The goddess Gaia? As in Mother Nature?
“Aye, child,” she answered Nia’s unspoken question. Her gaze settled on Lore’s prone body. “He is on the precipice of death.”
Pain flayed Lore in an endless cycle. He could do nothing but remain where he was, unmoving. Oblivion hovered at the edges of his mind, beckoning, promising peace.
You have to hang on, my love…
He knew that voice… Nia.
His soul sighed in happiness. He struggled to hold onto her but couldn’t seem to do so. Nothing tethered him.
Nia, his beautiful Nia, faded from his sight like wisps of mist as he drifted farther and farther away from her…
“Arise, fallen angel from the Celestial Realm.” A lyrical voice drifted through his darkening thoughts, dragging him back to consciousness like a star pulled from the void. A tormented groan escaped him.
“Lore!” a female cried out.
“Don’t!” a male warned.
His eyes snapped open. Power lifted him to his feet like a puppet, but unable to stand on his own, he collapsed to his knees in front of a being who glowed like the dawning sun, the light warm and comforting.
No… It had to be another trick from the powers that be, not yet done with him for choosing to fall…for breaking his vows.
He lowered his head, staring at his translucent hands. He could see the ground through them?—
His heart thudded, remembering his fall… Someone wanted to kill him. Fury raged at the thought, and his molecules shifted and dispersed. He could see them floating away from his hands like sparkling particles?—
“Lore, no!” Hands reached for him and went straight through his arm, causing his body to shudder. “You have to calm down.”
“Calm, warrior.” The soft order from another female flowed through him.
He took a deep breath, causing more pain to swamp him.
“I am Gaia.” The being’s warm voice filled his mind, and he stilled. “Warrior of the angelic realm, you are without direction, having fallen. Offer me your pledge, become this realm’s Guardian, and I will grant you life again, give you purpose, powers, and a chance to reignite what you broke.”
Misery lashed him, the torment deepening like a crater in his chest. Every breath he took stripped a layer off whatever remained of him?—
Lore,a whisper of plea flooded his mind and tugged at his heart.Don’t leave me.
He wanted to lift his head but couldn’t, held in impossible anguish. A small figure knelt opposite him. Her scent wrapped around him, comforting, even if she couldn’t stop his mind from fracturing…
Offer me your pledge…Gaia’s request echoed through his mind. Subservience to another?
For Nia, he would.
“Yes,” he croaked his oath to the being awaiting his response.
“And so it shall be,” the goddess said. “It’s good you still have a fighting spirit,” she added, tone dry. “Since you can’t seem to stand or control your dispersing molecules at the moment.”
My love is who keeps me here and upright.The thought sailed through his scattered thoughts.
Soft laughter coasted through him. A light touch to his shoulder and warmth enclosed him, like an embrace. He swallowed hard, the pain receding, and he sank to his ass, his form solid once more.
Fiery heat scorched his biceps, and he jerked in irritation.
What the hell?
“Choose,” the goddess murmured.
