Chapter 372 (1/2)

Chapter 372

ARTHUR

Nico took a half step towardvisibly at his tehtest ed with faint wisps of soulfire flaed”

The false soading words Any pride I’d felt at ht—one where he couldn’t run away or call for backup—vanished now that he stood in front of me His face, on which only a mere shadow of Elijah’s features now re emotions

He’d been my best friend in two lives, after all First as Nico, then as Elijah And I had failed him in both It was those failures, in part, that had led him to become who he was now

Hateful Desperate An inhuman shell of ame

I couldn’t

I couldn’t even blame him for what he’d done in this life…no matter how easy it would be to do so He was reincarnated here only to be iven him the opportunity to learn from his past life’s mistakes Instead of a second chance, Nico’s fear, insecurity, and rage had been manipulated into a tool and weapon froardless of hoe’d both arrived at this point, we’d coies, for reconciliation

Despite knohat Tessia rona in Cecilia’s reincarnation, using Tess’s body as a vessel—the ramifications of which I still didn’t understand Cecilia, who had wanted to avoid being someone else’s weapon so badly she fell on my sword to do it…

And he, in his infinite selfishness and ignorance, had handed her to Agrona

“Say so A burst of soulfire ate away the ground beneath hi in the air

“Like what?” I snapped, his petulant whining working at my nerves like an old wound “That I didn’t kill Cecilia? That I never meant to abandon the two of you? Would you even listen if I told you the truth? And ould it change, Nico? Certainly not the fact that you’ve killed thousands of innocents, that you took Tessia out of pure selfishness—”

“I just took back as mine!” he yelled, his eyes full of dark, hateful fire “What I was supposed to have That’s fate Just as ain”

I don’t knohy, but the finality of Nico’s statement caused a sharp ache deep withinthat had happened That Cecilia could have survived, and they could have run away together just like they were planning That I wouldn’t have shut them out so I could train with Lady Vera, and would have tried harder to help Nico find Cecilia when she disappeared

There was so much I could have done differently

But I hadn’t And although I could look backwards at the path I’d taken, I couldn’t change its shape Nor could I change where that path had brought me But I could look forward, and e the direction I was headed

Ever since waking up in the Relictombs, I’d been cold and detached I’d had to be, I knew that I didn’t fault myself for it

The persona of Grey was like a shi+eld, one I wrapped around ht now: Tessia, Ellie, my mother, everyone back in Dicathen…Instead, I focused on the Relictoe had instructed, and on understanding my new abilities and the neorld I found o a different direction And that started with Nico

I couldn’t help the softening of ht of my sadness and pity was plain on my face

“Don’t Don’t look athis head in defiance “I don’t want your pity”

My body relaxed as I accepted as about to happen “I wish things could have turned out differently”

SERIS VRITRA

I clicked ether, a nervous habit fro since cured ht

Arthur’s ain, it see between a rushed attempt to put the pieces into place and a mute acceptance that I didn’t fully understand as happening

Still, I had not arrived atmyself a moment to ponder, I realized that Arthur’s plan had really been quite si and impatient alliance with the Granbehl’s, who shared his hatred for Arthur Arthur’s less-than-cautious reprisal and bare attempt at a cover-up

It would have taken more restraint than Nico could h to be a threat toward Arthur, the subterfuge working contrary to his impulsive, wrathful nature When his ill-planned scheme failed, Arthur kneould lead to a tantrum

Nico had always been a temperamental boy He embodied a weak man’s concept of power, a fool’s idea of intellect, and a child’s view of maturity And yet I had never discounted him The other Scythes didn’t yet see it, but none of the reincarnates hat they seee—of chaos—in their oay

Seeing Nico and Arthur—or Grey, as in many ways an entirely different person than the boy I’d saved in Dicathen—standing across from each other on the battlefield, I felt a sudden thrill

“An unscheduled interruption, but perhaps this will be an opportunity for little Nico to prove hih

“Prove hihting this—what is he, some kind of school teacher?—Nico en Kiros let out a huff of irritation, his bored eyes traveling aih box, which had been appointed with every cos down too ered in the darkest corner of the rooo chastise your brother-in-arms”

Cadell stepped out of the shadows and bowed to Kiros “Forgive Scythe Nico’s in has let hi and too often, I’m afraid”

Kiros’s lips twisted in a wry half-s both arn Kiros, of course not”

“They’re saying soainst the balcony rail and turning her head slightly “Pointless, pratling banter” She exchanged a dark look with Viessa “We should have beaten Nico ”

“Who is this Grey, anyway?” Dragoth asked, looking around at the rest of us “He seeain on his feet, atching fro out onto the balcony with the rest of us “A dead aze as he spoke

So Agrona did not confirm Arthur’s presence in Alacrya with the rest of the Scythes, but he has told Cadell Interesting

I wasn’t sure how er ames, some with purpose, some purely for entertainment There were times where he worked at cross purposes to hi track, including his allies, orexactly how things would unfold

Below, Arthur pulled the white cloak from his shoulders and made it vanish with a flourish No hint of mana or intent leaked from him, a fact the others were quick to notice as well

“His control over mana is perfect,” Viessa said, her black-on-black eyes squinting as she peered at Arthur

I didn’t try to hide aze on me It had been quite some time since I’d spoken with the Scythe froazes, I took in her stance, expression, and features

Her skin was as pale as her eyes were dark, and a sea of purple hair spilled down over her shoulders and back She was taller than me, made even taller by the heeled leather boots she wore, their teal coloring ray battlerobes The black voids of her eyes were always unreadable, and emotion rarely interrupted the porcelain coldness of her face

Of all the Scythes, Viessa was the one I was most unsure of

But I didn’t spare her any additional thought just then There were ht”

In the arena, Arthur and Nico had separated, putting twenty feet of distance between them Nico was an inferno of black fire Arthur could have been carved of ice

With an angry screaround ca in on itself as black spikes grew like weeds wherever his shadow touched A vortex of black flames coiled around and extended in front of him as he prepared to bathe Arthur in hellfire

But Arthur did not flinch in the face of Nico’s rage I ht him as mad as Nico if I didn’t know better

My eyes widened and I leaned over the rail next to Melzri, well past ready to finally see for myself the power that Caera had described

With a hungry roar, Nico’s soul flames burst forward Arthur’s hand rose, and a cone of ay spilled out to meet the fire

Where the ters touched, they intertwined and ate away at one another, each perfectly canceling the other out

“Irunted fro,” Kiros said, leaning forward on his throne “You there, Melzri, scoot aside, you’re blocking round all around Arthur, but they shattered against a layer of glowing aether that tightly clad his skin

Nico burst through the crackling cloud that remained behind after the aether and soulfire collided, a dozenaround hi like missiles at Arthur