Transcendance

13

"Brendan, you're going to be late for your first day of Agency training!" He could feel someone shaking him.

"Five more minutes, ma." He grumbled. He had a mother?

"Ni que cinco minutos ni nada! Get up, Brendan!" His mother pulled his blanket off of him

"Sorry, ma. Ya me voy." He sighed and started to pull the dress pants he had bought a while back on. He was kind of ready for this.

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Alaric woke up in the camp next to the stream. According to Leira, they were getting closer and closer to Illinata, her kingdom.

"I don't know how we're going to explain all of this to my family." Leira was twisting her hair to get water out. Erika had gotten out of the water and was putting on her kirtle. The fabric was pressed against the curves of her body and Alaric was trying not to look. He could still remember her body under his, the taste of her kisses and what not. He was starting to think that maybe he was her thought-dead boyfriend.

"We'll figure it out." Erika got up and put her boots on. "What is Leandrus planning, Alaric?"

Alaric sighed. "He wants Leira and you for some unknown reason. He is very secretive about what he's planning."

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"Hmm, well then." Brett looked annoyed. I wasn't sure if I could trust him 100% to be honest. I wanted to, because I know Brendan was not a liar but we don't even know if he was truly Brendan or some dark creation of Leandrus meant to shatter my sanity further than it was already.

"I promise I'm telling the truth." Alaric sounded a bit desperate. "And I think I'm starting to remember more about who I was."

"Are you now?" Kyra placed her hands on her hips. "Well, do you remember anything of use?"

"Not really." Suddenly, he groaned, falling to his knees, grabbing at his ears.

"Brendan!" I ran to him. "Brendan, what's wrong?"

"Ugh, no....make it stop!" His eyes went from red to a glowing amber. "Make it stop!"

"Brendan, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Ugh, my head! Everything burns, oh hell....fuck......aahh!" He was rambling on and he had pulled hair from the sides of his head.

"Brendan, snap out of it!" I shout at him, gently grasping at his forearms. "Brendan."

He finally collapses in my arms.

"What the hell just happened?" Kyra asked.

"Mental breakdown, maybe?" Jackson raised a brow. Maybe. I wasn't sure. Slowly, I felt him move in my arms. I noticed his skin was gaining color back and his eyes were now an orangey color and his hair was a light gray.

"Erika?" He looks at me.

"Brendan?" I responded. "What happened the day we met?"

"Jackson tried to kidnap your parents and you but you saved me from an alien and I saved you."

"Brendan!" I happily jump into his arms and he looks at me.

"Erika.." He smiles, holding me close to him. "I don't know what happened..."

"It's okay." I pull away, cradling his face. "At this point, I don't think that any of us do."

"Brendan!" Kyra and Heather hugged him.

"Hey, guys." He smiled at them. "I'm glad to be back."

"I knew you were in there somewhere." Kyra pulled away. Jackson said nothing at first before he just hugged Brendan.

"I'm glad you're here, asshole." He was smiling but I could tell he was about to cry.

"I'm glad you're here too." Brendan pulled away from him. "How long has it been?"

"A year..." I sighed. "I think."

"Wow....what happened to the baby?" Brendan asked me. I sighed, taking a deep breath.

"I miscarried because of the blast." I sighed. I wasn't going to hide it from him.

Brendan sighed, sitting on the rock. "I should have told you to run. Or waited to kill Amadeus until you were safe."

"You didn't have a choice." I told him. "It was all of us die or some of us die. The vampire kingdom fell apart anyway."

"I know but I can't help but to feel guilty.." Brendan looked at me and then got up to stare at the chain containing the ring that he intended to give me. He gently grabs the chain and lifts it up to reveal the ring.

"You found it." He sighed. "I was going to ask you once we finished the vampire mission."

"I saw that. I didn't want to forget you." I hugged him, pressing my face against his chest, taking in his warm scent and hearing his heartbeat. "I'm glad you didn't fully forget me."

"I didn't want to. I guess our love was still that strong after everything we've gone through." Brendan held me closer to him.

"I guess so. So apparently Jackson and I are reincarnations of two long dead royals."

"I know, the Singers told me." Brendan sighed. "And Heather and I are as well. I'm worried that the prophecy will become true and no one will be able to save themselves a second time."

"Yeah, that is a concern right now. Along with the fae forest dying." Leira sighed. "It's spreading."

"I noticed that. Leandrus might want us because of who we are, or who we used to be, at least." Brendan crossed his arms against his chest. "I wish I could be more helpful."

"You've been helpful in trying not to get us killed, if anything." Kyra smiled at him. "I'm surprised that part of you survived whatever Leandrus did to you."

"He brought me back with a ritual." Brendan sighed. "All I can remember is that he took me out of the rubble and replaced my body with another charred body. Then he took me to some kind of ritual room where he made me drink something and stabbed me in the chest. Then I woke up without any memories of who I was."

"Damn, that's terrifying." Jackson says, shaking his head. I think about that one horrific dream I had. Was Huitzilopochtli telling me what truly happened to him?