Chapter 16

As the Darkness Consumes

Babi shifted impatiently from where he sat at the foot of the Goddess Luna's statue, tapping his fingers against the stone folds of her flowing robes with the Trident resting beside him. There was anger coming off him in waves as he glared at the two sleeping Adepts.

'What, in the blackest pits of hell, is taking them so bloody long to get out of there?' He thought impatiently, tapping his fingers restlessly against the blue stone, eyes darting every now and then to the large ice doors.

It had been hours since this had begun, but those meddlers were still out there, still waiting like he was for this to end. Though of course, they had different reasons for doing so.

Only a few minutes ago, the Adepts had seemed to come too momentarily, not long enough to open their eyes, but enough to start moving. Yes, Babi'd stood above them both; ready to take the power that was his the moment either opened their eyes to see him. But those wretched friends of theirs had thrown another barrage of attacks at the doors, blasting them apart for a brief instant before the sound of breaking glass had filled the caves and they had slammed shut once more. The Mercury-Adepts thrust back into that fool sleep again.

Picking up the trident, Babi ran his hands over the smooth metal again, as weak as his original psynergy was, he could still feel the power surging through the three prongs of the unique weapon. He gave the two a thoughtful glance again.

He knew he'd have to kill the girl in order to re-claim the Bond; then it would simply be a matter of killing the boy as well too gain the full power. It would be easy, the girl may be strong, but she'd still be weak from what had happened, and if he was quick enough, the boy would still be too surprised to put up much of a fight.

He grinned evilly. Yes, he could hardly wait to see the looks on the faces of Isaac and his friends when he ascended to the rank of a God. Losing Tolbi would be worth it just to see their expressions. He just had to be patient.

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Pain, there was so much pain, and guilt, rivers of it, digging away at his soul. Tearing away large chunks of him and devouring them.

Piers tightened his arms around Mia, not willing to risk loosing her to the darkness. He buried his face in the soft strands of her hair, flying free in the winds that rushed past them. This was all his fault, this shouldn't be happening, not to Mia. She'd already been through enough because of the Lighthouses; she shouldn't be suffering because of him.

He could still feel her blood on his hands; that was his fault. If he'd listened to her in the cavern, she wouldn't be hurt now. But then again, he'd seen Mia in there before, a copy of her at least. She'd come and tried to help him, well, she'd say she wanted to help. Then she'd turn around and attack him like all the others. He hadn't believed her this time, hadn't believed the real her. And she'd been hurt.

Because of him.

It wasn't the first time either. When he'd been captured in the caves under Lemuria, he hadn't been able to get her away; he'd been too weak to fight that mist. She'd been poisoned and could have died because of that. He kept failing her, failing them all.

Against the Doom Dragon, he'd been unable to focus because of the nausea of being atop the Mars Lighthouse. But Mia was a Mercury-Adept as well; he couldn't blame his own Element for his incompetence, it was all his own.

Going back even further, back atop Jupiter Lighthouse, how much help had he been then? He'd been brought down instantly, no help at all to Felix against Karst and Agaito. And Felix had been un-sure with the match to begin with. It was a miracle they hadn't all been killed…

Piers squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out all of the harsh memories, but they just kept coming.

Madra; he didn't even want to think about that town, he hated going back because of the debt he owed the mayor, and how many bad memories were kept there. He couldn't have gotten out. None of the townsfolk had believed him when he'd said he wasn't Champa, and so he'd needed the Mayor and his elderly father to journey through Yampi Desert to get to Alhafera. Because of him they'd left their town in shambles when their people needed them most. Any problems that had occurred when they were gone were his fault. Piers couldn't try to deny it. He hadn't known where the two had gone, but he was still to blame.

He remembered the Jailhouse the most. The cramped cell he had been thrown into without a trial or any evidence to prove his guilt. He remembered trying to convince them he had done nothing, only to have them throw things and curse him. He remembered when he'd finally lost his temper, and had cast 'Frost' on that young man, Shin. The young man who had only been searching for his lover's attacker.

Was he so weak and ill-trained, that he had lashed out in anger? Almost injured someone, who'd done only what they'd thought was right? It was not a question he had to think on. It was plain by his actions that he was.

