Oracle Of The Moon

Balance- Lucy's POV

Lucy's POV-

It was quicker than falling asleep. It was easy. It wasn't painful or harsh like you'd expect it to be. It felt natural.

"What the fuck? You killed me?!" I heard from beside me, making my eyes open widely to see where the afterlife had landed me.

I came face to face with the one man that I never wanted to see ever again. There was no way that I could be in the afterlife with him. No, a single lifetime with knowing Fleming was plenty... There was no way that I was okay with having him there with me for the rest of eternity.

"Um, hello?" I said as I took in my surroundings.

It was exactly the same setting that I had just experienced in the astral realm only just before The North came to us. It was even complete with the same crow that cawed in response to me. It was the same feeling and setting except everything felt much more visceral. Everything in the realm felt much more attached and apart of me.

"Listen, to anyone out there: If this fucker is who I am doomed to experience the afterlife with, I'm gonna need to know how to unalive myself from the realm of the unliving, thanks," I said politely to seemingly no one.

However, not even five seconds later, just as Fleming was starting to speak once again, the crow flew down from one of the bare trees around us and pecked him once right in the jugular. It's beak slid through his neck easily, and just like that, Fleming, even though we were both dead, bled out right next to my feet.

"Thanks," I told the crow with a nod. "I don't know exactly how that works since we are both dead, but I can't thank you enough for that. He's a... I don't even know how to describe how absolutely terrible that man is," I explained to the animal as if it was my friend.

The crow cawed at me and flapped its wings in acknowledgment. I glanced down at myself as I continued to observe the pretty place around me. It was spooky, ominous, and confusing but that certainly didn't take away from the whimsical beauty of the place. I no longer had a fist-sized hole in my chest, I had on the pretty white dress from the mating ceremony, and I had a white flower crown on my head. I smiled at my death clothes, at least they were pretty.

"So... I guess I should start walking?" I said to the crow that was still at my feet and gestured to the path that was winding through the barren trees.

The crow cawed back.

"Would you like to come with me?" I asked and held my hand out to it. It studied me untrustingly. "Oh, come on little crow, I won't hurt you. You can keep me company as I walk through this strange but beautiful land," I explained.

It tilted its head at me but stepped into my hand and allowed me to place it on my shoulder. We then took off on our journey through the afterlife. I gasped at the pretty sights. I smiled at the way the bare and twisty tree limbs flowed in the chilly wind. I even petted the bird a couple of times.

"So... are you like my spirit guide that is leading me through death?" I finally asked the bird after a while.

It stayed silent.

"I'm taking your lack of answer as a no," I told it.

It just flapped its wings at me.

I smiled at it endearingly and ran a finger along its neck. "You're a strange one, little crow," I told it kindly. "I like you," I laughed at its puffed up wings and soft caw at my statement.

Just as we approached a denser part of the dark forest with a fork in the path, a distinct shadow figure walked into our pathway. It was large, it was dark, it was intimidating. Somehow, the darkness of its shadowy depths held beauty to me too.