Page 26 of A Soul’s Awakening

Alex dropped to the floor, curling up on his side as he clutched his stomach. It was as if every punch, every slice of magic that hit these phantoms echoed through him as well. “Just … do it.”

Not a very helpful explanation, but it was all I had to work with. When the phantom swung at me, I caught my hand around her wrist, trying to restrain her as she clawed at my head.

“Please,” I begged, reaching for my magic and the phantom before me. “Let me help.”

Emotions surged through my chest as power rose to the surface. Rage. Grief. Loneliness. The phantom's pain crashed into me like a tidal wave, so overwhelming that for a moment I couldn't tell which feelings belonged to it and which belonged to me.

The phantom swatted at me with her other hand. I grabbed it, not to attack, but to connect. The living magic responded instantly. White threads spilled from my fingertips, weaving through the air like strands of moonlight. They wrapped around the phantom, not restraining it, but reaching into the storm raging inside it.

The phantom let out a piercing scream, its form flickering violently as the connection locked into place.

“I know,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. “I know you're hurting. But you don’t have to anymore.”

The magic swelled between us. I was feeling what the veil felt. Not a wall. Not a prison. A path home. The threads of my magic pulled gently. The phantom dissolved into a shower of silver light and vanished.

“T-Theo?” Catching my breath, I whirled around to see another phantom standing in the doorway. But this one was cowering, a frightened young man shaking like a leaf. Dressed simply in a button-down and khakis, his dark hair framed his delicate, almost boyish face. My stomach tightened. I recognized him immediately. And just like the first time we’d met in the courtyard outside, tears streamed down his cheeks and quiet sobs wracked his fragile frame.

“Lukas? Is that you?” He rushed toward me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug and nearly tackling me to the ground.

“Theo!” Lukas sobbed into my shoulder. “Theo, I’m so scared! I don’t know what’s going on! I felt this overpowering fear, that something was wrong with my grandma, and somehow … I found myself back here. I went to find her but there were these people apprehending phantoms with chains and she told me I had to run. I don’t know what to do, Theo! Help me!”

“It’s okay, Lukas.” I embraced him back, gently pulling him in to comfort him. “I got you.”

“Ah, there he is.” Out of nowhere appeared a tall, muscular man stepping through the doorway. He radiated a powerful aura, with the presence of someone who wasn’t used to being disobeyed. His white hair was neatly kept, stark against the sharp lines of his face and the faintly pointed tips of his ears that marked him as fae. Gray eyes, threaded with subtle flecks of blue, missed nothing. His gaze settled on me, and it felt less like a glance and more like an appraisal. “That phantom is coming with us.”

“Wait, stop—”

Before I could do anything about it, the man held out his hand, glowing silver chains slithering through the air and coiling around Lukas.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he sneered. I remembered this man from the underworld … the first person Leon had brought me to see when I was captured. Alistair. And he was using the same magic from those black rings, except … this magic seemed far stronger and more stable.

Lukas writhed in pain, crying and wailing as the chains squeezed tighter and cut off his magic.

“Let him go, Alistair. You’re hurting him. He’s not a violent phantom. He’s just lost and confused and he wants to go home.”

Alistair snorted. “Violent or not, he doesn’t belong here. Rest assured, Theo, the rift wardens will make sure he’s taken care of properly.”

I had a feeling our definitions of being taken care of properly were profoundly different. I stepped forward, magic buzzing across my clenched fist, when Nick pushed through the doorway beside Alistair.

“Let them go, Theo.” Nick entered the room, untouched but shaking with exhaustion, his breath coming fast as he held tight to the doorframe.

No one else said a word, but Lukas was still screaming and struggling against the restraints. Ren stood in the far corner, hands ready to strangle someone. My sister was tending to my mother, and Alex gazed up at me with pleading eyes. What would happen to him if I let Alistair take them?

“But—”

There was a retort on my tongue, but Nick cut me off before the words passed my lips. “Trust me on this, Theo. There isn’t anything we can do right now.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Alistair’s mouth. Alex and I were standing right there, staring him in the face. He might have been outmatched, but there were undoubtedly other rift wardens patrolling the halls. If he really wanted a fight, he could have tried to take either of us.

Instead, he chose Lukas. The choice wasn't strategic. It was deliberate. He knew Lukas couldn't defend himself. He knew I cared. And judging by the satisfaction gleaming in his eyes, he was enjoying every second of this torture.

Heat surged through my veins, anger twisting into something sharp and ugly as I clenched my fists at my sides. He wasn't taking Lukas because he was the easiest target. He was doing it because he knew it would hurt and it would rile up my emotions. He wanted a show but I wouldn’t give it to him. Alex gently grabbed my hand. I exhaled heavily, urging myself and my magic to back down.

“Theo! Help me!” Lukas screamed as Alistair tugged on his chains.

“Just … hold on, Lukas! Hold on! I’ll come for you!”

I stood there frozen, watching helplessly as Alistair dragged Lukas away.