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Blackwater made sense. Where rock meets sea.
I couldn’t say what I’d expected of Nightshade, perhaps a barren land of suffering and carnage, but it certainly wasn’t the enchantment of an old cathedral.
Regardless of whether, or not, the rumors about Van Croix were true, this place was death. I could feel it in my bones, and yet, its tragically beautiful gloom touched a part of me I hadn’t felt since the days of running amuck in the church ruins. It sang an exquisite dirge to my heart that’d somehow grown more morose with age. It reminded me of home.
The scent of old wood and age hung on the air, and I felt as if I’d gone back in time, to another era. Nostalgia tickled the back of my neck,
How someone could remain so completely unreadable was as mysterious as the shadows that lurked behind his eyes.
“Do you trust me, Lustina? Or do you only trust the god who tells you good and innocent people must burn for their sins.”
Some creatures were born to defy the limitations of what should be.”
The cursed unveiling of truth that had lain buried in her heart for too long. The realization that no matter how virtuous she endeavored to be, the church would never consider her worthy of redemption.
After all, when a human perished in Nightshade, their soul remained imprisoned in the place.
“I’m not your master. But should you fail, I will be your executioner.”
preying on molesters meant fewer young boys ending up in Nightshade. The place of those who failed to believe in anything.
Such a shame the young and innocent feared the light so much that they hid in the darkness of Purgatory.
The crazy old man had left me with the timepiece and a plea: To seek out his only daughter and watch over her.
“I suppose. Though, I do not believe only those who lead perfectly pristine lives are granted entry. I believe in an afterlife which accepts all, regardless of their transgressions.”
“I would sooner watch the world and every creature in it burn to the ground than to raise my hand against you, Lustina. You are the only thing that matters to me.”
Madness is far more colorful than the blandness of normalcy.”
“Fifth blood moon? Is there such a thing?” “It’s an incredibly rare event that happens once every couple of millennia. Some believe this year’s marks the beginning of the end.” “If you don’t mind my asking, what do you believe?” “I believe the end doesn’t have a beginning.”
“Remy. He’s Master Van Croix’s righthand man.”
As long as it distracted me from the shadows in the room, I’d have read anything.
“The sun … will turn into darkness ... and the moon ... into blood. And the heavens ... will shake.”
But uncertainty is more maddening than truth.
“It was as if two entities battled inside of me. Constantly clashing in a bid for dominance. But the world did not see me that way. They did not see the potential for good. Only my mother had any faith it was there.”
“We were fated to be together. It is your light to which I am drawn, Lustina. It feeds the dark thoughts in my head.”
“You no longer belong to the church or these people. You are not bound by the laws of their world. From this night forward, I am your church. When you are lost, I am your shelter. When you are in pain, I am your elixir.”
“When you ache for pleasure, I am your mercy.” A look of conviction claimed his expression, as he said, “I will burn down this pathetic world for you. Only you. You are mine, little fledgling. Always.”
“It’s common. Many in Nightshade suffer from déjà vu. They’re called es’ra or echoes. They mimic memories of past lives. Some more imperfectly than others.” “Like Blackwater Cathedral. It reminded me of the old church ruins where I used to play.” “Perhaps Blackwater is an echo of something which existed in another part of your world.”
I’m a broker of souls.” “Like … broker as in buying and selling?” “Yes.”
“No. I merely assist in the transition from one stage to the next.” I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around the way Nightshade worked, or how non-humans functioned so seamlessly with humans. “So, you’re more of a funeral director for the afterlife?” “I suppose in its most rudimentary form.” “And these souls … you sell them to ...” “The highest bidder. Unfortunately, the heavens tend to be a bit more frugal when it comes to those in Nightshade.”
“So … when you say the heavens are frugal. Does that mean you sell them to the Fallen?” “Yes,” he answered, face stoic and unapologetic, as I’d have expected. “After what Jesper did, do you think he deserves to ascend from this place?” “Of course not. Then, I’m to assume all the souls you sell are violent criminals?” “No. Some are not.”
“What makes you long for worlds which don’t exist?” he asked, thumbing through a few of its pages. “Escape. Sometimes, life can be overwhelming.
“I’ve found well-placed distraction can be cathartic. It allows me to focus when I need to. The mind yearns for magic over practicality, sometimes.”
The purpose of Nightshade?” “Purgatory?” His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “The place the Christians of your world believe souls go to be cleansed so they can be accepted into Heaven? No. This is far from Purgatory.” “Then, enlighten me.” “Nightshade is where you go when you don’t believe in anything. The poor souls who end up here are so easily plucked like flowers.” He held up one of the nightshade flowers that I distinctly remembered picking before I dove off the cliff. “They are eternally trapped. Encapsulated in their own denial.” “You’re saying there really is a soul trapped in
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And if you attempt to return, you’ll return to nothing. Unfortunately, those of you who traverse willingly don’t even have the ability to return to a corpse.” With a wary side-eye, I shook my head. “Only if I died in the other realm. All I did was drink the tea.” “What exactly do you think Nightshade is, Miss Ravenshaw?” Thoughts too muddled in confusion, I didn’t bother to answer him. “It’s a gateway to the shadowed world. A one-way ticket.” “No. My father drank the tea.” “And I suspect he is dead.” A cold and hollow pressure expanded inside my chest, squeezing my lungs. I shook my head in
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Perhaps there are puzzles with no solution, Miss Ravenshaw. A never-ending quest for something that can never be resolved.”
“I will find you there, and we will leave this place together before the village receives word of their bishop.” “Promise me you will return. That you will find me in the woods.” “I will find you, Lustina. No matter what happens.”
She felt safe. She felt loved. She felt everything.
He longed to hear her voice, that sweet melodic sound which calmed the violence inside of him. To feel the warmth of her skin, instead of the cold and stiff presence of death.
Everything he’d ever dreamed of, everything he’d ever wanted in that unforgiving world, lay unmoving against him and entirely out of reach. How cruel of fate to gift him with the warmth and sunlight, a mere breath of contentment in his otherwise cold and rayless world, only to steal it away.
“This world never deserved you.” Lifting her to his face, he pressed his lips to hers. “I will look for you in the Nightshade. However long it takes, I will find you and bring you home. Remember me.”
No matter what. In life. In death. Eternally.
“I would burn in eternal flames for her.”
“She is cursed. To be reborn. Again. And again. Never to remember her lives past. And on the eve of the pentad blood moon, she will die as a sacrifice. It is written in scripture, and it has come to pass.”
“Amreloc aehter’nu.” Eternal love, in Pri’scucian “Unbidden and unbound. “Once lost and twice found.”
Could the heavens be so merciful as to give back what they’d stolen from me? Surely not after what I’d done. The revenge I’d taken. The lives mutilated in her name.
There wasn’t a force in this world, or any other, that would take her from me again.
I’d waited millennia to see her face again, a few more years wouldn’t kill me.
“Do you remember me telling you about the es’ra?” “Things here that echo those from my life?” “Yes.” He came to a stop, gaze on mine. “The similarities you’re experiencing are echoes of past life.”
“And so, what if I told you that the reason you bear a striking resemblance to Lustina is because you are Lustina.”
“That’s not possible. I have crossed the endless void of time and space, over the centuries I’ve waited, with a yearning to see your face once more. If you think that I could just let you go now, when fate has gifted me the impossible, then you’ve not yet met the depths of my obsession. It has no bounds where you’re concerned, Farryn. I would fight all the evils of hell for you, but I do not possess the strength to set you free. I won’t.”
dead soulmate reincarnated.
