The Mirrored Souls

27.

The day Aella left

"Neriah hand me those candles with that herb," Aella says,already grinding something up.

Neriah gets both items placed on the kitchen counter, taking mental notes of what she was doing.

"What is this for?" He asks, wanting to learn, to understand.

"Protection," Aella smiles while patting his back lightly.

Neriah nods, "To keep you and your daughter out of spiritual harm's way?"

Aella chuckles, "Something close to it," washing her hands at the sink, she turns, throwing the herbs in the candle lighting it. Dark red flames rise then crackles down, having the scent of mint, lavender and other fragrances fume out, filling the house with a potent sweet smell.

"I need you to listen carefully, Neriah," Aella says, taking the candle and tilting it, letting some wax spill out onto her hands, "When I'm gone, my daughter is in your hands, her life depends on you." Closing her eyes and reopening them, her eyes are different showing her abilities are opened and working. "She's going to need you more than you think," Aella mumbles under her breath then looking at Neriah as she places the wax on his temple then over his heart, "When you see her with the color of my eyes, she is ready and it's your job to make sure she comes and gets me." Letting Neriah see her eyes more, she closes them again and they're back to normal.

"In the Specter?" Neriah asks unsure.

Aella nods, "In the Specter, the deep parts of it."

Neriah holds out his hand signaling a seal of the promise with a handshake, so Aella shakes it but then brings him into a hug.

With a whisper only she could hear, she says, "She'll have to choose between the light and the dark, whether to give up or push forward. When she chooses who she'll surrender to, my hopes and bets are on you." Rubbing Neriah's back, she makes her specialty by sending it up to where Oriana is reading without them actually meeting, not yet, not until it was time.

Present time

Leon trails his eyes to the noise and sees Oriana almost glowing with a hundred percent health, shitting in his pants, seeing her eye color is different from her original while one is half and half still showing that caramel brown.

Getting to the both of them Vega and Charles make themselves at home in Moribund but stop seeing Darce on the floor.

"I can see things for what they really are," Oriana says, Neriah just looks knowing the time he's been waiting for has come.

"How?" Leon whispers out.

Oriana smiles gracefully, "I had some help," Looking over her shoulder she smiles at Vega and Charles making Leon and Neriah look over but see nothing. "They aren't visible to you both, well-" Seeing Neriah's aura she stops herself knowing it's completely angelic with a hint of his vampire side. "Well, one of you can since they are ascending and not stuck in limbo as mirrored souls." Leon scoffs knowing who Oriana is talking about.

"Both of them say and I quote, "kiss their half ghosts ass you ignorant dweeb" with the middle finger well raised."

Neriah over exerted, walks over touching Oriana's face then fully embracing her.

"You had me panicked," He says, talking into her shoulder blade.

Oriana grooms his soft black hair smiling low, "I'm ready now," She gently says then moves looking into his eyes. "I have to take him with me and then have his father join somehow. Once I do, I can go and get my mom." Neriah, confused as much as Leon was, asked the same question wondering how she was awakened while injured the way she was.  Holding his face all she says is, "What my mom didn't tell us was that there were three keys to really operating this gift we share," Placing the key they all came into contact with into Neriah's hand, Oriana kisses his cheek, "Take Darce to the doors you went through and all the answers are there," Breaking away from Neriah, he grabs her wrist afraid if he let her go, this would be the final goodbye. "I don't want to come back to another lifeless body," He rightfully says as his own brother is just a few feet away from them both. "You won't." Oriana then touches Leon's temple taking them out of there and in front of Edur.

****

Big snow flurries hit the tops of the trees, ground and every creature lurking around.

Leon, now standing in his home while his father is reading from his grimoire, clears his throat as Oriana takes a seat in his fathers throne.

"Judgment day has called upon you both and this realm you made amongst others is coming to an end."

Edur slams his book shut angered that I would even invade his home.

"You're supposed to be dead! Pulverized! Ashes in the hell your kind should be in!"

"Father she's-" Leon gets smacked in the mouth by his father to quiet him down.

I picked at the ice formed on Edur's throne, "My kind this. My kind that. Now, my kind is going to give you a resurrection of death instead of life." Flicking the ice out of my nails, Leon falls to his knees begging for forgiveness, already knowing what I'm capable of with all the stories his father mentioned to him. Edur, still standing his ground with his massive egotistical ways, scoffs more, waving my words off. "You might have him ready to throw in the towel but I will not bow down to a being that I was born to consume for my POWER! I killed every single one of you's...do you think I'm going to run now since you stepped into your mommy's position?" Edur steps forward with clenched teeth and fists but I just shrugged.

"No wonder Leon became the way he did, I mean it makes sense. He was raised by a person who only sees what he can take and take but not earn the way it should be earned."

Edur goes to choke me and by the time his hand came even remotely close to my skin, I made him kneel down, having my eyes gleam with more power.

"If I could give you some last word of advice," I crouch down holding his jaw in my fingertips, "Ask for a better personality in another life if you're ever reborn." Dropping my hand, I stand closing my eyes giving them over to the Soothsayers who are now mirrored souls, walking away hearing both men scream in terror.