All of the city light, never shine as bright as your eyes

Kaida went to wake up Nikolai in an angry mood, was she mad at him? maybe, she really didn't have a reason to be mad at him, but she was, or that was what she told to herself. She didn't want to accept, but she was terrified. The thought of losing him made her feel as if she was dying, so she preferred to be mad at him.

"Nikolai, wake up," Kaida called him. "Nikolai, there is a big problem," she said, shaking him not very gently."For Saint sake, Nikolai wake up," she growled.

"Saints, what's wrong with you?" he asked with a frown.

"There is a big problem, really big, get dress," and with those words she left.

"What?" Nikolai asked, confused by her attitude.

"Where is him?" Alina asked when Kaida entered the room.

"He is getting dress," Kaida answered.

Nikolai arrived at the room, and even in the middle of the night he looked perfect, his olive coat over his nightshirt and trousers and that made Kaida angrier.

They told Nikolai everything he needed to know.

"How long have you known this?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me anything sooner?"

"An hour. Maybe less. We only waited to confirm the information with David," Alina said.

"That's impossible," Nikolai said.

"Improbable," Alina said gently. "Nikolai..." Alina looked at Kaida, they needed to tell him but Kaida was too scared.

Alina moved her head slightly towards Nikolai making Kaida shake her head.

"What?" Nikolai asked looking at Kaida and Alina.

"I heard it from The Darkling's lips myself. He told me," Alina said.

"Beg your pardon?" Nikolai asked amused.

"Me too. He told me himself," Kaida said.

"What?" Nikolai asked, looking at Kaida shocked, then he looked at her angrily.

"I can visit him, like a kind of vision, I...I sought him out," Alina said.

There was a long beat. "You can spy on him?"

"Not exactly. I can't hear other people or really even see them if they aren't immediately next to him or in contact with him. It's as if he's the only real, material thing,"

Nikolai's fingers were drumming on the tabletop. "But we could try to probe the information," he said, his voice excited, "maybe even feed him false information,"

Kaida looked at him, she could see the gears in his head running a mile an hour, different strategies popping into his head, sorting them out.

"Can you do this with other Grisha? Maybe try to get in their heads?"

"No, she can't," Kaida said without looking at anyone. "She..." Kaida cleared her throat. "We have a connection with The Darkling, that connection and merzost gives him free will to our consciousness, Alina when she is thinking about him, and I when I'm out ward. We don't have control over this connection," Kaida explained.

"But you are the Empathic Grisha. Can't you control it?" Genya asked.

"I don't know," Kaida said.

"And control Grisha's heads?" Mal asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think so," Kaida said. She controlled the volcra, not just one but two times. Why were Grisha different? and Baghra's voice appeared in her head. "because of that fear you don't do as much as you can" the old woman was right, Kaida was scared, scared of hurting someone, the brain was a really complicated organ to try and manipulate, and she was scared of messing up.

"I have to warn West Ravka," Nikolai's voice took Kaida out of her thoughts. "They'll need to evacuate the area along the shore of the Fold," Nikolai rubbed his hand over his face. Kaida looked at him closely, his confidence cracking.

"They won't keep the alliance, will they?" Mal asked.

"I doubt it. The blockade was a gesture West Ravka was willing to make when they thought they were safe from reprisal,"

"If they capitulate," Tamar said. "will The Darkling still march?"

"This isn't just about the blockade," Alina said. "It's about isolating us, making sure we don't have anywhere to turn,"

"I will hunt you like an animal until you are mine. You will not have a place to hide. You will not have peace"

Kaida's hand trembled slightly. Nikolai noticed the movement of her hand and looked at her from the corner of his eye, her breathing was slightly faster and heavier than usual.

Nikolai frowned at such an expression of weakness in front of so many people, Kaida always controlled her emotions in front of so many people, she didn't let it show that she was scared, worried or hurt, and the fact that she had let that subtle movement show, even if only Nikolai had noticed it, meant that something was very wrong. That meant that something was wrong with Kaida and that made him worry even more.

"And it's about power. He wants to use the Fold. He always has," Alina continued. "It's a compulsion,"

"What kind of numbers can you raise?" Mal asked Nikolai.

