He stopped speaking and stared out towards the black sea — which swelled and bucked with angry waves — lost in thought. His hands were coiled into tight fists and his body rigid with the strain of what could only be countless horrific memories.
I didn’t know what to say, for some reason the mention of The Sorrow had filled me with a sense of dread that was gnawing away at my insides. I squeezed my eyes shut; trying to replace thoughts of an unstoppable soul eater and the grizzly show I’d just witnessed with images of the Earth from space and the gorgeous beach. It didn’t really work. I re-opened my eyes. Faru was still in the same position, staring across the angry sea.
“Faru?” I said gingerly, walking forward and placing a hand on his arm. He snapped out of his reverie. Turning towards me, he gave a smile which convinced no one.
“I apologise Alexander. I have seen many atrocious things in my time in Pandemonia. Please speak your mind.”
I swallowed, my throat dry. It felt like years since I had eaten or drunk anything. “Well I err…it’s bad about The Sorrow and the war and everything, but well…I just don’t see what any of this has to do with me.”
Faru placed a hand on my shoulder. “You will Alexander. What comes next will make it all easier to understand. I think it’s time to move on.”
It was the words I’d been hoping for. I couldn’t wait to get out of this hellish place, vision or not. Faru clapped both hands together and the world began to tear off from itself. Little pieces flaked away and dissolved into nothing as though the whole setting was wallpaper being stripped away by the hand of an invisible deity. In the spaces left by the flakes, there was nothing but a pure white glow.
Soon we were surrounded by nothing but pure brilliant white. It was nonexistence; the blank canvass between life. There was no horizon, no background, no sky, no floor, nothing but endless white. I was upright as far as I could tell, but there was no way to know if I was standing or floating — I couldn’t feel anything beneath my feet. The brightness took a while to adjust to, like switching on a lamp in the middle of the night. For a few disturbing seconds it appeared as though Faru had two holes in his head, due to his glowing eyes blending in with the background. Thankfully the effect passed. I waited, but the Seelian didn’t say a word. He simply folded his arms across his chest as if he expected something to happen.
Then something did.
A point a few feet away began to shimmer. Frowning, I stared at the patch of nothingness. It continued to waver like heat in the desert. Then out of nowhere a blue ball of energy formed. It started out the size of a marble and grew until it was roughly the size of a tennis ball. Then it hung motionless, releasing an electric blue glow.
A small moan of wonder escaped my throat as I gazed at the orb. I had never witnessed anything so glorious in all my life. It was better than the beach, better than the view of Earth from space. Better than everything. Tears spilled down my cheeks. I wiped with the back of my hand, unable to stop staring at the divine orb. When I managed to locate my voice and use it, the words were soft and dreamlike. “It’s…so…beautiful. What…is…it?” I whispered. “This is a human soul Alexander. “Soul,” I repeated slowly, mouthing the words.
I reached out to touch the shining orb but was dismayed when my fingers glided right through as if it were a mirage. The soul shimmered for a second, then solidified again and drifted away from me. I cried out and tried to snatch at it, but Faru placed a hand on my shoulder and shook his head. I dropped my eyes to my fingers in disappointment, and drew in a sharp breath; the tips were glowing blue like oversized matchsticks.
I breathed a sigh of awe and looked back up. All around, more souls appeared, unfurling and growing in the emptiness of the non-world. Soon there were hundreds, gliding around us like atoms under a microscope. They seemed to radiate peace and happiness. I felt calmer than I could ever remember being in my life. It seemed that nothing else mattered, just these precious little souls.
Faru glided around so that he was facing me. “Souls are the life force of all species,” he said. “A miraculous, eternal energy which cannot be destroyed. In humans, a soul unites with a new-born child and stays with them until death, before moving on to another.”
He scooped a hand through the air and caught a soul, much to my jealousy. It lay sheltered in his cupped palms, shining rays of neon light from the cracks between his fingers. Faru widened the space between his two thumbs and gestured for me to look. I discovered that I could move forward without actually walking — a sort of glide. Once in front of the Seelian, I peered into his cupped hands. Inside, amongst the glowing blue, I could see flashes of cycling images, like short videos on a slideshow. A young boy clothed in rags running from a bakers — a loaf of bread clutched in his grubby hands; a middle aged man with curly hair driving a red American convertible, holding hands with a smiling brunette sat next to him; an elderly lady lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by family. A young woman standing by a Faru dropped his hands away and I pulled back my head. Then he gently released the soul and it floated off to re-join the others.
