by A. M. True
He leaned towards Thorenel. I could hear Emalickel’s thoughts.
Emalickel: And I will remind you she is MY guest, Thorenel.
Thorenel ignored Emalickel’s threatening tone.
Thorenel: Adrienne of Earth, I am Thorenel! Welcome to Lapoi! I am certain I speak on behalf of all that we are superbly honored to have your presence among us.
He held out his hand to me. I placed my hand in his expecting a hand-shake. Instead he brought my hand to his lips.
Emalickel quickly walked over to stand directly beside me. His eyes glared at Thorenel, who continued his gaze on me. Emalickel sounded forceful as he spoke this time.
Emalickel: We really must be on our way if we want to see the lands before the light of Auruclerum fades.
The vibe between Emalickel and Thorenel seemed tense. I could see Emalickel clenching his jaw as he stared at Thorenel antagonistically. I found his protective nature stimulating. It seemed that Emalickel cared about me and wanted me for himself.
Still looking at me, Thorenel smiled. He leaned towards me and transmitted his thoughts.
Thorenel: We have now connected, Adrienne of Earth. I’ll hear if you call to me.
Artist: PostHaste Music (Mark Petrie)
Song: Convergence
He smirked and winked at me. Then, he looked directly up at the sky, slightly bent his knees, and sprang straight up and out of sight. He jumped up with such great speed he was out of sight in less than one second. Again, there was a rush of air, and Thorenel was gone.
Looking out at the land as if reflecting, Emalickel took in a deep breath and exhaled it back out. Then he turned his head to me and smiled a gentle smile.
Emalickel: Shall we continue our journey?
He offered his hand to me. Then, he wrapped his arms around me for another trip, this time via teleportation. For a moment, everything faded into black. I wasn’t afraid because I could still feel Emalickel’s strong embrace. It was completely dark, and I couldn’t see a thing. I felt a slight breeze blowing on my body. Then, after about three seconds, I could see again. We were flying above a a completely different landscape.
Emalickel: This is Dillectus, my personal favorite of all the lands.
I looked down to take in all the beautiful features of this vast open land. The sky was colored with coral, orange, pink, and yellow and contained many bleach-white clouds that were thick and fluffy. There were a few rocky boulders randomly scattered across the landscape of vast fields with various-colored flowers. I saw landscapes including golden wheat fields, fall-colored woodlands, snow-capped mountain ranges, waterfalls, rock cliffs, sand and ocean. Several stone cottages were dispersed around the landscape.
We flew along the shoreline of an ocean with a white sandy beach. The sand looked like snow, but it was sand. To our right I noticed a green grassy valley with enormous snow-capped mountains in the distance. There were autumn woodlands to the west of the valley and to the east was a hillside which led to a golden valley of wheat. In the grassy valley stood an enormous structure, like that of a majestic castle. There were white light rays which beamed down onto this structure from the sky like a glittering spotlight. I saw large, white gulls which flew around the structure.
I pointed in that direction.
Me: Wow! What is that?!
Artist: Audiomachine
Song: The New Earth
He ignored me. Instead he lowered our flight until we landed in the middle of the golden wheat field. I heard something moving at extreme speeds in the air. It’s another celestial, I thought to myself.
Emalickel looked up to scan the sky. Then he rolled his eyes and muttered to himself in sarcasm.
Emalickel: Oh, this is just great. It is Xabiel. That is just splendid.
Emalickel began pacing around in frustration and looking up at sky in anticipation.
Me: Is that another one of your brothers?
Emalickel: It is my brother Xabiel. I have a feeling the other three are not going to be far behind.
The ground shook as Xabiel landed, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, I felt his breath grazing the sides of my neck as he whispered within my mind and moved around me without being seen.
Xabiel: Look at you. I am stunned by your presence. Let me provide you as a no mortal man can. I will ensure you feel pleasures beyond that of what you have ever known. We will go places undiscovered, doing things that have never been done.
I felt his hands touch my shoulders and pull me closer to his body. His hand grazed across my mid-section. It made me shiver. Until now, Emalickel had been looking around for Xabiel. I must have given away his location by my reaction of Xabiel’s touch on my body. My body relaxed as if it were melting.
Emalickel: Xabiel!
Emalickel was angry as he suddenly appeared in front of me. He grabbed Xabiel around the neck, making him materialize, and threw him. Emalickel’s voice echoed an angry rumble.
Emalickel: LEAVE HER!
Xabiel landed several yards away and completely materialized. He came to his feet, dusted himself off, and slowly stood up straight with his arms by his sides. He had medium-length, dark brown hair like Emalickel. He stood about six feet and eight inches tall and appeared to weigh about 320 pounds. Like his brothers, his muscles were very well-defined. He exhibited masculine facial features but appeared a bit younger than Emalickel and Thorenel. His chest was bare. We wore black leather trousers and black leather combat boots to his knees. His bronzed skin was a slightly darker shade than the others, and the irises of his eyes glowed bright white-grey. He, too, was very attractive.
