Makaela awoke in the sky.

A dark-skinned woman with golden stars glowing against her midnight complexion sat before her. She had full lips, rounded features, and striking eyes. Makaela couldn't help but notice how she looked like a replica of her mother. Hair bluer than the purest ocean spilled down her slender shoulders. Magic filled the air between them.

"Welcome, my dear." Her voice was softer than the clouds they sat upon.

Makaela froze under the woman's gaze.

"Lumi?"

The goddess nodded. "I've been waiting for a long time to speak with you."

"Waiting...?" She shook her head. "What is this? Where am I?"

"Nowhere. And everywhere."

Her lips curled. Now wasn't the time to be cryptic.

Lumi offered her a weak smile. The light in her eyes flickered. Her shoulders drooped slightly. Studying her face, Makaela noticed the wrinkles ruining her otherwise flawless skin. She frowned.

As far as she was aware, the seven gods were immortal. Ageless. But Lumi looked...off.

Something was wrong.

"Why didn't you help us?" Makaela's voice hovered an octave above a whisper. "We needed you during the purge. House Lumai...it's nearly gone."

Lumi looked down at her hands. "Centuries after we gave your ancestors magic, my brothers and sisters withdrew from this world, opting to watch from beyond the veil. Contrary to popular belief, our lifespans are not infinite. Someday, we'll leave this world. To prepare your people for this event, we vowed to cease interfering directly in the lives of mortals. The vow was binding; unbreakable." The stars glowing against her skin dimmed. "It pained me a great deal to watch the lightweavers die at the hands of Mauvorin's followers."

Makaela never knew of any pact. The history books simply stated the gods preferred to watch from afar.

"During that time, I've been battling my twin, Mauvorin," Lumi continued to explain. "I've managed to keep him confined to the depths of Nordor, but I will not be able to hold him forever. Out of the seven of us, he has always been the strongest. He will only get stronger."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I'll be honest." Lumi's blue brows furrowed. "The Prophecy of Eight isn't concrete. Details and events change constantly. No one could've known when the prophecy was to begin. Your destiny has become very hazy in my eyes as of late. But one thing is for certain. You are the Light."

Makaela didn't know what to say. What could she say?

That title had been attached to her since she was born. It was inescapable. Like Minerva said, her life was tangled with Thorian's. They were two sides of the same coin. The light and the dark.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked. "How am I supposed to defeat him?"

"I cannot answer. Only you can."

Annoyance exploded onto her face. She threw her head back and groaned, the noise echoing across the sky.

"I don't know what I'm doing!" Her hands flew to her face. "I need guidance. Every decision I make feels like the wrong one. I mean, I almost joined Thorian." She laughed at the absurdity of the situation. "And I don't even feel bad about that."

"Perhaps you should trust your instincts."

She tilted her head at the goddess. "Are you saying I made the right decision joining him?"

Lumi stayed quiet.

"No...no, I had to have made a mistake. Surely that was a mistake."

"Your journey is yours alone," Lumi told her. "Only you can travel down the road ahead of you."

She flinched backward. It felt like someone had punched her in the gut. A million different, confusing thoughts were fighting for dominance within her head now.

"How could that be the right decision?" she cried. "The prophecy says I'm supposed to defeat him. Isn't that what you want me to do?"

"It is not about what I want. This is about your destiny."

She wanted to scream. She was sick and tired of hearing about her destiny and the prophecy and everything in between. She never asked to be a part of it. She didn't ask for any of this.

The universe had other plans.

This isn't fair.

"So, what? You want me to join the Order?" Makaela asked, her golden eyes burning with the anger, resentment, and confusion festering within her. "Why don't I just go and find the other Eldenarian Artifacts for him while I'm at it. Want me to kill all my friends too? Thorian'll probably do that himself anyways- "

"Silence!" Lumi's voice boomed in her ears. The goddess brought a hand to her forehead. "You are being dramatic."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not- "

"Yes, you are!"

The two of them glared at each other, lips taut and eyes pressed into slits. The scene vaguely reminded Makaela of how she and her mother used to argue.

"Many difficult choices lay ahead of you. It is up to you to make the decision that you think is right.

She wasn't looking forward to any of them.

Lumi gingerly rose to her feet. She turned around with her hands clasped behind her back. "I've enjoyed our talk, but you best be getting back to the real world now."

Makaela shook her head. She still had questions. Way too many. But, before she could say another word, the goddess clapped her hands.

The sky disappeared, leaving behind an infinite void of darkness and stars. She floated around for a few seconds, left alone with her racing thoughts and speeding heartbeat. She closed her eyes as she felt something pulling behind her navel.

It was time to wake up.

❁

Makaela jolted up from the table, face slick with sweat. Minerva peered at her curiously with her teacup centimeters away from her lips.

"So?" said the woman. "How was your talk?"

Makaela scowled. "Frustrating."

"Not surprising. Lumi can be quite...cryptic."

The goddess' words replayed in her head over and over again. Her destiny was in her own hands. She would have to make her own choices. She stood up, her legs shaking slightly.

"I need to find my friends," she said.

Minerva nodded. "Of course." As she rose from the table as well, her eyes shifted to the door. She stopped.

"What's wrong?"

The wind howled violently against the curtained windows. Minerva held a finger to her lips as she silently inched closer to the door. As she pressed her ear to the wood, the entire thing blew off the hinges, sending her crashing to the ground.

Makaela screamed as she was thrown backward.

Smoke swirled beneath the doorway. A pair of Shades stepped through the haze.

Minerva crawled away from them. Wood chips littered her curls and tiny holes ate away at her brown robes. She looked to Makaela with panic on her face.

"Run!"

But Makaela couldn't move. She was powerless to stop what happened next.

A killing spell slammed into Minerva's back. Her body tensed for a split second before falling.

Makaela gaped at her still body.

"Don't move," ordered one of the Shades.

She shivered as she stared down Minerva's body. She was just inches away from her. Images of those slain by the Order infiltrated her head. Her parents. Her housemates. Xander. Achilles.

And now her.

She clenched her jaw. Black spots consumed her vision. The voice in the back of her head shouted at her.

Your fault. All your fault.

Soon, she couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing in her ears. The gold in her eyes faded away. Within seconds, they resumed solid blocks of obsidian, darker than the night sky outside. Her teeth sharpened in her mouth, fangs protruding from her upper lip. began to fade away. Sharp nails grew on her fingers.

The Shades stared at her with fear in their eyes.

Makaela got back to her feet. She took one last look at Minerva's body. The Shades would pay for this. They were all going to pay.

She turned on the dark magicians and attacked.