Chapter 29

Two days had passed since the final battle between the Nightfall team and the boss of the Moon’s Wolves. Thanks to the physicians ceaseless efforts, Faye, Noah and Asher recovered almost completely. Faye still had problems standing up for long periods of time, so she used a cane to support herself. Asher couldn’t use his right arm very much and Noah had dreadful back pains, needing to sit in a wheelchair in order to move. They put on black clothes with difficulty due to their injuries.

            Edra made sure that everything was ready for the funerals, while Rishima and Zev went to bring their friends and help them if needed. The black-haired girl was the one who pushed Noah’s wheelchair. With each step they took, the heaviness became more and more unbearable. They were about to see the funeral processions of the king and one of their comrades. The six friends gathered in a booth and waited to see the coffins being taken out of the palace. The princess, alongside three soldiers, carried her father’s casket until the entrance to the royal family’s mausoleum. Nobody said a word. Edra allowed another soldier to take her place, as she saw dignitary bringing in a golden box her mother’s crown. She placed it on her head as the coffin was put in the mausoleum. She turned to face everyone present at the memorial service and bowed before them. The others returned the gesture. There was a moment of silence in the memory of the king who tragically passed away.

            “Long live the Queen!” the soldiers said in unison after a while.

            The kingdom now had a new ruler, but Edra couldn’t bring her father back. She lost the parents she loved so dearly at the hands of her sworn enemies. Thanks to her friends, she made her dream of defeating them a reality. All the ordeals they had been through during the years eventually paid off. On top of that, it was Faye who had the last word.

            The new queen glanced at her friends. Physically and emotionally, all of them were hurt. They were willing to put their life on line for the sake of protecting their homeland and those they cared about. As soon as other soldiers exited the palace with Blake’s coffin, she stopped the procession. She knew Zev was grief-stricken. She called Zev and asked a soldier to trade placed with the telekinetic. The young man was overcome with emotion. That was the last time he would have the chance to be so close to his brother. Asher remained by Faye’s side. The Nightfall team accompanied them to the cemetery that was just behind the palace. The grave had been already dug, but Zev didn’t want to let go of the casket. Edra comforted him while the soldiers descended Blake in his resting place. Each of the team members grabbed a handful of earth and threw it on the coffin. They remained in the cemetery until the grave-diggers put the headstone. Rishima and Noah had been crying since the first burial. Asher was swallowing the painful lumps in his throat. Faye and Zev didn’t shed a tear.

            When her friends retired to their rooms, Edra summoned one of the servants and ordered her to bring the box containing Shadow’s right hand. It was too good to be true that he passed away so conveniently. She analysed it carefully and an idea came to her mind. Her eyes widened and a smirk appeared on her face.

            “If my friends ask about me, tell them I need some time alone.” The former princess instructed the servant.

            She opened a portal which lead to the Moon’s Wolves headquarters in the heart of the Forest of Venom. Her powers were far stronger than before thanks to the antidote Faye had brought. Edra stepped inside and was welcomed by an abhorring atmosphere. It was as if death itself was inhabiting the building. She checked the rooms one by one until he found the one where Faye had resided in. A terrible smell came from inside, making the girl uneasy.

            “That madman wasn’t lying after all…”

            She covered her mouth to prevent a scream when she saw Shadow laying face-down with a dagger in his back, just like her father died. She almost dropped the box, but gathered her courage to go closer. Edra reluctantly extracted the weapon and meticulously stuck the hand to its place. Her own hands were trembling as she chanted an incantation. In a matter of seconds, the assassin’s body returned to its original state. Soon, Shadow, since that was the only name Edra knew him by, was standing on his own feet again, in utter shock over the fact that he was brought back to life. The queen was astounded. She didn’t expect to see someone with such an elegant presence despite a sickly appearance. His midnight blue hair, amethyst eyes and pallid skin added a note of mystery for which he was famous. His tall and lean stature didn’t seem so threatening to Edra, yet she was aware of deceiving the outer aspect could be.

            “After all these years, we are at last facing each other, Shadow.”

            “Princess Edra.” The assassin addressed her with respect.

            “Queen Edra.” She corrected him. “I won’t be here for too long. I just want to settle things with you so I can move on with my life. I can’t express enough my gratitude for your negligence and allow my good friend to escape.”

            “Judging by your demeanour, it looks like Nyx was defeated.” Ron tried to avoid the subject of Faye as to not cause problems for her.

