For Lance
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In the stories that we tell, the fictions that we contrive to pass the time, where the weird and fantastical are commonplace and anything is possible we often create a world that is better than our own. where good always triumphs over evil, where the universe is fair and just, even death can be overcome simply by believing hard enough and every story has a happy ending. But real life isn't like a story. Nothing is meant to happen, the world is a chaotic and uncaring place. Wrongs aren’t righted simply by belief and death never gives up what it takes. This story might not have the ending you may have hoped for.

*******

Ezra opened her eyes. Blackness was all that she could see, an endless void of nothingness uninhabited by any physical object. A realm of emptiness. She felt as though she was underwater floating in an unconscious eternity. She inhaled, and the breath burned her lungs and throat like fire, it felt as though no living creature was meant to breathe in this place. How long had she been here? A single second? She counted in her head.

One

*******

Most walls are constructed to keep something out but the high walls that surrounded the city of Malotous had been built to prevent the inhabitants from escaping. Any man’s heart would break to think of the hundreds of people who had been lost to the city when the walls had been built and the thousands more who had been dragged to their doom in the years that had followed. Some referred to the city as the forge of suffering for anyone who was taken inside of its walls was sure to face the most unimaginable horrors. It seemed as though the dark lord Tenebris who ruled the domain had nothing better to do with his time than to find new and creative ways for those who followed him to inflict pain and misery on every living being they could manage. The dark lord’s influence had stretched across the land destroying entire communities of lives and families, all the while growing stronger until the kingdom of Renia had declared war to push back the twisted evil of the dark lord. After three bloody years of combat King Arthur and his army of Renia’s finest warriors were on the brink of defeating the evil Tenebris once and for all. Soon a final battle would be fought for the fate of the entire world.

*******

The second breath was easier and, although it hurt every muscle in her body to move, Ezra twisted herself this way and that looking for any break in the solid blackness but there was none to be seen.

Two

*******

King Arthur held a counsel of war, all of his most trusted advisors and captains were in attendance as they decided on a plan of attack, the most notable of whom included lord Angelo, General Daemon, and Queen Ezra. Angelo was too old to be a soldier himself but was a more learned man than anyone in the kingdom in the ways of both science and the mystical arts of wizardry. he was King Arthurs top counselor. general Daemon was the head of the kingdom’s military and personally oversaw the campaign against the dark lord’s forces. The general had had a vendetta against Tenebris ever since his wife and daughter, his only family had been stolen from their homes and been taken to the evil city of Malotous. He had never been the same since and had nearly been discharged from the army more than once after being found passed out on the floor of the local tavern avter a night of drinking his woes away. And finally, Arthurs wife, queen Ezra, raised in the heart of Malotous by one of Tenebris’ highest ranking captains she had been in training to become an assassin for the dark lord when she was captured during battle. While she was kept as a prisoner she had fallen madly in love with King Arthur and had defected to become one of Renia’s most heroic warriors.

“… Then once we reach the flank the fourth brigade will circle back around and engage in a speared formation which should cut off any stragglers, then we find the dark lord and put an end to this war.” Arthur finished explaining his plan and there were general nods of approval from those assembled.

“I cannot wait to mount Tenebris’ head from a pike atop the tallest tower in the kingdom for all of the people to see.” General Daemon declared.

“And the poor prisoners who have been helplessly trapped there and subjected to the worst hell on earth imaginable will finally be set free.” queen Ezra added.

“Malotous’ treasure room is filled with treasures untold, such riches will be a great resource to our kingdom.” mused Angelo.

King Arthur gave the advisor an odd look. Angelo had never had any great interest for wealth and Renia already had a thriving economy, the king wondered why his advisor’s thoughts would turn to treasure of all things, but he was interrupted as Ezra planted a kiss on his cheek, “You are the only treasure I seek.” she whispered in his ear and he smiled. The queen had always been a romantic which is part of the reason why he had fallen in love with her.

*******

Then Ezra saw it. A light shining in the dark universe, a singular glint of hope in the endless expanse, with a wish she moved herself toward it. though it seemed to be lightyears away she knew in her heart that it was the treasure that she sought.

Three four five

*******

Arthur sat atop his steed at the crest of a green hill, surveying the hordes of soldiers and slaves which had assembled at the other side of the field, at their front was a tall figure in black armor, Tenebris, the dark lord himself. the two kings stared each other down from their positions knowing that one of them would die that day.

Arthurs thoughts were interrupted as Captain Daemon rode his own horse to the king's side. "My lord, the enemy outnumber us three to one, long odds. some of the men are saying that this battle is unwinnable."

