He Who Becomes Divine

[Dion]

Okay, soooo this is the first thing I've ever posted online at least when it comes to my writing. As such, I am posting this to Improve my literary skill and because this is the first thing I have written that I believe to be worthy of being seen by others. Please feel free to critic in the harshest way possible for only through pain can I grow lol​

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Prologue

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. They all say I am, the monks, the soldiers, the peasants, they shower me in their devotion as they praise every one of my

'victories'.

And yet I know in my heart of hearts the Devil will kill us all."
​

- 28 BPII, An excerpt from Tuv's Journal, page 5,499.
​

The night sky reigns supreme, and the moonlight illuminates the world below, as a man begins the night by caging a god. Standing tall inside his damp dark apartment cellar, the only point of light in the entire room is a small candle carried flame, set inside a large circle of dancing symbols. Fire, earth, air, and water, the symbols stand on the circles border, dancing round and round the scarlet flame in worship. Made of blood and ash, the circle almost took up the entire stone floor as the man paid extra attention not to step on any of the circle lines before stopping inches from the flame. Feeling the heat kiss his cheeks, the man stopped, taking a calming breath as he unleashed the Yesod within his soul. At once, a faint purple smoke poured from his mouth, nose, and very eyes before finally he lifted the dirt brown sack in his hand, testing its weight as he pried the sack open in preparation for his chant.

"By fire, by earth, by air, by water I summon thee spirit of hunger to mine world of truth and touch from yours of thought and lie through fire and blood-".

At once, blood boiled and fire roared within the circle.

"With a bunny's foot chopped from an eastern egg-".

Pulled from the cotton sack, the furry foot matted with fresh blood was thrown into the fire.
​

"With a tooth stolen from the fairy-".

Thrown from his sweating hands, the pure white tooth sailed into the all consuming fire.

"With a saints red cape-".

Released from its prison, the final item of the sack, a scarlet, white fur trimmed cape was thrown by him into the flames.

"I open the door and close the way, from ouroboros I cast you down, from Ein Sof's foundation I cast you down thrice by name, Hyngran, Hyngran!, Hyngran!!-".

With every word, the fire changed, turning green and raging higher and higher until form was taken, tall and women shaped, it climbed out of the bottomless depths of the fire released from spiraling doors, but could go no further for its very soul was bound to the spot. Hunger incarnate, the goddess was a monster in human form, something that couldn't be described with petty things like gender. Shrouded in hungry flames, it was corporeal enough to be gorgeous at first glance with a buxom figure to die for and a sultry face without blemish that could tempt the most celibate of men. Yet, for all that beauty, it only took a longer look to reveal the monstrosity within. Little things gave it away, the sneer of its voluptuous lips, the sharpness of its nails, and most importantly its eyes. Without pupils, sclera, or irises, it's eyes were the deepest of black holes, all consuming and always hungry, they would devour the universe if they could. Luckily, the circle bound the abomination, channeling the soul of the earth itself, the goddess was unable to unleash its Netzach and eat its way through the threshold, but just incase, the man silently thought with narrowed, cautious eyes.

"And unto chains I cast you underfoot".

And then it roared.

Piercing the cellar with roar after roar of defiance as it withered in the flames, the man simply watched mercilessly. Moments passed as the man examined his prize, 'till finally after nodding in satisfaction, he silently, and in one smooth motion, raised his arm and with sound like shattering glass he snapped his fingers. With a rumble and a groan, chains the size of small dogs exploded from the cellar walls in a bellow of debri and dust. Made from the iron inside the stone walls of the cellar and steaming from their recent creation, they flew to the fire in a swarm of metal and fury, encasing the screaming goddess in place.

With a sigh, the man released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as sweat dripped down his face and a smile, adrenaline filled, spread across his cheeks. Slowly, ever so slowly as silence reigned again in the cellar and red smoke dissipated, a laugh, barely audible, escaped his lips into the silence until like a cascade his mouth burst with maddening laughter. I did it, finally, finally, Finally the man thought, his relief, an explosion in his mind.

It was only 'till he was on the ground, his backside to the floor, that the laughter died down as the sheer relief he felt from before subsided. The hardest part is over, the man thought as he gazed at the imprisoned figure, flickering in its temporarily fiery nature, the goddess stood stock still, her hate loud as a siren as she glared at the insect who had caged her with scorching tears of rage flowing down her cheeks. Smile growing ever larger at the sight, the man finally stood, patting his legs as he did so, he turned away.

Walking toward the cellar exit in sure steps, the man crossed the threshold of the cellar to ascend the stairs steps to his house above. Seconds, minutes, then hours passed as the goddess waited in her solitary confinement, it's only action available, the memorization of that cage. The fire still raged with its fury, it's arms still struggled with chains binding it, yet still its eyes of contained fire searched the binding circle for weakness to no avail. Time was kind to no one though, and it didn't take long before the goddess finally heard the man's steps descending the stairs. Loud and exact, he appeared after a moment of tap-tapping, a small bundle in hand as he crossed it he cellars threshold once again.

His smile now serene, the man with soft reassuring words spoke to the small bundle, a baby sleeping inside.

"You'll have power beyond imagining, power to define the kingdom, the world we live in" he said, a mixture of wonder and assurance in his voice as his eyes returned to the goddess. Becoming cold at once, he stalked towards the creature as his eyes roved and probed for any hidden secrets to be found.

"That is the power you'll have" he said, speaking to the baby, staring at the Goddess. Smile now vicious, the man stood in the circle as he lifted, from his robes deep pockets, an obsidian black blade. Fire licking his face, his blood and soul boiling from the magic about to be used, the man struck the baby. The blade sharp and defiling, he oh so carefully split the babies little palm, deep enough for the baby to wake in pain and the blood to flow. At once, the child's cry filled the air, no matter the man thought, as he once again began to chant and unleash his Yesod.

"From the White God to the Mothers smallest Fairy I, Malux Venin Stonewood, call all to witness-"

Immediately, like steaming popcorn, hundreds, thousands of eyes formed on the walls of the cellar. Focused and erratic, the eyes searched the room till finally they froze as one, gazing upon the man who had called them to witness.

"This holy bondage of touch and thought, him, it, they, together with virgins blood and holy Ichor I thrice bind their souls into one-"
The words rushing from his dry lips, the shrieking began. Born from the, now comprehending, goddesses fiery throat as it raged against unbreakable chains, Malux tasted the despair in those screams and smiled as he continued the chant.

"For better or worse I bind their souls. In sickness and health I bind their souls. Till truths tragic doom, do I bind their souls.-"

His words like thunder without sound, they shook to its core as the babies wailing and the goddesses shrieking suddenly cut off. Without pause though, the man acted, taking his hand away from under the baby as the goddess watched in mute horror. Yet even still the baby and his bundle didn't move, instead he simply floated in the air, support not needed now as the man's power held the baby. And then, after a second, the babies very soul exploded as if a red sun descended into the cellar. A moment, a second of blinding, disillusioning light flared, revealing the cellar in all its gritty detail, and then in an instant the red flare was gone, replaced by red smoke.

Disappearing, cutting, condensing, the red smoke that poured from the baby's skin became three glowing scarlet red tendrils moving, wiggling out of the baby's belly. One tendril to be his mind, one to be his heart, and one to be his body, together they moved above the baby in chaotic seizures until, without apparent reason, they froze and turned, ever so slowly, to face the goddess. At once they were upon the goddess, erupting even further from the babies innards and speeding towards the goddess in a frenzy to bind with it, to be inside it. Recoiling in horror, in disgust at what was about to happen, the goddess scrambled to break her unbreakable chains, to escape the madman who was doing this.

It was too late, far too late however and the tendrils descended upon the goddess in joy. One striking it between its eternal eyes to join its minds with the babies, another plunging between supple fiery breast to to join their hearts, and the final tendril piercing the goddesses stomach to join their bodies. At once, sound returned to the goddess and her screams tore through the cellar followed by those of the baby's, grief, anger, disgust filling those very screams. Uncaring Malux simply raised his voice to resume the chant.

"If any, from the fallen son to a lowly witches cat, condemn this Holy Union then please speak now-"

Feeling the sweat coating his forehead, he paused as his challenge was issued, waiting, dreading any who would defy his actions. Any one of these things watching could utterly destroy him if they so choose, hopefully they simply won't care, Malux thought. Looking up, he could see, feel even, the amusement mixed with pity in the thousand of eyes staring. But after a moment, then two, nobody interfered and eyes began to disappear, first ten, then fifty until finally after a dozen or so minutes, no more eyes adorned the walls. Sighing in relief, a smile of victory plastered across his face, Malux finally lowered his eyes gazing at the chained goddess before him. It's spirit broken, the goddess slumped in its chains, tendrils binding it to the softly crying baby. Almost done, Malux thought quietly, gathering his Yesod within him to finish the ritual.

"Or forever hold your might. For on this day I bind the now, boy and goddess, to be forever together." Malux finished, the words coiled in his Yesod as they shook the room.

Pulsing, once, two, at the words, the tendrils went to work on the goddess. Like black holes of blood red, they began sucking, vacuuming at the broken, silent goddess as Malux finally focused on the crying baby in pride and satisfaction. Focusing on tendrils coming from the baby, he marveled at how they absorbed the goddesses essence into his baby's soul. Sucking at it's mind, heart, and power, the tendrils year the goddess apart peace by piece taking all of it in. Silent as it was devoured, Malux gazed into the broken goddesses eyes watching for any change to its vacant stare. In minutes, the goddess lost all its limbs yet kept its vacant eyes. In seconds more, it lost most of itself to the tendrils with only its head and vacant eyes remaining. And in an instant later the goddess was finally absorbed, the green fiery skin, the holy ichor, the vacant eyes, all were absorbed by the tendrils and passed unto the baby's soul in a pulse of red light.

