No one ever tells you what to expect when death takes you. You hear stories and tales of people who witness the other side, see their life flash before their eyes. Yet to experience it yourself first hand is never one you prepare for.
It all happened so fast. They were as prepared as they could be. Their allies in the fight for the Savalir wood, the world. They held the line while the group went to the grove to acquire a tool of Xalicas to defeat the Pit Fiend. Seeing them all get cut down in front of them, unable to go help them right now. Seeing her sister get struck down, and fighting every instinct in her body to run to her aid. ‘She will be okay…Thea will save her.’ was the only thought Eddie could spare in the moment. She was unsure if that was true…
Then seeing the armies of the damned, blocking their path from the Fiend, portals calling more to aid the battle. It didn’t look good. The seven knew the stakes, and what their job would be. The Banner was the key to their hopeful success. She moved fast, taking the banner in her hands and taking point in the charge. Moving quick was what she was good at, this would be quick. What Eddie did not count for is the demons speed to counter her own. Hit after hit she took, but she remained standing.
The others did their due diligence to stem the crowd, and give her time to fall back. That wasn’t her goal. The banner was the key. She took it in her hand again, weaving through the battlefield to close the portals with the holy power of the banner. Eddie felt the strength of Xalicas and the luck of Avandra guiding her steps as she got two of the portals shut and she fell back to the others. Exhausted, battered, but still standing.
The sounds of wings beating caught her attention in the battle. The Fiend was much faster than she prepared for. It struck her once, twice…the world faded from her as she hit the ground. All sound going quiet as the life was taken from her.
Her eyes opened, a road in front of her, leading off into a vast emptiness. She had heard of the depictions of Avandra and her hair flowing out into a long endless road. Eddie did not see anyone else. She was alone.
Stepping forward slowly, her foot steps heavy as realization slowly struck of what happened. The thing that they don’t tell you when you die, is you remember the moment. You remember the last breath you take. Eddie stopped in her tracks, hands by her side. Her weapons no where to be seen. Silence filled the area as she looked around for any signs of, well anything.
Eddie tried to find her words, but nothing came out. She looked forward down the road that expanded out before her with no end. She stepped forward again, each foot step taking any and all concentration she had. She was alone, with only her thoughts. She thought of her mother back in Damali. Both of her daughters out in the world, hopefully making a difference for the better. She thought of the fact that her Mother lost her eldest daughter…again, and for all Eddie knew, her youngest as well.
Eddie thought of Cori. Thought of all the pranks they pulled on each other. She thought of the hurt she brought her sister when she ran away from home. No matter how hard she tried to make things right, she knew that Cori would hold resentment for her choice. She lived with that outcome, but now…now she was left with only the thoughts of ‘What if?’ What if she had been a better sister? What if she didn’t run from home? What if the last she saw of her sister was her being cut down and not being able to run to her aid?
Further down the road she walked. There was no grasp of time when dead. She didn’t know how long she was here.
She thought of her friends and allies. The ones fighting the Fiend, and those who didn’t travel with them anymore. All the good and bad moments. Eddie wasn’t sure when she left the Revelry if anyone would trust her again, but they trusted her enough to keep her around. Trusted her to keep them safe. She did what she could, and hoped that it was enough to let them survive the fight.
She thought of her oath she had just taken, the words she spoke that Kairon had her recite. She was not shackled by fear. She faced the armies of the damned head on. She did not dwell in ignorance. She did not know how her choices would play out, but she did what she knew she had to. She did not surrender to despair. She saw her sister get cut down, and even being face to face with the Pit Fiend, she did not let despair take her, and make her run away. She was not blinded by pride or ruled by greed. There was no pride to be had in that moment, just a duty to save the people who put their trust in them.
She was never the wisest person, but she did her best to act with wisdom in those final moments. She fought with as much dignity as she could, keeping her head held high in the face of death. She hoped that her death was not meaningless. She did not go defiantly or full of cowardice. She hoped that she had taken part in saving the others in whatever way she could, and in turn…maybe she did save herself as well.
She stopped walking as words filled her head, not her own. ‘You cannot die…’ The voice was familiar to her, but she couldn’t see where it was coming from. She looked around as the sound of battle filled her senses again. ‘…you still owe me a date!’ The road began to disappear from in front of her…
Breath filled her lungs again, a gasp and a cough as she was laying on the ground looking up at Alizarin. She felt the pain returning to her body. Aches and pains all over, but she wasn’t dead. She got to her feet quickly, taking the scene into view as she watched Nine-Nine pin the Fiend to the ground, and Kairon bringing down his weapon..