"All told? We could probably rally a force of roughly five thousand. They're spread throughout cells in the northwest, so the problem is mobilizing, but I think it can be done. We also have reason to suspect some of the militias may be loyal to us. There have been massive desertions from the base at Poliznaya and the northern and southern fronts,"

"What about the Soldat Sol?" Tolya asked. "They'll fight. I know they would lay down their lives for Alina," Tolya looked at Kaida for a few seconds. " and Kaida," Kaida looked at him amused. "They've done it before," More lives lost. Kaida thought.

Nikolai frowned. "But can we rely on the Apparant?" No. Kaida said to herself. She didn't trust him and she never would.

"If I see that son of a bi..." Kaida took a deep breath. "I swear to Santka Alina that I will kill him,"

"What exactly does he want?" Nikolai asked.

"I think he wants to survive," Alina said, looking at Kaida for a few seconds. "I doubt he'll risk a head on confrontation with The Darkling unless he's sure of the out come,"

"We could use the additional numbers," Nikolai admitted.

Alina frowned and Kaida noticed anger in her. "I don't like this," Alina said. "Any of it. You are talking about throwing a lot of bodies at the nichevo'ya. The casualtie will be unheard of,"

"You know I'll be right out there with them," Nikolai said. Kaida took a deep breath.

"Hold him while you can because it won't be for much longer"

"All that means is that I can add your name to the dead," Kaida jaw tensed at Alina's words.

"If The darkling uses the Fold to sever us from any possible allies, then Ravka is his. He'll only get stronger, consolidate his force. I won't just give up," Nikolai said.

"You saw what those monsters did at the Little Palace—"

"You said it yourself—he won't stop. He needs to use his power, and the more he uses it, the more he'll crave. This may be our last opportunity to bring him down. Besides, rumor has it Oretsev here is quite the tracker. If he finds the firebird, we may just stand a chance,"

"And if he doesn't?" Alina asked.

Nikolai shrugged. "We put on our best clothes and die like heroes,"

"There is another way," Kaida said. "To amplify Alina's power,"

"Don't you dare," Nikolai said, looking at her.

"If Mal doesn't find the firebird, it could be our only option," Kaida said turning to look at him.

The rest just kept quiet.

"No, we—they—she is not doing that," he refused.

"It could be our only way to win this war," Kaida said exasperated.

"You are not going to die!" Nikolai screamed, pounding his fist on the table. It was the first time they all had seen him losing his temper, they had never seen him like this. Kaida kept quiet.

"Let's leave them," Alina whispered to the others.

They all left while Kaida and Nikolai were looking into eachothers eyes, anger irradiating from both of them.

"This is not your decision, Nikolai," Kaida said firmly.

"Do I have no say in this? Do I have to accept that they are going to kill you?" he asked angrily.

"It's the only way," Kaida said.

"We will find another way," he gritted his teeth. "And why are you so peased of at me?"

"I'm not mad at you," Kaida said.

"I'm the one that should be mad at you. You didn't tell me that The Darkling had talked to you,"

Kaida sighed. "It just happened a couple of times," she admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Kaida looked away, remembering what he told her hours ago. "What did he tell you?"

"I already told you," she said.

"I saw your hand trembling, back there. Is that why you are mad at me? Did he tell you something about me? Kaida, talk to me,"he said worriedly.

Why does he have to be like this?Kaida thought, tears streaming down her cheeks. It didn't matter what happened, he always understood her, treated her well. He knew something else was going on, and instead of getting mad with her because she didn't tell him, he could just look at her with worryness.

"Why did you have to create lumiya?" Kaida asked without turning to look at him.

"What?" Nikolai asked, confused. "I don't know...we just did it for fun, to try something new that could help us. Why? What 's going on? What did he tell you?" Now Kaida turned around showing him her tears.

"He wants to kill you Nikolai. He threatened you, he told me to hold you tight while I could because it wouldn't be for much longer," she took her hands to her face starting to cry harder. Nikolai reached her and hugged her strongly. "And I'm so scared," Kaida sobbed. "I...I can't lose you,"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, placing a strand of hair that had come out of her braid behind her ear.

