Zoey steadied her breath and nodded, though her eyes were bloodshot.
"After you chose to beco the protector Eldoralth needed… things were going well. Until the Academy. Until… Atticus."
Zoey's hands clenched at her sides. Her breath stopped at the ntion of his na.
Lumindra sighed deeply.
"When you t Atticus, even I was surprised. Despite all your hatred for n over the years, you beca smitten with him. But unfortunately, it was too much for the Spirit King's liking. He saw the changes it brought in you. In that one year you spent with him, you were… happy. Truly happy."
Her voice dropped.
"You started straying from your goal. So, he acted. He decided to end that… by using ."
She looked away, sha blanketing her face.
"The bonding technique, the one the Spirit King created, it gave him control. He could manipulate the bond however he wanted. Especially since he had full control over ."
Lumindra gave a bitter smile. "He ordered to manipulate your emotions. I tried to resist. I tried. But then I discovered sothing that shattered everything I believed in."
She turned fully to Zoey.
"I couldn't refuse. I couldn't go against him. He… he controlled my mind. I didn't understand how. I still don't. But I had no choice. So, I followed his order."
"When Atticus confessed to you, the only feeling that overwheld you… was jealousy. The Spirit King believed that by making you feel jealous, you'd push yourself harder. You'd beco stronger, stronger than him."
Lumindra's gaze dimd as sadness took over her face.
"But I saw what it did to you. I saw how broken it made you. I saw you cry at the military camp after you both spoke… and that day, I stopped. I stopped manipulating your emotions."
She paused, gathering her breath.
"By then, with the appearance of Ozeroth and the anomaly that was Atticus, the Spirit King had started shifting his plans. He stopped focusing on you… but that didn't last. Not for long."
She closed her eyes briefly.
"Eldoralth had been pushed to the brink, and he decided to use the chaos to descend. Atticus is off world now, currently in the Zorvan world. The Spirit King plans on destroying the Zorvan portal to trap him long enough to execute his plans here."
"And because you're bonded with , you were the one with the most potential to hold spiritual energy. So… he chose you. He latched onto our bond. He forced to trap you in that dream world… until his descent was complete."
Silence fell across the darkened space.
Zoey stood there, still. Tears stread freely down her face. Her entire being trembled.
Her whole life… had been a lie.
She had been manipulated, by the Spirit King… and by the one she considered family.
Pain. That was all she could feel.
Why her? Why had this happened to her? What had she done to deserve any of it?
Her aunt Jeneva, murdered, just to give her "purpose."
Atticus, pushed away, all because of a false emotion.
It had all been Lumindra.
It had all been him, the Spirit King.
The spirit fucking king.
Zoey wiped her face with her sleeve, breathing hard. But nothing, nothing, could calm the raging storm inside her.
She rembered her grandmother's words again. Slowly, the anguish inside her transford… into rage.
She turned to Lumindra, voice trembling.
"If you were the one keeping trapped in that dream world… then how did I escape?"
Her eyes were crimson and fierce, her entire aura screaming resolve.
Lumindra didn't answer imdiately. She felt Zoey's pain, and it shattered her. But she was far beyond asking for forgiveness now.
All she could hope for… was redemption.
Finally, she spoke.
"I knew the Spirit King would use you to descend, eventually. So… I took precautions. I sealed away part of your mories, deep within your mind. And if I didn't reinforce that seal regularly… it was set to break."
She paused, then continued softly.
"As for how you had the strength to break free… it's because of our bond. Even with the Spirit King's influence, I was still your bonded spirit. And that bond, it wasn't one-sided.
"Even though he gave the power to act without your knowledge… it was still a connection between equals. My mind isn't stronger than yours… and yours isn't stronger than mine.
"So when you wanted to leave…"
She smiled faintly.
"…you did."
Zoey clenched her fists tightly. "So you helped ."
"Yes," Lumindra replied softly.
"Why?"
Lumindra's chest ached at the question. She could feel the distrust rolling off Zoey in waves. It hurt, but she understood.
She let out a shaky sigh. "Because I want to help you."
The tears hadn't stopped flowing from Zoey's cheeks. But even in the midst of the fact that her entire life had been orchestrated, she forced herself to think.
'I can't do anything.'
That was the truth. No matter how much she wanted to scream, or fight, or burn the world down, she couldn't do anything right now. Not alone.
Her voice ca again, lower. "You could be trying to manipulate again."
Lumindra flinched. Her heart ached at the words, but she didn't try to deny them.
"I won't ask for forgiveness," she said quietly. "I'm way past that now. All I ask… is that you give the chance to redeem myself."
Zoey clenched her fists tighter. Her knuckles were pale from the pressure. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling body.
And then she nodded, slowly but resolutely.
"I can never forgive you for anything, Lumindra. Even if you help now."
Lumindra nodded, her expression serious. "I know."
A heavy silence followed, before Zoey spoke again.
"…How?"
"By fusing with ."
Zoey blinked. Confused. "What?"
But Lumindra explained before she could ask more.
"Not bonding. Fusing. Right now, we're bonded, connected, but still two separate entities. Two minds, two egos. But if we fuse… we beco one. One soul. One ego. One mind."
Zoey's brows furrowed. "But the Spirit King controls you. If we fuse… wouldn't that control extend to too?"
Lumindra shook her head. "No, it won't. Because in the fusion… you will beco the dominant one. I'll cease to exist."
Her voice grew quiet.
"And he won't be able to control you, Zoey."
User Comments
0 comments from readers