In a lifetime

Chapter 55: Joseph Flores

When I wake up I expected myself to be where I was last night but I'm here in...the abyss?

Where am I? I walk around to god knows where and I start to think about what I did.

How the hell am I supposed to apologize to my friends who have been trying to save me, I caused them more pain, and Daniel I...I hope I didn't hurt him.

Everything so far is in bits and pieces. I can only remember the parts where I really did some damage which is ironic.

I continue to walk around yelling hello to whoever is around.

I feel rumbling and I look at the ground to see ripples. I follow them and I regret doing that.

Something emerges from the ground and it looks like me. I start backing up and he looks at me, "what did you do" he yells and I start running cause he doesn't seem nice.

He starts throwing things at me that look like pure darkness. He wraps something around my legs that makes me fall and just when he was about to hurt me a flash of light appears.

"That is enough" the person in front of me yells. They turn around and now I feel like I'm on drugs. Why does he look like me too? And why did this side turn light while the other is dark?

He gets closer to me and I back up, "where are we and why do you two look like me?" I ask and the person on the dark side laughs.

"He doesn't trust us, now give me back control," he says and the person on the light side rolls his eyes.

"We are in your mind and we are the forms of light and dark magic and we look like you because we sort of are you," he says holding out his hand.

Now I think my brain might actually explode.

I take his hand and say, "okay well I have a lot of questions but I'm going to call you light and you dark" light laughs and dark groans.

"I saw my mind once, it was a forest, why is it different?" I ask and light conjures chairs. I take a seat and listen. "That is what it used to be, the mind grows and changes, this is what it is now," he says, and dark intervenes.

"Yeah honestly I'm surprised it doesn't look like broken glass," he says and light tells me to just ignore him.

"How are you guys able to communicate if you're just forms of magic?" I say and light chuckles before saying, "as I said, we sort of are you, yes we are forms of magic but we are also who you'll be if you stuck with either light or dark magic" okay now I'm starting to get it, I'm basically talking to myself with different forms of life paths. 

I prepare my next question, "why is there a border here and why am I here" I ask and he takes a deep breath.

"First off, light and dark magic can't mix, you learned to use both but we can't co-exist, and secondly, you're here because there's an imbalance," he says and dark laughs.

"You're the first witch to learn and activate both forms of magic, it was either one or the other for the rest of the witches and that is why you are here, you have to pick one to stick with" he continues and I get up to start thinking.

I pace back and forth trying to come up with something, "well I can't just pick one of you, if I choose light magic then I'll be able to protect everyone but I wouldn't be able to fight Laurel and if I choose dark magic I will be powerful enough to stop her but I risk the chance of corruption, not like you haven't done that already" I say focusing my attention towards dark.

He walks closer to the border, "oh please, blame me all you want but I only gave you the power and the means to complete whatever you had in mind, everything else was all you, maybe deep down you found your friends so annoying that you would hurt them" he says and I get closer to him.

I shake my head, "I would never hurt them" I say and he backs off. Is he right? Did I want to hurt them?

"Oh stop shitting your pants, the corruption is something no one can fight, even the wholehearted would do something they wouldn't," he says and I smile thinking that he tried to make me feel better.

Light walks up to me and says, "you're going to have to pick sooner or later, and considering that you're unconscious right now puts you at risk" he's right I have to pick but which one.

They both have pros and cons, more than the other, but it all goes back to how it'll react with the others.

"Wait I wasn't the only witch that learned light and dark magic," I say surprising myself.

Both light and dark look at each other confused and I continue, "Myriad, she learned how to use you both at the same time so that means I could too" I step in between the border.

Certain forces try to push me to either side but I stand my ground. Holding my hands out on either side I concentrate on mixing the two, trying to break the border. 

Closing my eyes I can feel my body starting to react and I feel like this is a good sign.

Opening my eyes I see dark magic leaking into the light side and light magic doing the same.

It still isn't enough and I don't know if I hold that kind of power to be able to use them both. Starting to doubt myself I see both light and dark help me break the border.

Both sides of magic start swirling around me going upwards and I see light turn into light magic and dark turning into dark magic.

I start tearing up with the beautiful sight of both light and dark magic existing together.

I close my eyes to take control of my body. I open my eyes and find myself on an open field and I can also feel the two forms of magic resonating inside of me.

I expel them out of my body and watch as they flow around me. Feeling confident and happy I take them back, absorbing them into my skin, sealing my choice, to use both light and dark magic together.

I get up and dust myself off and I hear my name.

I turn around to see everyone standing away from me, some look scared and others worried.

"I know what I've done, and I know I can't just apologize and I don't expect you to forgive me but it won't happen again and I'll try and fix my mistakes," I say tearing up and Daniel runs up and hugs me.

I hesitate but I hug him and Veronica joins in and then Nessa. I look at Eli who's still on the fence about me.

"I really am sorry, none of you deserved what happened and I wish I can take it back but I'll do everything I can to fix it but I understand if you hate me," I say to him and he shakes his head and hugs me.

I can feel him relax as he says, "I'm just glad you're back" and I am too.

We walk back to my house but there's something on my mind and I don't know how to tell them.

"Wait why is it still nighttime?" I ask and Daniel chuckles saying, "you've been asleep for a day, you started walking to that open field an hour ago" holy shit I thought it was still the same day.

When we get to my house I walk in remembering all the good memories again.

"Hey uh, guys, I know that now I'm back I can be helpful again but I think I need to learn how to use my magic again, combining two forms of magic that don't mix needs practice and I don't want to hurt you any more than I have," I say fumbling with my fingers.

They question what exactly I mean and I take a deep breath before speaking again.

"I'm going to the witches' grounds to communicate with the past witches to have them help me, I'll be gone for a while," I say and they all look at me as if I turned dark again or in a better analogy as if they're losing me again.

Daniel offers to come with me but I tell him that I have to do it alone, he respects it and helps me pack.

I get in my car and say my goodbyes before hitting the road, I don't know how I know the location but I'm really hoping they can help me, not just with my magic but maybe with other stuff too.

I put on "Purge The Poison" by MARINA to set the car vibe and after, "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush comes on next and this song helps me think about why I'm seeking help and for who.

I think for the first time in forever I made a good decision, besides being friends with everyone and dating Daniel that is.