Sound and Fury Ch. 7 – Presto! Acquiring the Required
Author's Note: Hello everyone, this is Chapter Seven of Sound and Fury. I know you guys may be a little bit confused as to what is currently occurring over all in the story. And if that is the case: good. It's supposed to be a little confusing. I know some readers have been having a hard time understanding the story so I'd just like to remind you all that everything in this is from Sona's POV. Every time you read something that's in first person that is not dialogue it's Sona's view on events. I hope you guys continue to enjoy this romantic ride through the deep recesses of the mind and psychosis of our beloved maven. The Song to listen to for this chapter is: Broken by Seether and Amy Lee.
'I'm sorry.' Those were the only two words he was able to say to me. He was going to risk his entire life to resurrect some stupid Goddess that the world had been just fine without for millennia and all he could say to me for taking a chance that could cause me to lose him forever was 'I'm sorry.' I couldn't even begin to form the words or gestures I need to explain just how upset I was about this. I already felt stupid and foolish for what we had done earlier in the library together. What was I thinking? We'd only known each other for a week or two. I just couldn't wrap my head around it: was this another part of his magical allure? Ever since I'd first learned about…that sort of thing…when I was a teenager I've always been repulsed by the idea of putting a man's…well you know, in my mouth. I mean the thing's very function within itself was to be used to pee. That's disgusting, yet there I was eagerly sucking and swallowing his equipment without even a slight hesitation. That goes far beyond simple love or a school girl's crush I imagine. Something had come over me, I wanted to give him just as much pleasure as he had given me. I just didn't understand, why every time I was around him my heart raced, my body craved his attention, and I clung on to every word uttered from his lips.
As more thoughts raced through my mind, I followed Ryze and Kori or Yildizlar or whatever the hell his name was in to the darkness of the library's basement where Ryze told us he kept the spell Kori sought. I wasn't going to say the spell 'we' sought, because in all honesty if I had it my way we'd just leave this place right now and not even glance back over our shoulders. Ryze opened up an old wooden door holding the lantern high to light our way and as we came in he held up his hand stopping me just inside the dusty room. "I'm afraid I will have to request that you stay by the door Sona. These scrolls are incredibly delicate and given your natural affinity for bardic magic I'd ask that you please remain here." I looked at him raising an eye brow. That sounded like a bunch of crap but then again, Ryze was the expert on all things magic. I stood there as he walked forward Kori in his wake before he stopped near the center of the room before turning back to Kori.
"I'm really sorry about this…but some things are best left alone than brought back to the surface…"
"Sorry? What?" Kori began when suddenly the tattoos on Ryze's body began to create an eerie glow. Immediately a cage of light formed around Kori keeping him still. Kori began to thrash at the bars trying to escape and as I went to help him the light from the cage illuminated the room showing an intricate magical circle in which Kori was in the center.
"No!" I cried out, but it was too late. Ryze dropped his spell book to the ground, the pages fluttering madly before falling open on the desired page. Ryze made some sort of fluid gesture causing brilliant chains of light to lash out towards Kori, wrapping around his wrists and ankles preventing him from any movement at all. Ryze walked towards him slowly. "Ryze! Please, don't hurt him!" I begged through tears but Ryze simply looked into Kori's eyes.
"I am sorry to do this to you young man…but I have a responsibility to this world. The dead should remain so. No one has the right to bring someone back from the grave." As he spoke an orb of bright white light formed in his hand as he shoved it into Kori's chest causing him to scream in pain and agony. I could barely stand to watch but I couldn't force myself to look away. I didn't have my etwahl, I didn't have anything I could use as a weapon. I felt so helpless to just sit there and watch as Kori suffered. As Ryze slowly began to pull his hand from Kori's chest cavity he pulled with it a glowing lavender crystal the size of my fist. He held it out in front of Kori's eyes making him watch.
Kori shook his head pulling against the chains. "No! Please don't do it!" He cried as Ryze looked him dead in the eye.
