Chapter Ten - The Final Reveal
He passes through me and is quickly followed by the others before Jonathan yanks me forward causing me to fall and begins dragging me once more. “So you think you have won, you don’t even know who I am do you?” Pulling me to my feet once more, he bashes me against the wall. Pushing at him, I knock him to the ground, but I am not fast enough, those passing through me have made me too weak. Catching me, he pins me and as his hand passes over my shoulder I scream out in pain as my skin sears. “Oh my dear sister, I have waited so long for you to join me here. Don’t worry. I am not going to kill you that will end my fun too early.” As he says this, an image of us running through clouds when we are not more than five and six flashes before my eyes. We are playing hide and seek. I hear a man’s soft voice calling to us saying here he comes. The image fades as Jonathan’s contemptuous voice calls me from the illusion.
“You must admit my dear, dear sister that this time I chose wisely and you did everything you needed to do. You were very clever at dodging all of our past attempts to get you here, although I must admit, I thought I had you when I dragged you into the first realm of hell and offered to restore your life. I thought of coming back and tricking you into believing that you made that choice, but then you up and made that deal, providing me with the opportunity to have you come to me.” He takes in a deep savoring breath.
“This time, the set up was perfect. You were still off balance from what you put in motion, questioning all sorts of possibilities which you would have never accepted if your own life hadn’t been changed. I knew once your past and present collided your memories would be freed and the mystery of who you are would lead you home. No one can escape fate forever and now you are here with me and it’s my time to rule.” His eyes become dim, unfocused and then he shakes off whatever image flashed before him.
“If mother had only hidden me instead of you, I would not have wasted my opportunity the way you did yours, flitting through time, creating beings only to leave them without the knowledge of their destiny, trying to teach them to follow a righteous path, when all you did was set them up for their doom. For each child you bore, the darkness through me bore one more powerful, more committed, one who knew his or her place from birth and prepared for this moment while you left your family weak. For each soul you and Andrew nurtured and saved, I corrupted hundreds who now fight in my army. You thought love would save you, but all it did was confuse you, cloud your vision, mask who you are and create weak tools which I will now manipulate to do my bidding, if I don’t kill them first.”
His tone turns taunting, “I guess all good things do come to those who wait though. It took ions, but you have finally opened the gates to the middle plane while your dear Andrew in coming here to protect you and your son from being used as some anti-Christ has opened the gates to his plane.”
Staring into my eyes, he sees my confusion, his features turn irate. “You know who he is. How could someone so dense, keep us at bay for so long? He belongs to heaven so passing through you grants them access to the middle plane, while passing through him, opens a passageway for my children who still have a strong tie there to enter. Father has sent forth my children to deal with those who fought against us to protect his realm and banish us here.”
A voice whispers through the darkness. “They will fail Jonathan, I am not there so their tie is incomplete, they will be trapped like the two who passed through Andrew and they will be taken care of.”
Jonathan appears stunned. “Mother” He grabs me and drags me quickly before tossing me into the room I saw in my vision. Crashing against the back of the chair, it shifts and I hear a soothing voice from the other side. “So nice of you to join us my little missing in action girl” Coming around the chair, a tall man with green eyes, and gentle features leans down and takes my hand, helping me to my feet. I gasp as I realize this is the image that emerged from the silhouette when we saved Abigail. My mind clicks as I realize who he is, my peripheral vision catches Jonathan entering the room. Backing away, I know I have nowhere to go and am not even sure what to do. This is not the image I expected.
Holding out his arms, “Don’t you have a hug for your father? I have been waiting for your return ever since he ripped you from me.” He steps forward and I step back, but quickly run out of room and find myself pinned against a wall.
Stopping, he stares at me. “Mia, you have nothing to fear here. You are home. I know I scared you while you were with them, but your son and Andrew are gone now, they served their purpose and you are home with me, where you belong. No one will hurt you here, you are among family. We only scared you then to get you here, if they thought it was too easy, Jacob would have never pulled Andrew back, his divided loyalties may have made him try to pull you back and I would have lost you again.”
“But father, you promised that I could go and destroy mother before …”
“Quiet! We will have no talk of such things, you accomplished your mission, your children are ready for the battle they are facing and they will secure a victory in your name.”
“He is playing you Jonathan. Even passing through Andrew, you could never enter His plane again. You chose not to follow him, you were part of the banishing, your father does not have that power to grant your deepest desire, but then again, I’m here.”
“Ruth, stop your tricks. You cannot come to this plane, you made your choice!” Satan screams into the air.
I gasp as a figure of the Ruth I know forms, becoming clearer and clearer as she moves closer to me.
Jonathan hurls himself at her, but she disappears and he crashes into the wall, cracking it.
Satan is upon Jonathan instantly. “It’s a trick. She is trying to distract you in a lame attempt to save her. Don’t be fooled, haven’t you failed me enough already?”
“Father how could you say that to me? I have done everything you asked. I left paradise, no questions asked and followed you down here, have done your bidding, have done everything you wanted of me.”
“Up to this point, you have failed me. If you were as clever as your sister, you would have had her here ions ago, yet even when she was only a mere mortal she managed to thwart your half whit attempts to claim her, to get her to fulfill her destiny. If you truly listen to me, do so now, your mother is not here, she did not save you then and she is only trying to trick you now to save Mia. Don’t be fooled again. Mia may be down here, but you let Andrew escape. Now you are getting distracted by tricks and deception that will cause you to fail me again.”
“Jonathan, he is deceiving you, using you, I tried to save you, but you would have none of that. All you wanted to do was follow him, please him, but if he was truly a father he would never have put you in the position of cajoling you into his folly. He would have never allowed his own selfish desire for control and power to destroy his family.”
“My folly, how dare you. You know nothing. You have spent ions trying to validate your existence and betrayal of the one you chose to build new creations with, a family, the one who you chose as your partner. You claim to be doing good, protecting those who are helpless, yet the one you serve leaves them hanging in the wind, leaves them to their own devices when they truly have no tools, no sense. He claims to love them, yet calls them imperfect. I am the one who loves them. I embrace their imperfections, make them my own, and give them direction. I do not watch from my pedestal and then condemn them from their follies, lock them from my haven claiming that their embracing the devil’s ways has banished them from my door. I embrace them, I give them purpose. I give them meaning to their eternity.”
