Chapter 9(Part 2)

Carina cried as she held her son in her arms, it had been so long since she last had a chance to have him this close. She didn't care that her eyes couldn't see him, she did not need to see him to know that his hair was a dark shade of blue that resembled the night sky. That his skin was refined and pale just like other Guardians, in the moonlight it appeared as if enveloped in a soft glow. She had seen it all before and though she would like to see him grown, she knew not to complain. Having him near was a blessing she certainly did not deserve.

In her joy, she had completely forgotten about the other woman in the room. Carina could feel the signature of Darkness that radiated from her. In her lifetime, Carina had met other women with the same energy as the one in her house and therefore she was used to being under it's overwhelming nature. The power could only be controlled by one person at a time and it's signature changed subtly to fit with the owners personality. For the present one, her signature was cold, an unnatural coldness that made her think of biting frozen steel.

"With the amount of energy you are radiating, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you had the spirit in you, Reyna."

Carina wanted to laugh. In one day, not only had her son come to find her but also he brought along with him the only one person with an affinity for Darkness. Anyone else would have said it was a coincidence but Carina didn't believe in coincidences anymore. The Sire was too careful to let anything go by with out his notice.

The child must have been shocked that Carina knew her name. Reyna had been a baby when she last saw her and probably couldn't remember anything from that time.

"I was a good friend of your mother and ever since you both disappeared I have been looking everywhere for you but now here you are."

She waited as the child weighed her words, Carina knew every welder of Darkness could call out lies when they heard them. Earlier on when Miran had asked about her she had weighed her words putting into them as little falseness as possible, hoping that Reyna wouldn't catch on. She had and what happened after had been unexpected.

With an aura of Darkness covering his energy, Miran had fainted before Reyna placed him on the bed in the corner. She then took Carina's hand and led her gently towards the bed. Her only remarks had been, "This is better than the pain of lying to him."

Indeed it was. After that, the child hadn't said a single word and if it wasn't for her energy signature one would have thought she had disappeared. Carina had so many questions to ask but time wasn't on her side, she knew her own body, knew that she wouldn't last long. Before she faded, she still had one promise to keep.

"Twenty years ago, your mother came to me and told me that she feared that those who were after would get to you. She gave me a letter and said that if anything happened she would bring you to me and that when you got older I should give you the letter and tell you about everything.

Four weeks later, the house your had just moved into blew up and not even a single trace of you or your mother could be found. Knowing your mother, I searched every place she had ever been to but still nothing. I kept the letter with me, just in case you showed up. Reyna, do you know where your mother is?"

"She is dead, she died in the explosion."

There was no remorse in her curt words, as if the part that stored emotions in her was long gone. No child should sound so cold, especially when talking about their parents. She would make sure she did something about it before she was gone. Carina straightened out her son's jacket as she began the tale of how

"Let me tell you what I have to say then we'll see if your opinion changes. When I first came to this realm, I met one of the bravest women I have ever known. She wasn't afraid even when a demon approached her and even won against him in a battle. The demon gave her a fragment of the spirit of Darkness, told her that if she kept it safe the fragment would protect her.

When the woman had her fist child, the girl attracted another piece of the spirit in addition to the one inherited from her mother. The women got used to the spirit visiting in their dreams and gave her the name Izzy, as a replacement for the long one she had, that has been lost to time ever since. The consequences of keeping the spirit had been unknown to them and it wasn't until a few generations later that they finally understood that someone was after the it.

Every single person in that family died in mysterious ways and your mother thought that maybe she could escape it. She searched for something that had long been a legend and that is how I met her. What she was looking for was the seventh spirit. Most Guardian tales spoke of it having been left in this realm but none ever said where it was. The spirits are not able to speak freely of celestial matter and so Izzy could not be of any help at that time.

When your mother realised that she was expecting, time was running out. She almost gave up hope until she found out the loophole that existed in the rules that bound Izzy. If the question posed didn't mention anything paranormal and Izzy gave an answer in the same manner then the matter was overlooked. The solution was so simple that we all felt foolish for not thinking of it. To find the spirit your mother had to send out a small amount of her power to call out where the spirit was.

Given that the spirit had retained it's physical body, it had a shadow and there was nowhere it could hide from Darkness."

Carina paused knowing that what came next was hard to explain. She hoped the child would understand the motive behind it.

" After you were born, your mother no longer had her powers and could only hope that the spirit would find her soon. She hid you well from the demons that were after her and they all thought she still had the Darkness in her. They captured her and discovered that they had been tricked but no matter how had they tried they couldn't find you.

I had no idea of all this until one day a woman showed up at my doorstep with a baby in her arms. She had such an overpowering signature that I was frozen under it's pressure for the first few minutes. Jean Marie was just something else, her connection to Izzy had brought her to me. I had never seen a spirit in its physical form before and I couldn't help the reaction. The news she brought with her was not as pleasing as her presence. The child in her arms had just lost her mother to demons and she had come to let me that the baby would be in her custody."

The night air became chilly and if it were not for her fire energy, Carina would have been shivering. Yet not a single word came from the girl, she must have figured out what Carina was about to say next and that made the words almost impossible to come out.

"You were only an year old and it was only after she removed the energy barrier around you that I could finally see the reason behind it. For a child so young, you were radiating such a tremendous amount of power that even the demons in her could feel it. From that day, Marie became your mother and took care of you.To ward off any suspicion, we didn't visit each other because I too had some people watching me.

Five years later was when Marie came to me again with the letter but she never stayed around to explain. Even though I have been curious all these years never once did I open it, it was for your eyes only."

Making sure Miran was properly laid on the bed Carina moved to the bookshelf that held every single book and trinket she had collected during her stay in the human world. She knew the layout of the house by heart and didn't need to feel her way around. On top of the shelf was a box full of the most important things in her life. They were more valuable than anything money could buy.

"It was Marie who gave me the idea of writing letters to Miran in case I never got to see him again. Something to hold on even when I wasn't there. So I kept this box. Inside are my memories and because I can't bare him to see me like this please give them to him for me."

Under the box was the envelope from Marie. She placed it on top of the box and handed both of them to the Reyna. The time had finally come but Carina delayed it for a bit longer.

"My dear could you give me a moment alone with my son."

Though she hesitated a bit Reyna left them alone. After Carina was done, she came in and dragged Miran out. He was under the influence of darkness, easy for her to move. She secured him in the car and drove out of the area.

Carina sat near the fireplace in the favourite rocking chair. Her eyes were closed and with a smile on her face she finally allowed herself to fade away. Slowly her body dissolved into the lilac flames that had once marked her creation. Freed from her physical form, she became one with the wind and danced to it's sound.

She saw the car that her son was in and couldn't stop herself from going to him. With a kiss in the cheek she passed some of her embers to him before moving on to the woman next to him. Carina kissed her cheek too.

"Live well my dear."

She laughed as she danced all the way to the Isle and there she met Azara, who felt her presence but couldn't see her. She kissed the tears that streamed from her violet eyes and moved on to the Isle's core were for the first time in what seemed like forever she found rest.

***************

This was the most emotional chapter I have ever written and I actually cried. It has really taken up a lot of my time due to it's complexity but it is now done. Enjoy💜💜