The Other Side: A Second Chance

"No," my mother said flatly.

My eyes widened. "Wh-what why?!" I was shocked, and my mother frowned.

Isa, Varis, and I had returned from our job search shortly after noon. My mother, who sat in the living room beside my aunt Saria with a teacup in hand, took a sip and placed the cup back on the small plate she held in her other hand.

"Because I said so," she said simply, glancing at me. "I showed you the papers, Luna; word of your actions on the front has begun to spread."

"But they're just rumors," I said. "No one is going to believe—"

"They will start believing once you use your abilities here," she said.

"Cailynn," Isa said as she stepped forward. "We should let her. You and Slyran said it yourselves: the tickets to Frangor cost nearly five gold when you add up all of us. With Luna's abilities, Dr. Kegan would be able to pay her and me five coppers a night. Not counting any expenses, we could have the tickets within three and a half months, perhaps sooner if Slyran and yourself find work."

My mother bit her lower lip and sighed. "I understand that, Isa; my concern isn't whether Luna works. It is that she may draw attention to herself."

"Who cares?" I said grumpily as I crossed my arms. "More attention means more customers."

My mother sighed and face-palmed. "I'm concerned about people like that Colonel Hass," she said, "or perhaps the Concordium."

I raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you want to send me off to a mage school not too long ago?" I asked.

"That was then," she said, "my thoughts on that have changed."

Isa took a deep breath. "Cailynn, I understand your concerns, but we need to focus on getting out of the city. We don't know when the Rusivites are going to push over the river."

My mother sighed. "I'll think about it," she said reluctantly. "When Slyran returns, I'll speak with him. Come morning, I'll give you my answer."

"Where is Papa anyway?" Varis asked curiously.

Mother leaned forward in her seat. "Papa went out to find your Uncle Aenorin in hopes of finding work."

"Where does he work?" I asked as I thought back. I vaguely recall something about construction.

Aunt Saria smiled and said, "He works at the big construction site near the center of town. The one that had the accident."

My eyes widened. That's it! I forgot she mentioned it yesterday.

"I hope everyone is alright," I said as I ran a hand through my hair.

My aunt nodded and said, "Thankfully, there were no fatalities; however, many people did get hurt. So much so, they'll be hosting a new hiring run here soon." She hummed.

"Hence why your father is rushing there now," my mother added as she straightened up. "As for me, I'll be going with your aunt here to her office."

"Are you going to try to be one of those arti-something engineers?" Varis chimed in.

My mother chuckled and said, "Maybe."

"We don't know for sure," My aunt said, "Though I think Cailynn would be able to contribute wonderfully to the project."

Varis hummed. "What is that big thing you're making anyway?"

Our aunt chuckled and shook her head. "I told you all yesterday; I cannot talk about it."

"Does momma know?" Varis looked at her.

It was very subtle, though I noticed my mother's eyebrows twitch a little as she actively tried to hold a blank expression. She's probably aware of something, I thought as she shook her head.

"No, Varis, and as Aunt Saria said, it's a secret," she said as Varis huffed.

"I hate secrets." He pouted.

"Unfortunately, the world runs off of them," Isa sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in it myself, but alas, we should go along with it, kids."

My mother nodded glanced at the grandfather clock along the wall and said, "It's getting about that time, Saria; we should go before the streets get too crowded."

Aunt Saria nodded and said, "Agreed. Just so you kids know, I left some snacks in the ice box as well as some ground juni. Uncle Aenorin and your father should be arriving home soon if the message he sent is correct."

Isa nodded. "Thank you," we all said as my mother and aunt began to grab their belongings and head past us toward the stairs.

My mother stopped by me and said, "And again, Luna, I'll discuss with your father tonight what Dr. Kegan offered. I hope you can understand why I'm so hesitant."

I pouted; in a sense, I did. Memories of the hospital staff crowd around me back at the triage as I was dragged around to patient after patient was still fresh. Or how one of the nurses equated me to some religious being known as a "diviner" or "divine touched."

Which phrase was it again?

The point was, that my abilities were unprecedented. Though at the same time, part of me didn't care. I just wanted to help people, and hell, if I can get paid while doing it to support my family, I'm all for it. What harm could a little bit of fame do anyway?

"I would be very careful with that line of thinking," said the voice of the Master, which startled the daylights out of me.

Where the hell have you been?! I screamed in my thoughts as my mother and aunt were already heading down the stairs.

The voice sighed heavily, and I noticed how tired he sounded. "I told you before. When I actively intrude in your affairs from my position, it puts quite a strain on me."

Are you sure about that? I asked. Last time, you went to sleep just to teach me a spell, but my family tells me you were walking around with my body for nearly a week. What gives?

The voice once again sighed tiredly, and I swore I even heard a cough. "I consumed the refined souls from the siphon and used it to save you all."

I froze.

"Luna?" Isa poked me in the side. "I know you might be upset, but your mother has made some valid points."

