Those Who Carry the Burden

His vision still blurry from having his head banged against the wall, the only detail on the figure Trevor could make out was long blonde hair. Nothing in the room moved but the settling dust. He squinted his eyes, trying to focus on the newcomer, but found it difficult to even keep his head up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother melt into the shadows, the eyes of the unnamed things fading into complete darkness.

“I am sorry to see what you have become,” the figure said. It sounded like a woman. “You have no idea how disappointed I am.”

Amy scoffed. “You think any of us needs your approval anymore? You left. We don’t owe you anything.”

“What is it that I asked for, when I was here?”

“Subservience,” Amy spat. “You wanted us to be your lapdogs.”

“Not once did I give you a command. Never did I stand in your way or stay your hand. There is not a thing on this rock that I control.”

“You let them turn me. You could have stopped them.”

“Perhaps. But you were warned against angering the Nephilim. More than once, we made it clear you could never defeat them.”

“What were we supposed to do? For every estrie we destroyed, two took their place! Should we have let them feed on humanity unchecked?”

“Look at where your indignation has led you. Killing the people who care about you.”

“They were holding us back.”

“No,” the woman said. “They were the only thing keeping you human.”

“I haven’t been human for some time. Circe saw to that. What choice did I have? Should I have let you turn me to dust?”

“Yes.”

Amy said nothing. A mixture of shock and anger flashed in her eyes.

“You had a responsibility. You vowed to protect humanity. Now you devour it. And you have dragged Simon down with you. There is no justification for the pain you have caused so many.”

“I tried so hard,” she stammered, staring at the ground. “No matter how much I fought it, I couldn’t stop myself.” She looked up at the figure before her. “I can’t fight what I am any more than you can.”

“Poor thing,” she said. “There is nothing I can do for you. You are already damned.”

“Why did you leave us?  If you had stayed…” She turned away and swallowed the lump in her throat. “It never had to get this far.”

“If I had stayed, Amy, I would have continued to do nothing. Only by severing my ties to the other Erelim could I free myself to take action.”

Unable to hold onto consciousness any longer, Trevor slipped into darkness.