Diversion To Urasha

James fell to his knees. His body could no longer take the pain. His heart had shattered into tiny little pieces.

As he crawled only inches to be by Crystaline’s side, James could hear the distraught cries of Crystos. He could hear the crowds falling deadly silent all around him. The worst thing? James could hear the last dying breaths of Crystaline.

As he took her cold lifeless hand in his, James’ eyes met with Crystaline’s. He watched how her golden irises allowed one final tear to escape from her tear ducts. As the two last tears rolled down her cheeks, Crystaline sucked in the air all around her one last time, then that was it. She was gone. Her life had left her body.

“No, Crystaline!” James croaked, feeling completely and utterly overcome by pain, anger and hurt. With his hands violently shaking, James gently closed Crystaline’s eyelids. Was this it? Was this really it? Crystos? His shouts? He would not stop shouting.

With a sudden blare of sound, Crystos yelled at the very top of his lungs. “YOU MONSTER!” he roared, using all his anger, all his agony to free himself from the pole. Crystos lunged straight towards his father, only to be seized by six guards before he could kill the man who had just murdered his sister.

James found his eyes first focusing on Crystos’ anguished face, and then he found them shifting to the equally anguished king. Both men looked no more alive than Crystaline. They looked like ghosts, trapped in the most negative time of their lives. James wondered if he looked the same? It was certainly how he felt.

“Please!” Crystos began to cry, all anger gone from his voice. “I just want to be by her side. I need to be by her side!”

The king took a bewildered step backwards, as if searching Crystanaphy’s eyes for an answer.

“Let him be with her,” she choked, her voice strained by her own tears.

The king slowly turned his head to the guards who held his son. “Release him,” his barely audible voice sounded.

After a moment’s hesitation, the guards released Crystos, allowing the heartbroken man to be by his deceased sister’s side.

“Crystaline!” Crystos’ teary voice began, as he knelt down beside her, stroking her cold pale cheeks. “Crystaline, it’s going to be okay, you just need to wake up for one moment.”

“Crystos...” James whispered, no longer able to prevent his own eyes from streaming. “Crystos, I think...I think she’s...”

“No!” an agonised Crystos intervened. “She can’t be! Crystaline can’t be gone! She can’t...you should have heard...you should have heard the last thing I said to her. I told her, I told her that she wasn’t my sister. How could I? How could I say such an awful thing? Crystaline can’t just go thinking that I don’t love her. Don’t you see that, James? She can’t be...Crystaline, my sister, she can’t be dead!”

With his body shuddering violently under the torture of his pain, James found his eyes looking towards the display, with Crystos’ words ringing in his ears. Was that really it? Could it really all just end like this? After everything? Or was there a way? A way to turn things around? Because Crystaline, she more than anyone deserved a second chance at life, and James, he would give his life for that woman. He would make it happen if he held such powers. James’ eyes found the inviting beacon of blue from the healing stone. It was lucky that, he did hold such powers, and the king, James could tell by the man’s anguished face, Cryston would jump at this opportunity to save his daughter.

With determination and relief in his heart, James stood on his feet, turning to the king. “The stone can save her? It can give Crystaline her life back?”

The king took a startled step backwards. “Why....I don’t know. The stone gives immortality to one person. But that...that would mean?”

“I know,” James croaked. It would mean that he would die. It would mean that he wouldn’t have to live in this Universe without Crystaline. Or at least, if he were alive, in some realm somewhere after this life, James knew that he would at least be able to watch over her, as well as all his other loved ones! His loved ones! James could hear them, Lottie especially in that cage, protesting and shrieking. James loved Lottie, he loved his mother. He loved his friends, but no matter how much they begged him, James would not change his mind on this one. This was just something that he had to do.

“I know I’ll die,” James continued. “But I’d rather die than live this life without her.”

“NO!” Lottie screeched from inside the cage. “James!”

Feeling the gut wrenching pull in his heart, James walked over to the human cage, wrapping his trembling fingers around Lottie’s through the cage bars. “I’m sorry,” James cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. “But I have to do this. I love her, Lottie. I love her.”

“No!” Lottie shrieked, with Phil joining in beside her. “You can’t do this to me. To us. To everyone who loves you, James!”

Unable to continue watching Lottie’s agony, James unwrapped his fingers from Lottie’s, turning to face the king once again. “You see, I’m not like you,” James croaked. “I cherish those I love. I don’t abuse them. I don’t use them for my own gain. I would die for the people I love. Can you say the same, Cryston? Can you? Can you honestly say that you’ve treated Crystaline and Crystos how they deserve to be treated? How your own two children deserve to be treated? I mean don’t get me wrong, Cryston, I understand your pain, I really do. But I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Crystaline and Crystos. I’m giving them both a second chance at life. A second chance to be happy. And you, you can either remove yourself from their lives forever or you can change. It’s up to you.” Showing little concern for the king’s stunned reaction to his words, James turned to face Crystos. “I know we’ve only really known each other a short while, Crystos, but you’re like a brother to me, and you’ve gotta promise me that you’ll look after her, okay?”

