The Unified Soul

Awakening

Airis lay on the stranger's lap for what seemed like forever. She had not seen her mother or her father ever since that last day at the Lodge. And it hurt her so much knowing the fact that she couldn't see them even after she woke up, whenever that would be.

"Airis.... are you all right?" The stranger asked.

Everyday the stranger would ask her if she was all right, and all Airis could was...

"I don't know." That was her answer every time, "I just want to see Mama and Papa, but I don't want to hurt them."

"Airis, you could never hurt them. You have more control over your eyes and power than you think."

"I did have more control, before all of the trauma and you know that." Airis sat up from the stranger's lap and turned to her. It was still annoying to Airis that she couldn't see the stranger's face behind the veil, but Airis understood her desire for her privacy. It wasn't the right time for her face to be revealed and Airis would respect that desire.

The stranger pulled Airis into a hug and held her tightly, "I am so sorry for all of this pain that you have to go through, Airis. I promised your parents that I would protect you, even before you were born. And I couldn't even protect you back then. Not even offering you a hand to help you through those horrible times."

"No, you know that you couldn't do anything back then. You have limits just like me, so there was nothing that you could do then and back at the lodge."

"But I could've tried, if not just a little bit harder." the stranger began to cry, "I could've gone past my limits. I could've tried to break through those limitations. I could've--"

"Then you wouldn't be here for me now." Airis cut her off, "And you did help me. You allowed me to use that power. You gave me that power. The power to help my Mama and Papa, to protect my new family. And you stayed with me, giving me a friend I could always rely on for anything. You even taught me how to use and control my magic throughout those horrible days in that prison. I can't ask anything more from you after you did so much for me."

The stranger cried even harder, holding Airis so close that the little girl could hear her heart beating in her chest. Airis smiled, allowing a few tears to fall down her puffed cheeks. Just then, Airis felt something within her jump. She pulled away from the stranger and looked down at her hands. They were fading away, as if she was disappearing from this peaceful place. Airis looked up at the stranger, seeing a small sad smile appearing on her face.

"It's finally time." She said.

"Time for what?" Airis asked., nervous about what was happening to her body.

"Your body is finally strong enough for you to wake up in the real world. But don't worry, I will always be here for you if you need me. Just call for me and I will always answer."

Airis smiled and nodded, hugging the stranger once more as she vanished from her mind. When Airis finally disappeared from her mind, the stranger clasped her hands together as if she was in prayer, closing her eyes and muttering a few words to whoever could hear in that empty space.

"I promise you two, I will do whatever I can to break my limits. To sever myself from these chains and protect her much better than before. I will not allow Airis to die. She will live, and she will live happily. I will make sure of it."

~~~~~~

There was nothing but light when Airis tried to open her eyes, but it was so bright that she had to close her eyes once again.