"Trust me boy…this is for your own good." And in one swift movement Ryze's hand formed a ball around the crystal flooding it with magical energy until it was utterly destroyed, no remains of it present any longer. I saw tears streaming down Kori's eyes as he watched Ryze destroy all that he had worked to find his entire life before the chains and light prison faded, causing him to fall to his knees. My chest immediately began to hurt, I felt like there was a hollow sensation in side of me as I looked towards Kori. Nothing had changed about him, he looked exactly the same to me but…something was different. Now he wasn't some amazing thing, he wasn't some miracle that had fallen into my life…now he was just…him.
"How…how could you?!" He cried out. "You just killed the one person who could bring them back! The only person who could bring back my friends, my family and now she's gone forever!" He stood up angrily. "You've done more to me than my father or Nocturne has ever done!" he growled as he reached to his aara and with a swift movement he attempted to draw it from his belt, but the thing simply vanished into smoke. He looked at his hands puzzled as Ryze turned to him.
"The crystal that fueled your magic is gone child. Don't even bother trying to come for me. The only thing that stopped me from completely killing you is the fact that I care enough for Sona as to not wish to see her traumatized." Traumatized? Why would I have been traumatized from Kori's death? I mean yeah we were friends but I'd hardly call us anything more than that. As soon as the thoughts ran through my head I realized what had happened. All of Kori's magic was gone, all of his abilities, all of his powers, vanished in the blink of an eye. And with it, so did my infatuation and obsession. I was finally free of his magical grasp and now I began to realize he was right…
I didn't love him. Not even a little. The mysterious appeal he had that had managed to seduce my affections for him was no longer present and to be completely honest it was one of the most liberating feelings I'd ever experienced. Unable to do anything anymore Kori simply sank to his hands and knees tears dripping from his eyes to land on the cold stone floor. Ryze simply stepped around him before brushing past him. I turned to follow him out of the room when I heard Kori's voice behind me. "Sona?" He asked softly. I looked over my shoulder at him confused.
"Please…" he begged, "don't tell me that I've lost you too…" I glared at him my voice echoing in his mind.
"For the last two weeks you've been controlling my emotions, manipulating how I think, how I felt."
"But I…"
"No. I am the one who is speaking for myself now, not your twisted and corrupted magic. You Kori are nothing more than a conceited pretty boy who's only real ability that ever existed was manipulating people like marionettes but not anymore. Not me. I don't even know what I ever saw in you…as if anyone could honestly love someone who would pull the shit you've pulled." With that I turned, my summer dress fluttering behind me as I went to ascend the stairs leaving the stunned silent Kalashtar in the darkness of the basement room.
"But I…" he whispered softly to himself as no one else was longer around. "I didn't mean to do it…I do genuinely love you…" but his confession fell on deaf ears. I had no intention of listening to him anymore. As I ascended the stone steps I grabbed a pair of peppermints from the bowl on Ryze's desk. The last thing I wanted was to have any remnant of the taste of his seed in my mouth. I quickly popped them in as Ryze looked at me curiously.
I smiled softly at him with a light sigh. "Thank you Ryze…it is nice to have some control over myself again." Ryze looked at me confused.
"What do you mean Sona?"
I frowned softly. What did I mean? The master rogue magician didn't know what I was talking about? "I'm talking about his spell! You know, the one he was using to alter my emotions and control me. You broke it, and I'm thanking you for it." Ryze frowned softly.
"Sona…" he whispered. His next words caused my heart to nearly stop. "He wasn't casting a spell on you."
"I…what? No! That can't be right. I mean all of the things I did, everything I said! Those weren't my thoughts, those weren't my feelings! I'm not the sort of person who in a week or two just sucks off whatever guy happens to be around. He made me do that, it was not something I did by choice." Ryze nodded softly in agreement.
"Yes, perhaps he did…but what I'm saying is that he didn't do it actively. He may have charmed or bewitched you with some sort of magical aura, but it wasn't a spell of his own casting."
