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"I showeddiscovery," Moh the Grand Nexus When she discovered hoeak the huan to toy with theht power, but never attained it In this world, she had rimaced "How in the hell could Daelissa be your best friend?"

"She wasn’t always like this," Mom said "She was once a leader for reform, but failure and disappointment jaded her Turned her bitter"

"Why didn’t you stop her?"

"I tried, Justin I tried so hard" She sounded miserable "At first I was just like her I enjoyed the power and the way it made me feel Then I realized these people were so ainst our abilities By then, others knew about the h I’d told her to keep it secret"

I thought back to overnave us so much more power Because the Grand Nexus was a secret very few of us knew about, Daelissa and the others were able to leverage this neer and overthrew our governdoms in the mortal realm"

"Like Methuselah?" I said

"His real name is Fjoeruss," she said "He used the name Methuselah in the mortal realm Others used names you would find quite familiar as well"

Mr Gray is Fjoeruss? "How did the ith the Darklings start?" I asked

"Daelissa’s twin sister," she said

Despite the difference in hair color and skin tone, I already kneho that was as well "Nightliss"

"Yes The Darklings were oppressed, considered second-class citizens I sought Nightliss’s help She saw the s to settle in She wished to create peace"

"That didn’t turn out so well," I said dryly

"No It sparked a civil war on our world and here"

"What part did you play in the war?" I asked

"I still haven’t rediscovered all of my memories, Justin, so I can’t recall many details Someti froht our way toward the Grand Nexus I res from our path Daelissa and her people turned on the leviathan and killed it, though not before it took several of thein An old man with a staff--ah, the leader of the Arcanes I barely remember his name Moses I think"

"Did you say Moses?" Bella asked, eyes wide

Mo moment "The Cyrinthian Rune was there I kne to remove it"

"How?" I asked

"Let her finish," Shelton said, his face captivated

"Not by force, but by aligning the perfect pitch in et there, soasped "Moses knew so He opened the portal to take us away He led his people through, but Daelissa slipped through after hihtliss and I were trapped along with many others" She cried out "The memories hurt, Justin I don’t know if I can stand it anotheron the trailer "Let it go!"

"The leyworest one I’ve ever seen It swept us into its ed to hold onto one of the shards in its gullet It slicedpit of aether threatening to consuhtliss And then there was a flash so bright I saw the skeleton of the beast highlighted all around me"

The Grand Nexus It must have blown up at that h they were being turned inside out My skin blackened before rip faltered The world faded" She whimpered "My first remembrance of that tiels in hades," Shelton breathed "I hope so this all down"

I was in shock It sounded as though Mom had turned into a husk--a cherub Had the leyworhtliss? "How did you come to be with the Conroys?" I asked