Chapter 91
- Evan -
Josh. Kaysi's eye grew wide.
He stood at the ring's edge, just beyond the circle of ash and bone where the warden had nearly torn me apart. His cloak was ragged, his hair longer than I remembered, with soot and a streak of silver laced through it. His eyes... they weren't the same now with a scar on the left side.
They burned gold like the surface of a dying star.
The whole arena fell silent under his voice, so full of command it shook and rattled the bones in my chest. Demons that moments ago had howled for my death now cowered in their seats or dropped to one knee. Evan, the fox-faced warden, had frozen mid-strike, claws inches from my throat.
"Stop," Josh repeated, and the warden stepped back. Bowing his head. Not in fear—no, something worse. Obedience! I could tell he was not happy, but he folded to my brother's command.
I dragged myself upright, chest heaving, blood dripping from a fresh new gash across my pre-damaged ribs. Kaysi helped steady me, her blade still drawn tight with distrust and confusion.
"Josh? What's going on?" I asked, half a whisper, as air could barely leave my lungs. "What the hell are you doing here? We all believed you were dead."
Josh's face twitched. Not a smile. Not anger. Something in between. He stepped into the pit, boots crushing against the burnt bones.
"You're not supposed to be here," he said quietly, whispering in my ear.
Chills tightened the surface of my skin. Not of fear but of anger, every thread of my being wanted to tear him a new one. Partly of despair and partly of relief that he was alive.
I managed to bark a laugh. The blood still in my mouth held a bitter iron taste on my tongue. "Funny. You're the one who disappeared. I got dragged into this portal, only hearing that you may be alive."
"How did this happen?"
"I battled Benjarmin, and he met his fate when a large metal rafter from a worn-down building collapsed on him and pierced his chest. In his death, he pulled me here, and Kaysi tried to save me at the last minute."
"Neither of you is supposed to be here!"
"And yet, here I am."
Josh looked at the warden. "Enough for today."
The fox-faced demon snarled. "You're not in command of the pit."
Josh's hands lit with gold fire. "I said no! I'm the only reason your face isn't scattered across the stone floor right now. Do you want to test that?"
The warden held his gaze for three full seconds before bowing, grudgingly. He turned and retreated into the shadows.
I took a step toward my brother, fists trembling. "You've got two minutes to start explaining before I make you wish I hadn't come here."
Kaysi touched my shoulder, eyes still wary. "He stopped the fight, and you don't need any more injuries.
"No," I snapped. "Not until I get answers."
Josh didn't flinch. "I'll explain everything," he said. "But not here. Come with me."
"Why would I follow you?"
"Because Father wants to talk to you. And because…" He paused. "It's something you would want to hear."
"I am only going because I have questions I need answered."
Josh nodded, and we followed him through tunnels carved from volcanic glass and veins of red crystal. Every turn pulsed with faint green light, and the walls shimmered like they were watching us.
Kaysi stayed close, her grip tight on her dulled sword. I noticed her eyes flicking back and forth—studying, remembering. But I also saw the fog that occasionally passed over her features, as if someone were trying to remember a dream.
She leaned close. "Josh… doesn't feel like himself. This is not the boy I remember from school, nor the man who took me. Something's off."
I nodded. "He's not lying. But he's not free, either, bound by an invisible force."
Eventually, we emerged into a chamber that overlooked the entire prison system. A dome of black stone stretched above us, and down below, rows of cells stretched into the void like the spine of some dead leviathan.
"This isn't real," I said before I could stop myself. "This whole place. It feels… wrong."
Josh turned. "Because it is. It's a domain reality."
"Welcome to Elysium," he said, his voice sarcastic.
"A bittersweet home that I have formed my life from the moment I could walk."
He gestured to the vast expanse below. "This isn't the Abyss proper. It's a false layer, created by one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In a place like limbo, my father could do his work."
"Which one?" I asked.
Josh looked up, voice hushed. "Sloth. Also known as Elysium. A demon so old he forgot his name. He doesn't rule through pain or violence, not like the others. He rules through comfort and numbness. He lets people forget the truth of their suffering. And once they forget, they stop resisting."
"Like with Paul and the others, except he is too new to be effective yet," Kaysi murmured.
"Sloth built this domain to suppress anyone dangerous," Josh continued. "Warriors. Waymakers. Potential threats to our father's plan. The only way out is through the lab at the heart of this place. And that lab is sealed tight, guarded by the Centaur. We are almost there."
"Okay, then what's the plan?" I asked.
Josh looked away, unable to meet our eyes.
I clenched my jaw. "So, Father is using you to lure me."
Josh didn't deny it.
I stepped closer, forcing him to meet my eyes. "You're not here of your own free will."
He gave the faintest nod. "I thought I was. But lately… I'm not sure. I hear him whispering. I feel his pull. I try to resist, but…"
Kaysi crossed her arms. "Then let's fight him. Take us to him. We'll end this."
Josh swallowed hard. "You'll try. But the path to his lab is guarded. The Centaur doesn't speak, doesn't reason. He kills anything that steps too close."
"Then we kill him first."
Josh didn't smile. "You say that now."
We began the descent toward the lab.