Two Strands of Fortune

Season 2 Episode 17 - Embrace the Shadows

[ERIC'S POV]

My eyes wandered open and my vision cleared as I came to find myself in an endless plain. I sat up slowly, gathering my bearings. I looked down at my body and thought 'Am I not dead?' I put my left hand up to my neck and moved my neck around in circles. I definitely thought my neck had been snapped, or something to that degree. I stood up with little to no effort. I looked around, back and forth, and didn't seem to find an exit. "Alec, if this is one of your tricks again you're dead when I get out of here."
There was no way that I could get out. After looking around for a while, my eyes landed on Ezekiel, wearing some sort of purple robe. I ran up to Ezekiel, hoping to find some answers. "What is going on?"
Ezekiel seemed just as confused. He looked down at his new outfit, closely inspecting the purple robes. "Huh, being dead doesn't look that bad."
"Hello?" I waved my hand in front of his face to get his attention. "Earth to Ezekiel."
"Oh sorry. I forgot to mention I'm dead now." He looked back up at me.
"You're dead?" I squinted at him.
"Yeah. Did no one tell you?" He muttered.
"Um, not really, no."
"So, basically, all this time that I spent in outer-space threw the balance between our powers and human bodies way out of whack. Since I used up the rest of the power that I had left in that last battle, I accidentally made myself go..."
"Kaput?"
"Yes, kaput."
"But, if you don't have your post anymore, who's going to take over?" I asked.
"Isn't it obvious?"
My eyes widened. "There's no way that I can possibly get powers again."
"Why not?"
"The last time I had powers I lost the Forest Broach, got turned into an Anti-Elemental and wreaked havoc like there was no tomorrow."
"So, you're scared because last time shit hit the fan?"
"Yes!" I groaned.
"Look, what happened to you wasn't your fault, and neither were the things that Ineptus did. You weren't yourself that time, and you were not of sound mind."
"What if I mess up again?" I could feel a lump forming in my throat. "What if I fail as a Guardian? What if I hurt people again? What if..."
"Enough with the What ifs. Look, you recognising what you did was wrong, and wanting to take responsibility for your past, shows that you've more than redeemed yourself. I'm so quick to anger sometimes, and I hurt the people I love when I lash out, but working to control and regulate my emotions helped me to do better. You doing the work to do better proves that you've changed."
A smile started to emerge across my face.
"If you're ever feeling unsure, just remember that doing right in the present rectifies the wrongs of the past." Ezekiel opened his arms up to me, suggesting a hug. Wasting no time at all, I wrapped my arms around him and shut my eyes as I did so. In the darkness of my eyelids, I saw bright purple sparks manifest and form a crescent moon with a circle around it. A shimmer of light slid across the symbol, and then it exploded.
Was this my chance to prove myself?