"I don't understand."
Ryze sighed softly pulling off his glasses and wiping them down with a piece of cloth. "Sona, there are two types of magic in this world…spells, which must be cast. That is it requires some sort of ritual, some kind of essence or skill that must be used as a reagent in its activation. Your magic is one such thing." I nodded.
"Yes, yes but what does that have to do with this?"
"Patience child. The other kind of magic is known as passive magic. There are magical effects that one has no control over. To put it simply think of it like this. What if your music was out of your hands, what if your etwahl simply played itself no matter what you tried to do to stop it."
I frowned. I knew from personal experience that that was a nightmare. I shuddered as I wrapped my arms around myself; the thought of Lady Buvelle's untimely demise at the hand of the etwahl's sentience playing on a loop in my head like a recurring nightmare, over and over again.
"That Sona, is what had influence over your actions. He didn't mean for that to happen to you, in fact I sense that he wanted more than anything for the real you to love him. I mean, otherwise…and not to make this more awkward than it already is…why would he have pleasured you first…if he really was manipulating you he could have just made you pleasure him and only him but he made a conscious effort, a decision to try to make you happy." I frowned. No way, that's not the case. There was no way that this thing was an accident I refused to believe it.
"I don't know Ryze. Maybe he gets off on that sort of thing, who knows? It wasn't me, that's all I know and that's all I need to know. He's nothing more than a horny animal sniffing around where he doesn't belong. No one wants him here so he should just go home." Ryze looked at me with the coldest eyes I'd ever seen him have.
"He can't." I blinked. What? "He can't go home Sona. He may not have told you this, but he can't return to the dream realm. Once you've crossed over, that's it. You're done. You can't come back and that's the end of it." I pointed at him. He had crossed over multiple times he had even said so. "Sona…have you ever heard of a lucid dream? It's a dream where you're aware that you're dreaming. It allows you to gain a control of your mind's universe and create any fantasy you desire…but for people like you or I who are bound to Dol Quor…it simply means we can have something of an avatar there. I've observed the realm, just as you have…but I can't live in such a place and neither could you."
This wasn't fair, I wanted to be angry, and I wanted to hate him so much. He'd manipulated me, he'd lied to me, he'd hurt me multiple times over and yet despite all of that I still felt sympathy for the 'man of my dreams' as he referred to himself. I sighed softly knowing what I had to do. As I began the walk back down the basement I could have sworn I saw the smallest hint of a smile on the corners of Ryze's mouth. When I opened the door Kori was hunched over on the ground, still crying like a baby. I swallowed softly, unsure of what to say. I walked towards him and gently put a hand on his shoulder causing him to turn in surprise. "Huh?! Oh…it's you Sona…" he almost sounded worried that I'd hurt him again, which did absolutely nothing to ease my reluctant guilt. "I'm sorry, I'll leave now…I know I'm not allowed to be here without a champion present…" he started to stand up but I pushed him back down to the ground.
"Oh no you don't." He looked at me puzzled.
"Sorry?"
"No. You don't get to be sorry. Sorry doesn't even begin to cover the hell you've put me through Kori." He looked down at the ground his tears welling up. "You've lied to me Kori, lots of times. You've deceived me, you've manipulated me…" He simply remained quiet. I sighed softly taking a deep breath before sitting on the ground in front of him. "But…you've also been there for me." He turned to look at me and I smiled softly laying his head in my lap. I gently stroked his silver hair with a smile. "You've done everything in your power to protect me Kori, you even nearly died for me…never in my life have I had a friend before…the only one I had was my etwahl…and even that's betrayed me before. I guess…what I'm trying to say is…I'm not going to leave you all on your own Kori…you're my best friend…and I care about you far too much to let you just fade away from my life."
His eyes gleamed like soft jade as he stared up into mine and I softly caressed his cheek. Yes…a friend. Despite all of the pain he had caused me I know that he had spent a majority of his life making it right, and I knew that all of the anger I had couldn't stay with me forever. He'd apologized multiple times…the least I could do was forgive him.
