Chapter 29

"If only I don't bend and break
I'll meet you on the other side
I'll meet you in the light
If only I don't suffocate
I'll meet you in the morning when you wake" Keane - "Bend and Break"

I think for once, I feel what Harper had been feeling every time he'd been taken from me. As I travel to Divine knows where, I feel as though something is pulling me from all ends. The pulling is strongest in my chest, where normally a heart would lie. Finally, with a painful THUD, my falling stops.
I'm still surrounded by darkness, but I can now feel a smooth, cold rock under me. This is what had caused my pain. Suddenly the room is bombarded with light.

"Welcome Trance." A familiar voice calls from behind me.

No, it can't be, my mind pleads.

"Now, comes the time for you to decide how your journey shall end," the voice continues. I stand and face the one person I never wanted to see again...Azaelia. She stands with an elegance I believe she does not deserve.
I glare at her. She is the reason I'm here, the reason Harper's dead. How dare she even speak to me. I go to speak, but as she raises a pale blue hand I'm stricken speechless. I try to speak, to scream at her for what she's done, but no matter how hard I try, the words will not form.

(italics)Malice my friend, will get you no where, she mentally says to me.

(Italics)Why? Why are you here? You betrayed my trust, my friendship! How dare you even face me.

She cringes only a bit and I wonder if she is actually feeling guilt for her actions. She continues, only this time, her hand falls and she speaks,

"Without me, Trance, you would not have gotten this far. I am only doing what I was born to do."

I look at her puzzled. What part did she have in my getting here? Ska'ra sent me the messages, not her. What contribution did she make?

"Trance, I am here because Ska'ra allowed for a piece of her star, her essence, to break away and form a smaller star and a new avatar. Mother modeled me to look like a mixture of Ezraa and herself. Mother always said I had my "father's" eyes. When I was strong enough to break away from her, mother told me the story of her life. Her love and tragic loss of my "father," her banishment, and finally her need for retribution. She told me that I had been made for a purpose, but one I need only to fulfill if I was willing. After hearing her story and the injustice our people had wrought upon her, I grew passionate for her cause. I told her that I would help her without question. I still remember her smile when I told her I would help." Azaelia pauses for a moment, taking in the memory before continuing with her story.

"Once I agreed to aide Mother, she began to tell me of what I must do. She needed me to break away from her and travel to Willowcia. She said there I would find another young avatar, one who's future was far more important than she ever imagined. That avatar was you, Trance. Mother then told me I was to later travel to Morrighan's planet and become her confidant and by doing so would set up the final plan. These actions would ensure my being able to get you and Harper to her planet, so I could deliver you to the Elders."

I could feel the anger building up inside of me. "If you were passionate for your Mother's cause, then why did you not stop them! Why did you casually sit by and watch as they murdered Harper? You could have stopped his death from ever happening! Why, Azaelia, WHY?"

She frowns, "I am sorry Trance. Mother never told me that Harper was destined to die on Willowcia. She only told me that once there, the outcome would be solely up to Harper. I did not understand what she meant and no matter how much I tried, she had never let me see what her words truly meant. It was not until Harper's death that I finally realized what Mother had meant. Harper had made the same sacrifice my "father" had. He gave his life for the woman he loved and now, you were to face the same test my mother had. That is why I brought him here."

She waves her arm and suddenly a raised stone platform appears, Harper's still body lying atop it, a pale blue silk sheet covering his lower torso. I can't believe my eyes. I rush the platform, stopping beside of him. I place a hand on Harper's cheek, it's freezing to the touch. My spirits drop. For a brief moment, I had been foolish enough to think that Harper was only sleeping. I'd actually expected warm skin to meet my own. I look him over. I can't tell if his wounds are still present because he's lying on his back, but for the moment, I don't care. He looks so beautiful. Most of all, he looks peaceful. I trace the outline of his cheek with the back of my hand as I desperately try to fight back the tears threatening to come.

"Tell me that I can fix this, that I can bring him back," I plead, my eyes never leaving him.

Azaelia takes a place beside me. She places a gentle hand on my shoulder. I tear my eyes away from Harper to see a grim smile on her face as she says, "That, my friend, is entirely up to you. The outcome of this final task will decide his fate...and your own. If you choose correctly he lives and the Elders will never know. To them, Seamus Harper is forever dead...and you, you are in a sense dead to them as well."

She looks me directly in the eyes as she says, "Your love for Harper is what brought you here and now it is what can set him free. There is a way to bring Harper back to life."

