46 Thorne
“Of all painful words, the most hurtful by far is farewell.” – Empress Janais, The Fifth Age of Umbra
Every inch of my body screams in agony. Through the pain, Meimi steps into the empty saloon, her bare feet leaving behind a trail of footsteps on the dusty floor. Light seems to surround her. My girl is a vision of beauty amid so many shadows and cobwebs.
If I die now, the last thing I see will be her face. There are worse things.
Cole jabs his Winchester at my cheek. “You hear me, son?”
With the little air I have left, I force out a few words. “You’re hard to miss.” Even if I wanted to summon Justice and Slate now, I don’t have the energy. It’s everything my sentient can do to slow down my death.
“Then you listen to me, careful-like. In my duty as Emperor of the Omniverse,
