Chapter 27
Portarius
LET DOWN - MACK LORéN ?
Time and its construct is not one I've ever thought about.
On Earth they navigate each day based on the amount of hours, minutes or sometimes seconds it takes to achieve something.
The quality of life is determined by how you spend the time you are given.
In Realm Seven, time is gauged when the red sun rises and the work that can be accomplished while it shines.
Most wake up when it does and sleep when it sets.
The value of your day is not judged by minutes, and not knowing how much time has passed since I last saw Emmie, nor when I will next see her eats at me.
Gnawing at my existence as each cell in my body is healed and mended.
It is a weird thing being weightless, to lose a sense of your body.
My mind is wholly intact, but my body no longer responds.
How long have they worked on it for me to regain some sort of consciousness?
I can feel the steady vibration of the Gate, diligently humming away in the background, pulling and tugging at my body, mending it at a speed I've not felt before.
We have survived many battles together, but we have never been to war.
It was a basic error on my part, one that I registered too late before my body fell under the weight of their barbs.
The Ananea would never be able to kill me, I am eternal.
Only the Devil could do that. I am one of her children of Hell, after all.
When I looked up and saw Emmie emerging from the water, forced higher by the spirits of the Gate, I made peace with my fate.
She was safe, that's all I needed to fall humbly on my sword.
She was stunning to watch. My body paralysed with poison, unable to move. Her obsidian warrior, shining bright as her hair floated around her face.
She was god-like.
A perfect entity to kneel before. I do not remember much after that. My body became too weak, and I drifted into a state of unconsciousness, broken only by periods of pain and torment.
??????
A deep tugging pulls at me, urging me to step outside myself and allow the spirits to heal.
My only reservation is her. If I leave this vessel, I will not feel her as well as I do now.
Her ever present glow moves with me as I mend, and I'm faced with the choice to leave my body to speed the process, or stay, prolonging my comatose state. It is a selfish creature who would choose the latter. I am many things, but if I can end my bonded’s suffering sooner, at my own sacrifice, then I will choose that option each and every time.
I give in to the pull. A final tug making the world come alive as my senses return.
Except I'm not alive, not quite. My spirit has been pulled from my body, and I wander alongside a thousand warriors who guard the Gate and roam its waters.
The pull in my chest toward Emmie is an echo of what it was, no longer a solid beat alongside my heart.
I can feel her, but it is not the same. She has faded for me.
Looking down, my hands are transparent, my physical body suspended in the Gate's water as several medics work to mend it.
??????
The spirits move all around me, aiding in the task at hand.
Slowly though, they stop and stare, and I float amid them, wondering what gives them pause.
I check for the Gates hum, it is faint but ever present.
I move forward a few metres, with more spirits stopping and staring at me.
Emmie is here, but I'm limited to feeling her presence only.
I have no memory of the battle ending, of what became of her.
She has to be okay. I need her to be okay.
A crowd has formed around me, spirits gathering to garner my attention it seems, for which reason I do not know.
They part in front of me, a path leading me to where I need to go.
Emmie. Behind me lies my body, but in front of me, I'm being drawn into the unknown.
A soldier down the line catches my attention, a knowing look in his weathered eyes.
A simple dip of his chin is the push I need to continue this unsettling path before me.
I clasp each warrior's hand as I pass, murmuring my thanks for their efforts in the battle, and for their efforts in healing me.
It is no easy task bringing a body that is so damaged back to a liveable, conscious state.
I continue down the line having hushed conversations.
That is, until the surface looms ahead of me.
The wooden pillars of the dock disappearing into the air above.
A single soldier sits on the submerged platform, holding his arm raised above him, his fingers intertwined with those that are solid.
Emmie.
My brow furrows, confused by what I'm seeing.
“She needed someone to walk beside her.”
The gruff voice of the scarred man says.
We have spoken before, he and I, of war, of passion, of love.
But those were just tales of a life once lived.
He chose to stay beside her while the Gate fought and healed my body.
It is a path no other had sought to take.
All of us are connected in this space, but his pull was toward her and her comfort, and for that, I will always be in debt.
“Is she well?” I choke.
“She is sombre. Lost.” He looks at me in deep concentration, his mangled scars twisting. “I … I … I feel her,” is all he says, rubbing his chest as if to ease an ache, confused by this link that has him tethered to her.
I look to where their hands touch, the way her fingers gently move across the soldier's knuckles as she sits on the steps of the jetty.
“I feel her too,” I say, smiling up to where she’s sitting.
“She is more than I ever could have hoped for, and I thank you for the comfort and refuge you have provided.” Taking a final glance of their hands, my decision cements itself.
“Would you honour us by joining my spirit. I feel I will be returning to my body shortly.” I leave my words open; no further explanation needed in my offer to merge spirits and worship her alongside me.
To give him a life outside the Gate for the rest of eternity.
He has proven himself time and time again, so there is no higher honour I can bestow upon him.
I have merged hundreds of times over the years, but never for this. Never for love.
He stands abruptly, his body getting cut in half as he ventures above the surface of the water, sinking back down, shuddering from his spirit being exposed to the air.
“You would merge with me?” He rasps, shocked.
“My spirit has suffered along with my body, so I will need to merge with another regardless. It would mean so much more if the privilege were given to someone who has earned it. However, if you would prefer, we can hold a vote?”
I present a choice to him, I will need to rebuild my strength and merge with another.
He would be a fool to turn the offer down, but from the glint in his eye, his decision is already made.
I would rather join with someone who has a connection with Emmie as opposed to someone who is indifferent to her.
He looks at her hand, never once having let it go as we talked. Pulling himself up, he leaves a gentle kiss against her skin before letting go. Her fingers searching for a few seconds before withdrawing from the water completely.
“Come,” I say, moving ahead of him as we return to where my body lies, ready to return to the surface. To my eternity.