Kingdom of Life and Death (The Fifth Element Chronicles)

Chapter 9 "Deal" [part 2]

Pirates took deals very seriously.

It was the way they survived, making deals to get things.

However, he did not react as I expected.

He started to laugh.

'Caelus...'

'You must be joking. There's no other explanation,' he told me with a fake smile.

He knew I was serious, he just didn't want to accept it.

And I knew what I was asking was too much. 

But I had no choice.

'When I was about to kill my sister, because that's what the shadows were going to do and you know that, you were able to reach me. You went through the shadows because you have shadows too. You're the only one who could get close enough to stop me. You're the only one who could do it.'

The power I was risking my life for was something only spoken of in stories. The power of all the signs in one individual. One person controlling the power of all the elements of the world. That alone was dangerous. If I thought about my shadows controlling that power... that could be catastrophic.

If I was trying so hard to save everyone, I just didn't want to be the one who ended up being the cause of all their suffering.

'Caelus, you know you're the only one who can do it.'

'No.'

'Please.'

'My answer is no. There's no way I could... I can't even say it.'

I stepped forward a few paces.

'I know what I'm asking you is crazy, but if that were to happen... I need to know you won't let me become the monster I could be.'

'I can't.'

'Just because you promise you'll do it, it doesn't mean it will actually happen. I'll do everything I can to control it, I swear. I won't fall back so easily. Your... your friendship is helping me already.'

Friendship.

Yeah, right.

'And knowing that I won't become a cold-blooded murderer would help me too.'

Without uncrossing his arms, he took a step closer to me.

'I...'

'Just tell me you'll stop me, that you won't let me become that. Please Caelus, if you really have feelings for me, you'll say yes.'

'That's not fair.'

'None of this is. This power, the fact that I have to be the one to get it, the shadows. All this...'

'It's my fault, I'm the one who awakened the shadows in you.'

'No Caelus, you're the one helping me control them. I don't even want to imagine what would have become of me if you weren't by my side when they woke up like that.'

With just a glance, a second between us, I begged him to see the desperation in my soul not to become my worst nightmare.

To think of hurting everyone I loved, that was already pure suffering.

'You must be the one to stop me.'

'I won't be able to.'

'So you'll let me become that?'

'I would never let you become that. Is that good enough for you? Because that's all I can offer. I'll do anything to keep you from becoming that, that's my promise.'