Song of Shadow and Light (BxB)

Chapter 17

[xxx]

Just like the plague realm, after finding the portal back to their world, Kaelan destroyed the crown. Before they went to the other side, Kaelan glanced back at the castle that was crumbling to the ground. Xaphan mentioned that Kaelan never killed him in his past lives. Kaelan may not have killed him this time either, but he was a part of the demon's demise. Thaddeus took his hand and led him through the portal. 

With the realm destroyed, the overbearing heat in the mortal realm disappeared as well. Nothing was burning any longer, but everything nearby was in shambles. The fire ruined so much.

"Are you okay, Kaelan?" Thaddeus asked when the cleric was silent.

Kaelan nodded, but he wasn't okay. Deep down, he felt torn apart. He questioned the things he learned from Xaphan, and now he was questioning his own strength. He was supposed to be the chosen one, but he didn't feel like it. He felt weak.

He glanced down at himself, ashamed of his weakness, but also ashamed when he saw his attire. His robes were a mess; the burn marks exposing the majority of his chest and legs. He couldn't look Thaddeus in the eyes as he asked, "Um . . . may I have your coat?"

Thaddeus shrugged off his coat, then wrapped it around Kaelan's shoulders. "We should set up camp and get you in proper clothes. There should be some spare ones in one of the trunks."

The warrior reached into his bag and pulled out a small cube. It didn't look like much, but it was the artifact he used to make their first tent. It came stocked with plenty of supplies they would need on their journey. Azai made sure to pack as much as he could for the men before they set off. Thaddeus tossed the cube to the ground and upon landing, it transformed into a large tent.

Kaelan was amazed when the artifact transformed before his very eyes. The first time Thaddeus put up the tent, Kaelan was passed out. It made him wonder what other artifacts Azai gave Thaddeus. There had to be something else in his bag, but Kaelan didn't want to question it right now. Upon seeing the tent, exhaustion hit him. He couldn't wait to curl up on one of those beds.

When Kaelan pushed aside the flaps of the tent, the first thing that he went for was the bed. The bed was neatly made, unlike how they left it the last time they were there. He fell on the bed, lying on his stomach. He could go to sleep right then and there, but his mind kept racing. He couldn't get the things that Xaphan said out of his head. Could it really all be true? There was a possibility that the vision he saw was false. Xaphan could have been showing Kaelan a lie. He had no way to prove it.

But Xaphan seemed to genuinely love Kaelan. Or at least, he loved who Kaelan used to be. The cleric could never return those feelings to someone that he didn't know. Maybe his soul was the same each time, but Kaelan wasn't the same person. He had his own thoughts, his own feelings, his own experiences. He didn't want to believe he was stuck in a never-ending cycle of being reborn only to suffer the same fate in the end.

Then there were the things Xaphan said about Thaddeus. Who was Thaddeus truly and where did his powers come from? Kaelan had known Thaddeus ever since they were children. The warrior never had such powers before when they were growing up, but maybe those powers were dormant until the time was right. There was always a darkness that seemed to follow Thaddeus around, even if it was only faint when they were younger. Kaelan never would have guessed that Thaddeus might have powers from a high demon.

He felt pressure on the bed as Thaddeus sat beside him. The warrior was gentle as he rubbed Kaelan's back. The feeling was soothing. It made him think of Thomas, who always tried to comfort him after a long battle. He was able to let himself relax as he enjoyed Thaddeus' touch.