Fractures of Eternity

Thea gazed at us, lost for a moment, before pointing at Loki. “You really used to be a god?! That’s hard to accept, given how unreliable you are.”

“Oi… What?” My vampire growled, eyes twitching at his little sister.

Oswald picked up Zephier in his hands. “Our entire family is connected to the gods. I’m sure Shade and this little one here are also ones, so this isn’t as surprising as I would like it to be.”

That was true, but none of the other familiars were as bound to him as Elias was to Loki. If the summoner died, then the familiar would, too, but it wasn’t the same if it had happened the other way around, which the way Eli was bound to Loki made it so one could not survive without the other.

Though I can’t help but feel like all of this must’ve been planned, and the only one capable of that is Midnight, goddess of rebirth and Yama’s daughter.

Sadly, I had no way of knowing what she had planned for us, though.

It’s said she could even see the future, which isn’t anywhere near as powerful as mine, but it still can’t be ignored. It also seems that the soul cairn’s memories aren’t accessible to my love.

“Hm… Actually, try it with Zephier.” Loki interrupted my train of thought.

Gazing at him, I tilted my head, “What?” I mumbled.

He chuckled in response, pointing at the little cat, whose eyes met mine soon after.

“From that memory when I came for you. Do you remember her name?” Loki asked.

The little cat tilted her head from Oswald’s hands as I leaned onto my vampire.

“Zephyrus,” I whispered without thinking.

Instantly, a yellow shimmer came from her as her eyes shifted from blue to amber before turning back to normal.

“Ah… I remember bits.” Zephier began jumping off Oswald before taking a few steps towards me, triggering me to wholly lean on Loki, who watched the little cat approach me.

Gazing at me, she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her mind as she sat before me.

“Oh, by the gods, you were right. She has a soul.” Zephier declared, turning to Eli.

“I told you. The nicest soul you’ll ever find.” Eli chuckled.

“Hah, you honestly fell for a book?! What a stupid thing to do, brother. I mean, you never even looked at any other being before. I thought you were uninterested in love.” She huffed at the snake.

In response, he cackled, gazing at me. “I remember little of my previous life, but I can’t deny I had a connection with her the moment I touched her. Plus, it isn’t like you had any experience in love either.” He declared, setting my heart ablaze.

Why are you always…

“Hmph, flowers were all I needed back then.” Zephier scuffed, rolling her eyes at Eli.

“All you needed back then?” He caught her at her words as she hissed at him before shyly turning towards Oswald, who had his eyes locked on the coffin.

“I… still don’t need it.” She mumbled as I shifted the conversation.

“Never mind that! Where’s Zoe?” I asked.

“With Leo. He didn’t want to leave her alone. She’s shaken up by what happened to Emma.” Oswald answered, shaking his head.

“I see.” I sighed, pulling away from Loki.

However, the moment I headed for the door, he grabbed onto me again.

“Whoa there, love. Where are you going?” He asked.

I gazed at his hand, trying to yank it away, but he wouldn’t let me.

Why… can’t you let me…

“Well, it’s only a matter of time until your mother finds out who I am. I might as well go find her myself.” I ended up scowling at him for not letting me free, yet his grip was relentless.

“No.” He huffed, tugging me towards him as I was caged by his arms, which tightly secured me to him.

“Huh?” I grumbled, gazing at him.

“I said, no. You aren’t going near Remi. As you said, she’s stubborn, and no one, not even her, is taking you away from me.” Loki huffed.

“But…” I trailed off, shifting my gaze down to the floor.

“Oswald and I won’t tell Mom about you, but you have to depend on us for this to work.” Thea declared.

Sharp, aren’t you?

Rolling my eyes, I quickly pointed towards the white snake in the room. “Oh, how nice of you both. It won’t matter when Rem sees him.”

My words caused everyone to stop for a moment before a smirk rose on her lips.

“What about an illusion spell?” The young wolf suggested.

“I mean, that could work, but...” Oswald trailed off.

Hah… Stupid…

“Alijah will sniff it out in a second.” I countered, crossing my arms.

“Uh… How about we paint the scales?” she continued.

“Yeah, until you get to the part you can’t paint. His eyes.” I huffed.

“Hm… How did Eli get like this?” Oswald asked, prompting me to smother myself on Loki, who gripped onto the back of my head, ensuring I would stick to him.

“It happened after the shift in the bond,” My prince answered.

Though I would use this chance to catch Zephier, the moment she met my gaze, I spoke. “Do you know anything about the Amor Aeternum bond?” I questioned.

It caused her to tilt her head before a small chuckle left her lips. However, it wasn’t long before she licked her paw.

“Eternal love binds? Yes, I have.” She began shaking her little fur. “As horrid a bond as it is. It doesn’t explain Eli’s evolution. Unless…” She paused, shifting her gaze towards the little snake. “Did the bond free you from the soul cairn’s hold? Does this unknown goddess really have the power over order as well as chaos? It shouldn’t be possible.”

“Wait, Eli said he can’t remember anything from there. Can you?” I took the opportunity.

“No, all I remember is my life before falling there, and that’s in bits and pieces. Sorry,” She answered, hopping back onto the warlock’s shoulder.

Of course… Even the dead gods are useless. However, that might be because of Midnight herself. Hah… Just what is she hiding?

“So, we’re still in square one.” I sighed, gazing away at Loki.

“Not necessarily. I do think I remember something.” Zephier announced, catching everyone’s attention.

“And what’s that?” I mumbled, still in my vampire’s arms.

I felt like a child being held by their parent to prevent them from doing something wrong. It wasn’t like I could outrun him, either.

The gall of this vampire, I’m a full-grown adult now!

“I think we’re meant to protect you. Midnight said something about that, I think.” She started only to stop wincing before shaking her head. “Argh, I can’t remember. It must’ve been part of the soul cairn’s memory. Something is blocking it.”

Nothing came easily to us, and it seemed nothing would change the current course of things.

“It’s probably this realm’s way of protecting the timeline. After all, the soul cairn exists like the prison Alijah was in. Present, past, and the future are all there. Though traveling back in time is impossible without destroying reality.” I informed.

This was something I had learned from the coven, since all-time witches had to know this rule.

Oh? Aren’t you clever, Midnight? Too much…

“Hah… I see, so to protect the order of things, the realm blocks your memories. It was why Midnight never came to this world. Well, not like you did. No, she knew everything that was going to happen from where she was.” I smirked, feeling like I was at the precipice of understanding the rogue goddess who always stood in my mother’s way.

All of them were eerily quiet, listening to me. However, all of this was crazy, yet I could feel it in my bones that I was close to the truth.

“Oh… Crap,” I mumbled.

This is surreal. You knew everything that was going to happen, yet to make sure fates get stirred in a different direction, you… made sure we would remain clueless on all the pieces you moved to change the future. If this path you laid out for us is the only one to prevent the destruction of this world… Does that mean there is a way to free my binds?

“Nothing was by chance, was it?” I sighed, feeling the tips of my fingers growing cold. “I bet she is behind all the reincarnations of the gods, and your grandmother’s creation, too.”

This is too much. If you really thought this far ahead, then… No… I’m…

“Well, she thought of everything, but one thing.” I bit my lip, prompting Oswald to shift his gaze onto me.

“And what would that be?” Oswald asked.

“I’m a being made from pure chaos and order, and I was never supposed to exist, which makes me wonder if she could also predict the one thing that wasn’t supposed to be.”