Light in the Darkness – Tashana P.

A morning mist lingered over the river nearby, making the atmosphere look as though it were filled with smoke. Jasmine tightened her grip on her halo life-generating dagger hidden in her jacket, her sight steady on the water’s soft, silvery ripples. Nas walked beside her, his usual silence replaced by a tense restlessness. His crescent-shaped battle axe, strapped to his back, glinted with muted energy as though it knew something they didn’t.
A sharp whimper broke the stillness. Jasmine froze, her eyes darting toward a flash of movement near the water’s edge. A small deer, barely visible through the thickening fog, lay slumped on the ground. Its breath came in labored gasps, each one weaker than the last.
“Jasmine,” Nas said, his stance alert. They both felt it—the instinct to help, to heal. But more than that, Jasmine felt a stirring deep within, a pull as old as memory itself.
Without hesitation, she knelt beside the creature, her dagger slipping from her sleeve into her hands. The hilts buzzed against her skin, her life-force energy throbbing in response to the dying pulse beneath her fingers. She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly, letting the power flow through her. She could feel it radiate outward, a warm, pulsing light that began to envelop the creature.
Nas knelt opposite her, his hand moving to the crescent axe. Its edge shimmered, glowing faintly as he placed it beside Jasmine’s dagger. The air around them shifted as though time itself were holding its breath. The mist thickened, twisting in strange, delicate patterns, drawn to their combined energies.
The creature stirred, a hint of life, fragile but determined. Jasmine’s heart leapt. She pushed harder, letting more of her energy surge forward, trying to coax the deer back from the edge.
Nas’s hand gripped her shoulder, his expression pained. He struggled against the pull of his power. The deer between them lay motionless, the brief glimmer of life they’d given it extinguished. Its body was still, its breath gone.
Jasmine felt a hollow ache deep in her chest, a sense of something lost, slipping beyond reach—the weight of failure pressed upon her.
Nas exhaled, his hand dropping to his side. “Our energies—they aren’t meant to work together.” His voice was tight, conflicted.
Jasmine nodded slowly, looking down at the lifeless creature—a bitter dryness formed in the back of her throat.
She fought back, not ready to give up, and stretched her dagger forward once more.
This time, something changed. As her energy surged into the caramel fur, she felt a bit of stirring beneath her fingers. The deer’s breath grew strong, its eyes flapping open. A wave of hope washed over her as she watched the deer slowly, and with wobbling legs, climb to its feet.
Its body seemed to surge with renewed vitality. Its black eyes sparked with newfound strength.
Jasmine and Nas exchanged a glance, their faces filled with a mix of relief and wonder.
Jasmine’s yellow halo leaped around her in unison.
The deer’s recovery was a testament to her unwavering courage. As the deer bounded away, disappearing into the mist, Jasmine and Nas stood together in silence. The weight of their shared experience settled between them.
“Our energies… they’re like night and day.” Jasmine mused.
Nas nodded, his face thoughtful.
“Perhaps it’s not our energies that are incompatible, but our understanding of them. Our powers are meant to be united, not divided. We have much to learn, Jasmine.” A smile spread across her face.
“I’m always ready to learn,” she said. “Together.”
With that, they turned and walked back towards the river, the light they ignited in the animal’s eyes reminding them that their journey was far from over.