A/N: Heavy Angst Ahead. This one was a tear-jerker for me.
Neil swiped at the sweat on his brow. After chasing down a herd of Opeliums and falling into a pit, he managed to wrestle a young Opeluim down and break off a small piece of its tusk. He did it carefully to not hurt the poor creature. This meant only one item was left for him to acquire. And only seven shards of glass were left in the painting.
So, he had to focus. He shouldn't keep thinking about Dove, his reactions, or his glances. And he should ignore the uneasy feeling in his abdomen. Yes, that was the right choice.
He removed the map from his pocket and saw the location where the special herb was to be found. It was the city adjacent to the kingdom's capital, Zinambra.
He wanted to take a wagon to reach there but unfortunately, his crutches had run out and, without Dove's supplies, there was no way he could afford the travel. So, he talked to a few locals. One of the chariots was going to deliver the rations near the Capital. The owner agreed to give him a ride there but after reaching the capital he was on his own.
Neil agreed and sat in the back with all the sacks of grain. The ride wasn't quite pleasant, the roads were bumpy, and an occasional stench filled the air but it had helped Neil's cause. Around an hour later, he had reached the capital. Upon arriving, he took a shortcut through the forest to reach Zinambra. It was a twenty-minute journey by foot.
A veil of poltergeist-white mist swaddled the tranquil valley. It was eerily silent in the valley, and the reason was obvious. The deathly vapor didn't lick the valley's cold floor as the wind was known to do. Its tongue-less form wouldn't allow it to. Instead, it warped nature by using its spineless tentacles to trail around everything.
Neil traveled through the forest of malady-brown, stunted trees with twisted branches. Other than the rumbling in the sky and the crickets croaking, no other sound was heard in the desolate location.
It was a shock when darts of icy rain came spitting from the sky. They hissed and swished, shredding the veil into collars of isolated steam. Increasing in intensity, fat droplets of soaking rain purged the valley of any remaining mist. The incessant rain swelled the river, bursting its banks.
Neil ran to take shelter in a cave by the nearby lakeside.
For over an hour, he paced back and forth across the rocky floor, waiting for the rain to stop. At last, it did, and he wasted no time in heading out towards a nearby lake. He was parched, so he bent towards the river, cupping his hands to get some water.
That's when he saw his reflection, which soon transformed. It was her! He saw her staring at him from the other side of the river.
"Pia?" His voice faltered.
The lake looked dozy as it rested in the afternoon glow. A wave came by and distorted the perfect illusion Neil's mind had created. The water ebbed ever so gently. It looked at peace in its jade-green gown.
The horizon seemed to be stitched with a silver line. The seagulls squawked over his head. The rocky hollowness of the cliffs made it seem mournful and loud. It echoed at first with a doleful sound, recoiling from the cliff rock. It rebounded, and its vibration resonated in the spacious air. The bouncing and distortion of sound rang it out once more. Then it foundered and finally faded away into nothingness.
Neil inhaled a huge gulp of air. He decided to take another sip of water to quench his thirst, and as he leaned forward, he saw her again.
This time her mirage didn't fade away. She kept staring at him as he drank water.
'No, she's not here. I won't give in to this insanity.'
But the reflection wouldn't go.
"Why do I keep seeing you?" he muttered.
"That's because you've summoned me. You need to tell me something important, don't you?" the reflection answered, with a voice identical to Pia.
Neil's eyes widened.
"I don't need to tell you anything except that I'll be seeing you soon, so wait for me," Neil answered.
"That's not it. You're lying." Pia replied.
"Huh?"
"And while you're figuring it out, you might want to look closely at the shrubbery in the corner of the banks. Isn't this the herb you needed; Dicentra Stablicius?"
Neil looked in the direction Pia was indicating, and right there indeed was the herb he needed. His eyes widened.
'Ah, what am I doing? Am I believing she's real now?'
"I am real." The reflection answered, which spooked Neil out.
"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, Pia."
She smiled. "I'm a figment of your imagination, Neil. I'm not going anywhere until you want me to."
A sad smile made its way to his face.
Neil ran towards the shrubbery. Mud splattered across his shoes, but he didn't care. He meticulously plucked the herb and placed it in his sack, satisfied. Then he went back to the lake to resume his conversation.
"So, did you figure it out yet?" she asked.
"No. I can't understand what you're trying to say." He sighed.
"Neil, you need to let go of me," she said with a small smile.
He gritted his teeth and edged out into the water to get closer to her. "I can't... I can't accept this."
