Collab: Higher

Better believe the sea of changes,
And put these battered bones to rest,
Nothing invisible or nameless.
Leave no reason to confess,
And raise our voices,
Higher, higher.

----

He had been different without Ira. Weaker, and reckless. But now she had brought him back to life. He had always been hers.
“I love you, Ira.” He whispered to her, his eyes serious and soft. The full depth of his emotion could be found there.
“There is no end to our story.”
This was pure. This was perfect. This was the only truth she needed.

Fire

At first, there was light. Slowly his clouded vision ceded to a warm, golden glow. The perpetual darkness had finally parted in a moment of clarity. He regained feeling in his limbs and punctured the earth with his claws as he shifted. He could feel the cold stone under his hips, but it was a sensation he welcomed.
Faust inhaled, drawing the cool air deep into his lungs- but then his breath caught in his chest. His body writhed and his lips pulled back over his incisors in a wrathful snarl. He thrashed his head from side-to-side, as a hollow growl ripped from his throat. Everywhere smelled of her. But she was dead.
Ira. Her ghost was there, always there taunting him from the shadows just out of reach. He could never see her face. He could never touch her. It was an agonizing fate much worse than death, to be so near yet so far from her. Even now she stood before him, drifting among the shifting golden rays.

----

 
It's finally happening!!
A collab with the wonderful WynBird, featuring our characters Ira and Faust! She did the characters, and I did the BG! 

Ira & art (c) WynBird
Faust & art (c) Tazihound