by Joe Duck
Filia glanced at me with her silvery, predator like eyes. I shuddered and cried out. "Narius! Help me!"
With cat-like speed, Filia climbed atop me and grinned. Blood and entrails dripped from her mouth. “I wonder what you taste like.”
I raised my staff to cast a spell, but her hand shot out and knocked it away with unbelievable strength.
The elf licked her lips and revealed a mouth lined with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. She pulled her head back, ready to rip the life out of my veins.
The monster lunged for my throat but a hand reached out, grabbed her hair, and yanked her back. Light shone out from the hand and blinded me. The ray of light felt warm to me, but the elf screamed, the shrill sound shaking the air around us as dark smoke leaked out of her with a hiss.
Filia became silent. When my eyes adjusted, I saw her sitting on top of me, steaming and smelling of sulfur.
Behind her was a winged figure, cloaked in the shadows.
"Narius?" I asked.
Palkeon emerged from the shadows. He kicked the body off me and smiled. “I am afraid not. He's dead. But forget about him for a moment. I thought that little abomination was going to hurt you.”
"You killed... that thing, didn't you? Just like how you killed Narius." Tears threatened to burst out of me, but I held them back. I need to be strong. I can cry later.
"Thing? I believe her name is Filia. And no, I did not kill her. She's not a threat like you."
I scrambled away, until my back was against the altar. He's the same as Heliose. I just need to cast a spell while I am touching him. I looked around. My staff was too far away for me to reach, resting against the wing of the decapitated angel. I clutched at my neck and felt Narius’s feather resting there. Remembering what Narius had told me about it so long ago, I touched it gently and channeled my magic into it. If I can just freeze him in time for a few seconds, I could reach the staff and—
The demon strode up to me, and slapped my hand away from the feather. “Why are you so worried? Smile. Don’t ruin that pretty face.” He stroked my cheek. “I want to see the wonderful face that your angel died protecting. There is no one here to save you. No one here to see us. So, shall we get started?”
"No!" I tried to crawl away, to reach the staff, but he grabbed my leg. I clawed at the velvet carpet to slow me down, but his grip tightened, and he pulled me back to him.
I moved my arm to strike him, but he swatted it aside. I screamed. In response, his hand came down and he backhanded me. The blow rattled my skull and left me disoriented.
“It would be a shame to kill you, but if no one knows, then it won't do any harm." He edged closer to me and whispered, "You know, I was going to let you live, make you help me find other enlightened ones.”
“You… you mean there are more of you out there?”
“Of course. They're all either in hiding or locked away in some demented prison. But don’t worry, little demonspawn… I will find them. Who knows... I might even find the one who sired your grandmother.” He reached out and grasped my throat.
I scratched away at his fingers, but they tightened their grip and prevented me from breathing. The air in my lungs vanished, and the edges of my vision blurred. “Sleep, little one. When you wake again, you will have a second chance for a new life.”
The strength in my arms disappeared, and they hung by my sides, limp, as I took in the last moments of my life. "No… Narius. I... I love... you..."
My eyes flickered. Everything grew darker by the moment. I'll be with you soon.
Suddenly, the pressure on my neck disappeared.
Fresh air filled my lungs and relieved the pain.
I coughed and grasped at my throat as my vision cleared. In front of me, Palkeon floated just a little bit off the ground, suspended by a glowing white sword through his chest. The demon's eyes and mouth widened in surprise.
The blade pulled out with a sickening wet sound.
Palkeon crumpled beside me, his black wings crashing against the crimson floor. He spewed blood and his hands reached out for me. “No. I cannot die like this. Come to me. Let me drain you. I must save the world for Lord Halfaya…”
Palkeon took a deep breath as corruption from the Grimoire gathered around his wound and began to heal it, pieces of muscles slowly regenerating and the skin itself closing. The demon brought his book up to his chest. "I will survive..."
