“Do you know of any possible method at all, that could heal her soul?”

“If there is, I lack the knowledge of such a thing.” Alanora had plenty of people come and visit her to try to cure her or fix her in some way. All attempts failed and she didn’t appear to believe any method existed. Even if there was a way to fix her soul, neither Yorais nor Kiran were capable of such a feat themselves.

Alanora remained unconscious on the table. He knew she didn’t have much time, but this was far less time than he expected. She hadn’t even been given the chance to experience life off of the altar for a full day and already, she was ending up like this.

To finally awaken back in her body, only for this to be the result. It was a tragedy that he saw no way to prevent.

A sickening feeling rummaged through him. He wanted to do more for her. But he was powerless to do so. If that altar couldn’t fix her, then what could?

Yorais exited the tent.

“What is the matter with her?” Bridella asked.

“It appears her soul is dying.”

“What? How can that be?”

Kiran began to cross his arms. “She was born with a defective soul. This was always going to happen. That altar she was on only delayed this moment.”

The frustration was quite evident on Bridella’s face. It was on everyone’s but especially hers. She gestured towards a guard. “Bring Lady Meredith here. I would not wish, even for her, to not be with her daughter during her last moments.”

The armored guard rushed and did as she said. She turned her gaze to Kiran and Yorais. “So her daughter wasn’t just ill. This certainly explains a lot of things.” Kiran didn’t disagree. Her mother had been trying to spare her daughter of his wretched fate. It still didn’t excuse her actions that ended up costing so many lives but it did change the way he and many others were likely to perceive Lady Meredith’s decisions.

In some ways, it was all the more tragic that things were turning out this way. They hadn’t technically planned on Alanora waking back up. If she did, that would’ve been great, but all they were capable of doing or planning was to simply remove her from that altar and restore this domain to its rightful place. But circumstances allowed for her to come back as she did only for it to lead to this conclusion. And because of that, she was able to deliver him some valuable information. But regardless of their successes, this whole situation made it feel like they had incurred a major defeat nonetheless.

Alanora’s situation was in many ways like that of a butterfly experiencing flight for the first time, only for their wings to be cut off immediately.

Lady Meredith began to approach them with several guards surrounding her. She wasn’t necessarily a threat, but they remained cautious of her at the same time.

“Unbind her hands,” Bridella said. The guard did as she ordered. “Your daughter is inside. You should be with her.”

“Why, what’s the matter?”

Bridella led her inside only to end up with wailing from her soon after.

Yorais went back inside as she clung to her dying daughter. Kiran followed feeling the misery swarm all around him.

“Why,” Lady Meredith said. “She seemed perfectly fine. I-I don’t understand.”

With an outstretched hand, Yorais began to channel a spell over Alanora. Light began to cover her entire body. “She will awaken shortly once I am through with this spell. I cannot heal her, however, so just know that she will not last for much longer.”

The light from her spell began to fade. Alanora began to awaken with a smile on her face. “Mother.”

Someone began to tap his left shoulder from behind. “Come,” Lar said. “Let them be by themselves.”

Kiran left the tent along with several others.

Frederek ran a hand across his face while Abigail appeared surprisingly sad. “I didn’t realize she was that unwell. After everything we witnessed in that cave seeing all that power swarm to her, I figured she would be fine.”

Bridella ended up sending a rider out to bring Lady Meredith’s daughter Evalia. Shortly thereafter she arrived and went into the tent as well.

“She doesn’t deserve to have this happen to her, especially on a day like this,” Frederek said.

“Such is the way of life,” Abigail replied. “Death is inevitable. It’s good that we remind ourselves of that.”

“Even so, it couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?”

For most, death was not something that could be chosen on any given day. It came when it pleased. Unfortunately, her death wasn’t to be like most others. She couldn’t even have that. Her very essence was to be removed entirely with nothing remaining.

“Yorais,” Frederek said, “can anything be done?”

“Like I told Kiran earlier, no. At least not by myself or anyone nearby. Her fate is sealed.”

At the very least, she was able to be united with her mother and sister. That was about as good as things could get for them all. It was better than her passing away without a chance to say goodbye at least.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

* * *

In the passing light of day, Alanora managed to cling on for hours. He remained outside not wishing to disrupt her last moments with her family.

He found himself sitting on a barrel remaining aware that at any moment, he may learn of her finally passing.

“I think despite this,” Juna said nearby him, “that she has received a great blessing.”

“What makes you say that?” Silvy said.

“She’s likely known all along that this would be her fate. Yet she still wanted to put a stop to all of this by awakening and fixing this domain knowing that doing so would lead to her end. She could’ve remained as an apparition by never helping us but that’s not what she did, now is it?”

Kiran would like to think he’d make the same decision if he were in her shoes. He wasn’t fond of the idea of being disconnected from his body. It was a lonely existence that she had to experience for many years. When she finally came across someone who could perceive her, she had done everything in her power to lead Kiran straight to her so that he could free her from that lonely existence.

