The Rewind - Book 2

Ēxōrdīam

Her barefoot touched the water, crystals forming over her skin. She was as pale as the ice that took shape in her heart in the winter air. Waves of wind caressed her skin as if to hasten the torturous task that had been placed upon her shoulders. The sacrifice given under the light of the ancient sun.

"Aramatīa." A voice whispered, drawing the woman's attention away from the numbing fire that crawled like ants over her entire body. "It's going to be okay. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

"How can you say that?" Her voice was nothing more than a broken whisper. A voice which would soon be trapped by the ice on her throat. "You weren't raised for slaughter."

The man huffed, turning away, yet not leaving Aramatīa behind, "You can hate me all you wish, but there was nothing more that I could have done. Your death is the only way to shield our people from the world. If you don't make this sacrifice, then they'll all die."

Aramatīa laughed, almost diabolically, "Life is such a fickle thing."

"What?" The man turned in surprise, eyeing the woman with eyes as wide as saucers. The look in her eyes sent chills down his spine. It was a moment that he could never find in himself to forget.

She chuckled darkly, "You know nothing of the repercussions that are coming for this Anakaī. Your people that you believe in, they're corrupted beyond anything that my sacrifice can heal. And when I'm gone, there will be nothing left to shield them from the seal that they created within their own blood."

"What are you saying? They did this to protect us. They make sacrifices every single day." His voice was adamant, earnest to prove that his life wasn't a lie.

The woman scoffed, "You've known me my whole life Anakaī. And yet you believed them when they told you that I had selfish reasons for refusing to be sacrificed."

"Well I..." he paused, unsure of what else to say.

A white ice fire racked the woman's body with pain, she didn't have much time left. She could feel her life force being absorbed through the coating of ice over her body. Her hair had gone white and her eyes were as blue as the ice that reflected in them. She looked nothing like the woman she had once been. It startled the man as he watched her transformation. It wasn't anything like the village elders had described.

This wasn't peaceful, this wasn't enlightenment. This was torture just to watch it happen. Why was he assigned to witness such a horrible thing? Why did they lie to the villagers about this experience in the first place? And in that moment, he had to wonder, if this was their only lie.

"Anakaī." Her voice was almost gone now, he had to strain to hear her. "Protect my daughter."

Anakaī jolted to his feet, eyes wide, "You're what?"

"That's why I came back. I wanted you to keep her away from here."

Anakaī's hazel eyes flicked back and forth as he quickly pondered over Aramatīa's words. Golden flecks burned brightly in them, highlighting the activation of his ability. "Where is she?"

The woman's mouth curved into a smile, freezing there for all of eternity as she uttered her last words, "Living under the light of the Seventh Sun."

Opposing the woman who now stood frozen in joy, the man's mouth curved down into a grim line. Understanding of his situation lit his veins on fire as he realized what he had done. It was clear to him now why the woman had escaped.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered. "I would have taken your place if I'd know that this was my fault." A single tear escaped from the man's eye, dropping to the ground, freezing on impact.

The wind was beginning to dissipate as the energy of her sacrifice filled the air. The man couldn't move, he didn't want to let go of the last piece he had left of the woman he had so desperately loved.

"I promise." He spoke breathlessly. "I will find her if it's the last thing I do."