Parker moved, and space cracked like broken glass around him. He could see everything in crystal clarity—the sword piercing Tessa's heart, her life bleeding away, the impossibility of saving her even with his speed because the blade was already there, already ending everything that mattered.
"Really? Has your love for her blinded your eyes and judgment too, Oh Prince of Existence?" the entity asked with amusement that felt like reality bending around cosmic jokes.
Reality cracked again, and everything shifted.
"Hwahahahaha..."
The voice was now distinctly feminine, laughter that carried eons of satisfaction and cosmic victory. As she laughed, like a veil being lifted from their eyes, everything returned to normal. Where Tessa had stood dying, she now stood whole and unharmed. Whisper was fine. Even Aleric stood exactly where he'd been before the entire deadly charade began.