“You give them nothing. You are not capable of giving. You only take. You feed off their power, stripping them of strength and use their souls in your futile quest to regain access to a haven that you will never reenter.” Ruth reappears next to Jonathan, and he grabs her by the neck, begins choking her. Hurling myself off the floor at him, she disappears as I crash into Jonathan who turns and tosses me across
the room.
“Mia, this is not your fight, let me handle this.”
“This is her fight, this is her destiny. A destiny she would have fulfilled if it weren’t for your interference. Her power is because of me, it belongs to me, she belongs to me, and you will not take her from me again with your tricks Ruth.”
Ruth’s voice booms. “I did not keep her from you, she chose not to go with you, not to defy who she is in an ill attempt to please someone who could never love, never feel, never repent, and never admit to his own shortcomings. I have no tricks Lucifer, only love and you will not keep her, you will not consume her, and cajole her the way you fooled our son. The way you turned him against the light, against me, turned him from his family, turned him away from what could have been his life.”
“My life, what a joke, you were never worried about my life. You knew what would happen to all those who chose not to follow him, yet you didn’t warn me. You never fought for me, not the way you fought that day for her, the way you risked everything for her, allowed her to live the life I should have lived, the life I would not have wasted, the power I would not have turned my back on, the power that I would have embraced to make me equal with him, better than him, more powerful than you all.”
“And that is why you chose to leave us that day. That is why her powers could never be yours. Even if you keep her down here, torture her, and strip her of her power, you could not use it, could not control it or win an advantage with it. Her power comes from her unconditional love for her family, the compassion for those around her, the empathy she feels for those who suffer undeservedly, those who suffer at your hands just because you are bored and need amusement. Such power would only wither and vanish in the cold, heartless depths of your darkened sole.” Jonathan swirls around wildly looking for some sign of Ruth, some sign as to where the voice emanates from. The wilder he gets, the more she taunts. Confusion and concern even flit across Satan’s features as her controlling voice captures the attention of their son.
“How many good souls have you truly captured and kept? Considering the ions you have been trying, the souls you should not have are minimal and tonight your world lost even more. You lost a big one in Sebastian, the one who kept Mia’s son from you, kept you from manipulating and controlling him the way your father controlled you. I’m sure that by now, he is safely at heaven’s gate and you will never be able to touch him again.”
“My children will take care of him, if they haven’t already, the way they will find you and enslave you. You will know no peace and even when you beg, there will be no one left, no one there to help you. My children will ensure that you have the pleasure of seeing all your children overtaken, servile to us, and then you too will fall. I will not be confounded by your trickery any more. I may not reach you, but my children will, and I will just have to satisfy myself with the pleasure of watching Mia’s children fall and bringing Andrew to his knees.”
Before I can scream, Ruth appears. “Your children will not have the pleasure of destroying anyone on that plane because they never ascended to it. I was gone and so were your siblings. You had no connections so they could not enter.”
She materializes and this time Satan turns. “I don’t know how you entered, but you are through, finished.” He grabs her and begins crushing her.
“Disappear, he’ll destroy you. Go, you can’t get caught here.” As I scream, Jonathan jumps inside of me and I know he is trying to pass through me because he cannot go through the gateway. Slamming myself against the wall, I can see his apparition jostle, he is half in me and half out for a moment.
Ruth screams. “Mia concentrate on entrapping him within you. Think about keeping him with you, about the love you shared as children. You need to hold on to him, he must not make it to the surface again.”
I don’t know how she escaped Satan’s grasp, but she is moving quickly, trying to prevent his recapturing her. “Mia concentrate! If he makes it to the surface with you here, you will be trapped and he could destroy all you hold dear.”
I can feel the war waging within me, his soul struggling to get out, my soul fighting to hold him. I need to remember the time we spent together, the time both sides have spent tearing away. The images I only get glimpses of before they fade to nothingness. Struggling without even the hint of a memory, I can feel him slipping from my grasp. Quickly I change gears and concentrate on the Jonathan, I can draw images upon, the helpful Jonathan, the one who inadvertently led me home. The one who nursed me when I was sick, the glimpses of the man I saw when his façade slipped away. These images are clearer, I can feel him still with me, but with each passing minute, he is getting stronger, probably because during this time he was only pretending, they will not let me hold him for much longer. Concentrating on the image of us playing hide and seek, as it comes in clearer I feel him struggling more vehemently. I am being beaten from the inside out, while I watch an incomprehensible battle before me, each of us fighting a battle of wills, knowing that if we fail, all for our side will be lost.
Suddenly, I’m lifted in the air. As I scream, I feel him slipping. Chanting, repeating my mantra, “Jonathan you belong with me. You belong here with me,” I rein in my focus. Once again, we are in the clouds and I can feel the clicks in my head, unlocking the draws that the images have been stored. One pops open and I see him and I sitting amongst the clouds, a little older and with our right hands engaged in a battle of thumb wars as Andrew and a beautiful young girl look on. As I hear our laughter, I feel stronger than I have since we entered this desolate abyss. Despite his fiercer struggle, he is not easily breaking free of the chains that are encircling him now.
Another vision comes. Clear and the bold colors of a newly forming earth fill my thoughts. We are there. Andrew, Jonathan and I watch as a world is created around us, mountains form, oceans fill and trees spring up from the earth. We are laughing, running and enjoying each other’s company. Jonathan’s eyes sparkle as the light of a new formed sun shines on his benevolent features. He punches Andrew playfully in the arm. “You take the blame for her being here. I may have brought her, but you wanted her here.”
Andrew laughs. “Of course I will, if you will do the same for her.” Andrew looks to his left and a beautiful auburn haired girl, with sea foam eyes, and delicate features walks toward us and I can see Jonathan’s eyes sparkle as he looks upon her.
Coming closer, she wraps her arms around him. “Shall we explore this new world and see what possibilities it holds?” He nods and they are off.
