A Tale of Revenge Ch. 14

"The Balance is complex. It is both order and chaos, good and bad, death and rebirth. Emera and I were made together, both made by The Balance at the same time, at first fused as one being while consciousness was granted to us and then we quickly divided of our own wills once we were completely formed. We took our places amongst the gods as a pair, complementary in our contrasts. But we were not aware that we were each imbued with a power that would one day bring about the destruction of a particular sphere when The Balance demanded it."

"This one was yours," Anna said, her eyes wide with understanding.

Leonid nodded. "And I could not bear to have my other half prosperous in a place I felt so differently about and so I made an easy target for Imonesh's manipulations, though neither of us was aware of why. I came back to right the wrong, to drive Imonesh out for Emera, but it required a great deal of self-control on my part to engage with this sphere so intensely." He reached up, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear, running his fingertip along the edge of her jaw to her chin. "So I chose distraction."

"Me," she said.

"Your mind," he specified. "The mind is sacrosanct, a trick of the energies here. By breaching that barrier I was able to access the full spectrum of human thoughts and emotions, something we gods are not meant to have. It made me sensitive to the complexities for the first time; I could inhabit the depths of a mortal's feelings."

"My feelings."

"Yes."

"And now you feel them too," Anna whispered, her hand pressing to his chest as if she sought the very tug he could feel there.

"I do."

For a moment they stayed there, quiet as she digested the immensity of all he had told her. For her part Anna still felt small; a strange reaction for one favored by a god, a god who revealed to her the secrets of the universe beyond her own world. But she was simply a tiny bit of the energy that made up a much larger place than her mind could possibly comprehend. Would it not be wondrous to escape this plane, to move beyond the confines of her skin and her sky?

And what of this world she would leave behind? She had no one to keep her here, no greater purpose anymore. Her mission was complete; justice had been served to her family's murderers. She had no duty to Emera to take up the throne, no responsibility to the others. She had freed them and now she too could be free.

The bead at her chest shifted against her skin with her breath and brought her attention back to it. She could run from this pain. But he had already told her that would not heal her, that only time would. Would an eternity away from this place heal her or would a lifetime here give her peace? She looked up at Leonid. Whatever she chose, she knew she could not be cut off from him again.

"Will you stay if I choose to live out this life here?" she asked, averting her eyes from his face.

He brought her hand to his lips, placing a kiss at the center of her palm. "I won't leave you again, Anna."

***

Is that better? I hope so. I would love to hear how you feel about their reunion and if it satisfied...I know I've left you guys out there for a few heavy chapters and I want to know if I made it up to you.

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