by Ivy Rose
“This?” I repeated.
“Yes, the hidden world around us.”
“Hidden world?”
“Yes. Mr Peters, would you mind starting from the beginning? I think that would be easier.”
He nodded and cleared his throat. “Of course. Are we talking about the very beginning here?”
Mum nodded. “Yes, so she can fully understand.”
Mr Peters cleared his throat once again and looked at me.
“Very well. Aurora, are you ready?” he asked gently.
“Yes. Please tell me what’s going on.”
“A very long time ago, there was a war brewing between the light and dark. Lucifer came up with a grand plan to win the battle for Earth and sent—”
My mouth unhinged involuntarily. “Wait, stop. You mean ‘Lucifer’ as in…”
“Yes, as in the devil himself.”
I stared at him open-mouthed. “You can’t be serious?” I looked at all three of them, but none of them said anything. They all just looked at me with grave expressions on their faces. “Sorry,” I muttered. “Please continue, Mr Peters.”
“Lucifer wanted to create permanent darkness here on Earth. So he decided to send his fallen angels to end the seasons by the autumn equinox, making humans live in constant darkness and giving ultimate power to the evil creatures of the night. We call them the dark bearers.”
He paused, looked at me, and kindly asked, “Any questions?”
I shook my head. “N-nothing that comes to mind right now. It’s just…a lot to take in… But wait, why the autumn equinox? Why not any other time of year?”
“Good question, Aurora. The autumn equinox is a special night for many reasons; it is the moment when day and night are equal before the night takes over. It is also the only day when light is vulnerable and can be defeated.”
“So, there’s only one night in the whole year where darkness can take over?” I couldn’t believe what I was saying.
“Exactly. Lucifer’s fallen angels came down here to Earth and mixed themselves with humans; the chosen few who were spared. The blend of fallen angels and ordinary humans created new superhumans, born to serve the darkness. You might know them as Nephilim.”
I stared at him and nodded absently. I’d heard that name before. I’d read about it. Never did I believe the stories were real.
“What do you mean ‘the chosen few who were spared’? What happened to the other humans?”
“A lot of innocent people were killed back then, Aurora. In history books it’s called the Black Death, one of the most devastating pandemics known to man.”
“Oh my God. The dark bearers were responsible for that?”
“Yes, the dark mages were.”
“Mages?”
“You might prefer the terms witch, warlock or sorcerer, but we call them mages.”
“Okay.”
“As with everything, light and dark mages exist in our world, so don’t necessarily be afraid if you run into one.” Mr Peters smiled. “They’re not all evil.”
“So, what did you mean specifically by ‘evil creatures of the night’?”
“Well, dark bearers come in all shapes and forms. The most common in this part of the world are mages and vampires—”
“Hold on,” I said and held up my hand. “Sorry, are we talking about real vampires here? Like in the movies?”
“We certainly are.”
I swallowed. “Like with fangs and blood drinking and compulsion?”
“Well, yes. Humans have a surprisingly accurate picture of what vampires are and what they can do, except for a few bits and pieces they’ve made up over the years.”
I cleared my throat. “I see. Go on.”
“That’s when the angels of light stepped in. They knew they had to do something, or Lucifer and his followers would win the war. Lucifer’s dark mages were almost unstoppable at that point, so they had to act fast. Angels of light fell voluntarily, mixing themselves with humans, just like their enemies had done, and more Nephilim were created to help stop Lucifer and his followers. This is where we come in, especially you and your family. This is how we came to be what we are.” Mr Peters cleared his throat again.
There was a moment of silence, and I could feel them all looking at me, waiting for me to say something. In my head, I was frantically trying to process everything they’d told me, trying to put it into perspective.
“So, we are…” I swallowed. “Nephilim?”
“We like to call ourselves light bearers, like the dark bearers. We are descended, like many others here on Earth, from angels of light. We guard the seasons, making sure they progress as they should. We all have special powers, unique to us as individuals. However—” Mr Peters glanced at Mum who nodded for him to continue. “You and Helena…” he pointed at me, then Mum “…are part of a very special family among us.”
I gave Mum a quick look from the corner of my eye, then shifted my gaze back to Mr Peters.
“You see, when the angels of light fell to Earth, they made sure the light bearers had a guardian. A very powerful amulet was created to protect light on Earth, and it was bonded to the chosen guardian. If there is a bond between the amulet and the guardian, no evil magic can destroy it, and balance will always remain.” There was a brief pause again, like they were giving me a break to process, before they moved on to the next revelation.
“And the chosen one?” I asked after a few moments of silence, but I already had a feeling of dread about where this was going.
“The chosen one is decided by the angels of light. He or she is the most divine bearer of light on this Earth, and more importantly, will always descend from the same family tree.” Mr Peters added carefully. “Your family tree.”
“My grandmother…” I murmured softly.
“Yes, your grandmother.” Mr Peters smiled.