"Marvelous", Malux laughed in awe, eyes intense and dilated "Marvelous, marvelous, marvelous!"

As his laughter rang out in the cellar, the fire disappeared in ember and ash no the cellar returned to shadow as the baby floated in the middle of the room. Moments passing by, laughter dying down, Malux returned to his son, gently grabbing him from the air as he gave the boy a once over. He was a beautiful baby boy with locks of curly obsidian hair and a round head atop his little shoulders. With healthy plump cheeks bloated from crying and light grey eyes shut tight from pain of being cut, Malux couldn't help but grin at how fragile the boy was.

"Shh, shh", Malux whispered to the Caramel baby as he released a prick of Malkuth, the second and last of his powers from within his soul, to heal the baby's cut "everything is okay, it all worked out".

Smiling and comforting, it took minutes before the boy stopped his crystal, but Malux was patient. Coming down the high of using so much power, Malux calmed himself by thinking of the future and what it would hold as he looked fondly upon his son. He will be my greatest weapon he thought, once trained properly and with a goddesses power, no one would be able to stand against him, Malux knew, as the baby clutched tighter to his robes. Silence descending, the cellar was empty of noise till suddenly, without warning Malux's stomach growled.

"Ugh", he said, shaking his head as he stared at his son "let's get food Alhmanic"

Without another word, he turned from the cellar, rocking his baby in hand, Malux ignored the ash and blood in the room as he walked towards the exit. Future planned, outcome unknowable, Malux walked up the stairs, a step closer to breaking the birdcage he lived in, a step closer to his revolution.

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July 17 1970 - The being designated as Metatron is born. ​

 

[Dion]

CHAPTER 1

"What would they say, if they knew how strong he was? How strong he was getting with every city he devoured? Doubtless they would simply look to me. Their fools, the lot of them, expecting a liar like me to be able to save them. Honestly, That's all I really do these days; lie, lie, and lie."
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- 28 BPII, An excerpt from Tuv's Journal, page 5,499.

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The Light of Ein Sof rises and falls within the World Tree as branches stretch to embrace eternity. Packed tightly and held softly, the light becomes shapely souls as they descend, leaving nothing but echoes, memories of eternity. Gold, blue, red, purple, green, black, orange, white, pink, and grey, the souls fall upon the five worlds like the foreigners they are as countless ages come and go. In one such age, called the Phanerozoic II age by some, a scarlet red soul falls upon the world of action as a Rosemary sprouts in a small forest in Michigan. The falling soul was not new to the world of action, nobody and nothing is anymore since the birth of Ein Sof's tree. But the sprouting flower was.

"Focus Al, you can do this" Papa said in the silence of the surrounding trees, standing a few feet behind me. Even then I could feel him, his warmth, his breath, his eyes bearing down on me as he spoke. Standing straight, I puffed up my chest with my arms stretched out as my eyes darted every which way in frustration. I wish, I thought glumly you should just give up on me Papa, it would be for the best. Honestly, I knew it was true, as I stood silently in the practice yard Papa had picked for today's lesson. I stood in a clearing, large and round, I was surrounded by watching giants, redwood trees shadowed by the twilight sun. Big and dark, they scared me, they made me dig my little bare feet deeper into the prickly grass beneath, but I wouldn't run, I couldn't run, Papa was watching. Tearing my eyes away from the giants, I focused on what Papa wanted and looked at the caged rabbit in the clearings center, preparing for what I needed to do, stealing my nerves for when I would inevitably fail.

I needed to eat his salty little soul

Small and shaking, he was the runt of his litter with beady red eyes and fur that was white as salt. Honestly, I didn't want to devour him, but Papa wanted me to, and I knew Papa would never have me hurt an innocent little guy like him. Taking a breath, then another, I took a step as I stuck out my tongue and tasted the air, looking the rabbit in the eyes when I tasted his soul, trying to get a feel for it. Fear and salt, mixed and bound together, he's scared of me I thought as his bushy little tail pressed against the metal bars in an attempt to run from me. Wincing at the fear, I wondered again if I could really do this, devour the soul of another. Papa always told me I was capable of doing it, said it would be easy for me because of Hyn, but she never told me anything important so how was I supposed to know. Sighing, I shook the frustrations away as I stepped in front of the small cage, a slight breeze ruffling the the grass and leaves around me. Black bared and with a simple lock, the cage was easy to open as I crouched down and grabbed my panicking meal with shaking hands.

Holding him like a baby, I could feel his hysterical heartbeat, taste the salt of his soul as it turned into seawater, smell the fear in his mind. Feeling sick, I tried to comfort the little guy, patting his head in slow and deliberate motions as I turned to face Papa.

He stood a ways back, between me and the clearings edge, in his big black robes and with an oaken staff in hand. Blue eyes under a white scruffy mane pierced me, telling me what needed to be done, but behind him, to my widening eyes, another stood. Silent and still, she appeared like a candle under the pale moonlight, brilliant and beautiful in looks. With fiery red hair and scarlet eyes, she was but a flicker of a once all consuming flame. With skin the color of white wax, she was a blazing inferno trapped in the coil of my mind and soul. What's she doing here? She never watches my lessons I wondered, focusing on her timeless eyes as they… judged?

"Begin Alhmanic" Papa said, impatience dripping from his lips, snapping me out of my rever. Crap, crap, crap, I thought, as I frantically returned my frenzied eyes to the bunnies own red ones, What do I do. Taking a breath, then another, I forced myself to calm down as I darted my grey eyes to quietly look at Papa's impatient scowl and then back down at the bunnies own fearful one. Take it from the top Alhmanic, Papa believes in you I reminded myself as I released the divine essence within my soul, Netzach, Papa called it. It was slow at first, but soon blood red smoke began to drip from my fragile thirteen year old body; my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my very pores. Like having aching bruises all over, it felt simply annoying at first, but as minutes passed, I became exhausted until the only thing stopping me from letting go of my gathered powers was Papa eyes boring down on me. Finally, after a dozen or so minutes I had enough energy gathered and every so slowly, I did as I was taught and pooled my Netzach into my eyes until they became a deep glowing red, pupils, scleras, irises and all. Exhausted already, I breathed through ragged lung as I paused my work to catch a delicious breath.

"Don't stop...don't stop" I mumbled to myself, my body aching a familiar but painful ache as I took the final plunge and glared into the bunny's eyes through a veil of divine essence knowing in my heart of hearts it was pointless.

Tasting the now overwhelming salt and fear, I peered into the bunny's eyes, focusing harder, tasting deeper, seeing further till I dipt into his future far as my human eyes could see; saw the vision of his soul, and all the wonder that would be. Like a falling curtain, his body, bones and all, was stripped away and the divine essence of his soul laid bare for my glowing red eyes to see...

…What.

Set where the bunny's head would be, shaped like a ball the size of a grown man's fist, a hazy mirage of pale reappeared as a disbelieving smile grew on my face. NO WAYYYY I screamed inside my own head as I looked at the one thing I never thought I would be able to see.

"Papa!, Papa! I did it, I can see his soul!!" I shouted over, awe in my voice as I looked beneath the bunny's skin, this was the farthest I had ever gotten in my lessons.

"With instruction, it was only a matter of time," Papa said, smiling in relief as I turned towards him, "what do you see Al".

Selfishly though, I took a second to respond, instead staring at Papa as he smiled at me. Gaping in shock, I couldn't help myself, Papa never smiled at me during lessons or at home, even when he said I was doing good. Honestly, for a second I wondered if I was dreaming, but as the seconds passed and nothing happened I could help it when my smile glowed even brighter. Shaking my head, I let my self doubt slip away, of course this is real I thought as I silently glanced towards Hyn. Only to find empty space and a passing breeze where she had stood.

Oh, I couldn't help but think as I quickly glanced away from the spot well it's not like she usually watches my lessons. With a sigh, I looked down, back at the bunnies soul as disappointment mixed with my happiness till I finally answered Papa.

"It's like a giant ball Papa, red but super hazy" I said, petting behind the bunny's ears, scratching that sweet spot as I looked up at Papa.

His smile was gone as if it had never existed, and he glared at me, eyes flaring with disappointment.

"Wrong, all wrong Al," Papa slowly growled in deafening disappointment, the joy of seeing me do something right for once collapsing all around him, "A soul is the self, thoughts and dreams unveiled, and nobodies soul, not even that bunnies is simply a hazy red ball"

"I understand Papa" I said quietly, meekly, I don't understand at all.

"Do you!!" Papa snapped, his disappointment turning to frustration at my tone, he hated when I showed weakness.

"Yes"

"Then focus Alhmanic, and tell me what you see" he said.

Nodding quickly, I looked away from the disappointment I hated causing, feeling nothing but self-loathing as I looked back into the bunny's eyes. Netzach still gathered in my eyes, blood and bone shed away at once to reveal a soul the shape of a hazy red ball and no matter how hard I stare, it didn't change. Seconds, minutes passed without change, my fingers tightening around the poor bunny all the while. I couldn't give up, I wouldn't give up I told myself, over and over as my blood boiled till my soul stare turned into a glare. Why won't it work, I thought desperately, my eyes unconsciously flickering to Papa. I always disappointed him, everyday, every morning, he helped me with lessons and I couldn't do anything no matter how hard I tried. And the one time I'm able to do something, I do it wrong! I yelled at myself in my own mind, the one place I could truly punish myself as my eyes blinked back to the hazy soul. Blinking once, twice at the mocking soul, my self doubt building all the while until finally after a frustrating half hour of trying and failing to see more than what was actually there, I couldn't take it any longer. Slowly, ever so slowly the tears began to fall, dancing down my cheeks as my fingers finally loosened from the bunny in defeat.

