"Stella…" Jace looked at me, his features softening. "She's not in a conscious state right now."
"How?"
"The Queen has had people examine her. A few terrible things stand out. I'll tell you on the way there."
"Ok." I followed.
"If it wasn't for your twin, I doubt y'all would have ever been found up there. Y'all might have even been listed as a causality."
"I see."
Twin huh? We got up to the gate to the castle where the same knight guarded. Jace talked quickly before hurrying me in.
"First. She's no longer a dragon but a full dragon. Her body was changed to completely magic but we have found her remains from a shed along with an adventurer I think you know. Lynix is her name."
"We found that shed too. I knew it was Baydí who did this."
"How?"
"I-"
"Just tell him that you saw Baydí's early signs of the disease and assumed it was her. Also you followed Stella's phone signal. Then it wasn't your cousin who saved you but Rex. That isn't a lie, tell him that." Listening to Primé I repeated what he told me.
"I see. I guess we all missed it. Thankfully you knew Rex. In addition to becoming a full dragon she isn't just a fire dragon now, but also water."
"The magic was probably Baydí's, that's how I became part gravity dragon."
"That really isn't the bad part. We peaked at her status and she gained a skill…"
"What is it?"
We walked up to the stairs of the castle before the castle produced an elevator for us. We stepped in.
"I'd like to confirm one thing before it though."
"Ok…"
"What was Baydí the hero of?"
"Well, the sea and horror."
"Thats why."
"Huh?"
"The only way to get a presence is to be the best in something, or challenge the current presence holder and beat them, either way the knowledge of all of it is required right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we think that Stella was inflicted with…" He held me. "We think all sorts, perhaps even every imaginable horror was inflicted on her. Her magic form helped keep her alive through it and when Baydí died, she became the new lord of horror."
"What…?" My legs shook, and I swayed into the wall away from Jace's grip. "What did she do to deserve t-that?" I stammered.
I went to hit the castle but stopped myself remembering it was a being.
"I know. Paukena lost her dad too, but she's working desperately to help her."
We reached the top of the castle. The elevator clicked and I fell into the corner of the elevator, my head in my knees. I felt someone rubbing my back. Primé's hand came out, out of view from Jace. He eventually pulled back and I walked out to see her.
Paukena sat next to Stella laying on her bed. Stella's eyes were barely open, her pupils hollow of life. Paukena wore a mask over her face. When she turned to me, though she covered her face, I could tell she was crying.
"Heo…"
"I'm sorry, Paukena."
"Don't worry about it. Come here."
She stretched her arms open.
"It makes me happy she's happy in this universe."
I walked over and sat next to her in a chair similar to hers. She hugged me quickly like my mother, then reached down and held my hand. I didn't pull away, it wasn't necessary right now.
"The world is so cruel. Full of hurt, betrayal and evil. Becoming Queen I hoped to stop the very thing hero syndrome was. I'm naive I guess. No amount of schooling can prepare you for magic anomalies."
"Don't blame yourself for this."
"Baydí was preventable."
"No she wasn't." Paukena stared up at me, tears falling from her always cheerful face, her mask not working at all. "Lynix, an adventurer who was thought to have died alongside those other victims, had some hand in orchestrating it."
"How do you know something like that?" Jace asked, his voice coming off more stern than before.
I repeated what happened on the hill, just replacing Primé with Rex.
"Thats interesting, really interesting." Jace looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "She retreated in the sight of Rex after seeing her plan fail. This god she talked of, Ryiam. Never heard of anyone following a god named that,"
"For some reason. Maybe she didn't want to kill anyone herself, like Stella. I can't wrap my head around it either"
"I'll look into Lynix Azulé a little more."
"Ok." I responded, and Paukena squeezed my hand, reminding me of mom.
"Why didn't your twin come to see their cousin?"
"He- she had better things to do?"
"Really? Over her cousin?"
"Yeah what an asshole really."
"Hey!" He said into my head.
"What should I do with Stella? How can I help her?"
"Be with her." Jace replied.
"She's in like a defensive comma. Hiding all her feelings under blinds over her eyes."
I reached over with the same hand that I hurt at the start of our journey and that crumbled against Baydí's chest. I held her hand and looked directly into Stella's eyes.
"We'll leave you for a bit. Don't worry the castle will get us, if needed."
They both stepped out leaving me alone. Once the elevator shut, I leaned into the bed and began to cry.
Primé hopped out of my body. She didn't have horns on.
"I'll be right over on the ledge, take your time." She also walked away.
"Stella… I'm sorry I left you." Tears streamed down my face. "I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have made Lynix come check on you. I should have kept you by my side like we've always been." I cried, dampening the orange pumpkin blankets laying on her.
"Will we ever be able to adventure again?" A weak tired voice spilled out.
I looked up. Two dull red crosses sat in her hollow eyes like the shapes in my own eyes. The crosses stared calmly at me.
"We shouldn't ever fight sis. I'm so sorry Stella."
"I'm sorry you thought you needed to protect me even though I've got you killed."
"Don't say anything like that sis. I'll never let another atom touch you."
Stella weakly leaned into me, I held her.
"It was like an eternity, every second I cried for my sister."
"I wanted to show up. I wanted to be quicker but-"
"Don't worry." Stella, who was hurt, was left consoling me. It was just like her to do something like that.