“Snapshots of past lives,” he answered before I could ask. “The existence of souls is nothing short of a miracle and impossible to explain. Because they cannot be seen by the human eye, it has often been debated that they do not really exist. But I can assure you they do and if you could see them, they would look like these here.”
“Wait, you can see them?” I asked.
“I can. Although I am blind by normal standards, my unique style of vision allows me to see things that do not exist on the relative plane. I can also manipulate them.”
“So you could touch a real soul?”
“I could yes, not that I could think of a reason to. But I digress.”
He raised a long index finger and tapped it once in the air. “Now, to explain how all this fits together. As I already explained, the Veil had broken down and with this, its repelling effects diminished. As the ageless war raged on, countless died on both sides. Many grew weary of the battle, of the constant fear. They wanted to escape the bloodshed. They hid anywhere they could to avoid fighting, in caves, underground, and those that could, underwater. Desperate to escape and presented with a greater threat to life than the diminishing Veil could present, it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled into your world. Before long, word had spread of a solace away from the war, a safe haven where one could seek refuge.”
“That doesn’t seem too bad,” I mused, wiping a bead of sweat from my neck. “A kind of inter-dimensional asylum seeker.”
Faru gave a chuckle. “Yes, I like that. And indeed that would have been fine had all those coming through been peaceful. Alas this was not the case. As I said the sentient creatures of my world are subject to character flaws, just like humans. Not every visitor to Earth was friendly.”
“Oh.”
“Oh indeed my dear boy. Many realised they could exploit the weaker life forms of this world, namely humans. Your kind went from being the dominant species to a low link in the food chain for some very dark and powerful creatures.” He furrowed his brow over his white eyes. “As much as I am dismayed to admit, it was not only Umbra who did this. Luminar were just as much to blame.” His unhappy face brightened and he clasped his hands together. “However, this unbalancing of the equilibrium was not without its consequences. The act of Pandemonians coming through triggered a truly miraculous reaction in certain human souls. A process referred to as The Awakening.”
Faru turned and gestured to the sea of souls. Many of them started to vibrate. They shook so hard they became a blur. I watched as the light they emitted grew brighter until it became difficult to even look at them. When they settled, their mass had expanded by at least a quarter. Small tendrils formed in their centres and stretched out like little feelers, searching the air. More and more appeared. I tried to count them, but there were too many. I guessed around fifty or so. As their appendages snaked around, the tips crackled with bursts of electric
energy.
Faru attempted to pick up one of the newly transformed souls. It darted away and snapped it’s tendrils at him like little whips. He snatched his hand back and grinned.
“As a kind of natural defence against these strange intruders, some souls evolved to a higher state.”
I leaned forward, hanging off every word.
“Now because the soul controls the mind, which in turn controls the body, this evolution allowed the people who possessed these souls to become in effect…superhuman. These chosen humans are Earth’s natural defence against the darker creatures from my world. You see, the Chosen possess abilities that no other human could hope for. They have superhuman strength and speed, they can withstand attacks which would crush a normal man and heal faster than is naturally possible.” He waved his hand, “plus extra abilities which vary from individual to individual. To all intents and purposes, they are a biological weapon.”
He stopped speaking and stared at me.
The words sank in and all the pieces fell into place. My heart did a backflip. I shook my head from side to side. “No… you don’t mean? It can’t…I can’t!”
Faru glided towards me and gripped my shoulders. “Yes Alexander that is why you are here.”
His next words seemed to slip out in slow motion, each one hitting me with the force of a cannonball.
“You are a Chosen.”
13
No, you’ve got it wrong,” I insisted. “I can’t be a Chosen. I’m not special. God, I’m not even average!”
But I knew that the words spilling from my mouth carried no weight. After all, Faru had simply put a label on all the things I could already do.
“Alexander, you know what I am telling you is the truth. You are capable of feats that most humans can only dream of; and that is at this early stage — as you grow in confidence, so too will your abilities. You have been chosen by natural selection to be the defence against those who seek to do your species harm.”
I ran my hands through my hair, no longer feeling at peace with the souls which floated around me. My heart raced and I felt dizzy. “But I don’t even like people most of the time!” I said. “And they definitely don’t like me! Most of the people in my school only started speaking to me a few days ago!”
Faru steepled his fingers together. “Alexander, the reason you have always struggled to connect with humans is because you are not like them. You never really were.”
