Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Trae Gaverran sae.”

In an instant, all those who were caged up in the ballroom disappeared. The screaming in the city below ceased. All those whom Aven had claimed were instantly released as the prophecy of old was fulfilled. The captives had at last been set free.

But that still left a monster on Alex’s hands. No longer a friend, brother, son. No longer a Meryarin; merely a shell. Aven—the real Aven—had been killed a long time ago, overcome by the evil within his own heart, consumed by the darkness until nothing but darkness remained.

And now that monster stood before her, vile hatred burning in his eyes. “You—”

All it took was the tiniest flick of her blade to silence him, to incapacitate him forever. Barely a thought went through her mind as she watched the body crumple lifeless to the ground. Just like that, it was over. The enemy, once so great, now seemed small and pitiful, lying in a spreading pool of silver.

Alex’s breath trembled in her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest, so loud in the overwhelming silence. Her knees began to buckle but someone caught her before she could fall.

“Alex!”

It was Kaiden. How cold his embrace seemed. How colourless the world around her.

“It’s over Alex. You won.”

Nothing seemed real anymore. Relief, pain, exhaustion, dread. She felt it sweep over her, like water released from a dam, powerless to stop it, drowning in the torrent. She knew she ought to be happy, and she supposed she would be in the morning when the realisation finally settled in, but for now, all she wanted to do was sleep.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, propped up in Kaiden’s arms, staring at the bodily remains of her former friend; a friend she had lost long before she’d even been born.

She’d killed him. Despite her reluctance, despite the protestations she'd given and promises she'd made, in the end she had killed him. She’d had to. For her friends. For Medora. For Aven himself, who had been as much a prisoner as the rest.

There was noise. Shouts of celebration, wails of mourning. There was movement. People were talking to her. Touching her. Thanking her. But she saw and heard none of it. She didn’t even feel it when Kaiden bent down to press his lips against her temple.

“Alex!”

It was Jordan’s voice.

“Alex!”

They were surrounding her, now. Jordan. DC. Bear. Declan. Her friends. Her family.

She tried to smile as they hugged her, praised her, comforted her, but it wasn’t until a great ball of light enveloped Aven’s body that she finally awoke from her stupor. She let her friends pull her back from the ball of light, steadily growing bigger and brighter until it enveloped the whole school.

And then, just as suddenly as it had grown, the ball of light shrank again, but it didn’t disappear. Instead, it moulded itself into the shape enormous archway reminiscent of the Gates of Testing Alex and her friends had become horribly accustomed to this past week. Seven weeks. Whatever.

“What is that thing?” Declan asked, putting voice to the question on all their minds.

“Don’t tell me it’s another test,” Jordan groaned.

“Where are all the bodies?” Kaidan asked, looking not at the gate but at the ground around them. Although the bloodstains remained, the bodies of the fallen had gone.

As everyone turned to stare at the gate, a man emerged from the light, stumbling forward, blinking as though in shock. A moment later, he was followed by a woman. Then two more men. Then—

“Pipsqueak!” DC gasped. “It’s Pipsqueak!”

The small girl staggered from the gate, gazing at the familiar surroundings around her. She touched her arms, ran her fingers across her face. Slowly, a dazed smile spread across her face.

“Brendan!” Kaiden exclaimed as their combat classmate stepped out to stand at Pipsqueak’s side. “Nick!”

“But they died,” Alex muttered, confused. “I saw them fall.”

“And now they’re back!” Jordan beamed.

“Along with everyone else who died in the battle,” DC added, curling an arm behind Jordan’s back.

“Aven’s victims,” said Declan.

“And the victims of those he had claimed,” Bear whispered, his eyes growing wide. Hopeful.

They watched the gate for a little while, a steady stream of shuffling figures emerging from the blinding light. Some of the faces they recognised. Blink, Niida, Marcus—Jordan stiffened when he saw his father. Turned away. Although the man had redeemed himself by helping them in the end, it seemed some wounds ran too deep.

