Clear Skies

Chapter 13: The Other Eye

"No, don't look!"

Mai couldn't heed Rahlin's warning. Her face contorted as she viewed the right half of Rahlin's face. Mai's hands flew to cover her own mouth. Where Rahlin's other eye should have been, a swath of black replaced the skin as though the portion of her face had been ripped out and a hole to nihility remained.

The infinite blackness spurned a memory in Mai: the visual all but matched Marik the moments he fed his life points to a god and merged with it. She was unable to look away from the darkness. Black crept onto the corners of her eyesight and encroached upon the center.

Her eyes blanked as the marred eye swept her consciousness into a vision.

༼ The Splashing Night Sky of the Second World ༽

The grass and dirt beneath my bare toes may have been the same as the home I knew, but this place would take getting used to. The night sky above moved in waves crashing into each other. Clusters of stars served as seafoam. The splashes were audible from my place on the surface.

The world must not have had a moon. I wondered if I would come to miss it or if I would forget in time. Time had come to be the only thing I had left.

Slithering stole my attention away from the seasky. Black twisted through the grass and surrounded me. The serpentine monster was one I recognized. I whispered, "Patron?"

The passing wind carried salt like a sea breeze. A hiss joined the chorus of splashes. The snake's head lifted. Its voice accentuated the "S" sounds. "Greetings, my child. What a shame for us to be banished from our own world."

"A shame indeed, though I suppose I could grow to call this place 'home' in time."

"Why should you when you have other options?"

I peered at the serpent's gleaming, turquoise eye. "What are you suggesting?"

"I retained the body of the King, my child," he explained. "Perhaps you are trapped here, but I am not. I used the last of the soul energy retained to visit you, my child. Your promise is fulfilled, meaning you can once again fight for humanity's downfall. You can join me. I will collect enough souls on the surface and prepare a vessel like mine. When the time comes, I can bring you to the other realm."

Time. The thought of the simple dimension had come to add weight to my slumped shoulders. A glorious sound rung across the land. My gaze stole away from my patron to observe a stone tower in the distance.

Clashing starfoam illuminated the heights of the bell tower. Through the windows ringing the top, the shadow of the bell swung back and forth. The gonging notes calmed my aching heart.

I placed my flat hand over my chest. There was only one right decision, which was my honor to fulfill and my duty to face. I asked, "How long will it take?"

"For me to free you?" my patron said. "I cannot say for sure. It could be hundreds or thousands of years."

A shaky breath passed my lips. "You've been at this immortality thing for a long time, right? It's still my first day. Does your memory hold up? I can hardly remember the details of my day-to-day life ten years ago. How can I remember this conversation for thousands of years to come?"

"Peace be," my patron stated. "I will convince you again if necessary."

"B-but what if..." My brows pushed inward. "What if I forget my mission? What if I can't remember why I- why humanity should be erased?"