I called out for Unending, but she never answered.
The women all stood around me, silent and smiling, hands resting on their rounded bellies. Expectant mothers who had no idea who or where they were. It felt odd, like a collage of people—carriers of the Unending over the span of almost five million years. Every Aeternae woman that had given birth to one of her reincarnations. Eventually, I came across a familiar face. Arya.
She stood in the middle, still as a statue, doubt etching a fine line into her forehead. I couldn’t help but frown as I looked at her, leather cape hanging loosely from her shoulders. “You did a horrible thing,” I said, doubting she could hear me. “You had a choice between right and wrong, and you chose awful. You betrayed your people, your friends—just to watch your only daughter get murdered by the very entity you swore to serve.”
Arya sighed deeply, glancing down at her belly. Wherever we were, it was a part of the Unending’s subconscious. There was some kind of sense to it. I just needed to figure it out. I just needed to find her, so we could swim back to the surface together. Weeks had passed since we’d delved into this obscure part of her mind. The world needed us. It needed the Unending most of all.
“You were perfectly fine with your daughter dying so you and your people might live forever,” I continued, allowing my contempt for Arya to flow freely. It wasn’t like she could really hear or see me. She was only a memory lost in the underbelly of Unending’s tortured mind. “And to think there were others like you. Danika, the Lady Supreme. You know she planted Spirit’s soul shard into her son’s heart. What is it with Aeternae women and killing their own children? You make me sick.”
She didn’t react. Instead, she just lovingly smiled at her belly.
“How could you be so calm and serene, knowing you might be the one to give birth to the Unending, huh? How could you even live with yourself, knowing you’d sold your soul, your salvation, to the Spirit Bender? I’m honestly baffled.”
Arya looked at me, and I froze. The red light in her belly intensified, glowing brighter than the other women around her. She took my hand and placed it just above her navel. I could feel the baby kicking gently. My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t understand my participation in this peculiar moment. Was this a dream? Had I fallen out of Unending’s subconscious already?
“I know she’s going to be the Unending. But for whatever time we have left together, I will love her with all my heart,” Arya said.
“You’ve signed her death warrant,” I replied.
“We all make sacrifices for immortality. That is the whole point of it. How far are you willing to go in order to live forever?” she asked.
I didn’t have an answer. For me, vampirism hadn’t been the easiest of choices, but it hadn’t come at the steepest price, either. And now that we were developing the day-walking cure, I’d be able to walk in the sun again. I’d given up food, too—blood was my only sustenance. I’d sacrificed some important things, but in the earliest days of vampirism, deep at its origin, immortality had come at a much higher cost.
I’d had to surrender the sun and my favorite foods. Arya had asked a good question of me, I realized. What else or what more was I willing to sacrifice in order to keep my immortality? The answer, however, came easily to mind.
“Our children are the future. They’re better versions of ourselves. They’re more than we’ll ever be, and if we kill them in order to lift ourselves up, then we don’t deserve immortality at all,” I said. “I would never allow the death of my child in exchange for eternity. You should’ve said no, Arya. You should’ve told the Spirit Bender no.”
She chuckled softly. “I didn’t know any better. I was selfish. Foolish. Hungry for life.”
“Arya thought she was doing the right thing.” Unending’s voice rippled through the darkness above. “They all thought they were on the correct side of history. That endless sacrifices had to be made because my gift to them was simply too precious, too beautiful and wonderful to ever forsake. I know it’s a difficult concept for you, Tristan, but I honestly do understand their choice…” The more she spoke, the clearer and more concentrated her voice became. It was coming from somewhere specific.
I looked around several times, but I couldn’t see her immediately. She was getting closer, though. “So you agree with what they did to you?” I asked.
“Not at all. I understand, but I don’t condone their actions. The Aeternae had Spirit’s help, and they took it. They used every drop of it. The bottom line is, I never should’ve made them immortal. I’m afraid we’ve reached the same conclusion as before.”
Finally, I turned around and found her standing mere inches from me. With a delicate smile on her face, she looked into my eyes, and our souls met. As our souls touched, the entire universe vibrated from the encounter.
“It’s too late now. Everything has already happened,” I said.
Unending wrapped her arms around my waist, and we held each other close, our hearts singing in a strange but settling unison. “I know. What will come to pass matters more than anything,” she whispered. “My journey back won’t be easy, Tristan.”
“Yeah, but I’m here, aren’t I? You’ll never walk alone again.”
I meant every word. I felt like I’d found my path, and Unending was it. She was my beginning and my end, my forever and always. I would never leave her side, and I knew she would never leave mine. Our threads had crossed, forever intertwined.
“I never thought I would say this ever again, but Tristan… I love you,” Unending said, melting in my embrace. “I love you for who you are, for the person you will become. I love you more than anything. You are my light in the darkest storm.”