It was painfully simple to see why his friends could appear to hate him. In only a few short months he'd done them more wrongs than anyone else he'd known. No wait. That was a lie. He'd never killed one of his friends…

His mother. He could still here her voice sometimes. Laughing when he fussed with his head-dress like he still had as a child, and had needed her to help him…

He could still see the worry in her eyes that day. Everyone had an odd feeling that morning, no one was in the harbor, and none wanted to leave their homes that day. She'd taken ill again, her weak heart had caused her pain when she had woken up. She hadn't wanted him to leave. He hadn't either, his plans were not to sail away that day, but to take inventory, and go out to test the repairs made to the ship's hull and equipment.

He hadn't seen the water foaming until the wave had begun to come over the horizon. He'd panicked then, he hadn't kept his head and made for the rocks that where closer than the Island. The wheel had slipped from his grasp as the sea had heaved below him, dragging the ship into a hidden current.

Before he'd been swallowed up by the cascading wall of water, he'd seen the Island that was his home. He'd felt the power there echoing through the waters.

He'd felt his mother die.

Even that far back, it was not the start of his failures, not when or where his weakness had first shown. No, there was something more, one thing that drove the point home, to tear him apart inside.

He hadn't meant for it to happen, he hadn't seen the flash of greed in the outsider's eyes when he'd spoken of the Prophecy during the festival. He'd been taught to trust his elders and, at the time, Babi and Lunpa had still been just that, his elders. He could still feel the blade against his throat; see the horror in his father's eyes as Babi threatened him. His father's screams still echoed in the darkest corners of his mind, still haunting his dreams even now when he was grown. They were always followed by his mother's choked sobs as she held her dying husband in her arms, the burning hatred that smoldered in Lunpa's eyes. And the unimaginable shame that had swamped Piers when he'd first seen his father's pale, lifeless face.

He remembered running after that. His mother calling his name as he'd fled the house, trying vainly to out-run the guilt and unfairness of it all. He'd run to the docks first, he'd always run there. Even at such a young age he was used to running away from his problems. Even that young he was weak. His father's ship hadn't been there, gone, Babi had stolen it. Taken his father and then the ship his father had spent his life sailing, stolen the spark from his mother's eyes, the charm from his uncle's smile.

But it wasn't all Babi's fault. Lunpa had said it himself that most any man would have leapt at the chance for such power. Though he hadn't said it, Piers knew it was his fault for telling Babi in the first place. That all of his misery was his own fault…

Piers felt tears welling up, of shame and guilt, it didn't matter what they were for; they were still just another sign that he was weak…

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, Mia moved against him, startling him slightly, he'd almost forgotten she was there… Or rather, here, with him, trapped…

"For what?" She asked softly, her face against his shoulder. He could have smiled at the question, perhaps even have laughed if not for the crushing weight around his heart. Remembering she was still near him, that he held her like he did, only served to add more pain to what was already there.

"For everything." He muttered, closing his eyes again, un-willing to let a single tear fall. He may have been weak, but he would not show her so plainly.

He did not know how long they had been falling, or how long they would continue to do so. The only knowledge he could grasp was that it was his fault she was there. Mia shifted her hold on him; allowing a thin ribbon of air to snake in between them and expand, forcing them apart. She shrieked as they broke apart, her arms flailing as the winds rushed past them, still silent as they struggled.

Piers reached out instinctively and clasped her hand, pulling her back to him. Mia clamped her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder and shaking violently.

"Don't let me go," She whimpered, "Please, don't let me fall." Piers felt her tears through the fabric of his vest, fear running off of her as she clung to him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"I won't" He whispered into her hair. "It's all my fault, Mia, I always fail when things matter most. I'm so sorry…" She turned her head to look up at him, bright blue eyes searching his face, worry creasing her brow.

"When have you ever failed us?" She asked him softly, not loosening her grip on him. He looked away, unable to take the trust in her eyes. Mia rubbed her face up against his neck, taking in a shaky breath to calm herself.

"When?" She asked again, not taking his silence as an answer. Piers swallowed nervously, the feel of her breath brushing past his neck and the warmth of her up against him digging deeply. He cared so much for her, that it hurt to have her this close to him. He'd caused her so much pain that he couldn't take away.

"Back up there, in the cavern, I couldn't think straight. You were injured trying to help me, when all I was doing was trying to block you out…" He said, refusing to look down at her.

