On the bright side, there was nothing left to hide. It was the absolute one and only bright side her faint little light could find.

Stratos didn't speak to her. Faith didn't hunt her down, whether in her cottage or outside. Octavia spent at least half a day in her own head, speaking largely when spoken to and just barely making her way through the physical motions of tolls. It was enough to land every conceivable set of eyes on her not-so-subtly, eyebrows raised and words of worry settling delicately upon her.

Even without the game of deception she was forced to engage in back and forth with Stratos--and Jasse, by apparent proxy--there were still more than enough Maestros who absolutely did not need to know the exact danger she was about to put them in. It would've ignited an entirely different firestorm, by which an entirely different danger would've come down on her shoulders. It didn't matter if the Muses couldn't touch her physically. There were six legacies that could, more than available at the fingertips of Maestros still numbering in the double digits. It was a sickening thought.

Of all things Ramulus could lie to her about, untruthful as the Muses were, she couldn't shake the weight he'd placed upon every word. What she'd seen of Mixoly's toll, what Mixoly herself had disclosed, and what she'd once heard from Ethel were more than enough to supplement Ramulus' accusations as to the dire consequences of the Witnessing. It wasn't as thought the task itself was going to be any easier, even if she'd been making progress prior to Faith's sudden intrusion.

If she were gambling with her own life alone, it would be terrifying enough--and it had been, thus far, to be fair. Were the risk of a second round with a ruined world to be believed, she would be gambling with far, far more than was fair to place in the hands of the Ambassador. The idea of such devastation occurring at the hands of one Muse was still unfathomable even now, accidental or otherwise. So long after learning of her error, Octavia still couldn't overlay timid, gentle Mixoly with She Who Brought the World to Ruin.

Octavia racked her brain for any Muse she could confide in, any possible option to help her brainstorm a solution to lead Mixoly across the boundary. Save for Ethel, long gone, she couldn't think of a single potential confidant. Stratos was well out of the question, and possibly her least likely candidate of them all. It was incredibly frustrating.

She, too, still entertained the burning idea of bouncing those concerns off of the mortal confidants she trusted with her life. This far in, and so exposed, she wondered if there'd be an issue at all with sharing the truth. Even with Viola still painfully absent, it left four options who would possibly have welcomed her dilemma with open arms. For how they'd accompanied her into Hell itself for Seraphe's sake without question, she liked to imagine this would've been no different. If their very lives were on the line, let alone everything they'd ever loved, Octavia couldn't help but wonder if their trust would hold as true.

She was on her own. The pressure of a promise was utterly crushing.

Octavia spent far, far longer than usual contemplating whether to engage in a Mixoly night, if it was even safe to do so anymore. Stratos knew of her intentions--that much was true. Still, tethered to his vessel as he was, he was powerless outside of her own hands. If Ramulus had planned to kill her himself, he would've done so by now--although whether or not he was awaiting her next move remained to be seen.

Jasse was unpredictable, her apparently-compliant Maestra even more so. It wasn't so much that Faith could get away with hurting the Ambassador, given exactly where she lived and the exact company she kept. If harm fell to Octavia, she could almost garner a chuckle over the Hell that would crash down fivefold onto Faith's head--to say nothing of those the Ambassador had met more recently. There was a greater danger that came with not knowing if the Heartful girl cared.

The Muses had no reason to hurt Theo, nor could they. He was innocent. He was natural to the world, and untouchable by their hands as a result. Once more, it didn't spare him from mortal hands, armed with Harmonial Instruments or otherwise. To know that such a young child was possibly in peril made Octavia's blood boil.

It was with careful subtlety that she'd been sure to witness the tolls of the one extraneous Heartful Maestro remaining in Tacell days prior, unrelated to the situation as they were. It minimized a risk she'd only just begun to fully come to terms with. Now, only a singular heart of light posed a threat. It was comical, somewhat, to think that Francisco had once been her biggest concern. Octavia's sole saving grace was the way by which Faith was, clearly, not privy to the details of the situation. Where Mixoly would pick apart the spider web thread by thread for Octavia, Jasse would surely not do the same for her partner. If Faith was blindly following orders rather than truly defending what she believed in, Octavia had the advantage.

Her other advantage was unpredictability. Her schedule was a weapon.

"I'm going out for a bit."