"Does this mean that you still love me?" he asked softly. I felt my breath suddenly become heavy like lead. I knew my answer nearly immediately, and I also knew that my answer would hurt him…badly. But I couldn't lie to him, I had to be honest with him if I expected the same from him. I shook my head softly. "Oh. I see." He said and I could tell from the empty look in his eyes that he was contemplating something in his head.
"Well…I do love you…sort of…" I started. "But…not in a romantic sense I suppose…" He looked up at me confused.
"How do you mean?" I sighed softly.
"Look Kori…things…things are going to be different between you and I. Very different. I want you to live in my house with me Kori…but there will be ground rules. One is that you're not sleeping in my bed anymore. Kori…if you seriously are in love with me…if you really want me to be more than just your friend…" I held my breath. I couldn't believe I was saying these things to him. "You're going to have to work your way up from the bottom…like a normal guy would. I know that we've shared a moment or two together…" I began, "but that won't happen again…not until you prove to me that you can be someone I can spend my future with."
He looked deep into my eyes and gently he reached up running his thumb over my cheek. He silently leaned up and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek causing me to blush. "Thank you…Sona." He whispered softly before laying his head back down in my lap.
"Don't thank me just yet. From now on you're going to have to start pulling your weight around the house." He looked at me confused.
"But…you've got an entire staff of servants…"
"That's right…but they don't come very often and occasionally I need a hand doing certain things around the house. I may need your help cooking or cleaning or…well something like that at the least." He giggled softly.
"I'd be happy to do whatever you asked of me…Lady Sona." My hand stopped mid stroke as my cheeks became even redder than before.
"You just love making me flustered don't you?"
"Of course I do. You're absolutely adorable when you're blushing. But listen Sona…I want you to know…that I am sorry. I tried to warn you about the effect that I often have on people when we first met. I know that's not an excuse for what I did…I just couldn't help myself…all I wanted was to make you happy…and that seemed like what would make you happiest." I covered his face with my hand to block out the adorable puppy dog eyes he was giving me.
"Alright, alright! You're forgiven, just stop looking at me like that. If you keep being so damned cute I'm going to have to put a collar on you and walk around with you on a leash." I felt him playfully lick my hand and I grimaced wiping it off on his shirt. "Eww. You're so weird you know that?"
He smiled softly. "The best of us are Sona."
I smiled back and nuzzled against him. "As romantic as this place is Kori, I'm thinking we should probably get out of here before Ryze thinks we're up to no good again." As I mentioned Ryze I noticed Kori frowning again. "I'm sorry Kori…about Zonakia. I know you were really hoping to meet her." Kori remained silent as he still had a sad look in his eyes. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "Say, you told me once that the rest of the Kalashtar discovered that if they combined enough of the crystals they could still bring back Zonakia but she just wouldn't be at her full power. But as the Goddess of Healing and Mercy she'd surely be able to heal herself…perhaps if we find more of the shards you'll be able to bring her back and help her get her power back." His eyes brightened at my words as he looked up at me before turning over and throwing his arms around me and hugging me tightly.
"Sona you're a genius!" He cried before standing up with my hand in his. "C'mon, this fight isn't over yet!" I chuckled softly at his enthusiasm as he pulled me after him up the stairs with a big grin on his face. "I think I remember the spell he used to extract the crystal from me. If I can do the same with Nocturne as well as some other crystal sources, I'd have just enough to give her back human form. On top of that, Nocturne would lose all of his power. We'd be killing two birds with one stone." He kept tugging on my arm until we were standing outside of the institute, just as Alistair was waking up.
"Oh hey, you two!" We both froze. "I don't know what you did making me sleep like that, but…I'll…I'll stop you from going in there. Nothing gets past these horns." He stomped his foot letting out a fierce snort of intimidation.
