Warrior Children: Legendary Three - 3. Chapter 3

Part I: Racing with Time
Los Angeles, 3rd Day of December

 

“MOVE IT!” SCREAMED HEATHER, as she raced across the streets of Los Angeles, hand-in-hand with a sickly-looking teenage boy. Glancing in every direction, she spotted an alleyway to her right. “This way, now! Can you hop the fence, or do you need me to blast it?”

“I’ll climb,” Edward said raggedly. “If you blast it, it’ll just cause a scene we don’t need.”

"You first!” she shrieked.

Edward climbed the fence. Once on the other side, he turned and watched Heather standing her ground, facing the entrance to the alley. Within seconds, a flash of violet danced around her body.

Papers were flying, and the big trash bins on the side were rolling by themselves. One of them stopped in the middle of the alley, completely blocking the entrance. The other lifted off the ground and landed on top of the first bin.

Man, that was exhausting, but at least it’ll slow ‘em down for a few minutes. She darted toward the fence and joined Edward on the other side.

 

12 Hours Ago

Heather looked up groggily and saw two people standing before her. She closed her eyes. Opened them. When she was finally able to focus, the two people slowly merged into one.

"Ooooh, my head. Please remind me never to do that again with you." She eyed Edward and added, "And please put some clothes on, will you? I have a feeling me and you are gonna be running around for a good while. And for the sake of this century, we can't have you waltzing around like that."

Sarcastically, he replied, “I suppose you have a stash of clothes my size, magickally hidden somewhere? Or maybe you had an inkling of what was going to take place today, and you came prepared?"

She forced herself to stand up and gave Edward a ridiculous look. "Yeah, I happen to keep small clothes for small boys at all times in the trunk of my car." She shook her head. "You always this way?”

“Which way is that?” he asked.

“Full of attitude. If you knew you were naked and all, why didn’t you just come to me in my dreams and tell me to buy some clothes? In your size? Hell, I could’ve gotten it in the section for little boys, and it’d be cheap. You’re real skinny.”

“Are you done yet?” Edward asked. “If I would have told you I was naked while you were in the dream state, how believable would I seem to you? Everything would have just seemed even more outlandish to you. Shall we go now?”

“Whatever. I'll buy you some. Now get me out of this cave. I need some sunshine."

They exited the cave and were greeted by a sharp, cold wind. "What?! It's dark out here. What time is it? I found you in the morning. It's already night?"

"I don’t know how you keep time in this age. However, I can tell you, only one half-cycle has occurred, from the sun's light transitioning to the moon's light. Point us in the direction of your car. I will be able to get us there."

“I thought you’re the god of Time. You don’t know how we keep time nowadays?”

“This is true. I am the god of Time. I see in all directions and spaces of Time, as well as the spaces in-between. However, it is very different from my point of view. My point of view is very illogical, but very definitive. The world’s point of view of how Time works is very logical and very man-made. You will begin to see as I see, soon enough.”

“Oh. Anyway, the car’s that way.” She pointed, and Edward took off walking in silence. The forest trees blocked most of the light from the moon, but somehow, he knew where to step. Every so often he would stop, look around as if sensing, then continue. Finally, they reached the place where Heather had parked her car.

She fumbled around for her keys. "We're going to my place to sleep. Also, I just remembered I have an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt of an old ex. They'll be big for you, but it's something."

"I am not picky."

“Yeah, but you’re dirty as hell.” She put the key in the ignition and looked at the car clock. "10:03pm. I can't believe I was out for that long. And I can't believe how unbelievably exhausted I feel, even after sleeping that long. I need to sleep as soon as we get home. Then we can figure out what next in the morning."

While driving, she yawned and stretched her arms out one at a time. “Man. My body just feels like jelly. It doesn’t wanna do anything.”

“It’s because your body is trying to catch up to the energy that was dumped into you. Another way to think about it is, the energy which was transferred to you is molding your body into a higher frequency. You just need to rest, so your physical world can catch up to the hidden world.”

While driving, Heather was aware of the silence between them. She was also aware of the lack of thoughts in her mind. For some unknown reason, she was content to just drive and not care about what had happened, or what was going to happen.

They pulled up to the driveway of her apartment complex. "We're here."

Edward nodded. Before entering her home, he stood in front of her doorway, facing the street. He raised his arms and whispered something. Heather watched in curiosity. For a brief moment, a brilliant flash of all hues surrounded his body. Satisfied, he turned around and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

"What’d you just do?" she asked.

"I was safe-guarding your home. Just putting an extra layer of protection around it. There’s a lot of chaos out there, and you just never know. There are a lot of people out there with minds like loose cannons. They just haven’t a clue how destructive they are with their thoughts."

"Oh. I guess it was just the fact that you did it standing there, completely exposed for the entire neighborhood and night-watch to see." She shrugged her shoulders. “But, whatever.”

Just another bizarre thing to add to my night. She disappeared around the corner. When she returned, she had a shirt and some pants. "Before you put these on, you should jump in the shower. I mean, you just spent an entire month in a cave."

Edward smiled coyly. He followed her to the bathroom and watched and listened to her instructions on how to turn the faucets on and off. After she left the bathroom, he fiddled with the faucets, twisting them left and right, watching the water run out. He played with the shower head and was amazed to see how the flow of water would come out either in sprinkles or in one steady stream.

He laughed hysterically. This world is so NEW to me!

Heather was resting on the couch in complete silence. Everything had completely changed, and her emotions were mixed and confused. She turned the television on and found she had no desire to watch. She immediately turned it off.

She faintly heard Edward laughing, humming and whistling in the shower. Directing it to nobody in particular, she shook her head and slowly voiced out, “What in the hell just happened to me?”

After his shower, Edward put on his new clothes and found Heather sitting on the couch in the living room. He stared at her for nearly a minute, before she realized he was in the room. "You are troubled."

