Chapter 28 – There's Just Too Much That Time Cannot Erase

The last of three bone golems fell in a heap of dust and bone fragments. After each had been destroyed a pillar of light shone on a pedestal. Before Donnia had the chance to see what was on the pedestal, another guardian appeared. She turned to approach the first of the three pedestals and stopped in mid-step with her sword only half in its sheath. She knew they were close, but it still seemed so far away until now.

Valen still stood in an attack stance, his hands tightly gripped about the handle of his flail. His eyes had turned from their usual deep cerulean to a piercing red. His upper lip was pulled back in a snarl. All of this was focused on Donnia.

"V-Valen? Are you okay, my love?" Donnia asked haltingly, not wanting to inadvertently spark his attack.

He said nothing but began to circle her, looking for her weakness.

Donnia turned with him, moving her hands away from her weapons, keeping him always in view. "Valen, the attack is over. We have won." She could not spare a moment to check on Aribeth, but silently hoped her friend was handling herself cautiously as well.

She knew that a fight with Valen would end badly for both of them. She just prayed to whatever deity was listening that she could avoid one completely.

"Valen, it is alright. You are here with me and Aribeth. There are no baatezu around. You are safe here. We are not here to harm you. Please, my love, hear me and answer." Slowly she reached out a hand to him, an offering of peace and a lifeline.

He stared first at her face then down at her hand. When he looked back up into her eyes she could see the war going on behind them, see him fighting against his taint. He lowered his weapon in indecision and Donnia took this as her chance.

She approached him cautiously but quickly, hoping she would not be wrong in her guess of how to help him fight back. She framed his face with her hands and pressed her lips to his. It was not a kiss borne of passion but one of hope, hope that it would help him to find his way back to her.

At first he did not respond and she feared that she had been wrong and that at any moment he would snap her neck. Her fears were quickly abated when he slowly began to respond to her kiss.

Valen was not the only one fighting an inner war. Aribeth too was fighting against herself. She was Donnia's friend and she trusted her implicitly. However, she was also a paladin whose duty it was to strike down all forms of evil. She had all but seen the evil rolling off him during that last fight, and especially afterwards, when he had started to turn against Donnia. Maybe it was just a fluke. Maybe it will never happen again. At least she hoped so. She did not want to see her friend hurt. Or maybe she too has turned evil and is keeping him as a companion so that together they can strike down all who would stand against them in the name of all that is good. Aribeth shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. When they still remained jumbled she made a promise to herself and to her god, Tyr: I, Aribeth de Tylmarande, paladin of Tyr, vow here and now that should this apparent being of evil, Valen Shadowbreath, again intend to bring harm to myself or to another member of this group I will strike him down by my hand and sword.

But what if I'm wrong?

While Aribeth had been lost in her own thoughts, Valen and Donnia had broken their kiss and were left staring at each other. A silent tear glided down Donnia's cheek. He no longer doubted his motions, but followed through on them as they came to him. He wiped away her tear, much as he had done when he had caused her pain before. "I don't know what to say to you, how to apologize for what I did, or almost did. I don't know if there is anything I could say. I told myself that I would never again cause you to cry, but I can see that I have already failed in that. I'm so sorry that I caused you pain again, my love." He cringed slightly at the words. He didn't know how she could still feel love for him after what had almost happened. He just knew that the longer he remained in the hells the harder it would become for him to fight against his taint.

"Perhaps...perhaps it would be better if I stayed behind, if you went on without me. I'm only going to cause you more pain and put you into more danger the longer I am here. I can't allow myself to let that happen. I would never be able to live with myself if I let harm come to you or even worse, harmed you myself." It was obvious the idea was something he didn't want to do, but it was also obvious that it was the only option he saw that could work out.

Donnia lifted a hand to his face, sliding the loose tendril of hair behind his ear. She smiled up at him, tears still in her eyes, "You didn't cause my tears, but they are for you. I was scared that I had lost you, that I wouldn't be able to get you to come back to me. The thought of losing you is something I don't even want to consider. I could never leave you behind, my love. You are everything to me. If I left you behind, I would be leaving a part of me behind, the best part. So, just get all thoughts of being the tragic hero out of your head. I will never leave you behind. Never."

Valen smiled down at her, his eyes full of the emotions he wished he could convey to her. He could feel them backlogged in his throat, forming a lump, making it hard to swallow. She blurred in front of him and he blinked to clear his vision forcing a small tear from the corner of his eye. He made no move to wipe it away as Donnia softly brushed her thumb over the tear and smiled; "Now we're even."

The two turned back to Aribeth who had already collected the ring fragments from the pedestals. "We should hurry back to Nathyrra and the Sleeping Man. They will be wanting to hear from us," she said as she headed straight for the portal at the far end of the room.

Obviously I don't own these lyrics

The three came back to through the portal in another flash of bright light in the shadowed, green room. The song Nathyrra had been singing before only intensified with her so near to another source of the same song, the Sleeping Man himself. The words were just as melancholy as before, but seemed so much more powerful coming from the both of them. Donnia knew that neither Valen nor Aribeth could hear it as she did. The necklace around her neck allowed her this song to herself, sharing ir only with those it originated from.

My Immortal – Evanescence

"I'm so tired of being here,

suppressed by all my childish fears.

And if you have to leave,

I wish that you would just leave

because your presence still lingers here,

and it won't leave me alone.

These wounds won't seem to heal.

This pain is just too real.

There's just too much that time cannot erase.

When you'd cry, I'd wipe away all of your tears.

When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears.

And I've held your hand through all of these years,

but you still have all of me.

You used to captivate me

by your resonating light.

But now I'm bound by the life you left behind.

Your face, it haunts my once pleasant dreams.

Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone,

and though you're still with me,

I've been alone all along."

It was that song that had brought Donnia back. It was that song that she could hear in her mind.

She did not understand why she heard it then. It was by no means a happy song. One not meant to be shared by lovers, but maybe, past lovers. Pushing those thoughts from her head, Donnia focused on the task before her.

She approached the Sleeping Man, "We have collected the three parts to your ring."

He turned to face her, his face an image of true calmness, "Now you must assemble them to the one ring they form. Only then will you be able to see my path before you."

Donnia turned to Aribeth to collect the ring fragments from her. She noticed that every time that Valen moved, Aribeth's eyes followed him. Always wary, always cautious, her gaze never left his motions.

Donnia did not understand why she would act in such a way. "Aribeth? Could you please give me the ring fragments?"

Distractedly, Aribeth retrieved them from her pack and handed them to Donnia, pulling her eyes from Valen only when absolutely necessary.

With one final look at Aribeth, Donnia looked to the three fragments in her hand. Going by what her heart told her, she assembled the ring and slipped it on her finger. Immediately the room around her changed. The once green room shone in a dark red tint. A path was formed in a deeper shade that ran from the room and would continue along the Sleeping Man's path from so long ago.

Donnia turned to her friends, "We must hurry."

The four of them quickly departed the room, and only one glanced back, giving one last look to the Sleeping Man before he was out of sight.