I can feel the binds tightening on Jonathan, but then a flash of Jonathan and I embroiled in battle as we tumble through a darkening cave overshadows the light. He screams at me. “The power was given to you because you were coming to our side, we gave you the power to capture his soul, destroy it and what do you do, you hide him, protect him. For that, you will lose everything.”
Falling to the ground, I lose my focus and feel his strength pulsating, growing. He is breaking free. Ruth is on the ground struggling. She is losing the battle too.
Crawling toward her, I pull at Satan’s hand as he is about to strike, but he sends me flying with very little effort. I hit the desk and it crashes beneath me. “Mia, don’t worry about me, focus on Jonathan, he cannot leave this place. Focus!”
Trying to pull another memory, I see the day of the banishing. I am running, hiding as father’s voice bellows, calling to me. Running without knowing where to go or how to hide, I am grabbed by one of my father’s closest friends.
“You must be looking for your father, he is looking for you. Let me help you.” His tone is menacing as he lifts me off my feet and carries me forward. Opening my mouth, I want to scream, but something is blocking my voice. Struggling, I cannot even force the slightest sound past my lips. I need to focus. I need to free myself from his grasp before be reaches my father or I will be lost. Kicking my legs, I hit him several times, but he seems unaffected. Bending as far back as I can, I thrust my upper body forward quickl
y and hit my head straight into his neck, winding him. He falls and I run.
I can’t get caught again. My father’s voice is closer. I see Jonathan in the distance. Running toward him, “We have to hide. We need to get away from here. Father is looking for us. If he finds us, we will be lost too.”
A glint enters his eyes that I have not seen before and he stands in front of me. “Father already found me. I was only looking for you. It’s time to go.” He grabs my wrist and begins pulling me.
“No, I don’t want to go and you can’t either. It’s wrong, he will destroy you!” I pull back and he stumbles, but then jerks me forward. “Jonathan please you don’t know what you are saying, you don’t know what you are doing. You can’t leave Rachel, she loves you. Mom loves you. I love you. Father is not what he used to be, he’s changed. Don’t let him change you. You have to stay here. Come, hide with me please.”
“Never, you are coming with me and that is the end of it.” He pulls me forward and I fall. Dragging me, I wriggle and twist until I am on my knees. Thrusting at the back of his legs he falls over me, but is up immediately.
I cannot escape him, he has always been faster. If I want to stay, I need to fight my brother. As my head rams him forcefully in the stomach, I feel the Jonathan inside me falter, but so do I. As the battle before me unfolds, so does the battle within me. Each punch we threw then, I feel now. My body contorts as if in battle and I’m writhing on the floor with pain. My body convulses, I vomit, and my eyes roll back into my head.
I can hear Ruth shout to fight with everything I have and that the gateway is closed so that I am the only entrance for him to escape this dismal abyss that has been his home since the banishing. Relief that no more demons can flow towards my children and Andrew revitalizes my spirit as my fist now pounds upon Jonathan one last time before I get up and begin running. Stopping suddenly, I know what I must do to toss him from me.
Walking toward him, I grab him in a stronghold which turns to an embrace. I see the vision of what occurred before me, right before he left paradise. “I love you but we are not going the same places. I refuse to be your puppet. With all the strength I can muster, I hurl him back, turn, and begin running as far and fast from him as I can, right into Andrew.
“Come, you must hide, they’re looking for you.” As my vision fades, I see the battle between Ruth and Satan is fierce, but I feel lighter. Rising, I realize that Jonathan is no longer with me, but was I successful in casting him out of me to this world or did he escape into mine. Sweeping the room, I do not see him, I failed. He is up there unleashing unthinkable horrors upon my children, my family, and humanity while I am trapped helpless down here.
Ruth breaks free from Satan’s grasp, grabs me and quickly we are gone from the room, we are in a gray fog, the air thick, musty and filled with death as shadows of beings pass around us, unseeing as all lay quiet and still around us. “Where are we?”
“You have passed through here before, when you were searching for Andrew, but he was deeper, not on this realm, do you remember? This is the first level of the netherworld, a place where the remnants of energy of dissipated souls goes. We can’t stay long, we don’t belong here and we will be kicked back to his lair.” She takes in a deep breath. “Mia he will be going for your children and Andrew you have to get to him and use the power he transferred to you to destroy Jonathan to dissipate his soul. That is your only hope now to save your children. If he gets to Andrew before you do, he has passed through you and taken some of that power back, Saria’s followers are on that plane probably using the power now to destroy the demons who have come through the gateway, if he passes through them or calls upon their power to boost his own, he will have enough to claim Andrew and then he will go after your children, enslaving them will not be enough for him, he won’t be able to control them fast enough to satisfy his blood lust, especially Jacob. He will lash out and they will be destroyed.”
“How can I defeat him, especially if he has his children who are so strong there and steals the power of Saria’s men?”
“You are the one who commands her men, seeing you they will fight his influence, they will fight against his stealing their power, they will fight for you, die for you, but you have to fight to win, fight to defeat him and I will help you because you will pass through me, it is the only way back and with that you will take my power with you. Do not hesitate, fight with everything you have, you belong there. You will suffer loss, but remember, you belong to that plane with your family. You must believe that, because it is coming down to a battle of wills and he has waited and wanted what you have since the fall. He will play you, play on you compassion and will use your goodness against you, don’t hesitate, you know what he has become, it was his choice and now he must reap the consequences. This will help you.” From inside the folds of her flowing gown, she pulls a dagger with the strangest handle. Staring at it, I remember Andrew had this dagger when he came after me.
“I see you recognize this. You know it is very powerful, but Mia, this will help you slow him down, cause harm to him, but you must not kill him with this, if you do, his power, his soul cannot be held by this, he will destroy it and all the souls that they once captured will be stronger than ever. Use it carefully. Banish him before the dagger kills him. I know it is a fine line, but you must skirt it, you must not kill him with this, but it will be very useful when you return. Use it wisely.”
“What about his children who have come up? What am I supposed to do about them? Am I supposed to use this against them or will that be wrong as well.”