Soon, the air was filled with the sounds of celebration as friends and loved ones were reunited. There was laughter and tears in equal measure but Alex barely heard them. Her eyes were glued to the gate, waiting for something she wasn’t sure would come. Hoping for something that seemed impossible.

But then she saw him. His first few steps out of the gate were hesitant and unsure, not at all like his usual confident swagger. He seemed as dazed and disorientated as the rest, but unlike the others, no one raced over to greet him. No one came to embrace him. He looked around him, like a little lost sheep searching for its flock. A lone rock standing still against the current of a rushing stream.

Alex’s breath trembled in her throat. Her heart raced—ached—as she stared at the one figure she’d hoped against hope to see, from the very first moment she’d seen Pipsqueak alive and well. She wanted to run to him, to hear his voice, to feel his arms, but her feet refused to obey. She wanted to call out to him, but her voice failed her.

She felt a soft nudge at her ribs. “Go on,” Kaiden said softly. “Go to him.”

“Come with me,” Alex rasped, reaching for his hand, her shaking fingers slipping against his skin.

“No,” said Kaiden, a sense of sadness creeping into his voice. “You don’t need me. Not for this.”

Swallowing nervously, Alex took a hesitant step forward, afraid that he would disappear if she tried to get close. Afraid that it would turn out not to be him at all. Doing her best to ignore her fears, she took another step forward. And then another. Before she knew it, she was running towards the gate, her tears blurring her vision. And then she was in his arms.

“It’s you,” she whispered. "You came back."

Chapter Text

“It’s you,” she whispered again, not caring about how cliched the words sounded. Even as she held him close, she was afraid he was going to melt away at any moment. "It's really you."

"Of course it's me." She felt a bubble of laughter rumble through his chest. “As if I’d be anyone else.”

“Are you… real?”

He pulled away from her, his amethyst eyes searching her face as though trying to find something hidden in her expression, but what it was he was looking for, she couldn't tell. Reaching up, he brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen across her eyes. For a moment, his features flickered with an uncharacteristic expression of uncertainty. Fear. Then his lips curled into that annoying, arrogant smile she had come to love.

“What do you think, kitten?”

Alex’s heart gave a jolt. The sound of his voice, the easy way the nickname slipped over his tongue. She never thought she'd hear it again. Not in this life.

“I think you need to give me a straight answer,” she answered, playfully poking him in the chest, instantly regretting the gesture when he winced at her touch. The image of torn flesh flashed across her mind; the terrible wound that had taken his life.

“It’s healed,” he told her, gently pushing her hand away. “Mostly. But after an injury like that? I'm going to be a bit tender for a few days, so be careful with me, okay?"

Aww, diddums. Alex had to bite back the teasing retort that sprung to her lips.

He reached for her hand, turning it over, inspecting the newest scratch across her palm. "I see you finally got around to whooping Aven’s butt for me." He grinned. "Took your damn sweet time, didn’t you?”

Alex laughed. “I’m sorry, your highness. I’ll try to be a bit quicker next time.”

“You’d better be,” Niyx said, dropping her hand. “Just who is your trainer anyway? They can’t be very good if this is the sort of sloppy work they accept from their students.”

“My trainer? Ah, that’d be you,” Alex jokingly reminded him.

Playing along, he pulled a face and ran a hand through his already tousled hair. “Oh, yeah.”

There was a loud cry nearby. Both Alex and Niyx turned towards the sound, only to see a huddle of students rejoicing at a friend’s emergence from the gate.

Alex turned back to her own friend. “You still haven’t answered my question, Niyx,” she said.

His smirk was as infuriating as his response. “What question?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, almost certain he was just toying with her. Still, she humoured him. “Are you real?”

“An excellent question.” He leaned in close and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ll answer yours after you’ve answered mine.”

“Which is…?”

“What do you think, kitten?” he repeated, his smirk somehow becoming even more irritating.

“I think you’re an insufferable fool," she shot back.

