Chapter 18: Things That Pain Our Hearts
Madoxx, before I told you you weren't ready to know your place in this world. I told you that you were important— But in your heart, Madoxx, lies a forgotten truth. One that haunts you even now. One that makes you see these red hands… one that pains your heart.
I was suspended in a black void—the Codex the only thing I could see. Its pages flipped rapidly, glowing brighter and brighter until all that remained was a ball of light.
The light molded into the shape of a person.
As my eyes adjusted, I saw her—Livana. Her long white hair, soft blue eyes, and warm smile—just like in the dreams. Only this time, she felt real.
Then, the world shifted.
The void dissolved, and suddenly I was… somewhere else. Trees swayed in a soft breeze. Laughter echoed nearby.
I turned—and there she was. Little Livana.
"Hey, Madoxx, check this out!" she called out, balancing on her hands against the wall. "Eliza taught me how to do a handstand!"
"That's so cool, Livana! I wish I could do that. Can you teach me?"
"Sure! You just put your hands in the air like this, then go against the wall and push up."
We giggled like idiots, falling over, trying again, laughing even harder. It was the happiest I think I'd ever been.
"Hey, Madoxx," she grinned, brushing dirt off her dress. "Wanna go look for bugs in the forest?"
"I told you I don't like bugs, Liv," I pouted.
"It'll be fun, trust me! Bethany said she saw a huge wasp."
"No, Liv—wasps actually attack people! I'm not going."
Tears welled up in my eyes. She tilted her head, like she couldn't understand why I was so scared.
"You cry a lot, you know," her voice said faintly before she started laughing
Time seemed to skip forward a bit
"Let's play Hot Potato again today!" young Livana shouted
"You're terrible at lying. You always sulk when you lose," I teased, sticking out my tongue.
The memory shifted again—like time skipped ahead.
Now we were outside, again.
"Look, Madoxx!" she said proudly, standing with her hands out, water droplets dripping above her palm. "I'm doing it!"
"Wow, you're amazing!" I gasped.
"You try too," she said, eyes sparkling.
I hesitated. Then awkwardly lifted my arms, mimicking her.
"Like this?"
"Yeah!" she giggled. "Now pretend to push out the invisible water ."
I squinted, focused hard. Nothing.
"Nothing's happening," I mumbled.
"It takes practice. That's what Mother Malinda told me."
"Why do you call her 'Mother'? She's not your real mom," I said without thinking.
"She said I could, so I will!" she snapped.
There was a pause. Then, her smile returned.
"Let's go look for bugs again, Madoxx."
"No way! Last time I got stung by a wasp!"
"I'll protect you this time—with my awesome water magic!" she declared, flexing like a knight.
The scene changed again—we were walking into the forest.
"You put your hands out like this and push," I whispered to myself, practicing with my palms as we walked.
"Don't you think we're going too far in, Livana?"
"Someone saw a puppy out here. We have to find him!" she said, eyes wide with determination.
"Aren't puppies only in Veloria? Why would one be out here?"
"No, I know he's out here—"
Growling.
I froze. "D-Did you hear that?"
"Y-Yeah," Livana said, inching closer to me.
From the bushes, a shadow crept forward—an injured keeth, limping, snarling softly.
"Look, Madoxx, it's hurt," Livana whispered.
"Stay back! It looks angry!" I grabbed her arm.
The keeth howled—a painful cry.
"Shhh, it's okay," Livana said, gently stepping closer. "Its leg… it's broken."
It collapsed, exhausted.
"You must be thirsty," she said, forming a water droplet from her wand. The creature stared at it, then gulped it up frantically.
"It's okay," she said. "We'll help you find your mom."
We sat in silence, watching her pet the keeth like it was a puppy.
Then—
Crackling. Branches snapped.
A roar.
The mother keeth leapt from the trees, all fury and teeth, slamming into Livana and sending her flying into a tree.
