Chapter 601: Heart Of The Crystal
So black, so thick, the world was gone. And then light, thin and distorted, tinted deep purple, all around me. My vampire stood beside me, her white power flaring, stained by the crystal's heart. My demon and Shaylee both stayed close, back to back with me, a four-cornered star as we all peered outward into the dark.
A shining light appeared on my left, floating toward me. When he came close enough to recognize, Demetrius's smile lit my heart, blue eyes as clear as any crystal, no sign of the insanity in control of his mind, the damage to his body not visible on him here. In this place.
In the center of the heart of darkness.
I felt it then, the subtle hum of it, the pull of magic feeding it. Felt it try to devour me, a slow and lazy suction until I showed it the flower of sorcery at my base, the black of its petals a perfect match for the crystal. With a surge of joy it welcomed me, reversed its process, now supplying me with power, siphoning it back into my various magicks, as though I required nourishment. My soul shriveled even as I allowed the feeding. Not because I craved the power. But because doing so allowed me control over the stone.
How much, I didn't know. But as long as it didn't try to hurt me, thought of me as part of it, I would do everything I could to keep it happy until I found the means to destroy it.
And yet, my mind, freed from my physical body, from the worries of the outside world, felt the heart of the crystal and knew the truth. Evil didn't live here, not at all. The stone had a soul, clear of judgment, open and trusting. Seeking power only because doing so was its nature.
Joy came from purpose. Happiness was fulfilling that purpose.
Siphoning magic. And keeping it safe.
We must act together, Demetrius sent. I could only guess he felt unaffected by the heart of the stone while my empathy grew for it moment by moment. How could I destroy something so precious, life, beautiful life, a soul without darkness despite its purpose?
My vampire prodded me, the bite of spirit magic bringing me back to myself. All of us. My vampire nodded to him, demon snarling even as Shaylee squeezed my hand. I shuddered, knowing how close I'd come to falling into the stone's need. My vampire went on without me. If we work in tandem, we can use the power contained in this place to fracture its heart.
Something flashed past the periphery of my vision, on the other side of the crystal. I could just make out shapes moving around and felt fear for my friends rise.
Trust them to give us the time we need, Demetrius sent. Offered his hand. This is our only hope.
He was right. I knew it. Didn't help much.
Search for the seams. I already knew what to look for, had seen the tiny cracks in the heart of his crystal. They will be here, but well hidden. We must find one of its flaws before we can act.
Did the crystal sense our intent? If so, it did nothing to act against us. Instead, it called to me again, tried to embrace me, a beloved child, a kindred spirit it longed to share its purpose with. Guilt returned as I searched for the means to destroy it. So beautiful in here, so quiet and perfect, all sharp edges and flawless motion and, ever increasing, power. All the power I would ever need. As simple as accepting my task.
Opening the last of my will to the dark.
Perfect.
Sydlynn. My vampire's power bit so deep this time I cried out and jerked free of her. My mind swirled with conflict, though I grasped at her in thanks for again shaking me free of the lure of the crystal.
Here. She drew me closer to center, down deep, near the base of the column, coming with me this time as the lure pulled at my sorcery. You feel it.
I did. The hairline crack was barely a crack at all, a tiny flaw in the stone. But Demetrius seized on the fissure, his power flowing through our held hands and into me.
Press here, he sent. I hesitated, bloom of sorcery begging me to feed it. But my vampire held me with her, my demon and Shaylee gathering near, their power holding me with them.
I pressed where Demetrius told me to. Against the edge of the crack. It did nothing at first, as unyeilding as any stone. But I could sense the breaking point. If I could just find it...
A sharp retort echoed around me, through me, and I screamed from the pain even as the crystal screamed. Demetrius's hold on my hand, my vampire on the other, pulled me back.
You link too close, Demetrius sent. And yet, that is the only way we can defeat it.
By linking with the heart of the stone.
It might kill her, my vampire sent. Oddly calm when she said it as though such a loss would be acceptable.
I had to agree.
It might. Demetrius sighed. There is no recourse.
Agreed. My vampire let me go. My demon rumbled, but nodded. And Shaylee bowed her head, turning away.
Life and death, huh? Hadn't been here before or anything. And though I knew my alter egos worried, I didn't. As I allowed myself to sink back into the soul of the crystal, I was very sure I'd survive.
I just wasn't sure I could follow through with destroying the heart.
The crystal welcomed me as before, guileless, as naïve as Liander accused me of being. It opened to me as I whispered to it, joined with it, let it pull me in the rest of the way.
It was only then the Dumont family magic appeared, rising from the core, winding around me, tense and unhappy. It could probably still feel Mia on the other side. But despite the unrest of the power it held, the black column's calm and deep joy never changed.
Purpose was everything.
Unknowing, the Dumont power gave me the edge I needed to break the hold of the call to feed.
Smaller clumps of power slid around me now, crying piteously, tiny seeds of families long gone. I sank deeper, anchoring to the Dumont power, my sorcery's flower opening, petals gaping wide, mouth of blackness calling me home. For the first time, I let my sorcery have its way without holding back, absorbed the taint of it, the destructive magic of using one thing's power for another thing's gain. Unlike witchcraft, demon magic, even Sidhe power, sorcery was based in the utter obliteration of the source of its magic.
No wonder the Brotherhood were a dark and terrible league. I could feel my soul shrivel at the touch of the gaping wound that was my sorcery. The aching hunger rising from it, the need to feed and feed in order to survive. I'd starved it my entire life, as I'd starved my other magicks, at least until I was sixteen. But my sorcery had only woken recently. And its desperate need to swell and grow scared the crap out of me.
I needed it too, though, didn't I? As much as my other sources of power.
For the first time since I found out where my evolution was heading, I worried about what the end result really might look like.
No time for selfishness. The flaw sat before me, widened, but still small. I wormed my way inside it even as my sorcery begged to devour the Dumont power swirling around me, to gobble the other tiny magicks like snacks. I instead showed it the ultimate feast, used the black to seep through the gap, oozing into the micro fracture, pointed my power in the right direction until it saw.
And understood.
My sorcery didn't hesitate when it found its prize. Acted while I shuddered and backed away, letting it do what it wanted, wished things were different. It drew on the strength of the column, pulling not at the stored magic, but the inherent power built into the stone itself.
The black flower gulped energy, petals swelling, eager and grasping. I screamed silently into the depth of the stone as my sorcery devoured it, eating its heart, swallowing its soul, weakening it until it sighed and sagged around me. The sad song of the crystal made me weep, heart aching for what I'd become. But I had no choice.
No choice at all.
The Dumont power rose around me as the stone died, Mia's family magic clinging to me for safety while I swam to the surface. Cracks appeared, sharp and jagged, endless snapping and popping making my head ache. The smaller pockets of magic circled us, the voices of their hope rising, drowning out the last of the crystal's song as it finally sighed one last note and died.
Demetrius was with me, my egos, all of us together, the Dumont family magic and that of the other covens pulled tight as the small sorcerer nodded sharply to me.
Now, he sent.
I focused all of my power on the central crack and pushed.
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