The way he looks at me...it’s almost as if he can feel the buzzing electricity throbbing through my veins.
“You know,” Knox snorts, “it’s all that fucking ‘You complete me,’ bullshit.”
Knox’s comment breaks the trance with Zayne.
“So,” I say, clearing my throat and shifting in my seat. “Basically, the soulmate thing is a big deal.”
Zayne nods.
“It’s powerful,” he continues. “But with all the emotions we have, balance comes with both good and bad. This also proposed an issue that the Gods had to find a solution for.”
“A solution for what?”
“Souls, for the most part, shine brightly. But occasionally, the more afterlives a soul went through, the more their energy started to dim. Because this dimming ultimately implied some failure or flaw in their design, the Gods invented Aetheriem. Aetheriem was created to help nurture and build a struggling soul back to full potential.”
“What would constitute a struggling soul?” I ask.
“These would be the souls that just lost their way. So criminals, drug users, or perhaps the humans that made the decision to take their own life. They weren’t hopeless, they were just lost, and before they could move on to the next afterlife, they needed a bit more growth and development. So, Aetheriem was created to give them a place of safety and stability where their soul could rest and recharge.”
“Or that’s what it was supposed to be,” Knox says with destain.
“What do you mean?” I ask, looking between him and Zayne.
“This is where it gets a bit…muddy. Aetheriem could not run on its own accord, so the Gods assigned immortals to assist.Two of theseimmortals were put in charge of Aetheriem: Jasper and Jess.Jasper was appointed leader and was in charge of overseeing the overall balance in the realm. Jess had more of a hands-on role, working in the realm to make sure everything was working in sync. The other immortals worked beneath Jasper and Jess to assist in the rebuilding of the human souls within Aetheriem until they were ready to journey to their next life.
“Are there souls that can’t be saved?” I ask.
“It’s rare, but it happens. To our knowledge, there have only been a handful.”
“What happened to them?”
“Their light would eventually goes out,” Zayne says quietly.
“Oh wow,” I whisper.
“Yeah, Jasper took those losses hard, and stayed with them until their light dimmed forever. For hundreds of years, Aetheriem remained peaceful and productive.”
“... Until it wasn’t,” Knox adds sarcastically.
“What do you mean until it wasn’t? What happened?” I ask. “I thought it was supposed to be a safe haven?”
Zayne sighs heavily, closing his eyes.
“A lot happened,” he whispers, shaking his head.
“Understatement of the fucking year right there,” Knox whispers loudly.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“So, I can only tell you what I have been told by Jess and Steph,” he states.
“Steph?” I question. I feel like I’m going to need some kind of whiteboard at this point to map all this out.
“Steph is Jess’s soulmate, and they run the rebellion.”
The rebellion…I remember hearing something about that from Lily. But I’m not ready to say anything, so I just let him continue.
“Everything was peaceful, from what Jess told us, and after hundreds of years, Jasper finally met his soulmate. Jess said it was the happiest he’s ever seen Jasper. Their love was unmatched, and he protected her with everything he had.
