My Journey with the Demon King

23 - Ether

I slowly came back to myself. I wasn't sure just how long it took, but it felt like years. Slowly, so slowly, I came back to myself. Now the only question was, who exactly was I?

I was Ashna Sangini...

I was Magic...

I was both and yet neither.

Floating, I was floating...

My mind clicked into place and I woke up completely. Currently, I was Ashna Sangini. I was on the island, but my body had been moved while I was away.

I had traveled to the past, to when it all began. I had lived with the half of me that was Magic, going through my life, through the many millenniums. And because of that, I knew the truth.

This wasn't the first time this cycle had repeated. No, not in the slightest. But this was the first time I, as Ashna, had become aware of it. And since I knew, I also knew how to stop it.

My eyes flew open and I was confused for several more seconds. Through the memories of Magic I realized where I was.

I was inside the pool of Ether, the primordial form of all magic, the Origin of Magic. It was the one thing that could keep me away from Zane, unless he was willing to commit suicide once again, only he wouldn't survive this time. It was Magic's last stab at Zane and I. Even though her anger was still very prominent, even she was tiring of the never-ending cycle. Its why she had brought me to island. The way things were suppose to play out was very different.

Magic would kill me on the spot, at some point in time before I became fully immortal, and therefore unable to be killed. She would kill me before Zane had any time to react. And when he did react, he would do what he told me he would if I died. He would destroy the entire universe, to the point that nothing was left besides himself and Magic, though she would hide herself so he couldn't find her.

He would be all alone and after some time, he tended to vary, his sorrow would overwhelm him completely. He would force time to run backwards, to before he met me, before he revived magic, before I stumbled into his head. And then he would make himself forget everything and sink into blissful ignorance.

Just like that, the cycle would repeat.

But now Magic had changed things. She had spoken to Zane directly. She had taken me to the island. She hadn't killed me, as of yet.

All of this told me just how much she wanted it to end. So, here we were...

I closed my eyes, blocking out the sight of the ethereal, silver-purple Ether. The sight of it made my head swim. Taking in a deep breath, I called on my inner strength. It was time. Long had we been two. Now we needed to become one.

Magic, I called softly. You know, just as much as I do now. We need to talk...

Magic's snide voice, my snide voice, filled my head. Oh, yes, now you want to talk?

I sighed. You know very well I would never have been able to figure this all out without you.

Yes...That's right, isn't it? she growled. Everyone needs me for something. No one ever wants me. It's always the same thing, over and over. All the humans, the 'demons' who use me. All the creatures of the Other world, which live off of me. The very air itself, the elements that have been given some form of consciousness because of how deeply I have soaked into the very core of the world...None of them ever gives. All they do is take. And do they even have the thought to ask me? she shouted, her voice breaking.