She never thought she'd admit to it, especially so early in the evening. The sun had hardly sunk in full into the depths of the horizon, and the first stars had just barely begun to tease a still-darkening sky. It was a risk. It wasn't entirely optional.

"Where?"

Octavia knew that was coming, ultimately. "I just want some fresh air."

She'd accounted for every single one of them, coagulated as they were. It was grueling. She outright couldn't look at one of them to begin with--although a desire for fresh air wasn't exactly a lie.

Madrigal beamed. "Do you want someone to go with you?"

It was almost a reflex to shoot her down instantly. Octavia struggled to make it natural, feigning a smile to the best of her ability. "It's okay. No offense, but sometimes, I like to be alone."

She took it well, maintaining the same smile that replaced the fallen sun. "That's okay! I understand."

"Don't stay out too late, alright?" Harper added.

Octavia smirked. It came more naturally than she'd expected, and her response was recycled. "You're not my mom."

Harper rolled his eyes playfully. In retrospect, it raised another issue. It was another risk she'd have to take. Octavia didn't quite have an excuse to match, and yet she tried her best all the same.

"I'm…gonna be gone for a while, probably. I don't know what time I'll be back. Don't get worried, okay?"

He raised an eyebrow. He wasn't the only one. When the question hit, Octavia was eternally grateful that it didn't come from Harper.

"Wait, why?"

At least she could look at Josiah when she spoke, false as her scrambled explanation was. It didn't mean he was any less skilled at picking apart her lies. Octavia still did what she could. "There's parts of Tacell I've never really gone to at night. I wanna get the chance to explore them before it gets too cold."

Renato crossed his arms. "This place is literally just grass. You're gonna spend hours exploring grass?"

She deflected.

"Are you…going to be up for a while?"

He tilted his head. "I mean, I don't know. Why?"

It was a contingency plan. She built it with soft eyes she knew he'd take as something more. It wasn't exactly manipulative, and it wasn't exactly a lie.

"Can we…talk later? Like, when I get back?" Octavia asked gently.

It took effort to balance her tone carefully, formulating just the right amount of semi-false vulnerability. When she found eyes as fragile as her own, she knew he'd fallen for it.

Renato nodded. "Yeah. I'll wait for you."

He didn't need to leave. She just needed him awake and alert. From there, she would simply have to last long enough for him to intervene. In a perfect world, it absolutely wouldn't come to that. There was a mild shame that came with exploiting Renato's gift. It was his fault for being her soldier, Octavia rationalized.

"I'll be back."

She prayed it was enough for them. For how they continued to eye her warily, Octavia wasn't entirely sure any of it had sufficed. Still, she only needed to make it out and back in exactly once without question. Hopefully, this was enough.

"Have fun!" Madrigal offered with a wave.

Octavia smiled, returning her nonverbal farewell. Smiling was the most she could do at all, given what she was about to attempt. Even now, she battled the second thoughts that ate away at her heart every time she looked at their faces. If they'd known of what ruin might've awaited beyond, she wondered if they would've seen her off so peacefully.

"You're not gonna bring Stradivaria?"

She froze. She didn't dare turn around. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears. It was a question she hadn't accounted for in any capacity.

In the absolute slightest, Octavia was just barely honest.

"We got into a fight. I need some space from him for a bit."

Even staring at the closed door alone, her fingers clenched around the knob, their silence spoke to enough confusion that she still wasn't free. Octavia feigned a sigh.

"There's still a decent amount of Maestros left. Plus, it's Tacell. I'll be okay, I promise. I just…really don't want to talk to him right now," she murmured.

That was, thankfully, enough for Josiah. "I get it. Be careful, then."

"If you…wanna talk about it, we're here," Harper offered.

There were a million and one things she wanted to talk about. A sizable amount of them did involve Stratos. She couldn't speak of a single one, and it burned.

"I appreciate it," Octavia said quietly.

She refused to give them anything else to work with. Octavia needed every second she could cling to. The moment she was outside, the moment the door had shut in full behind her, she gave herself exactly ten seconds to scan. She gave herself ten seconds more to leave the view of the doorway, should someone change their mind and open it again. Beneath the peeking moonlight that had just begun to bless the budding evening, twenty seconds was more than enough wasted. With a different route than usual, she practically flew, every sprinting step rustling the grass below viciously.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Octavia wouldn't give Faith the chance, let alone anyone else who could be roped into stopping her. This ended tonight, no matter what it took. She could only hope nothing else ended along with it.

