Chapter 50

Zai's tone startled me—I gasped. Even my mom's expression shifted, her eyes paling to a soft yellow.

"Did you think I came here for your blessing or something?" Zai said, his voice low and sharp. "No. Fuck you. Snowe still has nightmares because of how awful a mother you were. I just wanted to put a face to the things I've heard."

"You... dare insult me?!" my mom snapped, pointing at me. "What about her? She was always scheming for attention—always looking down on me!"

…Was I?

Hearing her say that made something tighten in my chest. Was she right? Had I always been trying to prove something… or punish her?

"Oh... your child wanted attention from you?" Zai said, arching a brow. "Imagine that. And since you know you weren't someone worth looking up to, why are you so surprised she ended up looking down instead?"

He rested his chin in his palm, elbow propped lazily on the table—but nothing about him was relaxed.

"...Fine. I know I was a crappy mom, okay? I know. But I can't control how I feel. I wanted to be a good mother."

"Then you admit you're a failure?" he asked flatly.

She clenched her fist. "You only have two redeeming features," he continued. "One, that you were brave enough to choose the power you wanted, no matter what anyone said. Two, that you gave birth to Snowe. Nothing else about you is worth anything."

Her eyes welled with tears. If her powers weren't suppressed, she might've tried to fight him, but all she could do now was cry.

"…If that's all you have to say, you can leave," she muttered.

I started to rise from my seat, but then Zai said, "No."

I sat back down. He wasn't looking at me—he was talking to her.

"You're going to die. Sad that it won't be by my hand… but at least you'll suffer in here until they get around to your execution."

She touched her neck, as if she'd forgotten she was on death row.

"I believe it was fate that spared you this long… so that before you die,"—she visibly cringed at the word—"you'd have the chance to apologize to your daughter. I know some part of you wants to."

The silence that followed was deafening. She stared down at the table for what felt like seven minutes. I was tempted to just get up and leave.

Finally, she whispered, her voice cracking:

"Snowe… I'm sorry."

Tears welled in her eyes as she continued.

"I knew I wasn't ready to be a mom. But when Caem asked me… I felt so happy that, for a fleeting moment, I wanted a baby. And because of that passing feeling… You were born. But I still wanted all of his attention. I wasn't mature enough to share it.

"I don't even know if I'd do better now. But… you got caught in a fight that had nothing to do with you. I went through a lot before I had you, but that wasn't your fault. None of it was. So… he's right. I'm sorry.

"I was so happy when you came to visit me… but part of me still saw you as my enemy. And I treated you like one. I… I don't want to be like this anymore. I don't want to stay this way."

My heart tightened. I could tell she meant it. And for the first time… I saw her not as a threat, not as something I had to protect myself from, but as a person.

"You were happy to see me?" I asked, sniffling, tears blurring my vision.

"Of course I was. I thought you were dead. But… I didn't want to show it. I didn't want you to feel sympathy for me—I don't deserve that. You should keep hating me."

"I… I never hated you," I whispered. "I wish I could. But I can't."

Our eyes met, and she gave a weak smile.

"Oh, dear. I really am a stupid bitch, aren't I?"

I laughed, startled by how much that sounded like my first conversation with Zai about her.

"You are pretty dumb," I said, smiling. "That's where I get it from."

She snorted through her tears.

"I'm also sorry to Caem. I clung to him. Refused to let him go. I knew he needed to leave, but I wouldn't allow it. This… prison, these chains—this is where I belong. Your husband's right. The only good thing I ever did was create you. I wish I could've been better…"

"Time's up," the guard said, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I guess… this is goodbye," she murmured.

"Thank you… for telling me that. It means a lot. I know it wasn't easy."

"You're welcome. And… I know you didn't come here for it, but I bless your union. I hope you stay as happy and devoted as you are now, until the end of time."

She was escorted out. Zai took my hand as we exited the visitation room.

"Thank you. I had no idea… my mom could say things like that," I said quietly. She used to explode every time she got emotional. I never dared to confront her. I guess… my upbringing's been weighing on Zai's mind more than I thought.

"Yeah..." he replied, still deep in thought. Then, suddenly, he grabbed my ass and kissed me deeply, pinning me to the wall.

"Zai! We're still in the prison!"

He kissed a lock of my hair and looked into my eyes. "Is it illegal to kiss my wife?"