She let out a sigh. "Well, my entire life just changed. I'm not the same person I was when I woke up this morning. And even though I know I should go into work tomorrow, I really don’t want to. It all just seems stupid and pointless right now."

"This work. What are you referring to?" Edward looked perplexed.

"Well, work. I go in and do, you know, work. For other people, and they pay me. That's how I make a living, so I can have all this." She waved her arm in an arcing motion, pointing to the things in her home. "When they pay me, I go out and buy food, clothes, couches and electronic stuff, and I pay my rent for this house. If I don't work, I don't eat. But I have this sickening feeling I'm supposed to be doing something else now."

"I understand now." He looked her directly in the eye. "Do not worry. If your work doesn’t satisfy you, then don’t do it. And you’re right. You ARE supposed to be doing something else now. If that worries you, know that every step of the way, you will be given everything you need, and more. Don’t go into work tomorrow. If you do, you’ll only daydream about the important things you should really be doing. Look at me. I don’t work, but somehow I’m taken care of.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re like some sort of god, right? So, of course you’re gonna be taken care of.”

“That is not why I’m taken care of,” Edward interjected. “I’m taken care of and given everything I need, because I firmly believe I will be taken care of and given all I need,” he explained. “The Universe actually and really does hear your thoughts. You too will be taken care of. Just believe it. Let me rephrase what I said. I don’t work, at least not in the manner you have been working. Don’t get me wrong. I definitely have a job, a very big job, actually. I’m working almost every minute I am breathing. And I am being paid, rewarded and supported every step of the way for my work. Now let's sleep."

She turned off the light and went to her room. Edward lay on the couch and closed his eyes. After fidgeting around for nearly ten minutes, he rolled off the couch and onto the floor. That’s much better.

Eight hours had passed, and Edward awoke with a jolt. His eyes were wide open, and sweat was pouring down his face. He quickly jumped up and yelled, "Heather! Wake up! We have to leave, NOW!!"

The door to Heather's room opened. She walked out with a boggled look on her face. "What?"

"We have to leave right now! Something bad is coming this way. I can't tell you how I know. I just know. You have five minutes."

“What about that little protection spell you did last night? Won’t that help?”

“That’ll keep small, minor things out, but not whatever is coming our way. Now hurry!”

She darted to the kitchen sink and quickly flushed her face with water. After slapping her face a few times to help wake up, she ran to her room and put some fresh clothes on. She was about to strap her heavy boots on, but Edward interrupted. "No. Put those on." He pointed at her sneakers. "Those look like it would be easier to run in. And please do hurry."

Once outside, they ran to her car, backed out of the driveway and drove toward the city. "We need to be around a crowd, so we won’t be spotted." Edward glanced back to see if they were being followed.

"That's easy enough in L.A. People are swarming the city by now.” She cleared her throat and asked, “Tell me again why we’re on the run? What’s after us?”

“I don’t really know. I was sleeping. I had a vision of something chasing us. I didn’t see who or what it was. It was more of a feeling.”

“These feelings are usually right? I mean, when I have a dream, I just get up, get dressed and go to work.”

He gave her a dumbfound look and said, “Yes. I am usually spot-on.”

“Well you know, just making sure. I just met you, and I don’t know how you operate.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I knew I should’ve gone to work today.”

“Wrong. You knew you shouldn’t have. Right now, you’re denying that fact, simply because the path you took, the right one, by the way, is different and a little harder.”

“A little harder? You wake up shouting, and now we’re on the run from god knows what, and you say ‘a little harder’? Wow.”

They entered the heart of the city. Cars were everywhere, and people filled the streets. He pushed a few buttons on the radio out of curiosity. Within a minute, he lost interest in the radio. “Find a place to park, anywhere. We can sit somewhere and talk."

Heather parked the car down the block from a coffee shop. "Let's go get some coffee."

They stood in line waiting to be served. Before their orders were taken, Edward tugged at her shirt. "They found us. God-dammit, they found us. We need to get out of here, else we place all the innocents in danger."

“You’re the one who wanted to be around people. Why didn’t you think of that in the first place?”

“I thought it would make it harder for them to find us. I didn’t think they’d be able to track us if we were in a crowded area. Something must be homing in on us and guiding them. I don’t know how they’re doing it.”

They walked out of the shop and were about to head to the car. They were greeted by four immense creatures, which Heather could only describe as barbarians. The creatures walked out of an alley, blocking the way to her car. "Run!" screamed Edward.

They took off running in the opposite direction, dodging people left and right. After entering a large crowd, they slowed down. Edward leaned over and said, "I’m still very weak, but the power of my father streams through you. I know you feel it. You can do wonders even now. Should we encounter those four, or anyone in the future, you only need to imagine what you wish to do, and it will be done. Imagine, wish, feel it."

Heather was staring at her hands as they walked, when all of a sudden, violet sparks shot from her palm.

He nodded in approval. "Yes. Exactly. You can lift objects, and you can destroy. However, know that you were chosen, because you do not have the destructive desire in you."

“Come again?”

“I said, you were chosen, because you are not truly a fighter at heart. You don’t have the desire to destroy. Since this is so, it makes you the best person for this job. You’ll always know the best path to walk, with the least amount of force and destruction. The best fighters are those who do not wish to fight.”

Heather was about to say something when she turned to her right and saw two of the four barbarians not too far away. "They found us again! What now?"

"Obviously, we run."

“Move it!” screamed Heather, as she raced across the streets of Los Angeles, hand-in-hand with a sickly-looking teenage boy. Glancing in every direction, she spotted an alleyway to her right. “This way, now! Can you hop the fence, or do you need me to blast it?”

“I’ll climb,” Edward said raggedly. “If you blast it, it’ll just cause a scene we don’t need.”

"You first!” she shrieked.

