The mismatched group of people settled down to rest for the night. They knew that they would move on the following day so they began to prepare for the arduous hike through the dead lands that surrounded them. As his companions checked their gear, Laurence walked outside and stared at the low hanging bleached bone moon that sat pregnant in the sky. Wisps of grey and black would flit past and obscure the sickly light that the satellite gave off, followed by the screams of anguish and hunger that seemed to be everywhere in the realm.
Laurence closed the door behind himself quietly as to not disturb his friends, before he walked out into what was left of the garden that surrounded the cottage that Quentin lived in. He continued to stare at the moon as his hand gripped the pendant that forever hung on his neck tightly, letting the sharp edges of the blue crystal dig into his skin. Thanks to his aura and power the wild wraiths that populated the realm gave him a wide berth, leaving to peacefully hold his lover in his hands while he stared at the night sky. There were no stars in the sky, but there were nebulous tracks that the more potent spirits made when coming into contact with the sickly light that was produced by the moon. They were pretty but still managed to leave him feeling bitter about his lot in life.
“The moon is massive here, but there are no stars. It’s funny, you don’t realise how empty the sky is until you see it without all the little specks of light.” he sighed and gently rubbed the crystalline pendant in his hand, “A night sky like this makes me contemplative... Am I doing the right thing? Am I simply too late? Sometimes I worry you won’t recognise me if I finally bring you back.” his whispers were directed at nobody in particular as he moved over to a run-down wall and sat upon it, continuing to stare at the sky. “And if you do... will you still love me? Would you be able to love a man years upon years older than you, one who has changed so much since you truly last knew them? Would you hate me if you knew what I had done in your name?”
“I’ve done so much... so many difficult and bizarre things to try and get you back, but if this fails, where do I go next? What do I try?” He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. “I spend all my time convincing myself and everyone around me that this task, this journey, will succeed. I don’t know if they believe me, I know I don’t. I feel like I’m running towards a cliff edge and bringing everyone I know along to their doom. Is this entire idea truly a fool’s errand? No one could really believe it has a chance in hell, but I have to. I have to believe that this is the best option I have to bring you back to life, because if I fail then all I will have left is an insane obsession with a young woman and the process of death."
His voice caught in his throat and his shoulders shrank, as did the incredible aura that he normally produced without thought. The wisps and wights tried to close in on him, but still they were battered away by power that was far beyond them. “An old man obsessed with his past. Is that all I am? Is that all I really have? Everything that makes up my life is a product of you, from my Immortality to even my apprentice. If you could, would have you done the same thing? Or would you have grieved me and moved on, like so many other people have in this curséd tower.
“I tried to put you behind me. Believe me, I tried. I spent a thousand days moving on, but something brought me back to that crystalline hellscape within the valley of kings. Your life is my life’s work, and if I cannot bring you back then I have failed, and I will have doomed everyone I know and care for in the process.” he opened his eyes and stared at the moon once more. Tears began to drip down his face. Finally he looked down and looked at the perfect blue crystal in his bloodstained palm. “If I succeed, I hope you can forgive me. One day."
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