Page 8 of Gift from the Wing
I whisper a breathy thank you as I let my head fall back against the wall behind me and my lungs burn with each deep breath I take.
Fuck, that was absolutely awful. I hope I never…
Gasping, my eyes fly open as the clarity of the situation returns to me tenfold. It’s an ambush of emotions all at once and I search the room for someone I know I’m not going to find.
“Oh, CC,” I say mournfully, using the wall as leverage to push myself up on wobbly legs.
Taking a few unsure steps, I let my gaze devour the sight around me.
“Willow…”
Tears flow freely as I stare up at a light gray stone vaulted ceiling and I allow myself to fall into the master craftsmanship of the architecture above me rather than answer Gaster’s plea of my name.
The soaring ceiling is decorated with complex but delicate carvings, and stone ribs that spread out across the surface are like dragon’s wings splayed out in flight. The tall, crisscross arches that lead you from one area to the next are sharp, commanding, and off to the side is a massive window that’s shedding enough light to breathe life into the whole room. It’s all crafted to precise, careful perfection.
The walls are a beautiful light lavender, that’s almost white when you first look at it. Ivy plants, flowers, and vines breathe fresh air into the space and add just enough of a pop of color to bring the area to life. Everything about this room gives me a sense of peace. Of home. It’s so familiar as if I’ve seen it a million times, but I’ve never stepped foot in here.
I choke on a sob as I turn around and my eyes find the center of the room.
There, surrounded by a wall of bookshelves, behind a sectional couch large enough to fit multiple Nexuses, is a willow tree.
A willow tree that matches mine to perfection.
With slow, measured steps, I walk around the couch until I’m standing in front of the tree and gently rub a leaf between my finger and thumb. A harsh exhale falls from my lips as the texture brings forth so many memories at once, it’s hard to stay standing on my feet as I sway.
“Gaster, where are we?” I ask through the wave of nausea.
“If you had asked me that while we were traveling through the ward, I would’ve said we were entering the south wing, but this is not at all what it was the last time I entered,” he says from somewhere behind me.
“How long has it been since you’ve entered?”
“My, it’s been—”
“I’m so glad you both are here.”
Whipping around, searching for the voice although it was said in my mind, my gaze collides with Gaster’s, who’s as pale as a ghost. His gaze hasdoubled in size, and even though the sight of him tells me my answer, I still ask.
“You heard him? Didn’t you?”
“That’s not the voice you’ve always heard,” he croaks out.
“No. Not until the memories unlocked.”
“This…this is impossible. He’s…gone.”
The heavy tears that fall from Gaster’s eyes nearly slice my heart from my chest. His grief is as potent as my own and the confusion warring within both of us is palpable.
“I’m sorry to both of you for the rough journey to get here. The ward and everything else. But I promise, it’ll all make sense soon.”
“CC, what does that—”
Suddenly, my mental voice is stolen from me as Gaster and I are lifted from our feet and suspended in the air in the middle of the room. I lose all control over my limbs, my movements, my thoughts, everything as we’re brought closer to one another by the bond that tethers us together.
Blinding light flashes between the two of us and an ear-piercing scream leaves my chest as pain splices through every inch of my body. Like a pair of scissors has been taken to the cord connecting us, Gaster’s bond is cut from me, and I bellow out in agony.
My soul attempts to shed off yet another piece, but I hold on to it for dear life. I refuse to let it tear completely. Every ounce of love, strength, devotion I have within me, I use it to fight against the hold over me.
I can’t lose him too.