24 UNDYING PAIN

"What do you mean?" Bliss said.

"In the book it said that the Shadows are a reflection of unrest and discord in the world. The Shadows symbolize darkness, while we, as a people, we are the light. We have a spiritual light and a physical light. Our physical light is our amulets. The physical light fades when we are in darkness in the physical world, therefore any darkness in our spiritual self is amplified. This explains why the worst part of ourselves is present when the Shadows consume our amulet's light. At death, only our physical light, not our spiritual light dies. The spiritual light is then transferred to the amulet, as a reminder of the life you lived."

Bliss interrupted, "How can that be? When people die their amulets go colorless."

"That's the questionable part, because I thought that too. But Creed gave me my mother's box from the SSS, when I opened it her amulet was still glowing. The book said that if you offer spiritual light to the Gate, the Shadows will not have the strength to open the Gate again because darkness cannot triumph over light."

"Song, hold up. The Shadows come down and consume the light from the amulets every night, so how can that be?"

"This is where everything fell into place. The Gate is the key. We give the Gate strength and we, as a people, also weaken it. When there is too much dissatisfaction and discord, the Gate becomes weak and is unable to hold the Shadows. On the other hand, our spiritual light can strengthen the Gate. Onyx's parents were the Guardians of the Gate. When the Capital became bait for the Shadows, they knew that the Gate couldn't hold them anymore."

"So, they took the risk to raid the Capital, knowing that the Gate was on the verge of being too weak to contain Shadows. The SSS stopped them, so does that make the SSS the enemy?" Bliss asked.

"No, they honestly believe that the Capital is saving souls. And oddly enough, it is saving them. Why? I don't know. But remember, the SSS fund all Shadowhunter arenas, and most Shadowhunters are from the SSS. The Guardians of the Gate are appointed by the SSS. They are not the enemy. Like I said earlier about intentions, the SSS thought they were doing the right thing and in their misunderstanding, they made a mistake." Song explained.

"Alright, I hear you, but why did you say that you don't know if you can do it? It seems like you have an idea." Bliss inquired.

"My mother's amulet is glowing, it's in my possession. I now can remember her like never before. I could offer her amulet to the Gate. I would have to offer the fragments left of her to the Gate, but once I do that the amulet won't have light anymore. I don't know if I'm strong enough to lose her all over again. I know it's selfish, but ..." Song trailed off on the verge of tears.

Bliss embraced her. Song had been through so much and was still trying to be strong. She knew how it felt to lose parents once, but Bliss could not imagine the feeling of having to live through it twice. She didn't know what to tell her, for nothing would make her feel any better. Bliss hated the Shadows and what they do to her people. The pain, the suffering, the sorrow; the Shadows reflect the darkness of the world. Would there ever be an end to this undying pain?

Bliss was thankful that Song could tell her this and wanted to motivate her to make the best decision so she told Song, "Ask your father what to do. Your mother was his wife, ask him what to do."

Red eyed Song looked up and wiped her eyes dry, "Okay, I will ask him." Bliss exited the room to give Song her just space. As she walked downstairs, she could see Creed bringing his things in. Free had already left. For a moment, she tried to put herself into Creed's shoes. A shadowhunting prodigy, who had lost everything, and who trusted no one. He must be feeling the same kinds of things Song feels. Bliss reflected on what Song said about him having the best intentions.

"How long are you going to be staring at my back?" Creed asked with his back turned, breaking Bliss' train of thought.

"I'm sorry that I was a little harsh earlier, I just wanted the best for Song. I thought..." She trailed off, at a loss for words.

"No hard feelings, I understand completely, and I thank you for being there for her. But you don't have to worry too much. At the end of the day, I would never hurt her, she's all I have now." Creed spoke honestly.

An idea sparked in Bliss' mind after hearing Creed speak. "Well, she could really use your advice, it's about something important to her. I tried to give her something, but I know that it's not enough." Bliss continued to the door.

"Well what is it about?" Creed asked.

"She should be the one to tell you." Bliss whispered before walking out of the door.

Creed felt a little confused. Song keeps herself together so much, that it's a little hard to figure out the difference between something being wrong and her being in deep thought. But, if something was bothering her, he didn't want to leave her alone and hurting. He knew what it was like to be in pain, and left facing it and the world alone. That was him for years, eventually he forgot that he needed friends and family. Creed had been without for so long, that he was his own team, and at times he still acts that way, much to Song's annoyance. Thinking of Song, he needed to check on her.