The Chosen - 13. Ceremonies of Death and Miracles

[Chapter 13]

Something settled on my thigh and I grumbled waving at it half-asleep. It moved higher up my body and circled my waist. I cracked open my eyes and immediately winced at the sunbeams drifting through the windows. The sunlight filled the room and I wanted to throw a fireball at the birds chirping outside the window. It felt entirely too close to sunrise. I was never up this early. I touched my head and sighed in relief, thankful that I didn't wake up with a hangover.

Something grabbed at my waking thoughts. There was something staring me right in the face and I was missing it. What in the hell was around my waist? I looked down following the arm wrapped my waist and up until I found whom it belonged to. Adam's sleeping face was so innocent that I didn't notice my hand running through his hair until he shifted. What the deuce! I snatched my hand back.

"Is this a Coyote Ugly moment?" I thought aloud. I traced those soft lips with my eyes. "Definitely not."

Adam moved and his arm shifted up against my chest. I looked down at the arm holding me and my stare locked on his forearm. It was more like what was adorning his forearm. The eight-pointed star tattooed on his arm was done in an eye-catching red ink. Like lightning the epiphany hit me.

No fucking way.

I racked my brain for the exact phrase of what dream Prince Emrys said to me, "You will know Admerion by his mark of the eight-point star..."

I carefully counted the points on the star etched on Adam's arm. Eight. Was this really right? Was Adam Admerion? I stopped and compared the two names. Ad-dum ... Ad-me-re-on. I was shaking. The clue bus should really plow into me and just run me over. Could Adam actually be the last Chosen, my soul mate? I couldn't stop staring at him. My eyes were wide and I couldn't close my mouth. It seemed like I was in shock. I felt something hot pulse in my fingers and my throat, almost possessed by it, barely resisting the urge to wrap my arms around him and bawl my eyes out. I wanted so many things because he was here now and my soul was saying finally, finally, finally.

Adam slowly let out a loud yawn and came awake. His eyes fluttered opened and those clouded gray orbs settled on a spot near my shoulder. I gulped.

"Umm," I choked out. "Hey."

Adam smiled sleepily. "Hi."

The smile was tired and crooked. And frankly cute as hell. It was boyish and it made his face seem full of innocence. Seeing it felt like being hit by a sledgehammer. I teared up and was suddenly glad that he couldn't see the stupidly adoring expression on my face. How many times had I prayed for this moment? To be here with the man who whisked me away in my dreams. My soul mate was here. I had found him and he was mine. But Adam wasn't mine. Adam was Admerion and he used to be mine, but does that still count? Everything that I was screamed that it did count and this was our time. What if Adam didn't even feel the same way for me as he used to?

I was working myself into a panic attack. Slow down, Mary. I had to take this one step at a time. You gotta crawl before you can walk.

"You have a tattoo on your forearm!" I blurted out. Tact was not a trait I had in abundance.

Adam was thrown off by my abruptness. I could see it on his face. "My parents were missionaries. I was born in South America right in the middle of the Amazon. The medicine man of the tribe that delivered me tattooed the symbol on my arm right when I was born. In their language the symbol means miraculous."

I needed to know more. I felt like a drug addict. Or Lindsey Lohan. "Are your parents still in the rainforest?"

Adam exhaled and it wasn't a good sound. It was pained and wary. I know that sigh. How many times had I exhaled with the same wariness? Too many times.

"There was a car accident. My mom and dad didn't make it. I was in the car too. I survived but I lost my sight. I was lucky to be alive they said. It was a miracle the doctors kept saying. Whatever," he said bitterly, then shook his head. "I just wanted my parents. I was eleven when my aunt and uncle took custody of me."

I grabbed his hand and held it. I didn't need to say sorry. I knew how it felt when a parent died. I hated when people told me sorry. What were they sorry for? Sorry wasn't going to bring my dad back, sorry wouldn't change the fact he was gone, sorry did nothing. I didn't want pity. A comforting look was better than a quickly uttered apology. Adam squeezed my hand back and butterflies tied my stomach into knots. I swallowed heavily. Already I felt something before with Adam but now I knew my feelings were just the surface of a deeper well of emotions. Wasn't I just the poster boy for repressed feelings? Move over, Tom Cruise.

"How are you doing?" Adam said breaking the silence. "Are you hurt or anything from last night?"