"I couldn't bring myself together," Kaida admitted. They kept quiet for a few seconds. "He wants me, Nikolai," Kaida said looking at his hazel eyes.

"He won't get you," Nikolai said.

"Nikolai, you need to promise me. You will survive this war," Kaida looked seriously into his eyes.

"Only if you survive too," he said.

Kaida gave him a small smile and they kissed, it was a calm and sweet kiss. When they broke the kiss, Kaida buried herself in Nikolai's chest and hugged him strongly. They hold each other, holding their worlds, keeping them from collapsing. Nikolai held Kaida's world, and Kaida held Nikolai's, because in the end she had become his world, and he had become her world.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Dawn was breaking by the time Alina was finished preparing all the things for the imminent war. Kaida was with Nikolai when Alina called her.

"I'm going to talk with Baghra. Are you coming?" Alina asked her.

Kaida looked at Nikolai for a few seconds and then nodded, standing up from the chair she was sitting on in the war room. She was trying to help Nikolai to organize all the troops, but they didn't know what to do, they didn't want to lose more people.

Kaida walked next to Alina towards Baghra's room. When they arrived, Misha, the boy that was now helping Baghra, got up excited.

"The little saint and the girl scared of herself. What do you want?" Baghra asked after dismissing Misha.

Alina told Baghra what they had discovered and that The Darkling was coming and that she was capable of seeing him with their connection.

"You know his name," Baghra said looking at Kaida.

"I do," Kaida said.

"Did he talk with you?"

"Yes," admitted.

Alina ignored that small conversation and asked Baghra about Ilya Morozova, the creator of the amplifiers.

The old woman began to speak, telling the two girls in front of her a story, her story.

Ilya Morozova was married, he was a Fabrikator married to an otkazat'sya. He loved his wife but his ambition for power was greater and his surprise was when the woman became pregnant. The child the woman gave birth to on a winter's day had a special gift, manipulating the shadows at her mercy, which horrified them.

In spite of everything, Ilya continued with his research, creating the Stag, the sea whip, the firebird...

Ilya and his wife had another daughter, this one without any unusual ability and the shadow-summoning girl was lonely.

One day, the little girl broke a porcelain swan that her father had given to his eldest daughter. The older daughter angrily produced the cut, splitting her sister in half.

Ilya, unable to bear the loss of his little daughter, brought her back to life, just as he had done with the Stag and the sea whip. Why not with her daughter?

The people, aware of what Ilya Morozova had done, chained him up and threw him into the river, leaving him to drown.

The woman in front of them could not tell if Morozova had survived and created the third amplifier.

The two girls listened attentively, Alina occasionally asked questions, but Kaida just listened.

Baghra continued to tell them how he raised Aleksander, who was his father, a powerful Grisha that Baghra had used in order to conceive a son.

Baghra warned Alina about merzots, she told her that she wouldn't know what the merzots would take from her until it was too late, but Alina was willing to try if that meant to kill The Darkling. But then Alina was worried of becoming The Darkling so she asked:

"Baghra, what would it take to kill a Grisha with that kind of power?" Alina asked.

"Little Saint. Little martyr. I expect we'll find out," Baghra answered.

After a few more words with Baghra, Alina and Kaida decided to leave, but before Kaida left, when Alina was already walking down the corridors, Kaida stopped and looked at Baghra, a question in her head.

"Baghra, what if the third amplifier is not the firebird but Morozova's bloodline. You and Aleksander are living amplifiers," Kaida hesitated before continuing. "I am a living amplifier,"

"Your bloodline is different, it isn't created by merzost. Your power is the purest small science ever, the first one. You are the exception, if someone kills you to claim your power they would become the greatest and powerful Grisha ever. But as I told you once, you won't become that Grisha until you let your power set completely free, if you do that, no one is going to be able to kill you, only time," Baghra explained.

"What do you mean?" Kaida asked. "The stronger your small science is the more the Grisha lives,"

"Again, you are an exception, that doesn't apply to you. Your bloodline only exists at certain times, the story tells it every 4 thousand years or something like that, but that's not true. The bloodline of the original Grisha only walks in this earth when they are needed and when they job is finished, the time takes them away,"

"So I will grow older next to Nikolai?" Kaida asked happily.

