Blessed by Night

Chapter 170  Death & Mothers

Aubrey took a deep breath as she tried to calm her raging heartbeat.

She stared with a dry mouth at the furry four legged creature opposite her, and the resolve that she'd been building up threatened to come crashing down.

"I can't do it!" She cried as she turned around.

Through a large glass window, she could see Rose and Aisha watching her in a viewing room.

"Aubrey, Mr. Needles has a brain tumor the size of a golf ball, he's already going to die." Rose reasoned.

"There is nothing that your powers will do to him that isn't already happening at a much slower and more painful rate." Aisha added.

Aubrey turned her attention back to the old golden retriever lying on the metal table.

Even if the girls didn't tell her about the dog's condition, she knew that this animal was not long for this world.

She could just… feel it.

The aura of death slipping off the dog in waves was so terrible that she doubted that it would even make it through the week.

And yet, she was still having a great difficulty in coming to terms with harming such a cute animal.

She couldn't help it if she was a dog person!

The dog looked at her with bloodshot eyes and let out a painful whimper as it lie pitifully on it's back.

Aubrey bit her lip uncomfortably as she stared back into the pained eyes of the dog and held out her hands.

"I'm sorry, big guy.  I hope you lived a good life while you had it. "

Focusing on the power over death that she had been given by her older brother Thanatos, she willed her powers to do something, anything.

Since she had never tried to use this power before, she was unsure of what exactly she was supposed to make happen.

As of now, she really had no specific knowledge in mind, just a fervent wish to see this poor animal reach eternal rest.

And somehow, it seemed like that was more than enough.

A power like that of a swirling black mist encircled her delicate fingers and turned her nails permanently dark.

She gave the dog a single reassuring pat on the head and whispered the words 'good boy' as a tear fell from her eyes.

The dog started to have more and more difficulty keeping it's eyes open, and it finally let it's tail droop onto the metal table.

Aubrey smiled wryly as she continued to cry.

As the dog died, she could see flashes of the life it had lived and it's most impactful experiences.

It had indeed lived a good life from beginning to end.

Aubrey heard the sound of a door opening to her left and found her girlfriend running at her quickly.

She dispelled the power still lingering on her hands and quickly put them behind her back to avert disaster.

"W-What are you doing, we said it was dangerous!"

"I know, but how do you expect me to just sit behind a wall a few feet away when you're clearly in distress?? Let me hug you!"

"N-No!"

"Yes, come here!"

"Noooo!"

A scene like that of an old cartoon ensued where Aubrey and Aisha ran around in circle around the table.

Aubrey was adamant about her unwillingness to let her girlfriend touch her and wouldn't stop running no matter how much Aisha pleaded. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She likely would have kept running for forever had she not eventually been caught by a pair of different, equally firm arms.

"R-Rose?! What are you doing, I could-"

"I'm fine, Aubrey. Just relax. You aren't going to hurt either of us."

As the architect of this whole event, she was the one who felt the most guilty.

Her father owned a veterinary clinic and was lamenting about the fact that he was going to have to put down a longtime patient, and Rose saw it as an opportunity to help Aubrey practice with her powers for the first time.

She had no idea that it would affect the young woman to this degree.

"I'm sorry, Aubrey. This is really not all my fault." She said.

"N-No it's not, I had to practice at some point, right…? I just wasn't expecting my powers to come with… that kind of effect."

""Effect?""

Aubrey gave both girls a detailed explanation of how she saw the dog's whole life flash before her eyes as she killed it.

It was a horribly morbid and tragic experience to undergo.

"I'm sorry, Rose but… can we just go for today?" Aubrey asked.

"…Of course you can. I'll call you later to check on you."

Aubrey hugged the gorgeously fit woman once again before taking Aisha's hand and leaving the room.

As they left, Rose let her gaze linger on the backs of the two of them for a little while longer, and it was unclear exactly what she was thinking.

"Fuck… I really did just want to help you, Aubrey.."

-

As the pair of girls left the veterinary clinic, they remained silent as they held each other's hands and walked to the car.

Aisha noticed that Aubrey was consistently trying to pull away from her, but she maintained her firm grip and did not allow her to run away.

"Babe… you won't hurt me. You've maintained a firm control over your powers all this time, and there is no reason to believe that you would have an incident now."

Aubrey softened a bit and finally stopped pulling away from her partner.

"Okay…"

"Why don't we go and get something to eat, hm? Food always takes your mind off of…. Who is that??"

Aisha and Aubrey were rather alarmed to find a woman sitting on the hood of their car.

While Aisha did not recognize her, Aubrey did immediately.

"Momma!"

"I didn't think you would recognize me. I am touched beyond belief." Nyx said warmly.

It was no surprise that Aisha didn't recognize her.

Because they were in public, Nyx's body had taken on a less conspicuous form.

Since physical appearance was nothing to her, she specifically crafted one that would make her look like her human children.

She had flawless skin of a lighter brown variety with long black hair that had Aubrey's natural curls.

Her features were sharp like Malachi's, and she was very clearly the source of his divine looks.

Her body was rather voluptuous, and was hidden beneath a normal black sundress instead of the usual one she wore that was made from stars.

The only part of her that was inhuman were her eyes.

Instead of being normal with pupils, retina, and sclera, they were entirely comprised of darkness with shining stars embedded within.

Nyx held out her arms and allowed Aubrey to fly into them.

After everything that she'd just been through, there could be nothing more healing than her mother's embrace.

And now that she was here, there was something that she desperately wanted to ask for.

"M-Momma, I need you to help me!"

"With what, dear? You need only name it."

"I-I don't want Thanatos' power anymore, I want you to give it back to him!"

Nyx smiled sadly as she cupped Aubrey's face and wiped away her running tears.

"My girl… You have no idea just how special you are. The requirements to hold the true power of death are a truly kind heart and a mind capable of understanding and empathizing with all life. Even your brother doesn't meet the criteria to hold it."

"I-I don't care, I just don't want to hurt anyone on accident!" She said firmly.

"Aubrey, you have to trust in yourself and give yourself more credit. The truth is that if you haven't had an accident with your power by now, then you aren't going to.

Your power is now just as much yours as it is your elder brother's, and that means that you alone have total control of it."

"Are you sure…?"

"Well if you sneeze too hard then you might have a little accident, but-"

"W-What?!"

"Kidding!"

Nyx kissed Aubrey on the forehead lightly and pulled her in for another tender embrace.

"I know your power may feel scary, but the truth is that you are more than capable of overcoming it. All you need is a little time and patience, okay?"

"…Will you help me?" Aubrey asked quietly.

Nyx felt like such a question was more than a little silly and she rubbed her back as she laughed.

"Of course I will. You are my beloved daughter after all."