Warrior (Ch 4,5,6), a short story by F_I_Guindin. Times viewed: 224
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- Intro: Continuation of Warrior (Ch 1,2,3)
Four
Meeting the SilenceWhen she was clean and dressed, she opened the door and stepped outside. The light from the outside was even brighter than the one inside the bedroom. She looked around. She was in a hallway that reminded her of the pictures her French teacher showed her class of Versailles once. In the wall to her right, there were windows. The space between the windows alternated between columns wrapped with vines and statues of angels kneeling on their left knee, with their left hand on top of their right knee and holding a sword with their other hand, and bowing their heads. The swords on their right hands, was jutting out of the base of the sculpture, as if the angels were pushing their swords into the ground. Terra thought that such action represented power, while the angel bowing their heads represented respect.
To her left, Terra could see a huge painting on the wall. It looked as if it never ended, its images continuing down the hallway. She looked at the painting more closely and saw angels. What is it with angels in here? The painting itself looked as if it was from the Renaissance period, but she wasn't sure how old the place was. She wasn't sure if the place was old because its beauty could triumph over its age.
Terra realized that she had been standing in the middle of the hallway and that Skye must be losing his patience by now. What was it that he had said to her? Follow the silence and he'll tell you where I am, Skye had said. Terra closed her eyes and let her ears take over. She could hear the wind from outside brushing the trees - or could she? Suddenly she felt something beat against her body, just below her collar bone. She thought of her dad's necklace and -
The air around her swiftly changed. "I thought for a moment that Skye had not told you how to summon me," said a voice and Terra quickly opened her eyes and turn to see - "Operor non vereor, for I am with you, Terra."
She had been feeling ill, as if she were about to pass out or puke before he said the words. Then, her vision cleared. She could see him now. His kind, calm, pleasing, reassuring, and welcoming smile... there was something about his smile and his eyes that made the air around him shine, thought not literally. He didn't have a halo but he did have wings. His wings extended from his back gracefully. They were not like a bird's; instead, they extended up at an angel and then fell down the side in curtains of white feathers. The sun reflected in them, making some feathers look gold instead of white. They looked so soft, like his face and curly golden hair - soft and comforting. She felt the urge to extend her arm and touch them...
The angel must have seen the expression in her face because he smiled and ruffled her hair playfully before setting his palm on her shoulder, sending electric waves down her spine. "Sorry for scaring you, I should have guessed you've never seen an angel before. At least," he added, "not one with wings."
Terra wanted to ask a lot of questions to him, but when she tried, all she accomplished was staring at him uselessly with her mouth half-open. The angel spoke again, "My name is Charoum. I'm the angel of silence." He smiled once again, but this time it looked as if he pitied her. "I'm making you nervous, sorry."
Enough! Terra said to herself and forced herself to talk, "How - how do you know my name?" Her words tripped over each other, her voice trembling. But she wasn't scared. She couldn't be scared.
For a moment Terra thought that Charoum was going to laugh at her, but he didn't. Instead his golden eyes kept projecting the same kindness and calmness. She wondered if they ever changed, after all, he was an angel. Finally, he spoke, "Angels know everyone's name just by looking at their auras." He added, "Just like you realized I was an angel just by looking at me and not a monster."
He was right, she had realized he was an angel from the moment his image fell against her eyes, even thought she was shocked because she never imagined she would see an angel until she died. "Am I dead?" She asked him.
His features changed like a blooming flower. He looked sad this time. "No," he simply said. Terra had not realized she had been holding her breath when she exhaled in relief. "But you're not alive either," he added when Terra thought he wasn't going to say anything else. This time she gasped.
"What?"
"I should reword that. You're not in your dimension. You're in another dimension - or world - however you want to call it," he said. "But I should let Skye explain it, so follow me." He put an arm around Terra's shoulders and they both walked in silence the rest of the way. It was not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. Terra noticed that he moved gracefully, without making any sound while he walked. Is this why he's the angel of silence or is this something every angel can do? She wondered.
Charoum opened the double doors in front of them, and bowed, motioning for Terra to enter. She walked into the massive room. It was a living room with four huge columns holding up a dome-shaped painted ceiling. This time, instead of the painting telling a story, as the one in the hallway had, it showed clouds and angels extending their arms as if to help the viewer climb up. The way to Heaven, she thought. Her gaze returned to eye-level. Charoum had closed the door and was now standing next to her, his wings tucked neatly at his sides.She glanced around the room - there was a grand piano by one of the columns, in the middle there was a sofa, a loveseat, a coffee table with a tray on it, and...
