The Fall of the Society

Chapter 78: Light

Rose could not believe the sight that was before her eyes. If she had her own features, she knew she would have a look of disbelief and awe. It seemed that a perfect being was standing before her, radiating the light that lit the world they were residing in. Osepri glided through the air, her aura creating a magnificent wake as Ahribus moved beside her, barely so much as creating a shadow. The two moved along together in tandem, as if they belonged together. Plant life grew abundantly all around them, but she could not see any other signs of life beyond that. The sky was clear, but looked much different than she was used to, being a reddish color rather than blue.

Osepri's beak split, and a beautiful and eerie song filled the air, haunting Rose down to her core. She felt a chill run through Ahribus's body. Her mind clouded with bliss and nothing else in the world mattered. Warmth swept over them; sleepiness filled her completely. Osepri's wings wrapped around her and the light all around them faded into darkness. Ahribus changed into his smoke form and wrapped himself around her, further driving the light into hiding. Darkness had now encompassed everything surrounding them, the world was falling asleep.

Rose opened her eyes and found herself staring at the smoky form of Ahribus steadfastly floating before her. The dark eyes bored into her once more, and sadness replaced the happiness she had been feeling. "Is it possible that she is still alive in the other realm?"

"I do not think it is possible. Time moves differently between the realms, and I have not been able to sense her energy in a very long time," Ahribus replied. Tears would have formed in Rose's eyes if she had been in her normal form. "Do not fret young one," Ahribus said in what was meant to be a comforting tone. "The world still turns and you still breath. Even though only darkness is eternal, that does not mean that light should not shine when it has the chance." The two remained silent for some time. Ahribus finally broke the silence, "You are closer than you know to what you must achieve, what you need is already inside of you, it has always been a part of who you are and who you always will be."

Rose stared at the twisting and smoky form in front of her, what did he mean? What was inside of her that would allow her to restore her body. She still felt as though her powers were gone, unable to be used in the form she currently held. Gliding gently, she slowly moved toward where her body lay, twisted and still. It was an odd feeling, staring down at the lifeless form lying before her. The human body was so incredibly fragile, yet resilient in its own way. She was not human though, the thought hit her like a punch, not entirely anyways. Maybe this was the key. Was her humanity a weakness or a strength?

Was it possible that the power of her lineage would make her stronger here, where her ancestors once resided? This question swirled in her mind for a long while, the memory of Osepri merged with her thoughts. She continued to ponder, Ahribus remained motionless, his black eyes locked on her. The darkness swirled continuously, but it no longer bothered her, and she felt much less uncomfortable in her current form. Time passed, but she was unaware of its pace, losing herself in contemplation. Her mind cleared, leaving her in a state of torpor, floating in the dark with Ahribus watching her closely.

The two remained silent for an undetermined amount of time, allowing themselves to float motionless in the darkness. A twinge of light flashed in the darkness, causing Rose to startle herself back into consciousness, while Ahribus did not so much as flinch.

"What was that?" she asked, confusion in her thoughts, but Ahribus did not respond, remaining silent. She stared at him but continued when he said nothing. "Did that, did that light come from me?" she stammered. Ahribus remained stoic as she looked around to see if there was another possible source for the light to have emanated. Everything around her was still, not even the darkness swirled. Was this the power he had referred to, the power that would allow her to become what she once was and more? Her mind was beginning to race, causing her anxiety to swell. She was losing the calm she had achieved and would obtain nothing if she allowed her mind to run wild on theories that she could not prove. Breathing deep, even though her form would not actually allow it, she locked her eyes on Ahribus's deep black pools that were his eyes and allowed herself to get lost in them, helping her to clear her mind. His eyes had once been a source of great fear for her, but now she drew nothing but comfort from him.

Rose was soon lost once more to empty thought, drifting through time, unaware of what may have happened in her world, a concern she could not allow herself to embrace. The time would come for her to focus on the events she had left behind, but she had no ability to affect them and would have to hope they either sorted themselves out or the time difference would allow her to still have an impact on the outcome.

As she floated, a glimmer of light appeared in Ahribus's eyes. Rose worked hard to remain focused on the being across from her, watching the reflection grow slightly brighter. It appeared to be coming from behind her, but she was not sure and would not be able to figure it out until she was able to turn around or the light got even brighter. Soon a shadow was cast onto the ground in front of her as the light grew, but Ahribus was still shrouded in darkness, as if the light could not fully reach him.

Feeling comfortable that the light would not change if she turned, she forced her form to spin, but the light did not come into view. In fact, it remained behind her, casting her smoky shadow across the ground in front of her as the light disappeared into the darkness around her. A feeling of warmth creeped onto her, causing her to turn back to look at Ahribus, but he was gone. The light flickered as she felt a tinge of loneliness at his disappearance. Being stuck in this place was bad but being stuck alone in such a dark and empty space seemed so much worse.

Her shadow disappeared as the light flickered, casting darkness around her once more. She finally realized the light was coming from her as it had come from Osepri, she needed to be strong and control her feelings of fear if she was to become the light the world needed, the being Ahribus needed her to become. Steadying herself she focused on the light rather than the emptiness around her and it returned to its unwavering and warming state. As she focused, she began to feel a strange sensation washing over her body, one that she had never felt before and was quite surprised because she had physically felt nothing other than the slight warmth from the light since being cast into smoke. The light shimmered more brightly as a suffocating feeling swelled inside of her. Fighting with all her might, she ignored the feeling as best she could and continued to focus on growing the light, which shined even more as the pressure proceeded to grow. Pain radiated through her as the light burst so brightly that her eyes burned, and she collapsed forward onto the ground. She had not noticed but her smoky form had begun to solidify, making her rigid as she struggled to push herself back up. The pain was immense and still growing. Her breathing had returned as hot air whisked its way down her dry and scratchy throat, singeing her lungs. Rose felt as though she was burning alive, a feeling she had never even imagined, a feeling she had cast upon so many others in her pursuit of revenge. Pulling the stiff and solid smoky appendages in front of her she tried to cry but was unable.

     The pain was too much, she could not stand it any longer. Rose tilted her head back to stare into the darkness above her. "Aahhh!" she cried out in anguish and panic, her desperation cracking through the empty space around her, but no one was there to hear, she was all alone.