Star-crossed Oath

Lim stood silent holding up his hands examining every crevice and blood vessels under his skin. It felt warm, real and alive as every part of his being disputed Estra’s absurd claims except one. His flesh was scored with markings all around his neck, torso , arms and legs in the shape that indicated that he was sliced apart in one fell swoop. All now reattached and sewn together.

Lim bit his lips in frustration with his head heavy. He clutched his mouth as he vomited out.

*Blurgh*

“I really am dead?”

“Lim….”

“So what am I? What was gone and what is left? Am I even real?”

“Lyse…of course I have no doubt—”

“Then why do I feel this way? This feels wrong! I am not meant to–”

“Fate had it that we were not meant to be BUT I CAN’T! Please Lyse come back. Come back to me.”

As Estra pleaded she only saw back a singular shining emerald eye that looked back. It was a hollow gaze from that of a raven.

Lim softly spoke without any expression or emotion.

“I'm sorry Estra I need some time alone… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry….”

Estra helplessly watched as Lim dressed himself and walked out into the wilderness ahead. Her hand reached out as she painfully called for him but no words would come out.

What words could she have said to him and would he even listen? Does he despise her now?

Estra stared blankly into the fire as tears trickled down feeling a deep guilt and fear that she had spat on the only person that cared for her.

‘I’m sorry… I’m sorry for being selfish. I just couldn’t live without you!’

Estra sank on her sides folding into a ball as she cried herself to sleep on the cold hard floor alone once more.

***

‘What is it that I’m after?’

An endless abyss of eternal shadows enveloped all around Estra like ethereal ink. Its presence is sticky, viscous and all around suffocating. A smog that clouded her mind and darkened her way forward.

*Twink*

Estra flinched as her iris bloomed wide. A sudden flash of bright white light cut through the blackened sea and formed into a singular pulsating orb.

She ran for it pulling at the shadowy tentacles that hoped to drag her back into the void. It had arms that would bend and latch all around her as she struggled, but Estra did not stop. She leapt forward reaching for the light.

***

“Augghhh!!!”

Estra violently jerked out of her slumber with cold sweat that ran down profusely. She took time to catch her breath from what seemed like a marathon that had lasted eons.

“Lim? Ah old habits die hard….”

Estra wished to herself that Lim would magically wake by her side but he was nowhere to be found. Fantasy will remain a fantasy and she and Lim will remain apart.

She curled into a ball again listening only to the calming ambient sounds of chirping birds and tree leaves swaying in the wind.

She was alone again. Her heart sank at the thought.

Estra bit the tip of her lips in frustration.

“Nothing has changed. I’m still a coward, a weakling and a pathetic loser! Everything I've sacrificed. All I've done. You are still so far away… Why? ”

It felt nostalgic to succumb to her inner deep dark desires as she wellowed in her own pain staying in one spot and letting the world move around her.

“I’m tired. I’m tired. I can’t anymore….”

***

Many suns and moons rose around her as she delved into a deep melancholic slumber. Several weeks have now passed with the regular happy tunes of birds and wailing trees crashing against the wind.

“Sleepyhead wake up!”

Estra’s body was playfully rocked back and forth by a leather heeled boot.

“Stop it….”

Estra waved off the person’s leg and went back to sleep.

“OW! Stop it!”

Estra woke up as she leapt on the intruder pinning him to the ground. To her shock it was Lim.

“Tsk. Pervert. I didn’t know we were going to do that so soon….”

He playfully stuck out his tongue.

“Lim?”

“See a ghost?”

Estra was paler than usual, completely lost in total disbelief. She attempted to stand up but was suddenly stopped by Lim who pinned her head down into a soft intimate embrace. Their luscious lips locked as Lim gave her a sensual long kiss.

Their lips parted as saliva drooped down in a glistening sheen of pure decadence.

“Hehe... Oops hands slipped.”

Lim chuckled to himself with a smile that never failed to captivate Estra as she stood up bashfully failing to maintain her stoic tough demeanor.