"That doesn't count as a failure, Piers." She replied, moving up closer to his face "You were trying to block out the pain, I can't imagine what you were going through. It's not your fault." Looking down, Mia rested her forehead against his chin, her arms tightening slightly around him.

"You have never failed us, Piers, not in any way, shape, or form that I can remember." She whispered,

"But I can remember…" He murmured, "and I can't live with that guilt anymore." He moved his head so that she looked up into his eyes, "I can't live with the memories of my father's face, or my mother weeping, all because of my mistakes…" he whispered.

Mia blinked a few times, understanding and sympathy seeping into her eyes as they glistened with tears. She gripped the fabric on his back as she moved one of her arms, careful so as not to be torn away again. She gently placed her hand over his heart and held his eyes with her own.

"But that's all in the past now, Piers," she said softly, "You can't give up everything you can still have just because of something you couldn't stop before." She buried her face against him again, tears cascading once more down her face. He was shaking he realized, they both were, he held her tightly against him.

Everything he could still have? Only more guilt and pain on top of what was already there; those bright moments in his past faded in the wake of all that he had done wrong. Besides, how could he escape from this? How could he get her away from this place? From where he was the cause of such strife? There was, perhaps, one answer to that question. One form of, release…

"You can still escape." He said softly, Mia froze in his arms; she looked up at him with wide eyes,

"And you?" She asked, Piers looked away, feeling her tense and increase her hold on him.

"If I give up, then—"

"No." She choked; cutting him off "I won't leave you. Not here, not now." Piers pulled her close and bent his head to speak into her ear,

"You can go back," He said, "You can go back to the others and live out the rest of your life,"

"Not without you." She cut in, "I'd follow you, I know I would. Please, I can't live my life filled with regret, I wouldn't be able to let go of you, Piers." She brought both arms up around his neck, pushing away what he was saying, unwilling to believe he would consider it.

"Mia, please,"

"NO!" She shouted, in her out-burst, unthinking, she let go, her arms pinned to her sides. Her tear-filled eyes snapped open as she hung there, winds rushing past them both, the silence swallowing the echo of her voice. She tried to reach back out to him, tears flying upwards, glistening like small diamonds in the endless sea of darkness around them.

And the winds caught her.

They pulled at her, grappled with the lengths of her hair and the folds of her clothing, and pushed her up. Up, away from him, he reached out too late, she was already far beyond his grasp.

He saw her eyes, two sapphires set in a pale, flawless face. Precious gems that shone with fear and shattered hope, a hint of despair seeping into their watery depths. His breath caught for a moment, something shining from deeper inside of her, seeking any means of escape, pouring from her eyes and through her glistening tears.

Love.

Her rose-colored lips moved in the darkness, her soft voice swallowed as the gap between them grew. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but he could hardly hear at all. His mind assaulted by sudden waves of grief and longing. The feeling that, in letting go, he'd lost more than he'd ever thought possible. It reached his ears at last, her scream, it carried with it to much raw pain and emotion for him to bear. It dredged up old memories; it was his mother's scream.

"MIA, NO!" He shouted in disbelief, reaching vainly in the darkness, trying too reach out to her.

He'd done it again, caused such deep and un-ending pain in someone he cared for. Anger surged up in him, anger at himself, at the world, at the gods for cursing him like this. He screamed, he roared in a blind rage, lashing out at his pain and guilt. His hatred of himself falling short of his hate for what his emotions and self-pity had wrought for him. All of his cries smothered in the emptiness that blinded him.

He felt something foreign reaching out to him, icy claws that whispered of sleep and an end to the pain. He revolted against it, focusing only on her vanishing form, willing it to come back to him. He'd lost her; tears ran down his face, he hadn't felt them form. He looked down at his hands, still red from where she had bled. It was all that was left of her, a sick and morbid way of remembrance. He wrapped his arms around himself, unwilling to touch himself with her blood, allowing his tears to run unchecked. He was a true failure; he'd just allowed the one thing that could free him slip away.

"Mia…" He whispered hoarsely to the darkness, "I love you… I'm so sorry. Come back to me, please… Mia…" He shook violently, still falling, still moving away from her.

Why hadn't he told her sooner? Why hadn't he told her at all? There'd been so many chances, so many moments where he could have shared his love for her, and he never had. He would have given up everything to make her happy; he would have given it all up like he was now at the chance to see her smile. But here he was, doing just what he'd heard of so many times, giving his world for that one special person. But he couldn't take the pain; he couldn't take losing her like this.