Looking lost for words, Crystos’ mouth gaped open. “James…” he began. “It might be too late, I don’t know if I can let you...”

“It’s not your choice,” James intervened. “I’m doing this. I’m saving her.”

“But you’ll die!”

“I know. But it’s something I need to do. I love her.”

“James...” Crystos whispered. “You…you’re like a brother to me. And Crystaline, she loves you. I’ve never seen her smile like she does whenever she’s around you. I’ve never heard her laugh since our mother’s passing. I’ve never seen her hold another man with such affection. She was willing to give her life for you too. It was real for her too.”

“I know,” James croaked, swallowing down the terrified lump in his throat, still ignoring the gut wrenching protests from his friends. “I’m ready,” he said, nodding to the speechless king.

Without a further word, James collapsed down onto his knees, his eyes facing the cage containing his human companions once again. As he stared into the distraught faces of all his friends, James’ glazed blue eyes shifted over to Lottie, and the necklace around her neck. That necklace had belonged to his father, and maybe his mother was right? Maybe in some other world out there, his father still existed? Maybe he himself would exist side by side with his father? Perhaps Crystaline was already with his number one hero, waiting, just waiting to swap places and return to this world? James closed his eyes, no longer able to watch or even listen to his protesting friends. Any minute now, the king would strike. The man would send James on his path to death.

Hearing the king extending out his sworsha behind him, James sucked in what could be his last breath of oxygen from the Urashan atmosphere all around him.

Thud. Thud. Thud went James’ heart. His own heartbeat was all that he could hear now. His ears no longer took in the sounds of his distraught friends. His ears no longer took in the sound of the king’s presence behind him. James could only hear his heart, beating not out of protest, but out of need. James needed to do this. He had to save Crystaline, for he could not live in this Universe without her.

Screeeaaatch!

James felt a little scratch on his left bicep, and then he felt the area becoming warm, wet - blood!

As he slowly flickered his bewildered eyes open, James realised that his ears were able to take in their surroundings once again. Yet all was genuinely silent now. Lottie and Phil were no longer wailing. Instead their mouths were gaped wide open, their eyes fired up with something...relief?

Unsure of what was happening, James slowly turned his head to face the king.

The Urashan leader placed the blue healing stone on the bloody abdomen of his daughter, and then he allowed the blood from his sworsha to drip onto the blue gem.

Realising that the blood was his own, James placed his palm over the small little wound on his arm, then he crawled over to be by Crystaline’s and Crystos’ sides.

With an ashen face, the king knelt beside his daughter. “I’m sorry,” he said to James. “I lied, I only ever needed one drop. Crystaline did not know.”

No longer able to even care about the king’s admission, James turned his eyes back to the lifeless body of Crystaline. This whole thing, it had to work, because James, he could not live without Crystaline. “C’mon,” he desperately pleaded. “Work, please just work!”

Why wasn’t anything happening? Why wasn’t the stone working?

“C’MON!” James shouted this time, urging the stone to unleash its miraculous powers.

That was when it happened.

The small blue stone began to glow. At first the light was dim. But then it grew brighter and brighter, until eventually, the stone exploded into the most marvellous, the most stunning display of light that James had ever seen.

James placed a shielding hand over his eyes. As he peeked through the gaps in his fingers, he could see it. He could see the most amazing, the most beautiful thing! There she was, descending gently through the air in front of him. A regal golden spirit. Crystaline!

James felt his heart suddenly leap back into life. It was as if his heart had been jolted suddenly with the most electrifying jolt of electricity ever. This was it! The stone was working! And Crystaline, she would be immortal. James would never ever have to live without her!

As the light began to recede, James unshielded his eyes, watching as the golden, sleeping spirit sunk into Crystaline’s lifeless body.

With his spellbound eyes, James watched as Crystaline’s drying blood began to evaporate away into thin air. He watched as her wound healed, and her damaged clothing repaired itself. Then the best thing happened when James began to notice Crystaline’s chest slowly rising and falling. Crystaline was breathing!

As the light all around her vanished, Crystaline’s eyes shot open, with her body jolting suddenly upright.

Crystaline had been revived.

With stunned eyes, Crystaline stared at the faces gathered all around her. Seemingly unable to comprehend what was going on, she got up and ran, as far away from the stadium as her newly immortal legs could carry her.