Skye.
He was lying in the loveseat, his back to them, apparently reading a book. He looked up at them and smiled, looking more amused than happy. "I'm surprised you found him," he said.
"Very funny, Skyler Hawkseeker," said a Charoum. The tone in his voice wasn't cold but it wasn't very nice either - wasn't frightening but it wasn't comforting. Terra turned her head and looked at him. There was a sudden fierceness in his features, but he looked tired, as if he'd been doing this for years.
"I know, right? I'm hilarious," Skye said as he sighed and sank back into the white cushions of the love seat.
Charoum seemed to ignore his comment, "You could have at least told her about us."
"And she would have believed me be-"
Terra cut him off. "Don't speak of me as if I wasn't standing here," she said. Then she regretted saying it because, after all, he had been right.
"My apologies, cousin," said Charoum.
"Cousin?" Terra raised an eyebrow. She didn't know if she could be more confused than she was now.
Charoum opened his mouth just when Skye sighed and said, "We should talk," he raised his arm and pointed at the sofa, "Come, sit," he ordered. Terra obediently sat on the sofa. It was comfortable, more comfortable than it had looked from where she was standing a minute ago. "Where should I start?" He said as he sat up straight.
"Maybe at the beginning?" Terra suggested.
Skye responded with a mischievous, crooked smile, and said, "Alright."
Five
A New RaceThen the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
-Genesis 6:3-4
"There are three Spheres in the Angelic Hierarchy - each one containing three Angelic Choirs. The First Sphere - the guardians of God's throne - contains the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Erelim. The Second Sphere - the heavenly governors - is made up of the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Powers. Then there's the Third Sphere - the messengers and soldiers - which is made up of the Principalities, the Archangels, and the Angels. Then, there's the Nephilim - the offspring of Angels. Nephilim have always been here, ever since God created man. Some believe we are the offspring of the descendants of Seth, but not really, not originally, there were Nephilim even before Seth."
"We?" Terra asked.
"Shh! Let me finish," Skye ordered and continued his story. "There are good Nephilim and bad Nephilim. The good Nephilim are the offspring of angels and humans while the bad Nephilim - the Rephaim - are the offspring of fallen angels and humans - demons - the offspring of the descendants of Seth.
"My guess is you have heard about Lucifer at least once in your life," he said and paused. Terra guessed he was waiting for a response, so she nodded. "Good. Well as you may already know, Lucifer was one of the Archangels. God loved Lucifer like he loves everyone else. But Lucifer was special. He was everything anyone could hope to be - he was smart, charming, handsome, and powerful. He was the closest thing to perfection. But he had too much pride. Lucifer thought that he could be much more than smart and handsome, that he could have more power - he thought that he could be perfect, that he could be better than God. He used his charm to make a circle of angels. They turned their backs against God and started worshipping Lucifer as their god.
"There was turmoil in Heaven and God sent the other Archangels, lead by Michael, to cast Lucifer and his circle out of Heaven. He fell, was removed from his throne and, instead of rising above God, he was sent to abyss - to the underworld, Hades. He was cursed and can never get out of there. And that's when his name changed to Satan, the adversary. It's said he continually flies the air of the abyss.
"As for his circle, they became fallen angels too, but they were not cursed like Satan was because they were not as powerful as Satan, they could be easily killed, as opposed to Satan - he is immortal. However, humans didn't have the power to fight against demons and fallen angels - that's when the Nephilim came in. The angels have limited access to earth. They can't come and go as they like. In fact, only souls and humans can enter earth as they like. Sure there are the guardian angels that are attached to every person, but angels need permission to kill because they were made to protect.
"The angels and the Holy Council had a meeting and decided that they needed someone else to protect the humans so they made the Nephilim by breeding men with angels. The blood of the angels runs in our veins - their strength, their goodness, their good looks, everything - and so does the blood of humans - their ability to enter earth. The Nephilim can't enter Heaven until they die but they can enter here, Ceryliach - and so can angels." Skye smiled at Charoum, who was sitting next to Terra.
