Chapter Text
The world around me was a blur of dark trees and shifting shadows as I stumbled through the forest outside of Feldcroft. The air was cool against my skin, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine, but every step sent a dull, searing ache through my calf. The wound was healed, but my leg was still weak—every movement a reminder of the chaos I had just left behind.
I had made the portal a safe distance from the catacomb, far enough that no one would question my sudden arrival, but I could see the entrance in the distance now. The mound of earth that sat atop the tomb loomed ahead, and as I drew closer, my heart lurched at the sight of familiar blonde hair just beyond the slope.
Ominis.
The exhaustion in my body was no match for the relief that flooded through me. My pace quickened instinctively, too fast for my weakened leg to keep up, and before I could catch myself, I tripped over my own feet. A sharp noise escaped me as I hit the ground, the impact jarring my already battered body.
"Ominis," I rasped, frustration bleeding into my tone as I tried to push myself up.
His head snapped up at the sound, and his wand angled slightly, sensing for the source. His features, twisted in fear for only a second, melted into one of sheer relief the moment he recognized me.
"Jo?" His voice was incredulous, breathless.
He didn’t hesitate. He clambered over the mound and was at my side in an instant, his hands grasping at my arms as he pulled me up into a tight embrace. I barely had time to catch my breath before he lifted me off my feet entirely, twirling me once before setting me down a little too fast.
My leg gave out.
A pained gasp left me as my balance crumbled, and I all but collapsed into his arms. His hold on me tightened immediately, steadying me before I could hit the ground again. The warmth of his body was grounding, but his expression had shifted.
His grin was gone.
"What happened?" His voice was low, edged with worry.
I swallowed, suddenly aware of how close we were, of how tightly his arms had wrapped around me, as if letting go wasn’t an option. I could hear the slight hitch in his breath, feel the way his fingers curled protectively at my back.
"You don't want to know," I muttered.
His grip on me didn’t loosen. "Jo—"
I sighed. Of course, he wasn’t going to let it go.
"Fine," I relented, pulling back just enough to meet his face. "A goblin shot me with a crossbow. An arrow hit my calf." I shrugged, forcing nonchalance into my voice despite the deep, aching throb that hadn’t faded. "It's fine. I'm fine. Superficially healed, but my leg's still weak. What matters is Ranrok is dead and the school is safe."
The way his whole body stiffened sent a pang through my chest.
Ominis let out a sharp breath through his nose, pulling me in closer, his hand moving to the back of my head as if to shield me from the very world around us. He pressed his forehead to the side of mine, his exhale shaky against my temple.
I reached up, smoothing a hand over his shoulder in silent reassurance. "I'm okay."
"You shouldn't have to be," he murmured.
I closed my eyes for just a second, allowing myself to sink into him before reality snapped back into focus.
"I'm so ready to tell you all about the absolute nightmare that was today," I murmured, shifting back to face him, "but one thing at a time. Is Sebastian still inside?"
Ominis hesitated, his expression darkening. "Yes."
Something in the pit of my stomach twisted.
Wordlessly, he guided me toward the entrance of the catacomb. As we drew closer, I spotted the unmoving bodies of Inferi sprawled just beyond the threshold. A chill ran through me.
Ominis must have felt my reaction because he spoke before I could ask.
"Sebastian found a way to use the relic to reanimate the bodies buried here," he said, voice tight with something unreadable. "We waited for you. We really did. But then the Inferi started pouring out of the catacomb, and we—" He cut himself off, exhaling sharply. "Anne and I went inside, and when we found him, he was… different. He wasn’t just experimenting, he was creating an army."
My blood ran cold.
"We begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen." His hands curled into fists at his sides. "Anne ran out of the tomb. I followed. She said she saw no other option."
His next words made my heart stop.
"She ran to get Solomon."
My breathing stilled.
That was right before I showed up.
Anne was already gone.
My original plan had been to give her the cure before stepping foot inside the catacomb—before she saw what Sebastian had become. But that option was out the window.
Ominis must have sensed my spiraling thoughts because he squeezed my arm gently. I looked at him, at the concern creasing his brow, and exhaled sharply.
"We have to get to him," I said, voice tight. "Before Solomon does."
Ominis nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. "And before the Inferi spread beyond this place."
