Heaven And Hell...
No one ever said anything about this.
No one ever said anything about witnessing a blood-drenched future that would have been had you not stopped an evil entity from growing too large.
No one ever said I'd meet up with another form of myself.
Sylverisi-Naia appeared when I witnessed my soul and Shadowfyris's crushed to death in Drakonfyre's grasp. She, at first, horrified me by scooping up a handful of my token soul's blood and drinking from it. Her cruel smile reminded me of the revenge my own father had extracted upon my mother's soul.
Images of my mother stumbling, begging, retreating, crying filled my mind. Like a blurring memory, I took a step forward and stumbled, only to be caught by Sylverisi's arms.
"Come. You have much to bear witness to."
The softness of her voice startled me. Here she was, a Darkness Mage, myself, standing before the world I had once known as my own and asking me to walk with her?
"You're here because something went wrong. Something that shouldn't have gone wrong in the first place."
I was confused. What did she mean? She grasped my hand tightly and led me through the blood-filled streets, avoiding what remained of the populace that had once been.
"Your being here created me. At first, I was just like you. Then He pulled me up from where I fell and showed me what went wrong."
"You're my guardian angel?"
"Hardly. I am what you will be if the mistake is not rectified."
"What mistake?!"
"Just walk with me."
"Why won't you tell me what happened?"
"Why? Because He needs me to show you. You won't rectify the mistake if I simply tell you."
"So...I need to observe?"
"Exactly. Not your strongest suit, but exactly."
She smiled as I frowned at her. It seemed most of my bad traits had turned out to be traits she herself relied on. As the streets began to fade away underneath us, I noticed the blood turning into a river of images. Images I recognised.
"The battle of Drakonfyre..."
"1500 years ago. You are correct. Drakonfyre marked Shadowfyris with a blood-scar. A blood-scar you later were marked with from birth. Your soul contains her lifeblood. You and she are one."
"But why?"
"Your Father resurrected Drakonfyris by selling his soul to the Devaemonils."
"The WHAT?"
"The Wyiiren Sisters. The Devaemonils. Five fallen angels sent to bring armageddon to the earth. Your human mother was aware her own sister was amongst the Sisters. Your birth alerted her that Shadowfyris had been reborn. You were quite the prodigy."
"You're only saying that because you need to exist."
"You're right. Your soul now being in a state of limbo and my speaking with you means He gave me enough chance to show you what you need to do."
"Do I know Him?"
Sylverisi-Naia smirked. "Possibly. You've read and heard stories about Him before. He truly is all-powerful, despite his past."
"The Lapine of Wrath. Yes, I thought as much. I've met him before."
She nodded. "As have I. He wasn't sure if you knew his name."
"I do. What fur of this world doesn't?"
"Very true."
As Drakonfyre's battle ebbed away, I watched the images of my own battle with the deadly Dragon take place. It was here I saw my mistake. Having been lulled into a false sense of believing he was truly at his end, he had struck fast, his wingblade striking Shadowfyris and myself where we had least expected. I became very much aware of His shadow upon me as I watched and nodded in understanding.
"Hello, old friend," I smiled. "I see you didn't give up on me."
"Hell no. And let my kin get hold of you?"
"I see. Sylverisi tells me you brought her here to live this life."
"Not of my doing. Not of the fates. Something more created her to be here. As of yet, we have not been able to determine what did."
"Ah, so I take it you and Her are...?"
"Don't even go there," he frowned, his pupiless eyes staring straight at me.
"Can I go now?"
"Sure you know how to get home?"
I looked at my old friend tenderly. He had come to me once when Sera-Kyoko had begged him to save my life and the precious life of my eldest son, Emerson-Gen. With his blessing and against the will of Hell, he had returned me to my state of being...but not without price. She had taken my sister to a higher plane, the Heavens, as payment. Those memories still remained even though He had done his very best to wipe all of them from me.
"I don't think I need a guide, old friend. But...Sylverisi?"
She had vanished. I turned to face Him and He simply smiled.
"She will return to where she is meant to be. You will see her again. Probably the next time you look in the mirror after you do something that you shouldn't have."
"My other side?"
He smiled and gestured to the ground where a swirling exitway had appeared.
"Goodbye, old friend."
"We'll see each other again soon, you miserly old rabbit you."
I disappeared into the swirling warphole before he could even reply.
-**-
When I awoke, sunlight hit me square between the eyes, and as I pushed myself up on the bed, I felt a gentle pair of hands push me back down.
"Rest, Mother."
"Kaori...?" I blinked. "Drakonfyre...?"
"He's gone Mom. You did it. You destroyed him along with Dad."
"Kaori? Is Mom awake?"
Emerson, my eldest child, appeared in the doorway as I leaned back down into the pillows. I remembered nothing of the fight with my Father, Rainar-Reko. But curiously, all I could remember of what had happened after I made the first mistake was saying goodbye to Him. Surely I should have remembered it all?
"Mom? Someone named Farrago dropped this off for you. It's some kind of necklace with a locket or something."
"What?"
As I opened the locket, I remembered what He had said as I returned to Shadowfyris's soul. I smiled gently as my children hugged me tight.
"What is it, Momma?"
"Nothing, sweetheart. Just a message of comfort...from an old friend..."
-**-
'Never forget that this old soul remembers more of you than you think, Marinnai-Ruby...
Hope for a peaceful life, Jack'
Inspired by the comic, Jack, by David Hopkins.
http://www.pholph.com
Do yourselves a favour and read through this comic's archives. It will make you think. Really think.