That’s why I had suddenly remembered my grandmother showing me her secret. It was real; it had actually happened. She had let me see her gift when I was little. She had known my destiny before I did, just like everybody else around me. The only difference was, she hadn’t hidden it from me. I wondered if Mum knew what my grandmother had shown me. Somehow, I didn’t think so, and that made me think that my grandmother probably didn’t agree with Mum’s decision to keep me in the dark.
“You see, without a guardian, the amulet is gradually losing its power. It’s not that noticeable yet, but darkness is slowly taking over. The months have been darker for longer, keeping the light away. The seasons have started to shift slightly. This is the longest we’ve been without a guardian. It has never happened before. Your grandmother was the last one to fulfil her destiny, and now…”
“And now you’re telling me it’s my destiny,” I whispered and felt as if the weight of the world was sitting on my shoulders.
Chapter 17
The world I’d known all my life was suddenly tilting on its axis, as I tried to get my head around what they were telling me.
“I know it’s a lot to take in—” Mum started.
“That’s putting it mildly. You are asking me to believe in something that I only thought existed in fiction. It’s overwhelming. I don’t know what to say.”
“We understand that, Aurora.”
“How exactly is a guardian selected? I mean, what if the family lineage ends?”
“It won’t happen. You were chosen from the moment you were born.”
“But how is that possible?”
“It’s called Divine interference. We don’t know exactly how, but if we look back through your generations, the firstborn is always a girl, and the light bearers are always female. That’s all I can tell you. But it is more important that you understand what is happening to you right now.”
I shook my head and sighed. “So, I don’t have a choice in the matter?”
“Well, I guess that is one way of looking at it,” Mr Peters said awkwardly.
I turned to Mum. “What are you then?”
> “Well, I’m not a guardian, if that’s what you’re asking,” she replied nervously.
“No, that’s apparently my job.” I stared at the three of them. “Sorry, I just can’t believe you kept something like this from me my entire life!”
“We were only trying to protect you,” Mrs Peters said gently.
“By keeping me in the dark? I don’t understand how that helped me?”
“I know it must seem like that—” Mum gave me a nervous look.
“It sure does,” I snapped. “Especially after this weekend. It would have been nice to know I wasn’t going crazy.”
“Aurora,” Mrs Peters said gently. “Helena has acted out of love for you; please don’t be mad at her. She put a protection spell on you when you were little to shield you from all of this.”
“Oh yes, that’s another question! What is this spell you’re all talking about?” I turned my gaze towards Mr and Mrs Peters. “And how do you two fit into all of this?”
Mr and Mrs Peters looked at one another.
“Well, I was the one who came up with the spell,” Mrs Peters said.
“And I was the one who cast it,” Mr Peters said.
I shook my head. “You know how crazy all of this sounds, right?”
“We do. That’s why you need to listen carefully to what we are trying to tell you.”
“It’s a little late, don’t you think? I mean, how little was I when you decided…” I had trouble finishing the sentence, feeling like I was about to deliver a bad joke “…to cast a protection spell on me?”
“You had just turned five,” Mum whispered.
“Five?! Why did you do it? Was I in danger?”
Mum shook her head. “No, you weren’t in danger. I just didn’t want this for you. I wanted you to have a normal childhood.”
I studied Mum as she knotted her hands in her lap. “And that’s the only reason?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
She wasn’t telling me the whole truth; I could sense it. I would definitely have to talk to her alone later. I focused on Mr and Mrs Peters again. “Okay, and you two?”
Mr Peters cleared his throat. “We’re light bearers too, and our biggest strength happens to be spells and magic.”
“Magic,” I squeaked. This was already getting too complicated for me to listen to.
“Sweetheart, let’s take this from the beginning, okay? I know how crazy this must sound.”
“This sounds like a bad joke. Honestly, light bearers and spells and magic, and God knows what else you have up your sleeve.” I couldn’t get my mind around anything they were saying. I needed to be alone. It was all too much. I got to my feet. “Sorry, but I need a few minutes alone. If you would all excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
I ran up the stairs and into my room. I wanted to hide for a little while. I sat down on my bed and stared at nothing. I’m a guardian of light, in a world where light and dark are fighting for power, like some freaking fantasy movie. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How was this even possible? What did this mean? It just felt wrong. Everything I’d ever known was based on a lie. Every decision and every move had been calculated behind my back by the people I loved and trusted the most.
“God, I wish you were still here, Grandma,” I whispered, closing my eyes and taking another shaky breath. She wouldn’t have lied to me. She would have told me the truth. She never would have let me live this lie.
Slowly my breathing seemed to find its natural rhythm again and everything stopped spinning. I took a deep breath and decided to go back downstairs, to listen to the rest of their story.
“Aurora, I’m sorry,” Mum said as soon as I came into the living room.
I didn’t respond to her apology, because I didn’t have it in me to say that this was okay. It wasn’t. I took a seat at the end of the couch and looked at Mum.
“All right, so how do you fit into this then?” I asked her, ignoring her apology.
