Short Story: Breaking Point

Eden opened his eyes to carnage. Blood and broken bodies scattered the floor, and in the centre of it all a great avian beast, white feathers stained red, blood dripping from it’s maw where it still held the mangled carcass of a demon in the grip of it’s serrated beak. The beast dropped it’s prey and turned it’s head toward Eden, staring at him with five unblinking eyes.

Then shadows engulfed his vision, and world went dark once more. When he regained consciousness again, the monster was gone, and instead the hazy shape of a figure standing over him took his view.

“Your time is not up yet!”

“Aura…?” Eden wheezed, as his vision slowly came into focus to reveal a familiar face. He tried to sit up, but his limbs did not have the strength to support him. Aura caught him before he collapsed, scooping him up. Eden felt too weak to object. He was barely able to remain conscious as she carried him away from the site of the battle.

~~~

For a while, a heavy silence lay between them, broken only by the sound of armoured boots on the paved ground as Aura paced back and forth.

“What were you thinking?” The angel finally hissed, the disappointment in her voice was cold and sharp as flint.

Eden was sitting on the ground a short distance away, his back to a wall, his head hanging limply. The healing magic had closed the worst of his near-fatal wounds, but it would take time to recover his strength. Slowly, weakly, he raised his head to face her. Even the small movement caused him to wince in pain, but he managed to speak in a frail murmur. “The code says 'a demon hunter must be prepared to face danger and death', doesn’t it?”

“If necessary. It says nothing about recklessly throwing yourself against impossible odds. You should know better than that,” Aura snapped back. She shook her head, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. “Honestly, Eden, what were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed!?”

Eden looked away then, unable to meet her eyes. He didn’t reply, but the guilt in his silence was telling enough.

“Ah...” Aura halted her pacing when the realisation hit her. She turned to face him, her golden gaze searing into him. “Is that it? You had no intention of making it out alive.”

“It’s an honourable death, isn’t it?”

To die in battle against a demon is an honourable death. Recognising her own previous words being parroted back to her, Aura sighed. “I see. So this is about Harriet.”

Again, Eden fell silent.

"Did you think you could convince yourself it does not count? You may die in battle, but it is suicide either way. There is no honour in that!" She paused to gauge Eden's reaction. Biting his lip and hanging his head in shame, he seemed so small and pathetic huddled against the wall. But still, he did not respond. Growing impatient, she took a step forward, holding out a hand. "Get up. On your feet."

Eden looked up at her outstretched hand, but did not accept the offer. He took a deep breath, and uncoiled, grunting as he struggled to push himself to his feet on his own. He stood slightly hunched, swaying faintly, one hand leaning on the wall for support, the other clutching his injured side. It was a feeble display.

When it was apparent he would give her no reaction, Aura pushed again. She huffed out an exasperated breath, and continued in a marginally calmer tone, although she could not stop a note of impatience from leaking in. "I understand what happened was unfortunate. But no matter what sacrifices must be made, you must stay strong and keep fighting. You are a demon hunter, Eden, that is your destiny."

“You don’t understand!” Eden snapped, a sudden outburst of such fury that even Aura flinched. “Is it my destiny to suffer? To lose everyone I love? Fuck that! I’m fucking sick of it! I’m sick of fighting through every day, waiting for the sun. I’m sick of living through this hell!” Then the rage died down, his voice faltered, and he continued in a mumble, almost a whimper. “Maybe I’m not as strong as you think. I am weak, and I am tired, and I… I can’t do this." His composture collapsed, and he buried his face in his hands. "I can’t. I want to give up… And I thought maybe if I died, maybe I would get to see my family again... Or maybe I would just be dead, and that would be the end of it. Either way, it’s better than this.”

For a moment, the two stood there in stunned silence. Eden trembled, his head spun, and his chest heaved with haggard breaths. Had he really said all that...? Aura watched, standing stoic and unreadable as a stone wall, though her halo flickered ever so slightly. Eventually Eden took a deep breath in, then out, letting it flow through him, smothering the fire that burned in his blood. Slowly he unfurled his clenched fists, and sagged. When the wrath was washed away, all that was left was shame and wretched despondency. "Sorry." He muttered, shrinking back, looking away.

“Would you leave your son orphaned?” There was no sympathy in her voice, no pity or acknowledgement for the vulnerability he had just expressed. The words were a carefully targeted attack, straight and sharp like a knife driven directly into his heart.

Eden winced as the weight of the guilt hit him, threatening to crush him. Of course he had thought of that, but the decision had been made. He braced himself for Aura’s reaction, he knew she would not approve. “He doesn’t need me now, he's in good hands… And he’ll be better off without me, away from the life of a demon hunter.”

“What are you talking about? He is to carry on your family's legacy.” There was an unmistakeable note of warning behind the question.

“No." Eden shook his head. He raised his chin and looked her in the eyes as he spoke. "I’m sorry, Aura, forgive me, but I've made up my mind. I will not train Josh as a demon hunter. Look what happened to Harriet, and Dad, they're dead because of this. I can't risk losing him too. He's all I have left.”

“You can not--”

“It's a choice, isn't it?" Eden felt the sparks reignite the anger he had tried so hard to repress, for so, so long. "Maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way if you had just let Carver choose.”

“Carver was trouble from the start." Aura spat his name like an insult. "You blame me for this? None of this would have happened if you had killed that traitor when you had the chance!”

“How could I kill him!? Despite everything, he's still my brother!” Eden snapped back. “You're wrong. There was good in him. But the more you pressured him the more you pushed him away!” Eden was fighting back tears now, and shaking with rage. “This life brings nothing but pain, and suffering, and loss. I will not put my son through that too! I refuse! I refuse to let you have him!”

He was cut off when Aura grabbed him by the arm, swift as a striking viper, grip like an iron vice. Eden could not resist, he felt paralyzed as she tugged him closer. Close enough to loom over him, and surround her wings around him like a snare. Close enough to feel the heat of her blazing halo.

“Careful you do not betray your vow too, Eden.” She hissed, enunciating each word with a slow deliberation. Although her voice was quiet, the words echoed painfully in his head. "Twice now you have let the traitor escape. If it happens a third time, I will have no choice but to question your loyalty, and there will be consequences."

With her free hand she lifted his chin, tilting his head up to look him in the eyes. Eden gritted his teeth, the touch made his skin crawl. It was such a gentle gesture, in stark contrast to everything else, a mockery of intimacy. "As for your son... You say you want to protect him? You want to prevent the same fate his mother met? Yet to deprive him of the chance to earn honour in the eyes of God is to sentence him to oblivion in the end. To abandon the path is to bring disgrace to your family, forevermore. Just like your traitorous brother. But if you are so determined to do so--" She scoffed, although it was more like a snarl. "--then so be it. Make your choice. See if he thanks you for it."

Then she released her grip, and roughly shoved him back. He stumbled, and she began pacing, circling him like a predator. "Now, I have had quite enough of this defiance. You are dismissed. And when you come crawling back, I hope you remember who is in control here. Your blood and soul are mine, Eden, never forget that."

“You know I have always been loyal to you, Aura." Although he usually spoke the words with such reverence, now there was a slight yet unmistakeable hint of resentful recalcitrance in his tone as he continued. "I will continue to fight and serve you until my last breath, just as I promised. But the legacy of the demon hunters will die with me.”

“I am disappointed, Eden. I expected better from you.”

Eden turned away, a pained limp in his step, muttering as he left, his voice both bitter and weary. “Maybe you expect too much of me. Don't forget, I'm only human. I have limits.”