            “My best friend did the impossible and delivered the decisive blow on your organisation.”

            “You don’t have to worry anymore. I’m the only one left. The rest have perished. Nyx gave me the news  when he returned.”

            “Oh, really? Well, that’s great. I guess you’re wondering why I revived you since you have nobody else left.”

            “You lost people you love. You have a ravenous appetite for revenge.”

            Edra was taken aback by the manner he delivered his answers. He was similar to Zev.

            “I wish I could bring you to Filaria and sentence you to death. However, it would mean ending your suffering too quickly. I lived my life fearing for the lives of the ones I care about. I lost my mother when I was a little girl, my father sacrificed himself in order to save my life in the battle with Nyx and one of my teammates gave his life for his brother that very same night. I will never get these people back and neither will you regarding your team. Do you have a family to go back to… if they accepted you?”

            “No, Your Grace. My parents and elder sister were murdered when I was a child.”

            “You’re all alone in this world. Does it hurt living with the thought you have nowhere else to go?”

            Shadow didn’t answer and Edra gave him a defiant smile.

            “This is my sentence for you, Shadow. You shall live in exile, never to show your face in my kingdom. If you do, your life will end right that instant. I will personally take care of this. Plus, how are you going to make a life for yourself when all you know is to kill?”

            Ron listened to her and nodded. He grabbed the moon pendant that was now broken and put it in his pocket. It would never regain its magic properties.

            “Thank you for keeping my dear friend alive. For this, I will be grateful, even if it makes me puke when it’s you who I express this to.”

            “With your permission, I shall take my leave then.”

            The assassin didn’t talk back. It was the best thing to do to keep Faye safe. Otherwise, it would have ended with her execution if Edra were to find out what truly happened. He looked around the room one last time, reminiscencing over the days he spent with the weather wielder. Despite the queen’s warning, he decided to go the entrance that lead to Filaria, hoping he would at least see her in the distance one last time. He packed some of his things and flew to that place.

 

            Faye went to the city square and looked entered the flower shop she frequented whenever she would visit her family’s graves. The florist expressed his condolences upon seeing her black garments. The weather wielder bought three lilies. Normally, it was supposed to be an even number, but she had her reasons for doing so. She returned to the carriage she came with and made her way back to the palace where Zev was waiting for her.

            “Shall we go?” he asked, offering her his arm to hold onto.

            The girl left her cane behind and told to one of her attendants to take it back to her room. She wrapped her arm around his and walked towards the Forest of Venom. They used a shortcut only the Nightfall team knew. Half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance of the infamous place.

            “Zev, why did you want to come with me all of a sudden?”

            “I wanted to be by your side as this chapter is coming to an end. I’m sure it’s not easy for you.”

            “It’s not easy for us. We lost king Daivat and Blake. Edra doesn’t have a father anymore and you a sibling. The team doesn’t have a seven members anymore.”

            “We aren’t the only ones who lost someone dear. Yet again, you exclude yourself from the equation.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            A gentle wind made the trees’ leaves dance as if they were anticipating the direction the conversation was heading towards.

            “I’ve been hiding many things from you since I came back. How can you still trust me?”

            “Sometimes we keep secrets to protect those we care about from the pain they might cause.”

            “Have you done this, too?”

            Zev averted his gaze.

            “I won’t deny.”

            “Do you think if we were honest from the very beginning, everything would be different?”

            “It’s part of the human nature to think about what ifs.”

            “My entire life was a constant what if. What if I could act differently and change the course of life?”

            “That’s the greatest mystery. You never know whether a decision is good or bad until some time in the future which we cannot predict.”

            “You scare me when you talk like that.”

            “It has always been like this. What’s the difference now?” the telekinetic said, recalling the conversation he had with Noah.

            Silence.

            “Faye, do you have regrets?”

            “Many. Do you have regrets, Zev?”

            “I can’t count them.”

            The young man put his hand on his heart and thought about the time when Blake and Asher encountered Shadow, but came back still alive.

            “I can’t stop wondering why Shadow didn’t kill my brother and Asher.”

            “I don’t know either. He had all the opportunities to do it. He simply told me that he met them and didn’t give them the plants for the antidote.”

            “Blake told us that he agreed to leave you in his custody for five months. Apparently, he apologized for how he behaved towards you. Did Shadow talk about that?”

            “No. He was very insightful. He could read people like books. Maybe he realized he wasn’t truly honest.”

            “Were you happy when the boss of the Moon’s Wolves announced his death?”

