Dark Faïz (Book 2) [Completed]

Chapters 10-1

The noise of the crumpled sheets woke me. I blinked several times to be sure of what I was seeing. Victoria was sitting on the other side of the bed where Faïz was still sleeping. I didn't recognize the place. The three of us were in the middle of an impressive building with azure blue cast iron frames covered with thousands of transparent panes. This crystal palace-like greenhouse housed a magnificent winter garden lit by a sparkling sun. My gaze immediately fell on Faïz who, to my greatest relief, was still sleeping soundly. Sitting by his side, I had watched him all night for fear of losing him.

"Can he hear us?" I asked Victoria, who was watching me, silent.

"No, it's just you and me. You don't seem surprised to see me."

"Indeed. The sunlight surprises me more. I almost forgot that sweet feeling of warmth on my skin."

"I came to you, Zoe, to tell you that I'm called to go to the other side. My time has come. I am freed from the bark of my soul, because you finally agreed to let me go."

I tilted my head to the side and closed my eyes to keep my tears from falling.

"Already?" I whispered. It was too early.

"One day or another, the source calls us back when we finally find peace. And I found it. Take care of mine."

"We're not done. I still need you!"

Victoria grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.

"We will meet again. You mustn't have this image of Heaven or Hell, because at the risk of disappointing you, they don't exist. Zoe, it's stronger than all that."

"Will we be able to save everyone?"

Victoria's eyes darkened. She withdrew her hand from mine to place it on the bed.

"I don't know. No one knows. If you fail, the war won't end there. There will always be something else sent to wipe out the evil. You are just one of his plans."

"Kushisake, she said my soul was cursed. What did she mean?"

She looked at her brother. Her gaze, filled with tenderness towards him, was tinged with immense pain.

"If you fail against The Maestro, you will lose everyone dear to you. Your soul will never find peace. The bark that surrounds it will cling to it, preventing it from rising towards the source. If you succeed in destroying evil, then you will have saved a large part of humanity. But this victory will cost you. You will accompany some that you love to the brink of death. Either way, you're not going to get away unscathed. This is what Kushisake saw."

Victoria kissed her brother's forehead to say goodbye. Her words were a real shock.

"It's my destiny, then," I whispered to myself.

"Nothing happens by chance. You can make a difference. The universe gives—"

"The universe gives what we ask of it, I know."

This sentence was beginning to make its way into my mind.

"Where did the Zoe devoid of all spirituality go?"

"We have to believe that she left this world. I feel like I have lived several lives in less than a year."

She looked at me with an amused grin. I soaked up that little smile on her lips, her facial features, the color of her skin, and her warm glance. Deep inside, I knew it was the last time I would see her. Victoria walked to the entrance of the greenhouse. The sunlight was starting to dim; she was taking it with her. Before she crossed the exit, something came to my mind.

"Thank you for saving me when I was in danger in the fiery desert with Kushisake. I felt your arms come up to take me back to life. Without you, I would have drowned."

Faïz's sister bowed her head and frowned. She seemed, at first, surprised by my words, then very quickly, a feeling of anxiety settled on her face.

"It wasn't me in the desert. Someone else saved you. There are still a lot of things you don't know, Zoe."

Victoria disappeared without saying anything else, leaving me with all my questions and a huge void.