Page 19 of The Other Side

I knew he wasn’t exactly human. I mean, he couldn’t have survived in the Underworld for so long if he was. But I guess I never really stopped to think aboutwhathe was…but a celestial? Did that mean Tuft was a god? No, he couldn’t be.

“I know, I know,” he chuckled. “You probably thought all celestials were golden gods or fiery demons, but we’re not. Some of us, though lower standing in the heavens, are simple beings from the heavens. We have no special purpose or power, but we are just as beautiful as the gods in our unique ways. I, for example, am what they call a Pegasus. Well—Iwasa Pegasus…” His smile dropped, those liquid gold eyes falling as a painful memory fell over him.

A Pegasus? But those aren’t human, not entirely. They’re creatures—horses with…

“Your scars.” I pointed to his back, hidden beneath a casual shirt. “Are they from—”

“My wings,” he whispered. “Yes. Oh, you should’ve seen them, Iris-Marie. I had the most magnificent wings. They were ivory, dusted in a golden sparkle, and stretched twice my height. Gods, they were beautiful! So beautiful, humans would cry over the very sight of them. And they were strong. I would soar the heavens and whizz through the clouds with little effort or stride, flying to my heart’s content. I’m telling you, you would have truly admired them.” I could see his eyes swell with tears as he told me the tale of his old self. “Everything was perfect when I had my wings. And now,” he sniffled, wiping his face, “well, you’re not the only one who fell for Cypress’ tricks.”

“What did she do to you?” I asked, stepping closer.

“She did what she does best. She offered me the very thing I desired. Like you, I made a deal. Only, she didn’t take my soul. I gave it to her.”

“You—you gave Cypress your soul? Willingly?”

He nodded. “Without hesitation—but in exchange for the return of another’s.” The very idea of Tuft giving up his soul so effortlessly baffled me. Who would do such a thing without thought?

“Whose? Whose soul did you trade yours for? And why did she take your wings? If your home is the heavens, why are you helping her? Tuft, none of it makes sense.” He smirked, brushing his hair from his face before he patted the roof of the tomb. I looked back at Bastien, who nodded to me with a low growl.

“Oh, relax, you scaled beast. It’s not her fault alligators can't climb.” Tuft teased Bastien as he hissed back at him. I stepped around the alligator and climbed up the side of the tomb, joining Tuft on the roof. He was playing with a weed, plucking it to pieces as those golden irises watched me closely. “I suppose with everything unfolding, it’s only fair to tell you my story.”

“You don’t have to, not if it’s too painful.” I gently touched his arm, feeling one of his many deep scars. My fingertips grazed the raised mark, curious to know how he gained so many.

What could cause such damage?

“Have you ever heard of the shadow beast that guards the Underworld? Cerberus?” he asked, as if hearing my inner thoughts. My eyes raised as I shook my head. “Well, these scars are from that very demon.”

“It attacked you?”

“In its defense, I attacked it first.” He raised a brow.

“What? Why?”

“Sadly, my story goes back over a century, reaching all the way to the end of the celestial war between Ozias and Cypress. Back then, I lived in the heavens amongst the clouds, and I sided with them in their fight against the darkness.” I made a face, unsettled by the fact that Tuft had chosen to side with Ozias as heir. Tuft noticed my expression. “Oh no, no, no. I see that coldjudgement in your eyes. I didn’t choose Ozias’ side because of the whole entitled sexist thing. It’s more…complicated.”

“Oh really?” I crossed my arms with a huff. “Complicated how? If it’s not as you say, then why did you side with Ozias? Why didn’t you choose to fight for Cypress if you knew the throne was her birthright?” My brow flicked.

“Let me finish,” he groaned. “If you want to judge me, fine. Just let me tell the whole story first before you go lecturing me.” My lips pressed together as I made a face, quietly waiting for him to continue. “I fought for him because, well, I had to.”

“Not making a ton of sense here, Tuft.”

“Okay, okay.” He took a deep breath. “I was in love—am in love—”

“With Ozias?” I shouted, completely shocked.

“No! Shhh!” Tuft tried to cover my mouth, frantically glancing around as if what he was telling me was a giant secret. “Not Ozias.” His hands lowered, his head hanging in defeat as he braced himself. “With his son. We—we were together when the war began. A couple. We fought alongside each other for a long time, not because I agreed with his opinions, but because I loved him so much that all I could see myself doing was whatever he wanted. My beliefs became his. Once the war began, Cypress knew the only place she would be safe was down in the lowest pits of hell. Ozias’ power was weak there, whereas her own was oddly more powerful. No one knows why. But alas, I, unfortunately, just happened to be present when this plan was hatched. Ozias asked me to join them, and well, who was I to deny the great god of the heavens, father of my love? So, I agreed. The three of us traveled to the Underworld, and while Ozias faced Cypress, his son and I faced Cerberus, the shadow beast guarding the Underworld. We didn’t know Ozias was going to leave us there alone once he stole her soul!” I noticed the veins in his hands bulging as he tried to calm himself. “Oziasleft us behind to deal with Cerberus. That’s where I gained these beauties.” He motioned to his scar-riddled body. “Before I landed the fatal blow, the demon attacked his son, which wouldn’t have been a big deal except he’s only a demi-god. Therefore, he’s part mortal, vulnerable. I tried to save him, but the wounds were too deep. I may be a celestial, but I’m no god. I have no powers like they do.”

He clenched his fists. “He died in front of me, Iris-Marie. The man I love died in my arms!” Tears fell down his cheeks. “I had to helplessly watch the love of my life, the son of the heavens, take his last breath in the deepest, darkest depths of hell! Do you know what it does to a person, to watch your soulmate die before you? It breaks you!” Tuft began to cry as I held him close, breaking alongside him. “My screams must’ve alerted Cypress, because she found us just as his soul began to leave his body. I expected her to take it and murder me for killing her guard dog, but instead, s-she comforted me. She held me just like you now and let me pour my shattered heart into her chest. Then, when I thought all was lost, she whispered to me. She told me I could save him, that she would restore the demi-god’s soul, but only if I agreed to give her mine in exchange.”

“Oh, Tuft.” My heart broke for him.

“So, like a lovestruck fool, I agreed. I didn’t know what it meant or what I’d have to do, but I knew I had to save him, to do whatever it took, because if he had the chance to do the same for me, he would.” He pulled away, wiping his face. “But like all her other twisted deals, there was a catch. Gods, there’s always a fucking catch!” His reddened eyes looked up at me. “I could never be with my love again, not as long as she held my soul. And like any other soul she claimed, I was at the mercy of her will. I’ve spent centuries obeying her every whim, enduring her torture and abuse—all her sick games in the empty hopes of one day gaining my soul back. Without it, I’m a shell of who I oncewas. All I had left to remind me of myself, of our love, was my wings. And when the last human soul to make a deal with her failed, she decided it was my fault. As such, my punishment was the loss of my wings. I’ll never forget the day I lost them, the day she used her shadows to pin me down as she ripped my wings from my body. I tried to stop her, screaming and begging her to punish me in any other way, but she only laughed. Once she had my bloodied wings in her grasp, she revealed a glimpse of her true form to me, and without any hesitation, she opened her mouth and consumed my wings.”

“She ate them?” My stomach grew sick, imagining her unnatural mouth stretching large to devour his wings, how he must have felt, watching her do so as his back bled out.

“The same as she does lost souls: ingesting them into that pit of her body and away from existence. Only she can reach into her grotesque stomach and return them.”

“Is that even possible?” I asked.

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