Niyx chuckled. “Of course you do. You’re allowed to be wrong,” he added with a wink. “But I wasn’t talking about my character, as charming as it may be. I was referring to the realness of my insufferable self. So what do you think? Am I real?”

"I... I don't know what to think." A lump began to rise in Alex's throat as memories of the last time she'd seen Niyx alive sprang unbidden to her mind. She swallowed, and when she spoke, her voice broke with emotion. “I watched you die, Niyx. I saw the light fade from your eyes. I… I buried you.”

“And a nice little funeral it was, I’m sure.” Seeing his attempt at humour did nothing to lift her spirits, he sighed and said, "Sorry, kitten. Too soon?"

It was, but that wasn't the problem. "I answered your question, Niyx," she reminded him, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "It's time for you to answer mine."

"You killed him," Niyx said, his voice low. "Aven. I thought you weren't going to. Only defeat him a little. But you straight up killed him. I'm impressed."

"So I changed my mind," Alex replied, aware he was trying to change the topic. "Glad to have impressed you. Now tell me: Are. You. Real."

He sighed and dipped his head in reluctant defeat. “Yes, Alex," he said at last. "I’m real. I’m alive,”

Although she was glad to hear it, Alex could sense a but coming.

“But"—there it was—"I’m not the Meyarin I used to be.” He lifted his head, his dark hair falling across his face. “I’m different now. Very different. And not in a good way.”

“You don’t seem any different,” she said softly, trying to comfort him.

He gave no response. Instead, he reached out and plucked a dagger from the belt of a passing Meyarin. Holding the weapon with one hand, he held his other hand above the blade, pressing a finger against the tip.

Alex’s eyes went wide when she saw a tiny pinprick of blood appear. As a Meyarin, his blood was supposed to be silver, but instead it was—

“Red,” she whispered. “Your blood, it's red. You’re—”

“Mortal,” he spat, as though the word had left a bad taste in his mouth.

"But how?"

"We were still connected when I died." His voice was quiet. Pained. "You and me. I guess there was some genetic mix-up when Aven died and I… came back. I still have Meyarin blood in me somewhere, I can feel it, but it's not enough. I'm... mortal. Like you.”

She glanced at his hand, the red blood still pooling on his fingertip. “Is being a mortal really such a bad thing?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

He sighed, wiping his bloodied finger on his pants. “No offence, kitten, but your lifespan kind of sucks. And when you get old, you all start to look like prunes. Trust me, it’s not a good look.”

Alex couldn't help but smile as she tried—and failed—to picture Niyx as a wrinkly old man. “It’s not that bad,” she assured him. “I’m sure you’ll make an adorable old prune."

She was glad to see the faint ghost of a smile appear on his lips. "The best-looking prune you ever saw."

"So does this mean you’re back here for good?” she asked hopefully. “Will you stay?”

“As long as you want me around, kitten. Oof, mind the chest," he added with a pained groan as Alex wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. She didn’t care that he was mortal. She didn’t care that he was going to grow old and eventually die. Again. All she cared about was that he was alive and here with her now.

“Hey, you better not be crying, kitten,” he muttered, his hand gently stroking her hair. “I thought we had a deal. No tears.”

“You were supposed to be dead,” Alex sniffed. “You’ve already nullified the deal.”

“Can’t argue with that,” he said, and Alex could hear the smile return to his voice.

The gateway beside them rippled. And then it began to expand.

“Come on,” said Niyx, cautiously leading Alex away from the rapidly growing light. “I think your boyfriend's waiting for you. I’d best not keep you from him any longer.”

Alex glanced over at where her friends were still standing. “You should come over and say hi."

But Niyx shook his head, eyeing the pulsating gate nervously. “As much as I’d love to come and chat, I’ve got stuff to do. You know, mortal stuff,” he added cryptically when Alex asked him to explain. “Like getting old and growing wrinkles.”

