An Eternity of Eclipse

  “I thought you didn’t give a damn,” he voiced, straightening himself up. He pushed off from the column behind him and approached me. There was a devious glint in his eyes, one that you’d imagine the Devil would possess when he finally saw the opportunity to find out what someone’s cost was. Other than my obvious obsession with good grades and my looks, I deduced that me coming up to him with such desperation in my eyes was something that greatly excited the Demon. He was still trying to figure out what the cost for my soul was—my desperation couldn’t have come at a better time.

  His vigilant eyes glanced over to the graduate library. Though there was no one present on the staircase behind the window, it was clear that he wanted to ensure our privacy for this conversation. Silently inclining his head for me to follow him, Eclipse began to walk towards the graduate school’s rose garden. Even from where we were walking, I could see that the luscious green garden was completely abandoned. Night had fallen and the dark clouds loomed above, promising a torrent of rain. The weather mirrored the storm brewing inside me.

  “Why are you suddenly asking me for help on this? You never seemed to care in the first place.”

  “I’m curious now,” I retorted quickly, following him like a shadow. Although the walk towards the massive garden was quick, every second felt like an extended eternity. I peered up at him, my eyes imploring his as the dried leaves crackled beneath our shoes. “Can you help me remember?”

  “I don’t know,” he breathed out briskly, flicking his cigarette away into one of the fountains adorning the pebbled pathway we were treading on.

  We stopped underneath the white marble pergola built in the center of the garden. Eight regal pillars surrounded the pergola, while a dark, rounded iron ceiling kept it shielded.

  My gaze took in the expanse of the garden.

  This particular courtyard was typically a perfect hotspot for students to relax in during the summer. During the fall and winter seasons when rain was frequent, the pergola was usually abandoned, as the iron ceiling was not always conducive to protect someone from rain. That made it the perfect spot for our intimate speaking area.

  “What’s in it for me?” Eclipse quickly questioned, his business-like voice merging with the sound of billowing wind.

  We were stationed beside a white fountain that had a statue of a large serpent. Water sprouted from the serpent’s mouth, intermingling with the cold wind. I could hear the water trickling away as I gazed at Eclipse with earnest eyes.

  “You can’t do me a favor and help me out this once?”

  He smirked lightly, the smile not reaching his eyes. “Do I look like a bastion of goodwill to you?”

  “You were nice enough to give me the handbag and shoes,” I reminded him. Then, I quietly added, “And that blue rose . . .”

  “Those were gifts,” he countered, his voice soft. As much as he seemingly loved the fact that I was at his mercy for this request, he was considerate enough to be gentle with me.

  He smiled briefly, and for some reason, I surmised that he was amused I brought up the blue rose. Giving me no insight as to whether or not my assumption was correct, he continued his thoughts.

  “Gifts that I would very much love to shower you with in the future. However, as I mentioned earlier, my needs to spoil you aside, I have an existence to protect. You wanting something of this magnitude would require an exchange rather than a kind favor.”

  “Magnitude?” I arched a brow of inquiry, already feeling resentment that he wouldn’t grant me this favor. “How much power does it take to help me remember something when I was six-years-old?”

  “Not much if I had all my powers,” he explained stiffly, his princely pride ticked off upon being reminded of his current pathetic state. “But in my condition now, conjuring up lost memories would result in a lot of wasted energy. You already know that I’m doing everything I can to conserve the power I have for more important matters. Wasting a portion of that power without getting something of value in return doesn’t appeal to me.”

  “I’m not giving you my soul,” I reiterated, knowing exactly why he was making this such a big ordeal. I wanted to remember what happened, but it wasn’t worth my soul. Who in their right mind would give up their soul for a piece of a lost memory? I wasn’t that desperate.

  “You wanted this enough to come to me for help,” he reminded swiftly. He took a second to study me, his eyes scrutinizing mine before another light of curiosity touched his visage. “Tell me what changed your mind.”