Juna continued. “For her to spend time with those she loves when denied it for so long, I cannot imagine she would desire anything else with this life of hers. She has truly been blessed with this admittedly, fleeting time of hers that remains.”

He imagined Juna would do nearly anything to reunite with her own family. Her brother especially who she missed dearly. And of course, Fred. So when she said it was a blessing for Alanora to get this chance to be with her family, he could certainly understand that perspective.

At the same time, he still found it unfair, wrong, and utterly twisted. The way of this world ought to be different. Things shouldn’t be this way. Yet they were. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Suddenly, both Lady Meredith and her other daughter Evalia exited the tent. The lady herself began to approach him with a resigned look on her face. “She wishes to speak with you. You should go before it’s too late.”

“Are you—”

“Just go. We have made our peace with her.”

Kiran immediately went into the tent. Unlike the previous time he had seen her, she appeared quite sickly. Her pale skin was even paler and unusual looking. The texture was all wrong and her eyes were a bit sunken in.

She struggled to breathe as he stood by her side. She gazed up with a smile despite her deteriorating state of being.

He tightened both of his fists struggling to maintain his composure. He wasn’t even sure what to say to her.

“Why are you so sad? Can you not see how happy I am?” She began to stare directly above her keeping her hands placed on her sides. “I thought for the longest time, that I’d never get the chance to speak with them again. I prayed for countless days, for this moment to come. And you Kiran, granted me it.”

He knew the way of things, yet his mind protested the cruelness of this. How many more innocent lives have to die before they’ve been given a chance to experience a full life? How many more must reach this end?

“Kiran,” she said whilst attempting to grab one of his hands. He assisted her and allowed her to place his palm against her heart. “You feel it, don’t you? The beating of my heart and the power of my soul. Without the efforts provided by you and all the others, I would not have gotten a chance to feel what it is like to exist properly in my own body once more. I don’t mind that it will have only been for a short while. I have already lived a fulfilling life and I would not wish it to be any other way.”

Even now, he still struggled to say anything to her. She certainly could tell he toiled within trying to conjure up something to say. Yet the words would not come.

But he began to change his mindset or work towards changing it. She didn’t wish for him to be unhappy for her. She wanted the exact opposite. If he were to honor her as she passes away, then perhaps he ought to fulfill her desires.

“I see you’re at least trying,” she said with a slight chuckle. “It’s not that hard, now is it?”

He couldn’t help but grin a little. “For someone about to have their own soul wither away into nothingness, you’ve got quite the high spirits.”

“I’ve had plenty of time to work through these things.”

“I can see that. I hope if I’m ever in a similar position, I have just a quarter of this will of yours.”

His own soul was still broken, but it wasn’t dying like hers. If he died today or tomorrow, his soul would still exist and return to the root as far as he was aware. Perhaps that was the wrong assumption to make, but he didn’t even want to entertain the idea that whenever he dies again, his soul would be entirely expunged like hers was soon to be.

“May I ask you a question?”

“Ask any question you’d like,” he said.

“Do you intend on carrying out the purpose that’s been bestowed upon you?”

“I don’t think I really have much other choice. But I’m not going to rush after everything I’ve just gone through. I’m a fighter, but even I have to take a break every now and then.”

“I’m sure there’s enough time to spare. It just makes me happy to hear that you wish to fulfill your purpose the same way I have.” She began to grimace a little. “I fear that my time is nearly over.”

Kiran had Lady Meredith and Evalia come into the tent to be with her. He ended up being there with them since she wanted him there during her last moments as well.

Evalia began to weep. Alanora touched her hand that gripped the edge of the table. “It’ll all be fine dear sister. Be strong for me.”

He had seen plenty of death before in this life and the previous one. He had never seen someone outright die in the way she was about to.

Unlike most deaths, Alanora was not taking it the same way most did. She had come to terms with death. She held onto a smile not fearing it or wishing for salvation. She accepted it fully, feeling truly content with the life she had experienced up to this point in time. Her soul was a truly precious one.

But even those who are good in the truest sense of the word would have their subsequent fall. Hers had unfortunately come far too soon.

Like that of a star in the sky forever blinking, until one day it blinked no more, the life that dwelled in Alanora, ceased entirely.

He half expected for something noticeable to occur. But nothing observable did. She simply lay there unmoving as her sister wept uncontrollably.

Lady Meredith wept as well but maintained her composure far better.

Out of respect, he chose to leave the two of them alone.

Everyone eyed him as he made it outside the tent. They all understood quite well by the look he gave them, that she was in fact dead with an expunged soul.

Out of her wishes, he tried to not feel too sad. He did of course. He was human after all. But she wished for him to be happy for her, so he tried his hardest to feel that way.

She had indeed lived a fulfilling life. She liberated this domain with their help. Most wouldn’t ever accomplish a small fraction of what she managed. For that alone, she would need to be remembered in some capacity. Her body and soul may have expired, but that didn’t mean the memory of her had to. In a way, that would be the means by which she could become immortal defying the horrid death she just experienced. If he could in some way grant that to her, he would gladly do so before he was to leave this domain to pursue some destiny calling for him.