Augur of Shadows

by Jacob Rundle

  “Child, it is the contingency plan installed at the birth of this cosmic cycle. These beings will devour everything. Do you know what nothing is? What nothing looks like? Sounds like? Have you ever felt pure nothingness? Nothing will survive their encounter. If you and the others come together, and you all acquire the artifact, then maybe we have a chance.” Metatron took a break from teaching Henri the universe’s past.

  “Why can’t we just summon the Big Guy? I am sure that since he created everything, he is able to stop them?” Henri didn’t understand why someone who had an actual chance didn’t join the fight.

  “There was a time before Father’s creations. We only know micro-aspects of those times as they were before even our time. Father did say that there were battles of immense proportions, and his grandfathers passed down stories of their adventures. One of the stories contains the Old Ones. The Old Ones were feared then, as they should be now. He never told us how the Old Ones were stopped.” Metatron gave the information as best as he could to Henri.

  “We only hear of how your Father created everything in the universe. We do not hear that he had a father,” Henri shockingly stated.

  “Wait. Why can’t you speak with your great-grandfathers, Metatron?” Henri was still searching for another solution. He didn’t sit well with an all-inclusive decision.

  “Child, they no longer exist. Even the heavenly beings have a span of time to be. Nothing truly lasts forever.” Metatron became aware of Henri’s lack of knowledge of the universe, so he considered changing his delivery.

  “So, you’re telling me that even you have a lifespan?” Henri didn’t fathom the idea that any ethereal beings had a specified amount of time to live. The idea shattered any and all teachings that were taught.

  “Exactly, Henri.”

  Henri felt that Metatron was disclosing heavenly top-secret information. “Okay.” Henri sighed, slowly, under his breath, and he relaxed his muscles.

  “Henri, there is no way to prevent their return. They are coming for us all.” Metatron expressed a look of urgency and concern which terrified Henri.

  “So, I guess that I must find these gateways.” Henri didn’t want to fight anymore, and so he made the decision to seek out the others and these gateways Metatron spoke of.

  “Yes. This destiny was never supposed to be bestowed upon any human in our time. My brothers and I never thought that the Old Ones would return. However, an oracle in Ireland predicted their return. The remaining Olympians were notified of their ascent, and the distress signal was activated to all quadrants of the universe.” Metatron waited for Henri’s retort.

  “You all have a bat signal?” Henri sarcastically laughed.

  “Henri, this is not a joking matter. The fate of the cosmic balance is in your hands.” Metatron was done with Henri’s lack of maturity. He shined brighter than a star, and he appeared to grow in size to that of a small building. Metatron screeched, releasing a wave of heavenly energy. The waves of energy sliced through the ground, creating massive tremors in the earth’s inner body. Not only did the earth shatter into pieces, but the waves also created massive gusts of wind hurtling towards Henri. He had nowhere to run, so he braced for impact, holding on for his life till Metatron was finished with his mood swing.

  “I’m sorry, Metatron!” Henri did his best to avoid the shattering earth pieces and the gusts. Metatron ceased his attack, and he settled the earth and winds.

  He knew that Metatron was the first angel he had ever encountered, so he didn’t have a good sense of whether or not they had a sense of humor. Henri saw the look of terror on Metatron’s face, marking the occasion the first time Henri thought that angels were more human with emotions than he had known.

  “We haven’t chosen the wrong person, child.” Metatron settled back to the ground, soothing Henri’s anxiety.

  “How? How did you?” Henri gasped. “Oh, you can read my mind.”

  “You have many forces on your side, Henri. The Ancestors will lead you in the right direction, but they are not allowed to interfere. All branches of deities will assist in any way they can. However, this is your destiny.” For once, Henri fully understood what he meant.

  “I understand.” Henri nodded in agreement.

  “You must find the other three members of the Destined. The four of you must open the gateways to get to the artifact. And, yes, in doing so, the cataclysm will happen.

  “The difference between the Apocalypse and the Old Ones is that the chance of rebirth is possible with the Apocalypse. If the Old Ones devour everything, there will be nothing. Existence itself will cease to be,” Metatron explained easily.

  Henri stood lost in a puddle of thought. For days before the conversation, he argued and fought with everyone every inch of the way. However, he now came to a realization that fighting was pointless. He had to step up to the plate. He knew that his dad would tell him to stand tall and to fight.

  “Henri, it is time for you to return. Remember all that we have discussed.” Metatron shifted himself and Henri to their rightful places. He took one last glance at the boy who was destined to face the worst threat the universe had ever encountered.

  ‘Metatron?’ Henri mumbled to himself so no one would hear him. He didn’t want to open his eyes because he didn’t know where Metatron returned him. He heard a familiar tone of voice. He smelt the awful aftershave that Father Stevenson wore, and he felt someone poke his arm.

  “Honey, what’s wrong? You’re crying,” Henri’s mom whispered as he wiped his tears away, and Henri slowly opened his eyes.

  “Oh, nothing, Mom. I like the choir. It really hit me this time.” Henri felt so much pressure at the moment, yet he knew what he had to do, and he wasn’t going to fail.

