Chapter 73 Chapter Seventy-Three - Gabriella
I look around in confusion, seeing nothing but white all around me, like being in a vast white hall. As I turn around, I see the white space far ahead of me, part and open to a beautiful meadow bathed in warm light. As I slowly walk towards it, a tall 7’7” figure appears and begins walking towards me. Rich, deep green curls frame her face and flow down her back while piercing liquid silver eyes shine brightly against her deep, ebony skin. As she gets closer, I can better see her features. The roundness of her face, the fullness of her lips, her slim nose, high cheekbones and skin so smooth she looks like a walking filter. Her slim build and hourglass shape are accentuated in a floor – if you can call it that – length white halter dress, skimming the floor like mist dancing on the surface of a lake.
She stands in front of me, gracing me with a warm, inviting smile. “Hello, Gabriella. I’ve waited a very long time to meet you,” she greets, her voice warm and soft with an airy quality. I wonder if she’s ever considered a career in ASMR.
“Do we know each other?” I query.
“I am Fretez,” she introduces herself, watching me patiently.
I take in a slow breath as I register the name. “Where am I?” I ask, glancing around at the vast nothingness around us.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” she carefully asks.
I frown as I try to think about what I was doing before I woke up here. I think hard, forcing my brain to work when it hits me like a wrecking ball.
The field…
The battle…
Azadou…
I look up at Fretez in realisation, “I’m dead…aren’t I?”
She slowly nods, “Do you know why?”
I take another moment to think when it all comes flooding back.
FLASHBACK A WEEK AGO
I take in a deep breath, walk over to the sofa, and sit down. “I’m sitting. Between Jartre and Ezillus, I’ve heard the entire rainbow of crazy, so whatever you need to say…bring it.”
Zarseti gives me a light-hearted smile as she comes and sits beside me. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it. Has Jartre explained our physical forms to you?”
“I like to think so. He’s told me that your bodies are basically vessels, and you can – as I’ve seen with my own eyes – make them look however you want, and that they house your true form, which is like, this super powerful energy that would melt my face off if I saw it. That about right?”
She softly chuckles, “That’s a relatively decent summarization. You see, our bodies are not eternal, but our magic – the very energy that allows us to exist – is. The universe will always find a way to create balance, and I aid in keeping that balance.”
“You’re not doing a very good job at the whole coming out with it thing,” I gently point out.
She gives me a melancholic smile. “You’re right, I’m not. Gabriella, you possess the gift of foresight because you are Fretez’s vessel.”
I look at her, waiting for her to say, ‘Gotcha’ but it doesn’t come. She just keeps staring at me patiently, waiting for my reaction and all I can do is burst out laughing.
“That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard,” I laugh, clutching my stomach.
“This is no joke, Gabriella. I understand this may be hard for you to grasp, but you are Fretez’s vessel. You are the next Goddess of Light,” she says more forcefully this time.
I stop laughing, looking at her carefully as my expression turns dubious. “No,” I scoff dismissively, but her expression doesn’t change. “No…No!” I exclaim, shifting from incredulous to disbelieving. “I’m not a Goddess, I’m just a human! T-that doesn’t even make any sense.” I say, getting up and putting some space between us.
“You are not just a human. You are so much more than that,” she declares, looking at me with reverence in her silver eyes. “For now, certainly, but that is not where your destiny lies. You wondered why a mere human would be perfect for a God, and that’s because you are no mere human. Your destiny is to arise as the new Goddess of Light. You are perfect for Jartre in every way, as he is for you,” she says joyfully.
I take a breath before my mind can spiral out of control. “As much as I want to believe this is some kind of prank, I know you Gods aren’t the joking type, so I’m just going to skip over the disbelief and denial and go straight to the most pertinent question. How exactly does a human become a God? Like, is there paperwork involved? Maybe a notary?”
Zarseti becomes visibly uncomfortable and immediately I feel my stomach drop. I don’t need a vision to tell me that whatever she’s about to say can’t be good.
“Gabriella…a human can’t withstand the power of a celestial being. I’m amazed how well your body has handled being partially bonded to Jartre, but I assure you, your human body would not be able to withstand a completed bond,” she says gravely.
“Okay, so I would like to repeat my previous question and add a new one. Why the hell wouldn’t you warn Jartre that bonding with me could kill me?!” I shriek. You’d think something like that should come with a damn warning!
“Any knowledge in Jartre’s hands is dangerous and useless at best, and in this case irrelevant because for you to become the Goddess you are destined to be…you have to die,” says on a deep exhale.
I stare at her, slowly blinking as those words sink in.
Die.
She said die.
I didn’t mishear her. She straight up said I have to die.
“Excuse me? I’m sorry, but ,you appear in my home to tell me that you bonded me to someone, and that bond will kill me but that’s okay because I’m meant to die anyway? Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“I did tell you you weren’t going to like most of what I had to say,” she gently argues.
“So far I’m not liking any of it! What do you expect me to do? Slit my wrists?”
She cringes at my bluntness but I’m past caring right now. “Nothing so crude. For the transformation to be complete, yes, you must die. Your soul must be allowed to separate from your physical form and merge with Fretez’s celestial energy so you can be reborn. But your death must be a noble sacrifice.”
I slap my hands against my thighs in frustration. “Any more stipulations you'd like to add? What the fuck does that mean?”
“A true sacrifice is one where you willingly give all of you for another or the greater good, and in doing so prove yourself worthy of this transformation.”
I run my fingers through my hair, trying to take in air, yet continue to feel out of breath as I feel myself start to sweat from the anxiety this information is causing me.
“Who says I want to be worthy? Maybe I just want to be a normal human woman.” I take in a shuddering breath, resisting the urge to cry. “Why are you telling me all of this?” I whisper in defeat, feeling the traitorous tears fuelled by overwhelming emotion, welling in my eyes.