"But of course," he added, "There's always a flip side. Satan learned about the Nephilim and he decided to experiment. He sent the fallen angels to earth and they raped the people - their offspring became the Rephaim." Terra gasped at this. "When the Rephaim were old enough to conceive their own, they started reproducing - but so did we. Ever since, there has been a continual power struggle between good and evil, known as the Armageddon." Skye paused for a second. "This," he moved his arms as if meaning the whole place, "Is Ceryliach, the home of the Nephilim. Only Nephilim and angels are allowed to enter." He paused once again, and this time Terra was pretty sure he finished.
"And you are telling me why?" Terra asked. "And where is Justin?"
This time it was Charoum who spoke, "Terra, don't you get it?" he sighed as Terra turned her head to look at him. "You are one of the Nephilim."
Six
Ave Atque Beatus ExsistoBelieve in Strength
Believe in Courage
Believe in Honor
Believe that everyone has the power to be good at heart-Believe by Chelsea Varvaro
"Justin is fine, I already told you," Skye reassured her. "But - Terra, is that your name?" Terra noticed that Charoum glanced around the room as if he were uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything.
Terra was confused. She was more confused than she has ever been. "Yes - well, no - that's my nickname. My full name is Teresa Raquel Meadowland." Terra looked down at the floor. She had always thought she was not normal, but she didn't know if she could live knowing she was not normal.
"Look, Terra - er, Teresa, I didn't bring you here and tell you all this for nothing. You had to know it. If you didn't know this, if we hadn't found you..." He trailed off.
Terra was getting impatient. "If you wouldn't have told this to me this, then what?" She snapped the question at him.
"You would have been killed," Charoum said. He placed his warm hand on top of hers. "Sorry, but it's like that. Nephilim kill the Rephaim but the Rephaim kill the Nephilim. It's like a curse for being Michael's warriors."
"No - I was fine," Terra declared so abruptly that Charoum flinched, and she couldn't help it but feel sorry for him. This was not his fault. "I was fine until you," she stood up and pointed at Skye, "came around. Now I'm-"
"Enough!" Skye scowled, "You were being attacked by three demons when we found you. If you would have known about the Nephilim, maybe your friend wouldn't be back at the Headquarters struggling for his life because he got half of his soul eaten by a demon-" Skye suddenly stopped talking and turned pale. Terra had had enough already. She felt as if her knees couldn't hold her anymore. "Teresa, I-"
Terra clamped her mouth with her hands and shook her head so hard that it made her hair bounce against her face. She felt hot tears stinging and begging to pour out of her eyes like an ant trying to escape out of water. I'm not gonna cry, she told herself.
Just then, the door opened and Terra fought against her blurry vision to look at the figures entering the room. She saw a guy with shaggy, jet black hair, longer at the sides than the back. He was probably a little older than her. There was also a blonde girl with curly hair. She was probably around Terra's age, maybe a little younger. Her skin was very pale and the color of her cheeks made her look like a porcelain doll. Behind her was a tall man that was probably in his late-twenties. His skin was tan and his head shaved. They came to a halt just at the top of the steps that lead to the circular area below the dome were the sofa, the loveseat, and the table were.
"Are we... interrupting something?" asked the tall man as he raised an eyebrow.
"No, not at all. In fact," added Skye, "I was just gonna call you guys. This is Teresa Raquel," he motioned towards Terra."Ah," said the tall man sounding curious, "So this is her." He walked down the steps and in front of Terra. She thought he was gonna give her a handshake, but instead he placed his right hand in a fist over his chest, were his heart should be, and bowed. "Ave atque beatus exsisto," he said.
Skye made a weird noise as if he was trying hard not to laugh. The tall man turned to look at him. They held their gazes for ten seconds and Terra couldn't help it but think they were using telepathy because just before the man turned to look at her again, Skye nodded.
"Sorry," he said, "My name is Blaze. I'm Skyler's mentor," he smiled. "They," he motioned at the blonde girl and the jet black-haired boy, "are also my apprentices - Annalise and Erik." The girl smiled and waved while the boy placed his right fist over his hand and nodded.
"Nice to meet you." Terra wondered if she was supposed to bow like he had done but when Blaze continued, she decided that probably not.