"I can't, I can't do it Papa" I choked out, tears burning as I looked towards him. Eyes like daggers, his glare gutted me, familiar yet always painful as I tried and failed to not look away, instead waiting for what was to come.

"Why!! Why can't you do this", he shouted "I gave you everything, power!, heritage!, and you can't even see a single, lousy soul!!"

Flinching, I couldn't help but shrink at his words, my shame growing as I silently crouched down and let the bunny out of my arms, allowing him to dart away from me and my Papa's shouting as he marched towards me.

"For years I planned you, made it so you would be perfect. So tell me, why can't you do a single thing right", he said, his shouting turning into a growl as he yanked me by the scruff of my collar to his face "tell me, and look at me when I'm talking Alhmanic". Throat tightening, I gagged at the sudden yank, looking widely into Papa's eyes as I forced myself to answer.

"I just don't get the lessons" I said, whispering the words as I grappled uselessly to hold myself up.

"Oh so it's me then!! I teach, and teach, and teach, but it isn't good enough for you" he said with an angry shove, throwing me to the ground. Adrenaline pumping, head rattling as I fell to the ground in a pained drowsiness, I hit the ground to the sound of shattering glass blaring in my mind. Rolling over in pain, I tried to cry out for forgiveness, to tell him that I would do better, but before I could, his foot connected with my back.

"God, what do you want from me" he shouted, another kick coming down on the nape of my back.

"A better teacher,-"

Another kick

"More power,-"

Another kick

"Why must you be so greedy!"

He finished with a kick to my head, mind shattering, skull numbing, as I sobbed and sobbed. Panting, he stood over me and as the moments passed, my mind eased as my body ached. The pain consumed me, filling my mind with promises of its return.

No…

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry", I said, half shouting, half sobbing "it's all my fault, you're the best teacher ever"

Over and over, I shouted the words till my eyes ran out of tears and my throat became hoarse. All the while Papa just stood there, so tense I was sure he would kick me again.

"Really", he said instead, whispering the words "it's not my fault"

"Never", I said unthinkingly, mind to focused on the aching "it's always my fault, always me"

"You little brat" Papa finally said with a sigh, the tenseness leaving his body as he did so, his frenzied eyes looking into mine. I didn't dare say a word in response, to afraid it would bring the pain back. Instead, I watched his every move as he began to walk towards me, the flush of his cheeks, the slight limp in his kicking leg, the disappointment in his eyes. He wasn't angry at least, which meant as far as I could tell, their would be no more punishment tonight. Even then though, I couldn't help but flinch when he grabbed me by the arm, yanking me up in a tired grip.

"C'mon Al, lessons are over" he said tiredly as he turned, pulling me along as trials of blue smoke poured out from his skin. Real power I thought enviously, it all came naturally to Papa, his power and his skill with it, but for someone like me it was hard, and there was no helping that I knew. Like a smart man though, I glanced around the clearing one last time and didn't voice my thoughts at all, instead walking along as the blue smoke enveloped us, caressing like a mother's touch.

The wind rustled, frigid, floral scented, fleecy as the autumn leaves danced before me, their music, the meadow of wet grass as the dewdrops radiated their rainbow glow in a symphony of color, the audience mesmerized all the while. Giants of bark and sap sat squarely upon the ground, under the ghostly pale moon, their wizened branches rustling, clapping their love, their need for an encore to no avail. Breathing in, I noticed it all as divine blue smoke finally consumed Papa and me in a spiral of power and light.

Like that we disappeared into the night.

 

[Dion]

Chapter 2
"And yet, no matter how foolish my people may be, I know I am infinitely more foolish than any man, woman, or child. I lead armies for God sakes, knowingly to their deaths in the hopes that somehow I can defeat the Devil that haunts humanity.
Maybe this is karma though, I find myself wondering sometimes, humans did after all create him."
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- 28 BPII, An excerpt from Tuv's Journal, page 5,499.
​

Instinctively, I held my breath in pale cheeks as Papa's power consumed me. Construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction, that was one of his powers or Sephora as he liked to call them, for he was a Malkuth and the reason we could travel from some forest in the middle of nowhere to our little house in New York. The trip wouldn't take long I knew, as we left our world to travel the reality that existed above ours, the world of formation as Papa called it. A white void of a world, I felt time abandon my body as I simultaneously aged and unpaged at the same time, feeling my skin wrinkle and smoothen, my bones crumble and strengthen, my very blood become dry and then moist. Without time, I could process it all, and for an infinite moment I wondered how this was all possible, how exactly Papa's power worked.

He never told me how it worked of course, saying it was to advanced for me when I couldn't even see a single soul. Honestly, he was right I thought, my back aching as I remembered Papa's kicks and I should have abandoned the thoughts Infiniti ago, but still I couldn't help myself, I was curious. I had traveled with Papa like this before and as far as I knew, there were three parts to this road trip. The loss of time was simply the first part, for I still had yet to lose my physical form or my action. Frustratingly though, I didn't know why we had to abandon time, form, and action to travel with Papa's power. All he was doing was destroying our bodies and rebuilding us in New York right? So then why all this extra work with other things I thought. Sadly though, before I could think any longer, before I could even tense, my body began to burn, so hot and searing I thought my face would melt clean off.

Oh wait, it was melting off.

As was the rest of my body, I soon realized in disgust, my face and body melting, as fast as I could think, into a puddle of pink skin, broiled organs, and liquid eyeballs. In no time at all, I lost all resemblance to the boy I once was, my height, weight, skin tone, and eye color all evaporated to reveal my true form, my soul. No matter how many times I experience it, I knew I would never get used to how strange it felt to shed my mortal skin. I didn't even know how I look now, unable to see myself in this world, for I lost every human trait. I was without touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing, perceiving my surroundings as distinct emotions and crystal clear thoughts. As always, as soon as I lost them, I couldn't help but feel dizzy and nauseous as if my body was begging to throw up, begging to scream and mourn its loss. Yet I couldn't, for I had no mouth to scream from, or to throw up from, and so could only cry my tears in the chaos of my own mind. Mercifully, I didn't have to mourn for long before I was distracted by the third and final part of this reality crossing road trip.

The loss of action. At once liberating and mind shattering, I felt my existence drain from the physical sink of reality. Every single mark, every action I had made upon the world, I could feel drain away as the thought of me disappeared from every physical beings mind, as if I had never existed in the first place. Thankfully, the loss of my corporeal form, kept me from losing my mind as I was unable to sense the loss of action in full detail. Instead, I felt it as nothing but a tingling sensation, as if my entire body were numb. Absurdly, for a moment of pure, rational clarity, I wondered if this was what it felt like to make a baby.

But then that moment was destroyed.

Like an ocean, detail upon detail flooded into me as time, physical form, and action returned. Brain overloading, mind shattering, thoughts exploding from the sheer weight of our universe as we finished our little road trip and returned to it. I felt action return, my weight, my deeds in life pressing once again upon the world. At the same time, I felt physical form once again, fingers, legs, and head, it was overwhelming to be a 14 year old boy once again. As was the returned sense of time, it was so slow yet so fast as instead of rapidly aging and deaging, I remained a boy as seconds continued to pass in the world of formation, my mind slowing, calming down as it began to process the world around me.

Papa hadn't disappeared, with his black robes, he was once again before me as we glided through this world of pure white. I hadn't noticed it before, to preoccupied with my temporary travel fee's, but the World of Formation was truly astounding. Only through Papa's control of Malkuth could we escape our reality and enter this white void of a world with no horizon and infinite space. I wonder what would happen if I let go I couldn't help but wonder as I stared at my small little fingers gripping at Papa. This was a place people did not belong, I instinctively knew, a place beyond reality. Would I go hungry? Or would I just die immediately? Honestly, I didn't know.

In the end, It didn't matter what would have happen. As soon as those thoughts began, tendril upon tendril of deep blue smoke poured out of Papa. From his mouth, his nose, and his ears, the divine essence of his soul came without end until slowly I felt it begin to consume me, to seep into my very soul. Without thinking, I finally drew breath, the blue smoke like ice cold fog as I inhaled the power within. Explosive and exotic, the power ran wild within me as I spiraled back into reality.

In seconds, the blue smoke that shrouded Papa and me slowly disappeared. Damp and dark, those were the first words that popped in my head as we appeared in the cellar our house or my room as Papa preferred me to think of it. Impossible I thought dizzily, no matter how much I loved Papa, I couldn't deny the truth, my room was just a big basement. Too big for me at least, I realized in the silence of my own mind as looked around.

I was a boring boy, I didn't have a typical poster filled, sports themed room like the kids I saw on TV. The only kids I ever saw really. Instead, my cellar was big and bare with all my stuff set neatly in the corner. A small bed with stuffy, blue sheets and a large, clothes filled dresser were two of the three things I considered mine, and they didn't even take up half the cellar. I didn't mind though, really I didn't, and it wasn't like there wasn't one other thing that was mine. My food pills were small, blue, and tasted I imagined, like stale bread, but they were the only thing I could eat without throwing up and the last of the things that was mine. I never told Papa, but I hated, hated, hated those food pills and the fact that whenever I asked to try the food that he ate, he would always tell me that because of my bond with Hyn, I couldn't eat human food. But I am human I would always say bitterly in my mind, to afraid to tell Papa to his face that he was just being silly. Sighing, I squashed the thoughts before they could grow as I looked away from my corner and to the rest of the cellar. Honestly, my room's a mess I thought as I looked at all the training gear Papa insisted I keep in my room for our lessons, At least it makes the room seem livelier. Dozens of Sephirah sensor pads were scattered all over the floor, Absorption canisters piled high in the corner opposite my bed, cases upon cases of energy drinks set next to the end of my small bed. Of course, I found it hilarious that this cellar-my room- was filled with things I disliked. Sighing though, I shook that thought away as I finally found my feet, my mind clearing when Papa tightened his rough fingers on my wrist.