Nope. Chosen healing at its best. "I'm fine. I feel normal. No soreness or traumatic thoughts. This must be how Kylie Jenner feels after a hard weekend of partying."

He snorted. "You sound just fine alright, funny guy." Adam frowned suddenly, clenching his fists. "I'll get Danny for this, Chad. He's always acted like the worlds biggest whore, but I never thought he would go this far."

"I did lock down the goods on him," I admitted smugly. Hey. Playing the Virgin Card saved me from having my first time be with a psycho. Thanks, 7th Heaven. "I don't think he liked me telling him no too much. Bastard's going to have hell to pay when Kevin-"

"CHAD!"

Oh no. Speaking of...

"Who is that?" Adam said sitting up.

I marveled at the sexiness of his upper body and then immediately scolded myself. This was so not the time. I instinctively grabbed his hand and tugged him out of bed. We went to the door and into the hallway.

"Where in the hell is Chad?" Kevin demanded, nose to nose with Danny, whose right cheek of his face was bruised and caked with dried blood from his busted nose. "Why the Hell do you look like you just got into a fight with Lord Voldemort?"

Kevin heard Adam's bedroom open and looked up as I walked into his line of sight. "Chad! Man, I called your phone but it kept going to voicemail. I told you to charge it up but no!"

He took a step forward and then stopped. Something must have shown on my face. Kevin just stared at me. We literally locked eyes and his brown eyes assessed and weighed me. I couldn't hide anything from him. Kevin found something in my eyes and the next thing I knew his head snapped to Danny, then to me and returned back to Danny.

"Chad?" he said softly, concerned.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to phrase it. Adam gripped my hand offering his silent support. My eyes flickered briefly to Danny and I felt a swirling sense of anxiety, disgust, and anger. I met Kevin's eyes again and I could see as he puzzled it together. His eyes narrowed and he spun around, glaring hard at Danny.

"You fucking asshole!" Kevin snarled.

He spun around so fast that I almost missed the fist that connected solidly with Danny's already busted nose. Mucus and thick globs of blood sprayed as Danny cried out, stumbling backward into the wall behind him. Kevin advanced on him and punched him solidly in the gut knocking all the air from his body.

"You think you can just do my brother like that!" Kevin yelled, kicking him sharply in the ribs. "I knew your ass was prison material. You're going down for this."

I winced as Kevin kicked him again. I couldn't let this continue. As much as I would like to. "Kevin. Stop." He halted mid kick. "Let it go. I just want to leave."

Kevin frowned at me, confused. His face was red with anger. "You can't be serious! This bitch tried to Lifetime movie you and you want to let him go?"

"No, I don't," I answered. "But let's not do this now. I just want to go home."

Kevin kicked him one last time and backed up glaring all the while at Danny's hunched over form. He tried to speak but Kevin raised his foot again and gave him a look that would have made Satan think twice. I breathed out in relief. I didn't want to see Kevin put him in the hospital. There was no telling how far he would have beat up Danny. I didn't need him going to jail for me. Danny would pay but it would be by my hand.

I turned to Adam. "Meet me at Porter Lake around eight," I whispered quietly. "Can you do that?"

"I'll be there," he promised. He released my hand reluctantly then smiled a small sad smile. "I'll take care of Danny. Go home, Chad. Be safe, Princeling."

My head snapped up as shock sent my jaw dropping. "What did you just call me?"

He looked puzzled. "I said be safe, I'll see you later."

I shook my head feeling like the world was spinning. "Sorry, I thought you said something else. I'll meet you tonight." I walked to Kevin's side, who was still looking at me with a small amount of bafflement and a large dose of concern. "Let's go, Kevin."

He hesitated and then sighed giving a slow nod. I followed him down the stairs. Not before giving Danny the coldest look I have ever felt fill me. It conveyed the promise I made earlier. This was far from over. Danny had messed with the wrong gay boy. I wasn't a victim of his scamming ways. I was Chosen and right now I was feeling chosen to whoop his ass. And that made me smile.

I tripped over a passed out girl at the bottom step of the porch and raised my eyebrows at the hundreds of plastic cups, soda cans, and beer bottles littering the front lawn. It was like the after effects of a Post Malone concert. I got into the Blazer and was getting anxious that Kevin hadn't said anything yet. I let him drive and silence filled the car as we merged onto the highway heading south, toward our neighborhood. I looked at Kevin and could see his knuckles were white from clenching the steering wheel so hard.

