Astraea sees an expanse of darkness in every direction. She looks at where her hands should be, but she cannot even see her own body, and nor can she feel it. Despite this, she is able to speak with a subdued voice.

  “Hello?”

  A moment later, she hears the voice of the one she was just fighting.

  “I didn't mean for any of this to happen.”

  “Where are you? Where are we?” she asks, any anger replaced by confusion and concern.

  “We're dead. I got both of us killed, and for that I can only apologise. We are separated from our bodies now, and it is just our souls in this void. I don't know anything more.”

  Both of them fall silent for a minute as Astraea takes in the situation. If she still had a body, she would be rubbing her forehead with a frown. Eventually, she speaks again.

  “What was your motive?”

  Novus responds quickly.

  “I was blinded by the pursuit of power. I wanted to break free of the restriction of my contract, but I could not do it myself or my atemporality would be stripped entirely. Therefore, I wanted to raise you four to be a threat to even the most powerful beings. I see now that despite my age, my actions were short-sighted and futile. Look where it got the two of us. And finally, I’m sorry for turning your brother against you.”

  Astraea hesitates before saying, “I do not forgive you. Your actions were unjustifiable and disastrous.”

  “I understand,” she hears him respond and they do not talk again.

  Somehow still able to think, the girl laments everything that happened to her.

  She was born to a prestigious family, in line to become a great leader and healer who would make the continent of Omnia a better place. If not for Novus’ manipulation of Dolus, it could have gone so well, yet this was not how things worked out. The only comfort she can find is that she managed to save her friends from catastrophe, but even that is tainted by the regret of never seeing them again. Suddenly, a worrying thought crosses her mind.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  “Novus, did you use your mind-magic to create a fake bond between us?”

  “No. That was all real,” he replies, causing her to mentally sigh with relief.

  Astraea is about to return to reflection, but a tangible presence seems to descend, overwhelming her mind, and she hears a loud, oppressive voice.

  “How would you like a second chance?”

  ?elare stares down at his friend and his foe with widened eyes. He crouches down, turns Astraea's body around and looks at her pale features. Shaking her lightly, he whispers.

  “You did it, you won. You're the best healer; you can't have died to a single person, right?”

  He laughs softly before lying her back down and standing up. His eyes begin to tear up, and his laughs slowly turn to sobs.

  “Please, I need you to live,” he whimpers. The boy's eyes widen as he has an idea, and he runs to the Worldgorger's corpse. After drawing his dagger, he mercilessly hacks it to pieces and eventually manages to find a large, red crystal shard by rummaging through the gore. He returns swiftly to Astraea and takes an orb from his pocket, given to him by Novus before he sent Astraea what he shall not allow to be her life’s final mission.

  ?elare slams them together and yells out, “I offer this Divine Shard to any deity willing to bring back Astraea Lifebringer!”

  The two objects disintegrate in his hands, and he waits for five entire minutes. Then, he feels a hand on his shoulder, which causes him to flinch. He turns around to see a young man smiling at him.

  “I greet you, Chosen of Light and Sound. I am an avatar of the Time Dragon, and I have come to make a deal with you.”

  The blond swallows his shock and replies, “You must have got my offer. Isn't that enough?”

  The avatar, with long silver hair fashioned into a ponytail, chuckles to himself.

  “You greatly underestimate revival. This is the natural order of events, and it is no mere triviality to reverse causality. I am one of the few capable at all, and so my services are only more valuable.”

  The mage grits his teeth and replies, “What do you want?”

  “I want your friend’s Divine Shard. Be aware this will remove all of her powers, and will certainly make her even weaker than an average person, but that is the price to pay.”

  Without a moment of hesitation, ?elare grabs the Dragon’s hand and shakes it.

  “Deal.”

  “Very well,” the Deity says, before crouching down to the two corpses and completely vanishing.