All Things Eternal (Book 2)

The Last Light Book 2
:

All Things Eternal

Alex Villavasso

Prologue: Don’t You Remember?

“Emil, you’re always out here, I swear. It’s like there’s no point in you even having your own room in the house!” He watched the quiet reflection of the stars that shimmered up above and then he turned his gaze. Her warm smile shined brighter than the sun to him, bringing warmth even in the cold of the night.

“Yeah, you know how I am. I’m used to the outdoors. It’s nice out here. It’s quiet.” Emil flashed a gentle smile at Serenity before returning his gaze to the stars up above. Drawn to the same sight, Serenity tilted her head towards the atmosphere and watched the twilight glimmer from above.

“Wow… It really is nice, Emil…room for one more?”

“Sure, make yourself at home.” Emil scooted his body over to the side, allowing Serenity to lie beside him on the same bed of flowers where he was accustomed to spending his down time. Serenity laughed as the yellow petals tickled her nose with the passing breeze before she parted her bright red hair that blew onto her face. For some time the two of them watched the sky above and reflected in silence, until Serenity softly spoke to Emil.

“Hey, give me your hand.” Across the bed of flowers, her hand extended towards Emil’s, open
and willing to receive his bare palm on top of hers. “Don’t be shy…come on. Perfect.” Her hand grasped his as she moved in closer to him, laying her head on top of his chest. “I never got to tell you before, but thank you for what you did back there with Hugo. Thank you for saving us, Emil. And…thank you for looking for us. I knew you wouldn’t quit, no matter what.”

“I—”

“You’ve always loved me, right? You always loved all of us. That’s why you risked everything, huh? I appreciate everything you’ve done for us…done for me, but you have to let me go, Emil. I’m dead.”

“Serenity, what are you talking about? You’re right here! We’re in the garden. I can touch you. I can feel you. You’re right here!”

“You and I both know it’s not true. I died, Nerai is gone. You’ve got to let go. I know it hurts…but you have to let go. I know you remember. The fire, Silvia, your brother. This isn’t real, Emil. Look, it’s all fading away.”

Serenity pointed up to the heavens, sectioning out a vortex that stirred amidst the cosmos. The hand that she had extended up to the sky slowly began to corrode, turning black before breaking off and transcending into the night sky.

“Forget about me, Emil. How can you be great when all of your energy is wasted crying over me?” The words that came from his reflection of her were pure, earnest—a true notion from his own soul, struggling to move on.

Emil pulled her hand from out the sky as he clutched her body close to his. “I can’t! Serenity, I can’t! Not just yet!”

“If you love me, you’d let me go.”

The vortex that swirled overhead grew more violent as Emil refused to let go of Serenity. The ground around him began to tremble as the terrain and its surrounding began to decompose into dark matter, further fueling the storm. Flashes of lighting blazed across the sky and the winds grew more turbulent. The dark void grew closer. A stream of yellow petals swept past his face and twisted as they clung to the sky, caught in the eye of the swirling vortex. Between his arms, he felt her when she began to slowly corrode away. Her soft skin grew hard, her warm body grew cold. He watched her as she silently awaited her fate. With the last of her strength, Serenity placed the palm of her hand on Emil’s face and wiped the tears from his eyes with her thumb.

“Don’t cry. Don’t be afraid. Be strong. I love you.” As she spoke her final words, Emil watched the light within her fade from her eyes, accompanying her soul as it drifted away into the darkness.

Chapter 1: A New Dawn

“Emil, are you ready?” A steady hand shook Emil as he lay in the bedroom designated to him in Omari’s church. The room was ragged and decrepit, worn from years of use without the proper upkeep. Peeling paint and squeaky boards comprised the majority of the lot, and not much was left to imagination when it came to Emil’s bed. It wasn’t much but it was miles better than sleeping underneath the stars, vulnerable to the elements. In a panic, Emil sprung up and wiped the cold sweat that lingered on his brow. His blonde hair moistly stuck to back of his neck as he took time to adjust to his surroundings. The rays of the incoming dawn contrasted the darkness that had already begun its departure. For a second, he thought he saw her, but he quickly realized he was alone. In the haze of his new reality, Emil groggily responded, still caught between the waking world and that of his dreams, leaving him stunned in a paradox of his own creation.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m good to go, Omari,” Emil said as he squinted his deep blue eyes to buffer the incoming light. “Is it dawn already?”

“I’m afraid so,” Omari said as he hovered over Emil’s bedside and took note of his clammy complexion. “Are you okay?”

Emil sluggishly rose from his bed and pulled on a tan tunic that contrasted his grey pants before answering Omari’s question. “I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep too well.”

Omari heard his words but wasn’t convinced by Emil’s demeanor. On some days, he could see the fire burning bright within him. On others, his presence was that of a muddled flame. It had been three months since they’d met and thus roughly three months since Emil had lost everything. In past conversations Emil rarely talked about what troubled him, but through their time together, Omari began to understand the depths of the pain that Emil kept well guarded.