"Easy there, cowboy," I joked. "You trying to bend the wheel? That'll cost you."

Kevin relaxed his grip after a long moment. "I don't see how you can joke right now." He looked at me worriedly. "Are you even okay? I know he didn't get far-"

"How do you know that?"

Kevin snorted. "His jacked up face was a clue. You fucked him up good. Plus, you came into the hallway with Adam so I figured he kept you safe."

"You're right. I beat his ass good, didn't I?" I admitted with exaggerated arrogance. "He didn't get far. He tried... he really tried. I. I really don't even think I can talk about it."

"I still say we should have killed that asshole," Kevin muttered none too quietly. "Nobody touches you like that. Nobody."

I remembered why he had never been challenged in a fight after middle school right then. Kevin has been taking Judo since he was knee high. When Roger Chambers pushed Kevin into a wall back in eight grade for "making eyes at his girl", Kevin had let loose. Roger ended up with two black eyes and a concussion. Kevin had gotten two detentions, a suspension, and a reputation for being the toughest and best fighter of our class. Danny was lucky that he had gotten off so light as far as I was concerned. I patted his arm and gave him my best I'm okay smile.

"Kevin, we did enough," I said seriously. "I already let him have it." Well, some of it. I still wasn't finished it. "You did also, and plus I think Adam wants a piece of him too."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "I knew that tool was just too charming."

Who are you telling? "I feel so freaking stupid. I was acting like a blushing little twink around him and he turned out to be the biggest sleaze I've ever met. This sucks. I seriously thought he was perfect."

I also thought he had a chance of being Admerion. But that was something I was going to think about later. I was still processing the sudden revelation of Adam being my soul mate. I was always the one behind the curve with the reincarnation. Ryan, Killian, and Nathaniel seemed to be going with the flow and assimilated their past incarnation more easily than I was. I was so into my thoughts that I failed to notice that Kevin had turned onto our street.

He parked in front of my house and killed the engine. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Kevin was giving me that concerned look again. I waved him off and smiled.

"Kevin, I'm alright. Really," I assured him. "I just want to go and get some sleep."

Kevin shook his head. "No way. You don't need to be alone after this. I'll just stay until you go to sleep."

Now I was getting frustrated. "Kevin, stop please. I already told you I'm fine." I exhaled quietly and stared at him, eye to eye. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Kev-kev. But seriously I'm alright. I swear. I haven't shed a tear yet and I don't think I will. Danny was an asshole and I know better now."

"Okay. Okay," Kevin surrendered finally, holding up his hands. "You can cool it now. You're not a twelve year old girl, I get it."

I grinned. I was glad that he was wasn't mad about me wanting to be by myself. I would have loved for him to come in but I was seriously about to blow a brain vessel with all these thoughts in my head. I just needed a quiet place to sit down and think. I got out of the car and walked around to the sidewalk. I pulled Kevin into a big hug. The thing with Kevin and I is we never did the hugs that were accompanied with the manly pat on the backs. We always held each other solidly and just simply hugged. We had been friends too long to feel the need to macho up our hugs just because some guys were against being too touchy-feely with one another.

"I love you, Kevin," I whispered against his neck. "Thanks for coming for me."

He pulled away and mirrored my own grin. "I told you I would. I always got your back, bro."

We said goodbye and I rolled my eyes as Kevin screamed from across the street, "baby you light up my world like no one else". He was such a goofball. One Direction lyrics, really? I gave him the finger without looking back, still smiling. Kevin, of course, had to funny up our one serious moment. If there was one thing about Kevin Montero and that was he didn't do chick moments. I scanned the driveway and breathed out in relief. Mom was already at work. To get the coveted promotion at work she had to submit some superior articles that were exemplary. She was working on a story right now that she kept telling me and Morgan "would make her career". I didn't know what it was, but if she got the job then hey. Yay for us. Maybe we could afford to send Morgan off to boarding school.

I peeked into the living room and the TV was on turned to some daytime soap. I guess Morgan was up then. I went to the staircase and jogged up the stairs.

"Hey, loser," Morgan called, making me halt mid step "If you want cereal you'll have to go get some milk. I used the last of it."

