A broken soul may mend, but the cracks will always tell its story.
A Soul
I came to with a jolt, running into the room where the Moonlight Casket stood. The familiar silver sheen of it was almost cruel in its perfection. They'd turned time back again, I realized with a grim smile. But this time, it wasn't the Time Mage. It was the Blood Mage. He was wielding the Time Mage's power now, shaping time like a master sculptor, twisting it as if he was born for it.
I reached for the mirror in my pocket, fingers brushing its cool surface. I was ready. I knew what had to be done. The Blood Mage's eyes locked on mine, narrowing as he prepared to turn back time again. The room felt taut, the air charged with the anticipation of battle. I would have smashed the Moonlight Casket a hundred times if that was what it took to stop him. I would win. I had to.
But then, I felt it. A touch on my hand, light and almost tentative. I looked down, and there was Lil, her hand wrapped around mine, eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. For a moment, the chaos of the room blurred into a dull roar, and the weight of everything else fell away. My chest clenched, and my voice caught in my throat. I was stunned, caught off-guard by the feeling of her fingers on my skin.
She blinked, and the realization seemed to settle over her like a weight. The tears in her eyes spilled over, and she touched her face, surprised to find her cheeks wet. This wasn't the time for it, but the warmth of her touch was enough to make me forget the fight for a moment.
The Blood Mage's eyes flared, and I realized too late that my hesitation had allowed the Time Mage to complete her spell. The casket pulsed, a surge of silver light spilling out like the heartbeat of some ancient, vengeful god. The room trembled as if the world itself were trying to resist what was happening, but it was futile. The casket's power was insatiable.
Flamma shrieked, a high-pitched, wailing sound that sent shivers down my spine. The elemental's form quivered, the blaze of its body faltering as the magic that made it flickered and sputtered. I watched in horror as its flame dimmed, shrouded in shadows, until there was nothing but a crackling, dying ember that faded into nothingness. It was as if the very essence of life was being swallowed, devoured by the casket's relentless hunger.
The space around us bent, and twisted, as the casket sucked the spatial isolation spell into itself, the shimmering barrier dissolving like water into air. My veins froze, a terrible, clawing cold seeping into my bones as I felt the magic I wasn't even aware of leave me. Leaving me empty, hollow, and terribly human. It was more than a loss; it was a part of myself being torn away, ripped from my very being. The pain clawed at my chest, a terrible, aching void. The monster vanished.
The bone mask fell to the ground with a sharp clank, stripped of any trace of magic that had held it in place and restored it whenever it was broken.
"Shay!" Lil's voice broke through the chaos, trembling. I turned to see her, eyes wide with terror as the realization dawned on her. The silver light from the casket licked at her, an unstoppable tide, and I saw the instant her life began to drain.
Her skin, once radiant and full of life, grew thin and pale, the years that had been added to her body peeling away with devastating speed. Her hair, once vibrant and full of color, turned a silvery gray, and the grace of her youthful form cracked into the frailty of age. She fell to her knees, the last shreds of magic that had kept her alive abandoning her, slipping from her like fine sand through desperate fingers.
"No… Lil!" I shouted, reaching for her as she crumbled into dust, the touch of her hands slipping away from mine, leaving behind only a fine, ashen trace. I watched her disappear, her last look one of pain and desperation.
The casket pulled the very life from the world, leeching the energy from the air itself, the ground, and every living thing. The magic that had once soared and pulsed with life now lay in ruins, nothing more than an echo in the void.
"Shay!" Des's voice was distant, choked, but I couldn't take my eyes off the devastation before me. The silence that followed was worse than any scream. The world was spinning, dissolving into a cruel, hollow place where nothing could flourish anymore. I realized the world had stopped fighting. The power of the casket had not only torn away the magic from those who had been present but from the entire world beyond.
Des's hand gripped my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh, a lifeline trying to pull me back from the brink of a black, churning abyss. "Shay! Look at me, damn it! We need to move!" His voice cracked, desperation lacing every word as his eyes searched mine for some glimmer of recognition, something that would tether me to reality.
But there was nothing. My vision was a haze, a storm of grief and loss that blurred the world around me. The heat in my chest, the searing, biting pain that had been the response to the agony of Lil's death was unbearable. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The broken, shattered parts of myself clung to the pain, refusing the comfort of numbness.
Des's voice faded into the background as I pushed him away. I didn't have time for this. I couldn't stay. I needed to reach her, even if there was nothing left of her to touch.
