“It’s fine,” she weakly croaked. Omari’s face became heavy as his sister’s voice barely registered in his ear above a whisper. Emil studied Skye as she brushed her dark hair behind her ear, revealing her hazel eyes in full. Skye twisted her neck, locking eyes with Emil as she spoke to her brother. “I’m fine.” Omari steadied himself as he felt his sister squirm. Her hair flowed behind her as her feet touched the ground. Marona approached from behind and walked Skye along the side of the interior. Eric followed shortly after.
“She’s a tough one,” Luna said as she watched Skye and Marona together. Skye was resting against a wall while Marona began to unpack her belongings. She gave Skye a treat she’d made beforehand and went back to shuffling through her inventory. Eric was hesitant to assist but after Marona demanded it, he suddenly found it within himself to help in any way possible. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without her.” Luna smiled but Omari said nothing. Her attempt at small talk did nothing for him even though she expressed her guilt for her comrade’s actions multiple times.
“Is he projecting?” Omari asked as he looked past Luna and directed his focus to Grim. His head was against the cavern wall as he sat erect with his arms crossed. Like a pillar of stone, he remained stationary beside Sage; his body seldom moved outside of the slow and controlled breaths he utilized to amass oxygen into his lungs.
“No, I don’t think so.” She frowned as she looked back at him. “I think he’s just resting or thinking. He does that a lot.” Omari growled under his breath as his glare deepened. From the corner of the cave, Skye’s eyes shot open as she noticed the shift of energy in her brother’s vicinity. The building pressure weighed down on her as she directed her attention to the center of the cavern where the energy was the strongest.
Grim? The signature of his energy became more pronounced but faded rapidly. With Skye’s body still recovering, it was hard to sense accurately what had just taken place.
“How can he be so calm at a time like this?” Emil asked as he towered over Sage and Grim. The pebble that Sage shuffled between his fingers dropped to the floor and the makings of a smile began to grow across his face.
“I don’t see why not. What’s done is done,” Sage answered as Grim remained steadfast in his silence, unresponsive to Emil’s angst. “It’s best to think with a level head in these types of situations, kid.” Sage tapped the base of his skull, his silver hair taking the brunt of the impact. “It’s not good for team morale if you’re all anxious and what-not.” He chuckled to himself as he mentally dismissed Emil from his mind.
“I know what it means to have a level head,” Emil said behind clenched teeth. His body trembled as he stood rigidly in front of them.
“Do you? Well sit down and wait till it’s time to go then, will ya? I’m sure that human girl has some snacks or something for you to eat,” Sage responded, still staring at his feet, seemingly uninterested in Emil’s plight. “It’ll fix your mood.” Emil’s heart raced as his scowl grew fiercer. “Look kid,” he sighed. “I don’t know if you’ve realized it yet, but your brother kicked our asses. It’s not like we are going to rally up and storm the capital tomorrow. If he didn’t have a growing army of Abnormals, sure. Maybe if he, himself weren’t one, that’d be good too. But that’s not the way things are. You can’t just go running into every fight willy-nilly and pray that everything turns out okay. Raw strength isn’t the only thing that matters. That’s how people get killed. You need a strategy. You need a plan. Everything’s different now that we know Arius is one of us.” The ridge of Sage’s cheek twitched as his smile morphed into the beginnings of what appeared to be a snarl.
“A plan?” Emil asked flatly. “And I suppose you have one?”
“Yeah. I guess that’s why you can say I haven’t flipped my shit yet.” Sage’s eyes rose from the ground and shot fire into Emil’s. The room turned silent as Skye watched the excitement build in Sage’s chest. All eyes were on him as his presence took over the atmosphere of the room. “What we need is power, and that power is something that you ain’t got. But I just happen to know somebody who does.” Omari took a step forward, keen on hearing what Sage had to say. “Tell me boy...have you heard of the legend of Dark Heart?” His eyes pulsed as he studied Emil. “No?” he chuckled. “Well then, you’re in for a hell of a ride.”
THE END
The Last Light Book 4: Dark Heart
The chill of the night air kissed his face as he stood upon the cliffs, long since departed of human presence. He closed his eyes and the wind spoke to him as it slipped through the strands of his thick graying hairs, weaving freely as it passed him by.
