“Don’t you dare get near her, you Sah!” Azrath flew in front of Noel’s face, hiding Darris’s face from her. “She’s played your game. Now let her go!”

Darris stood, his pupils back to being slits. “Yes, I did tell you that, didn’t I?”

“Don’t tell me you intend to break your word?” said Azrath.

“Not at all. She may go. However,” He held out his hand in front of Noel. “I must ask you to give me that staff the way it is. And the piece as well.”

“What? Why?” Noel was far too confused by Darris’s conflicting actions to be upset. He had called out to her. He had saved her from her recklessness for the second time. Yet Darris had brought the ginkrat here for her to fight. He had been the one to put her into danger in the first place. What are you?

He had said keeping her alive was only to preserve Urzuran’s power. Now, Noel had doubts about that. That expression of relief was genuine.

Darris did not look upset either, “I’ve only had the chance to examine your power in its dormant state. I wish to see it as it is meant to be. May I?”

Noel knew he could snatch it out of her hand if he wanted, but he didn’t. He just waited for her to make a choice.

She looked to where the staff had been. It was still holding the ginkrat down. Oriander stood beside the lizard, examining his hand. At first, Noel thought he was checking his wound until she realized he was checking his lack of a wound. She looked down at the ginkrat again to see its tail regrown.

She had done that. Divine Impulse had not just healed her injuries but the injuries of every other person around. And… she looked at the area around them where the guard’s blood had stained the ground. Even that was gone. It was like the guard had never existed.

Noel felt the emptiness return. She had done that, too. Now there was no way to know who he had been. Any evidence that people could have had to find him was now erased because of this power. Because of her. 

With disgust, Noel reached out her hand to summon the staff. Oriander immediately pounced upon the ginkrat and took it back into his clutches.

“What are you doing, Noel?” said Azrath, “Don’t give them to him!”

But Noel ignored him and laid the staff and the blade fragment into Darris’s open palm. “Just take it.”

There was no smoke or hissing this time, just silence as Darris’s hand closed around them.

He smiled at her, “Thank you. You may go.”

Noel fought the impulse to snap back at him. Instead, she just turned around and walked away. She was done. Done with this place, done with Darris and with Urzuran; everything. Seeing the erasure of the guard was it for her. This power was not something to want. In a way, it was part of the curse.

She couldn’t explain why, but she felt like Urzuran’s power had a will of its own, working in tandem with the curse. So, she was done. She didn’t care anymore. All she wanted to do now was go home. To lay in bed and forget this ever happened.

So, she walked away and did not look back. Noel felt the eyes watching her as she walked across the wharf, back through the shipping crates, and to the fence. Then she stopped. Azrath was following behind her. He hadn’t said a word to her, but she could feel his presence, his glare toward her.

“What?” She turned to look at him.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t have to. You’re mad at me for giving the staff to Darris.”

“So, what if I am? I’m not holding it against you. I understand.”

“Do you?” Noel felt like she was on the verge of something. A storm of emotions raged inside her with an eye of dullness in the center of her chest. Was she angry? Was she sad? Scared? Something else? She didn’t know. It was all of it, yet none of it. She had never felt like this before.

“Listen, Noel, I’m sorry—”

Noel had enough. It turned out she was done with Azrath too. “Please. Just stop—stop with the apologizing. I’m sick of it. I know you’re sorry. I know it’s all your fault that you didn’t mean for this to happen. I know! I know I gave up your stupid master’s powers to a murdering psychopath! It’s just—just—just— AAARGH!!”

Her anger dominated her other emotions as the words spilled out of her. Growing louder and louder until, in a fit of rage, she turned toward the fence and punched it. Then again, and again until she had broken a good-sized hole in the chain-link.

She kicked the hole wider to use as an exit, but her stupid giant sleeves and skirt got caught on the jutting prongs. Which only served to frustrate her more. She began to rip at her clothing until the sleeves and dress were in tatters. They hung around her like rags. Noel finished her exit and stood there for a moment, panting.

“Noel…”

She looked back at Azrath, who hovered on the other side of the fence as the chain link began to knit itself back together between them. He looked so pathetic that Noel’s heart could help but soften a little.

“Look, just—” Noel didn’t know what to say except, “—just leave me alone, okay. I’m happy that you’re alive, I am, but I’m not going to be part of whatever this is. All I wanted was to live a normal life. I want to go to school, do my homework, hang out with friends, maybe even find a boyfriend if I’m lucky. I want to do all the shit a girl my age should be doing. Not fighting some giant, not—not watching people be eaten alive. Please, Azrath, please let me do that. I just want to be normal.”

Noel felt like she should be on the brink of tears, but she wasn’t. Her lips trembled, and her face tightened, but there were no tears, just that crushing storm. She stared at Azrath, who remained where he was, through the fence for a moment longer before turning and walking away. She didn’t know where she was going, but anywhere was better than here.