Page 75 of Fallen Stars

A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at the shadows curling above him.

“She’s lost so much and—” His voice was strangled now, a claw around his heart, squeezing too tightly. “And at one time, you were the only thing that walked beside her. The only thing she had.” He clutched his stomach, an agonizing pain ripping into him as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I can’t,” he whispered again, clutching the shadow’s hand.

“It’s okay,” she whispered as a silver tear rolled down her own face. “It’s okay.”

He buried his head in her lap, the sobs pervading him. Who would his Elara be without her darkness?

“Now, my darling Lion. Enough tears. We have to save her. She will forgive you.”

Enzo shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “If she wanted to hate me for the rest of my life, I would take it. It’s her happiness that I can’t take away.”

“You will create new happiness together,” the shadow replied. “And she will have a new power—more of it. She won’t weaken. This isn’t the end of her. It’s merely the beginning of another story.”

“But I’m not ready to close the book,” he sobbed. “I’m not ready to let her go in this way.”

The shadow shook her head. “There is nootherway. I would rather you do it than anyone else. If you don’t, we will both die. Or Elara will become something that there is no returning from.”

Enzo tried to will strength into his bones, tried to will the warrior to do what had to be done. He brushed his face, sniffed loudly, and raised hardened gold eyes to the shadow. “Fine. For her, I’ll do this. Show me how.”

Enzo tried to quell the rising panic in his chest. He had to compartmentalise, had to distance himself from the act.

He had done it before.

When his father had asked him to kill innocent Asterians, when he’d had to murder the animals he loved, he had found a way to drift away from it, to be a casual observer. And so, he raised a hand, light already shining and burning from his palm. He allowed himself to drift, for his mind to peel away from his body as he pushed further and further way from the being that was about to kill the one comfort Elara currently had.

The shadow knelt before him, and Enzo felt a break in his heart, as though it had physically cracked. He swallowed, trying to block out the pain. But tears still escaped his eyes, even as he attempted to remain stoic.

“It’s okay,” the shadow whispered, taking his other hand in hers. “It’s okay”

Enzo inhaled the scent of Elara and committed it to memory. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “And I need you to know that you saved me.”

His voice broke as light began to flare from his palms, flowing into the shadow.

“You taught me how to love the darkness, how to welcome it. In the moments where I needed to run from my light you were there, ever patient. And I love you. I love you for making Elara who she is. I love you for taking her fear and pain when she couldn’t carry it alone. And most of all, I love you for allowing me to love you.”

“It is anhonourto be loved by you,” the shadow whispered back, tears of moonlight dripping down her face as the light began to creep up her form. “And I wouldn’t have changed a moment of this for the world. You gave me the greatest gift of all—acceptance. You saw me as I truly was, every flaw and shadow, and you loved me anyway. More, because of them.”

She pressed her forehead to Enzo’s as the two wept, Enzo’s soul in agony as his light continued to flare. The shadow’s face twisted in pain as it began to burn her away.

“Make sure she has someone to make her feel loved and accepted, just as she is. Take my place when I’m gone.”

Enzo let out another sob as his light rose to the shadow’s neck.

“Here,” the shadow rasped. “Take this part of me. Just a wisp of shadow. Keep it in case—in case she ever needs it. One last parting gift.”

A strand of smoke spun from the shadow’s hand and landed in Enzo’s palm. He could feel the cool, light weight of it, so like his Elara. He tucked it into his spirit, relishing the feel of having a part of her close to him.

The shadow continued to dissipate, her face twisting as Enzo’s light consumed more of her hungrily.

“One last thing, Enzo,” the shadow panted as light broke under her surface, her voice sounding distant.“Elara is carrying a secret. One so deep that even I cannot tell you. One she does not yet know. But I am scared, Enzo, of how much you will hate us when you find out. I can’t tell you, but she will.”

Enzo frowned. “I couldneverhate you. Nothing you could do would make me turn my back. Nothing. Do you hear me?”

“We’ll see,” the shadow said. “Just…try to get her to tell you—of her own volition. She doesn’t remember. But she will. And when she does, she’s going to need you.”

Enzo nodded. Elara didn’t keep secrets from him; he knew she would tell him anything she remembered. But still, it seemed to satisfy the shadow, who sighed as the rest of her body began to disappear within the light.

Enzostudied her face one last time, seeing a glimpse of silver eyes, and with his own cry and a final ‘I love you’ whispered from the shadow’s lips, the last parts of her vanished.

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