"Don't think just because we're home, you're not in trouble", Papa said slowly, tiredly as he turned to face me "You're grounded until you can start focusing during lessons"

"Yes, Papa" I said, avoiding his disappointed eyes as I did so, But I am focusing I wanted to tell him.

"You need to understand Al, your lessons are important", Papa continued "Only through your strength can we create a free world for gifted people like us, men and women who are oppressed by the governments of the world. Don't you want to help them Al".

"I do", But I can't

"Good, now on to your grounding", Papa said as he let go of my hand and walked towards the stairs that lead to the rest of the house. Quietly, I followed after sparing a final, longing glance towards my little bed and the warmth it held. Loud and loose, the wooden steps squeaked as we ascended, the stone walls tightening around us as my spine shivered to the chorus of my beating heart. I wonder what my grounding will be like, I couldn't help but wonder, I'd never been grounded before and I was curious what Papa had planned. Whatever it was, I knew I deserved it just like I deserved all the little beatings Papa gave me, but even then I couldn't help my imagination from running wild. Maybe it would be like TV and I would be locked away like a normal kid, I quietly fantasized or maybe Papa would have me sleep outside in the cold. Honestly, I didn't know, But I hope I'll be grounded like a normal boy I whispered in the privacy of my own mind as we reached the basement door, Papa opening it for me as we crossed into the house.

Our house was big and spacious, a gift from Papa's parents after they died, it was full of loving memories for Papa, I imagined. Escaping the basement finally, we set foot into a spotless granite kitchen, wooden flooring turning to white and black checker tile as we continued to walk through the kitchen, Papa's eyes straight and forward, mine wandering all over. Sighing as we crossed the kitchens threshold, and into the hallway, I couldn't help but relax a little now that we were pass the basement stairs, I had never liked tight spaces. Marching through the dark hallway, we passed cabinets and the living room doorway before finally we stopped at our destination. Holding my breath in dreadful anticipation, I slowed to a stop behind Papa as we stood before the hallway closet, wondering why we had stopped here of all places. Quietly, carefully, Papa opened the closet door as he turned to face me, his eyes unflinching.

"This will be your room until you can learn to be a better student", he said "only for your food pills and lessons can you leave, Understand".

"Yes Papa" I said meekly as I leaned my head to peer into the dark closet, my punishment. Mind torn, I didn't know weather to be relieved by my grounding or nervous, Papa was finally treating me like I always wanted, grounding me in a room like a normal boy, and yet as looked at my new room I couldn't stop my spine from shivering. It's so tight I whined in the back of my mind, throat tightening as the shadows inside the closet shifted mockingly behind Papa. Turning my eyes back to him, I thought about arguing, begging for another room, anything but this cramped hole of a closet. As my gray eyes found his blue ones though, any argument I had died before the iron will in his eyes as he looked down at me, perhaps anticipating the dread I would feel in the face of the closet.

"Have you eaten yet, Al" Pape said, without warning.

"No, Papa", I said, shaking my head as an idea formed "Can I eat and take a shower before my grounding starts"

Please, I didn't bother to say out loud.

"Hmmmm...No", Papa said with finality, after a small moment of thinking "As added punishment you won't have dinner tonight".

"Yes Papa" I said without a trace of defiance, mind despairing, soul plunging in anguish as I bit my tongue in frustration until, without warning I heard Papa let out small, almost silent sigh as he gently placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

"I know it's hard, but remember, Son, you are my greatest weapon", He said loudly, slowly, making sure I heard every word "do not be afraid, I love you".

Heart wrenching, tears flowing at the words, I forced down the urge to rush and hug him -Papa didn't do hugs- as he gently pushed me into the shadow filled closet. Heart soaring, I didn't even hear Papa close and lock the door until it was already too late, my body squished inside the closet, my back to the door as shadows silently swirled all around me. Hungry and slow, they were like filthy fish's nipping at my long, skinny legs as if I were made of seaweed. Worse yet, I couldn't see anything inside my new room, the shadows blinding as they crawled all over, devouring me in their slow witted glee. Lungs caving in at the sensations, I refused to scream or cry as I slowly began to shake all over, spine shivering all the while.

Thisisn'trealThisisn'trealThisisn'treal.

Reminding myself over and over as dozens of minutes passed, I slowly turned around, squeezing my shoulders as I turned to face the closet door, fighting the urge to try uselessly and open it. Looking around in the darkness, I tried hopelessly to find any kind of distraction, but in this narrow, hellish room their was nothing, not even any clothing. Please, somebody help, anybody I thought silently, crying the silent plea inside my mind, the place no one else could hear.

That is, until someone did actually hear me.

You called Love, A voice whispered in the depths of his mind, soft as the fur blanket that blocks the freezing winter winds, warm as the fire that cooks the food for hungry children, as pure as the love that a wife holds for her husband as he returns from the ravages of war.

 

[Dion]

Whoa so that's enough post for today, if anyone has any questions or comments feel free to post and Ill reply.​

---

Chapter 3

"By using the souls of hundreds, The so-called brightest minds of humanity created life in a lab, the Devil himself. If only their mother's had been barren, then thousands would live and the Devil wouldn't be walking the earth.
But, no matter how much I blame them, I know in my heart of hearts that It will not change a thing, and I suppose I cannot truly hate them. They were simply ambitious Philosophers after all, too ignorant to realize the curse of knowledge."
​

- 8 BPII, An excerpt from Tuv's Journal, page 5,499.
​

H-hyn, I said in the depths of my mind, voice and thoughts shaking as tears burned their way down my cheeks at the sound of her angelic voice Its...its so tight...and so dark, where are you?

Whispering the thoughts, I focused on the words as I tried to ignore the weightless feeling in the back of my head and the way the closet shadows blinded me, devouring my vision when my eyes tried to pierce the darkness. That didn't matter anymore though, I wasn't alone, I told myself and as that thought pulsed once, twice in my heart, I couldn't help a shaky smile from forming on my pale, freckled dotted face. Hyn would make everything better I knew, she was my best friend, my bond mate as Papa would coldly tell me, and someone, I knew instinctively, I couldn't live without but could always count on. I didn't know why Papa had bonded us together, but honestly, unlike Hyn, I was happy he did so, because without her I had no one to talk to, no one to just be myself around. Even with Papa, the one I loved most in the world, I couldn't be myself around and couldn't think of as a friend whenever I was with him. Sadly though, no matter how much I adored Hyn and cherished her as my best friend, it was impossible to ignore one little thing about her: she was absolutely crazy.

Shh, Shh, its okay , Hyn said, soothingly, gently in the pandemonium of my own mind I'm here, Love.

And suddenly, for the second time that night, my world was turned upside down and downside up.

As if a black shadow filled bubble had been popped, the closet exploded all around me; the walls, floors, and ceiling disintegrating into nothingness as my world became a vast, black void. Lungs stretching, throat screaming as I fell into the dark abyss, I wondered in some small part of my brain, that wasn't overrun by panic that is, just what in the hell was going on. For half an hour it felt like the only thing I did was scream my lungs out until finally, honestly, I got tired. Or was it anxious, I couldn't really tell what I was feeling on the best of days, so perfect self reflection was impossible at the moment I figured. Instead, I wondered what awaited me at the end of my fall, was it a land made of candy, a barren field for grounded children, or a lake of fire, honestly I hoped it was the barren field so I could meet other kids my age. Thankfully though, I didn't have to wait long to find out my fate, for as I hurdled through the darkness, the world finally imploded into existence

Blinking hard and fast, my eyes were bathed in murky lights as my body suddenly felt heavy, bare feet stinging as they hit what felt like wet tiles. Fighting with myself for balance, I quietly paused when heard a faint laughter, ears stretching as I recognized that sterling giggle and relaxed the shoulders I didn't know I had tensed. Hyn?? Is that you, I said, my thoughts echoing as the blur's in my eye's finally cleared and I was able to take in my steamy, lamplight filled surroundings.

Standing awkwardly, I stood at the base of the most expensive bathtub I had ever laid eyes on, built into the black and white, checker tiled floor, the tub was filled with hot steaming water and pure white carnations. Large and round, the tub took up the entire center of the large room I stood in with four doric columns made of marble surrounding and framing the steaming bath tub, one at each corner of the tub. Towering, each column stood thick as titans holding up the sky, the wet ceiling of the steaming room I stood in, as a dozen small paper lanterns floated all around the steaming rom, bathing the place in a mellow glow. Standing their, I breathed it all in, the steam and the light, intertwining in my nostrils as I finally looked at the sole occupant of the tub.

"Oh, how rude of me", Hyn said, smiling unapologetically as her all consuming eye's twinkled, her bare arms dripping with steaming water as she gestured all around "So what do you think with what I did to the place".

"It's wet and hot", I said, sticking my tongue out at her as I smiled warmly and looked into the depths of her all consuming eyes "where are we anyways".

"Why, we are behind the stage of reality", she said, charmingly, beautifully as she pouted at the apparent disinterest I held for the room I stood in "The state were events are shaped, the territory where we are allowed to turn from the audience, to change our wigs, and paint our faces as we mutter our lines in preparation for the play called reality".

"Umm...What?" I said blankly, mouth open as I stared at her.

"Were in your mind Love" she said, snickering just a tiny bit at my lack of understanding.

"Oh", I said, a little less confused than before as I finally broke our gaze to look around once more, I wonder what Papa's mind loo-

Oh crap.

