The world is divided into two categories of individuals: those who believe that destiny is preordained and those who believe they can shape their own path. Lianne identifies with the latter group. However, growing up in the dazzling light of Lys, sh...
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I watched as the color of the sky gradually faded into various shades, oscillating between orange and purple, dispersing into the black of the impending night. We were walking in the garden, and Deimos had suggested taking a break from all the dark and gray events that had crowded our days that week. Refusing to be apart from me even for a single second, except for the half hour he took to wash and dress, he had spent the entire day with me, declaring it a "day just for the two of us."
I genuinely appreciated his attempt to distract me from my personal catastrophes, but it was difficult for me to divert my thoughts from what I had seen the previous evening. I no longer felt the same; it seemed like I had lost my identity, which had collided with the darkest and most painful secrets of my parents' past and exploded into a thousand pieces in which I saw myself reflected, struggling to fit them back together. We had reached the lake, and I was staring at my reflection in the water, its colors shifting in the typical evening shades; it was as unstable as I was. My moods were swaying exactly like the surface of that gigantic pool when it was brushed by the light breeze that blew in the later hours of the afternoon. The only difference was that my turmoil had been more like a cyclone.
"Every time I think of you, this is the place you occupy in my memories," Deimos said, smiling, his face illuminated by the soft sunlight, coloring it a light orange. He was right; this had always been the place where I had taken refuge in both happy and not-so-happy moments. I was lost, and he knew it; he was doing everything to keep me afloat, but he couldn't quite manage it.
I felt the ground leave from beneath my feet, and it took me a moment to understand what was happening until I realized I was in his strong arms. He had opened his wings, and as always, seeing them was a great thrill for me, giant and imposing, silver-colored, shining brightly in the afternoon warmth, illuminated by the pale beams of the sun that was making way for the moon.
"Where are we going?" I asked, surprised.
"I could say to the Moon, but that would be cliché, don't you think?" He hadn't lost his good humor. I envied his radiant beauty even more; it filled the eyes of anyone who gazed upon him. I felt like an amoeba, forced to nourish myself with his vitality to sustain my own existence. He pointed to the tall, smooth rocks beside the lake, and I sensed that was our destination. I nestled in his arms, and when he let me down, I gently caressed his wings. They were as soft as I had imagined.
"If I didn't know for sure from the way you're staring at them, I'd find it hard to believe you have wings too," he said, his warm and reassuring tone tinged with irony. He let me down onto the top of the rock. He gently touched my face, which blushed upon contact with his hands. He closed his wings and pushed backward, diving into the lake. In reflex, I opened mine and followed suit, splashing into the water.
"Are you okay?" I asked, worried, as I touched the transparent surface that had engulfed him. He emerged and pulled me under with him, pushing us deep. The water stung my open eyes; my hair floated wildly around me, and my armor suddenly felt heavier. He pulled me to him, kissing me, surrounded by the darkness yet illuminated by the glow of the depths, the light filtering down from the surface. After a few seconds, I felt the need to resurface for air, and he followed, twirling in the water. He pulled me to the grassy edge of the lake; we found ourselves sitting in shallow water, our knees poking out.
