37
"HELIO," SHE BREATHED, BUT he didn't seem to hear her.
He was still too much in a haze, staring at her as if she was a dream. She couldn't say she was in a better state herself. Her memories of the past and the present were flooding her mind, as well as the ones from the past lives she had had as this human doll her mother had created. How could she have ever let her guard down around her? More importantly, how many years had she lost playing a game she hadn't signed up for? One look around was enough for her to see the strings on the puppets now, the way they were tied so tightly around their necks that one wrong movement would cause it to snap. Was there even anyone around her who hadn't been her mother's toy?
"Delilah," Roshan said, voice soft.
She glanced at him, his wings almost completely gone now.
"You got your wish," she said.
"I did," he replied, gaze flicking down to his fidgeting hands, before he looked back at her again," none of that matters though. I didn't mean to hurt you, truly. I've grown to care about you, outside of this whole farce, but I couldn't stop it. No one could. Your mother -"
"Niccolo stopped it," she noted, glancing at the shattered opal on the floor.
"I don't know how," Roshan frowned, looking genuinely startled about it," even if the magic was wearing off, it shouldn't be able to break. She told me the magic on it was so strong that even if you took it off, nothing would happen. It had to be, she was paying for it with her life."
She wasn't surprised of the price the magic had been asking of her mother. Hypnotizing anyone would have been difficult, but the Soulweaver was made to be an existence above the others. Of course this had been the only way she could've thought of. All Delilah wondered was how many of these meaningless lives still had been left until her mother's soul had turned into ash. Still, Roshan was right. The magic shouldn't have been able to break that easily. How did Niccolo do it?
As if hearing her thoughts, Niccolo finally looked up then, his gaze which had been trained on the crystal settling on her. He was smiling, like he always had been, but there was something so heartbreaking in his expression that she could almost taste the tears. It was gone within a second though as he snapped his fingers at the shards on the floor, flames dancing around his hands as he let it burn.
"Hey, Lilah," he said," long time no see."
"Let's get out of here," she said, gently placing a hand on Helio's cheek as she glanced at him," all of us."
Roshan lowered his gaze shamefully, but she forced him to look up at her with one wave of her hand.
"You too," she said," we have much to discuss."
She teleported them out of there, immediately making sure the memories of all the people who were present were wiped as well. Though it was only a matter of time before her mother realized, she still could stall it for as long as possible, which meant that none of her puppets could know. Not all of them were under her mother's control, but she couldn't risk it.
She stepped from the portal in the gardens then, unconsciously having chosen Helio's house as the place to go. Once, it had been her home as well. When she passed the fountain she remembered pressing her forehead against his and professing her love. Now she was a stranger in her own life. Helio was the first one to break the silence, but there were none of the usual questions, nothing about how it had happened, how Niccolo had known about the opal. She hadn't expected there to be any. No, when he let himself sink to his knees in front of her, cradling her hands in his like he'd accept any punishment she gave him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered," I'm so sorry, Lilah. How could I have ever let this happen to you?"
"You didn't, Helio," she replied, lowering herself so they were back on eye level again," please don't blame yourself, this wasn't you." She smiled then, cupping his face in her hands. "Besides, you found me again, didn't you?"
One tear slid down his cheek, turning into smoke once it fell down, curling around his throat like his grief was choking him.
"You found me," he said, words barely a whisper.
"We have so much time to catch up on," she said, resting her forehead against his. "But first, there's something I have to check."
"What's that?"
She turned to Niccolo, gaze wandering over him before it settled on his eyes. He diverted his gaze, as if afraid to look at her. All she could hope for was that the suspicion she had right now was wrong, even though she knew in her heart already it wasn't.
"Why did you purposely distance yourself from Helio?" she said.
"What are you talking about?" Niccolo said, back to his usual self as he looked back at her," I didn't. What makes you think I could even bear to look at him after what I thought had happened to you? You were the only one keeping us together to begin with."
"We both know that's not true, Nico," she said, stepping forward to him," don't lie to me. You would never blame Helio for what happened to me, not with how well you know the weight of responsibilities which aren't your own. Your followers tend to blame you for anything wrong what happens and forget you when something good does. You know more than anyone else that no one was to blame for my disappearance. After all, you already knew what happened to me, right?"
"What makes you think I knew and wouldn't have told you?" he said," you must know that you're talking nonsense right now, Delilah. Staying human for so long must have made something strange happen in your head."
"Why are you trying to antagonize me too, Nico?" she said," we both know that if you didn't say anything, that means I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I saw it in your eyes that day, when we were on Earth and you got the prophecy. You knew something terrible was going to happen."
"And it did," he said softly.
"It did," she said," and it's not finished yet. You intentionally fought with Helio, you warned me not to get closer in every way you could. The magic of the necklace was wearing off, so you pretended it was you giving me these visions so I wouldn't pry. You knew that if I discovered everything on my own and broke the magic, I'd die in the process. That's why you did everything you could to prevent that from happening, no matter if you made yourself the villain in the process."
"I am already the villain, Lilah," he smiled gently," what do one or two sins more matter? I kept you from Helio, I did everything I could to make things difficult between you, him and I. It's okay if you hate me for it."
"Why would I?" she said," you could've done so much worse, Nico, but you didn't. We both know you care too much for us both to do so."
"It's my fault," he said, shaking his head wildly," mine and mine only. I should be the only one to bear the burden."
Helio, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, expression undecipherable. "What burden? Why did you tell me you hated me over and over, until I finally maintained my distance? Nico, what did you do?"
Niccolo looked at the two of them, none of the cocky confidence he clad himself in like armor surrounding him anymore. No, he was simply a lonely boy now, who had had too much burdens to bear for too long, looking at the only two friends he had in this world.
"Don't you remember, Lilah?" he said," my last prediction to you. It's okay for you to let my heart go now. You don't need to be burdened by it anymore."
"Nico," she said, voice becoming more urgent as she grabbed him by his shoulders," why did you tell me you wanted to find a way to die? What did you do in order for me to go back to normal?"
"The only thing I could do," he said," a life for a life, Lilah. I told you you'd help me find a way to die."
"Nico," she said, repeating his name over and over again like a prayer," Nico, please. Take it back, whatever you did, please, this is not worth it."
He smiled, glancing at Helio then.
"I'm sorry," he said," I just didn't want you to lose someone else you lost dear. I know you were never the cause of any of this, Heli, I do."
"Nico," Helio said, staring at him in shock," you couldn't have -"
He didn't finish his sentence, not able to find the words. Niccolo gently cupped her face in his hands, placing his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes.
"It feels so serene," he whispered," even though I really wish I had more time with you two."
"I'll do anything, Nico," she said, a tear rolling down her eyes as she could feel his soul being torn apart through his touch," I'll exchange my life for yours."
"You can't," he said gently," I wouldn't let you do that. Why did you think it took me this long to come help you?"
He looked at her then, his eyes such a warm color that it felt like she was looking in the sun. There were no visions haunting him now.
"I love you, Delilah, do you know that? So it doesnt matter if I die. I love you, I've always loved you. Even when it breaks my heart, especially then."
And then, as quickly as her world had come back to her, it all crashed down again.
hehe🙉 finally back to the present, time for chaos
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top