Deciding Fate

The clock struck midnight as she stood in the middle of the deserted warehouse. The moon and streetlights were the only source of illumination coming through the broken windows. The sheer stillness of her posture would unnerve any human, for she was not human. She was a half-life. Half human enough to yearn to be free, to feel true emotion and have no responsibility other than her own survival. But she knew this would not happen whilst they still reigned free, and so she had to beat them at their own game. This was why she had called him here. He was the only one of them that she could talk to, maybe rationalise with. He was her only chance. 1

The clock struck twelve for the last time and was followed by silence. She stood, surveying the shadows for what she knew would come; the solid footsteps that appeared as if from nowhere. She spun to the sound faster than a bullet from a gun. Her long black trench coat billowed out, revealing a deep gold dress, more befitting that of a Greek goddess than the immortal half-life she lived every day. She greeted him without a smile, raising one eyebrow simply as his eyes met hers, observing his human form with distaste. In the eyes of a human he would be perfection. She saw a cold interpretation of perfection. Perfection lies within happiness, and acceptance of the imperfections.2

“I knew you would come,” she stated this triumphantly, raising her chin in a display of pride and defiance. 3

“I always do. You know I can never resist such a meeting.” His dark suit is lit up as he steps closer towards her. Her eyes follow his movement but she makes no other recognition as his face leaves the shadows, his eyes reflecting the emerald of hers as she looked into them, changing as they always did, hiding the soul of a Tajier. A god stood before her in the most literal sense of the word. “You intrigued me. So I came, as a lamb to the slaughter.”4

“I hate that phrase. Does a lamb willingly die? I would.” She removed her black coat, throwing it aside. The gold dress was tied behind her neck, but he knew that she would look as perfect in anything. Her dark hair flowed down her back like a waterfall as she turned back to face him, his eyes averted now.”Do you doubt me? Doubt Ii a Trajier? That is something I would not expect, even with all my experience.”5

“Doubt? ” He replied, snapping his eyes back up to hers so fast that she saw through the reflections, and saw amusement in his eyes. 6

“I read you as you read me. But it is alright for you. You need not suffer fools everyday.”7

“You sound disturbed, tell me.” He crossed the distance between them, closing the gap.8

“Thoughts spoken are thoughts broken. I speak because I know you will hear whatever the case.”9

“That is not true. I cannot hear your thoughts.” He turned away from her briefly and shock crossed her face.10

“But you always knew...” She faded off, remembering, as she knew he would be, how he had saved her time and again, and she had done the same for him. When they were fighting on the same side, together. It was different now.11

“I never heard your thoughts. I felt your pain and fear. We are connected, it's true, but not as closely as you might assume.” 12

She frowned in vague confusion. 13

“It's coming.” She muttered under her breath, his head jerked back to face hers as she said this. “It's coming.”14

“I sense fear in you.”15

“Alter my emotions and you will not live to regret it,” she hissed angrily at him through her teeth, her eyes narrowed, her voice quiet and menacing. He backed away, holding up his hands. 16

“I wouldn't do that to you.” 17

She straightened up, her eyes still narrowed. 18

“But the fear is there. I can see it. It is faded, but visible. And fear is the path we use for the darkside. Sometimes we don't even need to give people that extra nudge. They are my favourite cases.” He smirked at her. 19

“I'm not afraid of anything.” 20

“Oh, but you are. You're afraid of what we might do. It is what propels you to act. You are taking a path to great things, although they will cause the despair of those closest to you.”21

“Those closest to me? Thanks to the Tajier there are none close to me.”22

“It is coming.” He repeated this solemnly, nodding.23

“The darkness?” She asked him but she already knew the answer was yes.24

“There is little I can do but watch you.” He spoke from the other side of the room, half hidden in the shadows.25

At this she smiled, her eyebrow twitching in amusement as she agreed with this statement.26

“Indeed. Once I start there is nothing but myself that can stop me.” 27

She heard him sigh in sorrowful agreement. He turned, his expression void of the playful nature of earlier. 28

“Join us, or you will suffer with the failure of mortality.” He crossed the room, now stood right before her, staring into her eyes with the affection of an older brother.29

“I embrace mortality!” She replied defiantly, raising her chin. “The Trajier cannot understand what is to feel human after all!”30

“The weakness in you is clear, yes. I know your power and what it can do, but you hold back....a shield of your construction holds you back.”31

“Holds me back from what exactly?” She hated to admit it, but she was intrigued and confused at this.32

“You must break your bonds or you will regret it.”33

“I have no bonds to break, that is my beauty.”34

“The test of your shield shall come. It will fail as they all do.” He waved his hand, dismissing her words as unimportant.35

“The test has passed. My shield did fail. In my vulnerability it cracked.” Now it was his turn for the confusion, he looked into her eyes, trying to fathom out her mind. It was impossible. “What does not kill you makes you stronger. I have learned, and strengthened.”36

“You speak the words of a warrior, and we both know you will fight, and fight extraordinarily. You are a fighter, a survivor. You are not a warrior. You pull back and defend yourself. In the end you will stand alone. Your friends and loved ones are turning. Your grip is loosening and your shield still fails.”37

“I am not weak. I will not stand alone whilst I fight for what is right.” 38

“No one will notice.”39

“Whilst we still breathe my sisters and brothers and I will fight you every step of the way. They are within the shield as others only dare to wish to be! We stand by each other as we have done for generations since you cursed us into this life!” She took his face in her hands softly, despite her harsh words. “You are as a brother to me. But I have killed before, I will not hesitate to again if needs must. Where I don't others will.”40

