In Another Life

New Beings

Maya was in what could only be described as a dark void, floating in emptiness.

The next thing she knew, she felt a soft surface beneath her.

She could feel again.

Maya slowly opened her eyes and brought her hands up to her face.

She had hands. Two of them.

Even eagle claw was whole again next to her.

They looked perfectly fine, as did the rest of her, she noted as she sat up. She looked around and saw she was lying on a pile of layed out blankets, the room was small and empty, dimly lit by a few candles.

As she looked around, she saw something in the corner of her eye that made her do a double-take. Across the room from her was a figure laying on another pile of blankets, in dark armor with silver white hair. Her heart stopped as she gasped, tears brimming her eyes.

"Zatz."

Maya ran to Zatz, who was still unconscious. She slowly reached her hand out to him and ran her hand along his armor and then his face, as though one wrong move would make him disappear.

But she could feel him. He was there in front of her. Breathing.

A million more questions ran through Maya's mind, but she chose to push them aside for now.

She held his face in her hands as tears fell from her eyes, "Zatz." She shook him gently, "Can you hear me?" A tear that fell from her eyes landed on his face.

Maya turned her head to the sound of a door opening. Peaking through the doorway was a tall, pale goddess dressed in red, with long black hair, the open door letting in more light.

"Oh, you're awake, finally." The goddess said entering the room.

Maya's eyes widened at the deity before her. From her last encounter with the gods, she didn't know what to expect from them. For all she knew, the goddess before her had more twisted intentions than Mictlan.

As the goddess came closer, Maya's face hardened, holding Zatz close into the crook of her neck, afraid he was about to be taken from her again. Her other hand reached toward eagle claw, should the worse happen.

"Easy, my dear." The goddess said, "You've been through much already."

"Who are you?" Maya said, still holding Zatz.

"I'll explain, but let me wake him up first." She knelt beside Maya, and held out her hand, holding a marigold petal. Maya reluctantly let go of Zatz enough so that he was in the goddess' view.

The strange goddess placed her hand with the petal on Zatz's forehead. After a moment, she removed her hand. Maya watched Zatz for any sign of life.

Zatz slowly opened his eye, smiling weakly when he saw her, "Maya?" He whispered.

Maya had never been so grateful to see his red eye, "Yes. It's me. I'm here." She threw herself around him in a tight hug, crying tears of joy into his neck. He sat up and held her back, just as emotional as she was.

They both had a million questions running through their minds, but for the time, they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were both alive and they were never letting each other go.

When they pulled back, they looked into each other's tear filled eyes lovingly and shared a soft passionate kiss.

It wasn't until they pulled away that Zatz asked, "Where are we?"

"I can answer that." The goddess said.

Maya and Zatz turned to her, eager for answers.

"I am La Muerte. A goddess of death and ruler of the Land of the Remembered."