For the love of Death

Chapter 9

I rushed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, and brought a wet towel to soothe her. A light sheen of sweat covered her heated body and she drank the water greedily when I handed it to her. As Aira regained control of her senses, I thought about the prophecy. It was obvious that I was the sacrifice as I am the only known person to have survived after Death took a piece of my soul.

<1 hour later>

Aira stirred from my lap and I woke up slightly startled. I didn’t even realize that I had drifted into a peaceful sleep. The past few hours had taken a toll on me. She sat up gingerly and rubbed her eyes, looking fatigued.

“Saph I need to tell you a few things” she mumbled, before stifling a yawn. She blinked a few times before she continued. “Lady Nyx is the personification of the Night. She and Lord Erebus gave birth to twins-Thanatos and Hypnos. Lady Nyx is the first personification of an element, and even Lord Zeus fears her powers. Personally, from stories I have heard, I don’t think that Lord Thanatos is pure evil. I have heard many stories of how his kindness spared lives: like yours. Lord Hypnos was the trouble maker when they were younger, often causing chaos simply because his mother was so powerful. I’m not sure what caused Lord Thanatos to give into his dark side so much, but it is clear that he has become imbalanced. I don’t know why the fates have made you his soul mate and ultimate destruction; it is totally unfair to you both.” Aira said sadly.

“Aira, the prophecy says that the older one is the darker one, and you said that rumor has it that Death has a kind side. What if the prophecy is speaking of the wrong brother?” I said, almost in hope.

“Saph, you need to understand that although Lord Death does rare, random acts of kindness, he is a dark creature at heart. He has been unbalanced for many years now. Evianna believes it is because he needs his other half to be whole once more. He is changing, becoming solely the God of Death, because his other half will become the Goddess of Life. But do not mistake Death for a warm, benevolent soul. He wears that mask over his face for a reason. He has been punished greatly, though no one but Lady Nyx and himself knows of the reason behind it. He has often teamed up with his sisters, the Keres and caused devastation around the world throughout the ages.” Aira said solemnly.

“Okay, two questions. Number 1: If I am his other half, I would need to look into his eyes to make the connection correct? Then why am I developing powers. How has he identified me as his soul mate? And Number 2: Who are the Keres?” I asked because my thoughts were slightly jumbled.

“That’s more than 2 questions Saph. But anyway, Death has already looked into your eyes stupid; they’re not exactly hidden from view. He has begun to change because he has recognized you as his other half. The connection you shared in your room before this shit went down, allowed for your body to feel the bond and thus prepare for the change. The Keres are the spirits of violent death. They are often responsible for the fatalities from battles, diseases, accidents and murders. They do not make themselves visible often therefore those incidents are often written off as coincidence of chance. But it is always the Keres behind nasty accidents malicious murders. All of Lord Hypnos’ siblings are personifications of something or the other seeing as their mother-Lady Nyx- is the first Goddess to personify a natural element.” Aira said, flipping her hair over her shoulder in the process.

I sighed, the feeling of despondency increased as more information was unveiled. If he has been teaming up with his sisters, then he must be more evil than I thought. How could I be the soul mate of someone so devious and deceitful? Someone who is a spawn from those iniquitous titans.

I walked out of the living room and to the nearest bedroom. The bed was filled with multi colored cushions and I jumped onto them, snuggling closer to its warmth. Aira walked in a few minutes later, carrying two tubs of chocolate ice cream, a bottle of milk and two slices of milk tart. I smiled at her, remembering all the heart breaks and tears we survived because of comfort food and each other of course. I am thankful that I have such an amazing best friend, someone to listen to my crazy life and be of great help when I am in danger.   

After hours of scarfing down junk food, I turned to Aira, who had her head hanging upside down over the bed. “Aira, I need you to train me. Combat and powers. I don’t want to be defenseless.” I said firmly.

Aira broke into a wide grin and nodded her head in affirmation of my decision. Aira brought out a bag with supplies like extra clothes, all packed for a state of emergency. We dressed in a pair of sweat pants, and a sports bra. I tied my hair up into a messy bun and waited for Aira’s instructions. Before our training could commence, we were disturbed by the sound of Aira’s cell.

“Yello” she said lamely.

She continued for a little while before she hung up.

She turned to me and said, “That was Evianna, she said she won’t be able to come to the store for a few days so we have to keep ourselves locked in at all times. She’s got a lead and is going to do some research. Now in the meantime, you and I will train. If my calculations are correct, your body strength and speed should increase dramatically by tomorrow night, so we better get a move on.”