Chapter 23 - The Magic of Light

Aiden and Valerie stood tall, side by side, bathed in radiance. Light wrapped around them like a second skin, a halo burning behind them in the form of a colossal ring. Aiden glanced down at himself—no wounds, no scars, no trace of the black stains that had once crawled across his body. His chest no longer burned, his jaw no longer ached. He felt whole. Stronger than he had ever known.

Valerie’s figure glowed beside him. Her hair shimmered like it had on their wedding day, perfectly flowing down her shoulders. Her body was encased in armor woven from pure light, traced with accents of gold, shining as if the heavens themselves had adorned her. Aiden wore the same, gleaming plates of light forged to his frame, every edge crowned with gold. The warmth of power pulsed within him, limitless, unending.

One word echoed through Aiden’s mind, over and over, growing louder with each heartbeat.

Purity.

The word escaped his lips at the same time Valerie whispered it, both of their voices overlapping. “Purity.”

They looked at each other and laughed softly, like children sharing a secret.

“Do you think this is how The Creator feels all the time?” Aiden joked, his grin wide.

Valerie giggled, brushing her golden hair back from her face. “It actually feels like He’s with us right now. Not just in spirit. Closer.”

Aiden’s smile stretched even wider. “Well, unless someone stops me…” He tilted his head upward, hesitating, waiting for a voice from the heavens. None came. “…I’m calling this Purity Magic.”

Valerie rolled her eyes, but the glint in them betrayed her excitement. “I guess you can take the gamer out of the game, but you can’t take the game out of the gamer.”

Their moment of peace shattered.

Zachary’s scream split the night. His voice cracked with rage, wild and desperate. “NO! This isn’t possible! I killed you! You should be dead! You’re cheating!”

His darkness flared violently, the black aura writhing like a living shadow. He hurled another beam of darkness straight at them, screaming. But Aiden stepped forward and swatted it aside with the flick of his hand. The beam scattered like mist in the sun.

Zachary froze, eyes wide. He shrieked and fired again. And again. A volley of beams lashed out, yet half dissolved before they reached Aiden and Valerie, their light erasing the shadow on contact. The stronger bolts that made it close were deflected effortlessly, swept aside like leaves in a breeze.

“Impossible!” Zachary howled.

He dashed forward, fists cloaked in black energy, moving at breakneck speed. His punches flew in a storm, each strike meant to shatter stone. But Aiden and Valerie moved in perfect rhythm, arms rising one after the other, blocking every blow. Their bodies didn’t flinch, didn’t budge. Only their hands shifted, batting aside his fists as if sparring with a child.

Aiden’s thoughts flickered with disbelief. Talk about a buzzer beater transformation... He almost laughed.

Zachary’s frenzy sputtered. His breath grew ragged, sweat beading down his face as his arms sagged. He staggered back, chest heaving, eyes wide with fear.

And still, Aiden and Valerie stepped forward. One step. Then another. Their footsteps echoed like a judgment drum.

Zachary’s panic exploded. He spun on his heel and bolted, fleeing down the ruined street. But before he could vanish, Aiden and Valerie’s eyes blazed white. They thrust out their hands in unison.

Two ropes of pure light shot forth, wrapping around Zachary’s wrists. The lasso tightened, burning into his skin. He screamed, thrashing wildly, but their pull dragged him back with effortless ease. His curses turned into pleas, his growls into sobs. “Let me go! LET ME GO!”

They reeled him in until he knelt before them, bound in light. Their glowing eyes bore into him, piercing past his flesh, into his soul.

“Darkness has polluted your heart,” they spoke as one, their voices doubled, resonating like a chorus. “It has scarred us, scarred this town… and worst of all, scarred your wife.”

Zachary twisted against the bonds, black tears streaming down his face. “Shut up! Shut up! Don’t mention her to me! Please, just let me go—”

The darkness seeping from his body began to flicker, thinning, fading under their words. But his eyes, those black pits, remained unchanged.

“Your judgment,” Aiden and Valerie declared, “will be taken up with The Creator. Through us.”

They glanced at each other, nodded once, then raised their free hands. Slowly, deliberately, they lifted them to Zachary’s face. His struggles froze, terror painted across his features. Their palms pressed against his cheeks.

“For the crimes against this town and its people…” their voices joined, steady, eternal, “…we forgive you.”

Light erupted.

A wave pulsed outward from their hands, a ripple of radiance that washed down the street. The shadows shrieked as they burned away, dissolving into smoke. Zachary’s scream cracked as the darkness tore free of him, ripped from every vein and pore. His body jerked violently before falling still.

When the light dimmed, Zachary stood healed—his skin whole, his body unmarred. But his face… his face was broken, streaked with confusion and disbelief. He staggered back, clutching his chest, trembling. “What… what did you do to me…?”

Aiden and Valerie’s eyes returned to normal. Valerie lowered her hand. Aiden kept his palm resting on Zachary’s shoulder, firm but gentle.

“We freed you,” Aiden said softly. “But the crimes against your wife… her forgiveness is not ours to give. That is yours to seek.”

Zachary’s legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees, sobbing. His cries echoed against the stone, raw and desperate. “I’ll never get the chance…I drained her life away! I killed her!”

Aiden and Valerie tilted their heads toward the wreckage. Their voices overlapped, calm and sure. “She is not dead. We can still feel her life.”

Zachary froze, his head snapping up. Hope trembled across his broken face as tears spilled anew.