"How? What do I have to do?"

"You must allow your love to set him free."

I shake my head, not wanting to take in her words, "I don't understand."

Azaelia frowns, "Trance, the only way to bring him back is to let him go. This can all be undone if you are willing to sacrifice what you've fought so hard to regain. Harper can live again...but your love must die"

My eyes go wide as I exclaim, "WHAT!" I turn my gaze back to Harper, for a moment taking his cold hand in mine. I shake my head, "No! That can't be it! There must be another way. Tell me there's another way!"

Azaelia takes my face in her hands, forcing me to face her as she asks, "Do you love Harper enough to give up your love for him? Will you sacrifice what you fought so hard to regain, so that he may live again?"

Hot, stinging tears are flowing down my cheeks, leaving small puddles of anguish on Harper's still hand. "Will I ever get it back...will he ever love me again," I ask.

Azaelia gives a hopeful smile, "Trance, that is the test Harper must face."

Once more I give her a puzzled look, "What? I thought it was up to me."

"Yes, to decide if he lives again, but whether he loves again is up to him. If his love is strong enough, he'll remember it. Love is a tricky thing, Trance Gemini. No matter how hard you try to get rid of it, traces linger and grow once more. The love you two shared, the single kiss, his sacrifice, all these things solidify your love for one another. Now if his love for you is as true as yours, he will remember...but not right away. I do not know how long it could take. It could take hours, days, months, even years for something to trigger his love for you. It will not be as it is now, either. If you do ever trigger his love for you, it will have to grow once more into what it once was."

"Then I'll make him remember right away, make him remember everything he felt for me!"

She shakes her head, "It doesn't work that way...if you try to force him to remember...he is gone."

"What do you mean he's gone? He won't die again, will he?"

"Well, more exactly, you will be gone. If you force him to remember, your memories will be altered like his and you will not remember ever loving him, nor will you ever be able to love him again. So yes, in a way, the Harper you know and love will have died."

I take in her words and they hurt worse than any injury ever could. Tears continue to stream down my face. "I have to lose him to get him back...and again, I won't get to say goodbye," I say defeated.

"On the contrary, if you choose correctly, there is a brief few moments before the transition is complete. A few moments before you are sent back from wince you came."

As much as her words should comfort me, they don't. I wipe my eyes and look at Harper, a sad smile forming on my lips. I'm surround by silence as though everything has stopped, awaiting my decision. I know what I must do.

I let go of Harper's hand and step back. "I love him too much to let him go...but I love him too much to allow him to die as well. Let him live."

Azaelia nods, "It is done."

From out of the darkness above us, a beam of light shoots down and hits Harper in the chest. The beam is blindingly bright. I shield my eyes, still trying to look towards Harper, but the light is too bright. The beam grows even brighter and I clench my eyes tightly shut. As quickly as it appeared, the beam disappears and out of the silence I hear a gasp, which seems to echo all around me. I open my eyes and see the greatest thing I've seen in a millennia Harper's breathing. I once more rush the platform as Harper continues to gasp for the oxygen his lungs have been denied for far too long. As I continue to watch, Harper's eyes shoot open as his once cold dead blue eyes begin to sparkle. He continues to cough and wheeze as I wrap my arms around him and pull him tightly to my body.

"Seamus!"

"Trance...wheeze...it worked," he weakly exclaims as he returns my embrace.

As much as I want to thrive in his warm touch, I know our time together is limited so I pull away. "Seamus, we don't have much time-"

"What do you mean?"

I gently place a finger on his lips, silencing him, "Shh, I can't explain. I just want you to know I love you."

He gives a weak smile and replies, "I love you too, babe" he takes in my saddened expression and continues, "What's wrong-"

"It is time," Azaelia interrupts from behind us.

No! I need more time, my mind pleads to no one as I look to Azaelia and then back to Harper.

I lean in and kiss Harper. I kiss him like a woman before she sends her love off to war, not knowing if he will ever come back to return the love they once shared. He places his hands on either side of my face, pulling me closer as our kiss becomes more passionate. My hand moves to the back of his head, my fingers softly gripping his hair. This time I will remember every detail, not because the kiss marked his death, but because it marked his rebirth.
Hesitantly I break away, aware now of a white light beginning to surround us. I pull him close, my lips brushing his ear as I whisper, "I love you, Seamus...remember that always." I feel his grip on me tighten as he begins to panic. I gently begin to hum his chant as the light begins to fill all my senses until finally, I see no more.