Varis huffed. "Who cares? She's going to be helping people!" Varis said.

What do you mean, refined souls? I asked hesitantly.

The voice coughed and said, "Exactly as I said, Luna. The tower was a siphon. The machine slaughtered those it consumed and siphoned their souls to form the magrite. In order to save you and everyone. I had to consume what was available."

I was speechless; I didn't know what to say. My eyes drifted up to meet Isa's. "He-he's back…" I said softly.

Immediately, Isa's eyes widened and narrowed on me, and I could see her jaw tighten.

Varis blinked. "Who's back—oh…" He frowned and turned away with a huff.

So, you're saying I consumed the souls of other people?

"What was left of them, yes." The Master confirmed.

You said the souls were used to make the magrite?

"Yes. Magrite is the formation of souls that take on a physical form. Normally, souls that have fallen out of the Current, either by accidental means or, in this case, deliberate, even though I am not entirely sure despite my years of research."

So I ate people. All of those people…

"Luna, what is he saying?" Isa asked, visibly concerned. "What's happening?"

I stumbled back, my hands coming to the sides of my head.

"It is not as bad as you think, Luna."

"The hell it isn't?!" I shouted out loud, causing both Isa and Varis to jump.

"The world has used the power of souls for millennia—"

"They were people who just died!" I began to hyperventilate. "Th-they were killed, ri-ripped from the cy-cycle we-we could've fr-free them."

"Their souls were diluted, Luna; there was no saving them. Now calm yourself; you're making a scene."

"Fuck off! Go back to being quiet! I don't want to hear this!" Isa rushed over to me and got onto her knees as Varis took a few steps back, visibly pale and frightened.

"As you wish, but we must speak soon."

Isa gripped me tightly. "Luna, what's wrong? What's wrong, Luna?" She asked repeatedly before turning to look at Varis. "Varis, go grab your mother; she should just be down the road now!"

Varis nodded rapidly and ran towards the stairs as Isa turned back to me. My mind was racing out of control, and my heart beat rapidly as I began to panic.

What does he mean by consumed? Are they gone? Are they all dead forever? I didn't want any of that?! Are all magrite souls? Is everything just dead people?! Why would he come out of nowhere and drop this on me?!

Held onto me firmly. "Luna, you need to breathe. Breathe deeply."

But it was pointless, as before I knew. Everything went dark, and I fell unconscious.

 

---

 

A sea of stars and nebulae extended far beyond my sight, above me, lay the moons Andoria and Radiance, casting their glow upon me. My eyes strained as I shifted and groaned, my fingers twitching as my hands reached outward, brushing against the shards of metal and debris as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

This place, this room… it all felt so familiar. In front of me, mounted above arches of stone, was a large black bell with a large chunk missing from its rim.

I remember. I thought as visions of my last visit came swarming towards me. The conversation, the Man in Black, his boon, and the warning I remember it all. My talks with Charity are my dreams. I reached up, grasped the side of my head, and groaned.

I was back in his tower, his prison. But why? Why here? He had said we had spoken before near a place of power; is that where I'm near?

"Yes and no," his voice said to me, and my head perked up.

Behind the bell, hovering ever so slightly off the ground, the frail, cloaked figure of the Man in Black appeared. "Why am I here? How did I get here?" I asked nervously as I pushed myself to my feet.

"You are here because I demanded it, but if you want a more specific answer, you fainted." He stopped and brought a hand to his throat as he began to cough and clear his throat. Letting off a ragged breath, he sighed. "My power is still weak; the barrier around my prison has done much to hinder me. So I cannot talk for long."

"I told you I didn't want to speak—"

"And I am here to say that what you want doesn't matter, Luna Ashflow." The Master said sternly. "Do you see why I have refrained from revealing information to you? It is because you are young and emotional that you lack practical thinking."

"Did you bring me here just to insult me?" I growled. "You forced me to consume the souls of the dead, and now you're berating me?"

"I am not insulting you; I'm speaking honestly," the Master said as he began to levitate towards me. "And I told you. Those souls were diluted and gone; there was no saving those people. For that, I am sorry, but it had to be done." He sighed. "I brought you here so that we can discuss our plans going forward." He coughed once more.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. "What plans? I hadn't agreed to anything. I don't remember receiving a choice in this matter."

"Did I not restore the remainder of your memories?" He asked curiously as he turned to look over his shoulder, and under his blackened hood, I could faintly see the glistening of blue eyes. "I recall giving you a choice all those months ago."

"Yeah, sure, become the chosen one or else everyone is going to die. Really sounds like a good fucking choice, doesn't it?" I snarled.

"What you perceive as a threat is merely because you are ill informed. I was not threatening you, Luna Ashflow; I was merely speaking the truth." He spun around fully to face me.

"You said you and I can stop the world from being destroyed, and maybe if I don't help you, everything will be put at risk. So who's going to destroy the world?" I asked.

