A Sigh Of Relief

A Sigh Of Relief
\[Pandora’s POV\]
I lay in bed, my vision blurring and then unblurring as I teeter on the line between awake and asleep. My body is screaming for me to get some rest after everything I’ve been through; my mind is screaming to not give in and to stay awake just in case something is coming.
When I left Onyx Moon, the battle was still going, and even now I didn’t quite know what was happening.
Were my father and Lucian winning, or would Lux and Alpha Alexander take the lead in everything? Would all our efforts be in vain, or would the future be changed completely?
These questions keep repeating themselves again and again in my mind, driving me crazy and making me want to jump out of bed and rush to Onyx Moon immediately.
However, before my urges can get the better of me, I feel a familiar essence approaching, and when the door to my room opens and the one I want to see the most appears, I feel a wave of relief slam into me.
“Is it over?” I ask as he closes the distance between us and then throws his arms around me. “Did we…”
“Is that all you’re worried about?” Lucian demands, sitting up and taking me in. “After everything you went through?”
“What else should I be worried about?” I ask, a bit surprised by his response. “Everything leading up till now has been to stop Lux and your father from destroying what is precious to me.”
“And giving yourself up for that purpose is the best you can come up with?”
As Lucian speaks, his gaze trails over my bandaged body, and I can almost see the pain that he is feeling.
“Look at you!” Letting out a shaky breath, he collapses beside me, clutching my hand tightly as he bows his head in defeat. “If only you could see the state that you’re in.”
“I’m okay,” I tell him, but I know that he won’t believe me. “It could always be worse. I could be dead.”
“Don’t talk like that.” He growls, his head shooting up so that his gaze can meet mine. “As far as I’m concerned, you were almost there.”
Maybe. I think, not daring to say it out loud because I knew if I did, Lucian wouldn’t dare to leave me.
“But I’m here now.” I say instead, wanting to ease some of his painful feelings. “And you’re here, which means that things went our way in Onyx Moon, right?”
It’s a subtle way of trying to direct the conversation in the right direction since it was becoming clear that Lucian wasn’t going to tell me willingly. I was certain he feared if he told me what was happening, I would want to join in whatever was going on, and right now my body had a long way to recover.
“That’s none of your concern.” Lucian huffs, giving me a look of defiance. “Right now the only thing you should focus on is recovery.”
“But, I’m…”
“Don’t you dare say that you’re fine.” He warns, his voice stern. “You’re covered in burns over most of your body. Honestly, seeing you like this makes me want to go back to Onyx Moon and kill Lux and my father with my own two hands.”
“Then why are you here with me?” I ask, feeling a bubble of warmth rush through me over how protective Lucian was being with me. “Shouldn’t you be going through with what you’ve said?”
“I can’t,” he sighs. “The elders should be in Onyx Moon at any time, and when they arrive, they will be the ones responsible for the punishment that Lux and my father receive.”
“So, it’s really over then.” I murmur, disbelief bubbling up in me. “After everything we’ve been through, the past has been changed, and everybody has been saved. It’s a bit hard to believe.”
“It is,” Lucian agrees. “But this is our new reality. When you return to the future, you will return to a family and a pack that loves you and wants to protect you from anything bad that may happen.”
“And you…”
I don’t finish my words as I remember that the future Lucian died and that was how he was able to come back to this time with me.
“What do you think will come of you?”
It’s the single question that I’m certain has plagued not only me but also Lucian, and now that we were at this point, it was the thing that needed to be considered the most.
Would Lucian return to the future with me, or would he have to stay here and live his life all over again until we met again?
“I don’t know.” He admits, his voice filled with unease. “The goddess never told me what would come of me once everything was over.”
“Mmmm.”
As I consider his words, I feel a knot beginning to form in my throat over the thought of leaving him here alone with a version of me that didn’t even know him or share the same memories as me.
He will be alone. I think, hating the thought of such a thing.
“I’ll be fine.” Lucian tells me as though he can hear exactly what I’m thinking. “And when you return to our time, I will be there waiting.”
“I don’t like the thought of that.” I huff, my voice dripping with stubbornness. “I can’t possibly leave you here alone after we made it possible for us to live peacefully.”
“But you don’t have a choice.” He points out, sorrow in his eyes. “You’ll be returning to our time in the span of a few days whether you want to or not.”
“Says who?” I growl defiantly.
If that spell was able to bring me back to this time and place, then didn’t that mean that another spell could keep me here so that I could grow up with Lucian?
“There has to be a way.” I murmur, remembering that my older version was the one who gave me the spell to begin with. “I need to fall asleep.”
I wasn’t sure if I could willingly summon purgatory since I never experimented with my abilities, but if there was even a chance that I could find my future self and get her to show me a way to stay here and relive my life from today, then I was more than willing to try.
"I need something that will help me sleep for a bit." I tell Lucian, settling on this plan. "Can you get a healer for me?"
"What are you planning on doing?" He asks, making it clear he wouldn't so easily cooperate. "If it's something dangerous, then…"
"Don't worry," I sigh. "I'm simply going on a journey to find myself and figure out how I can stay here with you and everybody else."