Edward climbed the fence. Once on the other side, he turned and watched Heather standing her ground, facing the entrance to the alley. Within seconds, a flash of violet danced around her body.

Papers were flying, and the big trash bins on the side were rolling by themselves. One of them stopped in the middle of the alley, completely blocking the entrance. The other lifted off the ground and landed on top of the first bin.

Man, that was exhausting, but at least it’ll slow ‘em down for a few minutes. She darted toward the fence and joined Edward on the other side.

"Now, what the HELL were those things chasing us? Their eyes were glowing red! You see that?”

He was breathing very hard with his eyes closed while sitting on the ground. There were smudges of dirt across his face and his shirt was tattered in two places. “Aye. Those were the…“

“Wait!” Laughing hysterically, Heather asked, “Did you just say, ‘aye’?”

Very slowly, Edward turned his gaze upon her. He had a calm but very stern voice. “You insolent child. I may look like a young boy, but I am certainly much older than your mere twenty-three years, and my essence walked this Earth long before the famous King Tut was laid to rest. And you! I tell you not to blast the fence so as not to attract attention. Yet, you cause a garbage bin to fly through the air and land atop another in mid-day.”

“Well, it stopped them, didn’t it?”

Edward didn’t acknowledge her. “Come on. Let's keep walking. Just mingle with the crowd. Now, where were we? Oh yes! Those were Moloch’s slaves. In the ancient days, the peoples of the lands contrived a plan to appease their choice of god, Moloch. Their sickened minds of separation, pressured by Moloch himself, led them to sacrifice their own children to the demon.

“The more children who were forfeited, the stronger he got. He got stronger, cause the people got weaker. The spirits of those children have been housed and enslaved by Moloch, and he’s held dominion over them for hundreds of years, waiting for the right time to unleash them back onto the world under his control. Seems he’s given them new bodies.”

“Moloch?” She was crazed with excitement and fear when she said his name. “Wait. You’re saying those overgrown giants are really children?”

“Exactly. Although, they’re no longer children. Their souls have been around for hundreds of years. When I pierce my thoughts into them, I can see what they were and how they became the way they did. Those giants, as you call them, are definitely the souls of the children who were sacrificed. The souls of those children are basically housed in those creatures. I can’t say for sure what Moloch’s grand design of a plan is, but I’ve a pretty good idea. After all, what do most abusers of power do when they’re in a position of power?”

Heather shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

Edward just stared at her in disbelief. He looked up to the sky, shook his head and sighed. Mumbling under his breath, he whispered, “Seriously, Father. Could she be any denser?”

“You know, for a god, you sure are an ass. What’s up with that?”

“For your information, being godly and knowing the ins and outs of everything have absolutely nothing to do with morality and the way I act. Sure, there’s an ethical way in which we should all live, but it has nothing to do with the human standard of morals. The most precious and loving god in a human body can have the foulest mouth, but his very presence will still enliven and enthrall everyone and everything in his path. Besides, I won’t be this way with everyone. Just you.”

“Oh, well that’s just nice. And I’m not stupid,” Heather said with a tone of defense. “If I really was that dense, I wouldn’t be protecting some god who was sent to Earth to lead the people from some demon set loose from some unknown place.”

“I didn’t say you were stupid. If you truly were stupid, you wouldn’t have been chosen to be my Guardian Watcher. Be that as it may, I’ve not the patience right now. I’ve traveled many more galaxies and dimensions than you could possibly understand, and my body is weak. To top it off, I’m on a time schedule. I’ve explained this to you. This is why, when I say, do this or do that, I really mean, do this or do that. My way.”

“Okay fine. I get it. But I’m still the chosen one.” Heather cracked up at her own joke.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Anyway. Moloch is in a position of power. Certainly, what he is after is more power. Perhaps even world domination. One other thing. Moloch is...” He paused, peering into nothingness to find the right words. “Moloch, as I’ve come to understand, hails from the family lineage linked to a treacherous demon from ages ago.”

Heather squinted her eyes and lost her smile. “You're not joking, are you?"

“No, I am not joking. This demon was powerful, but subtle. It took two of the most prestigious warriors from the Otherworlds to banish him. He was the demon of demons, at least to the peoples of this world.”

She was taken aback, and her eyes glazed over. She wondered if this was all a dream and if she would soon wake up. Her head was spinning a little. She was having a hard time processing everything. "What do you mean by 'subtle'?"

"He didn't capture people and create wars the way his brother, Moloch, does. Instead, he did all his work by charming people, taking over their minds and creating delusion, thereby raising mass havoc which spread from land to land."

Heather's curiosity was ticking. "What about those two warriors who banished him? Who were they?"

“You mean, who ARE they? One of those warriors is the maker of our three swords. His name is Mikhae, of the Dynasty of the El Warriors. He’s a giant sort of a creature with large wings that span at least ten feet in length, and he stands at least ten feet high. The light that comes from him will blind you, and his wordless presence demands complete loyalty. The other is known as the Great Wizard. In form, he looks just like any other mortal man. When he was here, he looked like a hippy with long hair, sandals and very intense eyes. But don't mistake him. I mean, he isn’t called the Great Wizard for nothing.

“Now, those two from the Otherworlds, they exiled this demon into an abyss which no human could possibly ever stumble across. But just before his sentencing, while standing at the edge of the void, that demon bellowed a horrific cry to his brother.

“At that moment, the Great Wizard held out his right palm, and the warrior Mikhae unsheathed his sword. The winds from all corners shot out from the hand of the Great Wizard, taking hold of he who rose against humanity. And the fires from all worlds blasted out from the sword of Mikhae.

“That stupid demon was then sucked down into the chasm between the worlds. Yet, even though the two warriors had succeeded during that time, they knew they were a few seconds too late. The ripple of that demon's cry had already been heard by his idiot brother, Moloch.”