He scoffed lightly at the thought of her destroying him. But took her words as seriously as she meant them. He paused before he answered, thoughtfully replying,41

“Hmm...we shall see. I must warn you though that if you do not see your true potential you will perish. You must embrace your strength.”42

She shook her head slowly.43

“You cannot defeat us,” he whispered in her ear. “You will only prolong the suffering. But there is a way out.”44

She stepped away from him, shaking out her hair and leaning against a concrete pillar.45

“I embrace my strength wholeheartedly.” She crossed her arms. “Do you embrace your weaknesses?46

My true potential is to survive, and help others to survive. Suffering? What of it? I suffer now, I have suffered for along time. As have the humans. We have all suffered long enough. There is only one way out; love.”He scoffed at this. “What weakling human would that make me if I bowed to a pressure befit for my race?”47

“There is no love left. It is but a shadow of what it was. It left with the empire.” He reached out to run one finger down her cheek. “And in the shadows we wait.”48

She pushed him away in fury, his back slamming against another concrete pillar as the adrenalin pumping through her blood increased her strength.49

“Love will not leave until we let it! Until we forget it! Until there are none left who remember love as it should be! Whilst lovers exist so does love itself. It waits around corners, where you hide in the darkness!” She seethed in disgust and turned away from him. She breathed deeply to calm herself. 50

She heard him stand, unhurt and turned back towards him. His face expressed understanding, and she knew he felt her pain and frustration. “Do we only get one soulmate? What are the chances of humans finding their soulmate in their short lifespan in a world with a population of six billion people?”51

“The souls leave. They run.” He whispered, “That is not our doing.”52

“Then whose is it?!” She shouted, “who made his soul leave? Why did he have to die?” 53

She had found her soulmate a long time ago. He was a human, a freedom fighter. She had fought beside her soulmate and the Tajier against The Darkness. Long before time forgot. She had lost her soulmate in that fateful battle. “But souls are recycled! Why is he not back?”54

“His soul was maimed beyond repair in the war. If he had returned he would not be your soulmate, but your worst enemy. I should have told you this long ago but it was forbidden, I am truly sorry.”55

She was silent for an immeasurable length of time. “What of the others?”56

“The others saw what awaits the survivors. You know souls have the choice to return. We create new souls on a huge scale now.”57

“Cowards. They are cowards. Victory is what awaits the survivors.”58

“Foolish girl! Slavery is what awaits the survivors! I did not wish it to be so but there is nothing I can do!”59

She was astounded into silence once again. “Slavery of the human race?”60

“It's simple and functional. In a city that boasts ten million inhabitants how many people could go missing without anybody noticing?”61

“Humans will not be the slaves of the gods! I will die before that happens, and all my race with me!”62

“That may be what has to happen. Who will notice the homeless man vanishing?Or people on the street walking through a shortcut and not going out the other side? No one would know the truth.”63

“We would,” she hissed. “Their loved ones would know. In their hearts.”64

“But it would be enough if they were replaced.” He removed his jacket and threw it towards her coat, rolling up his sleeves on his open neck shirt. “Millions of people could die before anyone noticed a link. By then it is too late and people will be too scared to speak up.”65

“People will be fighting back by then!” She defended the humans. “You Tajier make me sick.”66

He smiled with a smug quirk at the corner of his mouth. “You don't care, do you. Humans are to you what cattle are to humans. That is despicable. We the half-lives will be victorious. We know who you are, we know how to destroy you and we will not stop until we have, we would rather die than be your slaves.”67

“That can be arranged, unfortunately.” He replied softly.68

“The universe will not stand by and watch as you commit genocide!”69

“We cannot be killed.” He laughed, but if she was dismayed she did not show it.70

“I did not speak of killing. I said 'destroy'. Perceive the difference.”71

He shook his head, “we will always be there.”72

“Watching and waiting?” She mocked him slightly.73

“WE are the anger, the stress, we are the thoughts of humans.”74

“Not all humans. And you have nothing on stress. Stress is neither good nor bad, just an after-affect. Just as I am. We the half-life's alone control stress.”75

“Anger, hate, greed. We control those.”76

“There is no hate without love, and love is infinite. Greed consumes all it is true but anger can only get you so far.”77

“Greed destroys the ability to love, it consumes all love and pride. Lust can kill love in a single blow, lust equals betrayal. A lover will kill his beloved in a moment of anger, and then turn on himself. We Tajier can see the weakness.”78

“Weakness? Weakness belongs to the weak. It lies within the weak. Your strength is your weakness. Victory comes with respect. Combined fury at your despicable acts will be your downfall. Isn't it ironic that the only thing that makes you weak is what made you strong in the first place?”79

“We are what the humans make us to be. We can be seen before death or at moments of enormous emotional uprising.”80

“I saw no one at either times. You are nothing to my kind, do not underestimate us.”81

“We are there waiting to take them, to ease them in, to give them the final push in the direction we want them to go.”82

“You have no power over me. That will be your downfall. And you can bet your destruction on the fact that I will be leading the charge at the final battle.” She stood with her back to the windows and as the sun began to rise behind her she was surrounded by a haze of light and goodness. He surveyed her for one long moment and then disappeared into the fading shadows, leaving behind his jacket. 83

She strode over to her coat and slung it over her arm, walking swiftly down the abandoned staircase and into the street, quickly disappearing down the silent sunlight street.