I didn’t need to be reminded of the absolute disaster that would be. If Sebastian’s disregard for consequences continued, we wouldn’t just be dealing with Solomon’s wrath—we’d be dealing with an infestation of undead wreaking havoc on Feldcroft.
I shuddered, but not just from that thought. I still had Paul’s plan. If all else failed, that would be my last resort.
I pushed the thought down as Ominis and I stepped carefully over the corpses of the fallen Inferi, making our way to the entrance. A massive stone slab blocked the entrance—Ominis’s handiwork, no doubt, to keep the creatures contained.
I braced myself, placed both hands against the cool rock, and shoved.
The slab scraped against the ground before slamming down with a deafening thud that echoed through the tomb.
Ominis turned his head in my direction, looking impressed. "I couldn't even move that thing," he muttered.
I laughed lightly, shaking out my hands. "You just need to eat more."
Ominis scoffed, but I caught the ghost of a smirk on his lips as we descended into the tomb.
The catacomb stretched before us, eerily silent except for the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. We moved carefully, not running, which my aching leg appreciated. Ominis walked beside me, his grip on his wand firm, his other hand brushing mine with every step.
Then, after a moment, he simply took my hand in his.
I glanced at him, but he didn’t say anything—just laced his fingers through mine and kept walking.
I squeezed his hand, letting the warmth of his palm soothe the chill in my bones.
Eventually, we neared a chamber, and my breath caught at the sight of several Inferi shuffling aimlessly in the dim light, their grotesque forms looming in the shadows.
I squeezed Ominis’s hand again.
He inhaled sharply. "I can feel them."
The moment the words left his mouth, one of the creatures jerked its head up. Empty, glowing eyes locked onto us.
It let out a guttural, bone-chilling screech.
"Stay close," I murmured.
Then, all hell broke loose.
The first Inferius lunged, its decayed fingers outstretched. I threw up my wand and blasted it back with Confringo, setting it ablaze. It shrieked, writhing in the fire, before collapsing into a heap of charred bones.
Another lunged from the side—I dodged, rolling across the uneven stone before twisting my wand in its direction.
"Bombarda!"
The explosion sent it flying into a crumbling pillar, where it cracked apart on impact.
Across from me, Ominis stood his ground, deflecting attacks with a well-timed Protego before retaliating with quick, precise bursts of fire. His fighting style was different from mine—defensive, controlled, each movement calculated. But it was effective.
One Inferius lunged toward him, arms outstretched—he flicked his wand, sending it flying backward into the wall.
Another grabbed him by the arm.
My heart lurched.
"Ominis!"
Before he could react, I was already moving.
I surged forward, grabbing onto the Inferius and wrenching it away from him with sheer strength, tossing it to the side before slamming my wand into its chest.
"Incendio!"
Flames engulfed it instantly, and it howled as it was reduced to ash.
Ominis turned to me, his expression unreadable, and before I could say anything, another Inferius lunged from behind me.
I barely had time to react before claws raked across my arm.
Pain lanced through me.
I stumbled back, biting back a curse, before thrusting my wand forward and blasting the creature away.
The final Inferius collapsed into flames.
Silence fell over the chamber.
I clutched my arm, exhaling through my teeth. "Well, that was fun."
Ominis turned to me sharply. "You're hurt."
"It's fine," I said quickly, already reaching into my bag. "Not my first scratch today."
I pulled out a Wiggenweld potion and downed it in one gulp. The pain dulled immediately, and I rolled my shoulder to test the mobility.
Ominis still looked concerned.
I reached for his hand again and rested it on my arm where the scratch previously was. "See? Good as new."
His hand slid down my arm and fingers curled around mine, holding tight.
For a second, we just stood there, breathing in the stillness.
Then, finally, I turned my gaze forward.
We moved quickly but carefully, our steps echoing through the tunnels as we pushed deeper into the catacomb. The air was thick with dust and decay, and the lingering stench of death clawed at my senses. Every shadow seemed to shift, every distant creak or groan making my skin prickle.
Sebastian was in here somewhere. Still raising the dead.
I clenched my jaw.
"Ominis," I murmured, "where did you see him last?"
"The great room," he said grimly. "The same place I confronted him last time."
