Page 74 of The Last Guardian

The statue murmured something; its lips trembling like a gentle river, the words echoed in the air and hung like stars.

Revekki amathe, she whispered, her voice ancient as it came from the heavens. E uni sodaelys.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the room shifted, and a shadow devoid of any light tried to take me away, to suck me in to… Hells?

No.

No.

I needed the light.

Light.

Hold on to the light, I urged myself.

Before nothingness swallowed me whole, I reached out to the statue’s hands, grabbing the rope of crafted stars, and I clung to it as if it were my destiny.

But then, I fell.

THE CRYSTAL LAKE glinted with sunlight as I opened my eyes, the fresh air of grass tickling my senses. My eyes drank in the beauty of this peaceful paradise, which looked so alive in comparison to the labyrinth where I had fallen.

I let out a sigh of relief; my shoulders loosened. But before I could take a single breath, the lake disappeared from my sight, giving way to an impatient emerald gaze.

“Where have you been?” Zaidkiel’s harsh tone rang in my ears, but worry crossed his gaze when I finally met his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for hours.”

“Hours?” I recalled the text I studied with Arystan: Within the Void, thought, time, and form are mutable. Time was different in the Void…

“I lost track of you,” Zaidkiel said, a frown playing on his brow. “I can see and follow you everywhere during the Rite. And this time, I completely lost you.” He raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. “Where did you go?”

“I—”

The words died out in my mouth as I tried to assemble my thoughts. My hand rubbing my face, I said, “A voice called me in the Void, and when I followed it, I fell into a dark forest—a rotting forest.” My eyes met Zaidkiel’s stoic face, and I added, “Then a light urged me towards a wild labyrinth. My feet answered the call, and after—” I stopped.

Zaidkiel observed me. “Yes?”

I swallowed hard. “A statue moved, handing me some rope and stars, and whispered something in another language.”

As the words escaped my mouth, I felt like it was madness that had taken hold of me. But as I looked up to see Zaidkiel’s reaction, a grim expression was on his face.

“Can you tell me the words?” he asked softly.

I tensed, furrowing my brow as I tried to pronounce the words. “Revek—revekki amathe. And e uni sodaelys. She said this when a darkness came lurking around me.”

Zaidkiel frowned. “Are you sure?” he asked, a point of shock flashing in his voice.

I nodded. “What is it?”

With a hard swallow, he cleared his voice to say, “Revekki amathe is a fate-bound tie, an inscription on the scarlet strand of destiny. Something that cannot be erased.”

A flicker of surprise crossed through me at Zaidkiel’s open answer, lifting my chest for a moment. Zaidkiel noticed it but did not tease me for my reaction. Instead, Zaidkiel’s throat tightened as he added, “E uni sodaelys means ‘the one that belongs to you is waiting for you.’”

“A fate-bound tie?” I furrowed my brow. “Like a match or something?”

“No, not necessarily.” Zaidkiel shook his head, his thumb turning his silver ring again. “A bond can be with someone through love or hatred, friendship, or family. A path to follow. Something to achieve.” His gaze locked onto mine, and he whispered, “Destiny.”

“I—was it a Threshold?”

Something crossed his eyes for a moment—an expression I couldn’t quite place. “Perhaps.” He hesitated, lost in his thoughts.