- “Sleep. You won’t wake up again. You are the most interesting of all these people. You went in there but came out without any mutation. We need to study this effect well.”
The scientist was hovering above the group, his instruments in hand and an evil gleam in his eyes.
‘What the hell? I knew these people were fucked up but I did not think something like this would happen for real. I guess this is the part where someone snaps and someone else gets killed as a result.’
Aurora knew she should be feeling a sense of urgency considering her current situation but she felt calmer than she ever had before.
But not everyone was feeling the same as her. Lady Clara was going wild a few feet adjustment to Aurora.
“Get your hands off me or you will never see them again. I promise that you will have a painful death if you touch me.”
Lady Clara’s voice was the loudest but it was not the only one that rang in that clearing. The threat was clear but the people around Aurora were too tired to care.
But since Aurora could feel everyone’s lifeforce around her she knew things were alright. The scientists would not dare kill their precious specimens.
They won’t harm their specimen, right?
“Fuck this bitch. She dared to bite my hand and also block the kid. This is the end for her.”
“You won’t be touching Seraphina. I will protect her even if it costs me my life. You will not get to touch her, you hear me?” Lady Asami’s predecessor yelled, her voice brave but tired.
The clearing went silent as soon that proclamation happened before Aurora felt magic build up beneath her body.
The abyss was responding to something and it was filling the area around their group with resonance.
If nothing was done then a magical explosion would take place.
“This might be all I can do but I will make sure I drag you all into hell with me.” The goddess was going crazy over her place. She was not only willing to drag the scientists into the abyss but also her allies.
‘Not like we will die but isn’t this too risky?’
No one got any time to get words in before the ground gave way. All Aurora heard were the cries of pain from the scientists before she felt the ground give way beneath her.
“Aurora, hang on. Hold on to something and I will pull you all up.”
Aurora tried to follow those instructions but her body was filled with the drug. Her arms did not have the strength to keep holding on to the ledge.
Someone’s hand caught Aurora’s arm, her body hanging on the edge.
Pain-filled blue eyes caught Aurora’s own and Lady Clara’s tear-filled gaze met Aurora.
“Let go. Clara, you need to let go of me or we will both fall.”
Aurora tried to save Clara’s life. She knew that this body was meant to die here and become a part of the abyss but Lady Clara seemed to have other ideas.
“I cannot. I love you so I won’t let go. I feel like I will break and start to hate humanity if I let go now.”
Of course. So this was the catalyst of the change in the god’s relationship. Love was a foolish emotion that made people do weird things.
This love was the reason this illusion was able to hold on to this long in the abyss as well. But it had gone on for too long.
Aurora was a hypocrite to say this, but past feelings needed to be let go.
“Clara, you need to let go. You know that trying to save me will not help. How many times do you want to go through the same thing over and over again? Isn’t this pain enough?”
Aurora tried to console the goddess. She knew that the soul’s memories were going through a loop and the same events would repeat themselves.
Normally, that would not have been a problem but Aurora was kind of in a hurry here. She needed to return to her original place and to the people who needed her.
“I cannot let go. Please do not make me let go. I know how that ends but I cannot accept it. Please do not make me face reality.”
Aurora took in a sharp breath, realizing that this was the breaking point.
A normal person would tell Clara to move on, to not hold back and let the past go. Aurora was sure that the person whose body she was occupying in this illusion told Lady Clara something similar.
So it would only be right for Aurora to follow in their footsteps. Foreign emotions were swimming inside Aurora’s mind, yelling at her to make things right.
But Aurora knew that if she followed along with them then nothing would change. What Clara needed to hear were not words of assurance or that things would be alright.
“Clara, you are allowed to be selfish. I will allow you to pull me up but nothing would change even if you do. So, won’t you let me go?”
Aurora gave Clara the choice. It was clear that this was what Clara wanted from her all along, a choice to be able to change the past.
And Clara did not disappoint her when she pulled Aurora up. Somewhere inside Clara’s heart, she had realized the truth as well.
This soup was much more self-aware than Aurora had given it credit for.
But since the illusion had not faded yet, that meant Aurora had not finished things up here yet. She still had something to resolve but she already had an idea of what it was.
After all, once you lost a loved one there was anger and bitterness that remained. But that was not all that remained.
“You caught me.”
“I did catch you. Does that mean I get to do what I want with you?”
Aurora took in a deep breath, anticipating what was about to come. Aurora truly had braced herself for the next step.
“You can do what you want with me. I promise not to resent you for your choice.”
Lady Clara took in a sharp breath before pulling Aurora against her body. It was a short and tight hug conveying all the feelings that had been pent up inside the older goddess.
But the hug was cut short and Aurora felt a sharp push on her chest.
“I always wanted to do that to you. You know, as much I loved you, I also resented you for leaving me behind. Why did you have to be the only one to die today? You made me hate humanity as well.”
Aurora’s body fell into the crack but there was no resistance now.
She knew that it was killing Clara to do this but this was necessary. Past was impossible to change and deaths were impossible to overwrite.
‘Those who are meant to die will have to die. You cannot change one’s lifespan. It was also why things become precious to you.’
That subtle voice and thought felt familiar. Aurora had no idea if it was her own, the abyss, or the original owner of this body. But Aurora could feel the truth reflected in those words.
‘Your companions are also people who will not be able to escape their fate so you should brace yourself because this is the path you chose.’
Aurora closed her eyes, her heart not wanting to face this truth.
Time was running out for Rita and Aurora had long since been aware of this. Even Rita had known about this to some extent and it was visible in her recent behavior. The younger had finally decided to let go of restraint and live her life.
“But I still want to believe that I can change something. Is it foolish of me?”
Aurora whispered in a low voice. She was not sure why she still had faith in things turning out alright.
‘In that case, you will have to make a choice. But both options will be as bad as the other and there will be no winner in this gamble.’
‘Whether you take it as a gift or a curse, it is up to you. But you won’t be able to avoid making a choice. Aurora’s body hit the water just as she felt something explode around her.
The surroundings were filled with magical power unimaginable to anything Aurora had felt before but she also felt the residual of a familiar magical signature in front of her.
The mutation had finally decided to show itself and Aurora felt her magic respond to her wishes.
‘It feels so good to have my magic back. I truly missed it a lot.’ The time Aurora had spent without her magic had been miserable but now she was ready.
She could feel Lady Clara’s soul inside that residual energy gather up and take the form of a giant blob.
“Fuck. Now I have to fight her as well? Could the abyss not make this easier on me?”
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