Dark Heart stared into the twilight, watching the stars that hovered over Molken. The empty gaze that filled his eyes spoke of truth and pain. Power and wisdom. He had lived for too long, or rather, the affairs of this earth had robbed him of his youth long ago. Dark Heart’s eyes drifted lower, his sight skimming over the trees as he watched the sleeping city.
The city of Molken was a beautiful sight. At one point in his life he would have easily been enamored with such a view, but now, he felt nothing. The world was nothing to him, and it had been that way for a long time—the pain of his second life had long overshadowed the joys of the first. As Dark Heart peered over the illuminated city, a specter appeared before him. Its hollow body shifting in and out of reality as it flickered like the stars above.
Dark Heart’s face remained unmoved by the appearance of Grim’s spirit.
“We were unable to kill Arius,” the spirit confided.
Dark Heart’s narrowed eyes pierced into Grim’s spirit. “How hard can it be to kill one person?” Dark Heart huffed into the night sky. His emotions remained steady but his hardened body flared. Dark Heart appeared to be in his late forties but it was unwise to assume his body matched his age—by nature, he was far superior than the average man.
“That’s just it. King Arius is one of us.”
Dark Heart’s brow perked up at the sound of Grim’s revelation. “Is that so?” The beginnings of a smile lined his full lips as he crossed his arms in front of him. “I guess that explains my son’s incompetence. Do tell me more.”
The Last Light Book 4: Dark Heart
* Tentative title*
2018
A Note to the Reader
I want to take the time to thank you for reading my story. I’m an independent author so having my work read by even one person is a step forward in chasing my dream.
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Ode to the King
Thank you very much.
About the Author
Alex Villavasso was born and raised in Louisiana where he first found his love for fiction while reading through the summer months. When he is not working on getting his thoughts out of his head, Alex can be found doing things that everyone tends to do, like sleeping, catching up with friends, and spending copious amounts of time on Netflix.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Get Two Exclusive Short Stories | FOR FREE
Prologue: Forest to Flames
Chapter 1: A P
ast Life
Chapter 2: In A Perfect World
Chapter 3: Hugo, Demon of the Guard
Chapter 4: For the Ones He Loved
Chapter 5: Alone
Chapter 6: On Cursed Ground
Chapter 7: Death March
Chapter 8: A Fate Worse Than Death
Chapter 9: Left Behind
Chapter 10: Stained
Chapter 11: Omari, the Saint of Everrmore
Chapter 12: The Dreamer and the Deceiver
Chapter 13: Awakened
Chapter 14: Family
Chapter 15: The Man Who Would Become God
Chapter 16: My Will Be Done
Get Two Exclusive Short Stories
A Note to the Reader
The Last Light Book Two: All Things Eternal
Prologue: Don’t You Remember?
Chapter 1: A New Dawn
Chapter 2: The Birth of a Rebellion
Chapter 3: The Man Who Walked With Vipers
Chapter 4: Emil and the Angel of Death
Chapter 5: A Fighting Chance
Chapter 6: Omari’s Heart
Chapter 7: Omari’s Heart Part Two—A Prayer in the Wind
Chapter 8: What Was Lost
Chapter 9: Omari’s Heart Part Three—Omari and the Saint
Chapter 10: At Dawn
Chapter 11: The Other Side
Chapter 12: King and Court
Chapter 13: Before the Storm
Chapter 14: Together at Last
A Note to the Reader
The Last Light Book Three: Ode to the King
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Prologue: Forsaken
Chapter 1: The Black Rebellion
Chapter 2: Counter Strike
Chapter 3: His Mercy
Chapter 4: At Arms
Chapter 5: Relinquished
Chapter 6: His Grace
Chapter 7: The Boy Who Called Lightning from the Sky
Chapter 8: On the Move
Chapter 9: The Road Less Traveled
Chapter 10: A Twisted Fate
Chapter 11: A Demon Reborn
Chapter 12: What Lies Beyond
The Last Light Book 4: Dark Heart
The Last Light Book 4: Dark Heart | * Tentative title* | 2018
A Note to the Reader
About the Author
The Last Light Series Omnibus One: - The Dreamer and the Deceiver - All Things Eternal - Ode to the King: A Superhero Epic Fantasy Collection (The Last Light Collection Book 1) Page 34