Love Never Fails

She sat crossed legged chanting under her breath. Her raven hair pulled back by a single rubber band, her eyes closed as she concentrated all of her being on the limp figure that she cradled in her arms. Trying to hold back the tears that stung her bloodshot, swollen eyes, a single tear slipped and then as if it were a waterfall they followed one by one. As they fell she just sat there intonating the same strange words repeatedly. A sob wracked her body, but she spoke louder this time her words reverberated around her bouncing off the four walls that surrounded her. Claustrophobic feelings tried to consume her crumbling concentration. But she couldn’t give up not with her love dying before her. She never even told him how she felt. She wiped away the tears with the back of her surprisingly steady hand. She blinked her emerald eyes, still chanting she glimpsed her unconscious love his skin was so pale. Scarlet ribbons flowed down from his forehead where a nasty wound was agape.

She stopped her chanting and leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Please… Please don’t leave me I need you, Jayson. You’re my...everything I cannot see living without you. Jayson, I love you. Please don’t leave me here alone…”she trailed off with a sob.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer the tears, the tears cascaded down her reddened cheeks; her eyes were filled with such sorrow that it would break anyone’s heart to ever glimpse them.

Blinking back the tears that would not stop streaming down her face she didn’t notice that Jayson’s eyes were fluttering open…

“Don’t cry…” he said hoarsely.

She tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace as she looked up to meet his sapphire gaze.

“Jayson I thought I lo—”

“Shh…” he said as he placed a shaky finger to her pursed lips. “I love you too, Naomi!”

They both looked into each other’s eyes for a long time, and then they kissed. It was as if time stopped as white-hot passion ignited between them, but Naomi felt him slip away from her. She opened her eyes and saw that Jayson had slipped into unconsciousness again.

“Jayson?” she whispered.

There was no reply.

Suddenly she smelled an overwhelming aroma that reeked of something resembling rotten eggs drift around her, but she couldn’t figure out exactly that it was. She crinkled her nose as she recognized that it was sulfur.

Naomi looked away from Jayson and saw eerie shadows snake themselves around her and Jayson. She knew they were Daemons and she knew what they wanted, but she wouldn’t let them take Jayson no matter what he was or who he had been.

Instead of fearing the ominous shadows that started to change into a deformed, humanoid silhouette. She looked it straight in its lifeless golden eyes. She didn’t move from her spot; still cradling Jayson in her arms as she began to chant softly, inaudibly.

Her emerald eyes blazed with power as she raised her voice and spoke the ancient words of her ancestors, “Quis eram illic est absentis. EGO astrum caecus in obscurum. Sol solis mos reverto.”

A guttural otherworldly scream rang out as she repeated the Latin spell the daemonic spectral coiled up and away from her. A luminous silvery blue energy radiated from her body as she chanted.
Suddenly, the energy shimmered and bloomed into what could only be depicted as the Halcyon the bird of tranquility. It shrouded itself around Naomi in a radiate shield as it stretched out its iridescent wings. She kept chanting saying the same spell repetitively. Her eyes still glowing with the same silvery-blue glow as the being protected her. She watched in a hypnotic trance as the inky tendrils of darkness slither toward her, but was burned when they came in contact with the bird.

At last, the prismatic blue Halcyon let out a melodic screech that filled Naomi with serenity. Voices filled the air as the shadows retreated into the Darkness, as the tendrils were yanked back by an invisible hand. Silence fell as the bird flew off into the darkness, chasing after those ominous shadows. That Naomi knew were actually Daemons.

As the beautiful bird extinguished the flames of Darkness, Naomi turned her attention to her love, Jayson. His skin was pallid, but she could see his chest rise and fall as oxygen filled his lungs. A sigh of relief escaped her as she stroked his ebony hair. What she didn’t notice was one remaining tendril wiggled its self into Jayson from the wound on his head.

Suddenly, he started convulsing in her arms. Both shock and confusion filled Naomi. She followed her extinct and began yet again chanting this time her voice changed into something melodic.