“You don’t care much for either of them, do you?” Heather brushed the hair away from her face and rubbed her eyes, trying to process everything. “And this Moloch? Sounds like he’s on a rampage to save his brother then, right?”

“Gods, no! Only a compassionate being could do something that honorable. The one who was banished, cried out to his brother at the very last moment. He was panic-stricken and desperate. He knew he wouldn’t see the light of day for eons and eons, so he transferred a great deal of his power to his brother. It was a last-minute attempt, completely done out of fear. Besides, since his banishment, he has completely been obliterated, dissolved into nothing. There is no saving him.”

Her forehead furrowed, and she puckered her lips while forming her thoughts. “So, Moloch then, is some kind of demon. Which is?"

Edward was thoughtful for a moment. "Mephistopheles was a mortal man who was given powers by twisted and demented spirits. He had a soul, buried, but still a soul that could be felt. Moloch, on the other hand? When I search or sense for a presence here on the planet, I only feel complete and loathing darkness. It is horrific, and the repugnant nature of the traces of energy, which this Moloch has left behind in various places, causes people to deter and doubt. Whatever he is, he is truly an abomination. He has no presence, nothing to call soul.”

He quickly changed the subject. “I’m famished.”

“You eat?”

Eyeing her with an incredulous expression, Edward asked, “Are you serious? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Well, I mean, you’re supposed to be like a god or something, right?” Heather was perplexed.

“Wow. Yes, we all three eat. All gods and goddesses, when they inhabit a body, eat and go to the bathroom. They talk, run and play. Some of them even work, and you might not even know that you’re working right next to one of them."

He started to walk off, but turned around. “So best not to piss random people off. You might just be pissing off a god.”

“Oh.”

He smiled a big grin and said, “Now, anymore stupid questions before we take leave?”

“No, that’s all for now.” Even as she said this, her mind was racing with a thousand questions.

“Let’s go.” He waved his arms impatiently. “I really don’t like to waste time. Also, there is no possible way we’ll be able to get your car back after that chase. We'll have to either walk or find another ride.”

“Oh, just great! Being with you for one full day, I’ve lost my job, my car and my sanity! But it’s cool. I still have a little money to pay for a taxi. How very awesome for you.” She shook her head and followed his lead.

  

Part II: Time Crawls Like a Snail

 

“Seriously? An avocado and some spinach?” Heather had a dumbfound look on her face. “People don’t go to diners and order that kind of stuff. This is just the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Look at all the different kinds of burgers and chicken sandwiches they got.” She shook her head and feigned an attitude of disgust.

Edward was silent, peering outside the window from where they were seated. His face showed no expression. Heather stared at him for a moment and tilted her head in curiosity. He looked to be in another world, yet so powerfully grounded in his seat. Very slowly but fluidly, he moved his hand, picked up his glass of water and took a sip. The water slid down his throat, and he closed his eyes as if in ecstasy.

Very gently, he set the glass of water back on the table. Picking up his fork, he poked at the spinach. Again, he closed his eyes when he brought it toward his mouth. Ever so slowly he chewed, savoring every last bite, while lost in thrill of the moment.

“Uh, did you even hear a word I just said, Yoda?”

Swallowing his food, he took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes. “How could I not hear you? Loud and annoying.” He took a few more bites of his food, this time a bit faster than before.

Heather was about to say something, but he cut her off. “It’s a fact most people disrespect their food. It sits in front of them, brimming with vitality from Gaia, ready to nurture. Yet, people, meaning you, don’t pay any attention to it. It’s these same people who read newspapers or talk while they eat. It ranks up there with running on a treadmill and watching TV at the same time, like I saw at that fitness center we passed.

“They’re really doing neither very well. It’s a waste of time. They’re not really paying full attention to their body or the TV. They could easily cut their workout to a third of the amount of time and exertion and still get the same results. All one has to do is be completely present and engrossed inside of their body. The same goes with talking on the phone and trying to have another conversation with somebody in front of you.”

He crammed a few more spinach leaves in his mouth and continued talking. “I could go on and on with the stupid analogies, but I rather think you get my point, eh? Your food’ll do wonders for your body if you pay attention to it. And who or what is Yoda?”

“Forget it,” she uttered while shaking her head.

“Fine by me. If you must know about my diet, my body isn’t big, so I don’t need to eat much to survive. Not to mention, I haven’t eaten anything in thousands of years. So even a grain of rice would suffice right now. Also, I don’t eat anything that mooed, meowed, barked, cooed, or could have. It’s actually kind of gross to me.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“I really wanted you to learn this on your own, rather than me telling you. With the final summonings, you’ll have so much energy flowing through you. Your body won’t be able to handle the heavy stuff of meat. But it really doesn’t do much for me to tell you outright, cause it’s just words. All you’ll hear is blah, blah, blah. It’s in one ear and out the other, and then, another bite of your burger. So why bother, hmmm?”

“Well,” Heather said. “Try me.”

“Fine. The energies of anger, sadness and grief, which the animal experiences before and at the time of its slaughter, become lodged within the flesh. The spirit of the animal leaves, but the disgusting energies stay behind. When you eat that disgusting stuff, it bogs you down and makes you lethargic and fat, like the rest of the people in this country. Also, in previous lives, we were all animals. You were probably a monkey or a cow. Satisfied?”

“You’re right. I’m still partial to this thing that used to moo.” She took another bite of her burger. Pointing at his left wrist, she asked, “What’s that pitchfork mean?”

“Ah! I was wondering when you’d ask!” Edward instantly brightened and exuberantly explained. “It is a Trident, the mark of the great god, Siva. You know, you have the same mark on your wrist also. It’s very clear to me. I’m sure it was your mother who hid it from you, but I can see it.”

“What are you talking about? I do?” A puzzled look crossed her face.