  I remained quiet. For a protective moment, I considered not revealing the truth. When I reasoned that he would not help me if I remained secretive, I finally gave in.

  “The only thing that has defined my existence is what happened that night,” I began slowly, using all the control I had to keep my voice from wavering.

  The emotions concerning my impending death and fucked up past began to hit me, and I tried my best to keep my composure.

  “I am dying soon.” I kept my eyes solidified on the trickling fountain behind him. I did not want Eclipse to see the poignant emotions in my normally impassive eyes. “I’m dying soon and I want to know what happened that night so that I’ll have peace, so I won’t feel like I have any unfinished business left. If I don’t have a future to look forward to, then I at least want closure from my past.”

  Long moments passed between us before I felt something comforting touch my face. I belatedly realized that Eclipse had placed his warm hand on my cheek, claiming my attention and holding my eyes captive with his.

  “You will owe me, Teacup,” he told me inflexibly, his gaze still gentle. He didn’t look pleased that he had to compromise when he had the upper hand. His frustrated gaze didn’t hide the bitterness he felt with himself. The only reason why he was yielding his power was to make me feel better. “I will not require your soul for this, but you will be in my debt. I’m doing you a favor, and in the future, should I need a favor returned, you will return it to me.”

  “What favor will I owe you?” the equally business-minded person in me asked.

  He simply smiled enigmatically, bringing his hand down with an unreadable expression on his face. He dismissed my query with an impatient prompt of his own. “Do we have a deal or not?”

  At times like these, I understood all too well why Eclipse was the son of the Devil. He knew my cost, and he wasn’t about to waver from it. Concessions and compromises could be given to desperate souls, but a Demon would never give you a freebie. It did not matter how much you pleaded. It was against their upbringing to show such consideration; it was against their nature to be so humane.

  I frowned, pondering to myself.

  I reasoned that if I was dying soon, then there was little favor he could get out of me. There were so many variables, so many ways in which he could screw me over, but my desperation to find out the secrets of my past was eating me alive. I was too simpleminded then. All that mattered was keeping my soul. The rest were compromises I was willing to make. Aside from my soul, I couldn’t imagine anything of value that he’d want from a human like me. What could he ask from me if I was dying soon, right?

  “Deal,” I said slowly and clearly.

  As soon as I agreed, I felt a tiny spark of fire ignite on my tongue. I knew that this was the signing of the deal. The Demon and I had given each other our words, and I couldn’t take it back even if I wanted to.

  “Just out of curiosity,” I began uneasily, tasting the burn of the sizzling fire before the sensation eventually died on the nerves of my tongue, “what would happen if I didn’t keep my word?”

  “Nothing,” he replied. His easygoing tone conveyed that he was unconcerned by the possible shadiness I could display in the future. “That spark on your tongue means that I have taken a portion of your will. Whatever I ask for, you will give it to me. You do not have a choice in the matter.”

  “What favor do you want from me?” I asked once I registered that there was absolutely no turning back for me.
I couldn’t be shady even if I wanted to.

  He shrugged indifferently, tipping his head towards me in amusement. “I haven’t considered it yet, but I know that any favor from you would be a valuable commodity for me to have. I’ll let you know in the future once I’ve figured it out. In any case,” he prompted productively, charm swimming under the professional tone of his voice, “should we get started, Teacup?”

  I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling very nervous while I peered up at him. I anxiously fidgeted with my gold bangles as the cold wind coursed all around me, bringing forth the scent of roses and the promise of rain.

  “What do I do?” I asked. “Should I close my eyes and let you hypnotize me or something?”

  He shook his head. “No effort is needed on your part. At this point, it’s all me.” He smiled and then added, “Just try to keep your mind clear, alright?”

  I nodded and then . . . we began.

