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As Jay and Ema worked on freeing Hathor from her magical binds, Colt and Xix stared at where Amneris and Nephthys had been now almost half an hour ago, Aurelia and Kek bound with a mixture of their powers at their feet. Zoe, Kayla, and Axel stood guard over the remaining Terpolite soldiers. 

Xix broke the silence. "Do you think they are . . ."

Colt shook his head. "No. I would be able to sense it."

"We would be able to sense it!" Jay called, helping the now-free Hathor down from the dais. 

She rubbed at her arms. "I don't know what happened. As soon as Kek threw me up there, my power just . . ." She made an exploding gesture with her hands.

Jay pulled her into a tight hug. "Try not to worry too much, yeah?" He knelt before her, taking her hands. "Your mother is a strong woman. I'm sure she can handle herself and will be back in no time to tell us all about how she saved the world."

Hathor nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." 

"Or she's dead," Kek said cheerfully, earning a kick in the stomach from Colt. 

Aurelia shook her head at the display, making no move to escape. Instead, she focused her gaze on Xix. Her head cocked to the side as she took in the other woman. As though looking straight through her.

Xix shivered. "What is it?"

Aurelia tilted her head to the other side. "You can communicate with God." Her voice softened. "Just as he could."

"He? Who are you . . ." Xix trailed off. "You speak of Acheron."

Aurelia lowered her gaze. "Yes. You are much like him."

Xix glanced around the room. Nothing appeared to be changing any time soon. She sat, crossing her legs and giving the Terpolite Warrior her full attention. A question in itself. 

Aurelia let out a breath. "I know not what the stories today say of his defeat, nor what the stories say of the King. But he was a good man."

"He was your mate," Xix said. "You were his best Warrior, perhaps even to be his Queen one day. That's why you were chosen to be Frozen all those millions of years ago." Xix lowered her voice to something so gentle she barely recognised it as her own. "The Ancient Terpolite Warriors, the Frozen Ones, they weren't necessarily evil. What happened back then to make you hurt so many innocents?"

Aurelia's golden gaze held the new Queen's with ease. Xix couldn't help her involuntary shiver as the woman spoke. 

"The Lyriumian Queen broke the rules. We of the God Worlds were created to watch and keep balance. We are forbidden to interfere. That woman, despite knowing all this, created an outpost on some rock inside one of the universes."

"Lemuria." 

"Yes," Aurelia nodded. "She broke the balance. We restored it. She did not see it that way. She saw it as an attack on her people and world so countered." Her fists tightened despite their bindings. "She attacked Terpola directly. The sky turned blue. We thought the world was ending. I wanted to fight but Acheron forbade it. After saving me from the Queen, he fought her so I could escape and reach the chambers. But he did not make it. Our bond snapped soon after I reached the chambers." Her voice broke. "He sacrificed himself for his people. For me."

"That was millions of years ago," Xix said. "Why go after Amneris?"

"Your Amneris possess the same power-" 

"She was not the one who killed him. It was her ancestor." Xix toyed with a strand of hair. "I know Amneris has done wrong-"

"Understatement," both Colt and Kek muttered. They glared at each other before going silent.

Xix rolled her eyes. "She's done a lot of wrong, but she was not the one who killed your mate. You can't blame her for the acts of her ancestor." Xix softened her gaze. "That whole time you were asleep, did you think of anything but revenge?" 

Aurelia hesitated. "I . . ."

"You have another chance at life," the younger woman continued. "To do good for your people and to fix the mistakes of your past. A chance for forgiveness. Instead you join forces with the Rebels and my mother who only want to see everything destroyed." 

"Nephthys was the one who freed me."

"Because you are powerful and one of the most famous the ancient Terpolite Warriors. She thought she could use you as a tool for her own revenge. And because you were so desperate to destroy the one who killed your lover . . ."

Aurelia's head dropped. 

Xix leaned over to place a hand on her shoulder. "It's not too late to help us, you know." She smiled gently. "I'd be happy to have you at my side, all past acts forgiven and forgotten."

Aurelia looked up, eyes shining. "You would do that . . . Despite all I have done against my people?" 

She shrugged. "New Queen. New rules. New start."

For the first time, Aurelia smiled. Genuinely smiled. "I would be honoured to stand by your side. My Queen." 

Axel laughed from nearby, turning to the bound soldiers. "Anyone else feel like swearing allegiance to our Queen while she's in such a forgiving mood?" Shrugs of discomfort and uncertainty were his response. Axel shrugged at Xix.

She couldn't hold back her own laugh. "I appreciate the effort, Axel. However, I'm not willing to force people to join me. I would rather they do it of their own free will." Xix turned back to Aurelia. "If you do join me, I will not allow you to harm my sister. You know this, yes?"

Aurelia turned to where Amneris and Nephthys vanished. She scowled, took a breath, released it, and relaxed. "If that is what my Queen wishes."

Zoe was shaking her head. "How you do that, I have no idea."

Jay snorted. "I'm still caught on the whole 'Amneris and Xix are sisters' thing."

"You are not the only one," Kayla sighed. "Though I feel we should have expected it."

"It must be mid-week," Ema said thoughtfully. "I never got the hang of mid-week."

The loud bang caused everyone to stare at the spot Amneris and Nephthys vanished.

"I do believe," Xix said, releasing Aurelia's bindings, "that things are about to get even crazier."

The group took up defensive stances as the very air tore apart. The tear widened, glowing a bright white light. Something was screaming on the other side.

Nephthys fell through the tear, falling to the ground. She was bloodied, bruised, broken, and cut. The woman dragged herself by her fingertips away from the tear as the source of her pain floated through. 

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