I turned around. Morgan was in a pair of red sleeping shorts and a small white tee. Her hair was tied back and I suddenly found myself caught in her eyes. Blue eyes so like my own. I was suddenly so tired. Danny. Adam. Admerion. Destiny. Chosen. It all weighed down on me so instantly that I nearly staggered. So many thoughts raced through my mind that I had trouble putting even a sentence together. I opened my mouth and closed it. Morgan was still staring at me. Her eyes had a shine of worry to them that I normally never saw.

"You okay, He-Man?" she asked, softly.

I was startled. That was a nickname she hadn't called me in years. It came from my days of kissing He-Man whenever I saw him on TV and loudly telling my parents how I would marry him one day. My Dad said I was the president of the He-Man Lovers Club with my devotion. Oh Dad if only you knew. Maybe that was his way of telling me he was fine with his son being gay. I felt a smile settle on my face at my stray thoughts and I nodded to Morgan's inquiry.

"I'm okay, Mo-Su," I replied, using her childhood nickname.

Morgan Summers. Morgan...Mo. Summers... Su. Mo-Su. She was going through a J-Lo phase when the name originated so it made sense at the time. She gave me a careful nod and retreated back to the kitchen, not without throwing another searching look back at me.

Why could everyone tell something was bothering me? Maybe I should have signed up for chadslife.com. Seemed like everyone was. I jogged up the rest of the steps and immediately went to the bathroom. My reflection in the mirror looked a hot mess. My contacts were sticking funny since I slept in them, so my eyes were doing this weird squinting thing to compensate. Goop was stuck in the corner of my eyes and my face had the crease from lying on a pillow all night. My hair had fallen from its styled. It was sticking up funny and I blinked at my anime like reflection. Somebody shoot me. Please.

I immediately ran the water and washed my face. Fuck that. That wasn't enough. I shucked my clothes and jumped into the shower. I feel like I deserved it after the night I had. Plus I owed it to my hair to give it a good wash. I hummed happily to myself as the hot water hit my skin. It was cold as hell outside so warmth was my best friend right now. I closed my eyes and rinsed my hair. I ran a hand through it and nodded in satisfaction.

I dried off, wrapped a towel around me, and went to my room. I slipped on a pair of boxers and jeans. I picked out a blue tee and slid it on. Now I was feeling a little more together. A lot more like myself. Now I just had to get my thoughts in order. There were too many things ping ponging in my head. My main worries centered on Adam. I closed my eyes and brought up a memory of Admerion. As usual, his face was misted to me. Usually when I found another Chosen their faces became recognizable in my memories. Was Adam not Admerion? No. He was. I was sure of it. My instincts were telling me it was true and I was inclined to believe them.

So why couldn't I see his face?

"Hello, Mr. Prince Emrys," I said aloud.

I didn't know what to call my past incarnation. I needed him to come to me but didn't know how to summon him. Do I get Ode Mae Brown and hold a séance or something? Where was Whoopi Goldberg when you needed her? When you needed to contact a spirit why not call up the best. I put my face in my hands.

I have no idea why I even asked him to meet me at Porter Lake tonight. I just felt a need to see him and soon. I needed to get him alone and see if he was having the Dreams. I could practically hear the capital letter in my head. The Dreams were the memories we all got before awakening as Chosen. I just wanted to talk to him one on one before I went to Nathaniel or the guys about my suspicions. I wanted to be right. I needed to be right. Adam's face appeared behind my eyes and I grew hot as his smooth, hairless chest flashed in my head. I definitely approved. I shook my head. Why was I so hot for him all of a sudden? Admittedly I always did think he was cute in an I'm too sexy for this shirt kind of way. Without the Danny blockers over my eyes, I could see clearly now that the rain was gone. Wait. This wasn't a Jimmy Cliff song.

I laid back on the bed as a yawn escaped from my mouth. I found my eyes closing against my will and I surrendered to sleep.

I stood on the edge of a cliff.

The lapping of the ocean waves breaking upon the rocks below filled the silence. Mist and fog wafted through the air and I could barely see three feet in front of me. I stretched an arm out and I jerked my eyes to my sleeve. I looked down at my clothes and gasped. I was dressed as Prince Emrys. I ran my finger over my forehead and fiddled with the circlet.

