Broken Hero

Chapter 12

Eclipse groans as she opens her eyes and looks around, recognizing the shadow realm around her. However, something was different compared to the other times she had been here. The shadows were more prominent and a bit sharper than before.

She stands up, realization dawning on her with sinking clarity. “She shot me... Does this mean I’m dead?”

The only answer she got was the silence around her and a glowing light in the distance. She gulps as she starts toward the light.

“Where are you going?” A voice startles her, causing her to turn.

She sighs in relief, “Gabriel.”

The angel smiles at her as he gets closer. “Hello again, Eclipse.”

Angels were divine beings normally known for working with the Christian god, but they also worked with other deities. Gabriel had visited her before, back when she was a teen. It made sense to her that he would show up now that she was dead.

“I’m heading to the other side... like I’m supposed to.” She rolls her eyes as she states the obvious.

He chuckles as he walks beside her. “And if I told you that you didn’t have to?”

She stops and turns to look at him. “What do you mean by that? I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“That’s true. However, the Universe has decided to give you a choice.” He chuckles as she gives him a look of disbelief. “We have our reasons, of course, and I’ll explain those in a bit. So, you have two choices. One is obviously to go into the light and move on. The other, return to your body and you’ll be granted immortality along with any significant other that you choose.”

She c***s an eyebrow at him. “Alright, and why am I being offered immortality?”

“A couple of reasons, one of which I’m not allowed to say. You’ll understand eventually.” He sits on top of one of the shadows.

She sighs, knowing better than to push any further. Gabriel would tell her when he felt the time was right. Trying to force him to tell her would only waste time.

She leans against the wall as she looks at him expectantly. “Alright, and the other reason?”

“It’s time you learned some things about your crystal. Years ago, the humans on this island struggled against the monsters who lived there. With no other option available to them, they turned to the gods, and the gods granted their request. They were given two crystals that would enhance the strengths of twins. However, they had to abide by the conditions of the crystals. Which included the lying condition. When the holders passed away, their crystals shattered. They would later reform on the altar of the gods and pass to the next holders. However, one of the seventh holders became greedy and wanted to be able to lie without consequences. He studied his crystal and found a way to override the condition, but it came at a cost. Doing so corrupted the crystal, and, in turn, the crystal corrupted the user. “He pauses to let it sink in.

Eclipse frowns, “Like what happened with Phoenix.”

He nods and continues. “The gods ordered the other twin to kill their sibling and offer their crystal to the gods. When they refused, the gods became angry and cursed the crystals. Every holder would be forced to fight each other until both were dead, and the cycle would continue. This is what ended the next three holders until the crystals suddenly disappeared and were found centuries later by you and your brother. The gods have been watching you ever since, and when you killed your brother without being killed yourself, it broke the cycle.”

She looks at the ground as she remembers that day. When she ran to the villain's district, her brother had cornered her. While trying to escape, she had taken a spear from one of his men to try and force him to back away. However, she wasn’t used to using the weapon and misjudged the distance between them. The spear pierced his heart, killing him instantly. She shakes her head, clearing away the memory and motioning for Gabriel to continue. “His crystal shattered, but it hasn’t reformed. It will remain shattered as long as you live. Once you die, they will both reform, and the cycle will begin again.”

“So, the universe wants me to take immortality to stop the cycle?” she clarifies.

He nods, “Correct. But the decision belongs to you and only you.”

Eclipse pauses for a moment to think. If she returned, then she would never be able to go to the afterlife, and she’d never see Phoenix again. However, she’d have a second chance at being a hero, and the cycle that had hurt so many like her would end.

“Alright... one more question. Whoever I choose to be my partner, how will that work if we break up?” She stands up straight.

Gabriel smiles as he stands up. “When they accept immortality, their life clock stops. If you break up amicably, then their clock will start again as normal. They will age as if no time had gone by. However, if you break up due to abuse or otherwise, their clocks will leap ahead. They will age quickly, making up for the time that they spent as an immortal. Additionally, I will not be able to tell you how it will manifest. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself.”

Eclipse groans but nods slowly. “Ok... I’ll return. If nothing else, then to prevent someone else from going through the same pain that I did.”

“Until I see you again then.” He bows and snaps his fingers.

The surroundings turn bright white. As her vision slowly clears, she can see the sky above her. The ringing in her ears was still dying down, but she could already hear Warfalcon’s angry voice, though she couldn’t tell what he was saying. Anna was crying, and Doc was standing above her, focusing on what she assumed was Warfalcon and Lindsey. He glanced down for a second and then did a double-take as he noticed her looking up at him.

“Eclipse!” He kneels to help her sit up, and the yelling suddenly stops.

Warfalcon stares at her with a look that she knows means she will have some explaining to do. Anna tackles her, tears streaming down her face.

“Easy, I’m still a little sore.” Eclipse grunts.

Doc looks at her curiously. “Anna must have given your crystal enough of a boost that it healed the bullet wound. Good thing she thought about using her powers as a magnet to get the bullet out first.”

Though the words came out of his mouth, Eclipse saw the unsure look on his face. Even he didn’t believe what he was saying. Eclipse winces slightly, still feeling the effects of Anna’s electricity.

“Whatever happened, we’re just glad you’re OK.” Warfalcon sighs as Anna realizes what she is doing and jumps away, face turning red.

She wipes the dirt off as she stands, ignoring the indignant yelling from Lindsey as the police drag her away.

“Volt and Doc, how about you go on ahead? Keep what happened here to yourself for now.” Warfalcon watches as they leave before turning to Eclipse with an expectant look.

She groans as she grabs a shirt from her pocket dimension, slipping behind some trees and changing into it as she tells him about the conversation with Gabriel.

“Wait, so you’re immortal now?” He looks at her as she steps back out, setting the ruined shirt on fire and letting it burn.

She nods, “It would seem so. Though I am not eager to test out how it works.”

“Fair enough... I’ll inform Doc. He’ll need to know for the future. Are you going to tell Anna?” He gives her a look as she glares at him.

She sighs, “I don’t know yet. We barely know each other, and honestly, she’s already been traumatized enough for today. I’ll wait for now.”

“Just don’t wait too long.” he advises as he walks away.

Eclipse sighs again, pausing a moment before going to her dorm room and dropping onto the bed. Her crystal wakes her up a few hours later, making her aware of a disturbance at the border.

She grabs the watch on her bedside table, a special device that was connected to the academy’s security system. “Border security, update.”

“Fence line breached, alarm delayed. Send an alarm now?” the system chirps back as she stands up.

“Yes.” She groans as she stretches, not bothering to change for a breach.

Eclipse runs outside, using her powers to find the intruders near the training arena. “I don’t think you belong here.”

She puts her hands on her hips, her words startling the two men. They look at each other before rushing towards her. She dodges the first one’s punch and grabs the second one’s hand, slamming him into the wall and cuffing him quickly. The first one came back around, and she knees him in the stomach before twisting his arm behind his back and cuffing him as well. She let him go as the guards ran over to them.

“Hands up.” The guard growls at her, gun focused on her.

The other guard looks closer and then groans, “Hold on. That's the villain whom Warfalcon convinced to join.”

He turns towards Eclipse as she rolls her eyes. “How did you get here so fast?”

“I noticed some intruders and came to stop them. That's it.” She sighs.

He gives her a look, scoffing a bit. “Fine, but I'll be letting Warfalcon know about this.”

“Go right ahead.” Eclipse murmurs under her breath as he leaves, turning and going back to her dorm.