The sword pierced through Palkeon's stomach and exited out the cover of the Grimoire.
Palkeon screamed as the blade glowed white, and the Grimoire shook out of control, pages tearing off with each vibration. A second later, a muffled explosion of corruption shot from the book, and it crumbled away to ash.
The corruption around Palkeon's wound vanished. He groaned, and the life in his red eyes vanished, leaving behind his dead body.
A shadow blocked the light that had been shining on me, but I didn't feel like thanking my savior. The demon might be dealt with, but nothing mattered anymore.
Narius was dead. The thought repeated itself over and over in my head. I wanted to cry, but my body refused even that simple command.
He died to save me, and I failed to save him in return. I don't deserve to live. There's no point. I couldn't even have my own petty revenge. Why am I still alive? Why is Narius dead?
Maybe it's time to end it all.
The shadow of my savior stood still, remaining silent.
I wanted the light to shine on me. To let it warm the world around me one last time before I froze my own throat and killed myself. But the shadow remained, the angel's wing casting a shadow that held me in its dark embrace. It spoke to me, but the words were too softly spoken for me to hear.
"Go away," I muttered back. "I'm done with angels and demons."
The shadow refused to move, and I screamed at my savior, "Can't I just have a moment alone to myself? Then you can watch me kill myself and tell Lord Halfaya!"
"Emily."
I looked up.
Narius stood over me. He clutched his stomach, blood seeping from between his fingers. His Codex glowed faintly, probably using whatever magic she had to keep him standing. He pulled the sword out from Palkeon's back, dropped it into the pool of blood, and fell to his knees.
I caught him before he fell face first into the floor.
His breathing was rough, and his wings draped over the carpet. “I don't... want you to die."
Tears clouded my sight, but I stopped myself from bursting into a sobering mess and smiled instead. "Narius."
With new-found strength, I slung his arm over my shoulder, and somehow I managed to carry him far enough to rest his back against the side of the altar.
"Emily, I feel... so... tired,” he said, the light in the Codex vanishing.
"Hold still," I whispered as I pried his hand away to look at his injury.
His armor was bent inward where Palkeon had stabbed him, and dark blood gushed out of him. The wound was too wide and deep. He was bleeding too much.
But I wasn't going to lose him again.
I tore off his armor as fast as I could to reveal even more of the gruesome sight. Ripping the piece of silk Mafis had used to cover his daughter, I wrapped it around Narius's stomach as a bandage. But instead of pressuring the wound, the blood soaked through the cloth in matter of seconds. Desperate, I looked around for any remaining angel to heal him, but none stirred. Even Narius's mother—who was now free from her prison—lay still on the ground. The spear in her hand snapped in half.
The lights in his eyes slowly dimmed. “Emily, I feel... so cold. Can I... sleep now?”
I grabbed his bloodied cheeks and made him look at me. “No. You are going to stay awake, damn it!"
"But... my eyes feel so... heavy. Maybe... just for... a moment."
He closed his eyes.
I shook him with all my strength and screamed into his ear. “Narius!”
His brown eyes revealed themselves again, and he smiled. “No need... to yell. I am no
t... dead, Emily. Just... getting a bit tired. I will wait for you. No matter how long it takes, on your bed, waiting... waiting...”
I applied pressure to his wound, his blood continued to flow between my fingers, reminding me how futile it all was. “Don’t you dare go to sleep. If you do, I-I'll get mad.”
Narius winced, and the smile on his face disappeared. “Don’t... worry about me.”
I sniffed, trying not to let him see how afraid I was. “You are not going to die. You need to make me happy. You promised..."
“I am an angel... angels don’t die. I just need to... rest. Then I’ll be good as new. Then maybe... we could eat a cake?”
A smile crept onto my lips. “When we get out of here, I’ll bake you the biggest chocolate cake in the world.”
“That sounds wonderful...” The light in Narius's eyes dimmed to a flicker like a candle about to be blown out.
