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Nerissa stared over the edge of the cliff.
It was quiet. It felt impossible to believe that 5 seconds ago there was noise.
Only 5 seconds ago.
There had been movement. There had been a heartbeat, breathing, and emotions—a person who no longer existed.
She stared into the abyss below her. Where an entire life had just been staring back, there was now nothing.
She collapsed, frozen, to the ground and light started swarming her vision.
They’d think she had done it on purpose. There was nothing that could change that perception of her. She was a monster to them, and now she had truly become one—only a monster could kill its only love.
The life she lived passed by in a blur.
She stared at this girl across the hallway, a cute ginger with freckles. She had known her since they were kids, but that didn’t stop butterflies from swarming her stomach whenever she heard the other laugh. She knew that the likelihood they could ever be together was close to nothing. She could never show this side of herself, and if Cassidy had that side as well, she couldn’t either. It wasn’t acceptable. The hope never left her, though.
She was wrong. Years had passed, and they were guardians now. They had learned new things about each other, and they shared feelings after all. They never left each other’s side. They tried to keep who they were a secret, but Cassidy always said that she was sure everyone else could tell. She didn’t believe their friends would be hateful, that they’d accept them. Nerissa was never so optimistic. No matter how right Cassidy was.
The heart’s power caused a hunger she couldn’t describe. It was painful to exist with it. Deep inside, she knew she was succumbing to corruption. She was aware it could happen if she was controlled by her emotions, but she never thought it would happen to her.
She tried hiding it for a while, but once corruption takes root in your soul, it eventually rises to the surface.
Kandrakar sensed the corruption in her and took the heart. She was blind from pain, she knew this was an addiction that needed to heal. But that addiction, that need for power, could only be fended off for so long. She saw how Cassidy was given the heart. How ironic that the holder of her heart now held another.
She knew Cassidy was much more suited than Nerissa ever was. Cassidy was kind, even-tempered, and a respectable leader. She wasn’t as selfish as Nerissa. She would never succumb to this kind of painful corruption. She wasn’t controlled by her emotions.
She also knew that Cassidy was a people pleaser, so maybe, just maybe, she would hand over the heart to someone she loved. Even just for a moment, to help a healing soul.
This wasn’t the case.
“Rissy, I won’t give you the heart”
“But why” Nerissa choked out, desperation ringing in her voice.
Cassidy and Nerissa had met privately on a mountain, no one could overhear them here.
“It’s corrupting you, you know how dangerous that is.” Cassidy was right, but Nerissa was blinded by her desires. No matter how many truths she heard they just hit her like a brick wall.
“Please Cassidy, I thought you loved me.”
“You know I do. Which is why you should know I’d never give it to you.”
The desperation in Nerissa’s heart kept building. Electricity began prickling the air. Cassidy noticed and stared at Nerissa, she slowly began to freeze from shock. She hoped that what she suspected couldn’t be true.
“Nerissa… the oracle severed you from your auramere. You shouldn’t be able to do… this.”
Fear flashed in Nerissa’s eyes, “Please Cassie. Don’t tell the oracle.”
Cassidy’s stare became cold and Nerissa could feel her throat close.
“You shouldn’t be trading your life energy for power. It’s dangerous. I’m sorry Rissy, but I can’t keep this secret for you.”
“NO” Nerissa broke. All sense left her as she lunged for Cassidy, grabbing her by the shoulders. “PLEASE. I can’t live like this anymore, I can’t lose everything.” tears threatened to stream down her face.
“Rissy, let go of me. This ends here, all of it.” Cassidy tried to hold herself sturdy, but nothing could stop her voice from breaking.
“Cassidy please I’ll stop all of this, just don’t tell the oracle. I’ll never trade my life for power again. Just don’t leave me.”
The electricity sparking through the air grew more violent as Nerissa’s desperation grew.
“Rissy, you need to calm down. The power you’re using is hard to control and you need to be careful before you end up hurting yourself.”
Nerissa thrashed as the electricity rippled out into waves, forming a tornado around her. “I don’t care if I get hurt anymore.”
Cassidy’s cold demeanor quickly changed to one of fear, the sparks circling around her started hitting her skin, tearing it off by bits. The guardians were much like their elements, and water was a great conductor of electricity.
She felt her shoulder tear open and keeled over in pain, holding the bleeding wound.
“RISSY YOU NEED TO STOP.”
Nerissa struggled to control anything, she had traded pieces of her life for quintessance only recently, and she had not trained herself to be able to control this. She could tell Cassidy was yelling at her, screaming at her, but she couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.
Her head spun as she grew more and more overstimulated. There was too much noise and she just wanted it all to stop. Her power leaked from her eyes down to her feet and bled out of her in tidal waves. She had never experienced this kind of raw power. She had control over nothing, she was cursed to a pain she couldn’t understand.
“Please Cassidy… you can’t tell him how broken I am.”
In the eye of the hurricane, Nerissa’s words had caused a brief calmness. Tears were staining her face as she held out the last hope that she had. As she offered the very last piece of herself that remained.
“I’m sorry Rissy, I have to.”
.
.
.
Quiet.
There was only silence.
There was only silence as lightning tore through her skin. As it ripped away like it had a mind of it’s own.
There was only silence as she watched Cassidy’s face melt. As she watched the lightning tear away at the lips she’d kissed several times. Lips that never got a chance to see a hundred signs of love.
There was only silence as she watched Cassidy's wings shatter as she flew into the air from the impact. Falling down, down, and down. Never catching herself with the wind.
There was nothing to stop her as she hit the rocky side of the mountain and rolled to the bottom. Nothing to break her fall. Nothing soft for her to land on. But that wouldn’t have made a difference, Nerissa knew she was dead the moment the lightning had hit her.
The silence was overwhelming.
5 seconds ago, there was noise.