The Man in Black smirked. "You've already met them, it seems."

The Rusivites? Charity? I thought to myself.

"One of those two." he said, and I frowned.

"Something tells me it's not the Rusivites," I said softly, and the Man in Black chuckled.

"That is correct." he said, turning to glance at the broken bell. "I think it's time I begin to divulge some information, to extend that olive branch I offered you." He looked at me.

"So the information is finally relevant?" I asked.

"Some of it," he said. "I do not have much time, however, as my power wanes. You'll need to seek out the place of power within Johanneson; there, I'll be able to connect to you without the fear of falling dormant again."

Are you kidding me? I thought. Just tell me now!

"I will tell you what I can," the man in black said with a smirk. "The one who has been intruding on your dreams. That, Charity, you are aware she is not to be trusted."

No shit. I thought, and the Man in Black's smile widened before he fell into another coughing fit.

Clearing his throat, his smile faded and fell into a deep frown. He then straightened up, turned away from me, and levitated over to one of the large open windows. I followed behind him, and beyond what we saw was an endless expanse of beautiful rolling hills and forests, forever shrouded in twilight.

"I don't even know how to comprehend what she even is," The Master said softly, "She alone rivals my power… no… Trumps it. The other gods cannot even hold a match to her or her siblings."

I blinked. "Siblings?" I asked.

He nodded. "The other eleven apostles, so they're called. Creatures that worship a being, a… God… The God. Father." The Master said, his voice wavering a little as if he were disturbed. No. Scared.

I shook my head. "Wait, what do you mean "the God," like a God amongst gods?"

"I don't know, Luna, and I'm being genuine. I don't," he said softly without looking at me. "I don't have much time to explain everything I know; all I know is that there are beings out there that extend even beyond us Divine. Where do you think we came from?" He glanced at me.

I blinked. "I-I don't know, gods just appear, right?"

"That's what we thought," The master said, "Yet we don't know. The other gods rose from the Current, yet who made the Current? What is the Thing? These are questions I had asked for ages, and I searched and searched. Yet the other gods would have nothing to do with me, I was a man who had ascended, not created like they were. Or so I thought. I was always an outcast amongst them, yet when I dug deeper, I had learned that even they do not know where they're from. They never questioned it. That is, until I learned of the Great Wound and the Ascension War."

My eyes widened and my mouth fell agape. Licking my lips nervously, I opened and closed my mouth to try and speak, but no words came out until finally I sighed and said, "You are saying a lot right now. I, uh, don't know where you're going with this."

The man in black smirked once again and side-eyed me. "I ask again; now do you see why I withhold information? There are events in this world that even we gods cannot comprehend."

"So, if there's this god amongst gods, where is he from? Why does he and his apostles want to destroy Enora? And like, if Charity is an apostle, does that mean this Church of the All Father has people who worship this God?" I rambled out my questions.

The man in black simply took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "From what I know, God is simply from the Other Side."

I blinked. "The what? The other side of what?"

The master chuckled. "I don't know," he said simply. "And that's what terrifies me. Before I was imprisoned, I could see far, hear almost anything, and feel everything. Yet I have never seen this being, and I have never felt this power that is encroaching on our world. Neither have the others."

"Surely the other gods are doing something right?" I stammered. "Maybe there's other heroes out there, like the Legendary Seven!"

"They are also terrified," the master muttered. "They wish to leave. To run away to some other reality, but it's pointless. Father is coming, and he wants to claim everything."

"So what? The gods are just giving up?" I was dumbfounded.

"Yes. So it seems," The Master whispered. "How do we fight something like this? Something from the Other Side? What even is it? How vast is it? How many of them are there? How can you even begin to comprehend that?"

I began to quiver. "I-I don't know…"

"Exactly," the master said softly.

"If it's pointless, then why me? Why do you and I have to be the ones to stop this?" I asked as my voice began to shake.

"It's not because of who you are, Luna Ashflow." The master turned to look at me. "It's about who you were."

"Wh-what the hell are you talking about?" I asked. "What do you mean? Are you talking about that fat, pathetic bastard I used to be?"

"That… is irrelevant to the conversation," The master said as he returned his gaze to the landscape. "I'm beginning to tire… Luna, keep an eye on your aunt, and make sure that the construction is complete. When you're able to, make your way to the heart of the city, where we can talk more. There, I'll tell you everything I know about God."

"What is happening?!" I cried out of frustration, and before I knew it.

I blacked out again.

I woke up in bed, on silken sheets, with the sun's rays shining brightly through the window. I was alone in my aunt's guest bedroom. The same room I shared with Varis and Isa. I rose out of bed, my body caked in sweat and my hands shaking. The nightgown I wore was drenched. Yet I could remember it all—everything. As if I had been somewhere else.

"What the fuck happened?" I muttered to myself once again. "Why is this happening?"