A Loyal Companion
SEVENTEEN: Afterlife

Was that it? Finally there was an end to my eternal life? I dared not to think of it, the gods were full of surprises, the gods were not always fair. I wasn’t a woman who believes in fate, but for whatever I chose, I ended up here, alone, without Aranthias, without anybody. I looked back into the life I knew, all the pain endured, all the loss felt, the last image imprinted at the back of my eye lids, which I would see even with my eyes closed.

Was it worth my life? Yes. But was it worth my love? No. I wanted more. I wanted to spend my life with him, I wanted so much more than I already had. Three thousand years in waiting, when I finally had him, it was only for a short while. The world wasn’t a fair place indeed. It was true that I had served my purpose, but if so, why did the gods destined us to be soulmates? Always questioning, but never got an answer. Nature worked in such a weird way.

“My child, you had given mankind another chance to live” Naal whispered in my ear as I laid in the woods, where I met her first time.

I turned to see her beautiful face before me. Somehow there was no pain, I looked down to my body and found no wounds.

“Where am I?”

“It doesn’t matter for now, at least until you make a choice”

I bent my elbow to prop my body

“What choice do you have for me now?”

“You are dead, Ondine… but nature is not as cruel as you had known it”

I knew I was dead, and to be honest, being dead wasn’t so bad at all. I didn’t feel any pain, and any sorrow or any regrets were more like memories, I felt them, but wasn't directly affected by them.

“Father had reconsidered, you had given others another chance to live, it is only fair that you were given one as well”

She moved towards me and held my hand in hers.

“You could go back to live along side Aranthias as an immortal, continue your life to protect mankind from the mess the war had left, and be a part of the protector to the portal. Make sure no one would ever re-open the portal and sit on the dark throne... Or you could be re-born as human, to live your normal life, your life would be happy, your friends would take good care of you without you knowing it. You will not have any memories of the life you know now, but you will meet Aranthias again when the time is right and would be lovers, only that you wouldn’t know him fully like you know him now. Aranthias wouldn’t reveal his secret to you, but you would be happy with him with all the love you both share”

My gaze fell to the ground, my mind went through all the possible outcomes of each choice. Of course I would like to choose the later, I had dreamed of a normal life, no more immortality, no more fighting demons and monsters, no more hiding in the darkest night, and topped it with being able to live a happy life with Aranthias, it was perfect. But my heart grew heavy at the thought, because I didn’t want to forget what I knew, I would want to remember everything I was, everything I learnt, every bad memories and good ones, because they had made me what I was then. Each choice came with a heavy consequence.

I searched in the bottom of my heart for the answer, when I looked back into Naal’s eyes, she found the answer there. She gave me a sincere smile, “As you wish”

“Let me ask you something before you send me off”

“Ask away”

I hesitated but swallowed it.

“Did you know what I'd choose?”

The corner of her lips curled into a wider smile, as if she was about to tell me the secret of life.

“No, but I had faith that you would choose what is best” she answered before I felt a sudden loss of consciousness.

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