Page 74 of The Endless One

A great chasm stretched as far as the eye could see, a single line spread throughout the realm of darkness. On one side, shadows and darkness as it had always been. Inky textures that reflected meager moonlight in strange, mind-bending ways. And on the other side, color. Life. Emerald-green beauty that filled the entire realm with textures and scents that he greatly enjoyed.

Fresh green grass. Daisies. The crisp scent of heat in the air that only happened when spring had finally broken through the cold grasp of winter.

“Life and death,” he muttered.

Jessamine opened her eyes in their shared realm, and she gasped. “What is this?”

“I suspect it was the same thing you were doing when I first met you. Magic that spilled out of you always created a little spot of color, but now that you are a full-fledged goddess, you can create all the life you wish.” He stepped onto her side of the realm, pulling the scent and liveliness into his soul. This was so much easier to endure.

Certainly, he wouldn’t want to be here forever. Even a god had to sleep, after all. But he would enjoy this place for many years to come. Even if he died, he wouldn’t be banished to a cold realm without a hint of life.

Now she had gifted him yet again.

“So, you are a life goddess,” he said.

“A what?”

“A goddess of life itself. You inspire things to grow, to live, to improve. It is all good things, Jessamine, but something that is odd, considering we are bound.” He tucked his hands behind his back and turned to face her. “I am a god of death. You a goddess of life. Very different from each other.”

“Duality,” Jessamine corrected. “If you want to look into it far too deeply, then you should be able to understand that life and death go hand in hand. But…”

Her words died off. He could see the struggle on her features. Her brows wrinkled and her arms curved around herself as she bent in, arching just slightly too much.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I…” She shook her head. “A goddess? Really?”

“Ah. You haven’t had any time to process that. I understand. But yes, nightmare. A goddess. You’ve been given an incredible gift, and a life that will be forever changed. There is nothing we can do to stop it now. But I do think the more sacrifices you can take, the better for you. Between the two of us, we have some possibility at stopping Ajax.”

She turned away from him, her shoulders rounding in even more. “A goddess, Elric. I didn’t want to be this. I wanted my birthright, not a legion of people to worship me. What does this even mean for my future now?”

It wasn’t one on the throne. That much, he was certain.

No kingdom should ever be ruled by a goddess. It wouldn’t end well if one ruler had more power in her pinky than any other queen in the entire realm.

For him, this was an easy trade. To go from queen to goddess was the ultimate jump in positioning, but he knew she didn’t agree. She had wanted to be queen. As her mother had been, and her mother before her. Centuries of women had come before her, each one of them a queen.

“Jessamine.” He didn’t know how to help her, how to support her through this, while knowing that they could change nothing. “Focus on the now. There will be time to fear the future, but right now, we need to know what your magic is limited by. And we need to know where you are storing your energy so that you can gather it at any point in time.”

“How do I do that?” she asked, although the words were watery.

“Mine is a pool of water that I can summon. You have seen it. I conjured that because it is where I feel safest. I used to swim often, and that has always eased my anxiety. How will you wish to get your magic?”

She swallowed hard and then turned toward him. Finally. Her arms were still wrapped around her body, but she wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t focus.

“How do I decide?” she asked.

“A memory. One that is strong, and that always soothes you. It can even be small, but it must be a memory that calms you.”

She seemed to think for a moment before speaking. “When I was little, my favorite moments were returning home to my mother. She would greet me in her garden every day, and we would pull a cup of water from the well that was there. It was the freshest water I’ve ever tasted. I remember coming home thirsty almost every day because the water anywhere else never held a candle to the water there.”

Just like that, a well was conjured between them. Stones made up the small circle, and warm wood created a roof above it, with a small bucket on a rod in the center.

She walked up to it as though in a dream. Jessamine reached for the crank on the side and sent the bucket down. It took some time to reach the water, likely because Jessamine didn’t have stores to draw from. At least, not yet.

He could almost feel the rippling energy there. It was strong, even though the sacrifice had not been that much. As she drew it up, the bucket brimmed with crystal-clear water.

Jessamine cupped it in her hands and drank. Every golden fissure along her body flared bright and strong the moment the magic touched her tongue. But then she looked at him and said, “We’re a dual god and goddess, Elric. Drink your fill.”