"The only battle that cannot be won is the one in which we've given up hope." he encouraged his friend. turning his horse around the king addressed the army of Renia’s finest warriors who had answered the call to arms.

"Men," his voice boomed loud enough to be heard by all those gathered there and they all fell silent to hear Arthur's speech, "I have failed you."

Just as quickly as the noise of conversation had died down it picked up again with unsettled whispers and doubtful grumbles.

"Yes, I have failed you." there was silence again, "It is a king's duty to his citizens to protect them and keep their lands safe from those who would do them harm. I have failed to defend these lands from those who would take them from us, I have failed to save those innocent souls who have been taken by the vile grip of Malotous, and I have failed to protect you, for if you stand with me today you are likely to meet your end. to any man who would not stand I give you leave to depart for each of you have fought bravely and earned your place as heroes in this bloody conflict. Should you turn away and return to your homes no one will stop you and you will be paid for your services with all the gold you can carry and if need be I would fight this threat alone. But think on this, if the forces of evil are not held back then what homes will you have to return to?” There was a pause as every soldier considered what they fought for. “With time all men and all kingdoms fade to dust, but a name with achievement is immortal, and so, every man who fights with me, dies with me will be remember in song and folklore for an eternity. Whether we should prevail or fall they will speak of our names as though we were giants who shook the very earth.” A low cheering could be heard from the assembled men as the king spoke. “What man would not have his brother or sister say, their children or grandchildren proudly proclaim, ‘My kin fought at king Arthur’s side at the battle that shaped the fate of the world’ for a thousand thousand years to come?” The cheer swelled through the army until it became a roar that nearly drowned out Arthur’s every word. The king lowered his visor and drew his sword. “Now, for the kingdom and for freedom everywhere, CHARGE!” Arthur spurred his horse toward the enemy and the rest of the army followed.
*******
Ezra moved her arms and legs as though she were swimming, but she soon realized it did little to propel her through the void. Instead she seemed to be drawn to the light by some invisible tether, a string that tied itself around her very heart, drawing her ever closer to that distant light which grew stronger as she approached.

Ten eleven twelve
*******
Ezra was back to back with captain Daemon and the two fought like beasts, one fighting to avenge a family which had been taken, the other to assure that no one would ever suffer the same tragic fate again.

The general knocked an enemy to the ground before Ezra drove a knife into the neck of her target. Daemon parried a thrust aimed at the queens back as Ezra hurled her rapier through the air which landed point first in an enemy’s visor twenty feet away. temporarily disarmed, Ezra ducked away from a wild swing from a nearby foe as Daemon grabbed a blade that had been discarded by a fallen soldier and tossed it to her. The queen quickly dispatched her adversary as Daemon dealt with two more.

At that moment Ezra saw a line of Malotous archers forming on the ridge above them. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the bodies of two fallen combatants and held them up to block the rain of arrows that soon followed and when she looked again the archers had been engaged by a platoon of Renia’s men. Then there came a thud from behind her and she turned to see Daemon had fallen to his knees, an arrow piercing his heart. “Daemon!” she cried as she rushed to his side and pulled the arrow from his chest, but it was too late, the general was already dead.

The queen had little time to mourn, but she closed the general’s eyes out of respect before laying him on the ground. as she did she noticed something odd, blood dripped from the general’s fatal wound but something black mixed with it, a small stone emerged from the wound. The head of the arrow that had killed him? No, that had come out with the shaft, Ezra double checked and saw that the steel arrowhead was still attached to the fatal weapon. She plucked the black stone from his chest still covered in blood, it was barely the size of a pebble. had it been inside of the general?

The sight of the small stone ignited a memory of her mother from Ezra’s childhood. Her father had been a captain in the Tenebris’ army and would often beat her mother and say terrible things. The poor woman had lived in constant fear of her husband and one day young Ezra had found her pale corpse with an empty vial of poison in one hand. In her mouth Ezra had found a small black bead which she had worn as a pendant but in time she had found that it only reminded her of her late mother’s suffering and so she had thrown it into the ocean. Now here was another, almost identical bead, although slightly larger. How strange.

A mad shout brought Ezra back to reality and she barely managed to dodge the cleaving cut of an enemy’s broadsword as it’s wielder swung at her. grabbing her sword, the queen returned to the battle.
*******
Ezra knew what needed to be done, indeed, in a world where nothing existed there was nothing else to be done. The light was her only direction in this world just as it was her direction in all worlds and she would reach the source even if it killed her.

