Jewels from the Dark

Darach felt…nothing. He knew he was falling, but it was not like a normal fall. There was no panic, just resignation. Soon, he felt soft ground underneath him. He was suddenly so tired. So very tired.

A gentle Wind touched his face. It was almost like a caress. He leaned into it, feeling the weariness grow stronger. He could stay here forever. There is no point to keep looking for Laoise. She was probably long dead. And even if she wasn’t dead, she wouldn’t love him. There was no way. There was no point.

The Wind pulled at his hands, still clutching the box of aye-flame embers. Their glow could not compete with the growing darkness. One by one, the Wind plucked out an ember and extinguished it – slowly, deliberately – with a soft sigh. And with every ember quelled, Darach felt himself sinking deeper into the earth, deeper into the deepest, darkest nothing he had ever experienced. He could not fight it. He would not fight it. He would surrender to the Void.