Alchemised

by SenLinYu

“The first promise I made to you was that I’d be yours for as long as I live. I’m keeping that one.”

“I never—I never told you—I’m sorry I couldn’t save any of you.” Davies took a hesitant step forward, mouthing his name as she often did. She smoothed his hair back the way a mother might and then placed both hands on his chest and pushed him back. Away from them.

“Your mother was always so proud of you. She said you were the best thing we ever made.” Then Atreus looked at Helena. “Save him.”

As Amaris levelled out, something flickered below. It grew, becoming an immense, glowing ring of light as Spirefell was consumed by roaring flames.

“Helena, look at you. You have broken yourself into pieces, over and over, because of me, and you don’t seem to understand that it kills me. Living is not worth it to me if you’re the one who keeps paying the price for it. Let me fix what I can.”

A door flew open, and warm light poured out. Helena squinted. Haloed in the doorway stood Lila.

“Someday,” he said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder, “your mercy is going to have consequences.” She held his hand in place. “There’s blood enough on both our hands without adding hers.”

think I always saw running away as the destination. I never actually thought about what would be left of me by the time I got here.”

She brought a few books over and laced her fingers with his as she read, and he was asleep again in minutes.

“Every day. I’ll choose you. That way you’ll know it’s still what I want.”

They were as bright silver as a lightning storm. Helena gave a sob and held her tighter. “Kaine—she has your eyes.”

Enid Rose Ferron was, according to Lila, the easiest baby ever born. The older she grew, the more she looked like Helena, except for her eyes, which were, in colour and angle, just like Kaine’s and the grandmother that she was named for.

“I’m not going to leave him,” Helena said after a pause. “There’s no version of me that survived the war without Kaine.

know you love Kaine, and he loves you, I don’t deny that. But I don’t think you realise how inhumanly cold he is to anyone who isn’t you or E. The rest of the world could burn and he wouldn’t care. I don’t think he’d even notice. Is this really what you want?” “I know what he’s like,” Helena said sharply. “It’s the reason you and I are alive.”

“Love isn’t as pretty or pure as people like to think. There’s a darkness in it sometimes. Kaine and I go hand in hand. I made him who he is. I knew what that array meant when I saved him. If he’s a monster, then I’m his creator.”