"Hyn!" I said, eyes frantic as I snapped my head to look at her as she bolted upright, body dripping from the steaming water when she heard the panic in my voice. Breathing deeply, I ignored the fact that Hyn was standing their wet and naked even though I knew most boy's my age would probably say something weird, It didn't matter to me though, nothing was weird when it came to Hyn. Head shaking as I cast away the thoughts that she had probably heard, I looked across at Hyn, peering into her eyes as they glowered like a hungry beast, her body tense and ready to pounce.

"Hyn, I'm grounded", I said, breathing deeply as I felt my fist clench and unclench anxiously "I'm not supposed to leave the closet".

"Ah yes, Your 'grounding'", She hissed in tense anger "I had almost forgotten".

"You knew??" I said.

"Of course, Love", She said, her smile finally returning, though a dangerous glint remained in her eyes "Your Father may keep me from manifesting for long during his precious lessons, but other than that I am always with you".

"Well, It doesn't matter", I said as fear gripped my heart "just tell me how to get back to the closest, Papa will be furious if he finds out I left"

"No, no, don't worry" Hyn said as she finally settled back into the water, her shoulders relaxing as she stretched sensually into her seat, back arching as she did so "Your body has not left the closet Love, I simply pulled you into the depths of your mind so you could escape that suffocating closet".

"Oh, well thank you Hyn" I said, just a little bit awkwardly.

"Anything for you", She purred contentedly, closing her eyes as she relaxed in the water that looked so very inviting to my aching back "Now tell me please,why on earth did that imbecile stuff you in a closet".

"I thought you already knew?" I said, pausing at her tone, soft and calm but hiding a dangerous edge.

"You misunderstand Love", She said, her lips curving into a small scandalous smile "Once your lessons were over, I heard that mans reasons for grounding you, but I don't know why your were grounded".

"Oh" I said as I looked at her and felt shame once again come alive in my heart. I was a failure, but unlike Papa who knew that and worked to make me less of a failure, Hyn always told me that I was perfect and that everyone else was the failure, nothing more than food for me and her. Honestly, It hurt that Hyn was so naïve, that she believed I was perfect compared to Papa and anybody else. If only you would accept the truth, I thought loudly, not even caring when she heard the gloomy thoughts and cracked open her eyes to glare at me in annoyance.

"I don't want to talk about it" I whispered, words defining as they spread throughout the room in waves, even though my eyes never once wavered from Hyn's own. Seconds passed as we stared at each other, the anger growing inside her desolate black eyes as my own eyes remained impassive even though I knew personally, firmly, intimately how much Hyn hated to be defied.

"...Love", She began slowly as she sat perfectly still inside the steaming water, her long, creamy legs crossed like businesswomen's and her body tense with anger "I will ask once more, and I expect a clear answer: What. Happened. At. Todays. Lesson".

"Nothing" I said, blatantly lying, my grey eyes hardening to match her piercing glare as I prepared for the worst.

Unsurprisingly, she exploded.

"TELL ME!!" Hyn roared, her voice like thunder as the words left her throat and hinted at her true nature. The water splashing and steaming as she bolted upright while I stood silently, slightly above her at the tubs entrance. Tense and panting, she stood with eyes feral and burning as the water slowly dripped down her pale shoulders while I watched her clench and unclench her fists. Sighing as the seconds ticked by, I couldn't help but look away in shame until finally I spoke.

"Not right now, Hyn", I whispered without looking in her eyes "I had a bad day".

I didn't want to deal with this right now, to argue with her about how worthless I was even though we both knew that she would never accept the fact. She wanted me to deny reality, but Papa had raised me to be a practical boy and accepting of the facts of life, so no matter how much she might want me to be a perfect little boy, I simply wasn't. Gazing into the pure wet whiteness of the marble column at southeastern corner of the tub as moments passed by and Hyn's panting subsided, I wondered at the rarity of the situation. Hyn was a fiery women and wore her heart on her sleeve so it wasn't rare for her to get angry at the littlest of thing, but I couldn't even remember the last time she was angry at me. As the silence stretched between us, seconds turning to a minute, I couldn't help, but cave first as I slowly turned my head once again to look at Hyn. Who was standing not even three inches from my face as she gazed upon me, as if trying to figure out a annoying puzzle.

Unsurprisingly, I tripped on my own foot after that.

"Awh-" I yelped, my brain freezing, crashing, collapsing as my body spazzed and I fell down, or would have if not for Hyn. She moved like a mirage, unrestrained by the laws of physics in my mindscape, she was fast enough to reach me as her arms flowed like water to wrap around my waist and catch me.

"Your lucky", Hyn said, whispering the words as she looked down at me in her arms, wet, obsidian black hair framing her rosy cheeks and now calm, twinkling eyes in a halo of beauty as her hungry eyes gazed into my own grey ones "that I love you".

"I know" I said simply, smiling my most charming smile, unable to help but trace her every feature as she helped me to my feet and into a wet hug.

"And yet, Your unwilling to love yourself" She said, sadly, sardonically as her arms tightened around me and smothered me into her warm, intoxicating flesh.

"...Are you reading my thoughts again?" I said, my word coming out in mumbles as they were drowned against Hyn's soft skin.

"Possibly" She said unapologetically as she finally pushed away from me, turning to descend back into the bubbling waters of her bath. Sighing, I shook my head at the mental violation, honestly I didn't care if it was her doing the violating, but she still could have asked first I thought as I watched her sashay back into the water. She's just worried about you, I reminded myself as my skin shivered now that my clothes were wet for good or bad.

"Well, enough about me, how was your day?" I said, voice curious even though really I just wanted her to stop thinking about me.

"As soon as you get in the bath Love" Hyn said, settling down inside the steaming water once again as she sat opposite the tubs entrance, her all consuming eyes finding mine once again "I'll tell you all about it".

Cocking my head at her command, I gave her a thankful smile, the aches and slight bruises in my back begging for a chance to get into the steaming water as I quickly undressed. Spine shivering, I could feel the goosebumps ripple all across my skin as I threw my clothes - a white shirt and black slacks - to the ground. I was in no hurry I told myself as I practically ran into the tub, my bare feet sliding a little before I reached the baths entrance, three little steps that lead into the steaming water. Skin stinging at the balmy steam, It took me a couple of seconds before I was all the way in the water as I watched Hyn smile softly at my pain, a somewhat nostalgic twinkle in her eyes that didn't stop me from sticking my tongue out at her. Smirking at my vindictiveness, she shrugged, raising her arms in invitation as I finally reached the center of the tub, the water at chest level as I eyed her in suspicion. I will not fall to temptation, I vowed in the recesses of my mind as I watched the temptress sitting before me, her wicked smirk growing as she heard my thoughts, but It didn't matter, I would not falter I knew.

And then she pouted.

Like the Walls of Jericho, my will fell. Crashing, crushing, crumbling at the power of Hyn's pout and puppy dog eyes, I couldn't help but fall to temptation as I slinked my way into her arms with a smile full of weakness. Warm and soft, her arms wrapped around me as I sat between her slim legs inside the water, my aching back relaxing just a little against her figure and my smoky grey eyes closing in bliss. Sitting there, I wondered if all temptation filled sin felt this good, as good as the sun shining on your skin for the first time after an ice cold, shadow filled day while autumn leaves danced in the wind and for just a moment, I forgot about my problems in life. The shame I felt when I failed Papa because I couldn't use my powers at all, the despair that came with the knowledge that I would never have a normal life and never be able to be just me, a simple boy. Nestling deeper into Hyn, I felt my smile grow as I felt her hands begin to slowly, softly comb their way through the obsidian black curls that made up my hair as I finally remembered why I had actually gotten in the bath.

"So how was your day, Hyn" I said, the words coming out like a sigh as I opened my eyes.

"Hm, surprisingly fruitful", She said musingly as her hands left my hair to grab at the oil basket at her side, on the tub's edge "I finally killed those nightmares of yours that I've been hunting, and I finally learned how "

"Thanks Hyn," I said, quietly as my bones soaked, and Hyn's hands returned to my hair full of shampoo oil "Which Nightmares did you get".

"The Clown and The Sea Monster", She said, a purr of bloody satisfaction escaping her lips as her body, hot and steamy, squirmed in nostalgic pleasure under me "I hunted them till they were bound so I could eat them at sun down".

Shivering at the musical pleasure in her voice, I ever so quietly reached up to grasp one of Hyn's hands, warm and soapy, I bought her left hand down and held it, trying to remind her of love and force her to stop acting like a monster who enjoyed killing. Feeling her grip on my hair tighten, I heard her breath become faint as I interlaced my fingers with the hand I held until, after a moment, she continued on about her day.

"Of course", She said quietly, almost whispering the words in my ear as I practically felt a loving smile spread across her cheeks "I enjoyed learning to cook from your memories far more than hunting those Nightmares".

"Really?" I said, fighting the urge to smile as I snuggled deeper into Hyn's warm, steamy embrace.

"Really", She said proudly, and I could hear her smile grow as her hand left my hair once again to grab a small bucket set beside her oil basket and fill it with water "It was hard at first, digging through your mind and collecting all your memories on cooking, but eventually I learned enough to cook a decent Tandoori Spiced Halibut out of the Sea Monster".

"Oh, sounds um delicious" I said, a little disturbed at how good cooked Sea Monster actually sounded.

"Oh it was, Love,", She said, a mix of nostalgia and craving in her voice as she poured the water from the bucket all over my head. Steaming and sudden, I yelped as the water washed over my face, leaving me red all over while Hyn's giggle echoed in my ear.

"Truly it's a shame", She continued as I blinked the water out of my eyes "that you can't eat the way I can".

