With trembling arms, I wrapped her broken vessel in a gentle embrace. My silent sobs were a testament to the unspoken ache that hung in the air. “Samantha, I’m grateful for every second we had together. The impact you’ve made in my life is immeasurable.”
A faint smile graced her lips, a testament to the bond that had united us for so many years. She’d been one of my first true comrades in a party for the adventurer's guild, and she was the only mage I’d trusted not to get me killed during a fight with a dragon.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice a wisp of what it was, hanging between us.
As her spirit slipped from her vessel, her grip on consciousness faltered, and her essence drifted away like mist carried by the wind.
“Spirits lost in the vessel’s shroud…” My voice trembled, a symphony of grief, and my spirit magic ignited as a blaze of energy that electrified the air between us. The incantation flowed from my lips, each word a fervent plea to the spirits that governed our world. “Bound to Hexarium. Seeking solace, peace, and light, embrace the journey to the spirits. Spirits of Hexarium, bestow your blessings.”
Silvery blue radiance engulfed us, a cocoon of ethereal light that cradled Samantha’s spirit as I gently relinquished her to the embrace of the spirits that watched over our world.
As the light gradually faded, the world seemed to hold its breath, a quiet reverence settling over the area where her home used to stand.
My spirit vision returned to its normal state. The shift back to reality was jarring as the weight of her absence pressed on me.
I clung to her vessel for a few moments, my fingers brushing against the remnants of her warmth. Slowly, I released my grip and lowered her down, resting her vessel against the charred ground.
Tears blurred my vision, their path traced by the tracks of countless other tears that had fallen before. Matthieu had taken so many people I’ve loved from me before. But Samantha was one of the worst.
With unsteady steps, I rose to my feet, the ground beneath me seeming to tremble in sympathy. The air was thick with the scent of death and despair, a haunting reminder of the cruelty that had befallen Samantha in her own home.
No matter how hard I tried to hold back my tears, they pooled in my eyes, spilling down my face as I cried. “Please tell me that didn’t just happen… Bless, Silas…” I spun toward him, throat burning as I tried to hold in the pain of losing another person close to me. “Tell me she’s not really gone.”
“I can’t do that, muse.” Silas stepped forward, his strong arms pulling me into a tight embrace. “But I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“It feels like I lose parts of my spirit every time a loved one is ripped away from me!” I hiccuped through the sobs, desperately clinging to Silas’s robe.
“You aided her spirit. She’s safe now, free from any pain or suffering.” His hand smoothed down the back of my head.
I trembled in his arms, but just as the waves of grief pulled me under, a rage I hadn’t felt in years broke to the surface.
Tremors wracked my body as Silas held me, his arms a lifeline amidst the storm of emotions that threatened to engulf me. Grief surged through my veins, a tidal wave threatening to pull me under, yet beneath the surface, a blaze of anger ignited—a fury I thought I had long buried.
"I won't stand by and let this go!" My voice shook, the words a fierce declaration that pierced the air like a battle cry. "Matthieu will pay for every life he's taken, for every ounce of pain he's inflicted! He's an evil bastard, and he can't escape the consequences of his actions anymore!”
With a surge of power, I tore myself from Silas's embrace. The air around me crackled with charged energy as my magic sparked at my fingertips.
Silas stepped in front of me, standing tall like a pillar of strength. His gaze was still soft and filled with sorrow. “Fawn, you can’t be so reckless. I understand your anger, your need for vengeance. But you know we can’t take on Matthieu right now. We need the others and the weapon if we are going to win this fight against him. So please, stay here with me—with all of us—until we have everything we need to end him for good.” He paused for a second before continuing in a soft voice, "You don't have to do this alone. We are here with you now, no matter what happens."
His words were a balm to my searing anger, but my chest was tight as anger and pain crashed over me. “But hekilled her!” I felt flames licking up my arms. “I’m not going to let him get away with it! He’s going to pay for what he did here.”
“Yes, Fawn,” he said firmly, dousing my flames with his water before pulling me back into his arms. “He will, but you can’t do it alone. We willallmake sure that he pays with his life for what he has done to you in the past and for what he’s taken from you today.”
Shadows danced around us as the rest of my bonded mages appeared in what was left of Samantha’s home.
“We felt her distress,” Jas murmured.
“We tracked you down from the bond,” Cas said.
“Was this…” Bastian trailed off.
Silas nodded. “Matthieu’s doing.”
“You don’t have to face this alone, bug.” Aimon’s voice was soft and comforting.
Pain and grief consumed my spirit, aching through the bond and building up until it overflowed from my vessel like lava.
Sobs tore from my chest, and my body shook violently in Silas’s arms as I wailed. My chest remained tight as images of Samantha from when she was younger flashed in my mind—her infectious laughter, her warm hugs, her sassy attitude, and her fierce protectiveness. Tears poured down my face as I sought comfort from my bonded mages.