“Narius! Stay with me."
"I can't..."
"But I love you, damn it. Please... don't go. I... I love you.”
His brown eyes came back into focus. “Even... if I'm gone?”
I fought back the tears as they began to water the corners of my eyes. “Now and forever. No matter what happens.”
“Emily… will you be sad if I die?”
I didn't answer him.
He shook his head, his eyes looking so drowsy. “No.”
“What?”
“I... don't want you to be sad. I want you… to forget about me. Find… someone… else. Someone... who will love you... more than I could. Someone who can hold your hand and make you smile.”
“No! I just need you, damn it! I don't need anyone else!”
“Please?” His lips struggled to rise until they formed a weak smile. "That's... the... magic word."
I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. “Never! You can't make me!”
He raised his hand, but it fell down long before it could reach me. “Then… can you just… hold me? It hurts… so much.”
My eyes blurred, and I hugged him, the blood from his wound seeping into my shirt. “There has to be another way. We just need a bit more time.” I looked at the feather around my neck, and a desperate plan began to hatch. Pulling back a little from Narius, I reached for the feather. Yes, if I can just keep him alive and wait for another angel—
Narius smiled. His eyes were filled with sorrow. “Emily, I can already feel myself slipping away. It’s too late… Please... forgive me.” He laid his hand against my head. It started to glow.
I tried to shake his hand off me, but his other arm had somehow wrapped itself around my waist and refused to budge. “What! What are you doing?”
Narius closed his eyes, a peaceful expression settling across his face. “I know making you forget... is wrong. But... I want you to be happy… without me. It would be easier if you don't remember me. Goodbye… Emily. My first and last love…”
Emily
When I opened my eyes, I was in the arms of a lifeless angel dressed for war, sitting upright against an altar. My shirt was drenched in his blood.
I pulled myself away from his grasp, fell onto my butt, and wiped away the water that had somehow gotten onto my cheeks.
The beautiful creature looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I had ever seen him before. Plucking my staff from a nearby pool of blood, I surveyed the scene around me. Angels lay scattered across the floor, some horribly disfigured, others contorted into bizarre postures. I was inside a cathedral, and everyone in it appeared dead. Why am I here? Shouldn't I be in a forest? On my way to hunt Pannaxx?
But no dragon was in sight. Instead, the only thing that stood out amongst the white wings of deceased angels was a black-feathered one lying near me, his hollow eyes fixated on the ceiling. Is that a fallen angel? Was there a battle here? Why do I have blood on me? What happened here?
Curious, I got to my feet to take look around, only to kick something across the floor. It was a dagger made completely out of ivory, from the tip of the blade to the handle. Well, this looks like it's valuable. Worth enough coins to pay for Nathen's bookkeeping mistakes. Collectors are going to love this. I reached for it and stuffed the dagger into my pouch when I felt something brush my neck.
I glanced down at my chest and found a crude necklace made up of tiny chains. Hanging from it was a white feather. I pulled the poorly made necklace up to my face and studied the feather. What is this?
It looked so familiar, but I couldn’t understand where I had seen it before or why it was around my neck. I turned back to the angel sitting against the altar.
Something told me I should know who he was.
I stared at his peaceful face, trying to decide if I had seen him before, and just to be sure, I checked his pulse.
His heart was silent, and the hastily-wrapped bandage around his stomach hinted at the painful death he must have suffered.
Tears dripped from my eyes. I wiped them away, but they didn't stop. Why am I crying?
Somehow, through the tears, I saw a blue book resting on the floor. It was linked to the angel's armor, its pages drenched in blood. Hoping the book could explain why my heart ached so much just looking at him, I opened it.
The page I turned to showed a picture of me standing next to an ancient oak. Even more tears welled from my eyes and dropped onto the page, smearing the ink. I didn’t know why. Wiping the tears away, I flipped to the next page.
