The Other Side - A Jamilton Fanfiction

Chapter Eighteen

My eyes were drawn tightly shut so I could see nothing but blackness. I drew in a deep breath of warm air and reached out mentally, searching for the glowing dot of energy right in front of me. It appeared after a long moment's search, calling to me like a beacon of hope.

Not wasting any time, I pulled at the energy with my mind, twisting and turning it like it was clay. It resisted at first, fighting against my attempts to take control of it. But soon, I was able to shape the tiny plant's energy with all of my focus, all of my strength, into the form I wanted it to be in.

It was a long, meticulous process, and I doubted multiple times if it was truly worth it, but if I thought that about everything new I tried, I'd never be good at anything.

Finally, I decided I was satisfied with the new form that the energy of the plant took, and I slowly released my hold of it. I opened my eyes.

The sun's sharp light was blinding at first, a major contrast to the previous darkness, but I got used to it quickly. I took in a sharp inhale when I saw the plant, and I couldn't hold back a grin.

I moved to my knees and bent towards the tiny creature, cupping my hands right under its newly grown flower.

I'll admit it, it did not look natural in the slightest. Its petals were all colored and shaped differently, and one of the leaves on the stem was pointing out at an awkward angle. It was like a child's drawing of a flower; you knew what it was supposed to resemble, but the art itself was pathetic and even laughable.

But in the moment, I didn't care.

I was extremely proud of my new creation, as it was the farthest I had ever come before. My fingers traced down the delicate petals as pride and a distinct feeling of protection overwhelmed me.

I made that.

"Hey there little guy," I said to the flower, not realizing that it was a plant and it couldn't hear me. "My name is Alexander. You need a name, too."

"How about something stupid?" suggested a voice from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder to see John standing in the doorway of the castle, smiling.

"It needs to be something obnoxious and stupid," I agreed, patting the grass as an invitation to join me.

He walked over and sat down, crossing his legs. With the upmost confidence, he said, "Zachary."

"That's insufferable. I love it."

A light breeze drifted through the forest, moving the leaves in the trees gently. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the gentle music of chimes. It was strange, how something so random and accidental like the melody of chimes in the wind could be so beautiful. The song completely depended on the chance that the wind would be able to create something as beautiful as it could. Any other moment, and the song would have been completely different.

"How come you didn't know who I was?" I asked, the thought suddenly coming to me. "When we first met."

"Oh," John said, a strange tone in his voice that I couldn't discern. "I was only eight or nine when you died. And that's very young for us when we can live to be billions of years old. Also, I don't even remember what I had for breakfast two days ago. How am I supposed to remember something that happened in the past two million years?"

I nodded in understanding. The conversation died for a bit, which is never a pleasant feeling. I searched for a topic to talk about desperately, trying to diffuse the discomfort. "What happened between Lafayette and Hercules?"