The World's End | ONC 2024

ੈ✩‧₊˚ |𝟭𝟲| 𝗔𝘅𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

"𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚊 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝟹.𝟷 - 𝙰𝚡𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎'𝚜 𝙷𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚁𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝"

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

What could break you apart more? The past, the present, or the future? It was hard to tell from what Cyprus was telling us. The past was already done, it was history but it broke Keira apart knowing that she was in the same house as the man that probably destroyed her family.

Wylan was broken from the present. He couldn't bear watching Keira in pain when he knew that his father might've been responsible for her entire life struggle.

I was broken about the future because I knew nothing, but I wanted to know more. Will my life get worse day by day? Or would I end up dead very soon when Mama realized that I betrayed her? The future was uncertain, the past already done but all we could do was focus on the present.

"Keira, is Miles...is he in this house?" Cyprus asked, his eyes darting around the room for Miles. He conveniently ignored Keira's tears and pressed her for information.

"Why should I tell you? I don't even trust you..." Keira muttered between tears as Wylan tried to console her by placing his palm on her hand.

She removed her hand from his faster than lightning.

"Okay. I understand that you're feeling horrible about this whole ordeal but your brother's alive and well. So don't need to worry about..." Cyprus explained, his voice more soothing than his acting voice was. I understood that he had some relation or some motive to be doing this but I wasn't entirely ready to trust this man. He nearly tried to capture us last time. Scratch that, I trusted him 0%

Keira at this point was at a dangerous low, her anger bubbling from deep inside her. "You understand? Really? I lost my entire family over this. My parents were killed. My brother was put in an institution and tortured. There were times I wished I was dead. I need to worry about Miles. And I don't trust you at all."

Wylan tried his best not to look at Keira, his eyes squaring on Cyprus's face instead. At Keira's outburst, I saw a small hint of remorse on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said," I didn't mean to dismiss your pain. We care very much for your brother."

Wylan interjected immediately. "And why would you help him? You're a Verid after all. Why would you do anything for a former Death Marcher?"

Cyprus scoffed. "For Jackson Cooper's son, you're slightly stupid. Why do you think I faked my death, lived under a false identity, and worked as a Verid? It took me twenty years to become a Major and suddenly...I found an opportunity."

His words rang hollow to me, but Keira seemed to be considering them. She wiped away her tears, her expression hardening. "Why did you try to kill us then?"

Cyprus nodded solemnly, his gaze unwavering. "Because I wanted to get back at Madame Henderson, his father, and save you."

Wylan got up from his seat and glared at Cyprus. "How did you do that?"

"Simple really. I knew that Madame Henderson was leaving that day. I watched Axelle having an argument with her about leaving the house. She told this little girl that she was going somewhere the day after. Also happened to be Market Day and you are always out on Market Day. Keira was outside every day so the only thing I had to do was lure you all to the same place."

"The alleyway," I added, remembering how I followed the fake Verids away from the main streets and made my way to the darker alleys. I found it odd that they followed me everywhere but I swiftly assumed it was Mama.