At the ritual site, the storm answered Kendra's voice. Wind howled. Thunder cracked. Lightning bled across the sky in jagged streaks. With each rising pitch of her chant, a bolt struck the earth, the clay limbs fusing seamlessly to Nas's body. Flesh replaced clash, blood flowed, bones knit.
The ritual was merciless to her. Sweat poured, soaking her tank top, her body trembled as if the words were tearing something out of her. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Sixteen years..." She rasped, voice raw. "Sixteen years of hiding. Running."
But she forced herself upright, staggering to get son's side. She kissed his forehead tenderly, then pressed her bleeding palm against his mouth.
"The sacrifice of a mother," she whispered, her lips almost touching his. "Her grace, for her son's life."
She leaned closer, and a smoke like essence poured from her mouth into his, searing with divine intimacy. Her GRACE — the one thing beyond magic, beyond blood — left her body and entered his.
—
Back at the underground Chamber, Warren's eyes snapped open. The healing was complete. The woman's hands dropped from the children; their chest rose evenly with the rhythm of life again.
As if summoned by the children's breath, a small unit of agents arrived, bowing.
"We'll be leaving with the children," they announced, moving quickly. Victor followed them at the command of Warren.
The air thickened as Warren and the woman locked eyes. Victor felt the tension claw at the room, lingering even as he and even agents vanished with the unconscious kids.
The silence stretched. The woman spoke first, her voice low, almost reverent.
"She did it. She really did it... She gave up her Grace"
Her gaze slid toward Warren. "What will you do now?"
"Nothing" Warren laughed, his voice low, shoulders shaking with restrained ease. "I'm sure the rest felt it too."
The woman frowned. "I doubt the spirituals can get a hold of her, even without her Grace. It's not like they know she's lost it now."
"But they most definitely felt her magic" Warren countered, his smirk returning. "They know for certain now that she's alive. They will attack. Without a doubt."
Her tone sharpened. "Won't you protect her? The other Knights have no obligation to. Everyone's gone into hiding, silencing their power. I only agreed to heal the children because you sword to shroud my magic with your own. You're the only one who knows where all the Knights are. You, me... and Idia herself."
"Idia." Warren chucked again, leaning back into her earthen seat. "That fox doesn't need me to protect her, she never did. She made it very clear. It's not my turn to get involved. And between you and me, I'd rather not tempt one of her hexes. I'd rather listen to her than incur her wrath."
He waved a hand, dismissive but almost find. "She'll be fine. I trust her. And besides... I have someone watching over her. No harm will come to her. "
—
Nas stirred.
He blinked slowly into a half light, his body heavy but whole. The scent of clay, blood and ozone still clung to the air. His vision cleared, and he saw her, his mother, sitting on the alter besides him.
Her eyes brimmed wish years as she pulled him into her arms, clutching him like he might dissolve if she let go.
"Ogie mwẹn" she whispered, her voice breaking. My king.
Nas felt the weight of her words, though his mind was fogged. His gaze drifted over his surroundings. An alter carved of ancient stone, the remnant of sigils burning faintly against the floor, the faint cracked of magic still alive in the air.
He was sure if one thing: this was no Hospital.
Nas blinked rapidly, his mind a haze. He was sure— absolutely sure— that he had died while facing the intellectual. The pain, the explosion, the hole in his body. He remembered falling, drowning in blood. Yet here he was breathing. While. Alive.
"How..." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "How am I alive? What are we doing in the forest?"
Kendra's embrace tightened, her tone shifting to something firm but warm. "I'll explain later, Ogie mwẹn. For now, you must get to safety."
She turned her head towards the shadows. "You can come out now."
From the darkness stepped a women NAS knew all too well. His school principal, Amara. But Kendra smiled softly.
"Aurora," she said.
Nas froze, confusion mixing with disbelief. "Wait — what is she doing here?"
Kendra stroked his cheek, her eyes full of both sorrow and resolve. "Aurora and I have been friends since our teenage years. She will help you with anything you need."
