Lyvia Meets Sephtis [Lyvia's POV]

Warning: if you are super sensitive to the whole abortion topic, this is not the read for you

 

Everything about my role seemed amazing, beautiful even. I give life. I give plants, animals, and people a gift that they can enjoy and treasure. Everything about my role filled me with a sweet sense of accomplishment. Until I met him. 

Sephtis. 

His role is the opposite of mine: he kills. It isn't fair. What I give, however amazing, is temporary. Because of him. He assures that it stays temporary. And it isn't fair, because the non existence, the silence, the death that he offers is eternal. Exactly how his name suggests. 

I remember the first time I fulfilled my role. That day, my mother had disappeared. I didn't know what had happened to her. All I knew was that I had a mother who brought me into existence and she taught me to give life just as she had. That day I was hurt that she left, but with her gone, I knew I had to take her place. I dressed up in my sheer, baige dress and my golden flower wreath crown which sat atop my head. I curled my long, fire colored hair with a twist of my finger and decided I preferred being barefoot. I began roaming the Earth, looking for an opportunity to impart my gift. I couldn't stop jittering with excitement. Soon, I stumbled across a couple intertwined in a bed. They were asleep.

That's when I felt it. The urge, the impulse, the sense of duty. That was where I started. I glided over to the woman and planted a hand on her abdomen, splaying my fingers out. My hand began to glow a warm green glow and I closed my eyes, focusing intently on my mission. When I felt an ounce of power slip out of me, I opened my eyes. The woman and the man were still sound asleep. I smiled. They would soon have a little bundle of joy in their lives. 

That was the first time I fulfilled my role. For a few months after, I roamed the Earth some more, giving life to trees, flowers, and plants of all different shapes and sizes. I decided I wouldn't give life to anymore humans or any animals until I saw how successful my first attempt was. 

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread. It felt like I had lost my grip on something too important. It felt like someone or something had broken into my ribs' cages and ripped out my lungs. As I struggled to breathe, I tried to figure out what was causing me so much pain. Realization hit me like a runaway train. 

The baby I had given life to. 

I rushed over to where she was. I found her still inside her mother, who had grown since the last time I saw her. She was lying on a procedure table at a clinic with her legs spread apart. A doctor was working diligently with some tools. That was when I saw Sephtis standing in a corner of the room with his arms crossed. He was tall, built, and dressed completely in black, his face hidden somewhat within the hood of his cloak. His skin was a ghostly blue. His eyes were as black as a starless, moonless night. His expression was pitiless. I quickly put the pieces together. 

This was him. 

Death. 

He was taking the baby. 

I shuddered. 

"No...what are you doing?" I asked, even though I already knew. 

Noticing me for the first time, he turned towards me and scowled. He had an intense, ruthless aura about him. Every gesture and every word emphasized it. 

"The child's time is up," he muttered. 

"No, no please!" I cried, grabbing his upper arm with both hands, "You can't!"

"The mother is giving the child to me. You cannot interfere," he said coldly, yanking his arm roughly out of my grip.

"But the child barely had a chance to enjoy the gift I gave him! Please! You have to stop this!"

"It is not your choice to make!" he spat, glaring at me with impatience. 

Tears began streaming down my face as I watched the procedure continue. I rushed over to the mother's side. 

"Don't do this!" I begged her, "Please! The poor child! Let it live!"

But she couldn't hear me. She couldn't even see that I was there. My cries were useless. Sephtis sighed and walked over to the mother, extending an ice cold hand to her womb. I grabbed his arm again, fighting hard to yank him back. 

"No! I won't let you do this!"

"Lyvia, that's enough!" he barked back at me.

He swiftly broke out of my grip again. I stumbled back and watched. Watched how the doctor removed the last bits of the life that once was. Watched how Sephtis inhaled that life force and used it to strengthen himself after having used his power to kill it. Loss sunk heavily in my heart. Shaking, I fell to my knees, pressing my hands against the sides of my head, digging my nails deep into my hair. 

The child was dead. 

A new emotion sparked within me. Hatred. Pure, intense hatred. I jumped to my feet and I dashed to Sephtis, landing my solid fists as hard as I could on his chest. 

"You cruel, disgusting, sick, twisted excuse for a being! It's all your fault!" I screamed at him. 

Exasperated by my ineffective blows, he grabbed my wrists and edged his face close to mine, so close, I shivered suddenly in fear. 

"People. Make. Choices. And sometimes, I am the consequence of that choice. Hate me if you want to. But you have to accept that this is how the world works."

I tried to pull away but in response he only pulled me closer, waiting for me to give in. 

"I will never stop hating you," I swore to him through gritted teeth and more tears, "I will find a way to stop you."

"No one can stop me. Not even you."

He shoved me backwards and disappeared.