Sixteen seventeen eighteen
*******
All at once it seemed, all of Renia breathed a collective sigh of relief. the battle had ended, the time of oppression and fear had reached an end and with the swipe of a sword the dark lord was vanquished. His body collapsed to the ground, lifeless and headless, the last of his followers were dispatched quickly and no prisoners were taken. The world would never face the wicked tyranny of such a cruel ruler again. But a high price had been paid. Hundreds of bodies of both sides littered the field like leaves on the forest floor in autumn. The cries of the injured and dying still called across the field and healers rushed to the aid of anyone who might still be saved but most were beyond help. For these miserable wounded soldiers, the only mercy that could be given was an ending to their suffering.

Ezra stood over the decapitated body of the defeated lord as the whimpering cries of pain around her were silenced one by one. Even after his death, Tenebris’ influence of torture and pain still echoed around him. The queen felt her blood boiling as even the thought of so much evil which had corrupted the world and she swung her sword at the body, cutting cleanly through his dead arm. Another swing and then a jab which lodged her blade in the corpse’s spine. Again, and again she swung her blade unleashing her wrath as though she were attacking with all the fury of every innocent victim evil had ever wronged.

When Ezra had ensured that the dark lord was completely and undeniably dead she delivered one last kick to him body and spat on his remains. With the execution finished Ezra turned away from the body.

“Arthur,” she called as she scanned the battlefield for the king, “Arthur it’s over. The war is over, we’ve done it. The dark lord is finally…” She stopped as she saw a gathering of the kingdom’s soldiers huddled around something on the field. What were they all looking at? As the queen approached the crowd parted to let her through. Ezra’s breath caught in her throat as she saw what lay in the center of the gathering. The king lay on his back, many cuts and wounds from the battle covered his body, two arrow shafts protruded from his left thigh, his leg bent at an odd angle, three fingers from his right hand had been cut off and blood trickled from a cut on his forehead but most prominently a jagged spear had been thrust into his chest and precious blood spilled from the wound pooling at the ground. He still breathed although his breaths were staggered and short, his eyes darted around panicked and unable to focus on anything until he saw Ezra. The queen rushed to his side and cradled his head in her lap, sobbing in dismay as the king wretched up blood.

“Ezra,” he rasped, “Ezra, are you alright?”

The queen nodded through her tears and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Yes,” she choked, “The dark lord is dead, Renia is free.”

That seemed to calm Arthur slightly and his desperate spasms stopped before he coughed more blood. “Then you are safe. I am glad that your face is the last thing I see.”

“Arthur” she held him as though clinging to his very life which was slipping away, “I love you and I always will, no matter where you go or what happens you'll always be my king.” Ezra whispered in his ear.

There was a shuddering breath and then stillness. Arthur was gone, and Ezra held only the body of what had once been her husband.
*******
As the light drew ever closer and brighter Ezra saw the shape of a man begin to take form. A tear rolled down Ezra's cheek as she recognized the figure, there, in the exact center of the dead world was Arthur, not as she had seen him last, scarred from battle and pale with death but a vibrant young man, younger than she had ever seen him. She longed to reach out and touch him “Arthur,” she called “Arthur it’s me.”

He turned to face her, a warm smile on his face but he looked at her quizzically.

Twenty-two
*******
A crowd gathered by the shore as fifty candles in fifty paper boats were launched into the sea, each one represented a year in the life of the beloved king, now blown away like the wisps of flame that shimmered against the black water of the night in the sea breeze. in the midst of the tranquil vessels was a single raft which held the body of the beloved king. the seas are a cruel temptress and though the king's final vessel would inevitably be lost to the savage storms of the ocean, that night the waters off the coast remained as still as the body of the king it carried, it's surface like a glass reflected a mirror world as though there were two fallen heroes, two mourning kingdoms. the lighthouse which stood as a silent guardian over the bay cast its mournful beacon on the forlorn raft, a prayer that Arthur might find the light in the next world just as he had brought it to so many in this. Arthur's mother shared memories of her son's childhood and many tears had been shed. an hour passed, and then two. the mourners began to leave the shore for the comforts of their beds and a night’s rest and before long, as the night wore on the crowd dissipated and soon only one remained. queen Ezra stayed by the side of the water, her eyes locked on the raft that carried the shell of her husband to the unknown. she never dozed or even blinked, even after Arthur had disappeared behind the horizon she stayed, watching the ocean as though he might return if she waited long enough. as the first rays of the dawn showed their light over Renia she heard a voice.

"Queen Ezra."

"There's no use to tell me that I should come away to return to my life, Lord Angelo." she said without turning to adress him. "There is no life for me, not without Arthur. how can my world go on without my dearest love?"