  Extending his right hand out, Eclipse placed his warm hand to the side of my face, cradling my left cheek with his palm and gently touching my temple with his fingers. I couldn’t help but feel affected by the gentleness in his simple touch, but I ushered that thought aside in an effort to keep my mind clear. While the heat from my body percolated with his, Eclipse granted himself one more look at me before closing his eyes and falling completely silent.

  Though it had only been a short while since Eclipse had fallen into his deep meditative state, I could already feel a certain change take place in our environment.

  The wind billowing around us began to pick up gradually, as if trying to gather something up from the eerily quiet rose garden. The sounds of trickling water from the fountain were seemingly becoming louder. It was as though the rhythmic sound of water spilling into the fountain was calling out to the dark clouds for attention—for assistance. And finally, the most prevalent and bone-chilling anomaly of all . . . In a matter of seconds, the temperature around us plunged dramatically, leaving me to shiver. It became so unnerving that I could feel the warm air being sucked out by the ground beneath us. Once the velocity of the wind began to accelerate, once the sounds of trickling water began to deafen my eardrums, and once the world began to get so cold that I thought I’d die from hypothermia, something interrupted it all.

  The wind stopped blowing, the water stopped trickling, and the cold air ceased to exist. The whole world stopped breathing at the same time.

  All that was left in my world was complete and utter silence.

  While all of this transpired, I continued to stare at Eclipse. He was as motionless as a flawless marble statue. His eyes were still closed and other than his soft breaths and the warmth of his body, there were no other indications that he was alive. Yet, no matter how inanimate he appeared standing before me, he was quite animate within the confines of my mind.

  I could literally feel him running through the maze in my head, attempting to find the suppressed memories buried within my mind. It was an odd sensation to feel this powerful force intruding on such a sacred ground like my mind. However odd it felt, I didn’t feel any pain. This surprised me greatly because judging by the complexities of this powerful force pivoting through the labyrinth of my mind, I knew that this process could have easily been excruciating. It was akin to setting a bull loose. There should’ve been destruction and calamity. There should’ve been mind-splitting pain, yet the most I felt was a breath of air streaming through me like a cold draft.

  I concluded from this that Eclipse was being very careful with me. I was grateful because I was sure if it were any other Demon who didn’t give a damn about me, I would probably be having an aneurysm. I couldn’t imagine how much more complicated it was for Eclipse because he was the one who had to deal with all the intricacies.

  I was still gazing at him, assessing his contemplative trance when I noticed his facial expression change. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood when I witnessed this. Though his eyes remained closed, I could see his brows grimace in perplexity. It looked like he was taken aback by an unforeseen barrier that had appeared, an obstruction that was so incredibly powerful that it would not let him pass . . .

  I started to shift uneasily, suddenly feeling restless. Something was wrong. From the fibers in my skin to the marrows within my bones, I knew that something was wrong. I knew something was not right when—

  Boom!

  A blast of roaring thunder resounded amongst the dark skies before anarchy took place.

  As if a bomb had detonated within it, the water streaming out of the fountain beside us suddenly exploded. The vicious slates of water spattered into every direction as the white stone statue cracked apart, causing me to jump at the deafening roar. I looked all around, shaking uncontrollably while the world around me jutted violently to life.

  The once tranquil silence became flooded with growling wind, its turbulent hands attacking us in possessed aggression. The strong wind nearly smacked me a couple of times with dirt and loose petals from the garden. Thunder and lightning pounded throughout the black sky. Within a matter of seconds, a torrent of rain surged down, pelting through the intermittent spaces of the rounded iron ceiling and attacking my face and body, drenching my clothes instantly.

  The world became indiscriminately hostile. It felt as though some unknown force was enraged by our encroachment onto its territory.

  Covering my mouth in shock, I turned back to Eclipse. Though he was still in deep concentration, I could see his expression twisting in pain. Fear magnified inside me. If Eclipse himself was in pain, then all of this was definitely not good. I gazed at his face and prayed he would return from his meditative state and—

  What the hell?