"Don't sound so excited," Baghra said. Kaida looked at her for a few seconds and noticed she was hiding something.

"What aren't you telling me?" the gray eyed girl asked.

"The day you set free you power you will feel and see all the pain, happiness, fear, every emotion and memories of the ones that lived before you, taking their power inside you,"

"How do you know all this?" Kaida asked with a frown.

"Hundred years ago I met one of your kind," Baghra explained, sadness covering her voice.

"What?" Kaida asked in shock.

"We were close friends..."

"What happened to her?" Kaida asked.

"She set her whole power free to save this country but the pain and the memories, all that power destroyed her. You need to be really strong to support all that pain and all that power," Baghra said.

"And you weren't planning on telling me?" Kaida asked angrily.

"You, becoming the Original Grisha might be the only way to save this country. I didn't tell you before, because even if I don't like it, I like you and I don't want to see another powerful Grisha of your own die because of her own power,"

They kept silent for a few seconds. "What was her name?" Kaida asked. "The Empathic Grisha you met,"
"Eleanor," Baghra answered.

Kaida nodded and stood up from the chair she sat down and walked, again, towards the door.

"Kaida, you must know something more," Baghra stopped her. Kaida stopped walking, she didn't turn to see the old woman but she listened. "If you set your whole power free, by being the Original Grisha you might have control of all kind of small science, Eleanor told me that could happen but she didn't survive to prove it," Kadia didn't answer and left the room.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Kaida was in the library, thinking about her conversation with Baghra.

Would she set her whole power free? If she did, could she survive? How would it feel? Could it be possible for her to have all kind of small science? Who would be able to stop her if she became like The Darkling? Would she tell Nikolai? She didn't have the answers to all those questions that filled her head but she certainly didn't want to have such power.

Kaida's thoughts were interrupted by Nikolai who was running towards her with a big smile. Kaida looked at him and smiled, all her worries going away.

"Come, come, come," he said, really excited.

"What? What 's going on?"Kaida asked, laughing a little bit at his excitement.

"There is something you should see," he said.

"Why are you smiling so much? Is everything alright?"

"Rather spectacular, actually,"he peered at her. "What's wrong with you? You look like you ate a particularly slimy bug," Kaida smiled at his words.

Kaida didn't answer, just looked at him with happiness. Nikolai offered her his arm. "Well, whatever it is, you'll have to cringe about it later. There's a miracle upstairs, and it won't wait,"

"A miracle?" Kaida asked, confused, looping her arm around his.

"I'm so excited to show you," he said.

"I can see," Kaida said walking by his side.

They'd just started up the stairs when Kaida saw Mal rushing down the opposite direction. The biggest smile Kaida had seen in him. He caught sight of them and stopped running to make a little bow, making Kaida laugh.

"Do you know where Alina is?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

"I think she is in her room," Kaida answered. Mal smiled at her and continued running.

"What's happening that everyone is so excited to see?" Kaida asked while they continued walking up the stairs.

They reached the top of the stairs and entered the Spinning wheel, Kaida's jaw dropped. The lanterns had been extinguished so that the room was dark, but all around them, stars were falling. The windows were lit with streaks of light cascading over the mountaintop, like bright fish in a river.

"Meteor shower," Nikolai whispered looking at Kaida. Kaida was looking at the window full of stars, her eyes were shining and she had the biggest smile ever on her face. She was glowing and Nikolai could swear that all of the city light, never shine as bright as her eyes at that moment.

"Come," he slowly guided her through the room. People had laid blankets and pillows on the heated floor and were sitting in clusters or lying on their backs, watching the night sky.

Nikolai guided Kaida towards a big blanket with pillows on the floor and offered her to sit down. Before she sat down she looked around her and on a corner she saw Zoya with her head against Jake's shoulder, their hands together.

Kaida smiled and sat down, Nikolai next to her. It was the prettiest thing she had ever seen and then her conversation with Baghra and The Darkling hitted her. She moved and Nikolai looked at her confused. Kaida made Nikolai open his legs and she sat between them making him surround her with his arms. She needed him, she needed to make sure he was