“Those who have passed between you and Andrew already have their fate sealed, they are probably already human, contain them, you must not kill them, let them be, the fates have other plans for them and in that, a long unanswered question will finally reveal itself. Those who only passed through you must be banished as well. Their power too would be too strong for this dagger to contain them for any period of time. I know you think that they have only known this world of hate and destruction, but some of Jonathan’s other children who did not take part in this, who are on our side, turned their back on this evil, those who you face embraced it, they must be banished. Cut as many ties as you can.”
She begins to fade and I know that I too must be fading. “Mia as soon as we are back there you must pass through me and fulfill your destiny, abolish him and continue your good deeds, you and Andrew have changed everything.
“What about you, what happens to you?”
“You will carry me with you always. Tell my brother, not to try and retrieve me. He cannot and it will only bring suffering. I love you.”
She fades and we are back in Satan’s den. He grabs me as I materialize as a demon grabs Ruth. Quickly spreading her wings, she knocks him to the ground. Shedding his skin, he turns into a tentacle demon with three blazing heads. His tentacles wrap around me tightly, squeezing. One slithers around my neck, constricting my windpipe. I can’t breathe. My world is getting darker and hotter as I fight for even the smallest relief, the tiniest bit of oxygen to revive my withering, searing body. One of his tentacles flies across the room, swiping Ruth and as she stumbles, he breathes fire upon her wings, quickly turning them to ash and singing her. She screams. “Mia, dematerialize now, pass through me now, there is only seconds left!”
Fighting with the last vestiges of strength I can muster, I see my hand begin to fade, feel my body become lighter and I slip out of his grasp. As he closes in upon her and breathes fire my way, I fly at Ruth, pass through her probably right before he envelops her.
I can feel myself flying! Passing through a darkened realm of howling, screeching and cries for help, I realize as I hear echoes of my own tormented past, I am traveling through at such a speed, I see nothing, I just hope it drops me at my children and Andrew. I cannot fail.
Instantly, I find myself standing on what was once a chasm in the floor of the remnants of what was once the cabin. Its roof has been blown off, the windows are shattered a
nd the walls, broken. The demons all but destroyed the once happy haven, but at least there are not bodies. Maybe those who entered are alright. “Not if you don’t get to them!” My subconscious screams.
Moving quickly, I jump over the rubble, hear the battle raging outside and am through a shattered wall. My eyes scan quickly, witches are casting spells everywhere. Energy is visibly crossing every plane. Demons, witches, vampires, and wolves are combating each other, some flying high up into the atmosphere. Demons are locked in battle alongside shadows and apparitions. Dragons are forming and in the midst of the dragons, I see angels, with wings of white and gold, moving quickly to push the fire breathers away from the fight, to contain the hell fires spewing down on the war. Catherine and Francis catch my eye, they are moving in the same manner they did in hell, Francis causing an atmosphere above the fight, where the dragons fly to be tumultuous, tornado like, while Catherine moves just below him, causing the air to be still, creating a chasm where the fires of hell are redirected away from the fighters below.
Running toward the battle, I see many of the faces I was recently introduced to, now devoid of life, their bodies crumbled on the cold ground. As I get closer to the battle, the sound of moaning, screaming, and clanging of weapons is all around me, but still I see no sign of Jonathan, Andrew or my children.
A demon grabs at me, its talons ripping at my skin. Turning, I immediately send it flying into one of its own. Turning back to the fight, Peter is at my side now. “Come, I know who you are looking for, I know where he is.” Grabbing my hand, we are now shadows, passing through the fight, then instantly, there is nothing. I see a new fight raging before me among the burnt out trees that were once a lush orchard. As flesh and bones return, I catch sight of Jonathan, he is moving towards Andrew shouting something in a language I do not understand. Peter shouts something similar back, causing Jonathan to halt. Andrew disappears instantly and as Jonathan turns, he flicks his wrist, Peter pushes me left as he breaks right. A stream of fire that turns all before it to ash flows from him.
Scrambling to my feet, Jonathan now heads for Nicole whose arms and legs are grabbed by demons. I scream to Saria’s men to help, but now I can see they are struggling against some invisible hold and cannot move. As the demons hold her up, Jonathan passes through her, ripping at her, the demons drop her. Reaching her, her eyes cry blood, her body is withered and I can hear the bones crushing to dust beneath her battered flesh, struggling, she rasps out. “Mom, it hurts” He is ripping her apart from the inside, knowing what he is doing, I force myself to change, I know now that I can, and am inside her instantly, throwing him out.
Materializing again he is now running after Jacob, who immediately sends him flying back, but Jonathan changes again and I know what he is going to do. Peter yells. “Go after Jonathan, I have Nicole.”
Turning once again, this time, I stand before him, feeling the power within me and I effectively block his advance, striking him with the dagger. Grabbing at me, I didn’t expect that he could hold me and in that second, I de-materialize and he passes through me, flying at Jacob once more.
From out of nowhere, Cassandra appears and throws Jacob out of his path before disappearing once more. Flying at him, this time, I grab him from behind, forcing him to materialize. As he does, I strike at his side, but he blocks it and only his hand is cut. Someone screams from below. “Father, help us, what’s happening?”
In his moment of distraction, I get a better swipe at him and can see Saria’s men break free of whatever power draining hold he had on them. They are gathering below, but now so is Andrew, he is bending over Nicole as Peter and Gabriel fight to keep the demons from his side.
“Children, get them, destroy them!” He shouts.
“We can’t, we are powerless.”
In those five words, I know the shift in power has changed, the battle we are fighting can be won. I yell to some of the men below. “Capture but don’t kill them. Get them out of here!” I take another swipe at Jonathan, this time he turns to me, crashes his head into me, I drop the dagger but hold on to him. We both tumble toward the earth, hitting it with force that knocks the remaining remnants of wind from me. Rolling, with each blow, I can feel power transferring back and forth between us, it is such a strange feeling, but one I cannot dwell on. Demons roar around us, and as we move, swipes from them tear at my flesh as a gray wolf tears at his flesh, we materialize and dematerialize, we are in this realm, but not, I hear chanting from around us and then nothing, all the fighting around us is devoid of sound. He is transforming before my eyes now, his face blackens to burning embers, his eyes turn red, horns spring from his temple, curving forward like some strange halo, small wings shoot from his back as white wings spring from mine and I can feel myself changing.
