Page 73 of The Curse Between Us

He gestured toward the sky, and Edric followed his gaze. The clouds were now gathering directly above them, as though something had taken shape in the very atmosphere. The storm seemed to coalesce into something greater, something that echoed the unity they had forged.

And then, from the swirling clouds, a voice descended.

It was neither low nor high, neither sweet nor sour, but perfectly balanced—melodious, as if it held the harmony between two great forces. It was the voice of Being. The voice of the union between Plenty and Abyss.

"Look upon what you have made possible," the Being intoned.

The world around them shimmered and, in an instant, the field vanished. The air shifted, and they found themselves standing high in the mountains once more, the ground beneath them familiar yet subtly changed. Zephyr squinted, his gaze tracing the peaks to the west. There, in the distance, he could see the ridge beneath which Abyss had been imprisoned, a silent testament to their long journey. It was as though they were now positioned somewhere in the heart of the range, a midpoint that seemed to hold the very pulse of the earth.

“Careful now,” Being’s voice cautioned, the warning laced with a subtle yet undeniable power.

The sky cracked open again with a jagged bolt of lightning, a shock of raw energy that split the heavens. Zephyr felt the air shift, the charge in the atmosphere so strong it seemed to vibrate through his very bones. The ground beneaththeir feet trembled, and before their eyes, a deep crack appeared in the earth, jagged and sharp.

The crack grew wider, and a massive crater formed where the lightning had struck. The very rock groaned in protest as it split apart, sending debris flying. The rain intensified, torrential sheets of water pouring down from the sky in a deluge.

Zephyr clutched Edric’s hand tighter, the cold of the rain mingling with the heat of their shared moment. As the crater continued to expand, something remarkable began to happen—the water began to rise. Within moments, the crater filled, and where once there had been only barren stone, a beautiful, perfect jewel of a lake now sat. The water gleamed with an almost otherworldly clarity, its surface reflecting the deep blue sky above. It was as though the earth itself had given birth to something new, something that balanced the energy of both creation and destruction.

The wind picked up, ruffling Zephyr’s hair, and the clouds began to dissipate, leaving only a few scattered streaks of white across the sky. A sense of calm followed, as if the storm had been a cleansing, a way to prepare for the next chapter.

"There," Being said, its voice filled with quiet satisfaction. "What is empty and yet also filled. It is a fitting place for us."

“It is.” Zephyr nodded, his gaze lost in the beauty of the lake. The still water was like a mirror, reflecting the vastness of the sky above, the clouds now retreating into distant memories. "I wish you joy in it."

"But not too much joy," Edric added, his voice filled with playful exhaustion. "Or we will have to start this entire process all over again, and frankly, I am exhausted."

Being's voice softened, and there was a hint of amusement in it. “Go. You have completed your task, andadmirably so. Now you may rest, secure in the world you have made for us all.”

There was a sudden rush of wind, the kind that swept across the surface of the lake, causing ripples to form. And then, just as suddenly, there was silence. The world felt still, suspended in a moment of pure peace.

Edric exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the calm surface of the lake, as though contemplating the vastness of everything that had just happened. “Well,” he said, the single word filled with the weight of everything they had accomplished together.

“Well,” Zephyr echoed, his lips twitching with a smile, pride, wonder, and love bubbling up inside him. It was almost too much to contain, and yet, he couldn’t help it. "Would it be beneath our kingly dignity to wait to be rescued this time? I, for one, would like to stay right here, basking in our success, and let the others come to us.”

Edric laughed, his smile wide as he tugged Zephyr closer by the loops of his belt. “You are as brilliant as you are handsome,” he said, his words laced with affection.

Then, his smile faltered slightly, his fingers drifting absentmindedly over Zephyr's belt. He frowned as his hand moved across the empty space where Zephyr’s sword should have hung. “Our blades…”

The last time Zephyr had seen them, they had been lying in the grass, back in the field that felt both real and unreal. He opened his mouth to speak but paused, unsure of how to explain.

“I suppose we no longer need them,” Edric said thoughtfully, his voice tinged with a hint of finality.

As if on cue, a low laugh echoed from the water of the lake. Zephyr turned sharply, his heart quickening at the sound. A hand rose from the surface of the lake, smooth and strong, and in its grasp was a gleaming sword—an offering, an extension of the very world they had helped shape.

Without hesitation, Zephyr tugged Edric forward, stepping into the shallows as he reached out to accept the sword. The water lapped around their feet as they approached, the gift of the lake offered to them both.

The sword was different from Icelight, not as long or broad, and the gleaming steel was a striking contrast to the crystal blade they had once wielded. But it held a beauty all its own. The surface was etched with the same intricate, scrolling designs that had decorated their previous weapon, and the pommel was adorned with familiar jewels, as if the very essence of their journey had been captured in its form.

Chapter Eighteen

Edric woke to a light breeze blowing across his naked back, carrying with it the scent of sun-ripened peaches from the fields outside the palace. He shifted slightly, not yet willing to rise, but then laughed as the tickling sensation along his spine grew more intense.

“It’s too early,” he said, words muffled by the way his face was pressed into the mound of pillows.

“Nonsense.” Zephyr dragged his fingertips along the curve of Edric’s back, just above his buttocks, and Edric inhaled shakily, arching into the caress. “We have duties to attend to this morning, my love, and if we wish to perform them in a timely manner--”

“We must make an early start of it.” Rolling onto his side, Edric met Zephyr’s smug look with a grin of his own. “Oh, very well.”

He leaned in and closed the distance between them, sighing into his husband’s mouth. In the three months since they had reshaped the world, they had learned each other’s bodies in the most intimate and creative ways, but Edric would never tire of this, of the ease with which he could touch Zephyr now. Every morning they woke, pressed together with no barriers of fabric between them, and Edric marvelled at the path that had led them here, to a world made anew by their bond.

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