Dawn of Faith

Chapter 13

His words echoed emptily in my mind. I was frozen with disbelief, every gear in my brain grinding to a screeching halt. I couldn't accept it, wouldn't accept it.

"No..." I whispered, losing all strength in my voice. My body felt limp and useless, his words sucking the life out of my blood. The truth was inescapable. He was a lost spirit now, with no belief and no purpose. He would fade. He would disappear. I would lose him again. The chirping birds became bittersweet, their tune no longer so cheery.

I shook my head, holding him tighter and burying my face in the dark fabric against his chest. "I won't let you go. As long as I'm around, you won't fade! I won't allow it...I..." Tears began to slip down my cheeks as the weight of my words collapsed on me. There was nothing I could do to prevent it. There was not a thing I could do to protect him and keep him by my side. I was powerless to stop his inevitable fate.

Where would he go? What would happen to his soul? Would he drift away in time, a mind without entity? Or would he fade forever and lose his consciousness, reduced to nothing more than a mere memory? The questions spiraled out of control as salty droplets dripped from my cheeks to the grass below.

"Dawn." Pitch took a hold of my shoulders gently and stared into my face. His rich golden eyes held resignation, serenity, peace. He smiled, and the acceptance lacing the lines of his lips made my heart break in two. "I am not afraid of fading. I knew this day would come. And as I sit here beside you, I feel as if every child in the world knows the name of Pitch Black. You are my strength, and your compassion ignites my soul. As long as I am by your side, I shall have the strength to fight. As long as we battle Fear, I have a purpose, I have a reason to stay."

Wiping tears from my dampened face, I sighed heavily, resentment boiling. "If not for Fear, we wouldn't have to worry about you disappearing...we'd be happy and content, watching over the children together and..."

Pitch cut me off by placing a finger against my lips. "Now is not the time for regrets, Dawn. Come. We must meet up with the Guardians. I sense the damage is already spinning out of control."

As he went to stand I caught his wrist, pulling him back down beside me. I curled my arms around his back, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. Selfishly I clung to him, unwilling to let go. It was so quiet and serene, away from Fear, away from the rest of the world. I was scared of this future. I was afraid of his fading. I didn't want to risk losing him again. But deep down, I knew we had to find the Guardians, and we had to defeat Fear.

No matter the cost.