Lim’s smug smile was almost mocking her. He was purposely acting cute as he wiggled his body around as if to present his new attire. A simple clean clothes of leather, white cloth and black leather pants that accentuated his hips. A very deliberate feminine look that he seemed to take some level of pride in creating.

“Lim, when did you get so bratty?”

‘God that smug face makes me want to set him straight.’

Estra hadn’t realised it but her heart was pulled by his every whim. She forgot how much a puppet of desire she was. Seeing Lim acting that way almost felt unfair.

“You came back? I thought—”

“I needed some time. There are still a lot of questions still unanswered and some I don’t want to be answered but I am content. I don’t know if it's all an illusion but if it is I don’t want to wake up.”

“Lim, I can guarantee that it is all real. Every part of you and every inch of your soul.”

Lim surveyed the cave with an increasing look of concern.

“This whole place it's a laboratory. I know you can piece my body together but… no. What did you do! Please don’t tell me you?”

“No, nothing that drastic. A deal with the devil would be moot as a spawn of hell. The solution was more simple than you think.”

Estra approached Lim as she placed her hand softly onto his chest.

“What’s yours is mine. What's mine is yours.”

“...”

“I bonded my soul, tearing it in half so that yours could be preserved. A part of me is in you as you are in me.”

Lim clutched onto her arm as he held his face close to her chest. It was a warmth mixed with an ethereal chill.

“Idiot! You goddamn idiot that means…Why! Why! Would you do something so foolish? That was meant to be me. You were meant to be better than me. Why do you still cling onto a poisonous flower when you should have discarded it. Why don’t you abandon me, discard all this pain and forget it all… forget about poor little Lyse in his tower.”

Estra chuckled to herself with a smug grin as he laughed unexpectedly.

“It could've been worse. I guess now could be considered a vampire or–”

“Shut up! You are Estra. Demon or vampire you are still Estra.”

“Human or undead you will always be Lim. My foolish raven.”

***

[1 year ago, The grand city of Irund]

Estra in her long travels had found herself at the desolate slums of the grand city of Irund. A jewel of perfection that had hid a rotting brown cesspit of crime and despair within its underbelly. Years of shoddy makeshift wooden construction closed off all natural light with nothing but dim lanterns to light the way.

“WHERE IS HE?”

Estra rushed over to a hunched back man dressed in black robes. He stood in front of bodies laid down under tarps neatly sorted like merchandise.

“New ere? A lot of em don’t got a name so you gotta be a bit more specific! Usually food don’t got no name… oh Yes… I see, you do look the part. Not often do I get necromancers.”

Estra held her mouth almost unable to bear the abhorrent sight. The man looks up at her with a smirk on his face.

“It’s not pretty, I know but without corpse merchants Irund’s underworld would be a rotting wasteland. We have very little luxury in the city’s waste bin… better than starving i’ll tell you that….”

‘Shit. Keep it together Estra.’

Estra shook her head free from doubts as she entered the hellish market.

“I am looking for a man my age. He should be around 20. Feminine features and looking out of place as a peasant.”

“A strange peasant you say? Oh yes I heard about this one. A shame what happened to the poor lad.”

“Do you have him?”

“Usually necromancers prefer bodies intact… cuts out the busy work, I'm sure you know better than me. I don’t mean to tell you how to do your job… ah what am I saying come. Come. over here.”

Estra followed the strange man to his maze-like building of flimsy wooden planks. They come across a tub covered in white tarps.

“Ere he is. Go on have a look.”

“Please don’t make it true….”

“Oh it's true alright. Story goes that the kid was hiding out in Irudia when a bunch of “Heroes” came in. The Dashing fellows said something about trying to capture some evil villain. They did a bad job at the capturing part but I’m glad the world’s safer now. What could this kid have done?”

“Absurd lies!”

Estra slowly raised the tarp and looked into the tub. Her eyes bloomed wide open as she instantly collapsed to her knees holding onto her mouth. She had steeled herself mentally for the worst and promised that she was ready, but in this moment Estra knew that her shield was made from layers of lies. Tears fell down uncontrollably with a reunion that had left her all the more alone.

“Why were you so far from home? Why didn’t you wait for me?”