She felt the advisor's hand clasp her shoulder and she brushed him off. to her annoyance she felt his hand again and she turned to see him. she was surprised when the look on his face was not one of sorrow and loss, but of hope. he seemed as youthful as a child and as happy as she had ever seen him "My lady, there is something that you need to see."
*******
Hope filled Ezra as she extended her arm toward her husband. “Arthur,” she called again “I’ve come for you. Take my hand.”

Twenty-three
*******
“Angelo, Angelo, calm down. I don’t understand.” The scholar had been talking so fast that Ezra would not have been able to comprehend him even if he were explaining something that she already understood. As it was he was babbling about ‘ethereal barriers’ and ‘spectral binding’ as well as many other words she had never heard before.

“I’m sorry my lady but this is very exciting.” Angelo wore a grin so warm and energetic that he almost appeared youthful even through the wrinkles that lined his face. “I sometimes forget that not everyone is as well versed in the sciences as I am. Allow me to start again. It is a little known fact here in Renia where most of our people live peaceful and merry lives, but pain and suffering may sometimes manifest themselves in a physical form.” Angelo pushed something into Ezra’s palm and when the queen looked at it she saw a tiny, black gem. “Have you ever seen anything like this before?”

“Yes.” Ezra recalled “I saw one just like it on the battlefield when General Daemon was killed.”

Angelo nodded. “Many stones like this one were recovered from the battlefield, a few from the kingdom’s men but mostly from the bodies of those who served Tenebris.” Even now, nearly a week after he had been slain, the dark lord’s name still made Ezra shudder. “Gems like this one only appear from the corpse of a person who has known great pain either of the mind or body and has lived most of their life in misery, a life I would not wish on anyone. But the stones have very unusual properties which I have been studying whenever possible. Some called Malotous the forge of suffering, but I don’t think they realize how well the name fits. I believe Tenebris knew of some of the potential of these stones which is why he brought so much misery to his people, to cultivate as many of these crystals as possible.” Pieces were beginning to fall into place in Ezra’s mind, but she still couldn’t see what had gotten Angelo so excited. “After the battle our men opened the treasure vault in Tenebris’ castle and found gold and jewels enough to purchase an empire but the greatest treasure was a single, solid, black diamond fused together from thousands of these stones, the result of the collective torture of tens of thousands of people for an entire generation of Malotous. Lady Ezra, I believe this crystal has the power to cross the worlds and mortal boundaries to bring Arthur back from the dead.”

The queen nearly collapsed as she finally understood. If there was even a chance of seeing her husband again she would take it, she would do whatever needed to be done. “Why haven’t you spoken of this before?” she questioned the advisor.

“Partly because I needed to run further tests to make sure it was possible first and partly…” Angelo hung his head, his eyes full of shame and remorse as a tear rolled down his cheek, “partly because I wanted to use the crystal for myself. My son was killed early in the war and I miss him dearly. I thought it might be possible to save him. If I could have prevented the suffering that created the crystal I would have, even if it meant sacrificing my son, even if it meant sacrificing Arthur. The damage Tenebris did cannot be undone but now we have the chance to use the crystal. Renia needs its king more than I need my son.” he looked into Ezra’s eyes, his eyes full of tears. “I love my son more than life itself but your love for Arthur is greater still, more than just necessity, my studies have shown that the world that the crystals come from has a different set of laws to govern its nature than our own. In that world love is a power greater than any other. Your love for Arthur is more likely to lead you to him than my love for my son.”

Ezra pulled Angelo into a tight embrace as he began to cry openly, the hope he had of resurrecting his beloved boy now sacrificed. The man quickly recovered himself though. “Come with me and we will begin.”

Ezra followed Angelo to his workshop which contained a gigantic mechanism built from dozens of gears and wires which Ezra could not possibly deduce the purpose of. At the center of the mechanism, suspended ten feet off the ground was an enormous black crystal larger than herself. Ezra felt a chill run through her body just to look at it as though such an evil object had some sort of influence over anyone who came near it, or perhaps it was just the queen’s imagination. Angelo directed her to stand on a platform directly under the crystal and gave her a few last words of advice. “While the crystal is active you will be sent to the world of the dead, when the connection is severed anything that you are touching will be brought back with you, so you’ll need to grab Arthur and hold on tightly. the crystal is large, but it will lose its power quickly. if my calculations are correct you will only have 27 seconds.” Angelo crossed the room to stand by a panel with many buttons and switches. “Ready?” he asked.

Ezra took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Ready.” She replied.

There was a shock and then a burst of energy as Ezra felt herself thrown between dimensions and then everything was still.