There was another picture, this time of me sitting at a table with lips stained crimson thanks to a bowl of what I could only guess to be a tomato soup.
On the next page, I stood by a dragon. My staff was pointed at it, and my face looked terrified, eyes shining like I was about to cry.
On the next page, I scowled at Princess Yuriana across a dining table filled with countless delicacies.
On the next page, I was smiling at something, twirling the feathered necklace while the rest of the picture was left unfinished.
I couldn't remember any of them, yet they felt familiar to me.
Confused, I closed the book. Looking at the pictures had brought me an agonizing headache.
I raised my hand, ready to throw the troubling book away, when a female voice whispered inside my head, The end…
Chapter Twenty Two
Emily
"The end?" I narrowed my eyes at the blue book. How much can I sell this talking tome for? One hundred gold pieces? Two hundred? It came from an angel, so the church would definitely be interested in buying it. I tightened my grip on the book and bit my lip. No. This is looting. I am better than this. Still, maybe I could just keep it as a—
It isn't over! the voice shrieked. Now is not the time to take advantage of me, you greedy little goblin—
"What?"
I don't have time for this. Listen carefully. Right now, I am holding onto a part of Narius's soul and anchoring him to his body, but now I am going to use all of my magic to break the seal on you.
"Seal?"
Quiet! It will be up to you to save that idiot.
"Save an idiot? Who?"
Use the feather. Astreal isn't dead, but at this rate, she is going to wake up when Narius's soul is reborn. You have to make sure she regains consciousness before you pass out. Do you understand?
"No. Who is Narius—"
Good enough.
A flash of light erupted from the book. I tried to throw it away, but it had glued itself to my hand and refused to let go. "Stop!"
Anchor his soul to yours and keep channeling the spell, the voice inside my head said. It won't stop it, but we can slow it down. No matter what happens, we can't let him roll his dice.
Narius
“Narius,” Emily whispered into my ear. Waves crashed and seagulls cried out in the distance.
I wasn't wearing any clothes, and I lay on a grassy hill outside Lodina. It was the place where Emily and I first kissed. The grass felt smooth against my wings, and, off in the distance, ships with their large bed sheets glide
d in and out of the city.
Emily rested on top of me, her cheek lying against my naked chest. Her raven hair fluttered down onto my neck, tickling me, and the minty scent of her body put me at ease. I ran my hand through her hair then across her back. The soft fabric of her shirt made my hand tingle, and the warmth of her body relaxed me even further. I loved every bit of her. She was with me, here and now. Just the way I remembered and wanted.
She lifted her head and looked at me, her blue eyes gazing into mine and making my heart race.
Emily touched her lips to mine, and everything in the world felt right. It was as wonderful as our first kiss. Just as I remembered it. This is perfect.
After a long kiss, our lips parted, and I touched her cheek. “What happened?”
Emily smiled. Just the way I remembered. “Don’t worry about that. We have all the time in the world to be together.”
Her hand slid down my chest and a mischievous grin formed on her lips. "And we can do anything we want."
Something felt a little off, as if I was reading a book with one of its pages ripped out. Wasn't she crying? I raised my hand to gently push her off, but she leaned down and kissed me again, driving away the odd feeling.
“I love you, Narius,” she said after breaking for air, her hand brushing through my hair. “And we can stay together for all eternity.”
“Really? That would be wonderful.” I relaxed and prepared myself for what was to come. “Just... just be gentle.”
Emily hugged my neck and pressed herself against me. “I want you to be mine,” she said, breathing roughly. My heart beat faster and my skin warmed. She smiled. “Come on. You have the stamina. I want us to enjoy this as long as we can without resting."
Stamina? Where did I hear that before? I untangled Emily from my neck and let her rest against my chest. “I feel like I am missing something.”
She blew into my ear. “Narius... All you need is me.”
I squirmed from the pleasure. “I... I know, but, I think I have forgotten something important.”