Chapter 48: As long as I live

Zuline enjoyed being with her clan as much as she could. Jäwell came back after a while and put a smile on his face like nothing happened. The two avoided each other and one of the Jessadians saw it.

"Are you okay, Zuline?" He asked, intrigued by the turn of events.

She grabbed his arm softly and nodded, "Yes, but I need to speak with you all. Gather the others."

The man was even more concerned, he obeyed and brought together the Jessadians around a table to listen to what she had to announce.

"I will leave in exile when the main clan comes back."

She said this brutally, she didn't sugarcoat the situation and has been straight to the point. They all dropped their jaws in utter shock.

"What did you say? Exile? But why?!"

Zuline took a deep breath, "It is Archanium condition, he takes me responsible for our kin involvement and he agreed with Zarkhaïm that only I would be punished. You will be all safe this way."

The eight Jessadians around stood up like one man.

"There is no way you leave alone. We did it together," one of them claimed.

Zuline was surprised and opened her eyes widely, "You don't have to, I will be fine."

"You are the true leader of the clan. We followed you in the deep North on earth to escape the Gods, we followed you in the Ombrae to start a new life, and we will follow you once again. Zuline was deeply touched and she held the hands of the ones the closest to her and smiled kindly.

"What are we going to do now, Zuline?" One of them asked with resolve.

"We will rebuild our tribe like we did at the beginning." She answered, "The main clan will come back here, and we will shelter in Rika's desert where Clyss is. We will try to live our lives as best we can."

There was a deafening silence around the table and the new clan remained all welded together, both excited and anxious at the new life profiling in front of them.

She was experiencing something new. It was a pain that could not be healed. A pain that took directly her heart. The man at her side took a deep breath. They had won, but at which cost? Civilians could come back now but the Jessadians around the table betrayed their race, they did the unspeakable. They broke their vow of neutrality.

They had fought in a war and by becoming part of the conflicts, they became pariahs, but that was something that was about to happen sooner or later. The eight around Zuline were from the original tribe, they were her oldest friends, and together they did so many incredible things, they had built cities and empires. They survived the ruin and desolation, being forced to endure the menace of the gods without doing anything was torture to them. After all, they have been fighters for most of their lives. If they all felt sorrow to leave this land they loved, none of them had regrets. Their hearts were filled with the feeling of having done something right.

Once things were said, they had to say their goodbyes to the world they cherished so much. Every one of them went in their direction to watch one last time what was precious to their heart and worthy to fight for. Some went to the lake, others to the mountain or the plain. As for Zuline, she knew who she wanted to meet one last time.

Zuline went to the Western side of the castle. There was a dark deep forest, and inside, an echo resounded. The howling of the beast waiting for its prey. She walked to the border of the trees and he joined her slowly. The massive six-legged dog greeted her and immediately placed himself under her fingers to be petted.

She kneeled and finally let herself go. She cried in Teddy's fur. She knew this day would be coming but after everything that happened, what they passed through she didn't allow herself to think this way. She sobbed in Teddy's fur.

"I, I, I don't want to live without him," she stammered.

Zuline stayed for a very long time without changing position, so long that her knees started to feel numb and hurt her, unable to face reality. She tried to think of every solution possible but it has been clear. Archanium made this request to spare the others and there was nothing to do about it. She broke the rule, Jessadians were the ultimate balance, neither good nor bad, but always here. They were the guardians of the dead, all the dead. Damned and gods, kings and poor, saints and murderers. Every Jessadian who came with her knew about it, that was the reason they accepted the punishment with her. They all broke the rule.

When she was eventually ready to stand up, she joined the main hall, while the refugees would be coming back to the world, she prepared herself mentally for her departure. Jäwell joined her and Zuline looked at him with admiration, she wanted to print this image in her mind for eternity. He took her in his arms suddenly in front of everyone, making her slightly blush. He was holding his emotions and tried to look strong. She let her arms go around him, sliding on his back with deep affection and tenderness.

"Zuline, you will always be my right arm. No matter where you are. There will always be a place for you near me, remember this," he said while taping the ruby on his earlobe with a finger.

She nodded in acknowledgment before leaving. She stared at the Golden City one ultimate time, almost feeling the hateful glare of Archanium on her.

She whispered just before passing the portal, "As long as I live, I will always be yours."

Zuline left the Ombrae through the portal and landed on the first world, in Rika's desert. On the other side, the main tribe was preparing the refugees to come back to the Ombrae. The new leaders of the tribe saw Zuline's group with a lot of resentment. Seeing them as deserters, and traitors, they were considered selfish and ready to endanger their family.

The new leader stepped forward and stopped in front of Zuline with an arrogant smile.

"Was it worthy? You always believed in Zarkhaïm, and now, Jäwell. Look what they have brought you. Nothing more than pain and loneliness," he claimed loudly to be sure to be heard, but Zuline didn't have the reaction he expected.

She laughed, "The group you see following me is my family. You are from the new generation and you never had to fight for our kin. We are different. It was unavoidable that our path would be separated one day."

The leader took a step back as her eyes were deeper than usual, even if her pupils and eyeballs were black, there was some kind of sparkle and a fire inside he had never seen before.

"We are the origin of the human's nightmares, Turisaz. If now you collect the lost souls to help them find peace, remember that, long ago, we started to gather them to use them in our army. Depriving humans of their eternal rest to serve us and fight for us. We are as powerful as the gods. So go, hide in your peace treaty, and enjoy your miserable eternity."

She started to walk away, letting her true horns appear and their magnificent size exposed to the eyes of everyone.

"One day, you will be as old as me, and when you will be searching for a reason to live in your heart, you will see what true emptiness is."

The new leader, Turisaz, looked at her in disbelief. He turned around to see everyone to be silent in shock.

"Move! We have to come back home now!" He screamed, trying to change the subject.

Zuline and her warriors didn't wait to see them leaving. They started their roaming in the dark desert, becoming nomads once again. One of the men came to her and pushed her elbow playfully, "How long did you wait before telling him what you think about him?"

She laughed, "Was it so obvious that he angered me for a long time?"

"Pretty much yes," he answered laughing.

Another warrior turned to them and chuckled, "She hates him since he wanted to make her his girlfriend."

The first one claimed, "He did this?!" Before laughing out loud, "His name is not Jäwell, he has no chances."

Zuline chuckled discreetly with a slight blush on her face, but before she thought about the answer she looked at the group, and a smile drew on her face. They were nine, and yet, it felt like they were alive for the first time in a very long time. Laughing and exclaiming, one of the warriors was singing, and the woman next to him was playing drums as they walked. Every doubt Zuline could have vanished suddenly. She knew she made the right call.

This is how they started their journey. Reconnecting with the roots of their clan, they were the remains of a lost civilization. Zuline turned her face to the sky and she could see no stars in this Dome of Darkness she had made above the desert, there was no Golden City anymore. Even Archanium would not know what would happen to them now.

They were the Jessadians and they were back to their native land.

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