"I heard about your friend," said Blaze, "Honestly, we don't know if he'll make it. We're-"
"I want to see him," Terra cut him off. Blaze stared at her, a hard look on his face. "Please," she begged him.
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Skye, go with Erik and open the portal." It was an order. The guys headed out the door, leaving Terra, Charoum, Blaze, and Annalise in the room. "I need you to promise me something before you go."
"Um, okay." She didn't know what she had to promise a man she had just met five minutes ago but she said it anyway.
"Promise me that you'll come back."
"I - For what? I don't live here. My family is waiting for-"
"Your father sent you here, Terra," said Blaze, "He sent you here to protect you. It was his last request before he died." The words slapped Terra across the face.
Her father.
"I promise."
Blaze nodded at Charoum, who was standing by Terra. Charoum placed a hand over her shoulder. Blaze placed his right fist over his heart and nodded. "Ave atque beatus exsisto, Terra Meadowland."
Charoum guided Terra out the door and Blaze watched them depart the room and close the door behind them. "Ave atque beatus exsisto," he repeated, still holding his closed fist over his heart.
Seven
Terra's Guilt
Terra and Charoum walked the rest of the way in silence. Terra was looking at the painting in the wall. Now she could understand what it was about - it was the story Skye had told her. She still, however, didn't know who painted it. Before today she had never seen the painting but it looked oddly familiar - and expensive. She thought she would ask.
"Charoum?"
"Michelangelo," he said without even looking at her. Surely he meant something else.
"Huh?" She asked, confused.
"You were gonna ask who painted the wall - it was Michelangelo," this time he turned to look at her and grinned.
"Michelangelo painted this?" She pointed at the wall and looked at Charoum unbelievingly.
"Yes, Terra," his grin seemed to widen, "he was a good man - and a Nephilim." His grin faded and he looked at the floor, lost in thought.
"Did you just say Michelangelo was a good man?" Her eyes widened even more.
"I'm far older than you may think." He smiled at her, clearly aware of her thoughts. Terra was about to ask him how did he know what she was going to ask when he stopped in front of some double doors and opened them. "Good luck, Terra, beatus exsisto."
"You're not going?" Terra asked.
"I can't. Plus," he added, "I have to report to my higher ups."
"But - oh." The angels have limited access to earth. They can't come and go as they like. "It was nice meeting you, Charoum," she smiled at him, "I hope we can meet again."
"Let's hope so, cousin." He nodded and smiled. Terra turned and entered the room. She walked down the hallway as the door behind her closed.
Cousin.
She was cousins with an angel - more like the way they referred to each other. She wondered if angels went to Nephilim houses when they were eleven years old to play Rampage or Kingdom Hearts in Playstation. She remembered the way Skye had toyed with his blade yesterday and decided that they probably didn't and it was better to skip the thought. Instead, she concentrated in something else: her father.
He had sent her here to protect her. But what did he know about this place? What did he know about the Nephilim? Maybe he was one himself, Terra thought. Maybe he knew. Well that changes everything.
She passed through an arched opening at the end of the hallway, entering a small room and, sure enough, found Erik and Skye standing in front of a mirror.
"What is that?" Skye asked curiously and pointed at her.
"Very funny, Skye," said Terra. Just as swiftly and quick as a cat, he moved and was in front of her in a second. He put her hand in his and his grip was so tight that she could feel her pulse in her hand. No - not her pulse, she recognized. She had been holding her father's necklace in her hand without realizing, and it was beating, like a heart. She opened her eyes and stared at it in amazement.
Skye turned the necklace in his hands. "Wings - that just gives us more proof that you're a Nephilim." He smiled and turned. He walked in front of the mirror and placed a hand on it. "When I open the portal and we go in, Terr - sorry, Teresa - whatever happens, don't let go of my hand until we get to the other side," he said. "Got it?" He turned to look at her.
"Got it. And, Skye," Terra added, "you can call me Terra." She saw the hint of a smile before he turned. What was weird was that his reflection was not in the mirror anymore. Now the mirror looked more like a window than anything else and there was an image Terra couldn't quite make out.
