10. The Return
1154 Words
Sophia
When Maxson first told me there was no way out of here, I didn’t believe him. I came here so effortlessly I assumed we’d get out the same.
It’s been weeks, maybe even months, in here. We’ve lost track of time at this point. Today’s the first day I’m willing to admit to myself that there truly is no way out. He told me of a light he once saw they tried to reach. Despite how fast he approached, he was never able to reach it.
He hasn’t seen it since. He told me he lost track of it the day before I arrived. I haven’t seen anything since being here, just the blackness that lights around us as we walk. It provides enough light to see each other but nothing too far ahead or around us. If I had to guess, I’d say we had about a five-foot radius around us where we could see.
Usually, I’d hate being in a place like this for so long. But, with Maxson, it’s almost peaceful. My mind isn’t racing about my insecurities; all I can think about is how I’m holding hands with my Maxson. Oh yeah, and how he’s my mate despite only being 15.
“Phia?”
I laugh at him, shaking my head as our hands stay wrapped together. We’ve been talking about nicknames all morning. Honestly, we’ll do anything but admit to our reality. I’m not ready to vocalize how I feel that this is our afterlife.
“Maxy?”
“No way! Rina would be calling me Maxipad by the end of the week!”
We laugh loudly at that, and there isn’t an ounce of sadness emitting from either of us. Talking about our friends and family that are still out there is the only way we haven’t gone completely insane. The reminder of a future that awaits us, despite knowing deep down we’ll never get out of here, keeps our spirits high.
Our laughing dies out, and silence fills us as we hold hands and walk through this realm. We can’t just sit there; we tried that for a few days and felt awful. We let our dragons out for a few hours every day, too. Otherwise, they get way too testy.
It physically pains us, actually. At least it allows us to let them work through the magic. I’m learning more about the cold fire I release and Maxson… the power Avian gives him is absolutely incredible.
I’ve never seen magic twisted in such ways, and he uses it like it's second nature. I guess it makes sense since he was born with his dragon. That must have been so scary to experience.
We’ve agreed our dragons are very different from what we thought we’d be getting. It’s said that while dragons are wiser than us, they tend to mature emotionally as we do. But these two seem to be eons ahead of us in so many ways.
It’s probably good we’re stuck here alone. Who knows what the world would do if they learned about us?
“What about -”
Maxson starts, but I squeeze his hand as Auriel’s voice enters my mind.
“Someone’s near.”
I stop walking, clutching his hand with my free hand to get him to stop walking so I can look around. His eyes meet mine, becoming alert as he watches me slowly scan the horizon.
“Where?”
This is the first time she’s said she’s felt something else since we’ve been here. I figured this is where we’re spending eternity now. I never thought we’d get out of here or see another soul as long as we’re here.
“I don’t know. But, they’re familiar somehow.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What’s Auriel saying?”
“Ah.”
I feel the voice behind me, almost caressing my skin with its deep reverberations. Maxson and I both quickly whip around, astonished at the first words we’ve heard other than each other in so long. “I thought I recognized some new power here.”
Maxson immediately pulls me to stand behind him, his large frame blocking me from the unknown entity entering our small light bubble.
“Who are you?”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ve lived here for quite some time.”
I step out from behind Maxson, looking at the cloaked figure near us. While they’re within five feet of us, they seem to have their own shadow, and I can’t make out their distinct features.
“So there’s no way out?”
My voice shakes as I voice the feats I’ve held since coming here. How can we get out if we have no connection to the outside world or to other dragons? Have they spread our ashes over our land, and now we see the other entities since our bodies are at peace?
Are we truly stuck here forever?
“The only way out is using what brought us in.”
I turn to my mate, swallowing hard as the unknown man tells us the first clue we’ve had since coming here. It didn’t take long for me to realize what brought us into this place. It’s the material that coats his skin. Marina told me the name of it before I touched him in his bedroom. Before I found him here in this place.
“Zinnalite?”
Seems he understands what this creature is telling us, too. He’s mentioned this material before, but neither of us didn’t realize it was the ticket out of there.
“It’s part of it.”
Maxson and I look toward each other, and he nods as he turns back toward the man. I can’t seem to find my voice while fear rips through me. I’m thankful Maxson has the confidence I very much lack.
“What’s the other part?”
“The ability to come back from the afterlife, of course.”
Maxson turns back toward me, his eyes staring into mine as I come to the realization. Auriel. She came back from the afterlife. We need Avian’s Zinnalite coat and Auriel’s ability to travel through realms.
It appears we both have a part to play in getting out of here.
“We can get out of here, Ax?”
It may not be the best place to test out my new nickname for him, but he smiles at me as he wraps his arm around me, pressing his lips to my head.
“We can get out of here.”
The man walks closer to us, his cloak covering his features, but I can soon see the long white beard draping over his chest. Ax and I stay put, waiting for him to close the distance. He reaches his hand out, and Ax takes it, shaking it quickly as he introduces himself.
“Call me, M.”
- Writer
