Zero

VARAY

I had almost forgotten what it felt like; this tender calm, this tranquil serenity.

It's been so long—so, so very long.

Waking up in someone's arms for the first time was an odd feeling, though not unpleasant. His warmth offered a certain comfort unlike the cold familiarity, one that was corporeal. Tangible. Not to mention the bodily benefits that came along with it...

His arm wrapped around my back and I felt a sense of security that I'd never felt before. Funny how a single person could make you feel that way.

His mouth was slightly ajar as his chest rose and fell with each breath. I draped my arm on top as my head rested against his shoulder. How I wanted to stay like this forever...

He looked peaceful. The features of his profile were relaxed, settling into something subtle and neutral. Gone were the lines and the constant clenching. All that remained was a benign beauty, lacking the cold-hearted firmness and severity caused by trials and tribulations.

I'd like to believe I had a part in cultivating that; it was a nice little notion if, albeit, somewhat selfish.

I closed my eyes and if I focused hard enough, I could feel and hear his heart beating beneath flesh and skin. I could have spent hours listening to that sound. Hours I didn't have. It was only a matter of time.

I couldn't remember the last time I fell asleep without hearing their voices, nor without seeing their haunted faces. Those dark, lonely nights were always the worst. The nightmares were always darker.

I had given up a long time ago. I had accepted it as my fate. I had taken it upon myself as punishment, retribution.

Now, I couldn't go back.

The next time I lay at rest, I knew, with absolute certainty, that it would undoubtedly be my last.

It took a great amount of effort to let go of him. It took a great deal of strength I didn't know I even had.

I glanced at his face one more time and felt a sharp, stinging pain knowing what I was about to do.

He was special. I had known that since the very first time I laid eyes on him. He didn't fear death. At least not for himself. He was calculative in times of danger. Calm and composed in the face of adversity. And far too caring for his own good...

I smiled as I reminisced those memories.

Perhaps he had given me some of that strength as well, that courage. Without it, I wasn't sure I would have managed.

However, it didn't feel right to leave him all alone. Not when he's done so much for so little.

Tracing the chains around my neck, I grabbed the metal tag and tugged it free.

It was cruel mercy. But it was all I could offer.

Leaning down, I took his face in my hand and pressed my lips against his cheek.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." I brushed his bangs aside. He didn't stir. "Thank you for everything."

I slipped the tag down next to him, hoping it granted some piece of mind. He'll carry a part of me inside him. Just as I'll carry a part of him inside me.

Until the next time we meet.

I turned my back for the final time as I pushed the large metal doors apart. Another portal stared back at me.

I glanced over my shoulder, a small part hoping, wishing that he would wake up and stop me. I held my breath. The air was still. And nothing had changed.

Seconds chances didn't come often, after all...

With a committed sigh, I took one painstaking step after another. Then, I passed through the portal.

I didn't know what to expect on the other side. When I opened my eyes, I saw a vast empty plain covered in pure white snow. Mountains loomed on the horizon and the ground glittered like diamonds.

But the sky... the sky was painted in a rainbow of colors stretching endlessly toward the distance.

It was breathtaking.

In the middle of my reverie, I heard a sound coming from behind. Turning around, I saw a small cyclone of wind brewing, picking up remnants of snow and ice. It amalgamated into a precarious construct, morphing into a golem-like shape.

That's when I saw the others. Dozens, if not hundreds, rose from the barren expanse with claws of ice protracted. And they all looked my way.

Mana flowed through my arm.

Looks like I won't get to enjoy the view.

Off to the side, in my peripheral, where the ground shifted up toward a misty mountaintop, I saw a single, lone flower, standing tall like a beacon. Its petals stared at me as it fluttered in the breeze. I was transfixed by it for a moment. A familiar feeling rustled in my chest.

Suddenly, I felt at ease. A gentle calm washed over, removing all fears and doubts.

I realized that I wasn't as alone as I thought.

Because they were all here, watching, near and far. They were in the winds that blew, in the boulders by the mountainside, in the grey clouds that approached.

For a moment, I saw them all smiling at me. I smiled back.

A layer of ice enclosed my body as I took a stance. A steely determination consolidated my resolve.

The storm grew wilder as the air turned colder. 

The skies darkened as snow descended from the heavens.

I welcomed it with open arms. There was nothing left for me to fear.

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A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read up until the very end. I appreciate every single one of you who has stuck with me this far. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I'll be taking a short break this week and will return with a new story as a sequel to this one and a prequel to Divine. If anyone wants to guess the premise and what it's going to be about in the comments, I'll reply with a short description/synopsis if they guess correctly!

Next Story: Sunder