"Okay, it's ready," he said more to him than anyone else. "Give me your hand." Terra took placed her tiny hand in his humongous one and curled her fingers with his, locking their hands together. Erik nodded at Skye and went through the mirror, vanishing into nothingness, as if it he was diving into motionless water. "You have to run, we have one minute to get to the other side." Before she could ask what would happen if they didn't get to the other side, he half-shoved her half-dragged her towards the mirror. She thought she was going to bump against it but instead she went through it and suddenly she was running in a place that was pitch black with a tiny light across them that was brighter than the brightest star she had ever seen. She realized it was getting dimmer by the second.
"What is that?" she asked and then realized it wasn't a good idea. She had never been into sports and running this fast and talking at the same time was painful to her lungs.
"Don't speak, run," Skye said, clearly noticing her sudden loss of breath. She ran as fast as she could, yet, somehow, Skye was still dragging her. Erik was a few yards ahead of them. Skye cussed and, unexpectedly, swept her up in his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. "Hold on!" he exclaimed. The light was getting dimmer and dimmer... Skye ran faster and faster - faster than any human being ever could. She saw Erik disappear through the dimming light, and, just before the light got as dark as the rest of the place, Skye jumped through it.
Then, they were falling, but Skye was still holding her. His arms around her gave her the impression that she was safe. They hit the ground, and hard. Terra shut her eyes. Then they were rolling and rolling on the ground, down a hill. They stopped and Terra opened her eyes. Skye cussed and he, too, opened his eyes. She realized she was on top of him, their faces just inches away from each other's.
Skye grinned and said, "Enjoying the moment, I see."
Terra gasped, gave Skye a look, and quickly stood up. Her face suddenly felt very hot. She knew she was probably blushing, so she looked away trying hard to concentrate on something else. There was a figure running towards them. Terra squinted against the fun to get a better view - it was Erik.
He stopped in front of her. "Are you guys okay?" He said, sounding out of breath.
"We're fine," she answered.
"You don't look fine." Skye grabbed her arm and turned it to show a cut in her forearm.
"It's just a cut," she said and hugged her arm against her chest. "It doesn't hurt," she assured them. "Where are we?"
"Planet Earth. Chicago to be more specific, Teresa" Skye told her. She didn't like to be called by her first name and it was irritating her already, which gave Skye a look of pure pleasure.
"This is the Headquarters, Terra," said Erik. He pointed at the apartment-looking building in front of them. Then, he moved towards the black gothic style fence and opened it. Skye and Terra passed through and he closed it behind them. Skye stopped in front of the double doors and knocked on them. A minute later, a tall man in all-black appeared, looking nervous and sad.
The man looked straight at Terra the moment the door opened. "You're Terra," he said. It didn't sound like a question but there was a pause and Terra decided to nod. "Come quickly, your friend is on his death bed. He has been asking for you."
Terra didn't hesitate or ask. Justin was about to die. Not only that - but this was her fault. She followed the tall man, stumbling while trying to keep his pace. He was fast. They went across a room, another one, and then took a left on the hallway. There he was - lying on a white bed, the curtains had been pulled open. He was connected to what seemed like fifty machines.
Terra stood by the bed. "Justin?" She whispered as she took his hand in hers. She felt hot tears slowly escaping her eyes. Justin opened his eyes and looked straight at hers. Looking at him like this, it made her feel guilty - not only feel but she knew she was guilty. "I'm sorry," she sobbed.
"You did... good..." He smiled at her and winced in pain.
"Don't-" she sobbed, "don't leave me." She leaned her forehead against his.
"I won't... I'll al- always... look-" his voice trailed off as he turned pale until he was almost as white as the bed sheets.
"Justin!" She gasped. "Justin!"
"I always... knew... you were an... angel." He whispered. Justin inhaled as his eyes closed, as if he was trying to smell life for the last time, and he exhaled and went limp.
"No!" Terra yelled. "Justin - Justin don't! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed. She let herself lean more closely to him.
Terra felt a warm hand on her shoulder "Terra, he's gone," whispered Skye to her ear. "You can let go now."
"No... No..." She said, "I can never let go of him. Don't you get it?" She turned to look at him but still held Justin's hand. "Don't you get it, Skye? I can't..."
"Yes, you can," he assured her. "You can, I know it." He looked her in the eyes and placed his free hand on top of her's and Justin's, helping her let go bit by bit. She did - and when she did, Skyler swept her in his arms, hugging her reassuringly. His embrace said, you can, I know you can. "Deus tecum, Justin," She heard Skye whisper between her sobs.
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