“You’re done, you may have destroyed my creations, but your time is over!” Shooting toward me, he knocks me down, but I do not fall to the ground, I bounce against something I cannot see and spring to my feet. Thrusting energy at him, he falters backward, but instantly forces himself forward whipping a sharp tail at me which rips open my chest. The blood oozes from me, but I do not feel pain. Swiping at me again, this time he rips at my legs as they give way from under me. Spreading my wings, I am floating. With my wings fully expanded, Jonathan is held against whatever is holding us to this area. He shoots fire at the wings, but they do not burn and I can see his shocked expression.
Recovering quickly, he swipes his tail again. Pulling a wing inward, wrapping it around me, I hear the clank as if metal hits metal, but they feel soft upon me, brushing my skin, healing the wounds on my chest and legs. Spinning, I hit him and the fire he is spewing trying to burn his way through is turned back on him and I can see his blackened face flash human, burn, and the pain registers in his features.
Cowering against whatever is binding us to this spot, hovering over the earth below, his desolate features catch me off guard and his soft voice now pleads with me. “You had your time here while I suffered, burning in fiery pits that took all that I once was from me, stripping me of my decency, but I can get that back, I can have the life I was meant to live, the life that father stole from me, the one he tried to steal from you. You were granted a reprieve, you lived a life, give me a chance to live, a chance to experience goodness and light.” He is now on his knees before me, begging.
I can feel myself falter. Would he have been different, been who I knew, who I loved, if he had not been cajoled by the demon within? If I let him live now, can I free him, change him, save him? Caught off guard by this surprising event, he thrusts through me as his features turn demon once more and I feel him tearing at me, but quickly cast him out. Changing again, he is now a tentacle demon wrapping himself around me, but as I disappear, his form quickly changes once more and I know what I must do. Changing gives me a split second in time where I can grab hold of him, but I have to put things in place so that many things can happen at once. I only hope that I’m correct and can get my message out of this bubbled dimension that we are now locked in. Passing through him in hopes of weakening him to get my message out before he can pass through me again and gain the knowledge that must pass to defeat him, he barrels over and I send my message to Jacob. We will only have one shot at this.
Thrusting toward me, I cut off communication just as he passes through me, but this time, I feel his tear at my heart and can feel its slowing beats. As he re-corporealizes, he thrusts fire toward me before I can close my wings, searing my skin. Closing my mind to the crippling pain, I gather the energy that comes with the fire and thrust it back at him, slamming him through the bubble encasing us. It shatters, and my wings are now fully extended. Flying at him, I physically embrace him, pulling his physical being into me. As we tumble towards the earth, I fight to separate my physical being from the soul within, pushing it out as I trap him within my wings. As I fight myself, I can feel him fighting himself, each of us now leave our lifeless bodies tumbling as our souls are now interlocked in battle. Spinnin
g around him, for the first time in our existence, unhampered by form, I am faster than he is and am creating a spiritual vortex. As he countermoves, I can feel him trying to drain my energy, he is aware of what I am doing now and he is trying to do the same. Commanding not only my strength but the strength that I can feel coming at me from those who have fought through the centuries for this one moment in time, it feeds my will, my power, and as I cut through the last vestiges of his will, I embrace his dark soul to mine, fill it with light, love and the strength of all those who have come forth to fight with us, who are giving their energy and some their lives, to overtake his soul and turn it to nothing but remnants. The tighter I pull, the more he breaks apart and as I feel my energy building, the brightness of all around me, pass through me, explode within, so too do I feel his dark soul vaporize from within and burst into nothingness. Dark embers emanate from me and are scattered around me, but a soft gentle wind, now creates a vortex around me, gathering the ashes. As those who are now hovered around Jonathan and my lifeless body begin to chant incantations, his body bursts apart, flaming from within. The floating particles join the embers, the bubble forms once more surrounding every fleck, every ounce of what was once Jonathan. A scream diverts my attention. “Father, you can’t leave, you can’t leave us like this.”
Peter comes next to my lifeless body, looks up to the sky and calls for my return. Descending, upon myself, I feel the pain of entry, the retraction of my wings, and can hear his voice swimming through my head. “You need to arise. You have one more thing to do, one more task to complete. You need to send him to the netherworld, break the hold and scatter him throughout so he cannot return.”
As my eyes flutter open, I can see the battle still waging forward, but this time, it is not the combat of my return, this time, it is the banishing of demons by those of Saria’s men who still survive. Seeing my scanning eyes, Peter speaks deliberately. “We will finish here.” He hands me the orb that has now formed around what once was Jonathan. Placing it in my hand, it reminds me of a snow globe just shaken. “You must cast him out once and for all, break his tie to you. You can do it. You know the route.”
My eyes flit to Nicole, Andrew is still bent over her, but pitch shadows loom overhead. Jacob has battled through demons blocking him and remnants of additional battles between Saria’s people and shadowy demons to reach her. They both appear to be feverishly working to save her. “I can’t leave her.”
Peter grabs my arms. “Mia he can only be contained in this orb for a few more minutes, you need to leave now, get the orb where he can do no harm. If he rematerializes here, he will be fierce and stronger than anyone.” He shakes me as my attention is again pulled to Nicole. ‘Mia, he absorbed the souls of many of Saria’s followers, they died protecting others and to give you the strength to banish him. Do not let them die I vain, if he rematerializes here, he has their power, he captured their souls, and all in this area will die. He will claim you all. It took all we had to contain him. Go now, you can’t do anything for her here, but you can protect her by ridding this plane of him.” As he pleads with me on this plane, I can hear Ruth’s words screaming to me in my head. Wrenching myself forward, I hold the orb close to my chest and force myself to open the gate to the netherworld, stepping inside, it closes immediately behind me and I am engulfed by the energy of souls stuck between worlds, lost souls, never to travel onward to another realm.