He looked around to see if anyone was watching. Nobody seemed to be paying any attention, so he leaned over the table and touched her left wrist with his right index finger.

Miraculously, the mark of the Trident formed on her wrist and spewed light. Heather’s body jerked into a straight posture, and her eyes bulged widely. She felt like a lightning bolt had entered into her. All the images around her became hazy.

“You’ve always had this mark, and you’ve always been marked as the one.”

“Okay.” Her hands were shaking, and she was breathing hard. “Next time, just warn me when you do things like that. I feel like you just jump-started me. I think I could puke in about five seconds.”

“Well, don’t. Hold it in.” He smirked at his last remark. “Oddly enough, that’s exactly what I did. I jump-started you. You see, the way you were before I did that, you were at about sixty-five percent. Now you’re at about seventy-five percent. Soon enough, you’ll open up to the full potential, once I do the final thing.”

Deep within the inner folds of his mind, he heard the voice of his father, “Thus, the moment has presented itself to you. You have reacted exactly as was pre-ordained. The finality of the summonings will happen, once again, at the exact moment of when it shall occur.”

I understand, Father. Edward was staring at her.

She was at a loss of words. The mention of her mother carried her back to her days in Texas, where she had spent the majority of her life. She was a bit remorseful, since they were not very close when her mother was alive. She closed her eyes and shuddered.

Sensing what she was thinking, Edward chimed in, “She loved you. She cared enough to hide this Trident from you, so you wouldn’t attract undo attention to yourself, or lose control of the power at a young age. Your mother was a natural. Was she not?”

Heather slowly shook her head. “Yeah. Come to think of it, she was. When she’d get really pissed, she’d just look at a car and the tire would pop. I kinda felt sorry for anyone who crossed her. They really didn’t stand a chance.”

She asked, “How do you know so much about my mom anyway?”

“It’s my job to know these things.” He picked up a piece of his avocado and stuffed it into his mouth. “I’d be a horrible teacher if I didn’t do my work.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I did pick up some of her characteristics, huh? The good ones anyway.”

“Yup. You got her raw power. The difference is, she wasn’t trained, and she didn’t know how to control it. But you! The power and the training!”

“But why me?” It was a question she had been wanting to ask. “Out of the millions in this world. You could have easily chosen some apprentice girl in...”

Edward cut her off. "You were chosen thousands of years ago. No, wait. You were chosen at the beginning of Time itself. It was destiny. Father has a way of making things happen. He foresaw many possibilities, all the possibilities. This outcome was the one most likely to happen, and it did. You are a direct descendant of the original clan of warriors whom Gene, Christopher and I trained in the very beginning.”

She rubbed her temples for a second. “You’re saying the Winters family has always been a family of magickal warriors?”

“That is exactly what I am saying.” Edward picked up another piece of spinach and stuck it in his mouth. “Your destiny, Heather Winters, has always been marked for the role as Guardian Watcher.”

Heather looked down and stared at her plate of food. Un-freaking-believable.

Suddenly, the air around them changed, and Edward was alert. It was as if a thick cloud had condensed and descended upon their table. Without moving his head, his eyes scanned the entire restaurant. He slowly cocked his head so he could see outside the window. “Prepare yourself. I think we’ve been found. I sense three, maybe four of ‘em. Can you feel it?”

“I feel something, I think.”

“I need for you to concentrate on one simple word, and set your intention while you do it. We need for everything to come to a near standstill so we can do our thing.”

Heather’s nerves were twitching. At the same time, her adrenaline was pumping from the excitement of the danger which lay ahead. “Alright, what is it?”

“Bhairava. Simple as that. Just say it aloud with me very, very slowly. Bhai… Raaa… Vaaa… it’s my father’s name, or part of it. It’ll bring us power.”

Over and over they repeated the name of Edward’s father. Sparkles of violet danced around them, followed by nearly all the colors of the rainbow. A minute later, their auras had filled the entire room where they were sitting. Heather looked around, wondering if the people would run off screaming. What she saw, however, was quite the opposite.

A waitress, ten feet away, was walking at the speed of a snail. The four businessmen at the next table were deep in conversation, but their words were long and drawn-out to one syllable per five seconds.

“Time. It’s a funny thing, huh? For us, we can maneuver and accomplish all we need within a split second. For them, it takes weeks, months. At the rate we’re moving, we’ll be a blur to them, which is what I wanted. No need for them to see any of this. Let’s go.” Edward quickly stood up and walked toward the front door, with Heather at his footsteps.

“What about them outside? Did we slow them down also?”

“No. It takes far greater energy to do that. They’re still human at the very core, but they were twisted by a soulless monster and are many centuries old. They are not so easily bent. If Gene and Christopher were with me casting the enchantment, we could’ve slowed them down with no problem. Not a big deal though. We can overtake them without a strain. I only wanted to put everyone else on pause, so they don’t see what we’re doing.”

“What’s wrong with that? So, what if they see? I mean, really, magick is real, and don’t people have a right to know about it?”

“Yes, magick is very real. And yes, people do have a right to know about it. But right now isn’t the time. Right now isn’t their time.” He was annoyed at all her last-minute questions. “I’d rather not have them succumbed to the violence. Can you imagine? After seeing us battling with these idiots outside how they’d be looking under their beds at night and triple-checking their doors and windows? Let’s just do it my way. Call it damage control.”

“Oh.”

Edward’s left hand was resting on the door knob of the entrance. The tone changed in his words, and he gave her a look of reassurance and asked, “You ready?”

The moment Heather nodded, he jerked the door opened, and they both ran out.

 

 

Part III: The Goddess in New York
New York City
3rd Day of December

Son of Gaia
The world which we see before us,
Is exactly how we dreamt and wished it to be.