“My love, my love
Fly on the wings of a dove
Come to me, Come to me
My love, my love
Fly on the wings of a dove
And you’ll find me
Bless it be, bless it be”

She intoned the same simple rhyme over and over as he lay convulsing in her arms.

Suddenly, he went still. Tears swelled up in her emerald eyes, but before they could fall she saw his eyes flutter open. Hope washed over her, but only to be yanked away from her by an unseen hand as she glimpsed that Jayson’s eyes were no longer sparkling sapphires, but golden abysses. She dropped him to the cold concrete floor with a mix of revulsion and utmost shock.

“Hello, Naomi Guinevere Rosalind,” said a voice that wasn’t Jayson’s. “It is a pleasure to meet you, witch!”

“Who are you?” She spoke courageously. “And what did you do with Jayson!”

“Oh, my dear sweet, Naomi I am Jayson,” It said laughing sinisterly. “Just not the Jayson you’ve met. I am-”

“You’re Darkness!” She yelled.

“Oh, my, my,” his voice chilled her to the bone. “I see you’re quite the intelligent one aren’t we?

“Release him!”

“Now, why would, I do such a thing as that?”

“You do not know who you’re messing with!”

“Oh, I don’t do I?” It said mockingly. “From what I understand you’re the last of the White Witches expect for your grandmother, Rosaline Scarlet. Your parents died in the war of Darkness and Light when you were, but an innocent toddler. Your endearing Grandmother took you in and trained you to become the witch you are today am I right?”

She looked at her possessed lover with bewilderment.

“And that’s not all you have even fallen in love with an angel, but not any angel the angel of death who was born with the given name, Jayshon Augustos, but has taken the liking of being called, Jayson.”

“Yes, I know my love is the Angel of Death,” she said matter-of-factly. “Just, like I know Angels cannot love mortals like me.”

“Ah, it seems you are quite the intelligent one.” It said simply.

“Now, I’ll tell you once more let Jayson go. NOW!” Naomi demanded.

“Or what?”

Her emerald eyes glowed with power as she spoke the ancient words of her ancestors, “Quis eram illic est absentis. EGO astrum caecus in obscurum. Sol solis mos reverto.”

“Your puny words cannot save your lover or even touch me, dearie” It said laughing sinisterly.

As she repeated the Latin spell paying no attention to Darkness’s words an incandescent silvery blue energy emitted from her body as she chanted.

As Darkness snickered and laughed at her the energy shimmered and blossomed into the entity of tranquility yet again. Its wings engulfed the room as they unfurled and gleamed with otherworldly light.


Jayson’s eyes widened as the being within him grew confused and surprised by what he saw before him.

“It can’t be!” Its voice quivered as it spoke. “A Halcyon!”

A smile spread across Naomi’s features as she heard the Halcyon’s song reverberate around her. It filled her with hope and tranquility as the legendary bird beat its wings in rhythm with its song.

Words sprung from her lips as she sang along with the rhythm of the Halcyon’s song.

“Through Life there will be Death
Through Death there will be Life
There will be no more strife
Darkness that lurks
Will turn to smirks
Happiness
Joy
Tranquility
Rejoice, rejoice
Hear my voice
Hear my song
Darkness you do not belong
Through Life there will be Death
Through Death there will be Life
So, with my Song a knife
I’ll cut through all strife
Begone
Begone
Light will live
Dark will not
This is the way
So, stay away!”

A brilliant light burst forth as Naomi watched as Jayson’s body was lifted into the air aglow from within. An inky smoke-like cloud burst out from his open mouth and the inky tendrils withered and writhed as the Light extinguished the flames of Darkness yet again.

Jayson’s body floated down to the floor as he landed within Naomi’s arms.

Tears of happiness were welled up in her eyes as she met the gaze of her love.

He simply spoke the wisest and simplest thing, “Lover never fails, Naomi!”

She bent down and kissed him with all of her being telling him everything she felt with just one heavenly kiss.

As they disappeared up the stairs hand in hand they didn’t notice the writhing movement that quivered within the shadows. Love may not fail, but Darkness never ceases to exist.