            “Hard to say. Why are you asking?”

            “It seemed like you were the only one who wasn’t relieved to hear the news.”

            Faye shifted from one foot to the other.

            “I’m such a mess.” She said in a deprecating manner. “Shadow was the one who killed my brother, yet I was torn inside when Nyx showed us his hand in such an ostentatious way.”

            “You almost broke down in tears when you talked about how your lives intertwined.”

            Zev paused. An unanswered question weighed down on his heart.

            “Did you fall in love with him?”

            “Would you hate me if I admitted?”

            Faye stepped away from the telekinetic, but her body twitched because of the pain. She lost her balance, but Zev caught her in his arms.

            “I don’t know how to explain it.” She cried. “Why did this happen? Was it truly love? Despair? Our brokenness connecting us? My twisted mind? How should I describe it?”

            “Unexpected.” Zev gave her his answer.

            “I wish it could’ve been different. Not as enemies. Not with him being in the darkness. Not with all the bloodshed that has haunted us. Not with our families destroyed. Those murderers ruined everything for everyone.”

            “Will you be able to forgive him for taking your brother’s life?”

            “Difficult question. He left me without my only living relative.” She glanced at the forest. “Yet he sacrificed himself so that I could go back to the family that took me in and supported me. The Nightfall team.”

            “So he wasn’t rotten to the core after all…”

            “It’s tragic to think that some people don’t have the chance to change their lives despite wanting to do so.”

            “Faye…  you’ve suffered at the hands of my brother since the team was formed. It’s not fair of me to ask, but is there a chance you will find it in your heart to forgive him, too?”

            The weather wielder traced with her fingers the place underneath her collarbone where Blake slashed her two years prior.

            “I need time. I don’t want to live the rest of my life holding grudges, but I can’t do this right away for either of them.”

            Zev tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He turned his head to face the forest. He was visibly shook. He didn’t want to admit the jealousy that made his heart ache. At first, it made his blood boil. Getting rid of Shadow was the team’s greatest ambition for many years. Their dream came true, yet he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. He loved Faye with all his heart. Seeing her suffer once more broke his heart. He strived to control his negative emotions. She never judged or rebuked him. He was struggling to accept Shadow’s significant presence in her life, which caused him to have mixed feelings.

            “You’re lost in thought again.” Faye remarked.

            “I’m trying to make sense of myself.”

            “Please, don’t hate me, in spite of not being fair of me to ask for this.”

            The emotion in her words tugged at Zev’s heartstrings.

            “I would lose my peace of mind.” He said and kissed her temple. “I can’t be such a hypocrite and accept only parts of you.”

            “How come you are so warmhearted towards me regardless of what I’ve told you?”

            “You managed to make someone rediscover their humanity. Too bad he ended up being killed.”

            “Blake also died too soon. Do you think they would have succeeded in changing their lives for the better if they were alive?”

            “Unfortunately, we’ll never know.”

            Faye left the lilies on the ground and slid her arm around Zev’s as the pain overcame her once more.

            “What was his full name?” The white-haired male asked.

            “Ron Vincent Crove.” The weather wielder answered with a little doubt.

            “It’s tough for me to say this, since we’ve been enemies for so long, but thank you for helping us.” He expressed his gratitude towards Shadow with a somewhat heavy heart, still facing the forest.

            “That was unexpected.”

            “He took many lives, but I can’t overlook the fact that it’s also thanks to him the entire Evonk land is safe. I’m not saying he’s entirely a monster or an angel. I feel so strange talking about him like this.”

            “It was the same for me whenever I thought about Blake. You can say we’re in the same boat.”

            “Piecing together all the information, Ron seemed to be a nice guy deprived of a good guidance in life. Again, I’m not finding excuses for what he has done.”

            “You don’t have to explain yourself so much. I trust your judgment. It’s just… strange to hear someone say something good about him.”

            “Do you wish you could’ve continued being together?”

            “He said his feelings towards me would lead to my doom if they were to come to light. Before I left, I told him we would eventually have to let go of each other, since it would never work between us. We were aware of the situation, yet we couldn’t stop it.”

            “You can’t stop the heart from wishing for what it needs. You wanted to be heard and acknowledged. He wanted to know comfort and peace.”

            “Our wishes came true. Since we’re on this subject, what does your heart wish for? You never once asked for anything.”

            ”Do you think… I will be truly happy one day?" he asked, not wanting to sound selfish.

