by Andrew Ly
Nick smiled. “This is the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you still haven’t told Alyssa about this arrangement,” Matt said.
Nick shook his head.
“You tried breaking up with her once and it nearly killed you. Do you really think you can do it again?” Matt said.
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve known Alyssa for years and I think telling her flat-out would be the best thing you could do. It wouldn’t be fair to her for you to just up and walk away without at least saying goodbye,” Garreth said.
For the remainder of the conversation Nick sat in silence, caught up in his own thoughts. He let Matt and Garreth converse with each other, half listening to their talk about upcoming missions, the future of their lives, and what would happen if they lost the war.
That’s what it came down to the most: winning or losing. This all depended on Nick and whether or not he could rise to that challenge. The combined efforts of the Garrisons were strong enough to beat the Crowned Princes twice before, but a third time? He didn’t want to be selfish, but maybe they could do it again without him. Surely it could be possible, but tempting fate could also lead to adverse consequences. He had almost died several times already; he didn’t want his life cut short now. Not when he finally had a life to return back to.
He imagined a world where he could walk hand in hand with Alyssa in broad daylight, a world where he had Peter’s approval. It would be entirely possible in a perfect world. But as of now, things were far from perfect. Trying to mend this fragmented world would require him to fulfill his end of the bargain to the bitter end. He would have to stop the demon threat as fate intended.
After a while, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Garreth had to go to his post and Matt to make the final preparations for their flight. Nick promised Matt he would meet him and Joni after his conversation with Alyssa. As he paced around outside the room she was currently staying in, he ran through the entire conversation in his head until he was sure he was ready.
He knocked on her door. She opened it, wearing a bright smile on her face. Alyssa leapt into his arms, embracing him in a warm hug. In that instant, he nearly forgot everything except her.
“I knew my grandpa couldn’t scare you off, even though I’m sure he tried his best,” Alyssa said. “I heard he threatened to send you clear across the country just to split us apart. How crazy is that?”
“He has his reasons. At first I was outraged, but when he and Lucius explained the situation to me it seemed to be the most logical decision,” Nick said.
Alyssa’s smile faded. “Don’t tell me you’re considering it?”
“I already agreed.”
“What!”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and it’s the only option I have left. I can’t let what happened with Doctor Numerous ever happen again,” Nick said.
“If I didn’t get captured then we wouldn’t be in this situation. I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”
Nick put his arm on her shoulder, turning her to face him. “Don’t say that, don’t ever say that! I did what I had to because I couldn’t imagine a world without you. Even if it was fate that brought us together.” He put his hand over her heart. “It was because of this that we’re still standing here. Your love saved me. It saved us both.”
“Then I guess you storming Hyperion and saving my life and almost dying in the process just pales in comparison doesn’t it?” Alyssa said sarcastically.
“That’s right.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because it’s true. Don’t you see? You saved me first. And I’m not talking about what happened with Bergice. When the whole world gave up on me, when I lost my reason to fight, all I had to do was think of you. You give me the strength to be what I am, Alyssa. Without you, I would have never been able to fight back. I wouldn’t have the heart to do any this.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. That’s what Bergice meant to do too. He was testing me, trying to see if I lived up to the reputation.”
“And you did. You beat Doctor Numerous.”
“At what cost? Having Agrian inside me will continue eating up whatever is left of my soul. If I keep it up, soon there’ll be nothing left. I think that’s what Bergice wanted from the beginning. And now that they know how much you mean to me, it’ll be even easier to exploit me because they know that you’re my only weakness,” Nick said.
“You told me you weren’t going to let the world split us apart. You said we would always be together!”
“That hasn’t changed.”
“Yes it has! You’re going to the other side of the world! Nick, you can’t be serious. It’s crazy—no, it’s just a stupid ploy to drive us apart. Without the protection of the Garrison, what are you going to do? “
Nick shook his head. “No, I can’t keep on relying on Peter. I hate to admit it, but I am too weak right now. The longer I stay behind these walls, the weaker I’ll become. After talking to him I know for sure my presence here would only lead them to you. Trust me when I say that this is for the best thing for both of us.”
“Then take me with you. There’s nothing for me here either,” Alyssa said, on the verge of tears.