Ezra opened her eyes. Blackness was all that she could see an endless void of nothingness uninhabited by any physical object. A realm of emptiness. She felt as though she was underwater floating in an unconscious eternity. She inhaled, and the breath burned her lungs and throat like fire it felt as though no living creature was meant to breathe in this place. How long had she been here? A single second? She counted in her head.

One
*******
“Arthur, take my hand. I can bring you back, back to Renia, back to life. Just come with me.”

Arthur looked to Ezra’s outstretched hand then back to her, his smile never fading from his handsome face as he shook his head in rejection of the invitation.

The hope that had filled Ezra only a moment before was suddenly replaced by a cold dread.
Twenty-four

"Arthur, you have to come back with me," she cried "Renia needs you." Somehow, she felt that the boundaries of mortal domains such as their kingdom had no place in this realm. "I... I need you." she begged. "Please just take my hand. Arthur’s glowing face smiled at her and he reached his arm out towards her but brushed her outstretched hand aside.

Fire and lightning billowed in the farthest reaches of the void, spreading quickly and consuming the nothingness within, time was running out.

Twenty-five

The king's hand brushed over her face and she felt his warm touch for the first time since she had held him on that battlefield as he died. Ezra looked into her husband’s eyes and saw nothing there but love. she pushed her face into his palm as a tear rolled down her cheek "I can't live without you. you mean everything to me, please just come back with me."

Twenty-six

The inferno grew ever closer threatening to destroy anything that did not belong in the world of the dead.

Arthur leaned in and pressed his lips to Ezra’s in a final farewell to his beloved, a kiss that crossed worlds and realities, and that single moment as the two kissed lasted an eternity of being.

lives were lived and lost,

empires raised and fell,


seas boiled, and mountains crumbled.




The sun expanded, and the earth burned.






Stars flickered and died as though they had never been.














The universe perished in heat death and the cosmos ceased to be.





















Time ended, and the laws of physics and nature meant nothing as reality itself was torn in two, in that single second,


that one moment of love that was shared by the dead king and his lover who had crossed worlds to find him.

And then it was over. the kiss was broken, the connection severed as Arthur pulled back leaving only the memory of his breath on Ezra’s lips, the last memory of him she would ever have.

"No." she protested, not as a wail but a whimper as her eyes welled up with tears. Arthur smiled lovingly at her as his face was enveloped by the inferno which closed in around Ezra. the heat burned her as though the flesh were melting from her bones and she felt herself fall, down down down through the blazes of hell until pain surged through ever muscle in her body, a pain that no living being could ever experience. but the pain was nothing, absolutely nothing next to the crushing despair of having lost Arthur for a second time. Ezra had failed, and the king would never return.

"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed, forcing the air from her lungs in a cry so mournful and anguished she thought she would suffocate.

Twenty-seven

Ezra fell flat on the workshop floor, reality taking form around her as the furious storm of the afterlife vanished. she had returned to the world of the living.

"Queen Ezra!" Angelo called as he rushed to her side, "Where is King Arthur? did you find him? did you bring him back?"

"He was right there" Ezra howled, slamming her fist against the ground. "He could have... I should have... I couldn't save him." she managed through heaving breaths before she began to cry, tears streaming down her face for the love she had lost.

Angelo didn't know what had happened. how could he? But he knew that Ezra mourned the loss of her husband and so he spoke to her, and Ezra never forgot what he said in that moment for the rest of her days.

“In the stories that we tell, the fictions that we contrive to pass the time, where the weird and fantastical are commonplace and anything is possible we often create a world that is better than our own. where good always triumphs over evil, where the universe is fair and just, even death can be overcome simply by believing hard enough and every story has a happy ending. But real life isn't like a story. Nothing is meant to happen, the world is a chaotic and uncaring place. Wrongs aren’t righted simply by belief and death never gives up what it takes. This story might not have the ending you may have hoped for. But although Arthur's story is at an end it needn't be the end of all stories, my queen. You will carry a piece of him with you until your dying day and when your story ends those who you loved will carry that piece of Arthur through the pieces they carry of you. And so, he will be remembered on and on through his carrier’s carriers until the least days of the earth. So it has always been and so it shall always be. A chain of memory which connects us all from the first man to walk upright upon the earth to the last poor soul clutching to the end of existence in the dying void, a single species united, a light shining in this dark universe. This is how we overcome the plague of death, how we carry on even after those we love have left us. Once they are gone the only part of them that remains is that memory that we carry with us, and so we must love ourselves as we have loved them lest we lose ourselves to our despair. And so, the story never ends.”