CHAPTER 9
Ilyana:
As disappointed as I am about losing my focus, I breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, I can get some answers. I know that Ephraim has been honest with me, but I instinctively know that I can trust Levi and he will not hold back from me in any way. Ephraim is guarded and while I know he is not lying, his explanations always seem to fall flat and lead to more question’s that he is never willing to answer yet. I sit back for a moment and ponder what I should ask first “Why is it unsafe for me to go to the enclave, what will happen?” he grabs at his chest and looks up into the sky then looks down at me with an amused expression on his face “Well, we aren’t wasting any time here, are we?” I look at him and impatiently find myself gesturing for him to continue “Alright, alright. I said I will answer anything you ask, but I need you to keep in mind that the counsel has kept me out of the loop for years.
But information does occasionally leak out and remaining friends with those in high places has certainly had its advantages.” He clears his throat and continues “From what I gather, there have always been stories about a second generation of nephilim rising up, it would all begin suddenly, there would be outbreaks of war and natural disasters, there would be earth quakes and storms. The stories we were taught as youngsters all pointed towards apocalyptic events, the earth opening up and swallowing up those that would hinder balance or peace and forgotten generations of armies would be released into the world, to restore balance, which as you can imagine, would not be a very peaceful process as corrupt as this old rock has become.” I nod my head in understanding and he continues on without any pushing on my part “It is said, that the catalyst for these events would come in the form of a young Nephilim – we were always told it would be a boy, kind of a David and Goliath type story. The young nephilim would be the embodiment of balance, he would be righteous but vengeful, gentle but strong, angry but peaceful, in him would lie all that was needed to end destroy the old and recreate the new. He would be a leader, but his leadership would come at a great cost to the empire that has been built.
People think that Nephilim are inherently good, but that is not always the case, over their many centuries on earth, many have grown power hungry, some have overturned monarchies, created terrorist regimes, or even sold their allegiance for things as insignificant as goods or money. When you live forever, you begin to hear rumors of who did what. I believe that our leaders fear what will happen when this “chosen one” surfaces because many of them are guilty by association or have turned a blind eye for their own gains.”
I am starting to realize what he is getting at so I cut him off “So, this being is supposed to exist that will essentially destroy all that is bad and bring forth all that is good - It sounds like a lot for one person to carry and no different than what we humans always called a fairy tale. I can tell what you are getting at, but the counsel is delusional if they think any of this is possible, or that I could bring about that much bad, or that much good.” He smiles in a slightly forced way that doesn’t look natural on him at all and continues “But, you are not a human, Ilyana, you already know that. Angels and Devils are also spoken of as a fairy tale if you ask some people. I am not saying that you are the chosen one that the story speaks of, but some of them are afraid that if you are, it will mean their end.”
Even though I think him and all the members of the counsel and the civilians here are insane, I can understand why they would fear something unknown like that “Okay, I will accept that explanation for now. But, say the stories are true. It doesn’t really sound like the kind of thing they can change or outrun anyways, so why are they keeping me away, why are you the best person to train me?” He nods his head and points out that I just asked two questions but the reasoning is the same for both of them “When you have lived alone as long as I have, you learn a different set of skills, just like we are training to turn your abilities on, you can train to turn your abilities off, this is never taught in our communities. No matter where you will go or who you will speak to it will be assumed that you cannot turn your abilities off and on and if you could, doing so would be an insult to your heritage and all our – culture, if you will, stands for. We are to embrace our abilities no matter what and use them regularly, I have been alive a long time and I have learned over the years that using ours - while a gift, can also be a curse. I am very powerful and the elders wanted to use me as what humans would essentially call a bounty hunter, they wanted me to be the judge, the jury and the execution. I tried to appease them at first, but realized I only hurt myself when I did. It ended up costing me a great deal of pain and mentally it shook me up so much I could not sleep at all most nights. So I started looking for ways out of it, the elders deemed that as long as I was useful, I was to help them or they would turn against me. So I started looking for ways to be less useful.” He looks awkwardly at his nails as though he doesn’t want to continue. I desperately want to hear his story but not at the cost of his pride. I prepare to stop him from going on but he sees the look on my face and jumps in “Don’t feel sorry for me, I want to share this story. Consider listening to my ramblings free therapy from you to me.” I smile and nod for him to go on.
He continues by explaining the way powers work “The more you use your powers, the better you get at it, I got to the point that even when occasionally I would find some sleep, if my body knew I was on a mission, it wouldn’t stop, I would lay in bed, sleep and then wake up with a hand drawn map I created while dreaming to help me find the next head. Or I would be at a party and someone would walk in the room that I knew there was a hit on and I literally would push my powers through others – no matter what the cost to them, to get to that one person. I felt like I was losing control of my powers, but then I realized in the beginning I had to turn them on, so now I had to learn to turn them off. In the daytime I would go on my assignments and at night I would meditate, and run and even fight to try and find ways to shut them off. Eventually I learned I could do it for short spurts with practice. I started messing up my missions on purpose, finally. Once I even got shot!” A proud smile spreads across his face and he looks like a young boy that just learned to ride his bike, he lifts his shirt and shows me the tiny, perfect scar.
“When the elders learned of what happened, they immediately knew what I had learned. They excommunicated me and told me I could not be a part of their community until I was useful to them, they couldn’t harm me because to the rest of the civilians, I looked like a hero that was simply injured and if they told them what I really did, it would’ve meant the elders were all liars about shutting our abilities on or off.”
I try to understand the weight of all he is saying, I almost can’t comprehend it, but I see how happy he is, and know that his being banished was everything he ever wanted. If he didn’t feel sorry for himself, I couldn’t allow myself to feel sorry for him. He caught my eye “Has Alya told you how we all sense powers differently?” for a moment I believe we are about to go back into training mode so I cautiously respond that she has mentioned it and much to my relief he starts talking some more “She hears power, like a buzz, I on the other hand smell power, it smells different for everyone, varying strengths and scents, but for you it is overwhelming, it is a cacophony of smells – all good. But very overwhelming, if I didn’t know how to turn my power off, I would probably get sick being around you for a long time. – She actually got a headache from your time together on the boat, which is almost unheard of for our kind. Until you can control your abilities, you need to only be around someone that has full control of theirs.”
I begin to stand “Someone like you?” he follows and gets up as well, he reaches his hands out in a showy gesture “The one and only!” then another thought reaches me “Is that why Ephraim has disappeared? Did I make him sick?” I suddenly feel concerned that I could cause him pain so unwillingly. Levi quickly shakes his head no
“Ephraim likes a challenge, he feels abilities like a buzz or a hum on the surface of his
skin, he can sense yours and it is disorienting and powerful, but it is nothing more than potentially uncomfortable for him. Don’t worry, Sunshine. Lover boy will be fine and I bet he will be back around you in no time. When you learn to control your abilities, it won’t be an issue for anyone at all.”
I feel my face begin to redden at the nickname he has given Ephraim and although I am trying to think of a quick response, my mind just draws blank and my jaw goes slack. He throws his head back to laugh and winks at me, just then lightning flashes across the darkening sky and while I try to fix the rubber band in my hair quickly he takes off and like a child yells “Last one there is a rotten egg!” I shake my head and laugh as I begin to take off after him. As complicated as things are right now, I am so grateful that I at least have found a friend to go through it with, it doesn’t make everything right, but it certainly makes everything better.
The Fallen Ones Page 10