125 The Lighthouse of Hope (2/2)

They had come to the conclusion that they could no longer remain Chosen. For them to keep what they would never put to proper use would have been unwise in the extreme.

What their peers saw as madness, they knew was the correct thing to do. The responsible course of action.

If they could not keep their part of the bargain, then they were not deserving of the benefits offered by it.

Their families, on the other hand, did not feel the same way. In their eyes, childish love had led two promising stars to fall into ruin. The entrance marks they had given the young couple had gone to waste on them.

For their transgressions, they had both been disowned from their families. Erased from their family trees. Deprived of everything that they had ever been given by their families, be it their former wealth, titles, and connections. The young couple had been cast out of the world of Chosen in full.

If they wanted to live a normal life, they were more than welcome to do so. Without help.

Old Man Hartford and Missus Hartford had been fine with that and considered it a fair punishment, taking everything into consideration.

\”One has to own up to their actions and take responsibility for them. Otherwise, you'll end up regretting what you've done before long.\”

Despite what many had thought at the time, they had made their final decision after much consideration. It had not been some reckless choice in the heat of an impassioned moment...

Reed and Lu'um had learned many a thing about them over the last two years as they pieced together the old couple's story. They had journeyed across the world and gotten themselves in the murky, dangerous world in between the mortal world and the world of Chosen in pursuit of the normal life they had desired.

They had been in their own fair share of incredible adventures, despite longer no being Chosen.

And yet, despite all of the obstacles that had been in their way and the various mistakes they'd made, not once had they given up on their dream.

As long as they were together, it seemed like nothing could ever stop them.  They were unstoppable.

Reed saw in their life story them a vague, still undefined path. There was something within their stories that resonated with him.

In his eyes, they were like a lighthouse shining a bright light into the murky fog that was his ignorance and indecision.

He would be lost without them, like a ship forever damned to circle in that foggy sea until he crashed the rocky coast that was made of fear and guilt. If that happened, he would sink into the sea of despair below and be forever lost...

The Light of Hope within the old couple was the product of decades of wisdom and the faith they had one another. It was a thing so pure and radiant that even Lu'um could not bear to glimpse at for too long at a time.

Lu'um had come to the conclusion that this reason that they had been put on earth. They had been put there by the hand of fate for their sake. She hated that bitch to the core, but couldn't deny that she had done well this time. Everything made perfect sense to her now.

For the Earth to have shone brighter than Heaven itself. How befitting.

This is without a doubt, retribution for our sins.

In darkness, the Earth shall lead the way and Heaven will go without light.

Lu'um bitterly smiled and promised that she'd make that bitch pay in full for everything that she had done to him. There would come a time when everyone got what they deserved. Everyone.

That, of course, included her, too. Lu'um would personally make sure of that.

All debts would be paid. Blood for Blood. And then, at the very end of it all, she and her beloved would finally be free. They would be allowed to rest...