Never Really Gone

Chapter 60

Ezra's POV

I can see light.

I can feel warmth.

Am I dead?

Or am I dreaming?

Every dream here has been a nightmare, so I doubt that.

Maybe I did finally die.

"You aren't dead."

I hear someone speak. I don't recognise their voice, but something tells me they have good intentions.

"I'd like to think that I do."

I open my eyes, seeing a white ceiling above me. It stretches upwards into a large dome with 4 huge windows. Outside of the windows I can see a sky filled with clouds. I'm seriously doubting the fact that I'm alive, this place looks like a painting of the afterlife

The horrible numbness all over my body is gone, and I'm left with an aching feeling inside of my bones. I much prefer it to the former however, it gives me a sense that everything is still real.

I sit up, noticing how I'm on a bed. The feeling of something beneath me is almost alien at this stage, after floating in a Void for so long. Or maybe it wasn't that long, and I'm just as weak as I think I am.

"Oh no, you were there for a very long time, young one."

Turning to my left, I see a woman beside me. She has long, dark hair, light brown skin and forest green eyes with tiny specks of gold in them. Golden wings are folded behind her back, and she's wearing a long, white dress that reaches to the floor.

It's only then that I notice the soft, white shorts and t-shirt that I'm wearing. My hair, which is a lot longer than I remember it being, is tied in a low ponytail down my back, seeming like it was just washed and brushed.

"Wh-who... are you?" I ask, sounding like I just inhaled a lot of smoke.

"I am a friend, you can call me Celeste."

The name certainly suits her. She looks like a Celestial being, like what some would call an angel. I may be gay, but that doesn't mean I don't think she's beautiful.

"Where am I?"

"That doesn't matter. You just need to rest."

"Am I asleep?"

"No, we took you away from the Void and brought you here"

"Why? I deserved to be there, why else would Xisuma have banned me?"

"Your brother was afraid, and made a mistake he has regretted every day since.

And you didn't for one moment deserve to be trapped there. Nobody does."

But that's the unfortunate thing about the Void, it plays with your head and tortures you. It makes you think you're worthless and pathetic. I'm amazed you survived, many succumb to the darkness after a few weeks."

"How long was I there?"

"A year and a half."

My eyes widen in shock, but she continues.

"You held on longer than any mortal has before. You're very strong Ezra, and I don't think you know that."

"A... a year and a half? Are Grian and Joe and Xisuma ok?!"

"Aside from the guilt he's felt, no danger befell him until a few months ago. The Watchers found where he had hidden Grian from them, and attacked. Both are still safe, but two lives were lost."

"Who... who was it?"

"Grian's aunt, Nora. She gave her life to save him. The second you did not know, but she died to stay with Nora."

"Oh no..." I mumble, hands cupped over my mouth and muffling the sound of my voice.

Nora. Gone. Grian must be broken.

"He misses both her and you dearly."

"He... he remembers me?"

"Yes. Every day he wishes you were by his side."

This is something I should care about, but I'm a little more concerned about other matters. Specifically the fact that she knows what's going on in Grian's head from all the way over here.

"I hear the thoughts of others if I want to. I am a Listener, I hear the pleads and wishes of players, and use my magic to help them. That's why you're here. There are many in need of my help, but life as we know it depends on you at the moment."

"What."

Celeste laughs softly, before changing to a more serious tone.

"The Watchers want Grian for his magic, as he is the first person who can control gold magic in eons. With him under their control, they could destroy worlds."

Then she smiles.

"And you, Ezra, are going to help stop them."

"Why me? Why not some powerful person who could destroy them with one burst of magic?"

"Because you have something they don't."

"I do?"

"You have a deep love for Grian."

The last thing I was expecting today was to get called out by some sort of angel like that, but I let her continue.

"Emotion can overpower any magic, and love is one of the strongest emotions. If you love someone enough, that love can protect them from even the strongest of magic. And your love for Grian is so strong, it can protect him from the beings of lies."

"So how do I protect him?"

"The Watchers have a plan to attack once again, while Grian is still vulnerable from grief and unable to defend himself. That's when we can step in and make sure they never harm anyone again."

Celeste notices my alarmed expression, and places a hand on mine.

"Don't worry, no-one will move onward to the afterlife this time. And you will have plenty of time to heal, both physically and emotionally, before we need to leave and protect him once more."

I nod, on the verge of crying.

"What is wrong?" The Listener asks me

"Th-thank you" I tell her, voice cracking from the sobs I've tried to keep in.

"Hey, hey... it's ok." She tells me "Don't hold your emotions in, let yourself cry."

I do so, the warm tears rolling down my cheeks. I feel vulnerable, but safe. I haven't been allowed to cry like this for a long time.

And for some reason...

It feels nice.