  He found Father Stevenson across the choir, cheering them on, and Henri felt nothing but pain for he knew the fate the man would endure in the future. Henri also realized that he was the one who stood between that future and a “brighter” one.

  “I won’t let that happen.” Henri stood and applauded the choir for their performance. He stood with determination and pride in being the Augur

  It was time for him to start searching for the others.

  CHAPTER 16

  EL CAFÉ

  Henri pulled up to the coffee shop where he had arranged to meet Etlina. He sat in his car, trying not to allow Metatron’s words to worry him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the gateways; more importantly, Henri wanted to know about the consequences of opening them.

  “How will they change me?” Henri was lost in thought, and he didn’t realize that he was already twenty minutes late. He jumped right out of his car and headed inside to meet Etlina.

  As he reached the front door, images of the early morning with Metatron flashed through his mind. The volume of information that he possessed was astonishing. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He muttered out loud, “Now, I know how Atlas felt, holding the world on his back.”

  He walked inside, and he saw Etlina, gearing up for a hopeful, eventful reunion.

  “Henri. You made it!” She waved him over to her.

  “Hey, I am so sorry that I am late, Etlina. The service ran late, and my mom had to stop and speak with Father Stevenson.” Henri wanted to elaborate, but he knew that Etlina would think that he was crazy.

  “Oh, no worries, Henri. I just arrived myself. I was worried that I was going to be the late one, and I was hoping that you were late as well,” she exaggerated as Henri sat down.

  “Well, now, it is settled. We both are late jerks!” Henri chuckled.

  “I guess you are right. So, how was the service?” Etlina watched as Henri rolled his eyes.

  He weighed his options on whether or not to tell Etlina anything that had happened within the past month, but he thought that it wouldn’t be appropriate.

  “It wasn’t how I would have spent my morning given any choice. She believes that Jesus can save me. You know, the usual.” Henri still hated that his mother p
ressured him to go to church this morning.

  “Oh, I’m happy that you enjoyed it.” She smiled, and she amused him.

  “Oh yeah. I sure did,” Henri mocked, “So, what is going on with you? Honestly, I was really surprised to see you here,” Henri said. The concept of chance versus fate had really started becoming a repetitive theme with him.

  “Well, it is a long story that I am positive that you do not want to hear,” she replied. Henri saw the pain in her face and felt her sadness in his stomach. He still didn’t understand how he could feel other’s emotions, but he kept the conversation moving.

  “Please, if you want to talk about it, I am happy to listen,” Henri assured her, and she thanked him.

  “Well, my family is extremely strict, and my father did not want me to spend time with my abuelita.” She explained her story. Suddenly, Henri interrupted her. “Why?”

  “They didn’t agree with her choice of religious practice.” Etlina didn’t understand the forsaking of one’s heritage.

  “What’s that?” Henri had no idea what religion about which she was speaking, but he knew that it was important to her.

  “Think of Santería with some Caribbean influence. My mom and dad are very Catholic, and they believe that Santería is evil. If I ever got involved in it then they would disown me. However, Abuelita is my family too.”

  “Etlina that must have been rough on you. Is that why you are here in New York?” Henri could tell that it was a touchy subject, but he thought that it’d help her.

  “Yes. I started to form a relationship with my abuelita. She is an amazing person, and she has taught me so much about my heritage. My parents were really upset with me when they found out that I was speaking with her.” Henri knew that she didn’t want to go any further.

  “So, my parents didn’t like it, and they kicked me out. Now, I am staying on my abuelita’s couch in Harlem,” Etlina muttered with disappointment in her voice.

  Henri was terrified of his family not accepting him, and Etlina’s words hit home with him. Henri realized that he wasn’t giving Etlina his full attention, so he focused on their conversation.

  “I’m sorry that your family treated you that way, Etlina. No one deserves that,” Henri whispered. He changed the volume of his voice because he knew that the way he had reacted wasn’t necessary.

  Henri reached for her hand to comfort her. The moment he made contact with her hand, a vision flashed through his mind.

  There were flames everywhere. The scent of burnt concrete and wood from the trees that were destroyed by the fires, and the roads that were completely destroyed by the falling debris. The winds were whistling as if a hurricane had landed on the streets of the city. The winds carried intense pockets of heat that made it difficult to breathe. The whistling howls of the wind were strong enough that the screams of the few remaining survivors were inaudible.

  His mind became congested with images that clouded his reactions. He kept searching for survivors. Henri walked the streets, avoiding the abandoned cars on the road. “No one is here.” The smoke resembled layers of thick soot. As the realization hit him, his eyes filled with tears of frustration and anger.

  As he walked farther down the busy street, he heard ominous sounds that were gradually becoming louder than the moaning winds.

  “No! Get away from us!” Henri heard an unknown voice off in the distance, so he raced to the origin of the scream. The screams trailed off though, making it difficult for Henri to find where the screams came from.

  “No!” Henri heard the scream, and he ran to find the person. He advanced around the corner to find the cause of the scream.