            “The same question sometimes keeps me up at night. We always do our best to protect the happiness of other people.”

            The image of Blake jumping in the sword’s way popped in Zev’s mind. The fire wielder found out about his love for Faye and mocked him, but in the end, he sacrificed himself so that his brother could live.

            “Blake did the same thing for me… We both had a person who gave their life so that we would continue ours.”

            “He was a demon for me, but at the end of the day, perhaps he might’ve wanted to change, too. I won’t find an answer. It’s a bit hard for me to visualize the scene of what he did for you.”

            “Humankind is such a mystery. We’re not entirely good or bad. Only angels and demons can fall in these categories.”

            “Before we go back to the palace, there’s one more thing I want to say.”

            “I’m all ears.”

            “Find happiness. Save this land and keep your head high. Nobody is strong enough to destroy you because you can't be.” Faye quoted Ron. “This is the advice he gave me before we parted.”

            “Find happiness…”

            As he looked at the weather wielder, Zev knew where he could find it. He realized Ron’s death left a deep scar on her heart. He prayed to have the courage to confess one day, when she will be ready to move on. The telekinetic didn’t want to rush her. For him, it was the best to take things step by step, learning from their tragedies and working towards a better future alongside their friends.

            “You will truly be happy one day.” Zev declared, enjoying the ray of optimism those words gave him. “I will truly be happy, too.”

            “Everyone deserves happiness.”

            “I hope you include yourself.” The telekinetic scolded her jokingly.

            Faye rested her head on his shoulder. She was glad to finally see Zev opening up and making wishes for himself.

            “Do you think Blake was happy?” she asked.

            “That’s what I like to think. I did my best to be a good brother to him. I don’t know if I did a good job, though.”

            “Maybe we had a difficult relationship, but I’m sure he loved you, despite the façade. One of my biggest regrets is that we didn’t find a middle ground.”

            “I would’ve also liked it. Sadly, we don’t get everything we want in life…”

            “That’s true.”

            “Do you think Ron was happy?”

            “I hope he was…”

             “Is he the reason why you brought these lilies here?”

            “When we were children, he offered me three lilies since I didn’t have enough money to buy flowers to put on my parents’ graves. I’m returning the kindness, thinking about what could’ve been. You remembered my breakdown when I saw the lilies you wanted to give to me, right?”

            “I can’t hide it, but I’m a little jealous on him.”

            “Jealous?” Faye asked in amazement.

            “He met someone who held him dear. All the people living in the Evonk land feared and despised him. However, there was a single soul who wanted what was best for him. He was blessed to have met you.” Zev’s voice carried a tinge of a grudge.

            Faye pulled him in a warm embrace. She sensed something was bothering the telekinetic.

            “Whenever you feel ready to share your turmoil, I’ll be by your side to listen and support you.”

            Zev put his arm around her shoulders and returned to the palace. As the distance between them and the forest increased, Ron quietly descended from a tree. He extended his hand to grab the flowers, uncovering the scar he had on his wrist after Edra reattached it.

            “I met you again and I made you smile.” The former assassin murmured. “Find happiness, Faye.”

            With those words, he began his journey in the unknown. The last image of Faye by Zev’s side left him with a bittersweet memory. He wanted to go after her, tell her he was still alive and he loved her. However, he didn’t want to ruin her life once more. Ron took out the broken moon pendant and smiled, melancholy blazing in his eyes. It was just like the story said. He was surrounded by his former team, but he felt misunderstood. He heard about the Nightfall team and how they brought the wrongdoers to justice and their glory. He never stopped wishing to see the true light, until that faithful night, when he was reunited with Faye. She was ‘too bright to remember and too powerful to forget’. Those months they had spent together filled him with light. He felt as if he would deprive her of the joy she deserved if he were to return. He saw in the white-haired male a chance for the girl to start over. He didn’t want to recognize, but he prayed for things to go well for them and find happiness together. Sadly, he wouldn’t get the chance to see it unfolding if it were to happen.

            The moon took the sun’s place on the sky when Ron got to the other side of the forest. He looked back one last time before continuing his way.

            “Zev,” he said, feeling strange to say his name “you were right. It was truly unexpected.”

 

THE END

Author's Note

After almost four years, I can't believe this story came to an end. To quote Ron, "it was truly unexpected." I would like to thank you all for the support during this journey. I got to the other side of the forest, I will continue to write my way into the unknown.
There will be a bonus chapter coming this week and I can't wait to share it with you!