Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Every blow I landed on him was for the years of torment.
For the pain and humiliation.
For kidnapping Moni.
His footing slipped and he stumbled a few times.
Our blades clashed, causing sparks to fly.
He aimed for my throat; I ducked and countered, slashing toward his ribs.
He sidestepped.
I growled. “You’re done.”
He snarled, swinging wide but I caught his blade with mine and twisted, forcing him back.
His footing faltered.
I seized the moment. With a surge of strength, I slashed downward, the edge of my blade biting into his kneecap.
Blood spurted.
“Ahhh!” He screamed and crumpled to the ground.
Before he could recover, Moni fired.
The sharp crack of a gunshot rang out.
The bullet struck his stomach and he let out a pained groan.
Is this finally the end?
Chapter thirty-four
When Shadows Weep
Lei
My father’s sword fell from his grip, clattering uselessly against the dirt.
“My little monster?” Lying on the ground, he clutched the stomach wound as blood seeped through his fingers.
That was the first moment I could finally catch my breath.
It’s almost done.
There, my father lay on the ground, broken and bleeding before me.
Moni got to my side with her gun still raised. Her presence was a balm to my frayed nerves.
Together, we stood over him.
My father looked up at us and his breathing grew shallow.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he still managed a weak, bitter smile. “Part of me is happy. . .the part that. . .wanted this. . .”
Something else caught my eye.
Two black crows landed on the blood-streaked ground one foot from where my father lay.
My breath hitched.
The way they stared at him gave me chills, like they could see into his soul, like they weren’t just crows.
I blinked, and the edges of my reality rippled.
W-what?
Behind the crows, the faintest shimmer happened, and their shadows lengthened unnaturally, stretching and curling as if alive.
I blinked again.
Then, slowly, those shadows began to rise and shift, taking shape—human shape.
I shivered.
Familiar figures emerged from the darkness their forms outlined in a soft, otherworldly glow.
My heart clenched.
Romeo and Chanel?
Their faces were as vivid as a memory but touched with something ethereal, something that made them more than just the people I once knew. They weren’t just here—they were luminous, glowing faintly as though lit from within.
Ghosts?
Romeo’s sharp, cocky grin was intact but his eyes carried something more profound.
More ancient.
Chanel stood beside him, her soft smile radiating warmth.
They were dressed in deep, elegant red, the fabric flowing like liquid fire, shimmering faintly as if the threads were spun from light itself.
In fact, they looked like they were stepping into a grand ballroom, not standing in the blood-soaked arena.
Time slowed.
My chest heaved as I stared at them, unable to look away.
This isn’t real. It has to be the poison playing tricks on me.
But they were so clear.
Every detail, every line of their faces, every fold in their impossibly elegant clothing—it all felt real.
Romeo’s gaze locked on me and his smirk softened.
Chanel lifted her hand as if to reach out but she stopped short and her fingers hovered just above the air.
My knees felt weak.
My hand gripping the sword shivered.
I wanted to speak, to ask if this was real, but my throat was tight.
Moni whispered, “Lei?”
I turned to her. “Can you see them?”
“See what, Lei?”
Then, behind Moni, other shadows rippled.
More ghosts?
Two figures emerged and my chest tightened further.
“What’s wrong?” Moni widened her eyes. “Do you want me to shoot him, Lei?”
Behind her, a Black man and woman stepped forward from the shadows.
Their forms were no less radiant.
No less surreal.
Their features were achingly familiar, the resemblance to Moni striking and unmistakable.
Her parents.
I swallowed.
They got right next to her and looked down at Leo.
My heart hammered.
This isn’t real.
Yet, every fiber of my being felt their presence.
Moni got closer to me. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I-I’m okay.”
“I’ve got a good aim. I can do it.”
“No. It’s just. . .” I put my view back on my father and to my shock the ghostly spirit of my mother knelt beside him.
My eyes burned with tears. “Mommy. . .”
Moni looked at me. “Lei. . .”
“You don’t see anything?”
“No.”
I gazed at my mom. Her long hair fell in waves over her shoulders and her eyes were filled with sorrow. She looked up at me, and for a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
A cold shiver ran through me. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I had to do it.”
“I know you did and I love you, son. Even more because you did it.”
My eyes watered.
She gave me a sad smile. “Use Soaring Precious. He would want it that way and sometimes it is good to show love to a dying man.”
It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. But the warmth in her tone, the way her lips curved into that soft, sad smile—it hit me like a dagger to the heart.
“Okay, Mommy. . .”
Moni moved her gaze to where I was looking.
Behind my mother, another figure stepped forward.