Twinkle's Story: Chapter 40

*Ooh, feelsies drama!*
*Ummina. This is what happens when you're me.*
*Heuheuheuheu.*
*Okay, I'll let you read the chapter now. >:)*
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FAUNA

I fly closer to Eternal who is sitting on the cloudy floor. There's a circular-shaped hole a few inches in front of the tips of his toes; his feet hang off the edge of the cloud's floor. The hole here in heaven is how all the others observe the people back down in Jamaa. Unlike me, they can't teleport between the two worlds.

But despite that, I stretch out my sleek angel wings and sit next to Eternal. I look behind my right shoulder as I bend in my angel wings bringing them closer to my body. Pure white sleekness with faint traces of gold and aqua shimmering like ribbons wrapped around the undersides of the wings. It's almost as if it's natural for me to possess such majestic wings of the finest beauty. 

I look away from my wings and look into the hole that serves as a barrier between our two worlds, heaven and the living world. It wasn't that challenging to figure out what specific section of the living world he zoomed in on. Eternal is also looking into the hole, and he adjusts the zoom-in control.

He shakes his head in disgust. "Why he's still with her, I'll never know," he grumbles.

"What do you mean?" I look up at Eternal's face and then back at the hole. "Don't you like your--" I cut off my sentence, and swallow air as I observe the two teenagers being the main center of focus in the mesmerizing hole. Without having the capability of overhearing what they're saying in addition to the dim lighting due to shadows surrounding them on all sides, knowing what the two are doing isn't that certain. I blink as I see the dark shadows on their arms suddenly disappear. Two dark shadows that have parts that look like the ones that wrapped around their arms a few moments earlier settle down right behind the heels of their feet. I blink as Eternal adjusts the setting yet again.  

 I then clearly distinguish those shadows being black jackets. The guy's right index finger flicks a slightly wavy strand of hair that covers a large portion of the girl's left eye away from her eye. He looks straight into her eyes, his tightly shut lips slowly spreading into a warm smile.

Hearing Eternal's voice suddenly causes me to look up from the hole. He says, "Why is he still doing this act? She's too innocent to become broken in every way possible. He's just gonna end up hurting her like last time."

I objectively say, "Yeah, and I'm sick of you still referring to your son as an enemy and a stranger."

Saying that apparently broke him. He faces me, rage in his eyes. "Stop saying that!" he yells.

"I might not know what triggered your sudden hatred for your son, but--"

"Fauna," he sighs, "remember what I told you a few days back?"

"-- there's nothing wrong with them together," I finish.

"When I was talking about Fierdan."

"Oh yeah, that murderous psychopath from just over a hundred years ago."

"And how I told you Duke is actually a "new" version of Fierdan."

"Oh, yeah, that," I say awkwardly.

Eternal breathes out a long sigh. "I think it's time I told you too. Well, uh, okay. Since he's technically Fierdan awoken from the dead in the pits of the underworld, it's not possible for me to be..."

His eyes dance across the room. He then continues, "... his actual father. I'm not the father of Fierdan, therefore I'm not the father of Duke Fierdan. You see, Duke there," he points a claw down at the hole where the male teenager in the image is, "actually was never my son."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, attempting to hide the curiosity in my voice.

Eternal sighs again. "Fauna, you may not believe what I'm saying, and I don't blame you. But it is the truth, and I do hope you will believe me."

I just roll my eyes and say, "Okay. Go on with it then."

"Fierdan's father is the most powerful animal in Jamaa, no matter the species. Maybe obtaining that inherited power made him become such a power-thirsty demon. Maybe that's how he always ends up leaving a corrupted path of pure darkness that's blacker than black, his feet drenched in blood. Maybe that's why. Now you see why your sister shouldn't stick around him."

I close my eyes. "No, Eternal, no I don't see." I open my eyes. "Ever since they confessed their love for each other, they've been happy. Both of them lacked the feeling of happiness before being together in each other's life. So no, I disagree. Fire and ice may be on the opposite ends of the spectrum, but they'll always be paired with each other. And you can never change that."

Eternal just simply laughs. "You just don't get the big picture, don't you. Fire and ice never belong mixed together. And besides, every second that Twinkle stays with Duke is just another second closer to her death. A death caused by him. Staying with him is leading to her death."

"I don't care about quantity, Eternal, I care about quality. If Twinkle ends up living a shorter life, then so be it. As long as Twinkle has true happiness, then I'll be happy too."

He shakes his head. "Ice and fire staying united will not lead to true happiness for either of them. It will only end in unnecessary deaths."

"You see Fauna, it will end in the world falling apart."


DUKE

"We couldn't find the two, boss," I hear a voice in the distance in the direction back at the beach. I then hear footsteps walking slowly away from where Twinkle and I are. As well as the two towering buildings that are on opposite sides of the alley Twinkle led us into, this is another benefit for us. The buildings' sides casting shadows and a blanket of darkness over the alleyway and the great feeling of isolation with her, exhilarates me. Darkness is where I thrive. Darkness is where we both thrive. Darkness awakens both our hearts.