“I love you. Every version of you,” I replied, lowering my head.
We kissed, and as soon as our lips met, everything disappeared. The Aeternae women with glowing red bellies. Arya and her treachery. Mira and her grief. All those who’d contributed to the Unending’s suffering were gone like snowflakes left in the sun. Everything melted. The memories, the unspoken words, every sensation that Unending had ever experienced. Gone with the darkness.
All that remained was the two of us against all odds, falling in love over and over until the end of time. We’d reached the end of the line. The world awaited beyond. Our world. Our life together.
Esme
For a while, I wasn’t sure Taeral’s spell had worked. The glow had vanished, but neither Tristan nor Valaine was showing any signs of consciousness. Considering our enemy was literally at the gates, the urgency of the situation stretched my nerves beyond their limits, and I found myself restless and anxious, especially given this unexplained issue with Death’s directives. Kalon’s salvation depended on the Unending’s freedom. But what good was she to us, to anyone—even to herself—if she couldn’t even wake up?
“Are you sure you did it right?” Time asked after an agonizingly long silence.
“I followed Death’s instructions, word for word, sub-word for sub-word,” Taeral replied dryly. “I’m sure it must have worked.”
“So, what, they’re just taking a nap?” Nightmare retorted.
“I don’t know! Give it a moment!” Taeral said.
“Maybe you didn’t do it right,” Time insisted.
Taeral scoffed. “Why don’t you try it, then?”
“I don’t know the spell,” Time muttered, looking away awkwardly. “It’s Death’s proprietary magic, not something she’d ever teach us.”
Sofia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Let’s gather whatever is left of our patience here,” she advised. “We’re treading into unknown territory.”
“I’m thankful you’re here, Tae,” Kailani said. “We need whatever sort of help you can give us. Even if you do muck up the spells.”
“I didn’t muck up the spell, dammit! I did it right—” He froze before finishing his sentence, as Tristan and Valaine both flinched awake, wheezing and breathing erratically.
“Ho
ly mother of…” Lumi’s voice trailed off, her eyebrows arched with pure shock.
“I’m okay,” Tristan managed, holding Valaine’s hand. “We’re okay…”
“Welcome back, you bozo,” I blurted, tearing up as I dropped to my knees and hugged my brother with all the strength I could muster. “Man, I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too, sis,” he replied, chuckling softly and dropping a kiss on my cheek.
“And you… you scared the crap out of us,” I said to Valaine, then proceeded to trap her in a bear hug, as well. But she felt different. My skin tingled at the contact, as if I’d just embraced an iceberg. She stilled, and I cautiously moved back, frowning. “It’s you…”
Silence settled over us until Spirit’s sharp voice cut through from the southern gate. “Your time is running out, people! I want Thayen and Valaine now, before I rip you all to shreds, ever so slowly!”
Valaine’s gaze darkened, and only then did I spot the stars glimmering in her irises. They weren’t as intense as a Reaper’s eyes, but I could certainly see the common elements. Tristan gave her a warm smile and helped her up. “It’s going to be okay,” he said. “We’ve made it this far, right?”
“Easy to say, considering what comes next. I take it my brother has made his way back into this world?” Valaine replied, looking at Spirit and the many others who’d joined him outside Roano. Only, she wasn’t just Valaine anymore.
“Your brother… oh…” Lumi gasped. “Unending.”
“Welcome back, sister!” Morning cried out. Within seconds, all the Reapers had surrounded Unending, holding her tight and covering her face with warm and loving kisses—even Seeley and Sidyan, who’d never met her personally. Her return was such a joyous moment, such a wonderful occasion, that all etiquette between their kinds had been forsaken. Hell, I felt like kissing the light out of her, because we’d been waiting to see her, the Unending, for so damn long.
“Finally, the stars have aligned themselves in your favor,” the Night Bringer said as the Reapers moved back, giving Unending some room to breathe. She was smiling, flustered but happy to see them all. Even so, there was sadness persisting in her gaze.
“I’m not sure that’s the case yet,” she replied. Tristan stayed close to her.
“You’re awake. That’s what matters,” Sofia said. “You have no idea how badly you’re needed right now.”
“Oh, I’m aware. The problem is I’m still trapped under three seals,” Unending said. It felt odd to see and hear her like this, considering she was inhabiting Valaine’s body. Then again, Valaine was basically one side of her. I’d get used to it eventually—at least until we freed her.
“And the Spirit Bender is sort of alive again,” Soul muttered. “He’s incomplete, though. He never got the shard from Thayen’s heart.”
Unending shook her head. “I’m not sure that matters much. He’s obviously driven and fully supported by the people. All Aeternae seem to be behind him. And like I said, the seals… I’m helpless under them.”