A shape appeared in the fog. Walking from the cloud appeared Admerion. I gazed at his face and I was dumbfounded at the obscured features.

"We're almost together again," he said. "Just like you promised."

The ground began to quake and I staggered losing my balance. I reached out to Admerion and the sound of rushing air filled my ears and head. I snapped awake in my bed.

"Oh...shit," I wheezed out, panting.

I clutched my chest drawing in mouthfuls of air. That was intense. I sagged against my pillows staring at my hands. Why had Admerion's face still been hidden? I knew he was Adam. But why didn't I have my memory revelation like I did with Ryan and Killian. I could even remember Nathaniel. This reincarnation thing sucked. I gazed at my clock and blinked. No forking way. It was already past seven. I slept all day. I needed to get to Porter Lake to meet Adam by eight.

I snatched my track jacket from the back of a chair and high tailed it downstairs. I ran right past Mom as she turned into the living room and said a quick hi and bye. I felt a little bad since I hadn't seen her much recently but I was in a hurry. I jumped into the Blazer and I was speeding down the street, almost knocking over a jaywalking elderly woman in the process. I shouted "my bad" from the window and kept going watching from the rearview as she flicked me off.

Porter Lake was one of the cities oldest and most forgotten park. It was here when the city was still small and instead of bulldozing over it. People just built around it. If you didn't know it was there you would miss it. Not that it was a small piece of land. You just become distracted by everything else around it. I took a couple of side streets and then parked in the park's lot. The lake stretched out right in front of the lot, with a bordering sidewalk and trees leading into the park's trails. Trees from the forest blocked the view of the roads and surrounding city.

I zipped up the jacket to my neck and pulled the knit cap down further to cover my ears. I hated winter. Well except for Christmas Day that was in a week and a half, the rest of this season could suck it. Me and cold just did not get along. I walked down the sidewalk bordering the lake, freezing my ass off. The park was empty at this time of night. The full moon in the sky was radiant and shining down light that almost beat out the lampposts of the park.

I walked around the park and stopped. Next to a stone water fountain seated on a bench was Adam. Some part of me had thought that he wouldn't have even shown. I smiled as I walked toward him. He was dressed in jeans, a black shirt with a black blazer. He must have heard me since he turned his head in the direction I approached from. With his long brown hair, dark sunglasses and chiseled features, I thought he looked like a D&G model.

"Chad?" he called.

I waved and then almost smacked myself when I realized that he couldn't see it. I replied that it was me and I took a bit of joy in the unsure look that melted into a relieved smile. At least he was just as anxious about this as I was. I took a seat next to him.

"I know you're probably wondering why I asked you here," I said, breaking the silence.

Adam let a tiny corner of his lip perk up. "The thought did cross my mind."

I didn't know what to say. It took a couple of tries before I could form a coherent sentence. "When you said you liked me last night. You meant as in romantically didn't you?"

Adam scooted closer to me and I went all warm and gooey when he slung his arm over my shoulder. He pulled me to his side and I breathed in the smell of the cologne he wore. I felt a blush creeping up my neck. Oh my. It was getting real Sixteen Candles in my life lately. I looked up at Adam and he was biting his lip worriedly.

"Does this answer your question?"

I snorted. "I guess it does."

"Now I haven't a question for you," Adam murmured into my ear. "Do you like me the way I like you?"

I took a second to reply. Did I like Adam romantically or did I like him just because he was Admerion? I thought about it and knew my answer.

"Yes, I do," I said truthfully. "You're sarcastic and have a humor that matches mine exactly. I love that you have always tried to look out for me. When I first met you I thought you were just as handsome as Danny. Now I see that you're more attractive. Inside of you is something so beautiful it makes me fucking tongue tied. You have this grace, confidence, and strength about you that I want to find out more about."

Adam's smile was like the sun. I found myself smiling back feeling a warmth spreading through my entire body. He grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers.

"I can't believe that you feel the same." Adam stroked my palm with his thumb. I couldn't stop staring at his hands. "I've always been in Danny's shadow. The blind cousin. You're the first to see beyond my cane and sunglasses." He leaned his forehead against mine and whispered so shakily that my heart clenched, "Don't hurt me."

I shook my head and slipped my arms around his waist. "Not a chance. It's usually me that's getting hurt."

