To Begin
To Begin
El Christides
After 1,500 years of pain, it finally happened. Akazara was free, she was human again, she could live out her life in peace.. Or so she thought. It wasn’t quite so easy this time. Her magic was restricted, her angelic powers gone, and every night, she was plagued with nightmare after nightmare, reliving every last drop of pain she had endured over her life. She always knew they were dreams, but that didn’t stop the fear. Fear used to be her element, what she used against her enemies, now turned against her in her own mind. A good night's sleep was now unknown to her, as she ran from the flames that had taken her life once before. However it was for nothing, the flame always reached her, she always felt the burning, and then it all went black, and she woke up.
Jolting awake from another nightmare, the first thing to go through Akazara’s head, was one question.
“Where's Brazen?” she muttered out loud. Looking around, she didn't see him in the bed beside her, though that wasn’t too worrying. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, she got up and went to the window, shivering slightly when her bare feet touched the cold, wooden floor, but not bothering to put on slippers. She opened the blinds. It was still dark, the moon high in the sky, probably sometime around midnight, unsurprising. Aka sighed and closed the blinds again, crossing the room to the door and quietly leaving it, careful not to wake her cat, Tut, who was peacefully asleep in his pile of old blankets. She padded into the kitchen to find Brazen, sitting at the kitchen table grading tests, and eating Fruity Pebbles straight out of the box.
“Why are you eating Fruity Pebbles straight out of the box?” Aka questioned. She would’ve at least expected him to use a bowl.
Brazen looked at her, “I had a nightmare, woke up, realized I forgot to grade the tests, and I was hungry.”
Aka shook her head at this, going to the cabinet to grab him a bowl.
“At least use a bowl, here.” She passed him the bowl before sitting at the table. “And it's the weekend; you have time to grade.”
“Oh, right.” He set his pen down and turned to her. “What's got you up so late?”
“Same as you, nightmares.”
“Which one was it this time?”
Aka hesitated, looking down at her hands, which had started shaking. “The fire...” Her voice was barely audible. She hated talking about these nightmares, she hated that she had them, that she couldn't control them. It made her feel weak.
Brazen placed a hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t much, but the slight weight was enough to comfort her. She looked up at him.
“I just want them to stop… we’ve been through so much, why can’t we get a break..?” Akas voice cracked, tears in her eyes. She could endure a lot, but she was reaching her limit. She couldn’t take much more.
The two shared a hug, both understanding the other's pain. For 1,500 years the world had taken everything from them, again and again, and they had just gotten a new start, a family, peace, when heaven had come and ripped away the last bit of magic holding back the nightmares. Now they were human, mortal, vulnerable. Now the nights were long, dreaded, sleepless, and feared. There wasn’t an escape, and they knew it.
Brazen pulled away from the hug to look Aka in the eyes. “Do you want to try sleeping again?”
She hesitated for a moment before nodding and standing up. Brazen went to bed before Aka, she took the time to put the cereal away and turn off the light before returning to bed.
A few days later, Akazara was taking a short walk through the streets of New Enochia, the city-state she lived in, as her shift at the tavern hadn’t yet started. She took a moment to sit on a bench and enjoy the scenery. It was so much more peaceful here than it had been long before. The war was long over, the names of those who fought long forgotten. Enochia had been rebuilt several times, its government had changed even more, but now it was back to how it was before, but with a slightly different name. Still a bustling city, a hotspot of supernatural and interdimensional activity. People of all races, species, and creeds lived here: demons, angels, elves, humans, alchemists, inventors, mages, engineers. This is what had been fought for all those years ago. The rebellion that kept giving Aka nightmares had done its job. There was peace and equality between the people, newcomers were welcomed, the law enforcement was strong, and all was well.
However all didn’t sit well with Akazara, still remaining were the statues of her past, the ruins of her old home and temple that she could never visit, the dreams every night of the fire chasing her, burning her alive just as it had done over 1,000 years before. She knew her past would haunt her to the end of her days, and she hated it. She looked up at the sky, pale blue and cloudless, remembering. Remembering all the pain, but also the good, a rainy night on the run so many years ago, returning to Enochia, now New Enochia, marrying Brazen, having their children, now adults and with kids of their own. Things had been bad, but better things happened as a result. However, this didn’t change the current situation. Sleepless nights. Both her and Brazen were running out of steam, and they knew it. Akazara took another moment to breathe before standing up and heading to the forest.
It didn’t take her long to reach her destination, an ancient path, older than she was, overtaken by nature like so much of her old home. Aka stopped in the middle of where another path intersected, clutching a small tin holding a picture, some bones, and an offering. Everything needed for a deal. But she was hesitant, not knowing if she could do it, or if she should. After another moment she shook her head and buried the tin, whispering some words in a language lost to time, and waited.
“Well well, color me impressed. Akazara herself, coming down to speak to a simple crossroads demon. Or are you here to kill me? Your reputation is a bit varied.”
Aka turned towards the voice, seeing what looked like a hiker, but she knew better. Crossroads demons were some of the only ones that needed to possess mortals to walk the earth. It was almost amusing, considering their job was taking deals in some usually secluded areas. She didn’t stop to think about it though. She had a reason for this, and it wasn’t murder.
She took a deep breath. “I’m here to make a deal.”
The demon chuckled, eyes turning an eerie pitch black. “I could’ve guessed as much. It’s gonna be a hard bargain, former angel married to one of our defectors, already bound to hell, you better have something good.”
“I ask nothing for myself, just Brazen. Let him sleep freely, take away his nightmares. Whatever the price, I’ll pay it.”
More laughter from the demon. “Sacrifice as always. You haven’t changed in 1,500 years. Alright, I’ll bite. You amuse me, so how about this. As you’re already bound to hell, and a pretty bad spot if you remember.” They paused, grinning as Aka shuddered at the memory. “I won’t take away his nightmares, not really, I can’t do that without binding you further down and I happen to like you, so I’ll transfer them.”
“What do you mean… transfer them?” Aka was wary, starting to think she shouldn’t have done this, but it was too late to turn back now.
“His nightmares will go away. You however, will never sleep well again.”
“I… I see.”
“Do you agree to the terms?” The demon hadn’t stopped grinning, too amused by the idea of their old enemy being driven insane by her self sacrificial ways.
Aka paused for a moment, thinking, but she already knew the answer.
“Alright. Do it.”
“You know how it goes.”
And so it was done, a deal signed in blood, sealed with a kiss. Just as it had been for thousands of years, since the first one, but that is not this tale.
“See you in a few decades, Akazara.” And with that, the demon was gone, leaving just the unconscious form of the hiker they had possessed, and Aka, who was already on her way home.
It was dark when she finally returned, the moon high in the sky, stars glittering. It was a beautiful night. Aka paused to look up at the moon, a deity she had worshipped for so long, since she was a child, before going inside. It was dark, all the lights turned off except for the one in her bedroom, though when she entered, Brazen was out cold. He must’ve fallen asleep waiting for her. She smiled, laying next to him and shutting off the lights, watching him for a while. So peaceful, it had worked. She turned to lie on her back, closed her eyes, and waited for the nightmares to begin.