by M S C Barnes
“Love,” Seb said, quietly.
“Yes!” Aelfric looked surprised and pleased. “Love. That is what kept presenting itself to me, as I watched his Legacy unfold, and in the hours, days and weeks after I witnessed it. All I could see was the love Heath felt for Braddock. How could that be a damning reputation?
“It was only when Henri spoke to me in the Sanctum about his dilemma in sending Nicole’s soul, that I suddenly realised — Nature had accurately shown me Heath’s Legacy. I was the one who had made the mistake of being distracted by his actions instead of simply witnessing the Legacy — which was one of love!
“I understood the cause of Henri’s conflict and although I could not tell him what we had witnessed, I was able to tell him that Heath was only banished for the act of betrayal, and for his lack of remorse, not because of his Legacy.” Aelfric stared across the fields and sighed. “And then Henri said something that lifted my heart. He said: ‘I never doubted that. Love cannot be cause for condemnation. Irrespective of his end, I will always think of Heath as a devoted twin, a dedicated Custodian and a dear friend’.” Aelfric turned back to look at Seb, smiling. “And so, whilst I know that Heath’s reputation — that spoken of by those who are ignorant of what his true Legacy is — will be one of betrayal, to those who really knew him — really knew the heart and soul of Heath Fletcher — his Legacy is sound.
“I have never set store by what others think of me; I have never concerned myself with reputation. Reputation, Seb, is simply popular opinion about a person; Legacy, however, is the truth about that person. The two things can be entirely different and the latter is the one of import. The police, the staff and students of the school, those in the wider community, maybe even those who publish and read the papers, will have their own opinions of me. But those who really know me — well they know the truth, and that is all that matters. Whatever the fallout from my arrest, it can be managed. For now, the important thing is you and what you need. Your night has been tremendously difficult and there will be many more Restorations over the years ahead of you. If you need, or want, to sit this one out, then I will deal.”
Seb looked away and watched the clouds rolling across the sky. He thought about the events of the night and wondered at how the love of two souls could bring about so much sadness and destruction, so much hatred and violence. Heath’s love for, and separation from, his twin had led him to betray everything he believed in — except that love. Nicole’s love for, and loss of, Heath had driven her to the same end before her love for Riven had led to her salvation.
Surely a Legacy was something which is left behind by a person as an imprint of their life — and something which continues to exist and have influence long after that life ends? Well, the imprint from the lives of these Custodians was the pain and suffering inflicted on the members of the groups — first at The Hurlers and now tonight — in the name of love. Why did Aelfric find consolation in knowing that love was their Legacy if it had led to so much that was cruel and wrong — so many abhorrent acts?
And there Seb stopped.
Abhorrent acts. Aelfric had said that Heath had been banished for his actions and his lack of remorse; Nicole had been sent to rest for her remorse over her actions. But Nature hadn’t displayed those actions in their Legacies in order to provide evidence to damn them, but rather as a means to bear witness to the emotions of their souls — and their souls were ruled by the strongest emotion anyone could feel; the emotion that held the most power. Seb had seen the enduring love between Henri and Lotty; he had seen the lengths Zach had gone to in order to save Scarlet, and he had felt the power that simply knowing Nat loved him had given him — enabling him to break the tag-lock between himself and the golem effigy. He had also felt the devastating heartbreak of loss when he believed Alice was dead, and he had seen the effects of the desolation Riven had felt — in the ravages on his body — when he believed his love for his twin was not reciprocated. Ironically, he had seen the love Greg and Trudy felt for Aelfric when they conspired to put something in his coffee to force him to rest — and the consequences of that act which they had not foreseen.
Greg had tried again and again to bring home a message to Zach and all of Seb’s group, about thinking of all the possible consequences of any action before taking that action. But as Aelfric had said, it is impossible to foresee every feasible outcome — and that was true whether due to not having all the information available, or due to being blinded by emotion and acting as your heart led you to act. Custodians were no more or less than any other soul — as weak and as strong as their emotions and their hearts — made them.
Tonight hadn’t been difficult, it had been monumental. In stark contrast to the subtle and gradual brightening of the sky happening in front of him, Seb felt a striking enlightenment of his own. In an instant, he knew what he had been doing wrong. Captivated by the visions of the worst actions and deeds he saw when reading a soul, as Aelfric had been with Heath’s Legacy, he was being distracted from what he should really be seeing — and that was the emotions that lay behind those actions. It was the emotions that were the soul’s true Legacy — they were the thing that dictated how, when encapsulated within a host body, the soul touched, and left its imprint on, the world around them.
And now Seb realised that, by concentrating on what the soul felt, rather than obsessing about the frightful things he witnessed, he could avoid suffering the sickening upset he experienced when he read these souls. As soon as he understood that, he felt the fear of failure which had haunted him for three months evaporate, replaced by a sudden belief that he could fulfil the role of a Custodian — and what’s more, noting the slight ache in his palm, he knew it was time for him to just get on with it.
Turning to Aelfric he smiled.
“I’m fine,” he said. “And I’ll get this one.”