We sat there just like that holding each other and pressed chest to chest until our hearts beat as one. I closed my eyes in contentment. This was perfect. It was baffling and completely heartbreaking that Adam didn't know how devastatingly handsome he was. He didn't know how bright his smile was. He didn't know how beautiful his soul was. He was so very vulnerable and I promised myself never to hurt him. I held him tighter. This feeling of rightness eclipsed the crush that I had on Danny. This felt like magic.

"This reminds me of something from a dream," Adam whispered against my neck.

I pulled back to look at his face. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes I have these really vivid dreams. They don't even make sense."

I licked my suddenly dry lips. "How-how long have you had these dreams?"

Adam frowned, thinking. "I think it's been maybe six or seven months."

"Oh," I chocked out.

I didn't know how to bring it up. With the others it had been easier. We were in a life and death crisis. If they didn't awaken then we would have died. Did I want to awaken Adam? I was sure he was Admerion. I couldn't remember him but all the evidence pointed to a positive. Where was an Ouija board when you needed one? I wanted to keep him from this life. He had a chance of being normal. I could have hit myself. What was I thinking? We would never be normal. We were Chosen. I had to do this. It was his destiny.

"Adam, in your dreams are there others with you?" I asked hesitantly. "Three other men. Are you fighting in tunics and silver armor?"

Adam's head snapped to me and his jaw dropped. "How did you-"

I continued as if I didn't hear him. "There's a battle. You four are fighting against an army that's not human. Smoke clings to the air and death is everywhere. Blood pools-"

"Stop."

I couldn't. "You're using powers that you've never before imagined existed but you know somewhere inside you that this power belongs to you. The power is you and you are the power."

Adam covered his ears and shook his head. "Stop. Stop. Stop."

I gazed at him sadly but continued. He had to hear this. "There's a city filled with technology that shouldn't exist for thousands of more years. There's no disease, poverty, or strife within the city. Then they come and people are slaughtered. Man, women and children, they're all killed-"

Adam shot out of his seat. He stood before me, his hands shaking. "Enough, Emrys!"

"How do you know that name?" I asked him calmly.

Adam opened his mouth to answer but then closed it. He looked pale and frightened. "I-I don't know. Chad? What's going on? When you were talking I had visions of everything you were describing. I don't understand. I felt like I was really there. Am I going crazy? Are you crazy? Are we both?"

I know what he was describing. The memory rush. We all had felt it right before our awakening. I grabbed his hands and stood up with him. I came up to his nose and then pressed my cheek flat against his.

"I can help you understand. Do you want to know what's happening?"

Adam squeezed my hands. "More than anything."

Here we go. I charged my finger with a spark of power. All I had to do was send this spark into his mind and break the barrier that surrounded his memories and blocked his powers. I raised my finger. Something slithered around my waist and I was jerked backward and hurtled through the air. I landed on my arm in a frozen patch of grass. The bone cracked and snapped. I cried out staring tearfully at my unnaturally hanging arm. Vision darkening with the pain I looked at where I once stood.

"What the fuck!"

Stomping toward Adam was the biggest fucking monster I have ever seen. It had the body of a lion and its head was that of horned wolf. The tail was made up of multiple, slimy green tentacles. I suddenly had a flash of a disturbing anime image and then shuddered. It towered at the height of a house and its massive clawed feet made the ground rumble as it stepped closer. Its gigantic body towered high above Adam.

"Adam, run!"

He turned in my direction. "Chad? What's going on? Is that something growling?"

I summoned up my Chosen armor and felt the familiar weight of my hood from the cloak settle on my head. I snatched it down and with a cry I set my bones back into place. It would be healed soon. Let's just hope I didn't get it ripped off before then. I summoned a fireball and wound back.

"Spectral Cannon!"

My fireball disappeared as a beam of white-yellow light split the air and hit the monster in the side. It moved faster than I would have predicted as its body spun around to growl at the attacker. Solaris and the Executioner stood on a hilltop. The Executioner reared back and launched a thick tree log at the speed of a racing train. The monster's clawed whipped through the air and the log exploded in a shower of bark. They used that moment to run to my side and I stared at them in surprise.

"How did you two get here so fast?" I asked.

Solaris shot me a disdainful glare. "We've been chasing this chimera since last night. You would know if you answered your phone. What are you doing here anyway?"