"Friends?" Nas spat, anger cutting through his shock. "If you've always been friends, then why... Why did she sits and watch? All those years... While I was bullied in her school? She did nothing."
Aurora's eyes flickered, but she said nothing, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Kendra cupped his face, forcing his gaze back to hers. "She had no idea you were my son. I'm to blame for that. I know it's does nothing to make up for her you were treated, but trust me. I'll explain one day, I promise. But right now, I don't have much time. I must go somewhere you cannot follow... but I will come back for you."
Her words cut deeper when she added, "I've already made preparations for you to inherit everything I have."
Nas blinked at her, baffled. "Everything? You're... poor, Mom. What's there to inherit?"
"Before Kendra could answer, Aurora lifted her gaze to the sky. Her voice sharp, urgent. "They're here."
Nas followed her eyes, and his stomach dropped. Above them, the sky cracked like shattered glass, fissures splitting across the heavens. Through the rifts seeped a strange, unnatural light.
"I need more time." Kendra whispered, desperation leaking into her voice. She clutched her son tightly, refusing to let go.
Before Nas could ask anything more, Kendra laid a trembling hands against his chest, whispered a spell, and his vision darkened. Sleep pulled him under like a tide.
Aurora caught the boy as his body went limp, cradling him against her back. Kendra's fingers lingered on his hair, stroking it gently. Her lips trembled.
"He looks so much like his father," she murmured.
Aurora glanced at her. "I think he looks more like you."
Kendra bent low, tears dripping into her son's hair. "I'm sorry, my love. Someday, I'll explain everything."
Her voice cracked, raw with grief. "I don't think I can do this."
Aurora placed a hand on her cheek, wiping the tears away. Her voice was steady, reverent. "Idia mwẹn... You are Ogiso Idia, daughter of and Lord over the skies. The lightning empress. Second only to the primordial Mage. There is nothing you cannot do."
Kendra exhaled shakily, pressing one last kiss on her son's forehead. Then she looked to Aurora, eyes sharp with command, heart heavy with love.
"Take care of him."
Aurora bowed her head, "With my life."
Kendra's voice broke as she kissed Aurora's forehead. "I love you, little one."
"Don't die," Aurora whispered, her eyes burning with worry.
Kendra smiled faintly. "I wouldn't be an OGISO, or one of the KNIGHTS, if I was so easy to kill." Her tone turned sharp, commanding. "Now, go."
Aurora vanished with Nas, and at once the protective shield Kendra had case around them shattered like glass.
Above her, the sky cracked open again. Shadows descended, figures cloaked in heavy robes. At their centre was a man in Crimson, gold linings gleaming against the storm light. His voice boomed, brisk and absolute:
"How long has it been, Daughter of the skies?"
Kendra tilted her head, smirking. "Not long enough."
The man's laughter rolled across the field. "You've changed. Put on some flesh. Still beautiful, still reckless. Only you could pull off hiding in plain sight— changing your look, sealing your magic. Clever as always, Idia."
"Thank you old friend," Kendra said, her eyes narrowing but lips curved in a smile. "If you weren't here to kill me, I'd offer you agbo— you know, herbal tea. It's good for old bones."
He chuckled. "Sharp tongue as ever. My precious Lightning Empress."
"I'd prefer if you didn't call me that. I gave up that title long ago. Being a mother... that was the best choice I ever made."
"Perhaps." His eyes glinted. "But where is your heir? Where is my godson?"
Kendra smirk deepened. "Somewhere safe. It's me you came for, isn't it? Then stop wasting my time. Come— if you think you can take me down, old man Evian."
Evian's hand rose, and the robed figures shifted, magic boiling in the air. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
Kendra tied her Afro into a messy bun, stretching her arms as though preparing for a spar, not a war. She rolled her shoulders, bouncing lightly on her feet. Lightning crackled across her skin, dancing in her eyes.
The attackers hesitated, uncertain. She grinned wide, feral, her voice slicing the storm.
"How about all of you come at once? I promise..." Sparks exploded from her finger tips, thunder shook the earth.
"...I'll go easy on you."
The sky split open with lightning as she launched forward.