Pia's eyes held a gentle sadness as she responded, her words carrying a mix of compassion and firmness. "Neil, you must let go. Holding onto me... it's keeping you from finding true happiness. Don't cage me inside your mind and set me free in your heart."
An anguished sigh escaped Neil's lips as he grappled with the weight of his unresolved grief. "Why... Why do I need to let you go?" he whispered, his voice filled with longing.
Pia's smile held a touch of melancholy as she sought to make him understand. "Neil, I'm gone. I'm not coming back to you. So why are you throwing away a second chance when destiny is offering it to you? Very few fortunate ones receive such opportunities."
Neil's fists clenched, his heart rebelling against the thought of bidding farewell. Stepping into the water, he edged closer to Pia, his determination tinged with desperation. "But I've gathered all the ingredients for the potion. We're going to be reunited soon," he pleaded, his voice trembling with a mixture of determination and sorrow.
With a gentle shake of her head, Pia met his gaze with sad eyes, her voice carrying a touch of both understanding and admonition. "Neil, you need to let go. The potion may or may not work. But I ask you, what if it does? It's not right. It's not right for me, as I've moved on. It's not right for those who are in your life now. You can't waste your life chasing something impossible."
Tears streamed down Neil's face, his voice breaking with every word. "Pia, please," he pleaded, his heart torn between holding on and releasing his grip.
"You've started giving your heart to someone else, haven't you? A young, talkative-yet-charming prince, perhaps?" Pia smiled, a bittersweet mix of fondness and sadness shining in her eyes.
"No, I have not," Neil denied, his voice defensive and pained. "I need you to be with me, and he is a nuisance, a manâ"
Interjecting gently, Pia continued, her voice carrying a pearl of soothing wisdom. "Neil, that doesn't matter to me as long as he makes you happy. How long will you deny the truth? You know how you feel. I know how you feel. It's time to say goodbye."
Neil's voice cracked, his pain reverberating through the air. "Pia, I... I can't... I don't know how to...Life is relentless," he confessed, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "Grieving about you feels never-ending, with no respite to process this pain. Interacting with others, and pretending to be okay, it's exhausting. I don't know when I'll be 'normal' again."
Pia's gaze held unwavering as she empathized with Neil's pain. "In my darkest moments, I also felt a void," she confessed, her voice brimming with strength. "But instead of surrendering, I fought. I embraced self-discovery and my inner chaos. Neil, you possess that same strength within you. But you must move on and accept this. We've become like two stars drifting apart in the vast expanse of the night sky, our paths have diverged irreversibly."
With tear-filled eyes, he mustered the strength to respond, his voice filled with determination. "Pia, I may not have the courage to say goodbye just yet, but I respect your choices and so I promise you, someday I will become a better man and find the strength to bid you farewell."
Pia smiled through her own tears, her voice filled with tenderness. "Thank you, Neil. For everything. And remember that unfateful night of the escape was not your fault, I never blamed you for it. I'll always be a part of you, guiding you from within. Goodbye."
Neil's anguish etched itself onto his face as he watched her, torn between the desire to hold on and the necessity of letting go.
As Neil watched Pia slowly fade from his sight, a profound sadness washed over him.
His heart ached with the weight of their love, now slipping away like the fading colors of a sunset. Every cherished memory replayed in his mind like a montage of happiness, a cruel reminder of what was slipping from his grasp.
But sometimes love meant setting someone free, even if it shattered your own heart.
Tears welled at the corners of his eyes, and he wrapped his arms around his abdomen and clutched tightly, and then sobbed. Huge body-shaking sobs racked his entire body, each coming in a majestic wave. He let out a string of whimpers with each sob that escaped him.
He stood there, a fragile figure in the water, grappling with the enormity of what he had just experienced. But amidst the pain, there flickered a glimmer of hope, a newfound resolve to confront his grief, embrace life, and open his heart to the possibility of finding happiness once again.
He gathered the ingredients and made his way back to the nearby village. He decided to take a rest at the marketplace nearby.
"So are the rumors true? Is the Prince of Cascadia getting publicly executed in a week?"
"Yes, I heard the queen personally came to our kingdom and dragged him back to Cascadia. Poor child, what ill fate must he possess," another lady spoke.
All other thoughts ceased in Neil's mind. He knew only one thing. He had to save Dove.
A/N
Hi thanks so much for the read! If you enjoyed please leave a vote or a comment that's the best way to support me! Thanks so much xx, Anne.