Chapter Ninety-Five

REMI'S POV

The darkness in this place feels suffocating. Every inch of the Autumn Isle presses down on me, the weight of the Black Pearl still writhing in my chest like a thousand snakes. I can feel it—inside me, pulling, demanding, taking. My body is in turmoil, at odds with itself. One moment, I’m frozen with cold so deep it chills my bones, and the next, I’m burning up, heat radiating through my veins like fire. I try to focus, to steady myself, but it’s impossible. The energy inside me is dark, violent, it’s all-encompassing, and it wants control.

Raelisar walks ahead of me, his steps silent, effortless. He doesn’t seem fazed by the storm outside—the rain pelting down like knives against the bridge. The wind howls, furious and uncontrolled, but Raelisar? He moves like he’s part of it. Like he’s always been here, in the eye of the storm, watching, waiting.

I’m struggling to keep it together, feeling the Black Pearl clawing at my insides, trying to dominate me. The cold and the heat, the need to destroy... it’s all so overwhelming. I can barely breathe. The world spins, and I feel like I’m losing my grip.

“Hey, keep up,” Raelisar calls over his shoulder, his voice cutting through my haze. I force myself to move, to follow him. But every step I take feels like I’m wading through mud, the weight of the Pearl slowing me down.

The storm outside rages, the bridge before us swaying in the violent wind, the waves crashing against the base of the cliffs below. The smell of salt and iron fills my nostrils, mixing with the sharp scent of rain. I can barely hear myself think over the cacophony of nature’s fury, but I don’t need to think. I just need to feel it.

Raelisar moves toward the edge of the bridge, and I follow him, my boots scraping against the wet stone. We step into a watchtower, the open windows offering a panoramic view of the chaos outside. The wind howls through the cracks, making the entire structure creak and groan under the strain.

Raelisar looks back at me, his face unreadable. “The storm’s just starting,” he says with a smirk. “But trust me, we’ll get more than just a storm tonight.”

I can barely hear him, my mind too occupied with the storm inside my own body. The Pearl is pushing, forcing its will into me, its essence black and cold. My breath catches in my throat. The cold is burning me, the heat is freezing me, and somewhere deep inside, something dark is awakening. The storm is inside me, too, thrashing wildly, spiraling out of control.

I stagger, my vision blurring, my hands shaking at my sides. Raelisar doesn’t seem to notice, but I feel like I’m being torn apart. I’m fighting against the urge to scream, to fall to my knees and give into the madness the Pearl is pushing me toward.

Suddenly, I hear it—the sound of footsteps, heavy and deliberate, coming from the stairs below.

Guards.

My body reacts before my mind catches up. The instinct to fight is overwhelming. The guards appear at the top of the stairs, weapons drawn, their eyes wide with confusion at the sight of me standing there, trembling. They start toward me, but I don’t move. I can’t. The Pearl’s influence is too strong.

No.

I force myself to breathe. I grab a dagger from the table near me, the cold steel a brief comfort against my shaking hands. My fingers curl around the hilt, and I move toward them, my mind screaming at me to stop, but my body is already in motion. The magic inside me twists, bending to my will, and the darkness around me seems to answer, to amplify.

I lunge toward the first guard, my hand gripping the dagger tightly, the power of the Pearl pushing me forward. The energy inside me crackles, sharp and painful. The guard stumbles back, his eyes wide in fear, but I’m too fast. I can’t stop myself now. My body moves of its own accord.

But just as the blade comes down, a strong hand catches my wrist.

I freeze. My heart skips a beat.

“Stop,” a deep, familiar voice commands.

I look up, my eyes still wild with the darkness.

It’s Rhodes.

He stands there, his presence like a stone wall, calm and unwavering. His dark eyes are filled with something I can’t quite place, but it’s not anger. It’s concern. And something else. Something gentle, in a way that makes my heart stutter. He’s always been a force of nature, untouchable, but now, in this moment, he feels like my anchor.

His hands are steady as he lowers my dagger, his gaze never leaving mine. He doesn’t speak for a long moment, but I can feel his intensity. He’s worried.

“Your eyes,” he finally says, his voice low, barely a whisper.

I blink, my heart hammering in my chest, and I look into his eyes, just like he asked. And when I do, I see it.

My once ocean-blue eyes are now a ghostly white, glowing like the moon on the darkest night. Shadows pulse around me like smoke, swirling in the air, swirling in my vision. The Pearl has changed me. It’s consuming me. I don’t even recognize myself.

Tears sting at my eyes. The magic is too much.

I reach out, my fingers trembling as I cup his face, my voice breaking as I whisper, “What’s happening to me, Rhodes? What am I becoming?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he grabs my hand, his own shaking slightly, and pulls me closer. There’s something raw in his eyes, something desperate, and it makes my chest ache.

“I have something to tell you,” he says, his voice barely audible, but there’s a weight in it that makes my heart stop. He opens his mouth, as if to speak, but then, he just... stops. He can’t say it.

I love you, Remi.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and, without thinking, I reach up on tiptoe and kiss him. The moment our lips touch, everything seems to freeze. The Pearl’s magic swirls around us, but for just a moment, it’s as if the world has stopped.

“I love you too,” I whisper against his lips.

He pulls back slightly, looking at me with something unreadable in his gaze. Then, he looks down at me, his grip tightening on my hand. “How did you get past the wards?” I ask him, my voice laced with disbelief.

“Spymaster, remember?” he says, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

I'm clearly impressed, but he doesn't comment. Instead, he gives me a sharp nod and gestures for us to move.

“Let’s go,” he says, his voice low. “We’ve got work to do.”

We move together, side by side, toward the spiral tower. The air is still thick with tension, the storm outside growing fiercer as we walk through the dark halls of the Autumn Isle. The sounds of our footsteps echo in the silence, and the further we go, the more I can feel the weight of everything we’re about to face.

We break through the final door and enter the throne room.

And there he is.

Raelisar.

He’s no longer the man I remember. He’s something else. His form is like a cloud of darkness, shifting and writhing, too hard to look at directly. The air crackles with dark energy, the ground beneath us trembling as if reacting to his presence.

The Autumn King stands across from him, his face twisted with rage. The room is filled with fire, walls of flame surrounding us, the heat almost unbearable. The Autumn King gestures toward us, his hands sending waves of fire toward Raelisar, but Raelisar simply raises his hand, dissipating the flames like they were nothing.

I feel the power of the Pearl surge inside me. I feel it answer Raelisar’s command, the shadows and fire battling, meeting in the center of the room like titans. I stretch my hand out, calling on the magic to help. The air shivers as I pull the wind to my side, misting the fire and using it to push the flames back. It’s not easy—my control is tenuous—but I fight it. I can feel Raelisar’s dark magic helping me, amplifying the storm inside me.

Suddenly, Vienna appears in the doorway, her eyes wide with terror. “No!” she cries, her voice breaking. “Don’t kill him, please! He’s my father!”

Rhodes looks at her, his face unreadable, and then, without a word, he turns to the Autumn King. The snap of his neck is almost gentle, the sound sickening in the silence that follows.

Vienna falls to her knees, her face twisted in grief. I can’t feel sorry for her. Not after what she did.

Rhodes turns to me, his face calm, but I can see the concern in his eyes. Over his shoulder, Raelisar retrieves the pearl that fell from the King's body. “We have to go.”

I look at Vienna one last time. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

Then, with Rhodes leading the way, we leave the throne room, the storm still raging behind us, and my heart heavy with the weight of what’s to come.