Post by Nathan Saniti on Feb 29, 2016 20:14:40 GMT -5
The Infiniti Council: Chapter 8 - Nowhere Man
"I'm here, my love."
The words caused his heart to somehow simultaneously leap and sink, an odd feeling he'd hoped he'd never experience again. He knew that once the White Witch whisked him to this... Nowhere, that his beloved has passed from his life. That was the White Witch's function, or at least all he could recollect.
"What trickery is this?" he questioned himself, wide-eyed at the voice.
Yet Kelli's voice haunted him even within this landscapeless confusion. He brushed back his black hair, riddled with patches of orange and a stripe of white. His one black iris fumed at whatever dared to tug his heart strings at a time like this, whilst the yellow one welled up with sentiment. His broad shoulders heaved huge, sighing gasps in an attempt to keep what was left of his composure together. It was a battle he was rapidly losing.
"It's me, Nathan."
He stood slowly from where he was seated. It was easy to get vertigo in a place where your eyes have nothing on which to focus or separate the vertical from the horizontal. It had come from behind him, yet it felt spectral. No, he KNEW it was either his mind finally gone off the deep end or Karma had forced Kelli's spirit to haunt him as a way of recompense for his wrongdoings. Be that the case, he would even make Karma pay for troubling him in such a fashion.
His fury rose as he did. She didn't deserve such a fate. "Let her spirit move on, damn you!" He shook a fist at an invisible foe. "She deserves to be at rest. She deserves..."
A gentle hand grasped his shoulder, spinning him around slowly. "...I deserve to be with you. It's really me. Like, for reals, Nathan. I'm not dead. I'm here. With you."
He gawped at the woman he loved, his mouth trying to form words that refused to surface. His fractured mind clawed at the concept of his beloved standing before him, yet he seemed unable to process everything he saw even amidst the rest of the nothing. Kelli gently cupped his chin, closing his agape skull cave, and brought him into her with a lover's embrace. Nathan's face slowly returned to normal as their eyes locked. Kelli softened her gaze, enthralling him with a simple look. They leaned into each other, tension building to a crescendo, before their lips finally met.
Time had no meaning in Nowhere, nor would it have mattered if it had. As they kissed, the entire universe could have ended, and it wouldn't have been of consequence, nor would it have been noticed by the pair. The passionate exchange was the only thing that either of them wanted currently. Their hands explored each other as their hearts intertwined. Their breathing grew heavy, impassioned, as they continued the embrace.
Finally surfacing for air, the duo broke their lip lock, but not their gaze. Kelli blushed lightly, a sight Nathan relished. She lay her head on his chest, basking in the afterglow of the moment.
"If this is a dream," Nathan sighed, "I hope I never awaken." They both enjoyed a few moments in each other's arms before a puzzled look settled in on Nathan's furrowed brow. He held her at arm's length, drinking in her presence quizzically.
"But... How? You were gone from the earthly plane. I..." he stammered to produce the feelings clogging his throat. "I heard those awful machines hum your epitaph."
Kelli motioned for them both to sit down. They sat across from each other, never breaking eye contact, as Kelli reminisced of her visit with the Infiniti Council. He dropped his stare at the end of her tale, his face morphing back into the black haired version of himself, anger frothing up inside him once again. Kelli leaned back, unsure of how this reaction would play out.
"How could they do this to you?"
Now it was Kelli's turn to look perplexed. "They offered me a choice, Nathan."
He exploded to his feet. "Oh, I'm aware of the choice they offered you. I was forced to make it myself eons ago. As was my sister. Death or eternal life." He turned away from Kelli with a scoff, folding his arms in front of him.
Kelli felt a pang of heartache. "I... I thought you'd be thrilled." her own waterworks turned on from the stab of pain in his words. "I wanted to be with you."
He spun quickly, his face returning to the Nathan of old, as he kneeled to comfort his lover. "My dearest, nothing thrills me more, but I didn't want THIS life for you. Being a demi-mortal has its perks, but it also comes with the curse of..."
"I know," interrupted Kelli as Nathan dried her eyes. "Fame. You all seek fame. I can live with that."
"You misunderstand, my sweet." Nathan cupped her chin, a worried look in his eyes. "It means you'll outlive everyone and everything you will ever care about, time and time again. Witnessing those you cherish wither and die for centuries..." he trailed off. "It's maddening. That is a heartbreak you will never get used to, no matter how much you steel your nerve." He placed his forehead to hers. "I'm elated you're here with me, but I wouldn't wish this life on anyone."
"I'm not just anyone, Nathan," she cooed, kissing him in the middle of his forehead. "I'm yours. If that's what you want."
Nathan didn't speak another word. His reply came in another everlasting, passionate kiss.