Alex was about to argue when the gateway pulsated again and an enormous shape began to drag itself out of the light. Scales glistened in the gateway's glow. Deadly claws raked at the ground. Powerful leathery wings beat against the air, lifting the massive creature they were attached to into the sky. Alex grinned, squinting upwards, her hair blown back by the draekon's powerful wing strokes. She'd wondered when her ancient friend was going to make her appearance.

Xira! She thought, projecting the message to her dragon companion. Xira, there’s someone here to see you!

Xiraxus’ response wasn’t so much words as it was a powerful burst of emotion, but if Alex had to translate, the draekon would have been shouting something akin to MOTHER!!!!!!

For a moment, Alex watched the two draekons soaring gracefully above the school grounds, two twirling, glistening silhouettes against a dark grey sky. Turning to Niyx, she opened her mouth to express her joy at seeing Zaronia again, but Niyx had already gone.

You can’t hide from me forever, she thought, trying to reach out to the former Meyarin, testing to see if their mental link had remained intact.

But there came no response, mental or otherwise.

Chapter Text

Bear grabbed Alex’s arm as soon as she returned to her friends.

“Did you see my Dad over there?” he asked, his eyes wide with desperation. “Has he come back?”

Alex’s heart ached for him even as she shook her head. “I didn’t see him, sorry.” She patted his shoulder and added, “I’m sure he’ll come back soon.”

“Just hang in there, little buddy,” Declan said with an encouraging smile tainted with sorrow. “We’ll keep watching that gate like a hawk until we spot him.”

Alex knew the reason for the sadness in Declan’s expression. Unlike Bear, his father had not been one of Aven’s many victims. Unlike Bear, his father would never come back to the land of the living.

Kaiden moved quietly to Alex’s side and took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers, but for once they didn’t quite feel like they fitted together. Not properly, at least.

“How is he?” he asked.

Niyx.

There were so many different ways Alex could have responded to the question. There were so many things she could say about her friend. Too many things. In the end, she chose to begin with a simple, “He’s alive, but he’s mortal now.”

As she explained Niyx’s situation, she noticed her friends’ expressions growing more and more pensive.

“His mortality… I think it’s troubling him more than he’s letting on,” she told them.

“You don’t think he’s going to become like Aven, do you?” DC asked with a shiver. “Seeing mortals as inferior beings. Seeking revenge against the one who…” She let the sentence trail off unfinished, giving Alex an apologetic glance.

“Niyx would never do that,” Alex replied, wishing she could bring herself to believe her own words. "It's impossible."

But it was possible, wasn’t it? Niyx could do something like that. That was the things about evil, it lurked in every heart.

“Don’t worry, Dixie,” Jordan said, wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her fiery red hair. “I’ll protect you.”

“It can’t be easy, can it?” Declan mused, rubbing at his chin. “Going from an immortal being into a mere human. It’d be like one of us turning into, like, an ant or something.”

“It would feel like a death sentence,” Alex said slowly, remembering Niyx’s jokes about short lifespans and wrinkles. Only, they hadn’t actually been jokes, had they?

“Alex,” Kaiden said softly, close to her ear. “Can we talk? Somewhere private?” he added, casting a meaningful glance at the others.

“Only if Dixie and I can go somewhere else, too,” Jordan said, his eyes twinkling. “I don’t like the stern looks Professor Luranda keeps shooting us.”

Sure enough, when Alex followed his gaze she saw their Medical Science teacher watching them from a little distance away, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth curved in a frown.

“If it’s all the same to you guys,” Jordan continued, “I’d prefer to canoodle somewhere that doesn’t carry the risk of another weekend in detention.”

“Oh, come on,” Bear muttered. “Not this again.”

“Problem?” DC asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“This,” Bear pouted, gesticulating wildly between Kaiden and Alex. Jordan and DC. “This whole splitting up into couples thing. I feel like I’ve drawn the short straw because contrary to wild speculation, unlike you lot, I don’t particularly fancy mine. No offence,” he added to Declan.

“No offense taken, little buddy,” Declan grinned. “The feeling’s mutual.”

After several minutes of good-natured laughter, and jokes about finding a couple of nice-looking girls to join the group, the friends eventually split up and went their separate ways.

