Remain Nameless | Michael Langdon

vii.

Elizabeth stood, watching from afar behind a concrete wall. Michael made his way up to the stake. It was obvious what was happening when he put his hand to one of the charred bodies, then jumped back. He saw the vision of Ariel burning. Then he saw Baldwin. He was appalled. Shocked, and scared to see who the last one was going to be. He placed his hand to it hesitantly. Instantly, he jumped back, then let out the loudest, most heartbreaking scream she had ever heard. Others may not feel that way, but knowing everything that Michael had been through, seeing him with empathy, Elizabeth felt terrible for him. She brought her hand up to her mouth as she watched tears stream down his face. He put his hand to his stomach, as if he were to be sick.

Unexpectedly, Cordelia approached him. She seemingly came out of nowhere, but that's just how mysterious she was. "It's over."

He turned around to face her.

"We know who you are. Your allies are all dead. You've failed." She declared calmly. Michael shook his head.

"I've already proven to you that I can defy death. I'm just gonna bring her back, and when I do, my Ms. Mead will stand by me as we watch you die." Michael said through gritted teeth.

"You can certainly go to hell, but you won't find her there." Cordelia shrugged casually.

"What have you done?" He asked.

"Her soul is hidden by a spell only I can break. You'll never see her again." Cordelia shook her head. Elizabeth clutched her chest as her heart physically hurt. She watched Michael collapse to the ground. It was almost as if she was feeling the pain he was feeling. "You're alone."

"I'm never alone. I have my father." Michael argued.

"Where is he now? Why did he let this happen? You don't have to follow this path your father laid out for you. You can write your own destiny. You can still turn away. There's humanity in you, I see it. If you come with me, maybe we can find it." She extended her hand out towards him. "Together."

To Elizabeth's surprise, Michael took it. She helped him up, then he jerked her towards him. "Somehow, someway, I'm gonna bring her back. And then I'm going to kill every last one of you."

He turned back and looked at the bodies. Cordelia turned and walked away. That was her one try, though she burnt the only woman in the world who ever cared about him then proceeded to convince him of his humanity. How could someone look to their humanity when their mother and friends were killed? Even if Elizabeth hated the two warlocks more than anything, they were still his allies. Michael collapsed to the ground again, right below where Ms. Mead had been burned. Cordelia was out of sight as far as she could tell and she couldn't sense her, so she made her way over to him. As she approached him, she got slower and more hesitant.

Finally, she knelt down in front of him. Her skin tight dress made that a little hard. As soon as she did, he collapsed into her arms. She held him, though it was unexpected. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to cry, I feel so weak."

"You are human; you are not weak for feeling things. So get angry, make people regret ever wronging you. Be happy, smile so bright that the sun is jealous. Feel sad; crack, crumble, cry until your heart is no longer heavy." She spoke. He looked up at her, and for the first time, she really looked into his eyes. They were a beautiful, piercing, icy blue. She fell in love in a moment, melting into his hands.

"Do you finally know who you are?" He asked, pulling away from her.

"I know who you are." She replied. He nodded slowly.

"So I've heard." He chuckled lightly, sniffing. "Now do you understand?"

"What I understand is you. That you're not truly evil, you were made that way. You feel love like the rest of us, you have a heart that beats like the rest of us. You are not the Antichrist, you're Michael Langdon. You can be whatever you want to be." She explained, being the one to now irritate him with her words.