“Before I woke you, you were mumbling something in your sleep,” Omari said as he examined Emil with a wrinkled brow. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

Emil was already on the other side of the room, overlooking the city of Evermore from the giant glass pane his hand rested on. “I’m sure,” he said as he turned his attention away from the city. “It was just a dream…that’s all.” Emil led his fingertips slowly along the surface of the window before joining Omari, who waited at the edge of his room, locked in a battle in his own mind. “Are you okay?” Emil asked as he squared up with his ally, placing his hand firmly on Omari’s shoulder blade. Omari was quiet, focused, determined, and dedicated. It was clear that he hadn’t sleep much the night before and rightfully so. There was always something brewing.

“I’ll live,” Omari said as a quick smirk found its way across his face. “Thanks for asking. I just want everything to go well today.”

“As well as it can go for what we are about to do,” Emil added.

“Precisely.” Omari closed his eyes and a sudden burst of wind filled the room and compressed in on itself. In an instant, Omari and Emil were transported to a plain surrounded by trees, seemly isolated from the rest of the world.

“Today, we spar without the use of our abilities,” Omari said as Emil released his hold on his shirt. “You lack finesse in hand-to-hand combat and use your speed and aura to compensate for your lack of experience. If you aim only to strengthen your strong points and neglect your weak points, the gap between them only grows larger.”

Emil nodded at the insight of Omari’s words and walked to his usual spot to wait for the session to begin. Up until this point, Omari had been training Emil in hand-to-hand combat but allowed the mutual use of their powers during combat. Though Emil’s abilities gave him a favorable match up against Omari, Omari still managed to maintain the advantage with his superior speed and tactical genius, despite the fact that Emil usually trained by himself before their morning session.

“You can stop there!” Omari called out before exhaling the cool air purified by the surrounding foliage. “There’s no point in moving so far back when we are limiting ourselves. Running is so impractical…at least for me.” A chuckle escaped from his mouth as he involuntarily cracked a smile. Emil caught Omari’s joke but remained unresponsive. Instead, he sunk his body
low to the earth, readying himself for combat.

Through his previous weeks of training, Emil quickly realized that Omari was not an opponent to take lightly. Because Omari lacked range, he adapted quickly. He excelled in the art of hand-to-hand combat, was second-to-none at exploiting weaknesses and deception, and executed brutal pin-point attacks. Omari operated methodically.
Systematically breaking down his opponents while displaying the upmost sense of flexibility in his approach. In their past bouts, often times Emil would have been dead if Omari would have followed through with his actions. The rigged gauntlets he usually wore when combined with his ability to teleport was a devastating combo. The threat of facing an attack from any angle or direction added immense pressure to his opponents—a factor that often shifted momentum in his favor. Extreme focus was needed when dealing with Omari. In a real fight, a moment’s lack of judgment could mean death. 

“Now, let us begin,” Omari said before sinking into his battle stance.

Emil studied Omari’s movements and positioning as Omari slowly crept forward. Omari’s guard was relaxed—emphasizing his focus on striking and mobility rather than defense. Though their frames were of comparable size, Omari’s body moved more nimble than his own. Omari’s specialty was fighting inside his opponent’s guard and utilizing their blind spots to his advantage, therefore it was appropriate that he made the first move.

As Omari inched closer, Emil backed away, keeping his guard firm. Capitalizing on the opening, Omari dashed in and launched a side kick that disrupted Emil’s defenses. Emil blocked Omari’s left kick with his forearm, but Omari’s strength was more than enough to displace his guard. Emil’s forearm dully ached as it shifted with the inertia of the crushing blow. Though he suffered damage, it wasn’t nearly as lethal as it would have been if Omari’s leg had hit its intended target—Emil’s ribs. Still in pain, Emil blindly fired back with a right straight that only hit air.

He’s inside my guard!

Emil’s revelation was correct but
came a fraction of a second too late. Emil’s eyes widened as a crushing knee grinded itself deep into his solar plexus, forcing him to violently expel the air he held in his lungs. Emil retorted with an uppercut but it, too, failed to connect.

“Too wide,” Omari said as he followed up with a quaking shot to Emil’s ribs. Emil stumbled back and regained his composure as he realigned his guard. The pressure was adding up. Their bout had just begun, and Emil already had what felt like two craters lodged into his midsection, sucking the life from him. With every breath, they burned. Just as Omari had instructed him to do in the past, he continued to maintain his deep, controlled breathing. “Keep your guard tight, or it’ll happen again. Your straight was lousy. It gave me time to penetrate your guard. Make sure they are quick and concise.”