“I’m a light bearer as well.”
“I figured that much out by myself, but what exactly are you? Like, do you have special skills?”
Mum glanced over at Mr and Mrs Peters, who nodded encouragingly to her. She turned to me. “Before I tell you what I am, I need you to understand that there are always two sides to everything. Good and evil exist side by side. It has always been that way. When I tell you what I am, please remember that I descend from the angels of light, therefore I am good. My actions are always pure.”
I could see fear in her eyes. It scared me and saddened me in equal measure.
“Okay?” I whispered.
“I am a reaper, Aurora.”
“A-a what?”
“A reaper.”
The whole room went absolutely still. It was like no one dared to move or even breathe. Oh my God, my head was screaming to me.
I swallowed. I had to ask the question. “You kill people?! How is that good?”
“Oh no, no, Aurora! It’s a common misconception about reapers in the human world. Not all reapers are evil. We escort souls to the afterlife, only when they are deceased. My work is to make sure all light bearers that depart this world get to where they are destined to go in the afterlife, and to make sure their souls don’t end up in the hands of the dark side.”
“So, you kind of decide who gets a happily ever after?”
Mum chuckled. “I guess that is one way of looking at it. I see myself as a guardian of the natural order. Of life and death. I make sure that everything proceeds as it should. No one deserves to end up in the hands of a dark bearer. They would be turned into slaves, forced to do evil in this world.
“We can talk more about our powers later. I think it is more important for you, Aurora, to come to terms with your gifts tonight. I don’t want to overload you with information about other creatures; that can be saved for later.”
I swallowed. “O-other creatures?”
“Well yes, of course.”
“Such as?”
“Um, well, I already mentioned mages and vampires. There’s fallen angels, druids and other shape shifters…”
I felt the room spin again. Too much information! Shape shifters existed? Druids?
“I can’t believe this,” I whispered and shook my head side to side.
Mum moved closer to me on the couch and put a hand on my shoulder.
“I know this must be difficult, Aurora.”
“You have no idea,” I muttered under my breath. “But please, just tell me everything I need to know.”
“Okay,” Mr Peters said gently. “Let’s go back to your role in all of this. As you know, the seasons are changing, and the beginning of autumn is marked by the equinox at the end of September. This year the autumn equinox falls on your birthday. This is the day you need to be ready to protect the light.”
This was reminding me of what the old lady had said to me at the markets.
“Protect the light from what exactly?” I asked.
“The darkness. Specifically, Lilith and her dark bearers.”
I looked at them. That was a new name they had dropped into the conversation. “Wait, who’s Lilith?”
“Lilith is a fallen angel, an immortal and ruler over the darkness and its creatures.”
“What sort of creatures are we talking about that live in this part of the world?”
“Mostly mages, shape shifters and vampires that have gone to the dark side.”
“And what do they want, again?”
“What Lucifer once started. They want to create permanent darkness, which would mean vampires and other creatures can do whatever they want, whenever they want. Without you and your bond with the amulet, the seasons will cease to exist. There will be an imbalance and nature will slowly die. Human life would most likely become extinct. It would be a total catastrophe; evil would be able to roam freely on Earth.”
“Am I in danger?”
“We always monitor activities around Ang
el Falls. There has been peace around this area for almost twenty years. We managed to push Lilith and her followers out a very long time ago. From what we can see, nothing has changed and there’s no imminent danger at this point. Besides, no one knows about you yet. You are not in danger. What they’re after is the amulet. But like I said, it’s been quiet for a very long time.”
I thought of my grandparents again. “What about my grandfather? What did he know about all of this?”
“He was a human, who fell in love with your grandmother.”
“But did he know about any of this?”
“He knew. We never tell humans, but your grandparents’ situation was different. He needed to know to be able to protect your family, to the best of his ability of course.”
“What do you mean by different situation?”
“They were never supposed to meet. Your grandmother was destined to fall in love with another light bearer. That’s usually how it works.”
“So, what happened?”
“No magic or prophecies in the world could keep them apart. Never underestimate the power of true love, Aurora.” Mrs Peters smiled.
“How do I know if someone from the dark side is trying to hurt me?”
“The amulet will tell you – don’t worry about that. We will train you to be aware of the signs and to defend yourself, but you also have your own powers. Don’t forget about that.”
“I don’t have any powers.”
“You do, they’re just being supressed because you’re under the protection spell.”
“This amulet you’re talking about, it’s for me?”
“Yes, the amulet will sense you now, since you started to break the protection spell. That can’t be reversed. You are now connected to the amulet until your soul departs from this world. However, for you and the amulet to be fully bonded and be able to protect each other, we need to undo what is left of the protection spell, then complete the harvest ritual on the autumn equinox. You need to wear the amulet from then on, and never under any circumstances take it off. When you are bonded with the amulet, your true powers will emerge, and the amulet’s powers will strengthen. We don’t want you to rely on the amulet. You need to train yourself to be attuned to everything around you, and to trust your own instincts.”