The One Who Lived

“You should have told me!” Ryan was visibly flustered and rightfully so. Anyone would feel this way if they discovered that the being they accidentally impaled was the mother of their newfound enemy. THERna was nothing to mess with. She was just as deadly as Anges or worse in many ways. Hearing her name alone drove chills into unfortunate souls because it was screamed and not plainly spoken.

“I was trying to protect you from the terrible truth!” Wickerd stopped jogging and turned around to face his mentor. He was forced to move his chestnut shoulder-length hair out of his face. Times like these he wished he had a tie-back. The last altercation ended with his leather tie ripped off as he tried to escape the new leader. His hair was a frazzled mess. Dirt clung to his pale face since he had not bathed in a few days. He could only imagine how he smelled.

Shadow was a few feet away. It appeared he was cautious. “I was wrong. I should not have kept it from you.” Grey clouds hung low in the magenta sky above. They casted shadows over the daemon. Ryan had no time to mull over his surroundings.

“So, all of humanity? Earth, I mean Kelotha, is in danger?” Thewholefuckinthing?! Prophecy is a fickle thing. It dictated one’s life, but it could be dangerous if misread. Ryan had some knowledge of said prophecy and what it meant for him. “I won’t back down, but to kill her… it goes against…” He would not be turning his back on the morals he clung to. Just because my parents gave up, doesn’t mean I need to. It reminded him of when he was a child and crying for his parents. Growing up as an orphan was harder in more than one way. As a kid in primary school, he was constantly made fun of for not having a mother and father. They reminded him that he was unwanted and abandoned. No one should feel that way, no matter how evil they were.

Sighing, he slumped his shoulders. The weight of this world hung over his head like the fluffy, depressing clouds overhead. This world did not help the feeling of despair. The leaves in the trees were all sorts of wondrous crimsons and ambers mixed with yellows. All echoing memories of death and destruction that laid before. Any person who stayed in this world after too long lost hope.

“Sadly, she hates humans as much as she hates herself. If you do not prevail, Ryan… I fear humanity will be enslaved to her and her kind. Her greed knows no bounds.” Shadow bowed his head and closed his eyes in what he guessed to be reflection. The beast only raised it to stare back at him.

His heart squeezed. The answer could not be good. He couldn’t give up. If he did, everything he knew would come to an end. He was almost too scared to ask. “For what? What could she possibly want with us?”

“There’s more. They do not have the ability to keep their magic up for long without a source. For centuries, that source has always been humans. The people of this world used to be free.” Blinking his amber eyes, he had not realized they had changed until the training in the cabin. They were lighter than his dull brown and more alive since making contact with the daemon. Ryan was slowly changing, he knew this deep down.

After hearing what the plan was, he felt the icy fingers of fear grip his heart. They squeezed to the point he winced. If he failed…everyone would suffer. “So we’ll have to stop ‘em.”

Ryan remembered a night a week or so ago. The daemon told him of the prophecy. The darkness enveloped them. Flames from the fireplace flickered across the walls, causing shadows to dance. He laid in his makeshift cot on the floor, exhausted from the training earlier. Shadow’s voice came as a foreboding whisper. “There is a prophecy of Beltran. It is said they are born of rage and despair. And out of this despair, one rose. Only one. They fought until their very last breath. But before they died, they bore a son. And through that son, a power of raw destruction. For their lineage would bear the Destroyer. They would destroy THERna’s kind and all in their world. You both are connected. It was why Agnes sensed and fought you in the beginning.”

“That makes me the Destroyer.” Ryan silently tried to wrap his thoughts around it. There was little else he could do to fight this. He did not know if he wanted this burden on him. It was so easy to run and self-preserve. Was it selfish? To a degree, he thought so. The fight or flight response for him was normal. It wasn’t likely that he could push it off on some unfortunate fool. He wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It was funny how far he was from being boring. No one could say he was ordinary. Hell, he could no longer entertain those self-deprecating thoughts in his head.

The rain pelted down on Ryan’s face. His clothes were soaked. The flannel shirt he wore over his screen tee was muddy and torn at the bottom. His jeans were unrecognizable at this point. Ryan looked worn. He felt like he had been going nonstop for weeks and couldn’t afford to rest. Leaves under his feet crunched; it reminded him of all things dead.

Standing there at the gate with the portal behind, he saw the vast army of Wrrithrches. THERna stood in the center, and he was the only thing standing in her way. Kelotha was behind him, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. His heartbeat pounded frantically in his chest. This was it. The last stand. Please listen. Shadow lingered on his side and was crouched, growling. Fear still gripped him. Don’t fail, don’t fail. His heart rhythmically sang.

“DESTROYER, MOVE AND I WILL MAKE YOUR DEATH PAINLESS!”

Slowly, he shook his head. “No. We both know I can’t.” He knew she heard him. The reaction was her jaw coming unhinged and screaming. Her features morphed into the rusted colored creature with fury-filled fire eyes and jet black hair. It matched her soul. Some would liken her to the Devil itself. “I know I killed your mother. I’m sorry.”

Living with hate doesn’t have a good outcome. It never works out. This was why he tried so hard to reason with her. Ryan meant the apology. He felt that much was owed. His voice dripped in regret and grief. A reflection of remorse was evident in his words: “You can back out. It’s not too late to start over. Do what is right.” Another ear-ripping wail came in protest. He guessed it was a solid no. Maybe he expected too much. She could be too far gone. Once the screeching stopped, he glanced at his companion. His fire fur flickered dangerously white.

“YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU’RE RIGHT.”

This took him off guard, and his head whipped to stare at her with shock written on his face. He had no idea she would cave. It caused his eyes to narrow in confusion.