Surrounded by flashing lights and the sounds of honking cars, Christopher and Gwen walked slowly down the street. They came to a stop and looked around. The sun glistened on the top of their heads, making the blonde hair on both their heads seem lighter. Standing completely erect at nearly 5’10” and a half, Gwen seemed to tower over Christopher, although by only four inches.

Eyeing the bottles, papers, scraps of food and cigarette butts scattering the streets, Christopher said sullenly, “So this is what’s become of the world?”

Gwen stared sullenly at him for a moment at his green eyes. "Yup."

“Really?! Last time I was running around here, Earth was covered with lush green and colorful flowers sprouting everywhere. Trees taller than those buildings guarded the lands, and wild animals roamed freely in peace. No matter where you went, the beautiful aromas of Gaia filled every sense, bringing you to a blissful state. Now look. Dumb, dumb, dumb.” He shook his head in pity and revulsion.

“It was really like that back then?” Gwen was in awe.

“Three thousand years ago? It sure was. I’m all for change and everything. I mean, change can’t be stopped no matter how much people resist anyway. The buildings and cars and all this cement is fine and dandy to me. It’s just that people don’t have to be so stupid. Just look at everything. This city has a chance to be really pretty.”

“And your mother? Does she ever get angry at the people for trashing up her grounds?”

“No. She just watches. Watches and waits. She has all the time in the Universe. She has more patience than you could possibly imagine. She watches, waits and dreams of a time when everything will be in better order. Only when things get too out of hand, will she intervene. Sometimes, she’ll make parts of the planet tear into pieces, or just do random things, so people get a message.”

“That’s pretty deep.” Gwen rubbed her hands together to warm up from the cold.

“She is a goddess.” Christopher shrugged.

“Oh, right. I guess she can do whatever she wants then, right?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“Can I record this?” Gwen asked. She was digging into her purse, looking for her digital camera.

“Sure.” Suddenly, Christopher froze. Gwen stared at him with bewilderment and fascination. He paused, closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the stars. “Edward’s in trouble.” He audibly sighed. Speaking to seemingly nobody in particular, he asked, “What am I gonna do with him? How does he always find trouble?”

“How do you know? Will he be alright?”

“Huh?”

“I said, how do you know he’s in trouble? Will he be alright?” Gwen was fascinated by his connection to Edward and Gene.

“Oh. Well, time and space don’t really separate us. We have this bond inside, where we can feel things from the other. So, I know, cause he’s tense. His adrenaline has kicked in. But yeah. He’ll be perfectly fine. He IS Edward, after all.

Without any warning, Christopher’s arms shot out to both sides, stretching out completely into a T-position. He let out a loud roar, unlike anything Gwen had ever heard. It was not the voice of a teenager. It was a very low rumble with bass, depth and power. Instantly, golden light seeped out of every pore, through his eyes, hands and mouth, and his body vibrated in an ecstatic frenzy.

With the voice of complete and utter authority, he spoke slowly, “When the three become one, the power inside and beyond all images and thoughts will destroy the blatant ignorance of humanity’s self-inflicted pain!”

Gwen’s jaw dropped. She fell over backward in near shock. Her camera was still recording. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Everywhere she turned, she saw people covering their eyes from the blinding light emanating from Christopher. She guessed they were not even sure where the source of this light was coming from. It came from his body, and yet, it seemed to also come from outside of his body. It was everywhere.

Christopher’s body lifted one foot off the ground. He was floating. His body completely dissolved and disappeared. All that remained was the most entrancing and illuminating golden hue. Gwen gasped. Frozen in fear, she just remained in place, waiting. A few minutes passed by. And another few.

Slowly, the light dimmed, and Christopher’s physical body took form again. He was floating before her once more, with his arms still stretched out into a T. Slowly coming to, with his head bobbling from side to side, his arms dropped to his waist and he fell to the ground. The people closest were pointing and whispering.

“By the gods!” Gwen yelled. “Christopher!” What the hell! She ran to the crumpled boy on the sidewalk. People were terror-stricken. They watched the scene between Gwen and the boy, unsure if they should call the police, an ambulance, the news or do nothing. She saw his chest moving up and down.

He’s alive. She looked at everyone around her and said with unbearable annoyance, “We’re fine!” Nobody moved. They continued to watch, still unsure of what was happening. Gwen then stood up and shouted, “I said we’re fine!” When she did, sparks flew around her, and loud, popping noises filled the air. Everyone in the vicinity backed away and moved on.

Dragging him to the side of a building, she propped him up into a sitting position and patted his cheeks, while saying his name over and over. His eyes flickered, and she heard him mumble. She barely made out the names, “Edward, Gene.”

With a sudden start, his eyes opened wide, and his body shook. He looked at Gwen, who was staring at him with alarm. His lips formed into a small smile. Then a grin. Finally, he was laughing wildly. “That was outrageous!” he yelled.

“Outrageous?! Are you for real?! You just disappeared, then reappeared in front of everybody, causing a huge scene. Now you’re laughing about it? What happened?” Gwen demanded the full story.

He tried to stand up, but fell over and yelled, “Ow!” when he hit the ground. “That hurt. It was Edward,” he mumbled. “Remember, I said he was in trouble? Wait. I did say that, right?” He rubbed his head.

“Yeah. You said that.”

“Oh, okay. I thought so. Well, he called to us, to me and to Gene. But he did so in a way he’d never done before. Actually, none of us have ever done that before. All three of us kind of formed into one entity or being. Outrageous, I tell you! Truthfully, I’ve never experienced anything like it before. It was just pure exhilaration! But don’t ask me to do that again anytime soon. That took the wind out of me.”

“I can see that,” Gwen said. “For a small boy, you sure can take a lot.”

“I’m not small,” Christopher said defensively.

