We have sat in silence for a time now, the questions that linger between us rising. My body is becoming cold outside of her embrace, the chill of the ice seeping back into my bones. Her eyes flit to my metal arm, looking to the etchings left by the being of lights blessing, then back to my eyes. Her mouth giving form to her thoughts.

“Those markings on your bionic…” Lunara begins, but I interrupt her. It is not her turn to ask, it is her turn to answer. I have earned this much.

“I will ask the questions. You will answer, or there will be nothing to say between us.” I say, the resolve the demon had started to forge is present in my mind. Her beauty less blinding than it was before.

My eyes focus onto hers; the lenses of her green contacts obstruct the truth behind her eyes.

“Remove them.” I say motioning to them.

She hesitates for a moment before she moves a hand to her eyes and takes them off, the deep purple swaying against the outline of black around her irises, my heart thuds in my chest for a moment before coming back to my control. I do not let the entanglement of our eyes distract me as I begin to form questions upon my lips now.

“You knew what using the Black Edict would do, yet you did not…” I pause, I find the words losing meaning, I do not care enough anymore to ask it, the point is moot, I am already going to die by it. These questions will not bring me closer to the futures I saw in the abyss, it will not bring me closer to the future that I wish to bring to pass. The future where my tribe lives, their chains shattered. I must focus on that, my life will soon be gone, this is all I can give them.

“I didn’t know how to tell you.” She blurts out, her eyes still locked onto mine, before I can ask the next question she continues “How could I tell you, that I am the reason you will die. Because I asked you to take that – thing… it is my fault that you are here, my fault that you will die on this planet. I couldn’t even get you to the Senate, couldn’t even…”

“Enough, I do not need your guilt, I have no use for it.” I say sternly.

She stops, her eyes falling to the ground for a moment, jaw clenching back the pain behind her eyes.

“The Black Edict, what is it, how do I control it?” I ask her, closely studying her eyes as they move to meet mine once more.

“You – want – to use it again?” she asks, her pupils constrict, her mouth ajar as she searches my eyes.

“It showed me a future – I will see that future become reality.”

My body shivers in the temperature, hers does not, she seems comfortable in the harsh cold of the ice cave. She looks at me strangely, tilting her head to the side. Weighing my words.

“Your body cannot handle the cold, let me give you warmth.” She says moving closer to me.

I scoot backwards, wary of her wiles that have ensnared me before.

“Kale, you will die in these temperatures, even in this cave that shelters, you…” I interrupt her again.

“You will answer my question. How do I control it, so I might reach the future it showed me?” I growl at her. There is little patience left in me. The cold bids me to hurry, thoughts of the demon fighting the being of light spurring urgency. If the being of light loses, I will surely be dragged back to the hellish embrace of the darkness. I need information quickly. Anything to fight it.

“Edicts do not show the future, even the Gods themselves…” she begins.

“Do not speak to me of your false gods.” I say, my hand touches my lips, were those my words? I feel the crawling under my skin again. It itches and burns. My focus pushes it away, there are so many questions I have, and I don’t know how much time I have to ask them.

Lunara looks at me, there is pity forming in her eyes, pity that calls my rage.

“How – do I control it?” I ask her again, the rage waits for my call.

“The Black Edict cannot be controlled, even among the cursed Edicts, it is in a class of its own.”

“There are others like it?” I ask, curiosity swelling in me as my eyes see she tells the truth.

“Not exactly, it’s hard to explain, there’s so much you would need to know as context.”

I raise my hand motioning to the cave of ice.

“Do you have some pressing engagement? Be quick with your explanations, time is short.”

“No, obviously not. It’s just that…” She trails off, closing the gap that has grown between us grasping my face.

My heart flutters for a brief moment as she is mere inches from my face. Her eyes look into mine, then she moves her hand to my neck, tracing something down to my chest. Her hands rip open my shirt and she lets out a loud gasp. Her mouth does not move to speak, in her eyes I see fear and sadness swirling.

My eyes trail downwards, looking at my now exposed chest. There are black lines tracing the veins of my body, flowing outwards from what’s left of my shoulder. The itching and burning now explained. My jaw clenches for a moment.

“How do I control it?” I demand once more. There is a sick feeling rising in me as I begin to see the edges of a shadow in the corner of my vision.

“Kale…” Lunara says putting a hand on my chest.

My heart drops as I hear the demon’s voice rattling in my mind. So soon? Did it beat the being swathed in light? Sekat.

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You cannot control me

Even trapped in this prison… My will is still my own

As it always has been… As it always will be

The shadow begins to take shape, emerging from the corner of my vision, it is the demon, appearing before me. It glides over to Lunara, leaning down towards her, examining her. A scowl forming in the swirling ooze of darkness that enshrouds it. Its eyes still do not open as it begins to speak.

This one reeks of blessings from False Gods… Even more than you

“Stay away from her demon!” I yell, pulling Lunara behind me now. My heart pounds as fear traces into my heart, the memories of the pain it gave me coming closer.