I looked at him strangely trying to think of how to respond to that. Clearly he didn't realize we'd already been inside. "Oh well, guess we've got to just go home Sona. I don't think we'd be tough enough to take on Alistair. I mean he's pretty fierce." Alistair held his head up high and I had to cover the smile that Kori's sarcastic remark brought to my face before nodding in agreement.
Taking my hand again we both walked briskly down the hall's marble steps heading towards the train station. After buying our tickets the two of us sat on a bench waiting for the train to arrive as we looked towards the setting sun. It was hard to believe we'd spent the entire day there and it was only after we'd left that we noticed just how late it was. I had to admit the pink and orange skyline was absolutely beautiful not to mention it was all rather romantic. Kori must have agreed with me because I felt his hand slowly and carefully rest on mine and when I stole a glance at him he had this goofy lopsided grin on his face and his cheeks were burning a bright red. I could see that Ryze was right…he seemed so cheerful just for the chance to hold my hand despite that when I was all zombified we had done much more. It seemed that he was genuinely interested in me rather than most of the other men I'd met at social gatherings and such. I sighed softly and gently rested my head on his shoulder. It had been a rather rough day, and I could already feel it draining on me. He made a good pillow and I was surprised when his arm wrapped around my shoulders so that I could snuggle against him and be more comfortable. I blushed as my eyes began to feel rather heavy, the chirping of the birds making a soft lullaby and soon darkness took me as I fell asleep.
I felt as if I had only been asleep for a few seconds when I was jostled awake. Stirring softly I looked around to find that I was laying on a train seat. Draped over my body was a familiar looking scarlet and purple cloak and as I turned my head I saw Kori arms folded across his chest dozing softly. I was almost touched by the fact that he had been so sweet as to carry me on to the train and keep me warm. I sat up stretching as I looked outside. The sun had completely set now replaced by the beautiful moon that beamed down upon Runterra. Shifting positions I crawled over to the bench opposite of me where Kori sat sleep and curling my knees up on it I laid my head in his lap. I know I told him that it wouldn't be easy to have me love him like I did when he had his magic but…he was trying so hard, and I felt so safe when I was around him. As I began to doze off again I felt him stir slightly but instead of moving me or anything like that he just stroked my hair gently. It was true I was angry with him at first when the emotions cleared from my head…but now that I'd had time for them to settle…I was glad I decided to ask him to stick around. He was trying to prove to me just how hard he was willing to work in order to win my heart and that in itself gave him some brownie points. I nuzzled against his hand affectionately as I started to fall back to sleep. Maybe I'd put a collar on him after all…I wouldn't want someone thinking he was a stray and taking him in after all.
The next time I came to, I found myself in my bed. My clothes had been replaced by my pajamas but my underwear remained the same. I couldn't help but giggle to myself as I pictured Kori contemplating whether he should change me fully and risk me waking up to him doing something potentially bad looking or just leaving me as I was. I had to admit that changing me while I was asleep was a little bit weird, but it was sweet of him to try to leave me unexposed. The morning sun was just beginning to rise and stream in through the curtains when suddenly a wonderful smell wafted through the air. Strawberries. He didn't…I quickly leapt out of my bed tearing up open my door and running down stairs to the kitchen, having to catch myself from slipping on the tile. Sure enough there he was, cookbook opened on the counter and the kitchen in a mess as he sat there with a wooden spoon sideways in his mouth, balancing different utensils used for cooking. When he noticed me he smiled around the spoon pulling it out. "Good morning Lady Sona." He greeted me cheerfully. "I thought you might be hungry since you missed dinner last night while you were asleep. So I decided I'd try to make you strawberry short cake." I looked at him with a smirk sighing softly as I went over to him. I hugged him tight and planted a kiss on his flour covered cheek.
