He should have known better than to trust his family.
They had spend a decade and a half trying to rob him of his birthright, and yet when Josette had offered to merge he had believed her. How could he not? Her reasoning was flawless, and perfectly in line with his own- if they gave him the leadership that he had been born to, Lucas and Olivia would be safe. Kai would have no reason to hunt them down if they no longer posed a threat. It was foolproof, and he had been arrogant, high on his own perceived success. By the time he noticed something was wrong it was too late.
The icy jolt of betrayal that raced through him at the sound of his father's spell would have sent him to his knees even without the sudden, tearing agony that it wrought.
Travel between dimensions didn't have to hurt. The journey was disorienting and uncomfortable, but when it was made unwillingly the pain was nigh unbearable. Terrified and furious screams tore from his throat as he fell to his knees. His hands flew to clutch his head as if he could protect himself from the magic racing through his veins like an electric shock, trying to rip him from reality. The world was blurred and hazy - like an image out of focus- as he fought the pull of the Ascendant with everything he had. Burying his fingers in the dirt, he grasped at handfuls of dead leaves like his desperation could somehow anchor him to the earth (as if he could combat the combined power of the entire Gemini coven with no magic of his own). Every cell in his body felt like it was being wrenched apart. His nerves were on fire, and the longer he fought, the weaker he grew. He could feel the magic working faster as his strength waned, and his eyes flew open, a desperation in his eyes that had never been there before. Kai Parker didn't beg, but he would have plead on his hands and knees to avoid the fate they had chosen for him.
The last thing he saw before a blinding white light forced his eyes shut was the satisfaction on his father's face as he watched his eldest son's body fade from view.
When he came to, he was alone, surrounded by an eerie stillness. In all the years his family had lived in that house, the forest had never been so devoid of sound- of signs of life. Kai lifted his head from the dirt and brushed debris from his hair, squinting up at the sun shining innocently through the trees (innocently except for the unmistakable evidence of an eclipse). He had never felt a burning hatred for an astronomical phenomenon before, but he was certain he would learn to despise this one. It would be a constant reminder of both his failure and the never-ending, lonely monotony that he now faced. On his knees in the dirt of a desolate world that contained only one heartbeat, he lifted his gaze to the sky and began to laugh.
It was fitting, in a way- they had always thought he was some sort of devil, and now they'd crafted him his own, personal Hell.
His laughter built until it was indistinguishable from hysteria, and he wiped at his eyes with shaking hands. Hope had never been an emotion he understood or depended on, but he felt its absence keenly in the face of an eternity spent utterly, miserably alone.