The Universe Rings (A Ringing Purpose)

Chapter Thirty

Kenneth gaped. The gears in his mind spun. How exactly did Xexile die? Was he actually dead?

    Kenneth crawled forward and outstretched a hand to Xexile, half expecting his hand to go through. Cold skin met Kenneth's fingers, as if Xexile had been dead for a while. Kenneth pulled his hand back, staring with a furrowed brow.

    "W-what did you do?" Halo asked, voice shrill.

    Kenneth opened his mouth to respond, but he wasn't sure. Whatever plan he had created and executed had left his mind. He didn't know what happened—it was almost as if a different person had come over him previously.

    "How in the bloody universes is he dead?" Halo asked. "Why were you—what do you know?" Brows knit together, her eyes demanded answers.

    Kenneth stood, knees weak. "I don't know. I-I kinda insulted him and mocked him and—" He frowned. "What was he doing to me? I was reliving bad memories."

    Halo replied, "Internal mind spells."

    "What?"

    Halo's hands shook at her side. "Spells that affect the mind instead of the physical," she replied as if it were obvious. "They're more powerful and often difficult to fight against. Although, one that powerful would be impossible to fight against."

    "Well, I'm not dead," Kenneth replied starkly.

    Halo stepped closer. "Kenneth, you're not a Venenarius. You wouldn't even be able to fight against a simple confusion spell," she said, tone serious. "How did you fight against Xexile's magic? Is he actually dead?"

    "He hasn't gone up walking," Kenneth replied. "Also, I don't know. I already told you what happened."

    Halo clenched her jaw. "Mocking someone does not stop internal mind spells," she said, forcing calmness in her voice. "We must tell Brel."

    "Tell him what? I don't even know what I did. For all we know, something else could've killed him," Kenneth said. He glanced at Xexile. "I saw other memories—after I saw mine," he added after a moment.

    "Not your own?" Halo asked cautiously.

    Kenneth shook his head. "A boy and horrible things happening to him throughout his life," he explained. He chewed his knuckles—it had been presumably Xexile's memories, but why did he see Xexile's memories instead of his own?

    A moment passed, the two teens standing in confused silence.

    Halo exclaimed, startling Kenneth, "We need to find the other Venenarius—the ones that hopefully survived."

    "Right," Kenneth agreed.

    They left Xexile's body, Sun's and the Venenarius' and made their way down the steep stairs as quickly as they could without falling.

    Kenneth wasn't sure where to look. If any Venenarius had escaped Xexile, they would've left the town and presumably returned to the camp. They must've escaped through that broken window up in the tower and somehow had not died from the fall. Kenneth would've bitterly thought of them as cowards, but he wouldn't wish a death to Xexile's powers on his worst enemy. It hadn't been pleasant.

    Finally, after an urgent but tiresome descent down the stairs, whooshes and sparks of spells sounded from outside the large doors. A battle? There was a chance the Interitus weren't aware Xexile was dead and had decided to fight the Venenarius.

    Kenneth and Halo approached the cracked open front door and peered outside. As predicted, a few thousand Interitus fought the few thousand remaining Venenarius. The fight was small compared to the battle of millions yesterday, but it definitely hadn't decreased in fatalities. Bodies crumpled in the snow.