“What about your grandfather? What about everybody else?” Nick placed his hands on her shoulders. “You’re the second in command to the Glenhaven Garrison. With everything in chaos they need you right here, right now.”
“I can’t stay if it means losing you,” Alyssa said.
“We can never truly be apart. That was our promise, right?” Nick took hold of the angel feather dangling around her neck. “Even if the world fell to pieces around us there wouldn’t be anything to stop me from coming back to you. Nothing could.”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. Nick mustered all his strength to keep from crying. His heart ached as well as his body, but he wrapped his arms around her nonetheless, feeling her warmth and smelling her sweet fragrance. He’d carry the memories of her. He closed his eyes, praying, wishing that there could be another way. But there wasn’t. Not this time.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered. Nick didn’t want to leave things like this. He didn’t want her memory of their last conversation with him to be filled with so much sadness.
He tilted her chin up and gazed into her eyes. Those green eyes he loved so much. “I haven’t even left yet, and I already miss that perfect smile of yours. I don’t want to leave without seeing that one last time. Smile for me, please?”
Alyssa tried her best to resist, but after such an intense gaze, she could no longer hold it in and laughed through the tears. “It’s not fair. You always do that. You always say the cheesiest things at the worst times.”
Nick smiled. “Just promise me to keep that smile when I’m gone. It looks good on you.”
All he could do was to grab this moment and kiss her deeply. For those few moments everything stood still and they were the only two people left in the world. Nothing else mattered. No demons, no war.
As he let go, Alyssa wiped her tears with her sleeve. “You better come back fast, Emberson.” She took off her necklace and draped it on him. “So we’ll never be apart.”
He kissed her one last time on the forehead. “I’ll be back before you can even begin to miss me, you’ll see.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered.
Nick heard her as he walked off, but didn’t dare to look back because he was afraid it would stop him. He made his way to the hangar and got into the last remaining plane. It was a small four-seater painted in the Garrison colors. Matt was already inside, playing with toggles and buttons in the pilot seat. Joni sat in the back, reading over the mission brief.
“I wonder how things will be when I’m gone,” Nick said. “I don’t want things to change without me.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. The one thing that li
fe guarantees is uncertainty. We don’t know what’s going to happen next. Fate works in mysterious ways and all we can do is wait to see what each day has in store for us and make the most of it. I think every person struggles to deal with situations out of their control at one point or another. So I think the only question you have to ask yourself is: are you ready for what’s next?” Matt said.
Nick pulled the seatbelt over his chest. The hangar doors opened and the bright rays of the sun poured onto them. The vast blue sky seemed to go on and on into the unknown. There were infinite possibilities, with no clear-cut path. It was daunting, the uncertainty that came with so much freedom. However, the warmth he felt made his initial fears and doubts disappear, and suddenly he was filled with hope.
“Let’s find out,” he said.
The plane shot straight toward the high sun, into the endless ball of fire.
End of book one.
Author Biography
Andrew Ly lives in Orange County as an entrepreneur.
He has a degree in Communications from Cal State University Fullerton. Though he is an avid writer, Gods From the Machine is his first published novel.
His author website can be found at andrewjly.com
Follow him on Twitter! His username is @andrewjly
Acknowledgements
Storytelling at a glance seems to be an easy task, but it’s truly harder than it looks, especially when you don’t have support. Thankfully I did. As a self-published author, I’ve had hurdles thrown at me, but luckily I was able to carry on. Here I’d like to personally thank everyone for their pivotal roles in helping me finish my novel.
Thanks to my parents, for having faith in my decision to pursue my dream. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to their years of loving guidance and support. To have utter devotion and making sacrifices for their only son is something that I wish to repay. Hopefully this is a start.
Thanks to my sister, Katharine, for her input and support throughout the entire writing process. The best sister a guy could ask for.
Thanks to my editor, Cindy, whose services helped shaped my story to the best it could possibly be.
Thanks to my best friends, the Peter’s Crew, who kept me grounded and for being at my side when the stakes really mattered. Love you guys.
Thanks to my friends and family members who instilled invaluable confidence and positivity in my efforts to produce something beautiful.
Thanks to the readers at andrewjly.com
And of course, thanks again to the girl who sparked my imagination. Without you, this would have been impossible.
