Daeva: Black Diamond Chrysalis - Danielle Bolger (essential reading txt) 📗

We swung a couple of times, the creaking of the chains filling the few seconds of silence.

"Are you still sure you want to do this?" Bethanie asked, her face assuming that outward appearance of stone. "You heard what Ariel said, there's no turning back and there's no telling how things will change. All this, it could get in the way with your relationship with Eric."

"Yeah, I know that there's risks and I know that this is going to complicate things. I am a little scared that this will make things difficult between Eric and I. I don't even know how to begin explaining this but I have faith in him, just as I do my family, just as I do with you. I heard what Ariel and you said, I understand that this is a tough path to walk down, but I believe that this can all work. It will. No matter the danger I know that keeping the people we love close will get us through it and at the same help protect the ones we love from those monsters."

She smirked without zeal. "But to fight them you need to change, you need to take in darkness, the very thing that they're made from and in doing so you cease to be human anymore. Or at least, not fully human. It's a lot to sacrifice and you don't know how bad things can get there. I don't even, I mean... it was only two days ago that I did all this myself."

"Yeah, I figured that's when you did it. The day you wagged."

Bethanie didn't reply to that, just leaned forward as she swung so that her blonde hair covered her face.

"Listen Bethanie, I get it, I do, but I can't let this go, not when I know what's out there! I need to do something about the shades, I need to stop this darkness from taking hold of the world and I need to help you, Bethanie. I simply can't let you do this all alone!"

"I'm not alone, you know. There's other daevas out there and not just the dark ones, there's other girls like Ariel fighting to protect the light. So you don't have to do this for me."

The swing creaked as I swayed it subtly back and forth. "Yeah, you mightn't be, but what about me?! Won't I be alone? Knowing what I do, having this potential, I would not be a daeva but I can't just pretend like nothing is happening! In that circumstance, I would be alone!"

Bethanie had her eyes closed as she responded. "Yeah, I get it. I really do. For the longest time I wanted to protect you without giving any regard to how you felt about it. You're right though, I have been selfish. I have been trying to protect you so that I feel like I have some kind of peace and stability, but that was at the sacrifice of your own freedom. I care about you so I don't want to see you hurt, but you are a young woman and must be allowed to take the risks that you choose and for me to stop you is cowardly, because I would only be stopping myself from the prospect of future hurt."

The creaks in the adjacent chains increased in volume as I realised that Bethanie was giving more zeal to her swing.

"It's noble to want to protect people and I'm sorry, I don't really mean that I think you're selfish." I told her softly. "I know how much you look out for me and truly, I do appreciate it."

"Yeah, I look out for you, except when it matters I'm just not enough. Not now anyhow." She stated with melancholy, blonde strands covering her features.

 "You're always enough." I smiled. "You being by my side fills me with so much confidence that I almost feel as strong and tough as you!"

Her grip tightened on the swing's chains. "Whatever path you decide, I promise I'll be there for you. You can run into danger if you like, I won't stop you but you can count on me being at your flank."

"Thanks, Bethanie." I grinned.

We sat there for a while, just swinging our legs back in forth, in uneasy silence. Finally, as the sun began to lower in the sky, Bethanie slipped off her swing. The seat maintained its momentum without her, the chains creaking with a newly disorganised rhythm.

With her back to me she began to walk away. "It's this way."

Once I slowed down enough I too slipped from my swing and landed with fumbled footing before jostling to be by her side. When I saw the path she was leading us down I gasped. "That's where those shades attacked us!"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about them coming back, last time I came here it seemed that Ariel had cleaned them out."

"And even if they did come back, you could fight them off now, couldn't you, Bethanie?"

"Yeah, I think I can."

"And the next time you fight them I'll be by your side!" I cheered but this only seemed to cause Bethanie to harden.

We walked down the path that once shone with a glowing white brilliance that today was thankfully an ordinary brown and green pigmentation. There was no music either this time, none bar the chiming of birds in their trees and the wind whistling gently between the canopies overhead. It was very peaceful and felt very safe as I crunched atop of dead leaves on our path. It was incredible how different it was to just a few evenings prior.