“So what was it you wanted to talk about?” Alex asked once she and Kaiden were far away enough from the crowds to talk privately. And why didn’t you want the others listening?

Kaiden hesitated then stepped closer, taking her hands in his. “Is this what you want, Alex?”

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a puzzled look. “I’d love to give you an answer, Kaid, but I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I mean us, Alex. You and me. This. Is it really what you want?”

Her response was already on her tongue before her mind had a chance to catch up. “Of course it is.”

He nodded his head thoughtfully but didn’t respond.

Alex felt a familiar sliver of doubt creep into her heart. “Is… Is this what you want, Kaidan?”

He stared at her for a long time, his expression unreadable. That sliver of doubt quickly opened up into a gaping chasm of dread. Finally, he said, “I’m not sure what I want anymore. When I first met you, you were a mystery to me. That’s what drew me to you. You were something new. Something interesting. Unique. And when you first met me, you liked my smile.”

Alex flushed with embarrassment, remembering how he had once been able to read her mind.

“But we’ve come a long way since then. We’ve changed. Grown. You may still be unique, but you’re no longer a mystery. Not to me, at least. You’re a very different person from that anxious mess of a Freyan you used to be. And me? I guess I'm different too.”

Alex nodded her head slowly. They had faced many challenges since they’d first met—some they had tackled together, others alone—but each one had helped to shape them as people and sharpened them as weapons. The paths they had taken to get to this point may have often converged, but they still differed greatly. Perhaps too much.

“If it’s any consolation,” she told him, “I still like your smile.”

He chuckled, easing the tension, but then he grew serious again. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I don’t want you to feel trapped. What we have now, between us, has been fun—it is fun—but… Things change. We’ve changed. What may have been right for us in the past might not be right for us going into the future.”

Alex stared at him in shock. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? After everything that had just happened... “Kaiden James, are you breaking up with me?”

He gave her a small, sad smile. “No. But what I am giving you is a choice. A clean slate. No strings. No pressure. No obligation to fulfill. You may choose me again if you wish, but it has to be your decision.”

“But I’ve already made my decision.” Once again, the words were on her tongue before her mind had a chance to process them. She had chosen him, hadn’t she? But the more she thought about it, the more she realised just how many other people had been involved in that choice. Her friends. Her parents. Jeera and Nisha. Kaiden himself. Everyone had expected them to be together, and she had gone right along with it, letting their words and knowing looks influence her. But it had still been her choice. Hadn’t it?

“What’s this all about, Kaiden?” she asked.

Kaiden dropped his gaze, staring at something behind her left elbow. “It’s about Niyx, Alex,” he muttered. “It’s always been about Niyx. Even before you knew him. Before you and I were even born, it was always about him.”

Time travel could be a very confusing thing.

“I know I’ve just been acting as a substitute,” he continued, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “These past few weeks. Perhaps this whole time, even if neither of us were aware of it. DC’s always going on about the Alex Show, and in a way she’s right. It’s always been about you. Only you. The Alex Show, never the Alex and Kaidan show. Even when you claimed me, you wouldn’t let me in. Not like him. Not like Niyx.”

“Kaiden, I—”

“It’s all right, Alex,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “You had your reasons, I respect that. And I don’t blame you, either. For anything. I don’t regret what we had. I don’t regret any of it. You know why he entrusted you to me? It was because he knew he was going to die. He wanted to make sure you had someone to love you when he was no longer around to love you himself.”

Tears began to prick at Alex’s eyes. She shook her head. “He never… He was always adamant that nothing could ever… would ever… happen between us.”

“He was immortal. You, not so much. Could you imagine what that would be like? Staying forever young, watching the one you love grow old and die?”

The tears were now trickling fast down Alex’s cheeks. “He said he didn’t… He agreed we would never like each other… in that way.”