Gwen stared at him. And kept staring at him. She put her right thumb and index finger together and squinted her left eye. Christopher rolled his eyes and said, “Okay! Maybe I’m a little small. Satisfied?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Gwen replied. “It’s fine.”

He sighed. “My mother decided I should incarnate into a small-framed body, so I would be better suited to relate with people. She told me, if I was to appear as a huge warrior, people would automatically set themselves apart from me. I wanted to be seven feet in height and 250 pounds of pure muscle. Instead, I incarnated as only five feet and seven inches. I prolly only weigh about 120 lbs.”

Gwen snickered. “Well, I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that. You might be small, but you’re still more powerful than anyone else on the planet.”

He thought about it for a moment. “This is true. Anyway, about Edward, he reached out to us. We became one. Then, we battled some really big and ugly people and some birds, and I woke up to you slapping me in the face.”

“Birds? What?”

“Big birds.” Christopher spread his arms out and tried to mimic the birds. “It’s not working. You had to be there.”

“You said something when you were all freaked out. Your voice was pretty scary. Oh wait! I recorded it!” Excited, Gwen hit the play feature on her camera. They both watched in amazement. “Okay, here’s the part!”

When the three become one, the power inside and beyond all images and thoughts will destroy the blatant ignorance of humanity’s self-inflicted pain!

He was clearly excited. “O boy! I said that? You’re right. My voice is pretty scary, isn’t it?”

“Really?” Gwen looked baffled. “You don’t remember saying that? What’d you mean by it?”

“How should I know? I wasn’t there. Well, I was, but I wasn’t. Never mind.”

Thinking to himself for a few seconds, he finally said, “Okay, I’ll try and explain. There are times when we can lose complete control of ourselves, and an unseen force takes over. It’s those times which are the most precious and exciting. It’s total ecstasy! It’s like your entire identity is erased, and all that’s left is pure energy. What was said wasn’t voiced by me, or what you know me to be. It was voiced by the stuff inside and outside of everything. Sounds like a prophecy.”

“A prophecy?”

Christopher nodded. “Yeah, an offshoot of the original prophecy, but a prophecy nonetheless. But we really shouldn’t dawdle on it. It’ll work itself out in its own time and in its own way. For now, let’s just get on with the work we came to do.”

Reluctantly, Gwen stood up and extended her hand to Christopher. He took it in his hand, hoisted himself up and took a few deep breaths.

“You okay?” Gwen asked.

“Sure am. Actually, now that the woozy feeling’s gone, I feel even better. Shall we?”

They walked back into the crowds of people swarming the city. The sun was bright, the air cool. The sounds were loud and chaotic.

“Over there.” Christopher pointed to a side street covered in litter. He stood silently, while Gwen poised herself with hands at chest level. She bowed to the Earth. A dazzling, golden light surrounded her body. Focusing her energy inside of the ground, she felt the very pulse and rhythm of the Earth.

Tree roots shot up from below the ground, sweeping the area, and the ground caved in various places, swallowing every piece of trash.

“Roses,” Christopher directed.

“Okay.” She concentrated again. The flow of energy erupted, and where the trash previously lay, bushes filled with yellow, orange, white and red roses bloomed.

“Yeah!” Christopher yelled out. “Flowers are from other dimensions and carry the essence of the gods and goddesses. These particular roses will slowly melt away the stupidity from everyone on this street and the entire city. Not even winter will be able to kill them. Gaia will make sure they survive.”

“Don’t you think people or even the city officials might start to get a little suspicious if those flowers never die?”

Christopher giggled, watching his breath in the cold air. “Bah! What do we care? People everywhere are suspicious of one thing or another. Aliens, or strange, big and scary animals walking on two legs. If not this, they’d find something else to be suspicious about. I think it’s okay for everyone to see flowers that never die. Why not, right? At least it’ll make them feel good and make them think about something other than their hair or their bad skin. It’s a good thing!”

“Okay. Just wondering. Why don’t we head that way, right to the heart of everything,” suggested Gwen. She pointed to all the lit-up signs and thousands of people walking the streets. “It’s all just a jumbled mess of stuff, and it looks like we could do a little fixing up there.”

“Yes, fine. Good idea. We can completely alter the place, right in front of their very eyes!” Christopher was even more excited.

“In front of all those people? You don’t think we’ll scare them, even just a little?” Gwen was both hesitant and excited to display her newfound powers.

“Oh well. If somebody sees, they see. Mother Gaia allows us to show off a bit in front of people, so long as we aren’t going crazy. It’s mainly just the violent stuff in battles she’d rather us hide. When that kind of thing happens, we do everything necessary to hide our tracks. Now, let’s go have some fun. People might see something happening, but we can do this inconspicuously, so they don’t know who or what is actually doing it.”

They took a seat next to each other on a bench. With a yawn, Christopher stretched out and lay down next to her.

He commanded, “Green.” Gwen’s head lowered into a bow to the Earth. Instantly, she felt a rush of energy sizzle up through her spine. Her body was about to light up in gold, but Christopher snapped his fingers and hid it from the human eye, so nobody could see what was happening. Ivy sprang up from the ground, wrapping itself delicately and beautifully around the buildings.

The people walking by were instantly startled, causing them to scream. After the initial shock, they stood in place, mesmerized by the beauty of what had just happened. Crowds were beginning to form. Most had their cameras or phones out, snapping pictures or taking live videos of the scene before them.

“Give the people something different,” he instructed. “Bonsai.” Gwen nodded and let the power surge. Various sorts of bonsai from around the world emerged from out of the ground, lining the perimeters of churches and beat-up apartment buildings.

Christopher added, “Put a few next to that building with the new ivy. Don’t hit the people. Just line the perimeter and shock ‘em a bit. That’ll be interesting!”