That world I walked down was terrifying, it almost killed me before, but I was saved. So, as I tried to calm my trembling arms, I rationalised that this path I was treading was only fair. A life saved had a debt to repay and I could not allow Bethanie to be burdened with my share.

It took a surprisingly short time until the trail widened and opened up to a clearing laden with thick emerald grass at its floor. At the centre of it were two people, both with platinum blond hair, a girl that I recognised as Ariel and a young man that I knew not of.

They both turned to us as they noticed our arrival, the young man opening his arms and smiling.

Bethanie

I stood rigidly as I watched it, Abigail accepting an unnecessary dark fate and the one that motioned to give it to her as he put his index finger to the sharp point of his upper canine tooth.

I thought again to cry out no and intercept the unholy transaction taking place but I didn't, I couldn't without being the hypocrite I knew I was. I hated seeing her standing there, with Ariel's eyes glistening excitedly and Raziel cutting a finger on an unnaturally sharp tooth where black essence began to spill forth. My hands were clenched by my sides but they made no move to stop this convenent into darkness.

"Here," Raziel indicated to the solidified black drop on his fingertip, "is the power that will transform you into a being that is neither truly of the world of light but also one that is not of the dark. You'll be thrown into a sort of limbo, a being of great light but with darkness settling into your core. You'll have power, a great and also terrible amount. You'll grow, evolve and with it you'll have the ability to perform feats that defy the forces of nature, but how much power you attain all depends on how deep you're willing to dive."

I remembered then a comment he had made when I accepted the black seed, the promise of the power to save the ones I loved from certain death. As I watched the interplay I wondered how much of myself I would have to sacrifice in order to achieve such power.

"This, Abigail Darling." Raziel raised his hand out towards her, "Is the seed that will allow that potential you have to sprout and then blossom, giving you the ability to direct this world whichever way you desire. Take it, accept it, but do not do so lightly for I promise that this contract is one with a sting. But a pain necessary in order to combat the other sources of pain that exist out there."

My clenched fists trembled. I remembered all this, his words were different and yet when I heard it this time it seemed worse somehow, like this fate was sure to be doomed. Like this transformation that used the soul at its heart, destroyed it in the end.

"Abigail," Raziel continued, "do you accept this contract with me?"

The hand completed the distance so that it was barely a foot away from Abigail's mouth as she responded, "I do. I'll accept it all so long as," and here she shone a frail smile towards me, "I'm there fighting by my friend's side."

"Good." Raziel appraised with what seemed for a moment to be an indulgent grin before instantly softening. "Then take this seed into your body and though it may hurt initially, do not resist as it attaches to you. That is how you connect with the darkness and the awesome power of light. This pain you feel will be fleeting, but the power will be with you to the moment you die. Fight this and it will fail, accept and you will enter into a realm of possibility."

There was something there that heightened my apprehension. His smile, his persuasive words, the sly tone. It made it look like he really wanted Abigail to take this seed and turn, like he wanted it so badly he was manipulating her so cleverly that she never even saw it. Like those flashing silver eyes and crooked grin wanted nothing more than to see another daeva born.

Then, as Abigail's mouth opened and that finger reached towards it, I did nothing to stop its progress. It neared so close that the black seed touched Abigail's lower lip until suddenly an amber line intercepted with a loud snap to Raziel's hand. There it coiled around his arm and like a snake tightened its hold of its prey. With an angered cry Razial tore his hand downward, ripping the thin rope-like structure into many pieces. As the amber shreds fell they glowed white for a moment, then disintegrated before they could rest atop the green grass beneath. The black seed floated down amongst these and whether it was swallowed to the floor or separated back into the energies of the earth it was clear that this particular dark contract was lost.

"Venessa, always looking to party..." Ariel leered back across the mouth of the clearing where a red-headed girl smirked in return, pulling back a shortened amber whip. "But this party," Ariel snarled as a bow suddenly materialised in her hand, "you're not invited to!"

I was surprised to find that the bow was not constructed from the same brilliant light that I had seen previously back along the pathway, but of a black curved material with emerald at its centre curving out in an intricate and rigid design. The arrow she pulled back along its string was a glistening green also and as it was released the