Her words like daggers piercing my heart, I froze at her words, suddenly angry at myself and everyone else as memories of failed lessons and wasted ability flowed through my mind. It was unfair, I thought, how even though Hyn was a part of me, literary bound to my soul by Papa so I could be his weapon, I still could not do as Papa wanted. Devour souls, become a spirit of hunger like Hyn was before she was bound to me. Growling as the thoughts flashed through my mind, I finally spoke the words I had been bottling up since I had discovered how much of a failure I was.

"Well, I'm sorry", I snapped without thinking, anger boiling in my voice as my fingers clenched around Hyn's hand "that I'm such a failure".

My words the size of boulders, they hit her with the force of thunder as she tensed and tightened her right hand grip on my hair, Hyn did not take anger from others easily. Moments, seconds passed like that, my stomach falling as my mind calmed down enough for me to regret my actions until finally Hyn let out a sigh, frustrated but calm as the sound echoed in my ear.

"Love, I don't know what happened to put you in such a foul mood,", Hyn said softly in my ear, her grip on my hair loosening "but don't you dare take it out on me".

"I'msorryimsorryimsorryimsorry" I said, relief overflowing in my words as I fought the urge to jump up and away from Hyn.

"Shh, shh, don't worry, I'll forgive you", she whispered in my ear as her hands surrounded my waist and tightened in embrace "just tell me what's bothering you Love".

Throat tightening, tensing, twisting, I heard the finality in her voice as the words I had held inside me burst from my mouth like water escaping a dam.

"It's me, I'm a failure" I said in the silence of the room, my words echoing as I felt Hyn's embrace tighten at the self loathing in my voice "who can't do anything, but disappoint Papa. Nothing works, not my bond with you, and not Papa's lesson's, no matter how hard I try, I have to wake up everyday knowing I'm a failure and seeing nothing but disappointment in Papa's eyes".

"Alhmanic Venin Stonewood!", She growled, suddenly standing as she spun me around, her arms unbending as she lifted me to stare directly into her all consuming eyes "How dare you think of yourself as worthless, just because that malignant man cannot love you".

"Shut up, Hyn! Your wrong and you know it, Papa loves me even though I'm a failure,", I snarled at her in her face, grey eyes burning like smoke at the way she talked about Papa as I struggled in her hold "he teaches me everyday so I can be perfect, unlike you!".

"You selfish, delusional child, of course I am not like him", She said, shaking me for emphasis as her eyes drilled their way into my skull "I love you, I do not need you to be a perfect weapon, all I want is for you to be what you want to be".

"Maybe I want to be a weapon then,", I said, yelling as the lie left my lips without thought "a weapon that can protect all the gifted people from this evil world".

"Stop lying to yourself", She said, her words blazing as she pulled me close, our faces within an inch of each other "You don't care about being "gifted", you don't even care about other "gifted", all you want is the love of that man".

"And you stop acting like you know everything,", I screamed "I am fine with being Papa's weapon, I want to be a weapon that can devour souls and yet, you, my best friend that can eat anything, has never even tried to teach me".

"I will never help that man" She growled.

"Not even to help me, Love" I said, coldly.

Eyes widening at my words, she recoiled as if struck by poisonous thorns, her eyes burning with pain and resentment as her lips straightened in a dangerous line. For a second, shame burned in my heart, but then I remembered my own pain, the words she had said about Papa, the resentment I felt for her power, the self loathing I carried everyday. Fueled by pain, I stared into her eyes without sympathy, a snarl on my lips and smoke in my eyes.

"Fine then" She said, quietly, viciously as her grip tightened on me "I will ask once and only once: is the knowledge to be a soul devouring monster what you want?".

"Of course" I said, unblinking as I gazed into her all consuming eyes.

"Then enjoy" She whispered, the sound gentle like death as I noticed, absentmindedly, the water of the bath changing, becoming full of images of shapes and figures I didn't recognize.

Without warning then, she dropped me into the water, and began to drown me.

~~​

August 27 1984 - Metatron awakens, causing ripples worldwide and waking Ameta. ​

 

[Dion]

Okay so I know this chapter might be confusing, but since Al, the narrator is confused the audience should be a little confused too. However, if their are any questions feel free to ask in the comments and as long as it's not a spoiler I'll reply to them.
And I want to thank Ryuugi from space battles, he probably doesn't know I exist but reading his stuff helped me write my stuff so I figured I had to thank him somehow.
Oh, and Thank you @Zuduke and @Castle_Bravo for commenting yesterday, it helped my nerves when it came to posting more of my story.
And without further ado, here's the chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 4

"And so the Devil was born to the cheers of his creators. In truth though, it took me countless interrogations for me to understand what the devil truly was.

Was it a malicious man marked by genocidal ways? A savage beast of judgment rampaging throughout Ein Sof's Kingdom? A bloated, traitorous scab representing the sins of humanity in its corkscrew soul? No, It is none of those things I see now.

It is something new."
​

- 28 BPII, An excerpt from Tuv's Journal, page 5,499.​

Lungs tightening, throat contracting, I fought to hold my breath as I thrashed inside churning water, and what felt like a cesspool of acrid, screaming liquid consumed my mind. Like the final flash that fell upon japan, it was a hideous bloat upon my brain, glassing my soul with pounds of glacial water, biting and bone-chilling and absolutely clear. Insidious and hungry, it burrowed and rampaged throughout my head, scouring over every thought and every memory as images flooded into my brain. A deep, dark ocean of chaos filled to the brim with realities of all shapes and sizes, colors that didn't exist, monstrosities that tasted divine, uncanny and beautiful things, insignificant ideas that unraveled until they could cause unfathomable tragedies. I saw the world tree as it stretched into eternity and I saw the roots that tunneled into nothingness, saw things that hurt to comprehend and things I knew I couldn't. Eyes glazing over at all the sudden information, I knew then that all the squares of the universe made a circle; I knew then that God was dead and had become the ghost in the machine. In that crystal clear, drowning moment, I witnessed miracles and tragedies, witnessed better and worse, and I laughed at it all in my madness as water finally flooded into my lungs.

As if it were water shattering a crumbling dam, the waves of knowledge continued on and shattered me to the bone. Shattered me to the soul. And then, it shattered me deeper still, my body feeling as if it was turning to mush while I drowned for the pursuit of the knowledge Hyn held. Seconds passing in agony, I could only lie back in madness and wait in searing, scratching, stinging pain until eventually I blacked out.

Eyes opening, my mind blinked in confusion as I found myself drooling on a scruffy, carpet floor while I wondered to myself when my slanted little eyes had closed. Breath shallow, my head felt strangely numb but warm as I tried and failed to sit up, to work my limp body until finally I took the easy way out, arching my neck upward and simply looking around. I was back inside the darkness filled closet, the shadows swirling all around, and yet instead of hungry, they seemed more like a mother's caressing touch as I laid spiraled on the floor. Honestly, they even tickled, I thought, as a small chuckle escaped my lips inside the large closet and my eyes gazed into the unfamiliar ceiling of the closet. Sighing as my warmly numb head pulsed once, twice, I finally felt feeling return to my lanky body making me huff with effort to sit up and arch my back in victory.

Unsurprisingly, I promptly threw up all over the carpet area beside me as my head began to throb at the motion.

The vomit, thick and brown, spewed from my throat while my head pulsed until after a moment, a nice glob of chunky brown puke with flecks of red thickened on the floor. Looking at the mess in silence , I couldn't help but laugh at the throw up and the way the red flecks looked like lucky charm marshmallows.

"Geez, Old man Bragi and Vishnu weren't kidding when they said true mortal-divine bonding was painful", I said, my stomach tingling as my laughter subsided while my eyes flicked back to stare at the ceiling "Right Hyn?".

Moments passed while I waited for her voice to respond, but only silence answered me as my head finally stopped pulsing. Oh, thank god, I thought in relief as I massaged the back of my head, the resonance fallout is evaporating. My mind clearing, I couldn't stop a small smile from stretching across my cheeks in pride, not many mortals have survived a true bonding with the divine. Then again, the title of divine was more of an exaggeration than anything else, I knew. Descend a plane of existence or two, and BOOM!, suddenly all the native souls will call you divine and sacrifice beautiful virgins for you, really, it was all very amusing. Shaking my head at the divine comedy, I looked around the dark emptiness of the closet and wondered why Hyn was being so quiet, I could still feel her hedonistic self inside my head and yet she wasn't responding.

"Are...are you okay, Hyn?", I asked in the silence, suddenly unsure of myself as I scooted away from the drying throw up "are you mad?".

Again, only silence answered me. Finger's clenching in the silence, I wondered to myself what was wrong, she cant possibly be mad, could she? Sighing, I shook my head as my mind jumped to dozens of conclusions until finally I couldn't take it anymore and I did something drastic. Focusing inward, I pictured Hyn in my mind to the finest detail as I tried to read our bond, to read what she was feeling through the strings that connected our souls. She was a tall beauty, her creamy white skin smooth as marble and warm as a heartbeat with a small tattoo below her collarbone, at the peak of her cleavage; a fiery salamander chasing its own tail. Adding to the tattoo, Hyn wore a small, clinging robe of the purest white; a grecian male's chiton, some part of my mind whispered, that exposed the right side of her chest with a red sash tightened at her waist. Below that, her robe ended at mid-thigh, framing taught legs while her feet were bare like they always were as a hungry smile graced her scarlet red lips to go with her black, all consuming eyes. Matching those eyes, long, curly, obsidian hair fell from her head, draped across her shoulders in wild locks. Seeing all of her in my mind's eye, I focused on her as if she were a book that could be easily read and understood.

Seconds passed, but soon I could feel her as if she were a shining star inside the space that was my mind. She was a fiery, solar flare and I could feel her as if I were her, and she angry. Angry at me for not appreciating her, but more than that, angry at herself for what she had done, what she had dared to do.