No one ever said anything about witnessing a blood-drenched future that would have been had you not stopped an evil entity from growing too large.
No one ever said I'd meet up with another form of myself.
Sylverisi-Naia appeared when I witnessed my soul and Shadowfyris's crushed to death in Drakonfyre's grasp. She, at first, horrified me by scooping up a handful of my token soul's blood and drinking from it. Her cruel smile reminded me of the revenge my own father had extracted upon my mother's soul.
Images of my mother stumbling, begging, retreating, crying filled my mind. Like a blurring memory, I took a step forward and stumbled, only to be caught by Sylverisi's arms.
"Come. You have much to bear witness to."
The softness of her voice startled me. Here she was, a Darkness Mage, myself, standing before the world I had once known as my own and asking me to walk with her?
"You're here because something went wrong. Something that shouldn't have gone wrong in the first place."
I was confused. What did she mean? She grasped my hand tightly and led me through the blood-filled streets, avoiding what remained of the populace that had once been.
"Your being here created me. At first, I was just like you. Then He pulled me up from where I fell and showed me what went wrong."
"You're my guardian angel?"
"Hardly. I am what you will be if the mistake is not rectified."
"What mistake?!"
"Just walk with me."
"Why won't you tell me what happened?"
"Why? Because He needs me to show you. You won't rectify the mistake if I simply tell you."
"So...I need to observe?"
"Exactly. Not your strongest suit, but exactly."
She smiled as I frowned at her. It seemed most of my bad traits had turned out to be traits she herself relied on. As the streets began to fade away underneath us, I noticed the blood turning into a river of images. Images I recognised.
"The battle of Drakonfyre..."
"1500 years ago. You are correct. Drakonfyre marked Shadowfyris with a blood-scar. A blood-scar you later were marked with from birth. Your soul contains her lifeblood. You and she are one."
"But why?"
"Your Father resurrected Drakonfyris by selling his soul to the Devaemonils."
"The WHAT?"
"The Wyiiren Sisters. The Devaemonils. Five fallen angels sent to bring armageddon to the earth. Your human mother was aware her own sister was amongst the Sisters. Your birth alerted her that Shadowfyris had been reborn. You were quite the prodigy."
"You're only saying that because you need to exist."
"You're right. Your soul now being in a state of limbo and my speaking with you means He gave me enough chance to show you what you need to do."
"Do I know Him?"
Sylverisi-Naia smirked. "Possibly. You've read and heard stories about Him before. He truly is all-powerful, despite his past."
"The Lapine of Wrath. Yes, I thought as much. I've met him before."
She nodded. "As have I. He wasn't sure if you knew his name."
"I do. What fur of this world doesn't?"
"Very true."
As Drakonfyre's battle ebbed away, I watched the images of my own battle with the deadly Dragon take place. It was here I saw my mistake. Having been lulled into a false sense of believing he was truly at his end, he had struck fast, his wingblade striking Shadowfyris and myself where we had least expected. I became very much aware of His shadow upon me as I watched and nodded in understanding.
"Hello, old friend," I smiled. "I see you didn't give up on me."
"Hell no. And let my kin get hold of you?"
"I see. Sylverisi tells me you brought her here to live this life."
"Not of my doing. Not of the fates. Something more created her to be here. As of yet, we have not been able to determine what did."
"Ah, so I take it you and Her are...?"
"Don't even go there," he frowned, his pupiless eyes staring straight at me.
"Can I go now?"
"Sure you know how to get home?"
I looked at my old friend tenderly. He had come to me once when Sera-Kyoko had begged him to save my life and the precious life of my eldest son, Emerson-Gen. With his blessing and against the will of Hell, he had returned me to my state of being...but not without price. She had taken my sister to a higher plane, the Heavens, as payment. Those memories still remained even though He had done his very best to wipe all of them from me.
"I don't think I need a guide, old friend. But...Sylverisi?"
She had vanished. I turned to face Him and He simply smiled.
"She will return to where she is meant to be. You will see her again. Probably the next time you look in the mirror after you do something that you shouldn't have."
"My other side?"
He smiled and gestured to the ground where a swirling exitway had appeared.
"Goodbye, old friend."
"We'll see each other again soon, you miserly old rabbit you."
I disappeared into the swirling warphole before he could even reply.
-**-
When I awoke, sunlight hit me square between the eyes, and as I pushed myself up on the bed, I felt a gentle pair of hands push me back down.
"Rest, Mother."
"Kaori...?" I blinked. "Drakonfyre...?"
"He's gone Mom. You did it. You destroyed him along with Dad."
"Kaori? Is Mom awake?"
Emerson, my eldest child, appeared in the doorway as I leaned back down into the pillows. I remembered nothing of the fight with my Father, Rainar-Reko. But curiously, all I could remember of what had happened after I made the first mistake was saying goodbye to Him. Surely I should have remembered it all?
"Mom? Someone named Farrago dropped this off for you. It's some kind of necklace with a locket or something."
"What?"
As I opened the locket, I remembered what He had said as I returned to Shadowfyris's soul. I smiled gently as my children hugged me tight.
"What is it, Momma?"
"Nothing, sweetheart. Just a message of comfort...from an old friend..."
-**-
'Never forget that this old soul remembers more of you than you think, Marinnai-Ruby...
Hope for a peaceful life, Jack'
Inspired by the comic, Jack, by David Hopkins.
http://www.pholph.com
Do yourselves a favour and read through this comic's archives. It will make you think. Really think.