Lily found herself on the border of tears as she hugged her dad who had been fully healed after the event had concluded. She had felt nothing when the elders had been consumed by the black flames that had suddenly appeared at around the same time.
They were villains, schemers and murderers who wanted to do nothing but cretins who harmed her family.
She didn’t even flinch when she saw their faces twisting in agony. If anything, a small part of her was glad. Glad that they were gone. That they could never again threaten her, her parents, or the people she cared about.
Her father’s arms tightened around her.
"You did good," he whispered softly into her ear. "We’re safe now. You were so strong."
Her father’s voice was comforting even as she felt his hands trembling slightly. Karma had come to destroy him for his past choices but he couldn’t help but feel that his daughter had taken part of that burden from him.
He hated it. He wanted nothing more than to protect his daughter from harm and the life that he had once lived. However, that was too late now as the path she had walked to get here were lined with corpses.
At least she had Luna and the conscience to only kill scum. That was an improvement from what he had been like when he was her age.
"Your mom would be proud of you."
That was the truth. Lily had done what she had needed to protect her family.
Lily didn’t say anything. Her breath hitched as she clung tighter to her father, trying to steady the storm inside her.
She wanted to believe his words. That her mother would be proud. That what she had done was right. That protecting the people she loved justified the choices she had made.
But even now, she could feel the stain of those choices clinging to her.
"I didn’t want it to end this way," she finally said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "I wanted to save people...but they were monsters....we called them our people...What did they..."
A hand ruffling her hair caught her off guard.
"It’s best you don’t go down that line of thought. It will only eat away at you. There will always be darkness in the world. Just because something is inherently evil, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be used for good. Your mom taught me that."
Lily bit her lip, still unsure of what her father was trying to say. He had a small smile on his face as he pulled away from her a bit so he could look into her eyes.
"Alright then. My little flower, promise me this. For every 1 person you kill, make sure you save 10."
Lily blinked. The words didn’t quite make sense at first. They felt strange coming from her father, who had always seemed so strong, so sure of his path. But maybe that was why they mattered so much. Because even he had regrets. Even he knew what it was like to carry a heavy past. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵
Her father smiled and pulled her into another hug.
"Good. Then no matter how far you go, you’ll always come back to the light."
Lily closed her eyes, letting the warmth of her father’s embrace ground her. The storm inside her hadn’t vanished, but for now, it was quiet enough to breathe.
They stood there together, surrounded by the aftermath of something terrible. But for the first time in a long while, she felt like maybe things could still be okay. Not perfect. Not clean. But okay.
Luna looked on with a gentle smile. She was glad that they had managed to save her father. She hated to imagine what would have happened if they had come here later and found Lucian dead.
It had been close. Too close. And that thought scared her more than she cared to admit.
She took a step back to give them space. This moment belonged to Lily and her dad. She had already said her piece, and she knew Lily needed this more than anything else right now.
Still, she couldn’t help the way her hands curled at her sides. The image of those flames devouring the elders was burned into her mind. She had seen a lot since they started this journey, but that? That had been different.
They hadn’t just died. They had been erased.
Luna’s eyes flicked to Lily. Her friend looked so small in her father’s arms, but Luna knew better. Lily was terrifying when pushed. She had proven that today.
Yet the one who she hated, Morgan was still standing. He had done nothing wrong and as a result, shse had left him alone. Morgan popped another piece of gum into his mouth, his fingers trembling, a sign that he was going through withdrawal. Most likely nictotine.
He hadn’t said anything since the event ended. Luna could tell that something inside him had shifted, like a thread that had been pulled too tight and finally snapped.
Morgan looked over at her and gave a half-hearted smile, but there was no strength behind it. Just weariness and the shaky shell of someone who had seen too much and wasn’t sure what to make of what remained.
"Well this is certainly a way to start my vacation." he sighed.
"I didn’t know detectives could take vacations."
"We are human too. Everybody needs a break or they will break. "
Luna raised an eyebrow at his response but didn’t argue. She could see that he was trying to make conversation. It was just awkward as he was coping in his own way, trying to cling to something normal in the middle of everything they had just gone through.
The screech of tires in the distance caused Luna to twitch. She had a feeling that something else was about to happen. She closed her eyes and listened intently. After a moment, she opened her eyes with a determined look in her eyes.
"Lily, I have to go. Adam and Greg are here. Something’s wrong."
The serious look on Luna’s face told Lily all she needed to know. However, she hesitated, torn between staying with her father and rushing to join the others. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving him alone after everything they had just been through.
Her father noticed the conflict in her eyes. He smiled gently and squeezed her hand.
"You need to go, Lily," he said softly. "Your friends need you. I’m fine. You’ve done more than enough here."
Lily swallowed hard but nodded, trusting his words even as a part of her wanted to stay by his side.
Lucian stepped forward, his gaze steady as he looked at Morgan.
"Morgan, I need you to help them however you can," Lucian said firmly. "They’re going to need all the support possible."
Morgan gave a curt nod, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders.
"I’ll do what I can," he replied.
Lily took one last look at her father, then turned and followed Luna, determination hardening her resolve despite the turmoil inside.
She just hoped that everything would be okay