   She sighs and says, "You do know I'm still not certain on why you're so interested in meeting Dawn on the mountains, right? You're not more interested in her now. Right?"

Dawn. One half of me tells me to have my revenge. Having the pleasure of my black flames slowly killing her from the inside out, over a century's amount of hatred in the kill, gladly watching her slowly suffer until she is ashes. Doing so will make her never be in my way again. She'll never be between the ice girl and me ever again; my love for her will no longer be restricted. 

The other half tells me to never restrict my love for her; to love her as much as I can eternally. Telling me to kill Twinkle and burn every forest to the ground, so Dawn and I will never be separated ever again. 

Either way, it will end in me being a leader of a brand new world. The question is with who: Twinkle or Dawn?

It doesn't take longer than three seconds for me to decide. 

"I'd rather die than choose her over you. When the world dies in the flame, we're gonna be the two leaders of a new world.  You and me. No others. Only you and me."

I wrap my arms tighter around her waist, bringing her closer to me. I kick my black jacket farther behind me. Without wearing it, it looks so dull and lifeless. Just like another ordinary jacket. I bring it to life.

I tilt my head slightly down, so I can see every detail on her face. I whisper, "You saved my life back then. You must know how much I'm thankful for that."

She stutters, "I-I..." She suddenly doesn't say a single word as I take my right paw off her waist, and bring it up under her chin to lift it up closer to my face.

She gulps when the fingers on my left paw gently brush her cheek. I can practically feel her jawbone. Cold, hard- just like ice.

"Umm, Duke... Wh-What are you doing?" she asks, a sign of wariness in both her voice and eyes.

"Twinkle, you're too stiff," I reply, my eyes dashing back and forth between her ice-blue eyes that twinkle brighter than any star, and her shirt with its low-rise collar.

Unexpectedly, she combs a finger through a side bang of mine and says, "Yeah, and your hair isn't that short anymore either. I'm guessing it grew around a half inch to an inch ever since the field trip."

I lift my head up, a way of my face stepping back from Twinkle's. "W-What?" I say, getting a bit alarmed.

 "Eh, I dunno," she replies, giggling.

I go along with it. "Well, my hair does get in the way more often now than back then."

"Your hair looks pretty swag as it is now though," she laughs.

I blank out from what she's saying as her lips crease together in a mischievous grin. Were her lips always so cold-looking; did I just notice that now? Is it because she possesses the power of ice, or is it because of another reason?

No matter the explanation, I feel the urge to warm them up.

Embers tingle under my skin as I have one paw cradling under her chin, the other paw cradling the side of her head.

I lift my gaze off her lips and notice how much she looks like a living and breathing ice statue. Despite feeling my wrist and nearly avoiding the fire from them a little under an hour ago after she saved my life by dragging me into this alley, she now feels cold.

Bodies being colder than average unnerves me; it unsettles me. I just can't live that way.

Without another word from either of us, I lean forward and press my lips onto Twinkle's.

I immediately feel the coolness of her lips, just like every other time we kissed. It burns at first, but then subsides.

A few seconds later and realizing our lips didn't depart yet, I realize how long we've been like this.

Well, if she minded, she can pull her head away.

Oh... Right...

Despite wanting to be like this forever, I back away from Twinkle.

We both catch our breaths, but I quickly lose mine again as she kisses me.

Still... So... Cold...

It's kinda funny how we're having a kissing battle, cold against heat.

Yeah, I definitely won't regret my decision.


TWINKLE

Finally breathless, we sit down to catch our breaths. At the same time, we put our paws on each other's chest, feeling the other's rapid beating heart. Our hearts feel like they were shot with a whole lot of adrenaline.

"That... Was... Amazing," I gasp.

Duke just nods his head, his eyes closed.

The whole beach incident is long gone now.

Even through everything we've been through in the past few days, like when he "tried to kill me", he still loves me so much that he'll choose me over this Dawn girl any day.

That part of him still being there reassures me. He's still like his old self before the night of the black flames. And I am so thankful for that. 

We slowly drift off into sleep in our positions with our black jackets behind us. The lifeless sea of black isolating the both of us in a new world of just us two. 

Then I hear another voice speak to me.

"But how long will it last?"

Even though I estimate the time to be around 4:30, the shadows of the alley make it seem much more darker.

We fall asleep next to each other.

Well, for the moment anyways.


ANONYMOUS POV   

Duke, why won't you stop hurting me? You torture me every second of your existence.

Duke, you are merely a puppet. A puppet I was forced to make.

You are the true dark one. You are you only to be the darker me.

You also torture me because of your age.

I never wanted to relive that.

You see, Duke...

Ever since our father lied to us, I've become controlled... possessed.

I never wanted it. 

I'm saying this because I want to protect you.

And I let this happen to me because I was weak and a fool.

And I still am.

Please, Duke, please...

Don't end up like me.

Because I never wanted this to happen to our world.

Listen, Duke...

Even when the whole world is crashing down at your feet, you must always remain strong.

Please, Duke, please...

Never let your inner flame be extinguished.