I stumbled forward, legs trembling as I forced them to move. My muscles, weary and shaking, were no longer reinforced by the magic that made me a monster. I was a human now, fragile and powerless.
Des's voice shouted behind me, but I didn't hear him. The world had become a blur of motion and nothingness, a dream from which I couldn't wake. I reached out, fingers outstretched as if trying to bridge the impossible distance between me and that cursed object of power. The casket, now pulsing with the stolen magic of the world, seemed to mock me with every beat. It glowed brighter than the stars, its brilliance both terrifying and beautiful.
A chilling force gripped my chest and flung me back like a ragdoll. I crashed into the wall, the stone shattering beneath me and splinters of rock embedding themselves in my skin. A guttural scream tore from my throat, but it was swallowed by the sudden silence that followed. My body crumpled, limbs twisted in ways they were never meant to bend, and pain surged through every fiber of me, blinding and overwhelming.
I gasped, eyes watering as I tried to draw air into my lungs, only to be met with the sharp, hot sting of broken ribs pressing into my diaphragm. My arms and legs felt like they were shattered, each pulse of agony reverberating through my bones, making it impossible to move. I couldn't even twitch a finger. And there was no release. There was no healing.
The Time Mage's eyes, once hardened by resolve, softened when they met mine. They flickered with something fleeting, something almost like regret, but her gaze snapped back to the casket as her hands moved with an elegance that betrayed no hesitation. The room seemed to bend around her, an unseen pulse aligning with the ritual she was completing. A quiet hum resonated, subtle but undeniably powerful, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
My muscles twitched involuntarily, each nerve a raw thread, every heartbeat a jagged reminder that I was still conscious. The voices of my friends erupted around me, their desperation palpable. Des's voice was sharp with panic, calling my name, his hands trembling as they reached for me. Alex's voice, usually a calm anchor, broke with emotion as he shouted for help. Rolo's breaths were choked sobs, and I heard Mose's voice, teetering on the edge of breaking, shouting my name over and over as if hoping to pull me back from the edge.
But I could barely make sense of them. The edges of my vision blurred, and I could only see the Time Mage as she worked, her hands weaving through the space above the casket like a conductor guiding a symphony. The glowing casket shuddered, and threads of luminous energy leaped from it.
The Time Mage carefully mended pieces of a soul, assembling the fragments with meticulous, heartbreaking precision. The glow from the casket cast an ethereal light, illuminating her face in stark relief. It wasn't cruelty in her eyes, nor was it malice. There was a singular focus, an intent that spoke of a destiny fulfilled, a task that needed to be completed even at the cost of everything else.
My vision was dimming, the edges of my consciousness splintering like a shattered mirror. The others crowded me, blocking my view, but there, in the small space between their bodies, I could see the spell finally take form, the pieces of the soul merging under her command.
A pulse of magic, bright and blinding, burst from the casket, and for a moment, I felt as if the entire world had stopped, its last breath sucked into the ancient vessel. It was both terrifying and breathtaking.
The light that exploded from the Moonlight Casket receded, leaving behind a silence so profound it felt as if the world had stopped breathing. The ethereal glow from the casket faded to a soft shimmer, and with it, a presence began to take form. The shadows shifted, and a spectral figure emerged, delicate and luminous. It was a young woman, a ghost, born from the fragments of a soul mended with both the weight of time and the sharp edge of sacrifice.
She stood, almost tentative, as if waking from a long, dreamless sleep. Her translucent eyes found the Time Mage and a fleeting flicker of recognition passed through her gaze. The Time Mage gasped, her hands shaking as tears welled up, streaming down her cheeks. The joy that bloomed in her expression was pure and unrestrained; a relief so profound it made her body tremble.
"My child," the Time Mage whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.
The young woman's attention shifted, and her gaze fell on the Blood Mage. For a moment, silence wrapped around them like a shroud. The Blood Mage's lips quirked up, a rare smile forming. He stepped forward, his expression softening as he met the young woman's eyes.
"Welcome back," he said, and there was a warmth in his voice. He reached out, fingers brushing the air as if to touch her, and she stepped into his embrace, their forms glowing as a silent bond pulsed between them.
The Time Mage, no longer able to contain herself, broke down into sobs. She reached out to the young woman, but this time, it was the Blood Mage who took her hand and pulled her close, his own eyes glistening with unspoken emotion. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, "We did it. We brought her back."
The room had become a symphony of dissonance, voices crashing together in grief and anguish. Des's voice rose above the others, breaking with emotion as he barked orders, his hands moving with frantic urgency. Rolo's shouts were strung tight, but a quiver in his voice betrayed the worry that gnawed at him.