Mixoly.

It was the one and only warning she gave before she nearly broke the door down. It wasn't as though Theo would've been startled by the bang she brought with her. He was startled enough by her presence alone, so premature as it was. In the early evening, there was little misplaced moonlight to steal through the silky curtains. As such, the cottage was even darker, and she had to fumble for any semblance of confident footing. He'd adapted well enough, particularly if he could greet her with Miracle Agony readied upon his lips. Octavia didn't blame him, for once.

Only when she met his eyes did he relax, his own wide and confused as he lowered the piccolo slowly. The click behind her as she locked the door nearly echoed. The motion, for him, was clearly equally as baffling. He signed something indiscernible, slow and hesitant movements that spoke more to befuddlement than anything else.

What are you doing?

Mixoly repeated the question Octavia suspected the boy had floated. It was all that preceded her presence, ever more striking in the absence of abundant moonlight. For how lovely her silky glow truly was, Octavia made a mental note to drink it in while she still could.

"You said we're running out of time, right? I'm making the most of what we have," Octavia answered plainly.

"Is this not reckless, Ambassador?"

Octavia shook her head. "I was careful. We just need to be fast. I need to be fast. I…won't stop until I get it."

"You will be exposed," Mixoly warned.

The truth was dangerous. Still, more than anyone, Mixoly deserved it. "I already have been."

Mixoly recoiled. Slightly less so, Theo did the same. The Muse didn't press. Octavia filled in of her own accord.

"I was careful in every way I could be, but Stratos figured it out. I think he told Ramulus, and I think that has something to do with why Faith was here. I…met Ramulus again."

Mixoly outright flinched. "You have met with Lord Ramulus?" she spoke with utter horror. It was a tone Octavia hated to hear in her delicate voice.

Still, she nodded as she settled down onto the floor. "He called for me. He told me not to witness your toll. He told me not to guide you. Stratos said the same thing."

Mixoly wasn't nearly as hesitant as Octavia had expected she'd be. If anything, her cool anger far outdid her typical timid nature. "I am not the least bit surprised. They would not see me return to--"

"Mixoly," Octavia began slowly, "Ramulus said he…doesn't think you can cross the boundary."

Mixoly instantly fell silent. Theo's eyes went wide with distress of his own. Octavia weighed every word that followed carefully, morbid as they were.

"I…think what you said was right," she murmured. "I think there…might be a problem with you going back."

Mixoly hugged herself tightly. Octavia could've sworn she was shaking, ethereal and false as her form was. For a world she hated so severely, there was an irony in how she acted more like a human than a Muse at this point.

"Listen," Octavia said, "I still want to try. I still want to do everything I can to at least attempt. Maybe we can figure something out."

"It would not…suffice, then?" Mixoly practically whispered.

"Let me try," Octavia implored once more. "We won't know it doesn't work until we at least give it a shot."

"Ambassador--"

Octavia raised her eyes to the Muse, narrow and piercing. "If I try, I need you to promise me something."

"What…is it?" Mixoly murmured.

Octavia inhaled sharply. "If I can't get you back to Above, you can't give in to despair again."

She already knew that Mixoly wouldn't offer her anything to work with. The terror that slowly settled into Theo's eyes was enough to keep Octavia going, and she held onto the edge in her own for as long as she could.

"Everyone says the world came to ruin because you hated it," Octavia said with all of the confidence she could muster. "Everyone…thinks you're going to do it again. I told them you wouldn't. I put everything on the line to prove that you wouldn't do it twice. I'm betting on you, Mixoly."

"I cannot stay," Mixoly begged. "Please."

"Mixoly, this is my world, too!" she cried. "This is Theo's world! There's people we love and things we cherish here! If you hate it, that's one thing, but it's important to us! At least try to give it a chance!"

"I have tried, Ambassador!" she argued. "I really and truly have!"

"Then try again! I told you, the world is always changing! If you have nothing to love, then find something!"

"Ambassador!"

Octavia bit her tongue solely on behalf of the pain on Theo's face. When he shook his head ever so slowly, she wondered if she was crossing a line. It was still inevitable and necessary. For that, she pitied that he was caught in the crossfire.