He gazed at Emalickel.
Xabiel: Please, control yourself, Emalickel.
Emalickel: You shall not give instruction to me.
Xabiel! You have no authority equal to, nor over me. Your disrespect has been noted.
Xabiel: I meant no disrespect, my brother, but aren’t you acting a bit over-protective? Why do you shield her from opportunity?
Emalickel: My reaction is with purpose. Do not question my intentions, for I owe you no explanation of my actions.
Xabiel: You cannot shield her from us, Emalickel. Does she not have a right to make her own decisions?
Emalickel: You challenge me again, brother?! I find your communications highly offensive, Xabiel. As I said before, I do not owe anyone explanation of my decisions, yet you continue to challenge me. Shame on you for stepping out of line. One more breath of disrespect from you, and you will find yourself in seclusion.
Artist: Mark Petrie
Song: Majestic
Just then, I heard another celestial approaching. He appeared far in the distance and approached on a large black horse with a long full tail. It kicked up debris as it galloped toward us. This celestial communicated before he arrived. His voice was deep and strong like Emalickel’s voice.
Although he was far away, I could hear his voice within my mind. It resonated throughout my body and echoed when he spoke.
Romenciel: Emalickel.
I could see him coming over the horizon. He was glowing as if light were being emanated from him. It illuminated him within a sphere of light measuring about ten feet in diameter. Time seemed to slow, and I was able to catch a good glimpse before he arrived. He was carrying a long steel sword with a black leather-wrapped handle. It looked like an Ulfberht Viking sword. Symbols or runes were etched into the blade. The celestial was dressed in gunmetal-black armor from the neck down. A red cape was blowing behind his back. He approached closer to us. Emalickel still appeared irritated, but not as much as he had with Thorenel and Xabiel.
The celestial stopped his horse about ten feet away from us. He dismounted and immediately kneeled behind his sword. He seemed very respectful and wise. He carried the aura of a warrior.
He looked directly at me. His facial features resembled that of the others, but he was much more physically developed with a much larger, more defined physique. He appeared to be older than Emalickel, but only by a few years�
��maybe in his late 30s or early 40s. His eyes were glowing the same white-grey color as Xabiel’s eyes, and he had the same chiseled jaw line, scruffy face, and bronzed skin as all his brothers. His hair was dark-brown, wavy, and extended about six inches past his shoulders. The hair around his face was pulled back and tied into several leather ties at the back of his head; similar to that of a Viking hairstyle. He was the largest I had seen. He appeared to stand at seven feet and five inches tall and weighed about 400 pounds. His skin appeared glossy, as if he’d been sweating.
Emalickel: Romenciel, demonstrating the entrance of a true warrior and gentleman.
Romenciel replied respectfully.
Romenciel: Emalickel, my brother, why did I not get invited to this meeting of Lapoi’s special guest?
His eyes rested upon me.
Romenciel: And may I add, with all due respect, she is radiant to say the least?
Emalickel: There is no gathering, Romenciel. This is not the time.
Romenciel: Everyone knows of her presence. In fact, the other reason I came to meet you was to warn you about the warriors. I’m sure they will be on their way.
Emalickel: What do you mean?
Romenciel: Seronimel and Dennoliel know about her. They have informed the rest of the warriors and guards of her presence, and I suspect they will all come to see her any moment now.
Artist: Audiomachine
Song: Godspeed
I looked at Emalickel. His eyes widened. He appeared flustered and alarmed. He quickly walked up to Romenciel.
Emalickel: What did you say?! Please tell me they do not plan to bring all the celestials of Lapoi here. Not all at the same time! It is too dangerous! You know that cannot happen!
Just then, I heard in the distance a low rumbling, like a large herd of elephants. It was terrifying. Everything seemed to drastically slow down. Emalickel, Xabiel, and Romenciel were all looking up at the sky in disbelief. Concerned by their reaction, I looked up too. Spread all throughout in the sky were thousands of glowing lights headed towards us. I heard Romenciel mumble to himself.
Romenciel: I cannot believe it.
Emalickel: This cannot happen. They cannot all come here at once, Romenciel, she is just a mortal! We must find a way to hold them back!
Romenciel shook his head in discouragement.
Romenciel: It is too late, Emalickel.
The lights of the celestials filled the sky. There were millions of light orbs coming down like meteors. The wind picked up drastically as it does before a storm. The grass flattened and waved like waves in the ocean. Emalickel’s voice echoed as he yelled.
Emalickel: Adrienne! Get down! Now!
He dove towards me on top of my body and grabbed me in his arms. I felt his force-field go up around me.
The celestials began crashing to their landings. The ground shook violently as would an Earthquake measuring over 10.5 on the Richter scale. The rumbles were incredibly loud as they landed. I felt my insides shaking. The only thing keeping me somewhat calm was Emalickel clutching me tightly against his body. I knew he would protect me and keep me safe.