"You're an evil, evil man. But thank you that's very sweet." He beamed, pleased by my praise as he pointed to the table where on a plate sat the most beautiful looking sponge cake I'd ever seen. It was pink from the dried strawberries he'd mixed into the batter and it was coated with strawberries and strawberry ice cream with strawberry syrup. It was laughing at me, taunting me. I slowly looked at him over my shoulder. "Evil. Evil, evil, evil, evil." He smiled and walked up to me and before I could protest he stuck a fork in it and stuck it in my mouth. It was so yummy. If I could have talked I would have squealed in delight. I began to ponder if my love of strawberries had provided him with an easy means of making me happy, but then my mind said 'Who cares? Strawberries!' and I dug in. He giggled softly as he watched me eat and I then realized I had forgotten my etiquette. Lady Buvelle would have been furious with me. I began to eat smaller bites slowly.
"Sona."
"Yes?" I asked sweetly.
"You don't have to be so formal around me you know. I made it for you after all so you should eat it however you want to." I looked at him pondering his words for a moment before going back to my frenzied pace. Soon all that was left were crumbs and I smiled more than content with my meal. He stood up and took my plate to the sink to wash it.
"Kori? What are you doing?" He smiled at me, that warm soft smile.
"Washing the dishes of course, why? What does it look like I'm doing?"
"No, I mean why are you washing the dishes?" He chuckled.
"Well you were the one who said I needed to pull more weight around the house yesterday. I was just trying to show you how grateful I am for letting me stay here with you." I blushed softly and stuck up my nose.
"But of course, I couldn't very well leave you an emotional broken down wreck in the basement of some dusty old library. That'd just be too cruel for someone as refined as myself. It's my duty to help those less fortunate after all." He looked at me curiously before grabbing a towel and walking towards me. "What? What is it?" My cheeks turned a bright red as he leaned forward running the towel over the side of my mouth.
"Sorry you had some cake stuck on your cheek. Just wanted to get that for you." He teased. The two of us stayed there for some time our eyes searching one another's for any sign of what the other was thinking until finally he sighed and straightened up taking the rest of the dishes to the sink. This was a real conundrum. Maybe it was the food talking but now I wasn't so sure it would be too hard for him to win my heart again. But I had to persevere. I had talked such a big game if I just caved in what would that sort of thing say about me? But on the other hand…that was really good strawberry cake. It's often been said that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It was something that Lady Buvelle often stated whenever I was reluctant to take my cooking lessons. But…I think that I'm living proof that it works just as well the other way around too. I mean how could I possibly be upset with someone who could make something so tasty? I watched him washing the dishes, dressed in a floral apron that happened to be on hand and humming happily to himself. It wasn't until a few moments that I realized he was humming a song I had never heard before. I'd heard nearly every song on Runeterra but I couldn't recall ever having played it before, especially not for him. And he wasn't at the concert but for ten minutes and that was spent mostly defeating Nocturne and calming me down. It just sounded so familiar, I'd have sworn I'd heard it before but I couldn't come up with where I had picked it up.
"That sure is a pretty song." I said in his mind as I watched him carefully. He just turned to me and smiled softly.
"I'm glad you think so. It's always been one of my favorites. Whenever I'm upset or nervous hearing it helps calm me down." He replied as he continue to scrub away the compost before loading it into the dishwasher. So he had heard it before, then he must have heard it when he was sleeping because I was fairly sure he wasn't at my concert long enough to hear me play anything.
"Where did you first hear it?"
He smiled again and began to drain the water from the sink before drying off his hands with a small towel nearby. "My mother actually."
"Your…mother?" I asked puzzled.
"Mmhm. She used to sing me to sleep with it when I was just a little kid. There's something about its harmony, it's just so…mesmerizing and haunting. But at the same time it's almost kind of cheerful, as if to say that no matter how much darkness there is in the world there will always be a point of light somewhere. I suppose that's what I like to think of myself as: a point of light to push back the darkness. For a moment, when Ryze removed my crystal I felt my light starting to go out. When you left I thought it had been extinguished for good. Zonakia has always been the rock my foundation was built upon and when I lost it…I just felt so…" he paused trying to find the right words.