“Okay, you’re the boss.” She did as she was told. As soon as the bonsai sprang from the ground, those closest jumped back, landing against the people behind them. Dirt shot in the air from beneath their feet, and the crowd was in a commotion. Just as fast as it happened, the soil smoothed out. The entire perimeter of the building was a magnificent sight of beautiful bonsai trees from roots Gwen had pulled from the other side of the world.

They both laughed, just watching the crowd which had gathered. Christopher was glowing happily. “I’d venture to say, nearly all those people have never seen anything magickal in their lives up until now. At least not on this level. They’re prolly so used to waking up, going to the bathroom, leaving home, coming home and watching TV, while eating… wait, what was that food you were telling me about earlier?”

“Nachos,” Gwen answered.

“Yeah, that. So, most people are prolly so used to coming home, watching TV and eating nachos on the couch. Then pooping and going to bed. How boring.”

“Well, with what we just did, I’m sure a few of them wet their pants just now.” Gwen was clearly satisfied.

“Hahahahaha! Yeah, maybe. It’s all good though,” he replied.

“Yeah! I thought freaking them out would be a bad thing. But it’s actually kinda good for them.” Gwen was amazed at everything happening, and the fact that she was causing it.

Christopher looked lost in thought for a few seconds. He then turned to Gwen. “Mmmmm, nachos. I can’t wait to try it. It’s been so long since I’ve had food.”

Gwen concealed her laughter.

“There’s a wild, white and lavender orchid growing in the Amazon of Brazil.” He sent the image telepathically to Gwen. “Call to it and bring her here.”

Gwen focused her energy, connecting with the orchid. It was intense inside of her. She wasn’t sure if she could do this, and she was having trouble focusing with all the doubt in her mind. Seeing the strain in her, Christopher popped up and tapped her lightly on the forehead.

Her aura ignited with more power. She felt the roots of those orchids traveling at speeds of hundreds of miles beneath the Earth. Shooting up from the trampled dirt, beautiful orchids filled the barren streets of New York, startling all passers-by. It was a sight to behold!

“Ah! Hahahahaha! Yeah!!” Christopher yelled out. “Like I said, sometimes it’s good to shock people! You see, in the split-second, when people are in shock, they lose all their thoughts and are instantly brought into the present. That’s a good thing! Most of the time, people are just rambling about nonsense and worrying about random stuff.”

“Oh, I understand now.” She had a thought from a few years back. “You know, that happened to me once with the stove. I remember just being so full in my head. I could barely even cook, cause I had all these problems happening at the same time. I accidentally burned myself for like a second. But as soon as it happened, I swear, all my thoughts just stopped. I see what you’re getting at.”

“Exactly!” His face was beaming with a mischievous grin. “It’s like I said. You startle them for just a second, and they forget about what they were worrying about. When that happens, a small space opens up in their minds, and the Otherworlds is able to penetrate into the little gap that was created. I can explain it in depth later if you want.”

Christopher was beside himself in joy. “Anyway, give them all hope! It’s Christmas time!” He thought for a few seconds. “I got it! Cinnamon, orange and pine!”

Concentrating once more, Gwen felt the connection with these simple and common plants of the Earth. Within a few seconds thick scents of cinnamon, orange and pine filled every street within a three-mile radius of where they were sitting. People stopped in their tracks, smelling the air, smiles hinting on their lips.

“Oh boy! Check that out!” He sat up to get a better look. Gwen saw the glimmer of his youth expressed in his adoration for the Earth. He explained to her, “Those scents are extraordinary and will linger in the air for weeks to come. They’re rising from beneath the ground, and they’ll lift the spirits of everyone. They’re not just regular scents, you know. Because we used magick, all the people are now saturated in magick. Everyone who smells it will be transformed in some way.”

Although she was pleased at the glorious nature which had taken the city by surprise, Gwen was still a bit uneasy and confused. “I don’t get it. I mean, it all looks beautiful, striking really. But earlier you spoke of a presence on the planet that is so wicked and foul. How is it that a few plants and flowers and aromas are gonna help?”

Christopher sat peacefully, Zen-like, and he was beaming from ear to ear. “The entity upon the Earth feeds off the dissatisfaction of humanity. He, or it, gains strength when people lose sight. However, when Mother Nature touches a soul for even a split-second, they stop and forget about all the chaos happening in their lives to explore the beauty in front of them. All worry drops away, and for a few moments, life is worth living.

"If we can get a mass number of people to experience the same feeling of this present moment, a very intense magnetic field is created. It's powerful beyond belief. It'll shake that abominable, evil energy to the core. No matter how demonic and destructive evil is, if enough people connect with the Otherworlds and forget about the horrific and depressing times in their lives, the demonic energy loses its connection to the people. Make sense?"

“Yes, I think so.”

He continued, “When a person smiles or laughs, their life changes right then and there. Everything we did today will make people do just that! The goddess Gaia has given New York hope today! My mother is happy. She has shown her presence. It can be felt, seen and smelled. Today is a very good day!” Christopher remarked with contentment.

“Okay. Just wondering. But yeah, that does makes sense, in a weird kind of way. Now we can head to the airport, right?” she asked.

“No, not just yet. Your powers have definitely matured, but I haven’t given you the entire initiation. The glowing Trident on your wrist clearly shows how you have gained in power. Later, when I open up the energetic pathways inside your brain and spine, you’ll see and feel as you’ve never before seen and felt. For this to happen, we need to be away from people in a quiet place.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “What about the other Guardian Watchers? They’re being initiated, or whatever, also?”

“Yup. They sure are. Edward and Gene will take care of them and open them both up in the best way possible. We’ll get to meet them soon enough. K?” He answered his own question. “K. Then let’s get moving.”

As they walked toward the train station, they saw people everywhere had come to a halt to view the lush life which had instantly sprung up. Pictures were taken. A reporter and his newscasts were on the scene, and there were children giggling and shouting to their parents about gold lights streaking through the wind.