"Oh, but it's not so simple." Rory and Lei froze as they felt the weight of a thousand pounds drop over them. The last hour had been a dangerous roller coaster of emotions, a poisonous dose of adrenaline.
"What do you mean?" Rory managed in a strained whisper while he limply let go of his grasp on Lei.
"You can never go back to how things were before. You may not realize it, but there are changes within you that you cannot even begin to understand. The powers you have, are not easy to control, and you must use them wisely. You have proven to me that you can handle much more than I thought you could, and it shall stay that way."
"What kind of changes?" Lei asked.
"What kind of power?" Rory followed.
"The power of control. The power to be one with each other. The power to cross between worlds. All those things come with a price."
"Nothing happened when I crossed here," Rory replied anxiously. Could it be that they let themselves get carried away too quickly? Could it be that this would just be another ending? The last ending?
"Everything happened, you changed. You unlocked the power of those rings. The power that you both have within you."
"Do you mean that... We can cross freely now?" Lei asked. The uncertainty in his voice made it sound like he wasn't sure of what he was asking.
"More or less, but I won't be able to help you anymore. Anything you do from now on will be your responsibility. I can no longer guide you, I can no longer lend you my power. When you cross your absence won't be hidden, and you will have to learn to live with that secret. If you misuse these powers there will be consequences. Consequences that you cannot fathom.
Lei quickly brushed the dirt off his knees as he stumbled and scurried toward Lizu. It hovered just over his head looking down at him with the same expression it had when they first met. Like somewhere deep down, there was care, perhaps affection something so far from human emotion that it couldn't be described.
Lizu closed its eyes as Lei hesitantly reached to run his fingers through its mane. Lei had felt this too many times before, he knew this feeling, he knew it meant: "Goodbye."
"Lizu, wait! You can't go. You'll come back, right? I-" He cut off as he saw Lizu shake its head. He didn't know why, but he knew he didn't want to say goodbye. He watched as Lei broke down in tears and couldn't help but want to do so himself. Guilt was hitting him like a train, all this time, he had sworn that Lizu wanted to end them, but it was now clear that it had done the exact opposite.
Slowly the figure became translucent. It was like looking at a diamond turn to dust, swirling beautifully in the air, shining in all colors.
"Thank you, for everything," Rory said to the shadow that once was Lizu just before it exploded into the glittering dust over their heads.
Lei fluttered desperately reaching for Lizu, but nothing was left, only ashes. It was too late.
"It's okay, Lei. Not every goodbye is forever. I have no doubt that Lizu will be our guardian until the day we die." Rory said as he locked sobbing Lei in his tight embrace. "You always knew, didn't you?"
"I like to believe that everyone, or everything deserves a chance." Rory smiled lovingly as he looked down at Lei.
"And you were right. How could I possibly lose a battle to such a little dude?" Rory replied mockingly. Lei chuckled as he stepped back and wiped away his tears.
"In the same way that you fell for him."
Lei watched as the flame of his candle flickered while Rory lay in bed blankly staring at the ceiling.
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Love My Wings
الخيال (فانتازيا)On a summer night, 17-year-old Lei runs away from home only to find a mysterious portal in the heart of the forest. After curiosity took over, he found himself in a whole new world where the boy he later found to be his twin flame appeared before hi...