That made sense. It was the largest chamber in the catacomb, an open space where the relic sat like a malignant heart at the center of it all. If Sebastian was still in there, that meant—
"How many Inferi did you and Anne have to fight on your way out?" I asked.
Ominis’s grip on his wand tightened. "Four."
We had just fought six.
I felt my stomach twist.
He was still raising them.
We had to move faster.
The catacomb twisted and turned, narrow corridors giving way to cavernous spaces. Then, as we turned the next corner, we reached a ledge that overlooked a massive chamber below.
And my blood ran cold.
There were at least ten Inferi.
Lumbering. Shambling. Waiting.
Ominis took a sharp step back, his breath faltering. I grabbed his hand, grounding him. "We've got this," I whispered.
He nodded stiffly, regaining his composure, but I could still feel his pulse racing beneath my fingers.
Then, almost as if sensing us, one of the Inferi let out a wretched, gurgling screech.
And they all turned.
"Son of a Bludger," I hissed.
Before they could lunge, I flicked my wand, sending a wave of fire crashing down the slope, engulfing the first few creatures. They shrieked, writhing in the flames, but the rest pressed forward.
Ominis sent a Blasting Curse that tore through another three, sending bone and rotted flesh flying.
The Inferi swarmed, forcing us down the slope into the fray.
I fought fast and brutal, striking with a mix of magic and sheer force—launching one creature into the wall with a burst of ancient magic, spinning to slam my boot into another’s brittle ribs, blasting a third back with Confringo.
Ominis was at my side, moving with a fluidity that I had always admired—deftly deflecting attacks and casting precise spells that burned through the horde. He may have been more defensive, but his power was undeniable.
The fight was relentless. Inferi clawed at me, at him, their cold fingers scraping against my skin as I cut them down one by one.
I didn’t feel the scratches on my arms, didn’t feel the sting of torn skin or the ache in my leg as I pushed forward, Ominis close at my side. The battle blurred into motion—spells, fire, bone. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except getting to Sebastian before it was too late.
Lightning crackled above as I raised my hand, sending a bolt of raw, searing energy into the chest of two advancing Inferi. The air split with the sound of their screeches as their bodies convulsed and burned, reduced to nothing but scorched remains.
Behind me, Ominis fought tooth and nail. I could hear the hum of his spells, the sharp, controlled breaths as he moved—deflecting, burning, pushing forward.
Then—
A sound.
The sickening tear of claws against flesh.
A choked gasp.
And the unmistakable thud of a wand hitting stone.
I whipped around so fast the world blurred.
Ominis was on his knees.
Blood poured from his throat.
The moment fractured—shattered like glass.
My heart stopped, my breath froze, my vision tunneled.
A scream ripped from my throat, but I barely heard it over the deafening explosion of power that erupted from my body. Ancient magic—or something deeper, something I couldn’t name—blasted outward in a violent wave.
Every remaining Inferius disintegrated instantly, reduced to nothing but dust.
I didn’t care.
I didn’t care about anything except the boy collapsing in front of me.
I dropped to my knees, catching Ominis before he hit the floor. His body was trembling against mine, his breath coming in ragged, wet gasps. His blood—Merlin, there was so much blood—was soaking into my skirt, warm and sticky and horrifying.
No, no, no, no.
"Ominis," I gasped, pressing a shaking hand to his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. "Ominis, stay with me."
His milky eyes fluttered weakly, his fingers barely managing to grip onto my sleeve. His lips parted, like he wanted to say something, but all that came out was a pained exhale.
Panic surged through me, wild and uncontrollable.
I scrambled for my wand, my mind spiraling. I had healed myself just earlier that day. I could do this.
I had to.
I pointed my wand at his wound and cast Vulnera Sanentur—the same spell I had already used today. All of the blood that had seeped out of him quivered slowly reversed. It retreated back into his veins from his clothes, the floor, and my hands. His torn flesh mended, but it wasn’t enough.
The damage to his trachea and jugular were too deep to heal from a simple spell.
He was still gasping for air.
Still slipping.
My hands shook.
No, no, I wouldn’t let him die. I couldn’t let him die.
"Stay awake," I begged. "Stay with me, Ominis, please—"
I was crying now, my tears falling onto his shirt.
His fingers found my wrist, weak but insistent. His lips parted again, and this time, his voice—faint, broken, barely there—reached my ears.
"I love you."
