a dream?

The stories Jayce had told me echoed in my mind. Chaos had once terrorized the realm of Vale, mindlessly attacking villages. They multiplied endlessly, impossible to kill. The protectors fought against them, but they could never stop the onslaught. Many lives were lost—especially elves.

I shook my head. None of it made sense. Chaos shouldn’t be sitting here, wagging its tail like some loyal pet. I scanned the small room, looking for anything I could use as a weapon. The area was sparse: two wooden chairs, a table, and a small counter. A bowl of fruit sat in the center of the table, but nothing I could use to defend myself.

My gaze returned to the man’s back as I tried to summon some of my power. But a sharp pain tore through my side, and I let out a strangled cry, clutching my ribs as my vision spun.

“Easy,” a calm voice said.

Before I could react, the man was by my side, his arm slipping around my waist as he helped lower me into one of the chairs. “You’re still healing,” he explained. “Your powers are draining what little energy you have left.”

I stared at him, my breath coming in short, painful gasps. My eyes flicked toward the chaos still sitting nearby, now watching me with curious eyes.

“You broke your right shoulder and several ribs,” the man continued, seating himself across the table. He glanced at the chaos. “He was supposed to catch you, but he failed.” The creature huffed at that, then dissolved into black smoke.

I stared in confusion. “Wait. You’re a cursed child?”

He nodded, leaning back in his chair. “The name’s Kaius.”

Rage boiled up inside me, cutting through the pain. “You killed my mother. You killed all the elves. You and your—your demon creatures,” I spat, my voice cold and trembling with anger.

Kaius ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. “That wasn’t me.”

“Really?” I snapped. “So there are more people out there with glowing eyes who summon chaos out of thin air?”

He stayed silent, his jaw tightening.

“That’s what I thought,” I sneered. “You’re a monster. A murderer.”

Kaius stood up abruptly, walking to a small pantry. “Would you like something to eat? I don’t have much,” he said, changing the subject. He pulled out a loaf of bread and some jam, bringing it back to the table. He held the bread out to me, but I didn’t move, just glared at him. After a moment, he shrugged and began eating.

“I should kill you,” I said quietly, watching him. “Why did you save me? Do you hate elves so much you couldn’t even finish the job?”

He looked up from his food, his gaze calm. “I saved you because we’re the same. And if I hadn’t, the seraphs would’ve taken you straight to the celestials. To your death.”

I scoffed, disbelief making my chest tighten. “There must be another reason. You expect me to believe you’re some kind of saint? After everything you did?”

“My greatest sin was being born,” he said softly. “That’s it.”

I rolled my eyes, barely holding back the rage. “No. Your greatest sin was murdering an entire kingdom. Halivaara. You destroyed a place full of innocent people.”

Kaius raised an eyebrow, then started chuckling. The sound sent a chill down my spine.

“You laugh at this?” I snapped, fists clenched.

“I wish I had done that,” he muttered, his tone dark.

“What… what do you mean?” My voice faltered.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Halivaara doesn’t exist. It never did.”

My head spun. “That’s impossible.”

He shrugged. “I’ve heard the stories. But, they’re just that…stories. The celestials invented them. Turned me into their monster…the boogeyman. But the truth? There was never a kingdom to destroy.”

“That makes no sense. The elves…” I trailed off, trying to piece it together.

“I was born to an elf and a guardian,” Kaius explained, his tone cold. “My mother hated me for it. My father was never around. One day, she tried to drown me.” He pushed his hair aside, revealing human ears. “But I survived. That’s when my chaos appeared. I realized I could create life.”

I stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in.

“My father rejected me. The other guardians wanted me dead,” he continued. “So I hid. But the longer I hid, the angrier I got. I sent out chaos, not to destroy kingdoms, but to lure the protectors out. And they did exactly what I wanted. They came for me.”

He paused, his jaw clenched. “They captured me, dragged me before the celestials. I begged for mercy, promised to stay away. But they needed me as a scapegoat, someone to blame. So they spread the rumors, turned me into a nightmare. The cursed child.”

My mind raced, struggling to reconcile his story with everything I’d been told. “The sanctuary? My home?”

Kaius nodded. “That was the celestials’ doing. They twisted everything. They’ve always feared elves—something about our kind terrifies them.”

I slumped back in my chair, trying to process it all. “Fae,” I murmured. “My name’s Fae.”

Kaius smiled, offering me a small nod. “It’s nice to meet you, Fae.”

I gave him a small smile back. “It’s hard to wrap my mind around all this, but I am choosing to believe you. So, what do we do next?”

“Well, for starters, you need to finish healing while I continue to scout elsewhere for us to stay. Unfortunately, the protectors know where we are and will be on us soon. I have some chaos out searching now.”

“Then?”

“Simple, we kill the celestials.”