Shattered Destiny

Mid-morning sunlight poured across the mountainside, marking the line where the dense forest ended and the desert basin began. Everything was still. Vin dangled from the edge of a cliff. One hand clawed at the rock while the other remained locked in the trembling grip of his daughter, Ari. Ari lay near the ledge, struggling to hold on. Her boots slid across the loose gravel as she pulled against his weight with everything she had. Their eyes met, and Vin understood something terrible. Ari would allow herself to be pulled over that cliff before she would ever let him go. He kicked at the rock, trying to find somewhere to place his foot. The stones crumbled beneath his boot, sending pebbles rattling into the depths below. “Dad, hold on!” she cried. Vin tried once more, but there was nothing beneath him. No ledge. No foothold. Only open air. He stopped fighting. Then, with his free hand, he began peeling Ari’s fingers away from his wrist. “No—no!” she screamed. She tightened her grip, but Vin had already made his decision. “I love you,” he whispered as their hands separated. Vin fell. The wind roared past him as the sky and mountains turned over and over. Then he saw Ari leap from the cliff after him. She had refused to let him die. The ground rushed toward them. Vin caught broken glimpses of her face, the fear in her eyes and her hand reaching desperately for him. Then something appeared before him. A gauntlet that did not belong in this world. It appeared to be made from black, stone-like skin, with claws carved into its surface. A silent presence pressed against Vin’s mind, offering him the power to save her. But the power was unholy. Ari was still falling above him, drifting farther out of reach. Vin did not hesitate. “SAVE MY DAUGHTER!” He grabbed the demonic gauntlet. Darkness burst around him. His body twisted and began changing. The gauntlet wrapped itself around his forearm, its teeth-like claws piercing his skin and binding it's selves to him. Black wings tore from his back as stone armor formed over his body. Molten cracks glowed beneath its surface. Within a heartbeat, Vin had become something demonic. Ari finally reached him. Her fingertips brushed against his ribcage, and a pulse of white-blue light passed from her body into his. The energy was warm. Alive. Vin felt it rush through his chest alternating the demonic transformation before quickly fading away. He did not understand what had happened, and Ari did not seem to notice. Before the light could spread any farther, the darkness inside him swallowed it, leaving only a faint flicker trapped deep beneath the black stone. The ground was almost upon them. Vin pulled Ari against his chest and wrapped his wings around her. They struck the earth. The ground exploded beneath them, throwing dirt and broken rock in every direction. Dust rolled outward in a thunderous wave before everything became quiet. Then Vin drew a breath. He slowly opened his eyes. His hands were no longer made of flesh. They had become stone and claw, and his chest was covered in black armor split by glowing molten cracks. He stared at his hands, both amazed and horrified by what he had become. Then he remembered Ari. Afraid of what he might find, Vin slowly opened his wings. A soft glow shone beneath them. Ari lay safely across his chest, dressed in white garments that had not existed moments earlier. Her once-dark hair had turned silver, though streaks of its natural color remained. Radiant white wings now spread from her back. Vin could only stare at her. “How?” he whispered. Ari pushed herself upright and sat beside him. She looked just as confused as he was. “I saw a beautiful gauntlet,” she said. “It was white, with traces of blue. I grabbed it and said, ‘Save my father.’ Then…this happened.” A thin ribbon of white-blue light flickered between them, appearing for only a moment before fading. Neither of them had the strength to question it.

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