“Okay, how do we break them?” I asked, almost instantly regretting the question. Judging by the look on her face, I realized I wouldn’t like the answer. My stomach tightened with strained anticipation as the Unending gathered her thoughts.
We were all watching her in silence, utterly ignorant of Spirit and Corbin’s barrage of threats and insults. Minutes flowed as the Aeternae beyond the shield prepared for an attack. I wasn’t sure how long the protections would last, but the sliver of hope in my heart had grown. All was not lost. Not yet.
“I need to explain something before I tell you how to break the seals,” Unending said, and Tristan nodded in agreement. “The first seal was created when Spirit cut me with his scythe, using a superior word-only spell, binding me to Visio. The second seal was fashioned from a strand of my hair and with the help of my scythe, destroying my physical Reaper form. The third seal was created with my scythe, as well, locking me into the Aeternae rebirth cycle. Now, the order in which the seals were made is not how we’ll break them,” she added, glancing in Corbin’s direction. “First, one of you must take possession of my scythe. Corbin has it. Second, you must destroy the ring on his finger. Then, with the same weapon, you must kill me.”
I needed a moment to let that sink in.
“What?” Sofia breathed, her enthusiasm fizzling away.
“My vessel. My flesh. It must be destroyed with my own weapon.” The Unending sighed. “I don’t like it any more than you, but it must be done. Spirit used my scythe to fashion the third seal, which ultimately had me reborn as Valaine, and it is my scythe that we must use to destroy it. As for the first two seals, well… let’s just say Spirit wanted to make sure freeing me wouldn’t come easy, hence the different method of breaking them as opposed to the method of making them.”
“It clearly won’t come easy. Tristan, that means Valaine will die,” I said, giving my brother a worried look.
“I know. She knows. We know,” he replied, sadness lowering his voice. “But Valaine won’t really die, if that makes sense. She’s Unending, and Unending is Valaine.”
“There is a physical distinction, though,” I replied.
“It no longer matters,” Unending cut in. “We have to do it. Only once I’m free can I go back to Aledras and free Death.”
The Darklings and the Aeternae were shouting and howling now, amped up by the battle spirits among them. They were itching for war and bloodshed, revealing their sharp fangs and long claws. Spirit grinned, but Corbin’s eyes turned to slits as they approached the protective shield. Spirit’s scythe was out, shining brightly as he raised it in the air. The crowd roared. Our people murmured in fear, instinctively taking a few steps back. Even the Seniors seemed overwhelmed.
This was it. The final battle was upon us, and the Unending had delivered quite the blow. We needed Corbin to release her, but holy hell, I had no idea how we were going to manage it.
“To destroy our enemy, we must approach our enemy,” Derek concluded, staring angrily at the Master of Darkness. “To get rid of Corbin, we have to get close to him. This won’t end well.”
“It’s our only option,” Unending said. “I’m the only one who can break the rest of the seals that Spirit put on Death.”
“I knew Death relied on you for this, but why?” Taeral asked. “Why are you the only Reaper capable of accomplishing this feat?”
Unending shot him a cold glare. “Because I’m the one who designed the Thousand Seals. Almost half of the magic Spirit learned, he didn’t make using his own formulas. He stole it from me. Yes, he’s had some ideas of his own, including my imprisonment, but everything else? He plucked it from the energy fields of Visio, where my consciousness dwells.”
It made sense now. This whole saga of spiteful Reapers had come full circle. Death had wronged her children, and some had fought back in their own way. It had led to a millennia-long disaster, and it was time for its conclusion.
No matter what followed after this, I knew we would stop at nothing to set the Unending free. We’d come farther than anyone else. We’d brought her back, even though she was still bound to her body. Securing her freedom would be an insanely dangerous task, but none of us would quit until it was done.
“Free me, and it’ll all be over in seconds,” Unending said.
Yes, we were scared. I was downright terrified. My heart was aching. Blood was rushing to my head. I was staring my own demise in the face, yet I couldn’t walk away. We were in this together and terrified of the prospect of failure. The Spirit Bender was confidently sneering. Corbin was goading his people into a violent frenzy. The protective shield wouldn’t last, and Kalon was still under the Black Fever’s influence.
But we had innocent children with us. Good men and women. Kind souls that deserved a better life. My brother had fallen in love with the Unending. Kelara was in pain. We’d lost so much. Everything had happened fast and from different, confusing angles—but this was our threshold.
I was ready. We were all ready.
ASOV 86: A Break of Seals
Dear Shaddict,
Thank you for reading A Shard of Soul!
ASOV 86: A Break of Seals releases March 9th, 2020.
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Bella x
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A Shade of Vampire 85: A Shard of Soul Page 29