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POWER WAS INTOXICATING. It was as capricious as it was corruptive, cast as the prize in a mad scramble played by children squabbling for a throne in a larger conquest.
Many spend their entire life, sacrificing everything they have to offer for a taste of glory. Others rise again in a resurgence of great magnitude. Some were born with power as biological as a fifth limb. Few were all three. Theadora Valaryen considered herself part of them. The blood of dragons and gods ran in her veins yet she mastered the art of survival as well. Thea had pushed through the worst of the worst, the final battle spanning the lives and loyalties of countless individuals banded together regardless of their differences.
Most shocking of all, she had reached an armistice with the God of Thunder. Her ancestors would be rolling in their graves.
Thea knew she should've been happy or relieved, taking time to relax or breathe. One of the largest weights threatening to crush her heart for years without end vanished— literally. Instead, she found herself awake most nights, flinching at the sounds of garbage cans clattering across the street or a sudden car alarm blaring in tandem with the city noise of Queens.
The cold morning air brushed against the pinkened apples of her cheek, gently rustling her dark hair. She never wore her silver locks at home, even if it was safe. It was like some dreadful reminder of what was lurking in her blood but she had chosen to wear it on official Illyris business. Her sapphire eyes were glued on the last take-home quiz for AP Latin, a pitiful distraction to guide her mind away from the night terrors that seized her in sleep. In a way, it was a major pain in the ass to repeat junior year following what would nobly be amusedly labeled in history as "The Blip".
Thea despised that name. It grossly undermined the severity of what Thanos did, reducing it to four, plain letters. Still, while everything else had changed— her dragons flew the coop, Tony was dead, rioters tore apart her dragon banners, her Valoqar legion had taken a blow, she wasn't any closer to finding the scattered maegys whose dormant power she accidentally woke up, and her magic was evolving into something dangerously mysterious— but she at least had school. That's when Thea knew there was seriously something wrong with her.
Her eyes were glazed over with exhaustion. Dawn painted its bright colors across the sky, conquering the deep of night she had watched daily. The day would heat up quickly despite the air-conditioning school would blast. A quick tap on her phone screen gave her the time and threw a wrench in her stomach— 5:53.
There was no point in closing her eyes and making an effort to get a nap in before the meeting. She shivered as another wind swept through and the golden lines of the rising sun cast a gentle spring glow across the outlines of buildings. A sudden knock on her bedroom door drew her attention to Peter Parker, wearing a luminous smile and a sparkle in his eyes. He looked well-rested and she felt a pang of jealousy at how energetic he was. His other hand balanced a brown bag and a coffee cup.