“You know what he’s like,” Kaiden said, brushing away her tears with his thumb. “The man’s a pathological liar. You can’t believe half the stuff he says. You don’t have to make a decision now,” he added gently. “Take as long as you need. There’s no rush. And no matter what you decide, I’ll always be your friend. Remember that.”

He spread out his arms and Alex—her mind reeling from all he had said, her heart conflicted and torn—gratefully accepted, letting him envelop her in a warm and comforting hug. She opened her mouth to speak, but there were no words to say. All she could do was cling to him.

Chapter Text

She found him standing apart from the crowds, staring up at the starry sky. The gateway had long since disappeared. Bear was with his family, celebrating his Dad’s return. Declan, Jordan and DC were helping to clean up the school grounds. And Kaiden…

Her heart ached at the thought of him, at the sacrifice he was prepared to make, but it really had been for the best. His words, no matter how much they stung, no matter how much she had tried to deny them at first, rang true. So much had happened, so much had changed, so much was yet to be determined. But no matter what happened now, no matter what she chose, she could rest in the knowledge that she would always have his friendship. And for that, she would forever be grateful.

Niyx, she called out in her mind, her eyes fixed on the lone figure ahead, but he gave no response.

For a while she stood at a distance, watching her friend watching the sky. She attempted to discern his thoughts, quietening her mind as she listened for his voice, but there was nothing but silence. Through his death, he had finally been released.

A sense of sadness swept over her, knowing she would never have that close bond with him again, would never hear his voice in her head, probing her thoughts.

Another change. Another loss.

“Niyx,” she said softly, approaching him slowly so as not to startle him.

“Hey, kitten.” He turned his head towards her. In the dim light of the moon, she saw his lips curl into a smile. “I was wondering when you’d show up again.”

“You were waiting for me?”

“What do you think?”

Alex saw through his smile, saw the pain beneath. “I think you’ve been waiting for a long time, Niyx.”

“A lifetime,” he agreed. He turned his purple gaze back to the sky. A gentle breeze ruffled through his hair.

“I spoke to Kaiden,” she said, taking up her position beside him. “Thank you, by the way, for what you did.” For what you gave up.

He gave a half shrug. “Make sure he looks after you, kitten, because if he doesn’t, I’ll track him down and whoop his butt.”

“That… won’t be necessary.”

He gave her a sidelong look, the smile dropping from his lips. “No,” he said thoughtfully. “I don’t suppose you do. You’ve grown.” You’ve changed. “You’re more than capable of whooping his butt all on your own.” A pause then, “You don’t need me, kitten. Not anymore.”

Alex’s heart broke for him. Before she knew what she was doing, she closed the gap between their hands, her fingers slipping into the spaces between his, as perfect as a jigsaw puzzle.

“Kaiden and I sort of broke up,” she said, figuring it easier to just rip the band-aid off. “You’re not the only one who’s been released.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Niyx growled. Even now, he was choosing her happiness above his own. He had suffered so much—sacrificed so much—for her sake. For the sake of all Medora. His freedom, his reputation, his conscience, family, comfort, immortality, life. His heart. He had been through hell and back, and not once had he asked for anything in return.

Had it been worth it? Had she been worth it? The jury was still out on that one, but what he had done hadn’t been a testament to her worth and character. It had been a testament to his.

“It’s ok, Niyx,” she soothed, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “The choice was mine. Is mine.” She corrected, remembering that she hadn’t actually made her choice yet. But standing here beside Niyx, with his hand in hers, perhaps she already had.

“I thought I told you not to fall in love with me, kitten,” he said after a long stretch of silence, recalling the times they used to train together.

I don’t do inter-species relationships.

Alex leaned over to lean her head against his shoulder, her eyes trailing up to the stars above. “Well that was your mistake, Niyx. Since when have I ever done what I’m told?”

For a moment he remained silent. Still. Then he pressed his lips against the top of her head. “You got me there, kitten.”

She smiled as she felt his arm curl around her waist, an overwhelming sense of peace settling in her heart at the knowledge that all was right in her world.

Medora was her life.

Medora was her home.

And now, Medora was her future.