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This mortal’spersistence was admirable, yet trust had lost its way from me since my curse. Though her eyes spoke of sincerity, my mind was pulled in a million directions upon her arrival. How much had changed since I walked the earth for a mortal to have the courage to overlook the creature I had become?
I had lived for centuries, cursed to suffer everyday in isolation. I made sure to avoid contact with anyone. Through my existence, I had witnessed the sorrow and tribulations mortals suffered and I couldn't fall in love—not again. I couldn't inflict that upon anyone else.
I watched in silence as she moved with feather light touches across my shell, tentatively manipulating salve on my softer exposed joints. It was there, I memorized her touches. How long had it been since I was last given such a thing? My throat was suddenly drier than when it started—than when I had been once again burned and destroyed by the Heliox.
"Mortal, what do you go by?" I croaked out, suppressing the pain that continued to radiate all over my body. I should be used to this by now… but of course the gods wouldn’t give me that simple reprieve.
"My name?" She looked at me with eyes of wonder as she dug her covered toes in the sand beneath the scattered glass. How did feet so small, carry her here? "My name is Khepria"
I watched as she closed her little satchel and rested her arms on her raised knees while she continued to sit beside me. She sighed while rubbing her arm and my eyes tracked her every movement. “And what is your name? You called me mortal... does that mean you are immortal?”
Clever female.
“What I wouldn't give to be mortal,” I grimaced, and through my pain I actually managed to chuckle. It had been so long since I had a conversation. My skills felt a bit rusty. “My name is Isolarel, and yes I am immortal—although if I could, I would beg Shai to cut my string. But he, like all other gods, has his job and my job is to suffer.”
She got to her feet and took another step toward me, leaving no room for personal space as she reached out her hand to touch my smoldering body once again.
I groaned and attempted to turn, creating as much distance between us as I could.
“Mortal, please. Protect your life and separate yourself from me. I am to suffer but you have done nothing. They may be watching and I can't be the cause of anyone else’s torment.” I gritted out. The more I moved, the more agony radiated—As if the ruler of the underworld was having his personal hand in my torture. Though as my eyes shifted to the sky, the end of my suffering was coming to a close for another day before the sun rose again.
“I’ve already touched you, how shall I separate myself from you? If what you say is true, wouldn't something have happened already? You are not making any logical sense, Isolarel,” she reasoned.
The corner of my mouth twitched. She was unlike other mortals and I felt a strange connection to her as she continued to stand there with her arm outstretched boldly. Despite her confidence before me, I could also feel how kind-hearted, and compassionate she was. And still, this was not safe for her.
Soon the sun would rise and I would once again be tortured for my incompetence. Even though this was our first meeting, I didn't want her to be forced to watch my punishment—again.
Ignoring my warning, she took another step toward me. It both intrigued and terrified me. She didn't fear the gods—she reminded me so much of myself in the blissful ignorance of youth.
I was honored by her presence. I couldn’t understand why she would care for a monster like me. When she leaned down, my heart raced with fear—not for myself, but for her. If the Amun found out about her and our encounter, I wouldn’t be surprised if he inadvertently cursed her as well.
Guilt ate away at me like parasites under my exoskeleton… When I felt her hand touch my body. A shiver ran through me.
“Please… just leave me be before?—”
She cut me off, placing her finger to her lips. “I'm not afraid of the gods. We have come a long way since your time. We believe in science, not magic.”
Lightning flashed through the sky and I inwardly winced.He heard her.
“Please, I'm begging you. Leave me!” Thunder began to rumble, growling down on us in warning. I shook uncontrollably as I closed my eyes. "Spare the mortal! She means you no harm and they have not been taught about you. Please, spare her."
"Are you praying?” she asked incredulously. “Stop being afraid. You need to stand up for yourself! Stop being such a scaredy cat. Be strong!"
Her intentions were kind despite the bite to her words. She would never understand true fear.
She rubbed my exoskeleton soothingly, the previous salve she placed on it cooling my burns over time. Pain slowly left me, and a small piece of who I once was when I dwelled among the gods came to me in a glimpse. Her touch was gentle, yet powerful. The medicine she applied must have had a magical quality, easing the pain to accelerate healing. It was as if she possessed a divine gift, a connection to the gods themselves.
As the pain subsided, I felt a warmth spreading through my exoskeleton. It was a sensation I had never experienced before—a feeling of comfort and relief that I had long forgotten. At that moment, I realized that Khepria’s presence had brought a small piece of a place long forgotten back into my world.
Against my better judgment, I began to care for her in return. I felt a glimmer of hope, something I thought I had vanquished within myself after the first decade of the curse. But the darkness that had consumed me for so long began to fade, replaced by a flicker of light. I groaned away from her. Khepria’s compassion and healing touch had ignited a spark within me, reminding me that there was still beauty and goodness in the world.
She was quiet, no longer insisting on my madness for old beliefs and after a while, I turned toward her and twitched my clubbed antennae. She stared at my features and confidently looked me over as if dissecting me. What makes a female like her bravely touch the unknown? Upon the first day of my curse, my body was incinerated as it shot down to earth and melded me into the first thing I made contact with: A wayward scarab beetle.
Because I needed to be reincarnated for my next death, the gods laughed as he wound my life force with the insect, awaiting the next sunrise. It entertained them that it would require Heliox to pull me further into his inferno in order to break through the exoskeleton that had now formed around me. And Heliox was more than delighted to increase the intensity of my punishments in order to complete what he was called to do on his part.
The memories intertwine with the present, threatening to consume my being. But as I looked into Khepria’s eyes, I saw a reflection of the divine. Her kindness and selflessness were qualities that mirrored those of the gods. In her, I found some solace and a sense of belonging that I had never known before. The gods were witness to everything before them. Were they watching us now? Despite the menace exerted by the heavens moments ago… we both remain unharmed as she continues to touch me.
Had our bond been blessed? I could only wonder. But why now? Nothing had changed. Or perhaps it was the fear of letting this moment guide me toward a future filled with love and redemption that made me suspicious the most.