"Livana!" I screamed.
She collapsed.
I turned. The massive keeth—eyes blazing with rage—stepped toward us.
"S-s-stay away!" I shouted, backing up.
"Hey, Liv, wake up!" My voice cracked. "Liv!"
No answer. Blood ran down her temple.
"You said… you said you'd protect me," I whispered, trembling.
The beast growled louder, pacing closer.
I raised my my hands.
"You… you put your hands out like this," I said, voice shaking.
I tripped.
"Livana, wake up!" I sobbed. "Please!"
"Stop!" I screamed at the beast as it bared its fangs.
It crouched.
It pounced.
"STOP!"
Time froze.
The keeth hung mid-air. The world paused.
"I said STOP!" I roared, pushing both hands forward.
A black cloud exploded from my palms.
It hit the keeth like a tidal wave—trees shattered, the air cracked like lightning. The beast was thrown back, swallowed by the blast.
But—so was Livana.
"No!" I cried out.
She was caught in the storm—hurled across the ground like a ragdoll. Splinters flew. Dust choked the air.
The baby keeth was launched behind me—everything around us crumbled.
"What do I do?!" I screamed. "I don't want to hurt anything else!"
I raised my hands to the sky and fired the shadows upward—blast after blast into the air, until the clouds turned black.
And then…
Darkness took me.
As I collapsed, I saw her. Livana—motionless—just out of reach.
My hand stretched toward her.
And everything went black.
Then— RIIIIING.
A loud ringing snapped me back into consciousness—but only slightly. My senses were dulled, everything muffled and distant. That's when I saw him.
Magnus.
His silhouette loomed above me. The voices around were just murmurs, warped. A girl's voice said, "She's dead…"
Magnus said nothing.
He just stood there.
Staring at the sky.
Smiling.
Eyes wide with joy.
"How is this possible?" he whispered… then burst into maniacal laughter. "How did this boy do that?!"
My head ached, my body heavy—but I managed to lift it slightly, just enough to see what he was looking at.
And then I saw it.
The sky was broken.
Shards of white and blue rained down like falling glass. Above us—a massive, gaping hole in the heavens.
Inside it, red lightning pulsed, like a living heartbeat.
The falling shards cracked and splintered mid-air, breaking into tinier and tinier pieces—vanishing before they could ever touch the earth.
Magnus fell to his knees.
"How have you done something so… wonderful?" he said, breathless with awe.
I turned my head.
One of the men—cloaked, faceless—was carrying Livana's lifeless body.
A sharp pain tore through my chest.
Tears spilled from my eyes.
My body screamed.
But all I could do was shut my eyes—And fade into the dark once more.
I was on my knees.
The Codex hovered in front of me, glowing softly in the dark.
How could I...? I raised my trembling hands. No... it wasn't..
A million thoughts tore through my mind.
How had I forgotten this?
Livana.
Every time I said her name, my body convulsed in pain.
Livana. Livana. Livana.
I always thought those dreams—those flashes—were just dreams. But they weren't.
They were real.
My mind remembered. But my body—it refused to accept it.
"This was the second story in the Library, Madoxx.
I showed you this because of the events that played out that day…
They shaped the path we're on now."
It all clicked. That night—when Magnus wiped out Ola and Ren— He wasn't just angry. He was testing me. He wanted me to break like I did back then. He wanted me to release the shadows again.
Bethany… all of them… That was his goal.
But why?
Why did he want that power out again?
I couldn't make sense of any of it. None of it fit. None of it was fair.
"Madoxx,"the codex continued, "since that day…
the gears of fate have been turning.
In the next few days, the world will change—forever.
I don't know how. I don't know why.
I only know what the remaining pages of the Codex have shown me.
But I can tell you this—"
"If you falter… even for a second… those you have left will meet a gruesome end. So now that you've seen the truth… your role is clear."
"For all their sakes…
You must bring the skies crashing down."