Hey guys! Took me long enough to write this one as well. It's shorter than the last but it's still longer than usual. Hope you like it as well! Only two to go! Don't forget to vote and comment :) Love you all <3
"I can't do this, Elun. What if everything goes wrong? Can't somebody else do it?" I panicked the following morning.
"It's normal to be nervous but you'll be fine. You practiced hard and you said yourself that you needed this closure."
"I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt. Cyrian is vicious. He'll use every tricks he can to destabilize you. I know you are strong but he's nothing like those you've come up against before."
"Lyra, their powers do not affect us. You have no reason to be worried."
"Of course I do. I'm your soul-mate and you are about to fight to the death. I have every reason to be worried. They have a way to get inside your head and turn everything upside-down. What if he tells you things and you get hurt because of them?"
He took hold of my hand, placed it on his heart and rested his forehead on mine.
"I will promise you this: I won't get distracted during the fight and if anything he said to me bothers me, I'll talk to you between the break. I want you to believe in me. I will win because I am stronger but mostly because I would lose so much more than him by dying. I couldn't stand to not see you again."
"Hey, royal couple," shouted Vriany from the other side of the door. "Everyone's waiting for you."
"We're coming."
The benches were even more filled than yesterday. Talk about pressure. The four Alphas were on the balcony with us along with Vriany, Talia, Satie and the girls. Rilos and I would both need at least their support while the other was fighting if not their strength to restrain us. Talia had power cancelling bracelets just in case. I had explained to Keeshee what would happen today but in the heat of the moment, she might just do as her instincts told her to: protect Rilos at all cost.
"Let's start, people!" said the Judge. "Lyra, come down." I jumped and walked inside the truth ring. "Accusations?"
"Abuse of power, kidnapping, sequestration, torture, several counts of murder and soul-mate separation."
"I have no doubt that these really happen but for the sake of the system, I'll take your memories."
"I actually have a request, if you don't mind. Could you project my memories and those of Cyrian and Mikyan so the audience sees them? I know that some people still have doubts about what they did to me so this might help."
"I don't see why not. Those with weak stomach should close their eyes. How far in your memories should I go?"
"The moment I was born, I guess. You have eighteen years to cover so don't take too long on each memories. You should focus on my third year, tenth year, although I buried those memories so you will have to search for them, and the three months after I turned eighteen."
Here we go. He took my hand and Rilos growled before my mind went blank. Images passed quickly. My parents' and nanny's murder. Years of systematic punishments. His declaration on my eighteenth birthday. The torture following my mention of infertility. Every emotions I felt during those years resurfaced: fear, sadness, isolation, shame, guilt, anger, despair. Luckily, the Judge skipped over Mikyan's parts, at least this time.
Darkness invaded every corner of my mind. He was here. I raised my head, dispersing my desire to run as far as I could or throwing myself on my knees. I was the Queen of werewolves. My rank was higher than his. I had no reason to be scared. He stopped being the monster lurking in the shadows and I finally saw him for who he was: a megalomaniac without conscience who would die today.
The Judge took Cyrian's hand and, like it had done for me, images popped behind my eyes. My mother, decapitated by him, and my father dying at the same moment. My nanny and countless other people suffered the same fate but the worst was me. Burnt, bloodied from infancy to adulthood. The screams, tears and light in my eyes, all slowly extinguished by his hand until I became an empty shell.
Every person in the crowd had the same expression: shock. It was one thing to know I had been tortured, it was another one to see it. I felt nothing. Maybe because I was the one who went through it or maybe because I couldn't believe that those memories were of me. I didn't have time to scrutinized the reasons. I had to reassure those present since they were affected by Rilos' emotions.
"I wish I could say you have seen the worst. However, it wouldn't be the truth. If Cyrian attacked my body, Mikyan went not only there but also after my spirit. He drove my wolf away and destroyed my will to live. I'm standing here today to show you that this was in the past. They didn't win. I am stronger than I was before and I certainly am stronger than them. Your past and your scars don't define who you are. How you choose to deal with them does. I will deal with mines by kicking ass!"
The crowed cheered for me and for the guilty verdict. I ran back to the balcony and into Rilos' arms. He nestled his damp face on the top of my head, gently laying a kiss on it.
"You did good, sweetheart. I'm proud of you."
"The worst is yet to come, Elun. You know that." The Judge called him. "Don't die, please. No matter what, don't die."
"I won't." He brushed our lips. "Believe in me."
He jumped in the arena where Cyrian had recovered his powers. They circled around each other, searching for weakness, ways to beat the other. Rilos could kill him with a single thought but he would drag his feet. He wanted Cyrian to suffer and the latter was aware of that.