The words nearly destroyed me.
I let out a strangled sob, my forehead pressing against his. "I love you too," I whispered, voice cracking. "I love you, Ominis, so you can't leave me now."
And then—
A realization.
The cure.
Anne’s cure.
It would save him, I knew it would. But if I used it now, that meant—
Solomon would die and Anne would still be cursed.
My mind reeled. If Solomon died, then what had all of this been for? What had I accomplished? What had I changed?
Unless…
Paul’s plan.
No.
I couldn’t.
I couldn’t.
But Ominis was dying in my arms.
And I had no choice.
My hand shot into my pocket, fingers curling around the vial.
I pulled it out, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. The liquid inside was a luminescent pink, deceptively gentle-looking.
"Drink this."
He didn’t question me. Didn’t hesitate.
He trusted me.
He always trusted me.
His fingers barely grasped the vial as I guided it to his lips. He swallowed, his throat working to take in every last drop.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
And then—
Color rushed back to his face.
His breathing steadied.
The tension in his body eased.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, my whole body collapsing against him in relief. My hands clutched his shirt as I sobbed against his chest, whispering, "You're okay. You're okay. You're okay."
Then, suddenly—
A sharp inhale.
I froze.
Ominis gasped, his body going rigid beneath me.
Panic struck me again. I whipped my head around, eyes darting wildly for a threat—another Inferius, another attacker—
But there was nothing.
Just us.
Just him.
I turned back to him, heart hammering, about to ask what was wrong—
And then I saw his eyes.
Not cloudy.
Not milky.
Not empty.
They were stormy now. A dark, deep, beautiful blue.
And they were locked onto me.
A realization hit me with the force of a Blasting Curse.
Ominis Gaunt could see.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Ominis’s eyes—no longer the unseeing opals I had grown so familiar with—were staring straight into mine. And they were seeing me.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I hadn’t even thought of this. Hadn’t even considered that, in giving him the cure, it would heal more than his injury.
It made sense. Merlin, it made sense.
Ominis was born blind. It was just the way he was, it was not an illness that plagued him. And yet…
Here he was.
His eyes looked like dark sapphires, locked onto mine with something between confusion and awe.
His lips parted as his breath hitched.
His hands—shaking—rose in front of him, like he was reaching for something he couldn’t quite grasp.
And then, in a broken, trembling whisper, he said, “Jo… I can see you.”
A sharp gasp tore through me.
Ominis flinched at the sound, his brows furrowing, his head jerking slightly like he was trying to process too much at once. His fingers twitched as they flexed, then curled, then flexed again.
His breathing was uneven, ragged.
“I—” His voice was unsteady, like he didn’t trust the words forming on his tongue. “I don’t—how?”
I snapped out of my daze and immediately grabbed his hands in mine, grounding him. “It’s okay,” I whispered, squeezing gently. “You’re okay.”
His fingers curled tightly around mine.
His breaths were coming fast now, his whole body tense. “Jo, I—I don’t—there’s so much—” His grip on my hands tightened. “What is this? What am I feeling?”
My heart ached at the pure bewilderment in his voice.
He had never seen anything before. Never processed the world through sight. Every shadow, every flicker of movement, every detail was new—unfiltered, raw, crashing into him all at once.
He let out a shuddering breath. “This is—this is too much.”
I cupped his face tenderly, guiding him to focus. “Ominis. Just breathe.”
He closed his eyes—his eyes—and sucked in a deep breath.
I could feel the tension thrumming through him, feel the storm raging inside his mind as he struggled to make sense of a world that had never been available to him before.
And then, slowly, hesitantly, his eyes fluttered open again.
And he looked at me.
Really looked at me.
His mouth parted slightly as he exhaled, his expression shifting from overwhelmed to awestruck.
His fingers lifted, brushing over my cheek, his touch reverent. His brows furrowed, and his lips quirked into something like disbelief.
“You’re beautiful.”
I let out a soft, breathless laugh, my heart twisting at the sheer sincerity in his voice.
His fingers trailed down, brushing against my jaw, my lips, like he was reliving an old memory. “I never knew…” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I never knew what I was missing.”
Tears burned at the back of my throat.
This was everything.
Everything he had ever been denied, everything he had never dared to dream of having.
And yet—
My stomach twisted.