“NO ONE DESERVES TO HAVE THE LIFE SUCKED FROM THEM, ESPECIALLY YOU DESTROYER.”

The daemon growled. Could she be telling the truth? How could she? Everything Shadow told him about her kind seemed off suddenly. His mind was going in a thousand different directions as he battled himself mentally. No, his heart told him differently. No one could turn a leaf that fast unless this was…

“Ryan!” The daemon yelled as a fast-moving fog of lightning shot from THERna’s hand. Time slowed for him, and seconds felt like an eternity. She had deceived him; this was her intention. Her kind was notorious for deception, and he unwillingly fell into her trap. All it did was lead him to debate with himself while she bought time. It was at this moment that he realized he could not change fate. With his hands out in front of him, he prayed to every god known to man. Do not let me fail. The only spell Ryan could think of in that moment was the first spell he learned, repelling. He held his hands diagonally, and the runes around him became visibly illuminated. An energy shield formed, enveloping both him and Shadow. Just in time, the spell erupted around them, suddenly whipping back toward the army. The last thing Ryan remembered was the screams and the ground tearing apart beneath the surface.

“Never do that again!” He had thanked his lucky stars more than once, but this was getting ridiculous. “Thank you.” He didn’t care if his body hurt; he flung himself on the daemon and squeezed him tight. Shadow was just as relieved because he felt the hot, rough tongue lick his face.

“You did it, Ryan, you saved Kelotha.” Things tended to happen in circles. An hour earlier, his back hit the floor hard, the wind knocked out of his lungs as he landed once again on Shadow. His world twisted around him, and it took him a moment to realize he was still alive. It was only when he heard the familiar voice saying, “Get off of me,” that he knew they had both survived. This was before the world as he knew it shattered. The guardian revealed his powers by creating a protective bubble and grabbing Ryan by his shirt collar. He swiftly yanked him into the portal behind them. Ryan would never doubt his friend again.

When he parted from Shadow, he finally smiled. “When were you going to tell me you had magic?!” He should know better by now. The wolf liked to keep things from him until the most convenient moment.

“Where would we be if I told you everything at once?” The magician released him and sat back on his heels. He was right and he knew it. Still, there seemed to be something else lurking, just as the shadows of the clouds rolled over Beltran.

”What is it? Something is buggin’ you.” The world had vanished. He didn’t have much time to decide. The weight of his choices felt like it came crashing down on him. People died because of his decision. He couldn’t save everyone.

“I do not have much else to say, but this solemn truth. The reason for our connection is your parents. See, we daemons are born to one person. Making us bonded. They are gifted through a family's lineage. Yours – mine, we come from the same.” There was a pause that made him hate the silence and its heaviness. Uncomfortable as it was, he nodded in understanding. “I was captured by Anges long before you were placed here. Your parents risked their very lives for you and died to keep you a secret. Their end was gruesome – one, I do not wish to tell you the details.”

“Wait, my parents didn’t abandon me?” He suddenly realized that if Shadow was telling the truth, they would have sacrificed themselves for him. He wasn't an orphan by choice; it was love that kept him alive.

The wolf shook his head slowly. “No, they loved you very much. So did I and do. Agnes captured me, hoping to draw you back to Beltran. See, Ryan, Beltran is more than the Wrrithrches’ home. It was ours. I’m so sorry, Ryan.”

“Shit.” With a thud, he landed squarely on his backside. His face twisted in pain as his lips pressed tightly together. Suddenly, everything came crashing down on him. His parents, Anges, THERna, the army, and a forbidding prophecy all seemed to weigh on him like a thousand-pound burden. He had destroyed his home and people. That was the true meaning of the Destroyer. He realized it fully now. If Shadow had not concealed the truth, he might have hesitated when the spell to consume him was cast. That split-second decision would have affected not just him, but everyone around him. As grief-stricken as he felt, he couldn’t blame the daemon. No, none of this was his fault or anyone else's. “Don’t apologize, you did what you thought was right.”

The words felt like lead in his mouth. This would take time to get over and process. He knew this. Like everything, time passed. People either got over it or mulled. “You are wiser than you know.”

Laughter echoed in the courtyard like a familiar song. Autumn leaves covered the ground, but did not give the same despondent light as before. A crowd gathered near the cafeteria, where a guy and a girl doubled over in fits of giggles. They surrounded one person who was excitedly talking about sleight of hand. Although he was the shortest in the group, he stood proudly in the center of the towering six-foot individuals.“Dude, I don’t know where you come up with this shit.” One very young male said as he shook his head.

“Ya know. Like everything I come up with. The internet.” Ryan smiled and tucked back a strand of hair that came loose from the leather hair tie. His friends did not need to know the truth. Magic was very real. It was his reality, not theirs. The power he had was for himself. Just as their talents and gifts were theirs also. No one had to be cookie-cutter. Everyone had their unique quirks. The warlock chatted with his friends freely as he held some college books in his right hand. Officially, he became a student last semester. Recently, he met a group who were just as into card magic as he was. It was a magic club he signed up for to put himself out there. Shadow had urged him to meet new people. With a little push, he did.

His life was so much better. He was no longer the spiteful person shuffling off to work. No longer did he think down on himself. It was hard to do so when surrounded by similar people with similar interests. Now, he could just be. He wasn’t the Destroyer, nor would he be known as the Savior of Kelotha.

In a bush nearby, his bonded companion watched and waited. Shadow was proud of him. Proud of the man and person he became. Shadow whispered, “None could be prouder than myself.” Other than one of the very parents who sacrificed himself so that he could live.