Traveling deeper and deeper into the gray mist, I can hear his energy hum, telling me that I must move quicker. Picking up the pace, the images of Andrew, Gabriel, Evan, Jonathan and I enjoying our day, playing as young children, falling in love as young adults, Eva with Jackson, Gabriel with Martina, myself with Andrew and Jonathan with Rachel fills my vision. We were so happy together and I realize how souls who are truly meant to find each other never lose that connection. I see us traveling to the middle plane before the fall, when life was right, but the visions that once brought such happiness and peace, now haunt me, showing me what the choice of one cost us all.
I see the day of reckoning, the day of choosing sides, the families being ripped apart, the newly formed souls whose innocence was ripped away as parents fought as to who would claim them. I feel the fear and desperation of parents trying to hide their young from a fate that would forever change us all.
A bold, sultry voice calls to me. “You can still make it right; you can join the families who have been torn apart. Release me, I will reunite those on your plane and then open up the gates to His. We can reunite them all; bring them a life they should not have been stripped of because He would not allow anyone to challenge His power. He claimed to love all his creatures but then would not let them question Him. He claimed compassion, but then refused to show it to all the ones who sided against him. He claimed to give free will, but banished those who exercised it, just like you are banishing all the souls of your men who died in the protection and preservation of your children. You are denying them peace after they sacrificed, gave their lives, their blood, their souls to give your children as they lay dying the protection of their bodies and essences until Andrew of Jacob could come and restore them to the plane you so don’t want them to leave. They did not die just to contain me. They died in service to you. How could you so callously banish them here to this desolation, this nothingness? Getting rid of me also banishes them to this plane, you banish them from claiming what you people think is the reward of paradise. Can you do that after all they have given to you? Can you do that knowing that I will be here and once I regain my power, they will be the first ones that I claim? Can you torture them for all eternity Mia, just so that you can return to what you claim is your home? That is not your home. They are not your family. You are destroying your true family and your followers. You are banishing me, you have forsaken father when all he wanted to do was be reunited with you, yet you forever foreclosed his possibility of joining you in any place but hell and you are destroying our mother, leaving her there to be tortured throughout eternity by father. I assure you, now that he feels like he has lost, he will be ruthless. She will not know a moment’s peace. Torment will be her only friend, but you can still change that. Free me, free the souls that I have stolen in our battle. We can still open the gateway. We can still release father and mother. Everyone will win. Opening the planes means you will never have to be separated from Andrew again and can finally meet all of your children, all of your forgotten family.”
My heart constricts, I knew that my leaving had condemned Ruth, but I did not realize I was now also condemning souls that fought for centuries on the side of right, those who fought for and protected the family I know now and probably in centuries past for the family I can no longer remember. They should not be here and they should especially not be condemned here for all eternity by the hand of someone they trusted to follow, to fight for, and to believe in. My heart splinters at the paths before me, the knowledge that no matter what I choose, I am condemning innocents. The humming becomes more pronounced and now dozens of voices are swirling around me, calling for action. “Banish him. Throw the orb into the pit now. This is our destiny, you must fulfill yours. Rid your plane of him now and we will try to hold him here, prevent those in hell from reclaiming him. Do it now, you must return. This fight is never over, you are needed there and we are needed here. Do it now!”
Running toward the pit, I throw it down and feel the energy hum within me as a stream of fire shoots from my palm directed at the orb which blasts apart, incinerating the contents within. The gentle hum of the netherworld suddenly sparks and I am immediately engulfed in a tidal wave of dark energy that feels as if it is tearing me apart. I feel like Pandora who opened the box and is overwhelmed by the plagues that now pass through me, crushing me under their weight. A strong pull jerks me from the drowning wave, pulling me toward the surface.
Quickly searching my burnt out surroundings, I see my exhausted, beaten, but jubilant loved ones, family, friends, and new acquaintances sprawled out on the
deadened earth. Thankfully, the fighting on this plane appears to be over.
I hear Nicholas scream. “She’s back, mom made it.”
Struggling to my feet, as he jumps in my arms, someone grabs me from behind so that we do not fall. Kayla immediately follows. Hugging me, they move toward Andrew, Jacob and Nicole who is still lying on the ground, her head resting upon Jacob’s knees. At least color brightens her cheeks and a smile crosses her lips causing her eyes to glisten as she sees me.
Falling to my knees, I hug her, Jacob, Nicholas, Kayla and can feel Andrew’s arms around us all as Peter, Anthony and Cassandra who is holding Alexander circle around us. A flash of light in my mind’s eye veils the scene in front of me and I can hear the booming voice address Andrew.
“You followed your heart, you have endured so much, proven that no matter what lifetime engulfs you, what trouble finds you, what temptations are placed before you, you will choose the path of right, the path that saves humanity. You have earned your right to come home, to re-enter paradise to take Mia and return to the light and happiness that can forever be yours. You disobeyed, but again in protection of the underdog, to bring safety to one in trouble, and rescue a lost soul. It is time for you to come home and rejuvenate, enjoy the fruits of you labor.” I can feel the light, the love and the absolute peace which envelops Andrew’s heart and soul. My own eyes sting with unshed tears as I feel the tear that rolls down his as the resolve builds within him.
Father, I did not disobey you and leave paradise to spite you or to hurt you. She is my other half, but you always knew that. You created us all and then allowed your closest angels to accompany me, fight beside me and ensure that I was never far from your guiding hand and loving nature, but we all know the fight is not over and the plane you created to give the undecided a chance to truly choose their realm will always be in danger from his deed and his shadows. I will not leave the family I created on this plane, the children I still need to know, the family members I must rediscover and I will not leave the world of souls fighting for a place to struggle on their own with no champions, no help. I will pass the message on to your other children if they so desire to return, but I must stay. I love you always and will always fight in your name.
I feel the love enveloping him, the approval whispered in his ear and the promise that the gateway is always open to him and those who chose to fight the darkness. As the veil lifts from my eyes, and I pass on my thoughts of staying with Andrew wherever he is to him, and see Jacob’s nod as well, Nichole’s quit, beseeching voice, pulls me back to the present. “Did we really stop it? “Is it really over?”
