Acrylic Fields (Bk 2)

XXI. Cursed Forever

[POV: Xenelis, 1st person]

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The wind howls in my ears as I stand on the edge of the precipice. It threatens to throw me off into the Void below, dragging and pulling every piece of me it can latch on to. I push against it, dragging myself back from the edge. Voices begin to echo in my ears as I push farther away, doubling on each other and then finally merging together into cohesive wholes.

"What do you mean, Stress?" My brother's voice floats to me in the wind, buffeting me from all sides. I strain against it, pressing farther away from the edge.

"I'm so, so sorry Xisuma." That's Stress's voice, her voice flowing past me like a serene river. Beneath their voices are the murmur of the other hermits trying to move around and figure out what's happening. Their quiet hubbub blows me in circles, catching on my wings. I tuck them firmly to my back and press onwards, listening to their conversation.

"Stress, what's the matter? Can't you heal her?" His emotion sweeps my feet out from under me and I tumble back to the edge, one foot hanging off.

"I don't even know what it is!" Stress cries, her wind blowing me off further. I clutch the rocks clinging on for dear life.

"I can't believe this," he shouts. The howling wind pushes me until I'm only hanging on by one hand. The wind whistles alongside the long drop, descending into the darkness below.

"I'm sorry, Xisuma." She sounds dangerously close to tears. The wind dies down as the hermits stop muttering, watching the exchange. "The poison... it's too far progressed. It appears that she was able to stall its effects for some time, but it wore off." I drag myself back upon the shelf, using my wings to boost myself up. I tuck them in again, crawling along the ledge.

"You have to be able to do something!" The gust rips at my prone form, trying to throw me off. I hug the ground, trying to eliminate the amount of surface it can grab.

A new voice echoes, somehow calmer than both of them. "X, I know you're stressed. From what Impulse has told me and Pearl, it's that you lost her before, nearly a year ago." Xisuma's wind sighs, swirling with despair. "I want to help you but I need you to accept this."

"Accept what?" His voice is riddled with confusion.

"She's not going to make it." Her words woosh over me like a tornado. I want to cry out that it's not true and that I'll make it. However, my heart says differently. When I chose to hide the poison, I sealed my own fate.

Xisuma's voice brushes over me, light as a feather. "I want to talk to her at least once, please. I don't want her to be alone like she was last time."

Gem's wind swirls in assent and a delightful warmth fills my hands. I hadn't realized how cold I was until it spread throughout me. It pulled me forward into a standing position, helping me run against the wind farther away from the cliff.

>>—> <—<<

My eyelids crack open, light flooding them. The pain from the sun pales in comparison to the agony centered on the gash in my arm. A light breeze brushed the hair on my arms, both sleeves pushed up. The warmth of someone's hands fades from mine as they let go, sighing in relief. Hermits move about in my peripheral vision, passing items to each other.

I panic. They've all seen the poison. They know I'm weak. I sit bolt upright, grasping my head as my blood figures out which way is the correct way to flow. Xisuma grabs my arm, the not-poisoned one, trying to guide me back into a laying down position. I resist, so he eventually gives up, folding his arms around me in a hug.

"I'm sorry I'm such a terrible brother," he whispers. I elbow him in the ribs.

"You're not, Xisuma. Stop acting like that."

"But I am. I didn't check in on you more. I fought against you when you first came to Hermitcraft. I banished you. I didn't try hard enough to reconnect when you arrived. You were always fighting these battles that I never tried to help you with."

"Stop right there. Xisuma, I should be the one apologizing."

"But-"

"No. Listen to me. I attacked you in every way I could. I sought to avoid you because I was afraid of hurting you again. I wanted to permanently kill you. No, Xisuma, you haven't done anything wrong."

"Xen, I-" The poison rips through my system, the black veins finally unchecked by the Star of the Nether potion. I begin shaking, the pain too agonizing to even allow me to cry out. My communicator buzzes, signaling that I have one minute left. I smile through the pain, remembering the final card I have to play.

Tears are running freely down Xisuma's face as he watches helplessly. I stare up at him, his eyes and helmet the only clear things I see right now. There are blobs of hermits behind him, but I can't make out their details. They all merge together into a massive block of color.

"Xenelis, no, you can't die!" he screams, holding my hand as I fall back to the bed.

"You're right, Xisuma. I can't die."

"What do you mean?" The anguish lacing his voice is so thick I could probably stab it.

I smile painfully. "I can't die, and that's the truth." Already, I can feel the life draining out of my body. The pain is fading away, along with my sight.

"Xen! Xenelis! You can't leave me like this!" His helmet clatters to the floor as he presses my hand to his forehead. "Xenelis Artemis Void! Oh please don't die already. I didn't get to say everything. I didn't apologize fully.

"Please, I know you probably can't hear me anymore. But as long as you're still alive, there's hope."

The wind begins to howl again. I open my eyes and am greeted with the sight of Hermitcraft again. Everything is perfectly clear in the midday light, from the tears that streak down Xisuma's face to the faces of the watching hermits. I sit straight upright, grasping both of Xisuma's hands in mine.

"Xisuma, I wasn't lying when I said I can't die. I'll always be here for you in spirit, you know. Xisuma Apollo Void, I've already died. In fact, I just did. But, this is an immortal curse. There is no way I can perish now."

"Xen, what the-"

"Goodbye, dearest brother." I pull him close and squeeze him tightly. He responds in the same fashion. "You'll figure out how to contact me."

"Xen, where are you going?!" he exclaims, clasping my hands in his.

"The Void," I grimly replied. "Forever. There is nothing to be done." The ground opens up beneath me, sucking me in. The pit seals behind me, plunging me into darkness.

The Void shoves a spike into my blackened arm. "It's nice to see you too, old buddy."

^-^

A bit shorter than usual. I'm kinda sad now. The epilogue will be out tomorrow.

I will have a Q&A session sometime, so ask me anything. I will answer to the best of my ability, as long as the question is safe for all people. That's it for now, though!

Ciao!