Beyond the Rift ✔ (Completed)

Chapter 50 : The End

As my eyes adjust to the pastel blue lighting, I hear screams. My mom, Jake, Halitus, an aged male voice. What is happening? Where am I? Why is my mom yelling on top of her lungs?"

Blinking the light away, I shift my head from right to left.

"Ahh!" I wince as a shooting pain injects down my spine. The hot ache spreads through my body as I try to shift on the soft surface.

"Alexis, don't move." Elvira gets by my side. She must've cried for hours; I can tell by her eyes; they are swollen. "Doctor." He says to a guy in his mid-twenties, who has a doctor attire going on; the spectacles and white scrubs. He leans over me and examines my wounds. As soon as he checks the heart monitor he takes notes on his baby blue notepad.

"How are you feeling?" He asks me.

"I feel the pain." I pause, "everywhere." I wince at the migraine mildly stomping my skull.

"The pain will cease as soon as you take the pain killers. You've a minor concussion, 7 stiches, your left arm has a mild fracture and there are multiple cuts and bruises all over your body. You were brought in an extremely severe condition; I can imagine the intensity of the car crash."

My gaze travels over to Elvira's face for an answer. She gestures me to go with the lie.

"Yes, it was awful." I mummer the words; my tongue is too heavy to talk.

"Until then, I advise you to get some rest." He then turns to the big crowd in the Intensive care, "Make sure there's only one person with the patient."

The room swiftly vacates, leaving behind only one individual. Ethan.

He is standing at the other end of the room. His clothes are racked, his hair; frizzy.

The door shuts with a click, that echoes in the hollow room of the hospital.

I glance at the transparent tubes attached to the palm. The bandage that was tied haphazardly, have fringes peeking out; red stains were visible through the creases. My clothes are replaced with a mild blue johnny gown. The smell of spirits hangs in the stagnant air; pungent and sharp. I feel the oxygen tube sitting over my upper lip. I breathe in the cool air; my chest rises and falls as I grown more aware of the wounds.

Ethan gently approaches to the side of my bed. He gingerly sits beside me on the bed. Taking my uninjured arm, he holds my hand in his.

"Hey." I call out feebly, while giving him a lazy smile.

"How are you holding up?" He asks, his eyes still on me. There is a rare moment of stillness, where our eyes do the talking. His bloodshot hazels portrayed concern; they confirm my suspicion of Ethan's state when I was lying unconscious. His soft expressions make my heart flip in my chest.

"I'm fine. It's just a mild concussion." I speak nonchalantly. "Wait... How is Halitus?" I almost yelp in my place when I remember the events that had occurred. The last time I saw, she was lying on the floor; battered and motionless. What if the trident...

"Halitus is fine. She is resting." He delicately nudges me back in bed; I didn't even realize that I am sitting. "You need to rest too."

"Hey." Ethan swiftly leans in and cups my face; his soft hazels melt my heart like a butter on a frying pan. His touch is as sweet as hot chocolate. His eyes don't leave mine. His face is just couple of inches away. "Don't exert yourself. Everyone is safe. We are all safe. Besides, your wounds are deep. It was as if you were on death's..." He stutters in the end. A single tear slips down his eye.

"Are you crying?" I draw my hand from his clutch and caress his cheek. His raw skin is warm. I pull him closer, until our foreheads touch.

He doesn't reply. After blinking furiously, he gives in to the tears. Almost instantly, Ethan buries his face in my neck. I feel the hot tears on my bare shoulder. My heart thuds in its cage.

"Ethan..." I wince in pain; the bones in my tender body shiver with a strange force. I run my hand through his dark ruffled hair. "Hey, I'm okay, I'm fine now. Look." I make him look into my eyes. "It's over. The tridents got sucked into the Aether. Asmodeus is gone for good too. And I'm right here with you."

He looks at me through his moist eyes. "There was blood everywhere." His voice hefty with several emotions, "I thought I had lost you. Yet again, someone else had to pay the price of my negligence. When I accepted the mission, when I swore to protect you, it was like a cross that I had to bear. Your father's death, no doubt, was on my hands. I was too confident back then; I wanted to prove my strength to the Elders, I wanted to show that the wild wrath in me can be tamed. Regardless, I messed up. I let an innocent man go down in flames before my very eyes."

"Ethan, it's not your fault!" I let out, my voice; tight. "Your intentions were justified; you followed your orders and failed; and honestly, that is completely fine. We are humans and we make mistakes; everyone does. That is how we learn. We change. Everyone deserves a second chance, Ethan; so, do you."

His gaze flickers away from me. I take his hand in mine to get him back to me.

"Ethan, I know you think otherwise. Nevertheless, we should forgive. You should forgive. Forgive yourself, stop punishing yourself for the death of those children. Let go of the guilt, it's in the past. Just give yourself a second chance."

"I can't." His tone is dead when he speaks. "They didn't deserve it."

"Alright." I taunt. "How about this? Take a stroll down your memory lane. Go back to the orphan, look for an 8-year-old boy, whose parents left him there and never returned. He was in pain, he longed for love, for a family. Every day, he would be bullied by the other kids. One day he got mad; just like kids are supposed to. The only difference is, his fire essence was behind the wheel. Would you blame the kid? Tell me, is he worthy of eviction? Does the punishment fit the crime?"

He does not reply, but by his expressions, he seems to be processing my words.

"Can I tell you something?" He says after a couple of minutes. His voice; a bit cheered up. The color dwelling in his bright eyes once again.

"Sure." I prompt.

"If you hold my arm any tighter, you finger nails might actually pierce my skin."

I look down at the red marks forming on Ethan's arm. Between the rage and nervousness, I fail to notice my grip getting tenser on his arm.

Immediately, I let go of his hand. The nail arcs turn reddish.

"I'm sorry."

Regardless, of my apology, he chuckles; the corners of his eyes wrinkle and I feel my heart do summersaults. I realized how contented I feel when I'm with him. If it wasn't for him, I would have gotten possessed by the Aether, I would have become the next Asmodeus. however, the things that I felt were my weakness turned out to be my greatest strengths. The thought of never seeing the ones I loved, haunted me and drove me to a point that I could no longer feel the Aether in me. The void is unpredictable to be honest. They gifted me with the conscience of my father. The very thought of it seems impossible.

"What's the matter?" He asks when he notices my uneasiness.

"I want to go to the loo." I slowly rise from the bed. Ethan helps me out of the sheets. I take the glucose drip along with me to the bathroom.

"I'll be outside." I hear Ethan's low voice from the other side of the door.

"Okay."

...

I stand there almost unable to recognize the person staring back at me. The hair is ruffled and rough. My face is sunken, my cheek bones; gaunt. The band-aids were wrapped around like patches on an overused-old cloth.

I walk towards the sink, the glucose drip tagged along with me. I turn on the tap and splash cold water on my face. The chills rehydrate my body and I feel the water calming my nerves.

"Alexis"

I inhale sharply as I look up into the mirror. Maybe it was Ethan, but, I knew better.

There was only one person who sounded that sweet.

The End