I looked away, flustered. He gripped me harder and cupped me with his other hand.

"It's not illegal but… PDA is highly frowned upon at this level."

"We're alone right now."

"Zai! No! Let's wait till we get home!"

He let me go, pouting. "I'm glad she apologized. She's not as crazy as I imagined. I was… kind of prepared to cause her a little pain if she resisted."

What was he going to do?!

"I'm glad I met you," he added. "I'm 30% happier now that you're in my life."

As we walked toward the exit, I elbowed him. "Only 30?"

He snickered. "It'd be way higher if you let me do you in the prison hallway."

I gasped. "Zai?!"

"What? It feels so wrong… I want to try it."

Is he secretly mischievous?

"No! And this is not the place to talk about this!" I hissed. There could be cameras or telepaths monitoring us. If we did anything weird in here, we'd definitely get flagged.

We returned to the hotel to gather my things. As we were preparing to teleport home, Ibij met us at the exit.

"Wait… Smoke wants to talk," he said.

Zai's face instantly soured. I was ready to shut him down, but then Ibij pointed at Zai.

"Not to you. To him. You made a man's agreement. So he sent me to ask in his place."

Zai scratched his head and sighed. "Fine. Snowe, do whatever you like while you wait. Text me your location and I'll meet you when I'm done."

I nodded and watched him walk off.

I guess I'm on my own for a bit.

I wandered around the shops. Zai's always buying me things… Maybe I could finally return the favor.

I found him a set of earrings made with Infaniyan metal. A chin-link cartilage cuff with three red stones. It felt nice to be the one giving for a change.

Afterward, I sat in the park and texted him my coordinates.

Zai's conversation:

"Why are you hiding what you are?" Smoke asked, eyes narrowing.

Zai rolled his eyes and looked away. "What am I?"

"You're a Chosen of Lightning. No one who merely adopted the affinity could keep up with me the way you did."

Zai scoffed lightly.

"You should make your presence known. You'd be a massive asset in the war—"

"So would you. And your brother doesn't seem eager to jump into battle either."

"My brother has fought," Smoke snapped. "I can't just do whatever I want. I have royal obligations."

"Oh, so because I don't have those, I'm free to be used however others see fit? Got it."

Smoke's eyes flared, and his hair sparked with tension, crackling as static danced around him.

"The Chosen of Lightning was reported dead five years ago," he said. "Even if he'd been reborn, there's no way he'd be your age now. You faked your death to escape your duties. One of you is worth ten thousand soldiers. Staying out of this? It's selfish."

"I am selfish," Zai replied, voice cool and steady. "And to me, this war has gone on too long—fueled by pride, vengeance, and the foolish. Is wiping out all the Afarions really necessary? Are they all evil? We were once the same people, weren't we?"

"Of course they're all evil," Smoke said firmly, completely unaware he was speaking to one of them.

Zai smiled faintly, turning away.

"Then this fight has nothing to do with me. The Infaniyan Chosen of Lightning is dead. Don't bother me again."

Back to Snowe:

"Hey… sorry I kept you waiting," Zai said, sitting beside me on the bench.

"It's fine." As I answered, he kissed my forehead—making me blush—and I shoved the gift bag into his hands.

"What's this?" he asked, peeking inside.

"It's a gift…"

He lifted the earrings into the light. The stones shimmered. He smiled widely.

"I see… Thank you, Snowe."

My heart fluttered when he said my name, and I ducked my head.

"You're welcome… I don't need my currency here, so I wanted to do something for you for once."

"Hmm… okay. Put them on me."

He leaned forward and closed his eyes. I carefully removed his old earrings and tucked them into the bag before putting the new ones on, my hands trembling a bit.

When I finished, he smiled again. "I love them."

"W-well… I love you. Handsome."

He snorted, trying not to laugh.

"I mean it! I love you. I got so much more out of this trip than I expected. And it's all because you were with me. I love you so much, Zai. Thank you… for the courage you've given me."

His cheeks flushed, and he kissed me again and again, ending with a playful bite on my lip. I pulled away, flustered. Some passersby glanced at us, but no one stared.

"I love you, too," he said. "Now… let's go home."

He looked into my eyes, and my heart skipped a beat. We stood up, hand in hand, and he teleported us—along with our things—back to our backyard on Earth.