My whole world had shifted on a dime. Everything I had built up around me had been destroyed in an instant. All because of him.

  The team stood around reverantly, as we held a service for Serena. Her body had been given over to her sister, who wanted none of us around for her actual funeral. So I had set up a small service in the Cathedral.

  A large portrait of Serena and her beautiful smile sat on display in front of the podium, with few flowery wreaths.

  I stood up front, dressed in a tailored black suit, my hair slicked back to make sure it stayed put for once. I couldn't help but tear up thinking about all the memories I had of Serena and what could have been if Chase had never come here.

  Hector had his head in a Bible, reading out verses he thought were appropriate for the memory of our friend. Andrea sobbed, sitting in one of the empty pews, beside herself at the loss of her best friend. It was strange seeing Andrea of all people so distraught. She had been a hardened warrior since childhood, and now she seemed so small.

  Gideon sat near the back, away from everyone else. The normally stoic man was pale, and his face looked tired and gaunt. He hadn't slept since we returned from the rig.

  The old man viewed us as his children, and he had lost three of us at once. The Order recovery team was unable to locate Griffin's body from the wreckage in the ocean. Assumedly, he had sunk deep, pulled under by the heavy equipment.

  Magnus wasn't dead, but he wouldn't be able to join us in the field again. His intestines had been torn apart by something impaling him. He blamed Griffin, but it was just drug induced ravings.

  Chase had killed Serena. There was no other way around that. Gideon had explained the curse of his Artifact to me, but...it didn't matter. He took the only person I had ever loved away from me. I hated him with every fiber of my being.

  I stood, staring at the portrait of Serena, when I heard the side door open quietly. I didn't hesitate.

  "You aren't wanted here. Leave before I have to make you." I called to the darkness looming by the door.

  I felt Gideon's strong hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged him away. He had called Chase here. He had left him here with a dangerous Artifact and told no one. He was just as complicit in Serena's death as Chase was.

  "I just wanted to pay my respects." Chase said quietly, skulking by the door, in the shadows. Andrea and Hector said nothing and fell quiet as he and I stared each other down.

  "Boys, there is no need for this. What happened was an unfortunate accident..." Gideon tried to say before I cut him off.

  "There is about to be another unfortunate accident if he doesn't leave." I snarled.

  Chase entered into the center of the room, standing at the front, on the left side of the pews, and I on the right. Gideon stood in the center, trying to mediate. I imagine it looked like a renaissance painting, with the stain glass windows filtering the sunlight into the dark room.

  "Anders, please." Gideon begged. Chase held up his hand and shook his head.

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  "He's right, I shouldn't have come here. I know it was my fault. All of this is my fault." Chase said, hanging his head.

  "You're damn right its your fault!" I shouted. It echoed throughout the entire Cathedral. Everyone stared at me.

  Chase moved passed me, and laid a hand gently on the portrait of Serena. He took a quick moment and then turned to leave. I cut him off.

  "Anders, please get out of my way. I'm leaving." He said. But it wasn't enough.

  "How could you just waltz in here like that? Like you have any right to be here, sharing in our pain?" I said, trying not to tear up in my roiling emotions.

  Gideon tried to back me up out of the way, but I shoved him off again.

  "She was everything to me, and you took her. In every sense of the word!" I yelled in his face. Chase didn't flinch, which just made me more angry.

  "You swooped in here out of nowhere, like some stuck up prodigy, bonded to some awful Artifact that made you a danger to our entire team and you stole my girlfriend and murdered her." I said loudly, shoving my finger into his chest.

  I watched as Chase looked passed me, his eyes meeting Gideon's. There was an unspoken conversation happening. Something secret that was being kept from me. On top of everything else.

  I swung at Chase.

  He took the blow to the face, his hair falling in front of his eyes, as he stared out at me. The dark rings around his blue eyes seemed to make them glow.

  Gideon grabbed me, holding my arms down. He was strong, and I tried to fight against him. He dragged me back, making room for Chase to leave.

  "Just go." Gideon kept saying to him.

  Chase stood there, staring at me. I could see his shoulders moving up and down as he took deep breaths. Like he was too good to get angry.

  "Just get out of here. You and that fucking sword. The both of you are cursed. You ruined everything for me. Everything!" I screamed, fighting against Gideon's strong arms.

  "You have no idea what I've sacrificed." Chase said finally, his words a deep growl.

  "Chase, go!" Gideon yelled in my ear.

  "You will never understand what was taken from me." He continued. I turned in Gideon's arms, breaking free. I went to hit Chase again but this time he moved faster. A lot faster. My eyes went wide as he caught my fist and turned my arm out wide.

  Before I could react, he slammed his forehead into my nose, crushing my face.

  "Fuck you!" I shouted, stumbling back, holding my broken nose.

  Chase just glared at me, moving forward.

  This time, Hector and Andrea stood, coming between the two of us. This allowed Gideon to grab Chase, trying to move him out of the room.

  "This is all my fault." Gideon said, and then more quietly to Chase, he said, "Please forgive me."

  That was breaking point for me. Excalibur materialized in my blood hand as I pulled it away from my nose.

  Andrea shouted at me, but it was Hector to stood in front of me. His deep brown eyes stared at me hard.

  "Put it away." He said, coldly.

  "Oh, suddenly you're on his side?" I snarked.

  "I'm on no ones side Anders. We are all grieving. We are all family." Hector's voice was cool and calm, but his face was full of emotion.

  "Move out of my way." I told him, trying to get by.

  Gideon was still struggling to drag Chase out through the back door.

  "Go ahead!" I screamed over Hector's shoulder. "Summon your stupid fucking sword and kill me too. You've already ruined my life and broken my heart!" My voice cracked and I couldn't stop myself from crying.

  I felt so hollow and empty.

  Hector carefully held me back, but I made no effort to move passed screaming over him. Chase glared at me as Gideon dragged him outside. When the door slammed closed, Excalibur disappeared and I collapsed on Hector's shoulder.

  He held me for a moment and patted my shoulder, but he moved away. His eyes held little sympathy.

  "Anders, Andrea and I are leaving. I will be working remotely for the Order and Andrea is gonna focus on taking care of Orion for a while. We can't be in the field anymore." He told me. I just stared at him, mouth agape.

  "You've got to be kidding me?" I scoffed. I looked to Andrea, who nodded, confirming my spiralling nightmare.

  "So you're all abandoning me? Now?" I asked. It was more of a plea. After years of building up my life, it was all torn asunder.

  My friends, my family.

  My whole life.

  I was back to were I started when Gideon found me, except now I had money. But expensive suits and all the money in the world couldn't fill the void.

  I was alone again.