Emil silently agreed as he mentally prepared himself for another go round. As he predicted, Omari was the first to go on the offensive, aiming to inflict more damage before Emil could fully recover. With blazing speed, Omari dashed in and unleashed a flurry of punches. Emil tightened his guard and nimbly parried the punches he couldn’t avoid with speed alone until the opportunity finally presented itself for an opening.

There!

Omari had swung wide and left himself vulnerable. Emil gathered his strength and returned fire with a cross of his own, but his delivery was derailed by Omari’s fist. Emil’s head jutted back as his face collided with Omari’s cross-counter.

Damn it!
Emil felt himself slipping as his head sluggishly drifted forward. He was stunned, involuntarily forced into a dream-like state and unable to react to Omari’s follow up that drove him to the ground.

“Sometimes what you think is an opening, is a trap. It was a feint,” Omari said as he hovered over Emil’s sprawled body.

“If I were faster, I would have hit you first…I had a chance,” Emil said from below.

“It’s better to calculate the risk rather than dive in head first. Once we confront Legion, we won’t know the extent of the enemies’ power. Everyone’s ability as far we know is unique. The opening acts of combat should only be to test your opponent and come up with an effective strategy.” Omari extended his hand to Emil and hoisted him back up to his feet as he continued to speak. “Suppose if Silvia went another route with her attack and fought you straight on. If you would have fought her, and she exposed you to her poison directly through combat, you would have been dead. In an all out assault, she would have most likely fought you on equal terms before ambushing you with her beast. Without prior knowledge of the opponent, there’d be no way to know she was capable of such an attack and therefore you’d be open. Coupled with fatigue and her poison, you would have no chance. What I’m trying to say is b—”

“Be careful, I know,” Emil said after wiping away the stream of blood that flowed from his nose.

“Your choices scream louder than your thoughts. There’s a lot more at stake now. I presume your brother no longer wants you captured, but instead killed for taking the lives of two of his own.”

“Could have fooled me. If Hugo and Silvia were holding back, it couldn’t have been much…both of them nearly killed me.”

“In our last battle we lucked out. Compared to his forces, we are minute…but he now knows that we are a threat. New threats are presumed to be more lethal than the previous by default, no matter the opponent. With the four of us, a loss on our side is far more detrimental when compared to a loss from your brother’s.”

“Yeah…our moves have to be well guarded.”

“Correct. We pick at them in cycles. We don’t have the numbers for an outright battle.”

“But we have Skye,” Emil interjected.

“I’ve been working with her for a while now, but her powers still haven’t manifested to their fullest ability. Her sensing is still far too weak to exploit it on the level needed for a severe tactical
advantage. I believe that your brother has access to a sensor type, as well.”

“Makes sense.
Arius’s abilities do involve a mental link of some sort. Silvia’s did, as well. Perhaps she was the sensor and now they are in the dark.”

“Or, maybe your brother is, or another member, perhaps. It wouldn’t make sense to send such a valuable asset out to fight so soon.
Especially seeing that our people are rare.”

“Maybe they didn’t expect me to put up such a fight…it’s been so long since I’ve seen my brother face to face. Even though Silvia had me, I was injured, and you were there to back me up. She was only there to abduct me. If she’d wanted to kill me, I would have died that day.”

“This is true, but I doubt your brother would be so reckless. Whether they have a sensor or not, the outcome is the same. They have eyes everywhere.”

“Yes, and so do we, with Skye.”

“Indeed, we do. Only much more limited in terms of range.”

“But still, your sister is amazing, Omari.”

“Yes. She is quite amazing. She and Marona are the reason that the coming operation will be successful.”

Emil’s hair danced in the wind as he silently reflected on Omari’s words. The operation they were planning had been in the works for two weeks now. It was the first step of what was to be done to thwart his brother, King Arius, and to restore hope to the people of
Coren, and on a smaller scale, Everrmore.

“Are you sure you’re ready for today, Emil?” Omari asked as he studied Emil’s sullen face. His injuries were minor, but emotionally, he seemed unavailable.

“Yes. I am.” Emil’s words casually floated in the wind as his perception shifted to a dream-like flow; dazed from the impending impact of what was to come. Omari’s brows depressed as he searched for resolve in the young hero’s heart before finally answering.

“Good.” The stress on Omari’s face subsided, though his heart still remained troubled. “I think we had enough for today. No need to exert ourselves more than necessary.”

“Right.”

Omari anchored his hand to Emil’s shoulder and together they appeared back to where the day began. The church was still and silent, but both Emil and Omari knew that preparations were underway, even though the sun had barely reared its head. The outside world seemed to be in a state of limbo, teetering on the edge of joining the
waking world and sleeping with the half-risen sun. The grass was wet with dew, the birds sang, but still the people slept, soon to be awakened.

“The execution is at noon. Be ready before then. We’ll review the plan before departure,” Omari said before calmly exiting, leaving Emil to his own devices.