Nightmare

Epilogue III

Brace Yourselves.

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We walk side-by-side quietly on the mountain path through the glowing trees again, saving our energy for the trip.

Time is crucial and scarce.

If we miss by a half-hour, there's only a tiny chance that any of Earth will survive.

Then I get an idea, and I realize just how much of an idiot I am.

"Rowan," I say, and when he looks at me, I continue, "we can both teleport, right?"

"No," he shakes his head with a small smile. "I can't."

"Oh," I look down. There goes my plan of us teleporting ourselves as far as we can see once in a while to save some time. "How far is... wherever we have to go?"

He points to the mountains in the distance.

You can teleport both of you. A voice appears in my mind, but it's not Loki and I guess I can handle it better now that I'm feeling better.

Who are you?

The mystery asshole's voice ignores my question. Try it, it tells me. You can do it.

And then it's gone. I don't know why, but some part of me decides to trust it.

Maybe because it gave me something positive; maybe it's because it sounds familiar.

It comes back. You don't recognize me? I'm disappointed, Mavi.

The whisper of a memory. My breathing hitches as the memory comes closer. Just close enough for me to grasp, but when I try, it dances out of my reach.

Am I going crazy?

The female voice chuckles. You're not going crazy. Try to remember.

So I try, through my confusion. I half-believe I'm losing my mind. But then I remember.

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I jerk my head to the side as he brings the knife down.

Then he looks around him in surprise and tries to talk, but no noise comes from him.

Something unlocks deep within me.

Then there are flames shooting from my fingertips and landing on the ground. Just burning.

But then they flare up and crawl to him, swallowing him whole as he screams.

I watch with some remorse but mostly relief, blood dripping down my face as the flames devour him whole, his ashes blowing away with some unseen, unfelt wind.

Except the blood dripping down my face is red mixed with gold.

Only his bones remain, and the fire comes back to me, mixing with my fingertips and going back to where it came from, somewhere inside me.