But none of that reached me, not fully. Des's grip tightened, fingers digging into the skin of my palm as if he could will me to stay. "Don't leave me, Shay," he whispered, and the raw, aching desperation in his voice was a weight too heavy to bear.
I wanted to say something to him. I wanted to but the cool, sharp taste of death began to seep into my mouth. I pressed my mouth into a sharp line and looked at the woman born from magic. The woman, who became magic itself.
She looked up at the two mages, eyes wide with the confusion of rediscovery, the joy of recognition, and the unvoiced questions that would come later. Her lips trembled as she spoke, but the sound was clear.
"Why? How?" Her voice was a breath, a whisper against the broken stillness of the room.
The Time Mage took a deep breath, her hands cradling the woman's face as she answered, "Because I couldn't let you be lost."
The Blood Mage let out a soft chuckle, the weight of decades of pain and bitterness easing for just a moment. He glanced at the Time Mage and nodded as if sharing an unspoken promise.
I felt his tears on my face, the wet heat of them slipping into the cold that had overtaken my skin. I looked up at him, seeing only his silhouette against the brightness behind. His eyes were wide, full of fear and disbelief, and in that last flicker of consciousness, I saw his pain.
I tried to smile, a weak, broken attempt that spoke of everything left unsaid, everything I never would be able to say. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, easing into Des's embrace. His hand was so warm and firm, it was the only thing that remained the same in this colorless, soulless world. A world that would never be the same.
The young woman's eyes grew wide as she took in the room around her. The colors were duller than they should have been, the once vibrant threads of light now muted and lifeless. She reached out, touching the edge of the Moonlight Casket as if it were an unfamiliar object. Her fingers trembled, not from the cold but from an unspoken realization. The joy that once flickered in her gaze began to fade, replaced by a deep, unsettling confusion.
"It's wrong," she whispered, her voice trembling as the realization settled over her like a heavy fog. "It's all wrong. This world—" Her eyes flitted over the cracked stone walls, the exhausted, huddled figures, and the pale, spectral glow that clung to her. "There's no magic. Everything feels... lifeless."
The Time Mage's face crumpled as she stepped forward, and the Blood Mage's expression hardened.
"You don't understand," she continued, the weight of her words dropping like stones into the tense silence. "Everything was meant to have magic. The world without it... it's just a shell. Even if there's life, it's empty."
The Time Mage's hands dropped to her sides, trembling. "I had no choice," she whispered, voice cracking with anguish. "I had to bring you back, to mend what was broken."
"But at what cost?" The woman's voice carried an edge now, a desperation that reflected in the hollowness of the room. Her eyes met the Time Mage's, and for the first time, a trace of fear showed in the ancient mage's face. "You didn't just save me. You condemned the world I was meant to be part of. The world that I loved so dearly."
The Blood Mage stepped forward, a rare flicker of emotion breaking through his stoic façade. "It was never supposed to be this way," he said, his voice harsh but raw with remorse. "We wanted to mend, to heal. Not to take everything away."
The brokenness of this world, stripped of the magic that once gave it life, was now an indelible truth.
The sound of a heartbeat came back to me—not my own, but Des's. A thundering beat that echoed in my ears. I have always loved to listen to his heartbeat.
I could barely comprehend the ethereal woman's voice as it cut through the silence, resigned but filled with a strange sort of acceptance. "There is no place for me here, not like this." She glanced at the Time Mage, then at the Blood Mage, her expression softening. "You brought me back, but I don't belong in this shadow of a world."
The woman's eyes glistened as she took a deep breath, the air heavy and hollow in the room. She looked at the Time Mage, whose face was twisted with desperation, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. The Blood Mage's expression was unreadable, though a faint tremble in his hand betrayed a pang of grief.
She turned her gaze to her parents one last time, the briefest smile touching her lips as she reached out and let her fingers brush their hands. A warmth that spoke of love, shared moments long past, and unfulfilled hopes. The echoes of a life that should have been.
"It's enough that I can see you again. Feel your touch, hear your voices, even if it's just for a moment. This is all I needed." Her voice cracked.
"No!" The Time Mage surged forward, desperation warring with the helplessness in her eyes. "I can't lose you again. Please—"
But the ethereal woman didn't waver. With a final, peaceful look, she whispered, "Goodbye." And then, with a flash of light that shone like a second sun, she reached into the air and touched the thread of time. As the light shone brightly, my vision darkened.
Everything stilled. Even the heartbeats in my ear and I thought for a moment that my life finally ended.