Summer Garden

Trei

Trei watched, unable to move, bound by the chains encircling his wrists, feet and neck as the Fae slumped to the ground in front of him. He winced as he saw the man trying to scream, but all that emerged was black sludge as the man coughed and screamed, dying as his insides liquefied. Drowning in his own flesh.

The perpetrator sighed, kicking aside the dead body as if it weighed nothing. They took a seat, looking at him intently, "Now that we've dealt with that, how about you and I have a little conversation?"

He glared, lifting his chains, "I assume these are your doing?"

The woman nodded stiffly, "Of course. I'd hardly be willing to risk the strength of a ghoul, and the anger of a man who does not yet fully understand his situation. They're temporary. It'll take some time to explain how we ended up here."

Trei leaned against the rough blue stone wall, "Get started. I doubt Summer is going to give you long."

"For starters, Yio did lie to you, yes. You're not part Fate. Yio is also dead. Sumner killed her." The woman paused trying to bury her anger and reappear the calm and considerate host, "But you aren't human. Not really. I'm not certain if you ever were."

He flexed his wrists against the chains, wincing as he felt a sudden heat scorch him. "Yeah, not liking where this is going."

"Yio lied." The woman sighed, "You were dragged into this by Sumner, and so were we all. Even your little mortal friend."

Trei glared, "Vastras? She dragged herself into this."

"No, sorry." The woman replied, yawning, "The mortal stole her power from Sumner, a couple thousand years ago. In a sense, she bound her soul to Sumner's. All Fae are bound to Sumner. Sumner truly is your... What is the word mortals use? Soulmate? Your soul is a perfect fit for hers, and so you were bound. It was true fate that caused Sumner to resurrect you. Unfortunately, any soul bound to Sumner then became bound to you. Including Yio."

He considered her. It did make some sense. Summer was the goddess of the Fae, or something along those lines. But he'd been pulled in before. And he'd ended up having his soul nearly destroyed by the man lying dead on the floor. He wasn't in a trusting mood. Especially not to someone who had him kidnapped and put in magical chains.

She shrugged, "I don't need you to accept what I'm saying. I just need you to understand, mortal. To understand why you need to leave the Evening Realms and never return."

Trei glared, and the woman continued, "It is not possible for a Fae to imprint on a mortal. Sumner imprinting on you was the first time. The reasons became obvious rather quickly with just a tad of research. Your mother, she died when you were very young, did she not?"

He flinched, "You don't get to talk about her."

"I must." The woman retorted, waiting patiently as Trei strained against his chains, feeling them scorch his wrists. "Your mother was Valis, was she not?"

Trei stopped, sighing heavily and slid down the wall onto the ground. Instantly regretting it as the stone dug into his back. "Yes."

"She was a servant, in the household of Vinadras." The woman stated flatly, not waiting for confirmation, "Do you know his work?"

Trei sighed, glaring at the chains, "Lord Vinadras. He was a mage, experimenting with... Longevity. So far as I know, he died young from heart failure. He made a few gemstones and runes that are supposed to extend your life, but have a habit of exploding. I don't think anyone has ever found a way to make his work stable... But I'm not a mage. I don't know that stuff."

The woman grunted a confirmation, "Vinadras was an idiot. His magic was flawed. It would never work, and he knew it. He was attempting to turn a mortal soul into an eternal one. That sort of magical binding can't be contained by any gemstone. The magic is too complex. He did have a plan underway to correct that, when he died."

Trei sighed. He had been born on the street. His mother, homeless. So he really was Vinadras' child then. A vessel for his magic. Just another experiment. "So a mage was my father. So what?"

"Not Vinadras." The woman retorted, "Vinadras' soul was not eternal. He supplied the physical makeup for you, true enough, but he perverted your soul, whilst you were unborn. He bound you to an eternal soul. You were his attempt to create an immortal."

Trei glanced up, "Please. Don't."

"Vinadras stole the essence of an eternal from another mage." The woman continued, "From Vastras."

Trei winced, closing his eyes. He was bound to Summer, because his soul had been created from hers. That explanation fit. Disturbingly well. "So why does this mean I have to go?"

"Because you are a target." The woman growled angrily, "And when you die, and you will die, it will destroy a piece of Sumner's soul. It will unbalance the celestials. The Fae will lose control as their core is rocked. Sumner will not survive your death. She will break. The pain of your death will be irreversible. It will lead to madness. Your eternal soul marks you out like a beacon to the enemies of Sumner. Even that useless sack over there barely needed prompting before he found a way to trace you. You have the essence of a god in you, but not the power to defend yourself as one."

He sighed, glaring, "You want me to run, because if I get hurt, Summer will make them pay?"

"She will destroy this world. All worlds. She killed a Fate, mortal! For threatening you. No Fate has ever died before. No celestial would dare to kill another, except now, Sumner is willing to destroy us all for you. She will go to war with the heavens when you die, and it is when. You are still human. You may have been resurrected, but your death remains inevitable. Your soul is not eternal. Hers is. It may take a billion lifetimes, but she will still destroy all life when you die."

He shrugged, "I guess that means she'll kill you."