  My eyes nearly protruded out of their sockets once I rested my focus on my rain-strewn hand. I disbelievingly registered that the rain pounding fiercely on my porcelain skin was . . . blood.

  No . . . it can’t be . . .

  I turned to my surroundings and my heart pounded furiously. The thumping organ threatened to jump out of my chest when I saw that the same substance also stained the white pillars and the white roses of the pergola.

  Blood.

  Nothing but crimson-red droplets plummeted from the sky. I couldn’t believe my eyes, especially when I peered out further and saw the discrepancy in what was happening with the environment around me. In the outer areas of the garden, outside the immediate circle of the pergola, the rain was pure water, completely devoid of color. However, within the circumference of the pergola, nothing but a puddle of blood-filled rain inundated us, causing the confusion to cultivate further within me.

  What . . . was going on?

  After I asked this question, I started to hear something that caused my own blood to run cold.

  Whispers.

  Whispers began to swirl in my ears.

  Closing my eyes to block out the commotion of the frenzied world around me, I mustered all the concentration I had to listen to the whispers.

  What was it saying?

  I attempted to decipher the enunciation of the words as rain continued to drench over me. It didn’t take me long to deduce that the hissing voices were speaking in a dialect I couldn’t comprehend. It sounded demonic and divine. It sounded ominous and menacing. But most of all, it sounded powerful and completely indestructible.

  It grew louder and louder and louder until—

  I felt Eclipse’s hand leave my face.

  Peaceful silence streamed through my psyche, bringing a sense of calmness back to me. The wind had stopped, the world had ceased screaming, and rain had stopped deluging down on us.

  I opened my eyes and stared up at Eclipse.

  He was gazing down at me, his face wet from the rain. For the first time since I had met him, I saw an emotion displayed on his face that I had never seen before: bewilderment.

  Chills covered my damp body. His expression worried me to the core of my soul. It was the first time I had seen Eclipse display such a perturbed expression on his normally aloof coun
tenance.

  I was on the verge of asking him what was wrong when I noticed steam rising from the corner of my eye and smelled a faint husk of smoke. I averted my focus to the source of the smoke and froze when my gaze landed on the hand that once held my cheek. I brought my hands to my mouth, subduing the gasp of shock that emitted from my staggered state.

  Oh my God . . .

  Eclipse’s entire right hand was marred with black tar. Wisps of smoke rose from the intermittent areas of his hand where tar was intertwined with burning flesh. The burning flesh was glowing like fire, making it appear as if Eclipse had submerged his hand into boiling volcanic lava.

  “I’m okay, Teacup,” he assured me, mitigating my fears when he dipped his hand into the still water of the demolished fountain. Once he raised it back up, reprieve rolled over me. His hand was back as it had been: strong, supple, and in as good physical shape as ever.

  Shaken, I turned back to our surroundings, expecting to be greeted with pools of blood. To my surprise, all I saw were raindrops—clear and colorless raindrops falling to the ground that was once drenched with blood. I looked all around, astounded with the sight of everything. There was no blood anywhere.

  “There . . . there was blood here earlier,” I told him, my voice shaking after I glanced at the puddle of water close to us and saw that it was completely free of blood.

  I inspected my hand and body. Though I was drenched, there was no presence of blood on me. My eyes broadened in disbelief.

  No, it was here. I’m not going crazy. I know what I saw!

  “It . . . it was raining blood all around here just a second ago,” I said to him, looking at him to make sure he didn’t think I was going crazy.

  “I know,” Eclipse replied distractedly, ending my paranoia that he wouldn’t believe me. He began to clasp and unclasp his right hand to get the nerves to start working again.

  However disturbed I was with whatever the hell took place, I reasoned that all of this, no matter how spooky it was, must have been normal when it came to attempting to “unlock” someone’s memories. With this in mind—even though I was still scared shitless—I calmed my overexcited nerves and turned back to him with eager eyes.