Chapter 296A Thread Rewinds

The air was less present than a bed of satin. I could simply glide through it as I headed back to the castle. I was looking forward to go there, but not to see Afentis. To see Faith. For some reason it felt as if she was an anchor to my sanity, ironically enough, with the friends I had lost. Her own loss of connection to time and space felt like a reassurance. Even if it would happen to me, it didn't feel like she was lost forever. Like there was a chance for us even if we lost ourselves.

The castle wasn't as dark as I expected it to be. Somehow the sky must have been brighter than the last time I saw it. Of course it wasn't raining now, but that wasn't what I meant. The light made it quite nice to look at it, despite the fact that the light was mostly ambient and created very few shadows or contrast.

And something caught my surprise when I finally neared the castle enough.

Faith was standing outside.

Not on the ground, but on one of the balconies upstairs. She stood there, dressed in the purest of whites that softly flowed in the wind. She looked happy, somehow, if still a bit lost. She looked up and saw me, treating me to a smile.

Now, I'd like to point out that landing in very precise places, like a balcony, is a lot harder than landing on the ground. But I managed, slower than usual and with a lot of patience.

"Hey Amy."

I blinked. "Faith, are you better again?"

She shook her head. "No, but at least the moments of the present come into focus more. I will fade away now and then, my mind is still fractured. But it's not as bad as it was before. And I'm more at peace with it now."

I smiled and looked around when I heard someone open the door to the balcony.

It was Afentis. "There you are. Good evening as well, Amy."

I smiled. "Good evening." Then I remembered what I had to tell. "Muriel asked me to tell you something. She's going back to The Light and sort things out for herself. She wants to leave but doesn't want to fight her way out. She asked you to forget her for now. And stop yourself trying to find her."

He nodded, unafraid. "I expected as much. She's had a long history, not something easily forgotten. I'll respect her wishes as best I can." He took a deep breath. "Did you find Isabel?"

"Yes... eh... I..."

Faith interrupted me, something I was thankful for. "She found Isabel and held her while she passed. Neither she nor Muriel hurt Isabel."

Afentis looked surprised. "What happened?"

This time I answered myself. "The Gypsies punished her for her deeds. Their queen told me everything. Muriel helped me bury Isabel and destroy most of the evidence."

Afentis smiled. "I'm proud of both of you then. I'm glad you didn't kill her."

I looked down a little. "But I let her die, I could have turned her..."

He put his hand on my shoulder, a hand warmer than I expected. "No, that would have been a horrible thing to do on her and the world. If Isabel was possessed, she, the real her, would have been glad for this release. If she was truly evil, then the world is better off without her walking around as an immortal."

He had a point, but it was almost unfairly logical. Fortunately it was Faith who put it into a much clearer perspective for my heart.

She kissed my cheek. "Amy, you did what was best. Everyone can rest easily now."

I smiled, thankful for her simple words. It gave me a moment of peace as well, my mind unravelling over the events of the past days without getting entangled around the more difficult parts. I'm glad I was able to accept everything... Mostly everything without going insane. I probably wouldn't like myself insane.

There was only one person left to tell about all of this.

Kai...

"Afentis, do you know where Kai is."

He smiled knowingly. "I might."