It continued. The violence of the tremors was insane. Debris from their impacts fogged the air. The wind howled as each of them landed one after another. The rumbling from their landings on the ground sounded like repeated crashes of thunder.
There were so many of them. They all landed to a standing position with their spears and shields in one hand and their helmets in the other. Some of them wore armor similar to Xabiel’s. They wore leather briefs and long red velvet capes strapped across their chests with black, leather straps, and knee-high combat boots. Others wore golden armor with white capes trimmed in gold. These celestials with the golden armor did not have helmets. They were all beautifully handsome like the brothers. Every one of them had strong, very well-defined ripped muscle tone and deeply bronzed glowing skin.
The wind subsided, and the rumbling ceased. Emalickel stood up and aided me to my feet. He scanned my body with concern.
Emalickel: Are you well?
I was shaking but nodded. Emalickel turned towards the crowd of celestials. His voice was loud and authoritive.
Emalickel: Seronimel and Dennoliel! Come before me at once!
Two of the celestials stepped forward from the crowd. They were wearing golden armor with white capes trimmed in gold, which hung from their shoulders. They also wore beige, hooded cloaks. There was a hint of arrogance behind their facial expressions. They both resembled Thorenel in appearance but looked younger. They both had long, wavy, blonde hair past their shoulders. Seronimel’s hair was tied back like Romenciel. Dennoliel’s hair was down, and some strands blew across his face.
Emalickel: Whose idea was it to bring the entire fucking realm?!
They were both silent with their hands folded down in front of them. They shifted their weight from side-to-side, looking down at the dirt as they shuffled their feet. There was an awkward silence among the entire group of warriors as everyone looked at Emalickel with stunned looks on their faces.
Artist: Audiomachine
Song: Hell’s Battalion
Emalickel: Speak brothers! I am addressing you!
After clearing his throat, Dennoliel responded with a calm demeanor.
Dennoliel: We meant not to intrude, Emalickel.
I could hear Emalickel’s breathing pace increase, and he was breathing more loudly. His brows were lowered, and he was clenching his jaw again. He spoke aloud. His deep voice resonated far, and his words echoed off the mountains in the distance. He ground his teeth as he spoke to all of them. He appeared to be intensely angered. The wind on the land began to pick back up as he spoke.
Emalickel: Your actions are juvenile, inexperienced, and unsophisticated. You show disrespect by defying rules. You show immaturity in your thoughtlessness. You embarrass me with your naive actions. I am beyond infuriated with you both! As blood of my blood, you should know better. What a disappointment, an absolute disgrace, you have exhibited yourselves to be this day. This behavior will not be tolerated in the future. You have been warned. I command you to respectfully dismiss yourselves from my presence at once… Immediately! All of you!
He waited a moment. All was silent. Stunned, all the celestials remained standing there in shock.
Emalickel: I SAID BE DISMISSED!
As Emalickel said this, he extended his arms with his palms facing outward, creating a shock-wave which forcefully blew them all out of sight in a burst. Then there was total silence, except for Emalickel’s deep breathing as he looked toward the now empty ground in disappointment. He clenched his fists while he caught his breath. The dust of the land began to settle.
Artist: Patrick Doyle
Song: Ride to Observatory
He came over to me. His body was glowing in the afterglow which was beginning to set behind the mountains. His tone was contrite as he spoke.
Emalickel: Adrienne.
He cleared his throat.
Emalickel: I am sorry for your having to see my anger. I am astonished my younger brothers have acted in such ignorant ways. They should know better and have always shown higher intelligence than that. Your presence is vibrant and strong. It must have distracted my younger brothers from remembering their manners.
He placed his arm behind my back and we began walking with one another. I had so many questions about this place and who everyone was. Emalickel appeared distracted by thought. He was removed. I don’t even think he knew where we were going. At that point, we were just walking together. I looked up at him with concern.
Emalickel breathed deeply and gulped. A few silent moments went by before he stopped in his tracks. He placed his arm in front of my waist to prevent me from walking any further. He positioned himself in front of me, looked me directly in the eyes and held my face in his hands. We engaged eye contact. He sighed, shook his head, and whispered to me.
Emalickel: There is so much I want to tell you.
I could tell he
wanted to say more.
Emalickel: I do not know where to begin. It will overwhelm you. I am trying to make the best decisions concerning your well-being.
Emalickel gulped.
Emalickel: Forgive me if it seemed selfish of me to shield the others from you. Understand, it was with good intention. I am only trying to protect you.
He offered his arm to me. I took it.
Emalickel: Come. There is so much to be explored.
5
The Tour
Hours seemed to pass as we explored more of the lands of Lapoi. Emalickel took me through a land of illumination, where everything was underground and seemed to glow in neon colors, and to a jungle-land where everything was giant and fascinating. I learned about the truth of the celestials’ aid in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids and other ancient structures in Earth’s past. Emalickel had shown me using holograms or visions in water.