"So, this is the moment where you die. Shame you didn't wait to be with your soul-mate longer. Dragging her life into your petty fight isn't something a soul-mate would do. How does it feel to know that you've condemn her by your selfishness?"
"Cyrian, everyone here knows who's going to die. Let me give you a hint: It won't be me. Friendly reminder that your powers don't work on me so you might want to change for this fight. But if you just want to stand there while I kill you, it will be your choice and my pleasure."
A giant wolf replaced Cyrian and he jumped at Rilos. His jaws shut a breath shy from my soul-mate's face when the latter discarded him with a slap like one would do with an annoying fly.
"Tie the bracelet to me right now. I won't be able to control myself, not when he's fighting against this man." The cold metal anchored me to reality. He was in control. I might not be but he was. "Thank you."
The sand of the arena soaked up the blood which seeped from Cyrian's muzzle. Rilos had broken it. It continued like this for some time. Cyrian attacked and Rilos broke whatever came close: a phalange, a rib, a leg. Why was he taking such risks? He could snap Cyrian's bones at a distance so why wasn't he doing it? Using my fists is more satisfying than using my powers. We are on the same level and so far, I'm winning. Just be careful. If you get hurt because you prefer hitting him, I will have a week-long sleepover with the girls. You know where to hit so I listen, uh? Fine, powers it is.
A sword appeared in his hand. He swung it and, in one swift motion, pierced through a charging Cyrian's ribcage, shredded his heart and impaled him to the ground. He writhed from a pain that didn't seem to come from the sword in his chest.
"Oh, yeah. You're probably wondering why you're burning from the inside-out since fire doesn't affect you. That's because it's not fire; it's acid. Your stomach's acid to be precise. I sliced it and it's currently degrading your internal organs. Fun, isn't it?"
Cyrian transformed and pulled out the sword with his bare hands, slicing his palms in the process. He got up and coughed blood which he wiped with the back of his hand.
"Is this how you thank me? I follow the prophecy made by Zynia in order for you to have a soul-mate who won't abuse of her authority and I get tortured to death. Had I known, I would have let her become a dictator."
His right arm fell off, cut by a breeze manipulated by Rilos.
"Do not go there, Cyrian. Do not make up an explanation where you are the good guy to justify what you did, especially by involving my soul-mate's mother." Left arm gone. "Nothing you could say would excuse the fact that you separated us, tortured her and knowingly let her get raped." One leg left. "Don't try to play into other people's minds. No prophecy in the world would make someone do the things you did, no matter the outcome. You wanted her for your own benefit." Cyrian was on the ground. No limbs, only his head and torso. "You are dying today, Cyrian, so don't use your last moments to instil doubts into Lyra's heart."
"What do you want me to use them for? Beg for forgiveness? Apologize?"
"That would be nice, but since you don't regret what you did, it'll fall flat."
"Guess you are right." He turned his head and stared straight at me. "I did what I did for the sole reason of making you into who you are now. I won't apologize for that."
"I've had enough."
A thin crimson line stretched around his neck and his head was propelled to the other end of the arena.
Dead. He was finally dead but doubt still floated in my mind. Was that the truth? Had he done this to prevent me from being a terrible person? No. Lyra, look at me. He was in front of me. He lied. Not one word was true, except the part about regret. He hugged me. You would have become a wonderful person like your mom and dad. No one would have let you become a tyrant, especially me. I can say no to you and so can you. Nothing excuses what he did. Remember that. He did it for himself. If he hadn't gotten to you, he would have taken someone else. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You inherently are a good person and I love you. Our link is a lot stronger now, isn't it? Hopefully you won't get hurt if I am today. You won't. You trained hard and you are good. Now it's my turn to make threats. If you get hurt, I will tickle you until you can't breathe. Clear? Very clear, your Highness.
"Lyra? We're ready to begin Mikyan's trial."
Already?
"I'll come with you if you want to."
"Thank you, Rilos. I gladly accept."
"I'm glad I can be of help."
"You just killed one of my biggest nightmare. I think you did more than your share for today. Although, I would have personally taken more time before killing him but that's just me."
"Yeah, but I was still scared that you would associate me with them if you saw me torture him. He hurt and that's good enough. Beside, you were starting to be afraid of what he was saying. I wanted to stop him before he went too far with his lies."
"I appreciate that, Elun. Truly. Let's go give my memories before they get too impatient."
"Don't I get a kiss for killing him?"
I gave him one on the cheek and smiled conspicuously.
"If I'm not too broken down by my fight, I'll give you more and not just on the cheek."
"Woman, don't make me worry then turn me on. That isn't nice at all."
"I wonder who I took this from."