They walked together, hand in hand, toward Everly’s pale, unmoving form. Her chest rose so faintly it was almost imperceptible, her body fragile and still. Aiden and Valerie lowered themselves beside her, their eyes meeting briefly before they each placed a hand to her face. Their eyes closed, light gathering between their palms and her skin, flowing gently into her like the warmth of dawn after a storm.

Purity surged, wrapping her body in radiance. Bones straightened, bruises melted away, her color returned. Her skin glowed with life again. Then—her body jolted. A sharp inhale broke the silence, and her eyes fluttered open. She gasped for breath before her gaze found Aiden and Valerie. A smile broke across her lips, weak but genuine.

“Thank you…” she whispered, tears welling as she sat up. But then her eyes drifted past them—to Zachary.

He had been kneeling, shattered, but as her eyes met his, he staggered upright. His legs carried him forward in stumbling urgency until, unable to bear the weight of it all, he fell again to his knees before her. His head hung low, tears falling freely.

“I… I have no excuse,” Zachary choked out. “I’ve treated you horribly. I’ve failed you in every way a man can fail his wife. You’ve been nothing but good to me, Everly, and I—I don’t deserve you. I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me. If you never want to see me again. But I swear…” His voice broke, his chest heaving with sobs. “…I swear if I had one more chance, I’d spend the rest of my life trying to—”

He never finished.

Everly threw herself forward, crashing into him with a sob. They tumbled onto the stones together, her lips pressed to his in a desperate kiss. Her tears wet his cheeks as she clung to him.

“You fool,” she cried against him. “I knew this wasn’t you. Not truly. I just wanted my Zach back. The one I loved. The one who loved me. That’s all I wanted.”

Her forehead pressed to his, trembling. “I forgive you. But…” Her tone sharpened, a flicker of fire beneath the tears. “…we have a lot of work to do. Both of us.”

Zachary laughed wetly, the sound broken but filled with relief. “Then let me start with new vows. Ones I’ll keep. I’ll protect you. I’ll make you happy. That’s all I’ll live for, from now until the end.”

Everly’s giggle broke through the sobs. “Then I’ll only accept them if you swear them as my partner.”

He nodded fiercely, sealing it with another kiss.

Aiden and Valerie watched from a short distance, hands entwined, their hearts swelling at the sight. Aiden squeezed her hand gently. This… this is what it was all for.

The heavy doors of the Guild creaked open behind them. Jaxson and Avery stepped out first, their faces pale with worry. Behind them, the crowd trickled out—men, women, children—all craning their necks to see what had transpired. Gasps rippled across the group as their eyes locked onto the sight of Aiden and Valerie, still glowing in divine radiance. Whispers spread like wildfire.

“Angels…” someone murmured. “We’re seeing angels.”

“No, this must be a dream…” another muttered, shaking their head.

Chloe stumbled out, her eyes scanning the wreckage and then landing on Maximus’s motionless body. Her world collapsed in an instant. With a cry, she ran, knees buckling as she dropped beside him. Her sobs tore through the night as she pressed her face into his back. “No, no, please no…”

Aiden and Valerie’s smiles faded. They exchanged a look and walked toward her slowly, their steps measured. When they reached her side, they both lowered to one knee. Valerie placed a gentle hand on Chloe’s trembling back.

“Everything will be okay,” she whispered softly.

Chloe’s head snapped up, her tear-streaked face frozen in shock. “Valerie…? Is that… you?”

Valerie smiled tenderly and nodded. Together, she and Aiden pressed their hands against Maximus’s back. Their eyes shut, and once more the Purity magic flowed.

Maximus’s body glowed. His wounds sealed, his skin regained its warmth, his chest lifted with a deep, steady breath. His cane clattered uselessly to the ground as he pushed himself upright, standing tall once more.

Chloe’s sobs turned into laughter as she threw her arms around him, squeezing tight. “I thought you were gone!”

Maximus wrapped her up in his embrace, his usually stern voice softening. “I’m here, Chloe. I’m here.”

Aiden rose, still holding Valerie’s hand. He caught her gaze, his lips curling into a smile. “I think we should wrap this up nice and neat, don’t you?”

Valerie met his eyes, her smile widening with eager agreement. “Let’s.”

They joined both hands together, bridging the bond. Closing their eyes, they let the Purity flow outward in one final surge.

A pulse of blinding light rippled across Auravale, spilling into every street and home. The townsfolk gasped as aches melted away, bruises vanished, wounds healed. Children laughed, mothers wept with joy, old men straightened spines long bent. All around them, cheers rose, a chorus of disbelief and wonder.

“Angels!” someone cried. “They’ve blessed us!”

The light slowly dimmed. The radiant ring that had hovered behind Aiden and Valerie dissolved into the air, shattering into motes that drifted down like falling stars. Two tiny sparks lingered, floating gently until they landed—one on Aiden’s hand, the other on Valerie’s. The glow etched into their rings, leaving new markings. Aiden’s band bore a faint ring on the top of it, while Valerie’s stone gleamed with the etching of a glowing circle atop it.

Their armor of light dissolved as well, fading away to reveal their wedding clothes—perfectly restored, spotless, untouched by battle.

Aiden pulled Valerie into his arms, pressing her close. “We’ve got to figure out how to do that again,” he said with a breathless laugh.

Valerie buried her face against him, her smile radiant. “I love you, Aiden. Forever and always.”

His eyes closed as he whispered back, steady and sure. “And I love you, Valerie. Always and forever.”

Their lips met, soft and tender, as if the world around them had melted away. In that moment, there was no battlefield, no shadows, no crowd—only the two of them, bound together in light eternal.