To ruin an Omega Nov Chapter 419: And He Called It Salvation

Chapter 419: And He Called It Salvation

VALENTINE

I worked through the argunt I had with my wife before the crack of dawn in the hollow quiet of the house, replaying her words like a curse I couldn’t shake.

She had been packing when I found her. Not the slow, thodical packing of soone planning a trip. The sharp, decisive movents of soone who had already made up their mind.

"I’m sick of this," she had said, folding one of Wilhelm’s shirts with more force than necessary.

I had stood in the doorway, watching her. "Sick of what?"

"This." She gestured broadly, encompassing the room, the house, and . "Sothing is happening to this family, Valentine, and it’s because of you."

I had tried to keep my voice steady. "Madeline made her choice."

She had whirled on

then, eyes blazing. "No. Madeline loved this family. She loved us. She loved her magic."

"Then why did she leave?"

"I called her." The confession ca out sharp, almost accusatory. "I wanted to know what was going on. Do you know what our baby told ?"

I had waited.

"She said she just wants an ordinary life. Without us. Without magic." My wife’s hands had stilled on the suitcase. "My Madeline’s magic is beautiful, Valentine. It’s a gift. And for so reason, it repulses her now. What her gifts can do repulses her. I cannot allow that. I cannot."

"What do you want

to do?"

She had looked at

then, really looked at , and I had seen sothing break in her expression.

"If you won’t tell

the depth of your secrets because it will change and burn our relationship, maybe I don’t need to know." She zipped the suitcase closed. "But if it’s enough to make our sweet girl despise her magic, if it’s enough that the only way she can move on with her life is to cut us all off and pretend she is anything but magical, I think I have my answer."

I had stepped forward. "I will fix this."

"No!" The word had co out like a slap. "You promised

it wasn’t going to be like this. That you were not disturbed by your family’s darkness. But you are. You are disturbed by it, Valentine. The Blossom darkness still covers you, and I will not stand here and let Wilhelm be covered in it too."

She had grabbed the bag and walked past .

"Wilhelm!" Her voice had echoed through the house. "Are you ready?"

I had followed her down the stairs, watching as she handed Wilhelm her bag in the entryway.

"Put it in the car," she had told him.

Wilhelm had looked at . I had nodded.

He had taken the bag without a word.

My wife had turned to

one last ti.

"I truly wish you the best, Valentine. If you want to be covered in your family’s darkness, you are free to do so now. You don’t have to hold back on our account."

Then she had left.

And I had stood there, alone in the house that suddenly felt too large and too empty, listening to the sound of their car pulling out of the driveway.

That had been hours ago.

Now I sat in my study, disheveled and still wearing the sa clothes, turning the key over in my hands.

I had stolen it from Aldric’s room before leaving Skollrend. A precaution. Insurance. Sothing to give

leverage if I ever needed it.

I channeled a small thread of magic into my palm and watched the key begin to lt, the tal running liquid between my fingers before evaporating into nothing.

The key to his evidence was destroyed now.

Not that it mattered now.

I needed to get my family back. Needed to find a way to undo whatever Madeline had done to this family because of her so-called empathy.

But I had no idea where to start.

I stood and walked toward the window, staring out at the empty driveway.

That was when I noticed the mail.

Soone had left a small stack of letters on the front step. I had not heard anyone approach.

I crossed the room and opened the door, gathering the envelopes in one hand. Most of them were mundane. Bills. Advertisents. Nothing of consequence.

But one envelope stood out.

It was unmarked. No return address. No postage. Just my na written in careful, deliberate script.

I carried it back to my study and set the rest of the mail aside.

The envelope opened easily.

Inside was a letter and several photographs.

The letter contained only four words.

"Your cup has runneth over."

I set it down and picked up the photographs.

The first one showed Number Four. Mid-experint. Her face twisted in pain.

The second showed another experint subject. Or what was left of him after the binding had failed.

The third showed Athena.

Young. Healthy. Smiling.

Before everything.

I went through the rest of them slowly. Each one, a piece of my work. Each one damning.