I should be overjoyed. I was overjoyed.
But deep inside, beneath the warmth, beneath the love, a bitter truth settled in my chest like a stone.
I had used the cure.
I had made my choice.
And now, there was only one path left to take.
Paul’s plan.
The only way to make sure Solomon lived.
The only way to keep everything from unraveling.
The only way to make this worth it.
Ominis was alive.
That was all that mattered.
I swallowed down the ache threatening to consume me and focused on the boy in front of me—the boy I loved.
The boy who had just experienced his first sight, and the first thing he had ever truly seen was me.
His hands, still trembling, gripped tighter onto mine, his gaze never leaving my own. “I don’t deserve this,” he murmured.
I cupped his face again, brushing my thumb over his cheekbone. “Yes, you do.”
His throat bobbed.
“I love you,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
His lips crashed into mine.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t slow.
It was desperate—urgent—raw with everything we felt but couldn’t put into words.
Tears mingled with the kiss, our hands clutching at each other, pulling closer, needing to feel the reality of this moment.
My fingers tangled in his hair as he deepened the kiss, as he held me like I was the most precious thing in existence.
And for him, maybe I was.
He pulled back just enough to press his forehead against mine.
“I love you so much,” he breathed.
A fresh wave of emotion surged through me, and I clung to him tighter, memorizing the way he felt, the way he looked at me.
Because I knew.
I knew what must be done.
I forced myself to loosen my grip on Ominis, to pull back even though every fiber of my being wanted to stay pressed against him forever. My hands trailed down his arms, steadying him as I guided him to his feet. His fingers curled around mine for a moment, as if reluctant to let go, but he followed my lead.
For the first time since regaining his sight, Ominis pulled his gaze away from me and took in his surroundings. His deep ocean eyes flickered across the catacomb walls, tracing the gnarled roots jutting out from cracks in the ceiling, the worn stone pathways, the eerie red glow that still pulsed from the remnants of Sebastian’s dark magic. His breath hitched as he turned his head too quickly, his movements unsteady, unpracticed.
I retrieved his wand from the ground and pressed it into his palm. His fingers curled around it instinctively, but there was hesitation in his grip.
He was overwhelmed.
His entire world had just changed in an instant, and now, here we were, standing in a tomb filled with the remnants of a battle neither of us had been prepared for.
Ominis exhaled sharply. “I—I should go back to Hogwarts. If I get to the Headmaster first, I can frame this as a family argument before Solomon has a chance to turn it into something worse.”
“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “Please don’t.”
His brows furrowed in confusion. “Then what do you suggest?”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat and forced my voice to remain steady. “If Solomon gets here before I can talk Sebastian down, this whole thing will spiral out of control.”
Ominis flinched at the implication, even though he didn’t know where fate was trying to steer this.
I pressed forward, gripping his hands tightly. “I need you to intercept Solomon and Anne. Delay them. As long as you can. Buy me time.”
He hesitated, but only for a moment. Then he nodded. “Alright.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
He turned to leave, but before he could take more than two steps, something inside me screamed wait.
“Ominis!” My voice cracked.
He froze, then slowly turned back.
I closed the distance between us in an instant. My hands framed his face, memorizing every ridge, every angle, every mark, every detail that I had always admired but had never expected him to see.
His lips parted, his breath warm against mine.
I surged forward and kissed him, desperate and deep, pouring every unspoken word, every unshed tear, every ounce of love I had left into that moment.
He responded in kind, his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer.
If I could have stayed there forever, I would have.
But I couldn’t.
I pulled back just enough to whisper, “I love you, and I always will.”
“I love you too. My heart is forever yours.”
I clenched my jaw and forced a smile, even as my chest ached. “Go. I’ll see you soon.”
He lingered a second longer, then nodded, stepping away. As he turned toward the exit, I saw him falter slightly, blinking rapidly as if trying to process too much at once.
Without a word, he closed his eyes and raised his wand, reverting back to the way he had navigated the world his entire life.
My throat tightened as I watched him disappear down the corridor.
The moment he was gone, I let my mask slip.
My fingers curled into fists as I struggled to keep myself together.
I took a deep, steadying breath, pushing everything else aside.
I had a job to do.
A duty to fulfill
Squaring my shoulders, I turned and continued deeper into the catacomb, each step feeling heavier than the last.
