Not What It Seems

Several days later, we had finally returned to Laencaster. And we fell into a routine. It was a happy routine though. Vudu continue to help out at Elaine and Erik’s bar. His favorite thing though was spending time with Lina. I returned to my rounds, and even sent a message to Lady Zaria to let her know we were safe and back at home. She responded with joy and wishes of luck in our new life.

That evening, I was at the tavern talking to Elaine as Vudu sang to the patrons. The town seemed to be more accepting of his demon form. So, he hardly ever hid his true form. He was having a good time, and I was glad.

“So, explain it to me once more what happened between him and Romos?” Elaine asked. “I’m still wrapping my head around it.”

“I am too.” I agreed. “He couldn’t tell me the exact words that Romos used, but he basically said that he now had a soul after becoming Redeemed, and that he would live as long as I would live.”

“So, what happens when you die?” She asked.

I sort of shrugged. “He didn’t really explain that well. He just said he would go home.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Home? But he’s banished from Diab, and the only thing left is here. But I’d suspect he meant more of with you. You’re his home now.”

“And I’m glad he thinks that.” I said while turning to look at him. “Maybe he would join me in Paradise.”

“I guess only time will tell.” Elaine stated as she walked away to help a customer.

I nodded in agreement. Hopefully that was a long time before that question was answered. I wanted a long life with him. I wanted to enjoy every moment with him from now on. No more worries about demons or Xegon. Just a normal life.

“Firefly?”

I hadn’t realized that Vudu had finished and was next to me. I looked up at him and could see he was wondering if I was alright. I simply gave him a warm smile and he returned it. He held out his hand, and I took it. It was time to go home.

When we entered my house, I heard the scratching of Pepe in his corner. It was good to be back. Our little adventure had many ups and downs, but the best thing was being able to return home with the one I loved.

“Zeriah.” Vudu called to me and I turned around.

“Using my name,” I said in a teasing tone. “This must be serious.”

He let out a little chuckle. “It is, and I wanted to talk with you about something.”

I blinked and turned to sit down on my couch. Motioning him to join me, he walked over and sat next to me. I adjusted my position and turned towards him to let him know that I was listening.

He took my hand in his. “Not too long after we returned home, I talked to Erik and Elaine about something. And they told me of this mortal ritual that bound two people together for all eternity.”

My heart began to beat faster.

“I know that we are already connected forever because of our adventure.” He said while pulling something out of his cloak. “But I would be very happy if we could be connected in Romos’s book for all eternity.”

He held out a small ring. My heart exploded with emotions. With a hand to my mouth, I held back tears and nodded. A happy breath of relief came from him and he smiled. Lifting up my hand, he slid the ring on my finger. And the ring was the most beautiful piece of jewelry I had ever gazed upon. The metal swirled around like magic and held a beautifully cut center stone that was pure white. On both sides of the ring was a smaller black and red stone, and I could tell that this was Vudu’s way of telling our story in one simple item.

“I’m glad that you agreed.” He said before standing up. “But... there’s another thing we need to discuss.”

My eyes followed him as he went around the corner. “What do you mean?”

“I know you said that I could never have a pet...” He called back to me. “But I think this little one needs a home.”

He brought around a basket. I blinked and looked in and found a small baby boy sleeping peacefully folded in blankets. I stared down at the beautiful infant and then glanced up at Vudu. He had a soft smile on his lips.

“You came by the tavern before you arrived.” He explained. “He was left at the Academy. He’s a Magic User. I was thinking we could give him a loving home. With a loving mother and father.”

The child was like me. I bit my lip and reached in and picked him up. Cradling him in my arms, I held him close. “And we will teach him exactly who he is.”

Vudu’s grin became wider and he stepped over to me. Bending down, he pressed his lips against mine. Once he pulled away, he wrapped an arm around me and stared down at the little infant. A new life, a new story to be written in Romos’s book.

And in the end, my story taught me exactly who I was. I was a loved individual. Blessed by Romos, I was a pure soul that brought light and love to an abandoned demon. Through our adventure, I learned that it didn’t matter who I was, but what I did that made all the difference. And with Vudu by my side, I knew that we could achieve anything in this world. For I loved this man more than anything else in the world. And this new little boy would be another adventure all together.

The End