Page 95 of Demonic Affliction

“My… mother?”

The only other vessel I cared for. Spoon lets out a small, sad sigh. We were together for decades. Me, keeping her body young and healthy, and her, talking to me and fighting off my boredom. We traveled all through the web of the abyss, and ended countless worlds. We were a perfect team—until she met him. The male.

A scoff. She begged me to spare him. To let him be the one thing we saved from his world. I should have known better. But I wanted to make her happy, so I let her keep her little pet. I brought him back to earth for her. I let her visit him whenever she desired. But then…

Spoon lets out a shaky sigh, showing more emotion than in the entire time I’ve spoken to it. She became pregnant. She… decided she wanted to grow old and gray with her male, to raise her young as a regular creature would. She wanted to be normal. And I… I could not deny her anything. I loved her too much. I took my powers away and forced myself back into hibernation. I watched silently as she lived her life.

The serafyn's voice pitches with emotion. Then, there was the accident… So much carnage, so much blood. That day, she called me. I answered. She asked me to save her mate and her young. She said she would do anything for them—even if that meant she would die in their place. She asked me to save you, Willow. To sever my soul from hers and find yours in the abyss so we could be together like she and I were. So you might live.

My mind is filled with flashing images, the same ones I saw when my mates fell into the pit. Only this time, they’re moving slow enough for me to piece together. And suddenly, I understand.

The serafyn gazes through Flora Wood’s eyes, its soul clenching with a deep, never-ending sadness.

Is this what you truly want, Flora?

Flora doesn't move, unable to look away from the two bodies beside her. Her husband, and the youngling they made together. "I've never wanted anything more.” Her body shudders with the weight of her grief. “Kill me. Send me to the after to be with my Graith, but please… save my Willow."

We will never be together again.

“I know,” Flora sobs. “I know. But I have to save her. My heart… my heart cannot go on without her.” Flora looks up then, her red-ringed eyes gleaming with a fiery resolution. “Save her. Please, save my Willow.”

The serafyn nods once, and lets its power fall away. Flora's hand finds her husband's one last time as her own body stills, following him into the after.

Grief tugs at the threads of the serafyn’s soul, but it does not give in. It has a job to do. With the same resolution shining in Flora’s eyes, the serafyn descends into the abyss. The dark stretches endlessly around her, thick with the drifting, gleaming shapes of souls. It passes through the swarm without pause, searching for the only one that matters.

Willow.

Her soul is small, but bright, drifting apart from the greater masses. The serafyn shoots toward it, attaching its soul to that tiny gleaming orb before it can escape.

I will keep you safe, she promises the child's soul. Everything is going to be okay now that we are together.

She wraps Willow's soul and carries it up, out of the abyss, back toward the small body left behind. Her heart kicks once, twice, then relaxes into a rhythm that is all her own. Satisfied, the serafyn fades into the recesses of the tiny human's mind, curling into some forgotten corner where a child will never think to look.

Then it sleeps. And it waits.

“Oh my God.” I bring a shaking hand to my mouth. “She… she saved me. Both of you did.”

Now you understand. I made a promise to protect you. Spoon releases a heavy sigh, though it sounds more relieved than sad. And now, my duty is paid. Now, I can finally rest.

Tears flow freely down my cheeks. I don’t know what to say. There are no words, other than, “Thank you, Spoon. Just… thank you.”

Don’t thank me, the serafyn says. I would not have promised for anyone but her, and I would not have done it if you were any less extraordinary. There’s a soft laugh, and this time, there is no sadness within it. You remind me so much of her. So good. So kind. So very, very strong.

I choke on a broken sob. Don’t go, my heart whispers. Stay just a little longer. But I know it is useless. Our time has come to an end.

The serafyn continues in that bittersweet tone that makes my heart clench. Thank you, Willow, it says. Thank you for letting me go to the after with my memories of her. Thank you for reminding me of the meaning of it all. It takes a rattling breath. I am glad for the short time we had together, even if… even if it was not enough.

I feel the serafyn rise inside me, opening its eyes lazily, looking at me for the last time. Goodbye, Willow, it says.

“Goodbye, Spoon.”

The serafyn doesn’t answer.

And I know, deep down, that it never will again.

32

Cin