'I'd follow you, I know I would.' Her voice echoed in his mind, words spoken just short moments ago, his pain turning those minutes in to hours, days of agony. Giving up, it wouldn't make her happy. When this ended, she wouldn't look back on him fondly and then move on. He'd felt it in her, she would stay true to her words. She would follow him to end her own pain.

"I'm so sorry…"

A low humming seemed to fill the air, a buzz in his ear as he continued to plummet through the endless shadows. Piers didn't look around in a vain attempt to find the source of the noise, he could barley make it out amongst the chaos in his mind. A chaos that unknowingly pushed away the slight warmth that seeped into his skin, like the rays of the Golden Sun. They bathed him in light even as he fell through perpetual darkness.

The pain made it through to him though, tearing his mind from the woes of his heart. A different pain than that which had been smothering him all this time, not something that played with his emotions or views of the world. This was hot, sharp pain, cutting through every bone in his body, an iciness to freeze the blood in his veins, whilst his skin was bombarded with burning stone and doused with drops of liquid fire. He writhed in pain, trying to scream yet finding no breath to do so as his ribs were crushed by some un-seen giant's hand.

He opened his eyes, and found himself staring up into a golden light, a chain falling down from the center of it. He reached up with one scalded and bleeding hand, trying to grasp the golden links. His fingers brushed against one gently, the link melting into the air like a droplet of oil in water, small golden orbs floating around him, bathing him in their bright light, beating away the pain.

More of the links broke away from the chain, becoming long, liquid strands that circled the arm he had touched them with. He stared mesmerized as their light grew harsh around him, forcing him to shield his eyes. He felt the small dollops melding together around his arm, forming a manacle around his wrist. The chain then fading away, and left only fine, silk-like strands of gold spiraling up into the light.

He couldn't tell then what happened. His world spun and he felt like water inside a glass bottle, his form determined by that which contained him. He was completely aware of himself, not in the form of his physical self, but in every emotion and feeling, flowing through him. An undying love pulsing through his entire being, his Soul longing to be with it's other half.

And she came.

Mia poured herself through the Bond, wherever they were, lost without shape or true form, they were together. Words were nothing here, hollow sounds with no true meaning. The only meaning was that of their own emotions, calling to one another silently. They merged into each other, like the water that was their Element, a vast sea of them both.

He longed to remain like that forever; they both did, to while away eternity, showing his love for her. But it was not to be. His Soul would not accept death, or this half-life, not now, not yet, she wouldn't either, his other half. In a part of him, so far away it seemed, was a single seed of doubt. What if, what he felt was not all that true? What if, hidden away like his doubts, she held her own about him?

No, they could not stay, life called to him, his solid self fading away among the living. He could not abandon those who would not end their lives for years to come. As insignificant as a year could be to him here, that part of him that still wished to breath, to taste, to take in all that was unique to life, it revolted against such a long wait to be with his companions.

He let that part of him take control, that part that remembered his face, his voice, all that was his alone in life. It made him pull away, they both did, his Soul-mate understanding what was to come, what they must now leave behind. What he could call regret surged up in them both, but he reached out to her life-force, with the simple knowledge that they would still have each other in life.

He watched, he supposed that was what it could be called, with no body here, he had no true senses, as they re-claimed their corporeal forms. Still hanging in the darkness, still not among the living, only a breath from feeling and Life, he looked over at her, a white aura around her body, small white lights surrounding them both. He turned to face her, smiling slightly as he looked over her, where his confidence had come from, he wasn't sure, but he embraced her where they stood together, enveloping her in his arms as she snuggled in against him.

He held her like that for a few moments, hoping he would be again able to do so when he'd be able to truly appreciate the warmth coming off her. She sighed against him softly, arms snaking up and around his neck. She smiled up at him as he looked down at her. He bent down and brushed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss.

"It's time we went back now," He breathed, Mia nodded slightly. She reached up and met him again, not holding back it seemed as they kissed. The unending darkness around them lightening slowly to a dull grey, then lighter and lighter, until it was pure white.

And all he felt was pain and cold once more.

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Felix jumped to his feet as the doors seemed to shimmer ethereally. Glancing around at his companions, Isaac was the first to slide his sword from its scabbard.

"Looks like they're back."

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