  His heart pounded at the sight of this former shadowed creature. This time was different; the creature wasn’t cloaked. Its appearance was the most terrifying thing that he had ever seen. The first thought that came to Henri’s mind was how utterly grotesque it was.

  Henri was caught off guard with its appearance, and it took a moment before he noticed that there were two of them. He also saw that there was a family behind the creatures; father with his two sons, he assumed.

  One of the creatures retracted its claw, and then it stabbed the father in the chest once more. The man screamed in agony. Henri felt a stabbing pain in his chest the moment of contact, forcing Henri to the ground in pain.

  The pain coursed throughout Henri’s body, leaving him immovable. He lay on the ground as though he had a knife sticking out of his chest.

  “What the…” Henri didn’t understand why he felt as though he was the one stabbed until he remembered something Metatron told him.

  “Oh, crap.” Henri remembered that he could get injured during a projection. He fought to find the children, but he couldn’t even move his eyes. He was trapped in his own body.

  “Leave us alone!” One of the boys waved the creatures away, but they continued their advance.

  Henri made inaudible mumbles, but neither the children nor the creatures heard him. It was the first time that Henri was aware that he couldn’t help them.

  Deep inside his mind, Henri sought for the same feelings that he had felt when he was with Tim. He searched for the memory and for how he felt. Henri almost gave up hope when he heard Tim’s screams.

  “There!” Henri took the emotions from that incident, and he used them to fuel his urgency to help the children.

  In his mind, a blue light shimmered brightly. Henri called forth the light in hopes that it would do something to help them. He had no clue how it worked.

  The blue light radiated through his mind to fill his entire body. Henri felt the light breaking the bond that had paralyzed him, and he was able to stand up, readying to fight the creatures.

  The children were petrified by what was happening. They both couldn’t be older than ten years old. Their father crumbled into thin air before them as the creature absorbed his bright, luminescent soul.

  The second creature approached the children in a slow, methodical manner. The children were screaming for their father, but no one was left to save from the approaching evil.

  Freed from his paralysis, Henri readied himself to battle the creatures. He examined his arms to see the faint signs of peculiar symbols wavering on his skin. The only desire that he had at the moment was for these symbols to do something to help him win. He didn’t want the children to endure the same fate as their father.

  Henri searched the area for the best way to get to them when he was stopped by a familiar entity.

  “Henri,” he heard in his mind that forced him to halt. He looked around to see who had called to him, but he saw no one.

  “You will cease.”

  “Who are you?”

  “That isn’t important.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” Henri decided to ignore the mystery guest.

  “Cease!”

  “Why? They’ll die!”

  “Because, Henri, you are not allowed to interfere in this vision. The purpose is to see.” Henri couldn’t understand why he had to watch innocent people die.

  Henri searched for the source of the ghostly voice. As he turned, he saw three cloaked figures. Their garments hid their faces, but he could make it that it was two males and a female.

  “Who are you?” Henri didn’t know which direction to focus his attention.

  “It is not your place to demand anything of us.” One of the cloaked men stepped forward to take lead.

  “If this is another vision of mine then I demand to know who you all are.” Henri took a stance against the leader of the group.

  “Sorry, child, it doesn’t work that way,” the leader responded, acting as though Henri had offended him.

  “Listen, Henri. We don’t have time to go back and forth with you. You are here for a reason, and you need to listen.” The cloaked female took the lead, leaving Henri to believe that she was the more sensible one.

  “Okay, fine. I am listening.” Henri waited for their explanation.

  “No, you must watch t
he events. Truly see what happens.” She insisted that he continue watching the vision.

  Henri stared at them, hating that he had no choice in the matter. He refocused on the children. The creatures were still creeping their way towards the children. Their claws were out and ready for another feeding. The children’s voices were muffled by the eerie cries of the creatures about to indulge in their second course.

  The oldest child pushed the little one to run away while he fended off the creatures so that his brother could escape. The little one ran away, and he hid behind a demolished car, crying for his father and brother.

  One of the creatures caught wind, and it made its way to capture the little brother. The creature approached the vehicle, and it had no issue phasing through the vehicle. It appeared, as the creature was able to walk through the vehicle to get to the other side, surprising the scared child.

  The creature retracted its claws, and it lunged its claw through the chest of the child. Both the child and the creature screamed simultaneously. The little brother faded away from existence, and the creature devoured his soul as well.

  Henri dropped to the ground in defeat. He punched the ground in anger for failing him. He so desperately wanted to run to the other child’s side to protect him, but he knew that it was pointless.

  The older brother sobbed for his brother. The second creature made his way back to the other one. The child had lost his entire family. The creatures readied their claws. They made their eerie cry before they lunged their claws into the chest of the other child. The creatures released their cries of victory, and the child faded away without a fight.

  The creatures mutated once again, transforming into creatures that resembled entities from the dark places of nothingness. They stood with arrogance and pride that surprised Henri. He didn’t think monsters felt such human emotions.

  Prior to the boys’ demise, his cries spread throughout the area like waves of pure emotions, and Henri felt every ounce of pain and death. Once again, Henri felt as though he was the one who had died which left him feeling hopeless.