My leg still hurt but it was dulled completely by my focus of what was ahead.
The tunnel twisted and turned, leading me to the chamber I knew he’d be in.
And then, as I rounded the final corner, I saw him.
Sebastian.
Dark circles hung under his eyes, his expression wild with obsession.
He was standing before an open sarcophagus, whispering incantations under his breath.
Around him, the bodies stirred.
Waiting.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my heart to harden.
It was time.
Sebastian turned to me, his eyes wild with something dark, something desperate. He gestured toward the relic in his hand with an almost feverish excitement.
"Isn't it incredible?" he said, his voice breathless, exhilarated. "I told you, the relic is the answer! I've been trying to reverse the Dark Magic that injured Anne, but this—this will allow me to control it."
My stomach twisted at his words. At the unhinged glint in his eyes.
"Control it?" I spat, taking a step forward. "Sebastian, listen to yourself! This is Dark Magic, and you're letting it consume you!"
His expression soured instantly. The boy who had once fought beside me, who had once shared every thought and fear, was slipping further and further away.
"You don't get it, Jo!" His voice rose with fury, his hands curling into fists. "You’ve never understood! You don’t care about Anne! You don’t care about me!"
I barely had time to register the sting of his words before I acted.
"Accio relic!"
The relic shot from his grip and into my hand. The Inferi around us froze in place, their empty eyes waiting for command.
Sebastian’s own eyes went wide as I pointed my wand at the relic. He lunged toward me.
"No—!"
I didn’t hesitate.
With a single, forceful flick of my wand, the relic disintegrated in my palm, vanishing into nothing.
Sebastian skidded to a halt, his chest heaving, his fury palpable.
The Inferi stood motionless, their puppeteer cut from his strings.
For a long, agonizing moment, we just stared at each other.
Then he lunged, wand drawn.
I barely had time to deflect the first curse before he sent another flying at me.
The chamber erupted in spellfire.
I dodged, countered, parried. My heart pounded in my chest as I dueled one of my closest friends, as I led him down the path I needed him to take.
I had to make this real.
I had to make him believe I was standing in his way.
I let my anger rise—not real anger, but something close enough to fuel the fire.
"You’re out of control!" I shouted, sending a spell hurtling toward him.
Sebastian blocked it with ease, his lips curling in a sneer. "I’m out of control? I’m the only one willing to do what’s necessary!"
"You’re willing to tear apart everything and everyone around you!"
He fired another curse, and I let it graze my shoulder, staggering back with a sharp inhale.
Good. Let him think he was gaining the upper hand.
I had to push him further.
"You’re selfish, Sebastian!" I yelled, gripping my wand tighter. "You think this is for Anne, but it’s not! It’s all about you! You can’t stand the idea of failing her, so you’ll destroy everything to prove you were right!"
Sebastian roared in fury, launching a barrage of spells at me.
I barely deflected them in time.
My breath came in short, shallow pants.
Not yet.
Just a little further.
I forced a bitter laugh. "I won’t let you leave this tomb until you promise to stop this madness!"
Sebastian’s eyes burned with rage, his wand trembling in his grip.
And then—
He raised his wand, fury coiling around him like a storm about to break.
I saw it in his face.
This was it.
The moment fate demanded.
"I won’t let her suffer!"
I barely had a second to act.
With a flick of my fingers, I vanished from sight.
A flawless copy of myself remained in my place, standing firm, unwavering, staring Sebastian down.
I turned away from the duel for a split second and, to my horror, in walked Ominis, Anne, and Solomon.
Sebastian, who hadn’t seen them, didn’t hesitate.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green light burst from his wand.
The spell struck my duplicate dead on.
I forced myself to stay perfectly still, to remain invisible, as my own lifeless body crumpled to the stone floor.
And then—
A sharp inhale.
A gasp of horror.
The clatter of his wand on the floor.
I didn’t have to see his face to know that Sebastian realized what he had done.
A ragged, broken scream tore from Ominis’s throat.
Then a spell.
"Depulso!"
Sebastian barely had time to react before he was flung backward, crashing into the stone wall with a sickening thud. He groaned in pain, but Ominis wasn’t done—he turned on the Inferi, their lifeless bodies still standing, still waiting for command.