"Look, Hyn, it's okay,", I said, figuring out why she was so mad at herself "You didn't break the laws of the Triumvirate, you didn't violate CSD-5499 Hy-".

The words died on my lips in terror as my mind finally caught up to the things I had been saying, the things I had been thinking. Horror consumed me, instinctive and relentless as I bolted upright to my feet, the names and facts I had been spouting making no sense now that I thought about it, or at least they shouldn't have made sense, but they did. Grotesquely, it all made sense I thought as my fingers began to shake as I lifted my hands to clutch my head, my nails digging into my hair.

The laws of the Triumvirate, concrete and absolute, were the treatise that defined and organized the reality that every single child of Ein Sof lived in. Created by the Triumvirate, the three aspects of Ein Sof who governed the the five planes of existence, the laws held jurisdiction over every plane and was punishable by death. What was worse was that most beings did not even know of the existence of these laws, with most offenders not even knowing they had done anything wrong before they were killed by one of the Triumvirate; the Creator, the Sustainer, the Destroyer. Terrifyingly enough though, the extremism was completely justified for these laws protected the very fabric of reality from-

The fabric of reality-

The Sephirot.

"Fuck...fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth as nausea hit me like a truck and I imagined all the scenarios that could happen if the laws weren't enforced by the Triumvirate, all the monstrous beings that desired the destruction of reality. It was too much, I was just a boy and I didn't need to know every last detail of the universe; how it was born, how it was a incoherent mess, how it would end. God, I sound like a pathetic kid, I thought, standing, one of my feet smothered in the vomit I had thrown up on the floor pathetic and alone. And I was pathetic and alone, I saw that now as knowledge flowed through my bones. A pathetic child so alone, I had begged his only friend for perfect, total, and eidetic knowledge of all the horrors she knew, in the hopes that I could win the love of a man who would never love me like a son. I realized that now, and suddenly the thirteen years of my life became well, and truly meaningless.

Nausea exploding, loathing spreading inside my head, I fell to my knees and once again threw up all over the closet floor.

My life was meaningless, and so was the universe I lived in. It wasn't the fragility of the universe, and it wasn't the monstrosities that inhabited the universe that proved that simple fact, no; it was the fact that the universe simply didn't care. The universe was its own existence, and it didn't care about the lives of those who lived inside it, it didn't care if they lived happily, it didn't care if they died tragically. And that scared me more than anything.

"No, no, no...It's okay, Hyn, it is okay." I said, trying to reassure myself, trying to distract myself as I kneeled inside a closet littered with throw up "You didn't-We didn't violate law CSD-5499 and the Triumvirate won't be after us".

"...You are a half wit" Hyn said, her singsong voice annoyed as she whispered in my mind.

"What?", I said, thankful she had finally answered, thankful that I had a distraction, any distraction as I sat back on my bottom, head resting against the wall while I ignored the tangy, nauseatingly spicy aroma of all the vomit surrounding me, the smell like ants crawling in my nose "What'd I do?".

"CSD-5499:", She said, quoting eloquently "A fallen soul may not, through direct or indirect action, communicate"

"-with any being existing on a plane of existence below theirs.", I finished for her, automatically, instinctively "But we're the same being, so technically you didn't break the law".

"I know," She said sadly, her voice like a candle in my mind "and I am not mad about that, I am mad because I gave in and I hurt you.....You were not meant to know the things I know, but I was angry and hurt, giving into your childish demands knowing that you would pay for it even though I told myself I would never hurt you".

Freezing me, her words were soft and quiet as they washed over my mind while I tried to read them like they were a novel, to focus on something other than monstrous knowledge now inside my head. She didn't make sense, it was true that the knowledge lurking beneath the surface of my mind rattled my bones, but I was the one who asked for it. I was the idiot who was so arrogant as to believe that he could handle the knowledge of a goddess and so it was only fair that I should suffer the consequences of my actions. So why on earth is she blaming herself? It was meaningless. Sighing, I shook my head, she simply wasn't thinking straight, and I guess I would have to be the one to give her meaning I thought as I looked up into the ceiling, trying to think of the words I needed.

"I'm sorry, Hyn," I said softly, whispering the words at the ceiling as my eyes closed "this is all my fault, I'm the one who got angry and snapped at you, I'm the one who was stupid enough to demand the knowledge in your head, and I'm definitely the one you should be mad at right now".

Seconds passed in the silence, and then a minute until finally she spoke.

"I can see we both made mistakes today", She said, a smile vibrating on the words as she spoke "Right Love?".

"True", I said, a smile exploding across my cheeks as my eyes flashed open "maybe if we make enough mistakes we'll get a reward".

"Oh, I doubt that", She said, her laughter breezing its way through my thoughts as she teased "a spoiled child like you doesn't deserve gifts".

"Psh, please Hyn,", I said, deciding to be extra affectionate as I scratched the side of my head "You know I deserve a Walkman for all the mistakes I've made".

"Hmph, maybe Lo-" She said warmly, before cutting off suddenly, becoming deathly quiet.

For a moment, I was simply confused, but as seconds passed I began to worry until finally I fished for our bond in my mind to see what was going on. As if the imaginary strings that bound our souls were taught with the weight of a thousand stones, I could practically see Hyn ready to pounce in my mind's eye.

"Hyn?", I whispered, the hairs on my neck suddenly standing straight "Hyn, what's wong?"

"Quiet, someone's coming.", She hissed inside my mind, sharp as a obsidian dagger "Speak only with your thoughts".

"It's probably just Papa", I said in my mind reassuredly, even though she could certainly feel the tension in my fingers "he must have heard me".

"No", She said, her words vibrating on my spine as I began to hear a slight pitter-patter coming from beyond the closet door "it's someone else , someone I've never felt before".

My throat hitching, I tensed at her words as the shadows all around me seemed to grow and the pitter-patter of approaching footsteps grew louder. Stretching my senses, I tried to pick up anything I could about the footsteps as I crouched onto the tip of my toes. Heavy and scraping, it was definitely only one "someone", but they sounded close, like they were just a way away from the closet door. Who is this?, I thought to myself as ideas popped into my head, both mundane and pessimistic; it could be a friend of Papa's, or a stray burglar, or even a Hound of Tindalos coming to devour me. Pulse beating faster at that terrifying thought, I closed my eyes tightly, stiffly as I reached out for the blood red netzach within my soul as the steps kept getting closer.

At once my breath was taken away, a geyser on the cusp of exploding, netzach began to erupt from my body like a sea of blood as it filled the closet with a moist, intoxicating red haze. Fingers relaxing, shoulders unwinding, it felt like I was stretching for the first time as the shadows of the closet were banished, to be replaced by a netzach mist until suddenly, Hyn broke me out of my rever.

"He heard you" She whispered.

Adrenaline pumping, breath shaking, my eyes blitzed as they jumped to stare at the closet door. I was trapped, my body blazing with energy and nowhere to go as the steel doorknob of the closet began to shake, twisting and turning as it opened. Creaking and slow, the door drifted open to reveal a figure framed by blinding light as my eyes shuddered at the whiteness of the glare.

Thoughts flashing, my eyes adjusted as the figure changed, becoming clearer in a mirage of flashing lights and color. It was a wraith of a man, black pants and a large overcoat hiding skin as he loomed over my sitting figure. Tall and lanky, I couldn't help but shiver as I stared up at him, death weighing on my shoulders while his wooden brown eyes pierced me like a hawk. Roving and widening, his eyes absorbed my small, shaking frame inside the throw up, Netzach filled closet as his tan skinned cheeks twitched in shock under short curly hair. Seconds passed like that, our eyes connected, intertwined as we took each other in until finally, in one deep breath, the man spoke.

"Holy shit, kid are you okay?".

 

[Dion]

I doubt what happens in this chapter is as shocking as I wanted it to be, but hopefully it can shock some people who read. Ether way, this chapter is a turning point and I wonder if anybody can guess what will happen next?
Oh, and expect the next chapter to be a Christmas omake
and so without further ado, here's chapter 5​

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CHAPTER 5

"It is Kin to Ein Sof Itself, infinite and void, I cannot discern its true motives just like I cannot discern the motives of God, and yet, I have my suspicions. The creature was raised in a lab and treated like nothing but an experiment all its life. Could it have known its true nature all that time I wonder?
The fools I have interrogated doubt it, but I am not so sure. I have clashed with the Devil many times, and though it may be arrogant of me, I believe I know the creature better than any human alive. Yes, I am sure the more I think about this, from the way the Devil talks, fights, and acts, It clear the Devil knows he is the Brother of God."
​

- 28 BPII, An excerpt from Tuv's Journal, page 5,499.
​

Usually, I am a complete failure at everything; life, relationships, lessons, I fail at them all, but I would like to believe that as the strange man's words flew throughout the room on the wings of absurdity, I acted like any sane, rational boy would. I screamed in his face while the of my soul bellowed out of the room in a misty storm, surprising the man, making him step back on long legs. Throat becoming raw, my instinctive scream soon died as I finally noticed the most obvious fact about the stranger before me. He was just a man, not a robber, not a murderer, and certainly not a man devouring abomination I thought, instead he simply looked like a man freaked out by me, the sickly boy sitting on throw up in the closet.

At once, blood rushed into my pale cheeks as I realized in fullness the situation I was in. Here I was with the first adult, the first person I had ever meet outside of my parents and Hyn who had been with me since infancy, and all I could do was scare him.

Hyn, I whispered in my mind as it drowned in embarrassment I thought it was somebody dangerous???

"Of course the man's dangerous", She said, exasperated at my words "I have no idea who he is"

Ughh, your paranoia is gonna be the end of me, I thought, groaning as I watched the man straighten and raise his arm in a calming gesture before he spoke it's just a man, probably a friend of Papa.