Andrew and I nod together. “Yes it’s over.” As I say this, I glance around and see that although the demons were banished so too were good souls whose bodies line the war torn land and know that although we have by some grace avoided the apocalypse, the war itself is never over. I want to ask Andrew what happened to the soul of our son, but looking around, I see Reginald’s relieved face and know that Sebastian is home. Andrew’s soft unspoken response swims through my thoughts. He is safe with the angels.
Nicole’s quiet inquiry pulls me from my thoughts. “Mom did you feel me? I embraced my powers. I fought to hold on to Jacob when the demons came through and protect him and then helped Jacob hold on to dad just like you wanted and we fought.” She coughs. “I know I got hurt, but I think before that I really helped too.”
“You did. I saw how quickly your father disappeared with the others, you did so well. I am so proud of you.” I look around. “I am so proud of all of you. We couldn’t have done this without everyone working together, doing what they needed to do.”
She smiles weakly. “Can we go home now?”
Francis responds and for the first time, I notice Stephanie and Brian by his side. “I’ll let the pilot know he is to get a flight ready for Sanctuary immediately, if everyone is ready.”
Nicole struggles and looks around. “We need to bury our friends first, make sure they are at peace.” Her eyes tear and as a tear falls, I can see the others getting misty. Brushing away her tear, she clears her throat. “Uncle Francis, we have to go back to New York to finish what mom started.” She glances around at the surprised faces.
“Honey, I know you would much prefer to go home and considering what you have been through, it would be best.” I stroke her cheek and am grateful that if feels warm.
Straightening herself up, she winces from the pain. “Mom, we need to finish what we started first. I know that I always shied away from new things, from our power, but I helped today. I helped get the others out. I know what our role is now. I know that we cannot turn our back on even one good thing that we can accomplish because too many of them are waiting in the wings for another chance. I know they won’t get a chance like this one any time soon, but we can’t give them even one victory. We need to play our part and although Sanctuary is our home and is an important part of protecting people, we have to do more, I see that now. That project brought you back to us and needs to be finished because it is going to be a new beginning for many of our kind and a new way to help. We need to keep moving forward, spreading out.” She struggles to her feet. “Come on, a lot of our friends are really hurt, we need to help them.”
Taking a few steps forward, she stumbles and Jacob grabs her. “You’re healing, but not fully healed, let me work on you a little longer.”
“But…”
“But nothing, I’ll work on you, dad and the others can work on those around us.”
“I’m fine, you have been coddling me for months, but I’m stronger now. Jake, it’s alright, I will heal in time, don’t worry.”
Paul comes over and sweeps Nicole in his arms. “You may heal in time, but he can heal you quicker and you have been through a lot, let’s get you somewhere where Jacob can work on you and you can rest.” She opens her mouth to argue. “Don’t” He smiles. “You are at a disadvantage now, so just relax.”
I can’t believe how many we lost. As we bury them, I can see the fight they fought, the demons they protected our world from and the suffering that they went through. I gasp as I see all of my children, even those who are only spirits fighting together, with those they have come to care so much about. I see Jacob and Nicole struggling to repair the damaged bodies of Lucas, Paul, and Damian. I hear Kayla’s panicked whisper to Nicolas that if they cannot get Damian and Lucas back, she fears that they will lose the connection to Catherine and Serena. Although he reassures her that they love them too and that will help hold on to them and maybe pull them out, the look between he and Jacob tells me that they know only true soul mates will make extraction possible without children of their own.
Touching the body of the one Peter called Johanna, I see Nicholas fighting to save her as a young girl screams out for him to watch out and throws herself at a demon about to pounce. Turning to help her, Johanna is attacked by three demons and is lost instantly. Nicholas fights off the demon attacking Amy and then carries her almost lifeless body to where Nicole and Jacob are working on others who are wounded. Talking to her the whole time, I can see how his attachment to her is growing and he begs her as she lay healing to get better. She rasps asking about her mother, but then sobs as his face drops. “I’m sorry, I tried to save her, but I promise, you won’t be alone; I’m here. I’ll help you always.” As He says this, I catch a glimpse of his future and know that they will be forever connected.
Epilogue
Boarding the plane, I still cannot fathom how we managed to stop him from sending forth our son to destroy this world as we know it and wonder what new type of battle he will wage and what new advantage he will try to glean.
Reginald comes behind me. “Mia, we know he will always try and I know that it is weighing upon you knowing some of what your children endured while you were fighting him and to learn that he fathered you, but you must remember, that happened while he was still one of the good guys. His works after the fall are not on you.”
Grabbing m
y wringing hands, “Mia, I know what you are concerned about, but this is a victory. We have never, in any of the prior battles, had so much information; had so many working together. His own actions have led to this, his changing Andrew, did not put a mark on him the way he hoped. Then neither course to claim you worked. Mia, he stopped the cycling, he caused his own folly and then when he captured your son’s soul, he thought that he had you and Andrew right where he wanted you, he never counted on the strength of your family, the turning of some of his own, or his destroying his own creations and Jonathan’s children as they passed through Andrew and your son. Come, let’s sit, I will fill you in on some things you missed while you were fighting the big man.” He laughs, but I can hear the edge in his voice, because he knows that it is not over.
As we pass the group that screamed to Jonathan for help, I hear their nervous inquiries to Cassandra about what shall happen to them, what torture we have planned in retaliation for what they tried to accomplish, who they tried to destroy. Passing her, I can see the concern in her eyes. “Considering your condition, I wouldn’t plan on destroying anyone anymore, you have choices, I suggest that you use this opportunity wisely try to make up for some of what you have done so when your life is over, you may not return to where you were, but that is not my call, nor is it my department. You are human now, you will have to go through this life and what you do will decide where you go, but I strongly suggest you make the right choice this time. Jonathan is gone and he will only torture you for your failure. You will be delivered to Saria’s council members and they will determine whether to help you or just let you out on your own.
