Devotion Emma

Jack knelt in front of the tombstone he spent his last shillings on. Adaline’s family wanted to throw her body into the Pit of Lost Souls. They had told him that her empty body wasn’t worth the cost of a spot in the Lunaris cemetery.

Jack’s heart ached at the constant reminder of her transformation. He cursed the Lunaris malediction that intercepted the womens’ souls on the way to Afterlife, forcing them into a sort of purgatory before eternity.

The last image Jack had of Adaline was her frail body lying in the infirmary, her shaking hand stretched towards Jack and her face ghost white. Her image conquered his every thought.

He stretched out his hand to caress the edge of her tombstone, imagining the soft curve of her face. It would’ve been better if she died. Adaline’s body lay in the dirt beneath his knees, but her soul didn’t go to Afterlife. It was stuck in the stream.

“Come visit me at the stream, darling,” Adeline’s last words floated through his memories, never leaving his mind. He knew that her spirit would reside at the stream until she trapped a male soul, but was he ready to give his soul to the Afterlife?

Jack’s knees shook as he rose from the muddy grave. A hand clapped his shoulder.

“Let’s go, buddy. It’s time to get back to the troops,” Aaron said.

“What’s the point?”

“The point is that life goes on. You’ve got me and the rest of our rank supporting you. Plus, there’s no shortage of girls swooning over our troop. You’ll have another one in no time.”

Jack spun on his heel to face Aaron, throwing his hands in the air. “I don’t want another one. I just want her.” His voice echoed off the tombstones around them.

“Fine, then. Waste your life on a seductress. I’ll see you when you realize there’s more to life than her.” Aaron trudged across the cemetery towards the center of Lunaris, leaving Jack in the mud.

Taking one last look at Adaline’s grave, Jack strode toward Siren’s Stream just outside Lunaris. He ducked under the gate, disregarding the posted sign to keep out.

Ahead of Jack laid a dirt path, beaten down by the lost men before him and an arched brick bridge. The posts on either side of the bridge had beautiful water creatures inscribed in the brick. Already, the sirens could smell his presence and were clawing up the bricks to get closer to their victim. Their scales glittered in the sun. He was entranced from the moment he laid eyes on the gorgeous creatures.

He knew there were plenty of spirits here at the stream of women in his town that physically died, but he was only there for one specific soul.

As he stumbled toward the center of the bridge, a siren more beautiful than the rest waited for him, perched on the edge. Tears formed in his eyes when he saw her.

“You came back for me,” Adeline said in a melodic, sultry voice.

“I can’t live without you.”

When he reached her in the center of the bridge, she clasped her hands around his neck, leaning backward. His body followed hers as the couple tumbled over the side of the bridge. The two of them fell to the water, embraced as their souls ascended to Afterlife together.