"If I do this--when I do this, I'm going to see everything that happened. I'm going to see what you did and what made you hurt so badly. I'm going to be the only human alive who'll know exactly what you went through. I know the world wronged you somehow. I know you were Dissonant. Most of all, I know that whatever memories got you to that point are still in there. You…can't let them win again. You're stronger than that."

She couldn't justify so much as approaching Miracle Agony until she had at least a sliver of assurance that disaster wasn't imminent. Instead, it was all she could do to offer what desperate words of comfort she could cobble together in the face of Mixoly's silence.

"Mixoly, I trust you. Please. Please…prove me right," she pleaded.

She was aware of Mixoly's gaze on her as she stared down Miracle Agony, gripped tightly in two small, fearful hands. Theo was trembling in the slightest, subtle as the motion was. His wide eyes and shaky breaths betrayed his stillness, and he nearly jumped when Octavia cupped her fingers beneath his. She couldn't smile. Instead, she squeezed softly.

"I promise I'll get through your toll, too," she reassured.

Even in her despair, Mixoly still gave her what she needed. Theo nodded slowly, peeling his hands away from hers. Every movement was slow and hesitant.

"'Please save her.'"

Octavia tensed. "I'll do everything I can, even if I don't know if--"

He cut her off with a shake of his head. Again, he repeated the exact same signs, some more emphasized than others this time. His eyes stung hers. She hardly needed Mixoly's help. "'Please save her.'"

When he cradled Miracle Agony delicately once more, he did so with his eyes cast high above to the silent Muse who watched on. They were sharper than anything Octavia had ever seen the boy fix his partner with. Even Mixoly flinched.

I-I cannot.

He stared her down.

Please.

He stared her down harder.

Mixoly shook her head. You do not understand, my child.

His gaze was relentless.

It was not supposed to be this way!

And when it was Theo who shook his head, what followed was one finger flicking back and forth between himself and the Ambassador.

I…

He nodded.

Theo, please.

It was the first time Octavia had ever heard his name in the Muse's voice. It was gentle, warm, and loved.

Theo moved closer to Octavia, their knees nearly touching on the rug as he guarded Miracle Agony in his palms just inches away. So close was Theo that she could feel his body heat. When he met her eyes, he wouldn't let go. Narrow and sharp as they were, his gaze was anything but hostile. His determination was poisonous. Age be damned, Octavia stole every ounce of it she could.

Once more did he emulate the same gesture he'd given to Mixoly, flicking one finger slowly back and forth between himself and Octavia. Never once did he break eye contact. She nodded, doing everything in her power to meet his resolve with body language alone.

There was no use reassuring Mixoly any further. For all of her concerns about finding a confidant, let alone about finding kinship in the company of another Heartful, Octavia had somewhat forsaken the one who she'd seen nearly nightly for weeks--small as he was. With Miracle Agony offered to her, the heart that surely beat in time with her own gave her light in a room where she'd found nearly none. It wasn't the Harmonial Instrument that she gave her attention to as she plunged into the dark, but rather the boy who'd once greeted her with hostility alone. If it was for the sake of the same Muse, left behind and mired in despair, Octavia couldn't ask for a closer ally.

◆ ◆ ◆

She had her work cut out for her.

What are you?

I am one who destroys what is precious.

It was Lucian first.

It was the same toll, top to bottom, right as she'd left it and up until the same point. It was with patience that Octavia let her pounding heart guide her through every word she'd already absorbed, every sight she'd already memorized, and every stolen smile of her own that could give her hope. She was lucky. It wasn't cracking, even blurred and somewhat distorted as the world before her was. It was intact, and that was enough.

My name's Lucian.

Mixoly.

She rode it all the way through for a second time over. She awaited the flip of the coin, should it come, by which the Muse who so timidly greeted him would offer up her strained flashes and fragments in turn. Where Octavia pleaded for consistency, she half-doubted she'd receive it. Mixoly was anything but consistent, even in the depths of her most haunting memories.

And she was correct.

Octavia's ears were ringing. She had her screeching. She had the hues she loathed, and what light typically pierced the violet was nowhere to be seen. When she awaited the cracks, she was left in suspense. When she patiently anticipated the glass that would shatter before her eyes, leaving her pupils flooded with overwhelming radiance and color, she was still spared. He wasn't.

