Vortex

VI

[ex abundanti cautela]

Eli had never been a fan of goodbyes, and there was nothing worse than a goodbye that just felt permanent. He'd witnessed too many tragedies in his life, too much heartbreak, and saying goodbye always struck a chord of his heart that brought back all those painful memories. So, when Liam and Ariel jumped through one of Kiara's star-portals to the Badlands, Eli felt something heavy and burdensome settle on his soul.

"What's wrong with you?" Eli tore his gaze from empty space to Kiara, standing a few feet away. Her starry eyes watched him quizzically, with a slight air of sympathy. The pendant hanging around her neck still shimmered with Asteria's power, ready to be used again.

"Just..." Eli waved lazily, searching for the right words. "Something doesn't feel right."

Kiara raised a dark brow. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Eli raked a hair through his platinum hair, huffing a breath. "I just don't think this is gonna end well."

Kiara fixed him with a pointed look. "Please save all pessimistic outlooks on the task at hand until after we've finished it, thank you very much." She grabbed the crystal on her pendant and began to cast its spell.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Eli asked, watching as the star magic arced and crossed through the air before them.

Kiara froze for a moment, her eyes locked on the shimmering beams, before continuing her movements. "Valiance."

Eli nodded curtly in understanding. When Kiara had been taken to the other side, she'd been a part of a rebel group against the General called Valiance. The last Eli heard of the group, and the alternate universe in general, it had been destroyed.

Before Eli could say much of anything else, the star portal was completed. Kiara tucked the necklace beneath her shirt and turned her head to look at Eli. "Ready?"

Eli wanted to say no. He could feel it in his gut; if he went through this portal, there was no going back. For either of them. They'd either prevent this war from starting or send it spiraling into action. Who knew what awaited them at the Cliffs of Acadia? He'd hardly survived the last attempt to shut down Typhon's power.

And Kiara...could he risk losing her again? To either one of her missions or to...no. It was too terrible to think about. Not while she was blinking at him with those starry blue eyes like the night sky solidified. Not while her dark hair was swirling in the soft breeze like tendrils of ink floating through water. Not while she was so delicate, so fragile, but anything but.

So Eli didn't answer. He couldn't. Instead, he turned his attention to the swirling ellipse of magic and energy, as if he could see right through to the Cliffs of Acadia. And then he stepped through it, making a silent vow to himself that if anyone was going to stay behind during...whatever was awaiting them, it'd be him.

~~

The next thing Eli knew, he was standing atop a cliffside, staring at an indigo sky. Choppy waves were slamming into the cliffside, some twenty or thirty feet below where he stood. Eli knew that it was hardly midday, and yet the sky was a deep blue, almost purple, like a darkening bruise. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Eli could feel it in his bones.

"I'm starting to get what you meant by having a bad feeling," Kiara chimed from beside him, materializing from the portal. "This isn't exactly reassuring."