Two Dark Souls

Aleorn's eyes lowered, meeting the Presence's cold stare with one that burned, consumed with hatred's fire. Blurring into a scythe of black edged in light, his arm rose to shoulder height, the dead Flame flaring along it. Within his chest the Cinder burned brighter, glowing until the Presence was forced to shield its eyes, until the grass charred and earth began to distort, until the air rippled and wailed, until the stones themselves burst into flame. Its heat devoured him, yet Aleorn felt nothing, for sorrow had stripped away everything. He found no more screams in his lungs, nor more tears in his eyes, only hollow, clawing emptiness filled only with rage.

Again he stoked the Cinder, its heat unfurling wings of flame from his body, igniting the entire realm in tongues of dancing flame, blistering the Presence's flesh even as it retreated. In his palm a bead of light seethed, sharpening with each breath, outshining the Sun in its brilliance and still muted by the radiance flowing from Aleorn's kneeling frame.

Or'do laughing, smiling, charging in at Aleorn's side. Aleorn's eyes narrowed, then closed, peace coming over him as he burned to nothing within the fires of his own making. Filaments of gold surged from his outstretched palm, plunging into the cowering Presence, ripping through it as sorrow had torn through him, their gilded tendrils leaving more weeping gashes and dark rifts than flesh to connect them, the Presence collapsing to the earth in a thousand pieces, given not time to wail in fear or dismay before his hate had stolen its life as it had stolen Or'do's.

Then the heat was too great even for him. His ribs shattered, and the Cinder darkened, turning black as coal, steam rising in mournful tendrils from his now black, near fleshless frame. Weakly, he bowed his head, resting his brow against Or'do's as tears again streamed from his eyes.

"Do not weep for me." Or'do whispered, raising a frail hand to clasp Aleorn's, gripping him with surprising strength."We've many adventures ahead of us, dear friend. So tired," He said as if realizing it for the first time. Even the powers of an Undead could no longer hold him to this world. The Home of the Deep faded around them, returning them to the Kiln of the First Flame, where in spite of his blindness, of his grievous wounds, Aleorn felt the Sun smiling upon him, and found himself returning Or'do's weary grin. "Allow me to rest a moment, Aleorn, and when I wake" Or'do's voice faded, nearly silent in his ragged throat. "We will fight on again."

"Sleep then, Or'do." Aleorn rasped, darkness taking him in its warm, calm embrace. "I shall be here when you wake." At his side a leather-bound tome materialized, fallen from his shattered body. He noticed neither its departure nor that of the Keeper, whose soul he could no longer contain.

Aleorn smiled, and released himself into the emptiness as his dearest friend turned to ash in his arms. And here they were immortalized, two grim figures beneath the Sun's warm light. Even in such brilliant, hopeful Light, they now and forevermore two dark souls.