No way in Heaven or Hell - Afterlife Series Book 1

Chapter 14 - Should I stay? Should I go? - part 1

 Eliana's body ached all over. Part of her protested against that. She was dead, she wasn't supposed to feel pain! And the other, more reasonable part of her reminded her that she hadn't reached her first year yet. Her eyes slowly opened. She glanced around her. The chamber hadn't changed, and yet it felt different. More... peaceful. The glow was still there, but more gentle.

"Eliana? Are you okay?" came Khyros's voice beside her.

She looked around slowly, not sure how her head would feel about the movement. Khyros was also lying on the ground, looking at her.

"I think so... you?"

"I feel like I broke every bone in my body... but I'll be okay..."

He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. Then, he pushed himself to his feet and held out his hand.

"You think it worked?" he asked.

Eliana straightened up and looked at the heart.

"... Yes. Yes, it has."

Khyros looked at her in confusion.

"What makes you so sure?"

"... I don't know," she said honestly. "But I can feel it."

She looked at him.

"Don't you? Feel how peaceful it is, now?" she asked.

Khyros looked around.

"... I think I do, now..."

She looked at him again, more closely this time.

"... Khyros, what happened to you?" she asked suddenly.

He blinked at her.

"... What d'you mean?"

"Your skin! Look at your hands!"

He glanced down at his them. His eyes widened.

"... What the...?"

He gaped at her.

"What is this?"

"I don't know..."

His skin had lost a lot of the red tint in it. Eliana held out her hand to compare their skin tone. They were almost equally pale. His was only a little darker than the average Caucasian skin.

"D'you think the heart did this?"

"It must have... but why? I don't get it..."

You are merely getting closer to finding your true self, said a voice that made Eliana jump.

"What?" Khyros asked.

"... Didn't you hear that?" Eliana inquired.

"... Hear what?" he asked, looking slightly concerned now.

I guess he didn't... she thought.

"Never mind. It must have been my imagination..."

He does not hear me because he still hasn't quite found himself, the voice said. You never lost yourself, so you can hear me.

Eliana figured that meant his sense of guilt. It wasn't so overwhelming anymore.

Are you okay, now? Did we put an end to the chaos our worlds were in? She asked

For now. So long as humans act as they do, things will repeat. But fortunately, it shouldn't be for a few millenia.

Then we'll come back, Eliana promised mentally.