I was trying to have a romantic rendezvous. "Dammit. My phone died last night and I forgot to charge it today."

"Who's that down there?" the Executioner asked pointing to Adam. "We have to get him out of here. Does he have a walking cane? Is he blind?"

"Yes," I answered quickly, making them blink at me. "His name's Adam. He's a friend. We need to help him."

They nodded and we moved. The Executioner took a lamp-post and ripped it out of the ground like it was a blade of grass. He then held the post like a spear and proceeded to use it as such. The pole javelined through the air and the chimera batted it with its paw. The paw hit the pole and it went rebounding back. It clipped Ryan in the legs just as he jumped. He fell down with a cry and he screamed as the chimera's claw smashed into his abdomen. He coughed up a bit of blood and groaned.

"Dawn Bringer!"

The gold beams rained down on the chimera. They impacted its body and did little more than annoy it. It howled loudly and a jet of blue fire exploded from its mouth. Killian disappeared in a flash of orange light with a cry of "Sun Rise!", and teleported behind the Chimera's back. The monster spun around and I took the opportunity to pull the Executioner behind a bench.

"You okay, Ryan?" I asked, wiping the blood from his cheek.

Ryan nodded then winced in pain. "I just need a minute. It seems stronger than last night. I wasn't expecting that."

"Chad, where are you?" Adam's panicked shout echoed in the air.

Why hadn't he got away? He was still searching for me. Ryan turned to me and frowned. He started to ask a question and I could see it before he asked.

"He's a friend," I said interrupting him. "I think he might be the fourth."

His eyes widened. "Go."

I sprinted to Adam. He was standing right where I left him and grabbed his hand. "Chad, is that you?"

"Yeah. It's me, Adam. We got to get you out of here."

"What's going?" he demanded as I led him away.

I heard a scream and turned around just as I was about to answer. The chimera pounced on Killain and picked him up in its massive jaws. A park bench went sailing through the air and it smashed against its huge body. The Executioner appeared at its side and swung his spirit staff at its knees. Killian was swung around by his leg like a rag doll and then tossed into the air. He hit a tree and fell down its branches and landed on the ground. He didn't get back up.

I let out a horrified scream, "Killian!"

Adam pulled away from me and took a step back. "What the fuck is going on, Chad? It sounds like a war zone!"

"Adam, I don't have time to explain right now, please just-"

I heard a pained cry and turned back around as the chimera slammed the Executioner hard into the ground. I threw my power forward and cast a low-energy shield right above Ryan. The chimera's jaws shot down to tear into his chest and met my shield like a brick wall. I threw a fireball at it and did little more than singe its fur. What the fuck was this thing made of? This was definitely a level or two higher than the monsters that have escaped the Ever After. It glared at me and howled.

My eyes widened. Fuck. "Adam. Come on! We have-"

A tentacle snatched me up and bashed me into the bench that Adam and I sat on earlier. I saw stars as my entire body felt like it was on fire. I was in more pain than I could ever remember being in my life. I looked up dazed just as the chimera opened its massive jaws before Adam. I moved but it was too late. Its jaws came down and ripped out a large chunk out of Adam's chest. Nausea, horror, and disbelief swept me up like a tidal wave. I screamed out as Adam's glasses tattered to the ground. His sightless eyes rolled back as the chimera's gore filled mouth threw his discarded carcass into the air. I watched numbly as he hit the lake with a loud splash. His body went under and I stood there frozen. I didn't notice the tears until they splashed against my hands that were balled in front me, shaking with rage.

"Fireball!"

A beach ball sized globe of pure elemental fire magic blazed in my palm. I hurled it at the chimera and it darted out of the way. The tree it hit exploded in a raging inferno. I levitated forward, my feet not touching the ground, as I hurled spell after spell. It dodged some and took a few that it carelessly shrugged off. So fucking what. This was not the first creature that was impervious to magic. Everything can be killed. I just needed to find a way.

"Zeus's Wraith!" I shouted out, flinging the thunderbolt that appeared in my hand.

The bolt zigged through the air and struck the chimera in its side, winding it. I sped forward with another fireball gathered between my palms. It appeared as if it was having trouble getting up. I stopped before it and raised my arms. The creature suddenly shot up as if gravity had no effect on it. It had been playing me. Its clawed foot struck me in my chest and I muffled a curse as my ribs bent back and a few snapped. I landed on my almost healed arm and it throbbed in blinding agony.

