You shouldn’t be siding with her at all! Look what she’s doing to the world!I declared.
Charlie, Itriedto talk to you about this. When we left thenaderei’shome months ago, I told you we needed to come up with a plan, just in case Ava got out of hand and we needed to subdue her. I begged you to see reason and play it safe, but you insisted that you had it handled and Ava would never consider doing such a thing. Yet here we are!Oberi spread his wings wide, and the gust from them buffeted me back.
I never wanted things to end this way,I pleaded.
But they did. I am tired of you ignoring my warnings. I will not be your weapon, to be used to conquer the world as you please. I belong to Ava now, more so than I ever belonged to you. And it is she who will be this universe’s judgment and reckoning.
Oberi attacked again, but I was waiting for him. As he attempted to strike, I dodged out of the way and latched my jaws onto one of his wings. I shredded it to bits with my teeth, breaking the bone. Oberi gave an immense cry of pain that broke my heart to hear, but I forced myself to keep going as I dug my claws into his back and tossed him into the ocean. He went sailing away at my strength, probably half a mile or more, before he crashed into the sea.
I couldn’t hold onto my wyvern form, and I staggered back into my own body. Feeling was starting to come back into my leg now, and I could use it again. I limped forward, toward the sound of my wife’s voice.
“Oberi, come to me,” she ordered.
The waves rushed within the sea, and I knew Ava was using her Water abilities to bring Oberi back to shore. My bond flared as she healed him of the injuries I’d dealt, and I felt Oberi shift, her form becoming smaller as she changed into a unicorn.
I clapped my hand over my bleeding neck where Oberi had bitten me and stumbled toward my wife. Ava’s spell temporarily paused, and the ground ceased to thunder as Ava pulled herself onto Oberi’s back.
“Ava, why are you doing this?” I called as I approached. “You’re taking things too far.”
“I’m doing what was prophesied at the time of my birth,” Ava proclaimed. “This is my destiny, and I have to follow it.”
“Yourdestiny?” I demanded. “It’s not your destiny to cast billions of souls to their doom!”
Ava emitted a disturbed laugh. “You don’t get it. I want to end sufferingso badlythat I’m willing to end the universe and start everything over to do it, because no one should ever suffer while they exist on this planet.”
“Life matters in spite of andbecauseof suffering, pidge. It doesn’t take away its meaning,” I insisted.
“I don’t believe that,” Ava said through clenched teeth. “You and Cassiel might’ve shared that belief, but it’s not one I follow. You want to become the one who causes all this pain. Don't you see how much suffering you will create, despite your good intentions to save the world? I've seen it, Charlie, and at the end of it all, you'll be the one to suffer the greatest. Let me save you from that. Let me save us all. I don't believe there’s any meaning to suffering, so why not let me do as I will? The whole universal energy exchange system is messed up. We can’t avoid suffering no matter what. For some to live, others have to die. It’s a flawed system, one that I have to correct.”
“That’s not your responsibility. That’s too much weight for anyone to have on their shoulders. We can’t save everyone. All we can do is live as ethically as possible,” I stated, trying to make her understand.
“You claim your way is ethical?! You think you're doing the right thing, but I've foreseen what you will become. You will killand enslave all these people to try to force them into a better life, but you will never succeed, because I will stop you. I saw you in my vision as a mad king, and it’s already starting. The old ruler I saw wasn’t the Warden; it wasyou, Charlie. That is a future I will never allow to pass.”
“You don't know that will happen. Your vision was merely a warning of the future, and we can choose to correct it, but we have to do it together!”
Ava chuckled. “Sonowyou want us to have an equal relationship. Let me tell you something, it says a whole hell of a lot about our marriage when you think you can pull something like this and get away with it. I’m not yours to control.”
“So you destroy it all?” I asked. “We can only do the best we can to prevent others from experiencing pain, but we can’t change how the world works!”
“That’s not good enough! I’m giving the universe a chance to start over, to recreate itself to be more fair, and develop a better system,” Ava said wildly, clearly believing every word she told herself.
“You don’t know if that’s going to happen! You’re taking a shot in the dark, and chances are you’ll be sending everything into nothing more than oblivion!” I shouted.
She was talking nonsense— why didn’t she see how psychotic all this was?
“I’m willing to take that shot in the dark,” Ava replied. “As long as it gets me what I want. Why is oblivion so bad? No one is going to know they don’t exist, so it’s not going to hurt anyone.”
“Yes itis. You’re trying to protect people, but you attempting to heal this world is only making it worse. We still have a chance to make things better, but you have to work with me.”
“Don’t compare me to you,” Ava said harshly. “I’m doing this for everyone else, unlike you, who is only doing it for himself.”
“Pidge, don’t punish the entire universe because I hurt you.” If she needed me to get on my knees and beg, I’d do it. “Come with me to Ilamanthe. We can still rule together. Nothing is worth you doing this.”
“Too late. I know you’re capable of making this choice now, so there’s no going back,” Ava swore. “I never thought you were capable of locking me away, but you did. That proves to me that anyone can be corrupted by hatred and fear, no matter how good of intentions they have. And I’ll damn this world to hell before I let you or the Warden take control of it.”
“Please forgive me. We can come up with another way. We’ll be great, you’ll see. We just need to come up with a way where we both can win.”
Ava shuddered as she said, “My prophecy says it's my choice alone to save the world or destroy it, and I’ve decided. So don't try to stop me, because I won't allow another man to make a choice that should’ve been mine. Not even if it’s you.”