What is this? she heard Lucian cry.

I apologize. It is an…effect I cannot undo.

It hurts, though!

I am so sorry, my child.

Why is this happening?

I am broken. I do not mean to curse you with such suffering.

You're doing this to me?

The hands the Ambassador stole rubbed futilely at her eyes, for what hazy and swimming violet plagued the world like a veil. The hands she stole clamped futilely over her ears, for what agony screamed deep and battered his eardrums remorselessly. Octavia would've done the same. She wished she could've. It changed nothing. Ultimately, as it would turn out, her experience with the sensations that had blighted her stopping point had been exactly half-unique.

Could you please…make it stop? Lucian begged softly, far below the threshold of the sounds that blotted out the world.

I cannot.

It can't just go on forever, right?

Only once we part will it cease.

I have to leave you, then?

We are bonded. That, too, cannot be undone.

The hands that so desperately clutched at every part of his body, aching for relief from the Hell she bestowed upon him, trembled fiercely. So I'm just stuck like this for good? he cried with terror.

Find the Ambassador.

What?

Find the Ambassador, and our bond may be severed.

The Am…bassador?

They who would free my heart.

Your…heart. From in there?

Yes.

Even in the throes of his agony, he was kind. He was the very icon of his legacy.

You're lonely, right?

I have been alone.

I want to help you.

And I you, that you would not be cursed with my burden.

I chose to pick you up. I chose to answer your calls for help.

You did not know.

That's okay. I'm…gonna help you, somehow. I'll keep you safe.

Where her senses were overwhelmed by pain incarnate, the reprieve that came with the blinding flash to follow was just as jarring. Octavia lost her eyes again, doffed in favor of a whirlwind of color she'd surrendered to once before. It was splendid and radiant, heavenly and near-perfect save for its overpowering luminescence. She was freed of screeching, absolved of suffering. Where Lucian had been plunged into Hell, Octavia was thrust upwards into Heaven. It came with sound alone, desperation of a different flavor.

What are you doing?

I…

You cannot.

I will return.

It is a world not ours to interfere with. You know this.

Have you no desire, truly, even in the slightest, to know of its splendor? Have you no adoration for what has been made with such love?

My adoration reaches from here alone, as should your own. You would risk disrupting what has been balanced so cautiously.

I will be careful.

It is not that simple.

Octavia knew their voices well. To hear them in tandem a second time over, for how far they'd grown apart, was every bit as startling now as it had been the first time around.

The boundary is not to be crossed.

Yet still it exists.

Mixoly.

I will return. You have my word.

You know not if you may!

He will surely understand.

It is not of Lord Ramulus that I speak, Mixoly, and yet that as well! If you go, I cannot guarantee your safety!

It is a risk I am more than willing to take!

All Octavia had heard from Stratos as of late were pleas. Even in the depths of memories that weren't hers to pick apart, she only found more of the same. It was pitiful, in a way.

You will regret your choice.

I will not.

Please, do not do this.

Await me, Stratos, for I will return soon.

Mixoly.

Octavia hardly got a warning this time. She already had her colors, her light, her splendor. Somehow, she'd managed to untangle the screeching. It was a start. She shattered. The stained glass upon her eyes cracked and crumbled, and Heaven fell to pieces.

◆̷̡̞͔̥̜̠̰̯̭͍̀̆̈̈̊̇͗̿̕͘ ̷̩̮̙͖̘͌̍◆̴͍̳̦͕̥̳̞̖͒̈̑͋̂̒̂̿ ̸̨̡̜̲͕̜̎̑͗̀͗̇̌̏́◆̴̫̮̅̅͆̊

Octavia came up with a gasp. She met Theo's eyes, as curious as they were determined even now. He tilted his head in the slightest, never once pulling away from their close positioning. Even now, their knees nearly touched and their warmth glowed in tandem. He waited.

"I'm fine," she said futilely. She nodded for good measure, opting to assume Mixoly wouldn't immediately come to her linguistic aid. For the way Theo nodded back, eyes aflame as before, she assumed the message was loud and clear.

She didn't dare stop. Like a Heartful hammer, she would beat away at it until it caved. Octavia didn't hesitate to lower her fingers down onto the piccolo once more.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.