“Come, Mia, sit.” I see Nicole resting on Paul’s shoulder as he strokes her temple, Kayla is sleeping wrapped in Charley’s arms, while Nicholas strokes Amy’s hair and talks soothingly to her, trying to get her to rest. Jacob is holding Julianne’s hand and they are whispering. His eyes meet mine and he begins to rise, but he looks dead on his feet. Waving my hand for him to sit, he looks relieved and picks up Julianne’s hand once more, while Cassandra is in Mark’s embrace, Anthony is whispering on the phone telling Laurel that he will see her first thing tomorrow and Peter is kissing the cheek of Amber.
Sitting next to Andrew, I take Alexander from him and my voice is horse as I consider the child we saved but will never know. “Reginald, did we really succeed? Is there any way of knowing that he doesn’t have our son and could do this again? Are we absolutely sure that the baby is not within his grasp? I mean considering everything, can the gateway be opened again?”
He shakes his head. “No, a lot happened while you were fighting on his plane. You saw some of it, but you may not realized that Jonathan’s children who opened the gateway began fighting as soon as you were through, hoping that if they killed your children, the gateway could remain open and they would control it, but we got Alexander out immediately, As they were fighting Jacob and the others, your men worked on banishing them. We wanted to banish them all, but two souls escaped, and three of his children on this plane were killed and taken by the demons back to hell. We did manage to banish the others and in banishing Jonathan, we believe that this could not be repeated. Mia, you saw the very specific circumstances for this to culminate into an apocalyptic type situation. Such circumstances are unlikely to ever be repeated. He does not have the spirit of your son.”
I can’t help but interrupt, but he did have spirits of our children, where did they go? Couldn’t they be utilized for some type of new revenge plot to cross the planes? How did you stop him from crossing into heaven anyway?”
Amanda and Cassandra join us and Cassandra interjects. “We didn’t allow any of your children’s spirits who were in hell to return. We banished three of them to one of the netherworld realms. We could not risk their returning there if you were not successful and the other two we ah...”
Amanda interjects, probably to distract Cassandra who is now fidgeting nervously. “We forced them to become human. Seeing my confusion, Amanda sits back and speaks very deliberately. “You always wondered how Lucas, Sebastian and Marlena became human. They became human because they bit you while you were pregnant with Alexander. Alexander’s blood has the power to convert the supernatural and since his twin was denied a corporeal existence, his spirit carried the power. We learned this when Jonathan’s children came through and started forming into corporeal beings with beating hearts instead of passing right through to the next plane. We knew Jason came across ancient writings where one would hold the power to change demons into what they feared would be the lower form of life, humans, but we never thought we would see if first hand. Your plan to have Jacob grab Andrew and your son had some unintended consequences which none of us were privileged to until after the fact. When Andrew came back, we utilized your son to change your two children.” Looking around I wonder who they are. “Mia, they are not here. When they began to fight us, we didn’t want to kill them. We let them go.”
As the information she revealed sinks in, I pull Alexander to me. I lost one child already and he has a power that will make him more of a target than ever. Andrew pulls down on my hands. “Mia, relax you are going to hurt him. He will be protected and he will be strong when he gets old enough to watch out for himself.”
Reginald interjects. “Mia, you have seen how strong your children are and we are getting stronger all the time. He will be fine and so will you. Just look at how many people you have on your side and how much he is losing. If the time ever comes, we will face this battle together, but right now, I think it would be best to concentrate on dealing with the repercussions from everything that has happened.” He looks over at the children and then touches my hand, revealing even more horrific images of what they faced, demons whose lives they took, and the pain, fear and loss they experienced as friends who fought with them died before them, for them.”
Nodding, I then turn to Amanda. “Do you know if it is possible for Satan to come for my children the way he came for Andrew’s mother? Was she Andrew’s true mother, I mean considering…” I look to Andrew hoping that I did not offend him, knowing that he thinks of her as such. Knowing what I think of him, he smiles and then turns to Amanda hoping she will answer.
“Mia neither you nor your children are his to claim, not the way he came to claim Ann.” She glances at Andrew, but then continues. “He could not even rise above his own realm in hell to claim the child that Sebastian was helping to protect, but Mia, you need to know that your child was also protecting himself, the same way that Alexander played a role in your coming together with Andrew. Your children are strong and they did nothing to have chosen Satan’s side so he cannot rise to this plane to claim them like he did for Ann. So do not let that thought haunt you any further.”
Gabriel comes up to me. “Why don’t you let me take Alexander. Mia, your mind is racing, you should try to relax, we have won a considerable battle and you are still here. This time, you even have pieces from your past.
I rise, hugging him. “You have been there since the beginning, always protecting him, protecting me. Thank you is nowhere near enough.”
Embracing me, “I am glad this time, I returned as family, it makes things much easier. I am also relieved that we get to keep our memories. He smiles and his eyes glisten as he looks over to Martina. “Relax on the plane ride home. We have a lot to be grateful for and those who sacrificed their lives did not die in vain, they can rest in peace while those who continue on with their duty in the nether realm, know that their choice will help ensure that our side maintains an advantage we never had before.”
Despite his words and the overwhelming gratitude I feel that my family has survived this ordeal, I know what happened after we gained a small victory, this loss is so much greater, so much more devastating to his side that it will make him fiercer in the days to come.
Although we still have unfinished business in New York, the people there still believe that I am recovering and in truth, I am and am grateful that Andrew insisted o
n going home for a few days.
Nicole appears much stronger physically and I can see the changes in her attitude toward embracing her powers. The children’s help during the battle has not only strengthened their resolve, but has also affected their choices on this realm. Gone are the children who loved being with friends and classmates at Sanctuary, learning, playing, and practicing their powers. Although they love being with the children who are here, they now appear more focused on helping them reach their potential, teaching them how to use their powers, focus their energies and avoid the temptations or despair in life that could lead them astray. When they are not engaged in helping serve the patients, they are spending time assisting those with terminal illnesses with ways to find peace before their travels.
Although they were always mature, they have aged years in just days, even their physical appearance is older, their eyes holding the torment of a thousand lifetimes. I wonder if they too are truly old souls returning here to make new soldiers for a war that will never end.
Note To The Reader
We would like to thank all those who have taken the time to read about Mia, Andrew and all of the characters in this series. We hope that you have enjoyed getting to know them and seeing how they developed the same way that we did.
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