Until We Fly

Chapter 28: The Lost Soul

Köleil

"J...James..."
She mumbled, lifting herself up slowly.

As her eyes strained open, she saw nothing but the complete emptiness. A forever ongoing, black void that stretched out before her.
She was confused, as she usually was.
How people thought she usually was, at least.

This had happened before.
People had been there.
James and Nim. Others too but their stories are yet still unknown.
Either way, this shouldn't have been too shocking.

Except something was missing.
There was no enemy, no threat.
No Jūx.

She got up onto her feet and tried to figure out what was going on.
Köleil hadn't been here before.

She didn't recognise this strange, new world at all.
However, it stirred something in her fragile, corrupt little mind.

This place was an opposite.

When seeing the First in her dream that night, all around her was white. As if they had spoken inside the clouds of heaven itself.
But there were no clouds.
There was just light.

The First was floating, emitting an aura of light so very beautiful.
Her long, flowing gown and heavenly golden locks matched with the jewels creating the crown upon her head gave her that wonderful, goddess-like feel she'd always had.
Though Köleil had noticed something strange.
That when the First spoke to her, she bore lost, tired, sad eyes.
This had confused Köleil, but she had never questioned it.

The answer wasn't spoken for Köleil to ever hear.
As the First's eyes only wore sadness for her, and her alone.
And still, Köleil didn't know why.

Seeing the unforgiving opposite of something so wonderful only confused Köleil further.
She was curious. She wondered what this strange place was.
So she began to move.
She began to walk.

To walk an endless forward into the dark.
Poor Köleil.

Even when she thought she understood, the child was always lost.
But it wasn't her fault.
It was a choice others had made for her, in hopes it would protect her.
Did it work?
Who knows.
Whether it was better or worse was irrelevant now.
She had but no choice.
For she didn't even know there was a choice she could have once made.
Poor Köleil.

"James!"

Even with the knowledge of her Warrior's downfall, she called out his name.

In the beginning, the bond between a Guardian and Warrior was weak.
They were mere tools for each others use.
A weapon, a shield maybe. But not a companion or friend.

Things seemed easy that way.
So when a Warrior died the Guardian would not care.
A mild inconvenience in their day as they'd have to find another.
A relative perhaps.
Though overall, it didn't really matter.

But as time moved on, the newer Guardians began to see something in humans.
A spark that they couldn't understand.

Eventually, the relationships between Warriors and Guardians grew stronger.
Even to the point of love.