"Hey, kid, kid, calm down", The man said, his voice soft and reasonable as he stepped forward slowly, his nose wrinkling at the red mist in the air "I'm not trying to hurt you"

See, I thought back at Hyn, picturing her proud face in my mind's eye as I watched the strange man he's not dangerous.

"Well, if he's a friend of your 'father'", She said crossly, my mind wincing at the hate in that one word "then why can't I feel your father anymore".

Wait, what.

"Kid,", The man said loudly, snapping me back to reality to see him holding the closet door, beckoning me "why don't you step out of the closet and come with me".

"Where's Papa" I said instead, without moving a inch.

My words like a slap across the face, the man froze as he looked me in the eye, my defiant grey eyes clashing with his own brown ones. Weary and calculating now, the man tilted his head as he looked at me, opening his mouth slowly as a answer slowly formed on the cusp of his lips.

That is, until he was interrupted by a loud beeping from his coat pocket.

Obnoxious and defining, the man's eyes narrowed in annoyance as I watched him glance down and pull a silver chained, stopwatch from the depths of his coat. Silver chain blinking, reflecting in my eye as the man looked at the thing and grimaced in distaste before looking back up to stare at me.

"Look, kid,", The man began, his now intense eyes boring into me as he spoke "I don't have a lot of time here, You want to see your dad, come with me".

Silent as the seconds ticked by, I searched the man's face, the twitch of his eyes and the whiteness of his skin, for the tiniest hint of a lie.

He isn't lying, I thought to my mental roommate Right, Hyn?

My thoughts like a summoning, she appeared behind the man without warning, invisible to all but me as her elegant face twisted into a scowl. Taping her bare foot on the hallway floor, she narrowed her eyes in concentration before finally rolling them as she spoke.

"From the look and feel of his little soul, no, he is not", Hyn said, exasperated at my trusting nature "But Love, you should know that this man is unchained or as you would say it gifted".

"Okay" I said quietly, speaking to both Hyn and the stranger as I finally stood up inside the closet, careful to not step on too much throw up as I stepped out of shadowy closet.

"Wait, really?", the man said, surprised as his eyes followed me "You're not suspicious or anything".

Stopping beside the man, my bare feet shivering on the hallways cold, tile floor, I looked up at the mans incredulous face and simply stared.

"Okay, okay Kid", the man said sarcastically, his cheeks red as he waved his hands at me in calming gestures "Don't bite me now".

Shaking his head, the man turned from me as he began to walk down the hallway path towards the living room. Free from his prying eyes, I turned to look at Hyn with amused eyes as I silently pointed at the man and wiggled my fore finger in the universal gesture for crazy.

What a weirdo I thought quietly as a small smile appeared on Hyn lips. Smiling back, I shook my head, turning to follow the man through the stillness of the hallway until after four or so steps we reached the living room doorway.

Gliding through, I stepped into a landscape straight out of hell.

Large and in a state of pandemonium, it was as if a bloody hurricane had ran rampant right into the room. Furniture was overturned, the black couch lopsided on its right arm in the rooms north east corner and the coffee table flipped over onto the opposite wall. Splattered with blood, the walls painted the picture of a hellish struggle with bloody handprints scattered all over as my eyes roamed over every inch of the room. Numbness taking over my mind, I saw that the only thing that wasn't out of order in the living room was the stand alone television set plugged into the eastern wall as my eyes landed on the thing that, until recently, I had loved with all my heart.

Papa's corpse laid in the middle of the room, atop a white circle rug, in puddle of blood.

Breath coming out ragged, I realized numbly that I was on my knees, but I couldn't for the life of me remember how I ended up that way as I stared at Papa- No, the thing that had once been Papa. This wasn't a person anymore I thought, and death wasn't a silent, peaceful thing like in TV, instead it was a lump of meat that barely resembled Papa at all with a number of marks that told the story of a chaotic, noisy death. His once stern face and powerful face now black, blue, and bloody all as blank, milky white eyes stared into nothingness to the contrast of the black robes the body still wore, which were worn haphazardly over a croaked body. Limbs splayed in all directions and barely covered by a now rugged robe, it reminded me of a broken gazelles carcass with bones bent of shape and skin shredded in terrible tears as if a lion had gnawed at it for hours. Horrifyingly though, the corpse's stomach was the true stuff of nightmares, I thought as I looked at the place where the robe had been torn open and the body disemboweled. Shredded along the corpses gut, the robes now opened to reveal a gaping hole, a gash so large it showed off the inner linings of the body in a pungent spectacle of crimson blood and stretchy intestines. The things still warm guts spread around and atop the body like sprinkles on a cake as my nose, strangely enough, breathed in the smell delightfully.

Dazed, I didn't even register that sickening thought as my throat became raw as I tried to throw up for the third time today, but couldn't. Why, though?, I thought as warm tears burned their way down my cheeks This Thing abused me my whole life, I know that now, how can I possibly be torn over this. Numbly, I looked away from the mangled corpse, noticing absentmindedly the strange man looking down at me with a mixture of pity and shame, as I instead looked up towards the pure whiteness of the ceiling. I loved him more than anything in the world, hours ago I would have done anything for him, so why could he never return even an ounce of that love I implored to the ceiling as memories swam in my vision. Memories of every Sephirah lesson Papa had ever given me, of every story about America's racist government that he told me, of every time he had rarely looked at me with pride, I swam in all my memories of him, and I told my self for the first time the truth. It was all a filthy lie. Every loving memory of him I had was not him loving me as a son but as a special tool, a weapon, that he would one day use. Over and over again, I told myself that simple fact as I blankly stared into the unemotional whiteness of the ceiling until quite suddenly, I felt pale, warm arms wrap gently around me from behind as the most wonderful voice in the world spoke gently in my ear.

"Your Fathers love may have been a lie", Hyn whispered in my ear, her silky hair tickling my neck as she spoke "But mine is not".

Shivering, I froze as goosebumps rippled all across my skin, Hyn's words enveloping me in the love I had forgotten in my despair, reminding me of the things I had been ignoring. I'm whining, I thought angrily after a moment as I tore my gaze from the ceiling and back to the corpse on the floor. I was in a loop, whining about my life like a child and forgetting the fact that nothing I did would change my life and the world I lived in. I loved Papa, I admitted to myself, But, if he didn't love me back, I thought as the tears on my cheeks began to dry There's no point in crying over a fact that I can't change. What I should be doing is coming back to reality, I thought silently, as my eyes took in the entirety of the wild living room, the people in it and a dark thought wormed its way into my mind.

"Did you do this" I said quietly, the words escaping my mouth like a bullet as I looked up into the strange mans brown eyes. Standing in front of me, and slightly to the side, the man slumped as he looked at me in the eye, his intense brown eyes swirling at my accusation.

"No", He said, and I felt the truth of his words rain down on me as he continued to speak "I was following a Sephirot disturbance and found him like this already".

"Who are you?" I said, taking in his words and preparing to refuse any attempts to evade, I wouldn't be ignorant any longer.

"The names Scott, Kid, designated as the 7th Warden", The man named Scott said, his voice full of relief and his pale cheeks stretching into a smile at the fact that I wasn't going to explode at him "under The Metaphysical Containment Institution".

"Oh" I said quietly, I had never met a warden, men and women who policed Sephirah or metaphysical disturbances in America, but Papa had always told me that they were simply Dogs of the Government. Then again, Papa was a liar, I thought as I looked at Scott.

"Exactly Kid", He said, looking at me and offering his hand down to me as he spoke "And I know you're shaken up, but we need to leave now".

Taken aback at his words, I looked at the man before me, into his now serious eyes as he watched me and then back at the corpse in the middle of the room. Seconds passed as I looked at the still bleeding corpse, and for a second, I thought about breaking down a little again. Screaming and crying in the face of my father's corpse, but shaking my head, I stood up instead and turned away from the mangled thing, it didn't matter, nothing did anymore. Taking Scott's hand, I felt Hyn's arms tighten and then slip off of me as she spoke behind me.

"Are you sure about this, Love" She said, following me as I followed Scott as we walked quietly through the living room.

No, I whispered back to her in my mind but this is the only thing I can think of doing right now.

Feeling more than seeing her nod, I ignored the rest of the room as I walked through it, taking care to not step on any blood as I looked at the back of Scott. He confused me, he seemed like a awkward guy but at the same time he was supposed to be a warden, someone Papa had always told me was beyond dangerous. Honestly, It didn't make sense to me how this man could be a Warden, I thought, as we reached the front door of the house and Scott quietly paused before he could open it.

"Hey Kid, what's your name?" He said, voice hesitant as he asked his question.

"Alhmanic" I said, puzzled as my grip on his hand loosened.

"Well Alhmanic, things are a little crazy out side this door", Scott said, an embarrassed laugh in his voice as he spoke "So don't freak out, Okay?"

"No prob Bob" I said even though I was admittedly exasperated on the inside I've had enough craziness today.

"Be strong" Hyn's voice said softly in my head as I felt her squeeze my shoulder from behind me.

I will I thought to her as Scott finally opened the front door and I stepped outside my house and into the city of New York for the first time in my life without Papa being with me.

The neighborhood I lived in was an old one with actual houses instead of giant apartment complexes and was usually quiet. Today though, that was all different as red and blue lights flashed everywhere as far as my eyes could see down both sides of the road my house was built on. It was mind boggling, I thought as I looked at the cars surrounding my house with police officers being closest to me and Scott as we stood at the door of my house and other government cars of all shapes and sizes being farther back. Silently, I looked at them all as I breathed in the night air of New York, deciding to not worry about the dozens or so people watching me and instead enjoy my first experience of independence.

Really, the experience was everything I had hoped it would be.​