Lunara whirls around, looking about the cave of ice, her eyes turn back to me confused.

“There is nothing here… what do you see?” There is worry on her face.

My eyes blink twice and the demon is still there. Moving towards me now, I shift backwards, Lunara grasps me firmly in her embrace, holding me still. I thrash, trying to move away, but she is strong, stronger than me. The demon laughs loudly now as its hand moves towards me.

“There is nothing here, you are imagining it. Breathe, you are with me. It cannot hurt you here.” She says, trying to reassure me.

“How do I control it?” I plead, the fear of what comes rising to greater heights.

The being swathed in darkness places its hand to my chest, the pain from before ruptures as the blackened veins begin to pulse with a deep red. Lunara’s eyes grow wide as she sees it. She clutches me firmer. My mouth betrays me as it yells in pain. The demon leans into my ear and whispers to me now. Its other hand strokes my face, pain rippling from its touch.

Kill her

Take her power

The demon’s voice is becoming less distorted now that it has become a whisper. The edges of it softer, less abrasive. I can feel it crawling under my skin. Its words confuse me, how can one take another’s power? It is nonsensical to me. First it helps me save her, now it asks I slay her. Words froth from my mouth with the courage that dwells within me, defiance against this creature rising again.

“I will not.” I say, my heart pounding, the resolve trying to fight back against the fear. The demon laughs loudly in my ear before speaking.

“Won’t what?” Lunara asks, her grip becoming tighter, her breath is uneven like mine “Kale… what is happening?”

There’s that defiance of yours… Such a sweet smell it has

I shall enjoy rending you into oblivion

Making you mine

With that the demon rises upwards, its face twisting into a malicious smile once more. It raises a hand up. I can feel it pulling me to the realm of dreams now. Its pull engulfs me, strangling the will I possess to fight it.

***

Realm of Dreams

***

I am adrift in the torrents of water in the Realm of Dreams once more. My eyes move to the tree that once towered above, now gnarled and rotting. Upon the top of it sits the demon swathed in darkness. Red Lightning cracks behind them. They raise a single hand up and snap their shadowy fingers. The water becomes still, eerily so. I feel a calm washing over me, my body being pulled up from the water towards the demon. When I finally reach them, they begin to speak into my mind.

Of all those who have tried to wield my power

Your body of flesh is the weakest

Why has a False God chosen you… What do they see in you?

I am afraid, I wish that I were not, but fear ripples in my heart at the thought of the pain it will bring. Their words of my weakness does not stir my pride as it did before. It is strange to feel pride so low in my soul, buried and broken, it accepts that I am not enough, that it is not enough for what I need to do. There is something else that comes, bringing forth the will that has been growing within me. A will not of my own, but of my people, born through their strife. This will listens to the demons words without contempt, it seeks to find a way to use the demon. As it will surely use me.

The demon pulls me closer, I can feel it peering into me even with its eyes closed. It searches within my memories, peeling back the ones I have buried deep within, memories I wish to not dwell upon, memories etched into the darkest parts of my soul. The demon tilts its head at me, the slits of its closed eyes widen ever so slightly.

Your flesh may be the weakest

Yet your will is not

I will reshape your worthless body

Reshape the weak foundation of your soul

If only to spite the False Gods

Making you mine

The demon raises its hand and we rise upwards, the still waters erupt into large waves. Smashing against the small island of raised land which holds the tree. My soul begins to burn as the water erodes the land, rising higher and higher. The demon holds me up still as I watch the tree begin to tilt into the seas as the ground falls away. The demon places a hand on my chest now, images flooding my mind again. I see the path I must follow to find it.

If you can survive the pain

You will find a worthy death

Perhaps even grasping the future you desire

Pain flows through me again now, I feel weak, it feels like I am dying. Every single ounce of my existence thrashes against the will of the demon as it carves me open with its will. Breaking and remaking, again and again. I think of the future the demon showed me, pushing it into my mind with my own will.

“Ukar Yul Ada.” I say in the old tongue.

The demon howls with laughter, bringing my face close to its red slits and deranged mouth.

We shall see

It places its ebbing hand of darkness on my face. Pushing me back into the realm of reality where my body of flesh resides.

***

Realm of Reality

***

“Stay with me.” Lunara says rocking my body back and forth.

I feel the pain seeping into my body, my muscles twitching and contracting, my nerves all firing like I am back on Mallock’s table. This time is different though, this time I have more resolve, something that can pull my focus from the despair of pain. Something that makes my mind embrace the pain instead.

Lunara begins to hum a tune into my ear as my flesh tears under my skin, darkness filling it back in. As she rocks me back with tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, she whispers to me between the breaks in the tune.

“I have called her… she will come… she will know what to do… hold on.”

Barely hearing her words, the hum falling to the back of my thoughts as I focus past the pain at the words I spoke, they give me resolve to grasp the future I saw. The words that speak of the exchange of my pain for the safety of those I love. In the old tongue Ukar Yul Ada means – A price I would pay willingly in every life.