A World Where Something Exists

Episode 5: Name

Loyal Heart

When the boy reached the surface, he transformed back into his normal form. Right away the boy knew something was off. The world felt much colder than it should be, its bright glowing flames where low to the ground, its light all but gone, and he could feel its life slipping away.

'This world is dying,' the boy thought to himself.

"You are right, it is," a voice came from out of nowhere.

"Whose there? Who are you?" asked the boy.

"We are the voices of this world, protectors, teachers, and counselors to the Empress," they said. "Empress? Do you mean Traeh? Where can I find her?"

"She will suffer to be near you no longer. It is your fault our world is on the brink of death." "Me, how is that?"

"The Empress is this world, and the world is the Empress. If she dies it dies and if it dies, she dies. The Empress is a free spirit a physical representation of life and hope, her warmth and joy fuels this world and keeps all things that is touched by her light alive, but ever since she met you her spirit has been tied to yours. When she saved you, your lives became connected and when your voice could no longer reach her the warmth and joy in our Empress' heart started to fade and now our world and our Empress will die."

"No! I won't let that happen! Tell me where Traeh is."

"You caused enough trouble. This is why we forbade her from leaving to keep her from being imperfect, impure. She was never of suppose to have known sadness and disappear. You have tainted her light and made her imperfect. Be gone with you."

"No! I love Traeh's light more than anything in either of our two worlds the last thing I want is for it to disappear. I will find Traeh and I will save her." The boy raced throughout the dying world to find Traeh following the echoes of her sobbing voice. When he found her, she was unconscious lying on the floor, pale, hardly breathing, tears still flowing from her eyes. The boy held Treah sitting her up, he could hardly believe that this was the bright and warm creature he met all those years ago and what's worse is he was the one who caused this. The voices were right she was fading, and the boy didn't know what to do.

"I'm so sorry Traeh. This is my fault I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted you to die. Please open your eyes. You don't have to be sad anymore, you can stop crying now. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere so please look at me. Please," The boy felt so helpless for not being able to wake Traeh up, so he started to cry as well.

"S-Silly, you don't have to c-cry too."

"Traeh?"

"T-this isn't your f-fault. Don't blame yourself."

"Treah! You're awake!"

"Hello there, I thought I recognized that voice. So, it's been you this whole time. It's been a while, h-how are you?"

"How am I? I should be asking you that."

"I'm so happy you're here. I'm sorry to say I forgot about you for a time."

"There's no need to apologize, I forgot about you too."

"I know. It was a spell the voices casted. They were able to contact your leaders and gave them the spell so they could make you forget to. I was sleeping the same time you were dreaming so I remembered everything. The voices didn't want us meeting again and risk this happening."

"I know they told me, but it doesn't matter now because I'm here and you'll get better-"

Traeh smiled and slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I won't be getting better."

"What? Buy why? I'm here now you don't have to be sad or cry anymore. I'll warm your heart forever and we'll be happy."

"I'm sorry, but it's not that simple. I am this world, and this world is me. Our lives are intertwined. Even though I feel joy and warmth again my world is weak; it has been touched by despair and will need time to regenerate the heat it once had from me. Time that I don't have, I can't survive in cold temperatures. I can't survive in my world while it's like this. I'm sorry but I'm going to die."

"No, you're not. I'm not going to let you!"

"But there's nothing you can do."

"Actually, there is. I developed a fire that can freeze things. If I freeze you than it will stop you from dying and give you the time you need. When your world is warm enough it will melt the ice and you will have the environment you need to live."

"And what about you, what w-will you do?"

"I will freeze myself along with you."

"You mustn't do that! If you're here when the ice melts the heat from my world will kill you. Your flames are frozen not warm like mine you won't survive."

"That doesn't bother me. You gave me a second chance at life, the least I can do is give you a chance to regain yours."

"But like you I can't stand the idea of losing you forever. The thought will only bring me more pain so even if you save me now, if I lost you, I will only end up back in this state then neither of us will make it. When you freeze me you must leave."

"No! I already said-"

"P-Please listen to me; as long as you're a live I-I'm happy. Don't you feel the same?"

"...I do. I will miss you Treah, do you think that we will ever see each other again?"

"I'm sure w-we will and before you leave I-I came up with the perfect name for you, w-would you like to hear it?"

"Yes please."

"I've decided to name you Layol."

"Layol, I like it."

"I love you. Layol."

"I love you too." Layol summoned his flaming wings of ice and wrapped them around Traeh as he laid her down. Layol kissed Traeh and encased her in ice. There she will wait until the ice melts. Layol took one final gazes at the frozen form of his lover and in a quick starburst of blue light he transformed back into a sapphire phoenix. As he stood there, he noticed that the temperature of the world was slowly rising and that he had to leave. The boy took to the sky sad yet hopeful that he will see Treah again.