"Broken." I finished softly. He looked at me and nodded. "I feel the same way Kori…quite often. When Lady Buvelle…that is my foster mother…died because of my etwahl I felt that way. It was how I felt every day in the orphanage, and until I met you, that's how I felt all the time except for when I was on stage. It's the only time that I ever feel like I'm at least partially completed. But even with my performances on stage and in the League I feel like something is missing, something I can't describe." He smiled softly at me and walked towards me wrapping his arms around my shoulders to comfort me. I could feel my heart beating fiercely in my chest and I wondered if Ryze had been right about his magic being gone. Every time I was this close to him it felt like magic…but he couldn't have that without the crystal could he?
He leaned closer to me his hot breath on my neck before he whispered softly in my ear. "Why did you join the League Sona?" My eyes went wide and immediately I shoved him away from me stumbling back. He looked surprised as I pressed against the back wall. I was in the chamber again…is that why I felt like this? Was this another one of the summoner's stupid illusions that made my heart ache and my mind suffer? "Sona?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"No! Stay away from me!" I shouted in my mind as I pressed against the wall more. "Please, just leave me alone! I don't know what you want me to say!" I slowly sank to the floor and covered my ears with my hands as I buried my face in my knees. I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder as tears started to stream down my eyes. "You want to know how it feels to reveal my mind? It hurts! It hurts so much you would never understand! But all you people ever want to do is push someone as far as they possibly can! You take people who are hurt and broken and all you do is pour salt into their wounds so you can break them more until they're just empty shells!"
"Sona!" His voice called out and I looked up to him crying. "Sona…what's the matter…I promise you, I'm not trying to force anything from you." He gently leaned against the wall sliding to sit down beside me. Breathing heavily I immediately buried my face in his chest, my tears falling freely to soak his clothes as he stroked my hair comfortingly. "Don't worry Sona…it's okay. I'm here…I won't leave you, ever." I stayed there crying for some time until I finally got a handle on myself.
"Kori…please, please promise me something."
"Anything Sona…"
"Promise me that you're real. Promise me you're not some cruel illusion someone made. The truth is Kori…you're my foundation now…and if I were to find out you were fake…that you never existed…I don't know what I'd do. So please…please be real." I whispered as he held me tightly.
"Of course I'm real Sona…" he nuzzled against me. "I promise I'm real…and you can build yourself on me…because I'd sooner die than let you fall apart Sona…I don't ever want to see you break. I don't know what the League did to hurt you so much Sona…but I promise, I won't ever let them do it again." I clutched tightly onto his shirt and nodded. I was scared…the Judgement had been the hardest thing I'd ever had to face. It made me stare into the face of my demons while they tore me apart piece by piece until the summoners could see every little piece of my mind.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"For what Sona?"
"For being so broken and damaged. I know it's not easy to stay with me…it never is when you're with someone as worthless as I am." I felt him tilt up my chin to stare into his eyes.
"You're not worthless…not by a long shot Sona. You may be cracked and broken…but that's part of why I want to stay here with you. I want nothing more than to help pick up your pieces, and if there are some pieces missing, I want to give you the pieces of me to help fix it. So please…don't ever think you're anything less than wonderful." I stared into his eyes not sure of what to say to him. My bangs clung to my face from where the tears had soaked my cheeks and I gently did the only thing I could think of. I kissed him. It felt wonderful to kiss his lips. Before when it had been his magic pushing me it had been nice, but this…to do it because I wanted to do it…it was hard to believe that I could ever have confused the two. He kissed me softly back and for every second our lips spent against one another's I prayed to the Gods that this was all real. I didn't want this to be a dream or some stupid summoner's twisted game. I just wanted to be safe with him. To be here without having to worry about anything taking him away from me.
"Kori…"
"Yes Sona?"
"That song you were humming…"
"What about it?"
"What is it called?" He looked down at me smiling warmly. He gently kissed my forehead as he stroked my cheek.
"It's called…Zonakia's Lament."
To be continued in Ch. 8 – The Syncopated Metronome….
