Page 94 of Demonic Affliction

Now it's the serafyn’s turn to ask. Why?

“I guess because… because I don’t want to be alone. Because it’s dark and bleak here, and I can’t imagine it being any less so where I’m going. And also because… because I really, truly, just want to live. I want to feel Rhune’s hand in mine. I want to laugh with Nyx and braid Dravik’s hair. I want to look into Cin’s eyes and see the gentle male I fell in love with. I want to pet Kevin again, and tell him he’s a good boy. I want to run, and fly, and feel the wind on my face. I just… I want more. More time. More everything.” Tears prick my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. “I wish… God, I just wish I had more time.”

Fascinating, Spoon whispers. I… have had nothing but time. I never thought about it like that. I never⁠—

The light blinks softly, but doesn’t say anything. For a while, I don’t think Spoon will ever speak again.

Willow, it says. I am sorry.

“It’s not your fault.” My voice is raw. “It’s just how the fates turned out.”

I suppose. The light blinks faintly. Willow…?

“Yes, Spoon?”

Would you like to live again?

My breath catches in my throat. “What?”

Do you want to live?

I open my mouth. Close it. “I don’t understand.”

You don’t have to. You just need to answer the question.

Now, the tears fall freely. I picture Rhune’s smiling face, the feel of his hand in mine. I think of Nyx’s sly grin, and the lovely pitch of his voice when he tells me that I’m his. I think of Dravik’s strong arms, and how safe and warm I feel when he holds me close. And then, I think of Cin—dangerous, wonderful, complicated Cin. They have shown me more love than I ever thought existed. They have healed me. They have changed me. And I… I want to be able to tell them that. I want to see them again, even if it’s only for one more moment.

“Yes,” I say. “Yes. I want to live. I want to be back with my mates. More than anything, I want to live again.”

Okay. The light flickers, and I’m filled with a bittersweet mix of grief and joy. Then, it will be so.

The orb presses against my skin, passing through my sternum and filling me with warmth—with beautiful, blessed light. I feel the serafyn's remaining life force transferring into me, and my heart kicks once, twice, then settles into a rhythm I recognize as mine.

“What… what is this?” I gasp. “What happened?”

This is me. This is you. This is… us.

“I don’t understand.”

All that was me will now be transferred to you. You will not be able to wield my powers, but it will run through your veins. You will be able to live out many, many eons with your mates. You can raise a family with them. Happily. Healthily. You will have the time you so long for. There is a long pause. But you will need to do so without me.

My heart clenches. I know what the serafyn means before it even says it.

My life, for yours, Spoon says. All I ask is you do not waste it.

I can’t help myself. I need to know. “Why?”

Spoon just laughs. Why? I suppose it’s because I’m curious. Or perhaps bored. I have lived for eons, traversed the vast web of the universe, and traveled to every pocket domain and planet at least thrice over… I think the after presents a nice challenge. A change of scenery at least. The serafyn takes a long breath. All of those things are true. But mostly, I am doing this because in all my millennia, I’ve never encountered a creature as stubborn, imbecilic, and downright silly as you.

“Hey!”

That being said—Spoon interrupts—I have also never encountered someone so inexplicable. Your capacity to love, and forgive, and fight… It is truly astounding. To watch a creature give, when all I have done in my entire existence is destroy.

It laughs again, a sad sound that causes my heart to clench painfully. Not only that, but… you remind me of someone I used to know. Someone I used to love. Someone I remember, now, thanks to you.

My breath catches in my throat. “W-Who?”

I feel the serafyn smile. Your mother.