It loomed over me and I stared into those fiercely glowing yellow eyes. I wasn't scared. I gathered magic to me and prepared to release everything I had. If I was going down I was going to take this fucker with me. And probably a portion of the city if I didn't do this properly. You want to play. Let's play.

Light suddenly exploded from the middle of the lake. I stared in shock at the beam rising from the lake's depths and what shined within the light. Tears pooled in my eyes at the sight. Adam floated within the light, eyes closed, and whole. His chest was smooth and unmarred, the flesh completed mended and healed as if he were never hurt. His eyes snapped open and they landed on me. I gawked in wonder at the beautiful hazel eyes that met mine. They weren't the clouded, gray orbs I was used to seeing. These eyes were warm, seeing, and shining a beautiful amber color that I somehow knew would shift from either brown or green depending on his mood.

I fell into his gaze and into a memory.

I was standing next to Nat'ahn. I was small in this dream. I was eleven years old and today we were going to meet the final member of the Chosen. Apollo and Aurek speculated on what he would be like and I found myself wondering as well.

"Why did it take so long for him to appear?" I asked our advisor. "The three of us were identified as marked by They Above All after we completed the Pillars of Dawn."

Nat'ahn smiled down at me. "His powers are different than all of yours," he answered, gaining the attention of Aurek and Apollo. "His parents died in an incident and he was hurt as well. Hurt to the point of death. It was with this that his abilities awakened. His powers lay dormant until such a tragedy. They healed and changed his body to better suit the development of his gifts."

Aurek made a confused face. "Why would his body need to be changed?"

"The change is on the genetic level," Nat'ahn said patiently. "You see while we only use thirty percent of our brains, Admerion now after the accident uses sixty one percent. He's the only one of our race closest to the Omega Point."

I gasped and at that moment the doors to the chamber opened. A boy of our same age entered. He had scruffy brown hair and the prettiest features I have ever seen on another boy. My heartbeat sped up as I stared into hazel eyes. His face was younger but those eyes were the same. This was Adam.

Adam was Admerion.

I jolted out of the memory and blinked reality back into focus.

Adam smiled softly at me as he floated there in the light. He snapped his fingers and his clothes disappeared in a flash of light. He was now dressed in the same black suit all Chosen wore. Pinned at the nape of his collar was a red eight-pointed star. A flowing black cape was attached at his shoulders and ended at his calves.

I stared at him in awe. Knowledge appeared in my mind. I knew who this was.

"Omega," I whispered in realization.

Adam, no Omega, nodded as if hearing me. He held out his arm toward the chimera who was watching Omega carefully. He made a motion with his hand and the chimera was struck by an invisible force that launched it skyward like it was made of paper. I could only stare as the light dissipated around Omega. He twisted his hands and a long sword hilt materialized in his grip. It was bladeless but appeared strangely formidable.

"Ignite!" he commanded.

From the hilt erupted a glowing white blade composed completely of light. I gaped. My mind was running on empty right now. Omega's eyes hardened and with a cry he flew through the air. Literally flew. He propelled through the sky with the sword at his side, and cape billowing behind him, like an avenging angel.

One second he was by the lake and the next he was slicing into the chimera's throat with the glowing blade. Blood sprayed as the sword shredded through thick neck muscles and tendons. The hewed head went sailing from the body. There was a great boom as the body hit the ground and the head rolled a meter away. The earth beneath the flesh turned black-red as blood spread. Snow began to fall and the ripped open flesh started to steam as the body cooled.

Omega landed next to me. I tried to stand and I felt hands gently help me to my feet. I saw Ryan and Killian limp our way but I only had eyes for the person in front of me. He smiled and cupped my cheek with his hand. I leaned into the caress and a tear fell down my cheek as my emotions started to bubble to the surface and overwhelm me. I thought he was dead. By some stroke of luck, he was here and it felt like I could finally breathe again.

"I can't believe you're alive," I said softly. Then it dawned on me. He was looking at me. He could see! Hot damn! "Your vision! You can see?"

His smile was tender and made me feel all lightheaded and floaty. "There is a reason they called me the champion of miracles."

I nodded amazed.

Champion of miracles, yeah, sounded about right.