"Incendio!" Solomon’s voice rang through the chamber, and fire erupted, engulfing the creatures in a blaze of orange and gold. They crumbled like brittle parchment, turning to ash before they even hit the ground.
"Bombarda!"
Anne’s voice trembled with emotion as she cast the spell at the pedestal where the spellbook sat. It exploded into pieces, shreds of parchment and magic bursting into the air like dying embers.
"NO!"
Sebastian’s anguished cry echoed through the chamber.
But I could barely hear him.
Because Ominis was already on his knees beside my lifeless double.
He gathered the body into his arms, hands shaking violently as he cradled my face, his thumb brushing against a cheek that was no longer warm.
"No, no, no..." His voice broke, his whole body trembling as he rocked back and forth, tears spilling freely from his newly-seeing eyes. "Please—Jo—please—"
Anne dropped beside him, hands covering her mouth as silent sobs wracked her frame. Solomon stood still, his lips pressed into a grim line, his fingers curling into fists at his sides.
Sebastian looked at the group in terror. And in a moment, he ran out of the tomb.
And me?
I stood there, invisible, unseen, unheard—watching the person I loved most in this world break before my eyes.
I swallowed back a sob, clamping my hands over my mouth to keep from making a sound, to keep me from running to him, from wrapping my arms around him, from whispering that I was here.
But I wasn’t.
Not anymore.
If fate demanded a death today, I had given it one.
Ominis, Anne, Solomon, and even Sebastian—they were alive.
That was all that mattered.
I watched and my heart shattering into irreparable pieces as Solomon gently rested a hand on Ominis’s shoulder.
"Ominis," he said, voice rough with grief. "We need to go."
Ominis didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
He just clung.
Like if he held on tightly enough, reality would shift and undo itself.
Like if he willed it, I would wake up.
Anne knelt beside him, her face streaked with tears. "Ominis..." she whispered, voice barely audible. "She’s gone."
He let out a choked sob and buried his face in my hair.
I had never seen him cry like this before.
It broke me.
It destroyed me.
After what felt like an eternity, Solomon finally pulled him away.
Ominis didn’t resist—he just collapsed against Anne, his whole body shaking with silent cries.
Solomon gathered my fake body into his arms, holding it with a reverence I didn’t deserve.
Then, with a single turn on the spot, the three of them vanished.
I was alone.
The weight of everything crashed down at once.
A strangled noise tore from my throat as my invisibility shattered.
I collapsed onto my hands and knees, gasping, shaking, breaking.
Tears poured down my face in relentless streams as sobs wracked my chest.
I had done it.
I had saved them all.
But at what cost?
I wasn’t supposed to feel this much.
I wasn’t supposed to want to take it all back.
My breaths turned frantic, uneven, my chest rising and falling too fast, too shallow—
I was hyperventilating.
I clawed at my throat, my body betraying me as I coughed and gasped for air that wouldn’t come.
It hurt.
Merlin, it hurt.
A scream clawed its way up my throat, raw and aching, but I swallowed it down.
The world spun around me, a haze of grief and exhaustion pressing down on my chest like an iron weight. My limbs trembled from pain and magic overuse, but none of that compared to the hollow ache expanding inside me, filling every part of my being like a vast, endless void.
This was it.
The end of my time here.
Ominis thought I was dead. Anne. Solomon. Sebastian. They all thought I was gone.
I could still hear Ominis’s sobs, echoing in my head like a ghostly refrain. Still see the way he clung to me—to a body that wasn’t even mine. The way Sebastian's face had twisted in realization, in horror. The way Anne had whispered my name like an apology she could never take back.
I had done what I set out to do.
I had stopped Ranrok. I had saved the Repository. I had protected Sebastian from himself.
I had saved them all.
And in doing so, I had lost everything.
A bitter laugh choked its way out of me, the sound sharp and broken in the empty tomb.
This had always been the plan.
From the moment I first set foot in this dimension, I knew I would have to leave it behind.
I knew this wasn’t my world to stay in.
I just never realized how much of my soul I would leave behind with it.
With one last shaky breath, I pushed myself onto unsteady feet.
I wiped at my face, knowing the tears would keep coming.
I let my body move on autopilot as I raised a hand, summoned a portal, and stepped through.
The light swallowed me whole and I was gone.
To Be Continued.