I checked the envelope again, searching for any clue about the sender.

Nothing.

But the ssage was clear.

This was a threat. Either soone intended to expose , or they were planning to use this information to control .

Aldric still had allies. That much was obvious now. People who had survived him. People who knew what I had done.

And they were coming for .

I set the photographs down and leaned back in my chair, forcing myself to think clearly.

If this reached the Supernatural Council, I was finished. They would execute . Publicly and just as painfully. And they would hunt down every single experint I had ever created and destroy them, too.

My only leverage now was Fia.

A living, breathing success. Proof that my work had created sothing valuable. Sothing that could be studied, understood, and replicated.

If I could get her, if I could prove what she was, I might survive this.

But I needed her now.

Not later. Not when it was convenient. Now.

I stood and crossed to the center of the room, already weaving the spell before I had fully committed to the decision.

The magic ca easily. A projection. A way to reach across distance without physically moving.

I closed my eyes and let the spell carry

forward.

When I opened them again, I was sowhere else.

Not physically. But my consciousness had shifted, stretching across miles until it found what I was looking for.

Number Four.

She was in Skollrend, hidden in the shadows of the estate gardens, watching the main house with careful, patient attention.

She could see . Hear . But no one else could.

Not that it mattered. She was skilled at hiding herself. Always had been.

"I need you to take her," I said. "Today."

Number Four did not flinch at my sudden appearance. She instead turned to face

fully and looked at

like I had gone batshit crazy.

"It’s too risky," she said quietly. "Sothing is happening here. The Alpha is tearing the estate apart. There are also sentinels everywhere. They’re searching for sothing."

"I don’t care what they’re searching for. I care about survival. Mine and yours."

She shook her head slightly. "If I move now, I’ll be caught."

"If you don’t move now, we’re both dead." I let the words settle. "The files are out. Soone is coming for . When they do, they’ll co for you, too. Every experint. Every failure. Every abomination. We’ll all burn together."

Number Four hesitated.

I could see the conflict in her expression. The fear warring with self-preservation.

"You want your freedom?" I pressed. "You want the formula? You want to stop being a slave to those pills? Then do this. Do it now. Or forget the deal. Forget everything. And when they co for , I’ll make sure they know exactly where to find you."

Her eyes narrowed. "You’re threatening ."

"I’m telling you the truth. We’re out of ti. Fia is the only thing that can save us both. Bring her to . Alive. Unhard. And I’ll give you everything I promised."

The silence stretched between us.

Then she exhaled slowly.

"Fine," she said. "But if this goes wrong, if I’m caught, I’m telling them everything. Every na. Every place. Every secret you’ve ever kept."

I smiled.

"You won’t be caught. You’re too good for that."

I pulled the projection back before she could respond, letting the spell collapse and dragging my consciousness back to my study.

I opened my eyes.

The room was exactly as I had left it. The photographs still spread across my desk. The letter was still sitting beside them.

But sothing had shifted.

I had made the decision. Set things in motion.

There was no going back now.

I gathered the photographs and fed them into the fireplace, watching as the flas consud the evidence. The paper curled and blackened, the images disappearing into ash.

The letter went next.

Then I returned to my desk and sat down, folding my hands in front of .

All I could do now was wait.

Wait for Number Four to succeed.

Wait for Fia to arrive.

Wait for my family to co ho.

I thought about my wife’s words again. About Madeline. About Wilhelm.

About the darkness that still covered .

She had been right about one thing.

I had not let it go. Had not moved past it. The Blossom legacy ran through my veins like poison, and I had spent years trying to prove I could control it, could use it for sothing better.

But every experint had been another step deeper into that sa darkness.

Every failure had been another confirmation that I was exactly what I feared.

And now I was gambling everything on one final success.

On Fia.

If this worked, if I could get her and prove what I had made, I could salvage everything. My reputation. My research. My family.

If it failed, I would lose them all.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.

The house was still too quiet. Too empty.

But it would not stay that way for long.

One way or another, this would end soon.