I let the Seelian’s words sink in. Is this why I could never make friends? Why everything I tried made people dislike me more? Because I’m different? “But what if I don’t want to be one of these…Chosen?” I asked.
Faru gave a slow shake of his head as I feared he would. “It makes no difference I’m afraid. Whether or not you join us, you still had your Awakening. It is not something you have any control over.”
I wiped a fresh layer of sweat from my hands and let out a long sigh. “Fine, then tell me who this us you keep referring to is.”
Faru gave a nod. “As I mentioned, when the creatures of Pandemonia first came through the Veil, they dominated. Umbra massacred, Vampires fed without consequence, Luminar took humans as pets and treated them like slaves. The list goes on. It was a dark time for humanity. Those who were Chosen did not understand what was happening to them, or why they were suddenly bestowed with these fantastic abilities. They were confused and alone, unaware that others such as themselves existed all over the world. All they knew was that they could sense these foreign creatures and they had an overwhelming urge to fight against them. So they fought…and died alone.”
The souls around us lifted into the air. Ghostly forms materialised around them. The glowing orbs lodged into the centres of what became hundreds of men and women. I could just about make out the armour they wore. The various designs and styles alluded to countless countries and time periods. They all seemed to be locked in their own personal battles. Some swung weapons at invisible enemies or defended themselves from attacks that weren’t happening. Others fired shimmering arrows at non-existent targets. They roared silent cries of victory and whimpers of defeat. They circled around, trapped in their looping conflicts. At one point, a ghostly sword swept right through my arm. I didn’t even feel a chill. As I watched the epic scene with awe, Faru continued to speak.
“However, their bravery was spoken of for decades to come. New Chosen learned of the stories and realised that those who had come before were the same as themselves. They began to seek out each other. With all of them searching, they located each other swiftly. An alliance was set up between them. United, they stood against the darker creatures of Pandemonia and prevailed.”
The figures around us for the first time acknowledged each other. As they formed a line, their uniforms shifted into black suits of armour with swirling capes that depicted a grand sword, dividing a horned skull in two.
“The scale tipped the other way. In a time known as the Purge, the Chosen hunted down and killed every single Pandemonian they could find without mercy. Entire families of peaceful Luminar were dragged into the streets and murdered. Kind Succubi and Incubi who lived good lives, and only ever took just enough life force to stay alive were chained up and starved of energy until they turned to dust. Witches and Shamans — the offspring of unions between humans and Umbra, were burned at the stake, even though they were half human and completely innocent. Even non carnivorous Fera were hunted down. If it wasn’t from Earth it was killed.”
“That’s awful,” I said, shuddering at the thought of all the mindless violence.
Faru made an agreeing sound. “It was only about two hundred years ago that the Chosen accepted that not all Pandemonians were evil. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, certain species were permitted to aid them in their quest to rid Earth of evil. This allowed for mediation in determining if a Pandemonian was malevolent or not. Over time that assistance became an alliance. As with everything, the alliance evolved and has now become the powerful organisation known as the HASEA.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It stands for the Human and Supernatural Entity Alliance. The HASEA is essentially a supernatural police force made from a mixture of Chosen and Pandemonians known as Guardians. We govern all supernatural activity and are committed to ensuring the safety of both humans and peaceful Pandemonians. Furthermore, it is the HASEA’s responsibility to protect the Veil. When the HASEA’s ancestors first took control of each segment, they hid them from view and destroyed all written records of the Veil’s existence, to keep it a secret. It was and still is guarded around the clock by Guardians.
“In the past, any new travellers into your world had to join the HASEA, or were sent back through the Veil. Nowadays the Alliance has adopted a slightly different view. Pandemonians do not have to join us; they can live their lives freely in the human world. However, there are two strict overarching rules. One: they must never intentionally reveal their true identities to a human unless that person is connected to the HASEA, and two: they must never harm a human or Chosen, except in an act of self-defence. If either of these two rules are broken, depending on the severity of the crime, the offender will be hunted down and killed, or permanently deported back to Pandemonia.”
“Seems fair.”
“It is. And of course, there are benefits to joining the Alliance. The Pandemonian receives accommodation, a job and by extension an income, as well as support for any of their…desires.” I frowned. “Desires?” “Blood for Vampires, life force energy donors for Incubi and Succubi, Imprint loans for shifters-” I put up a hand. “Okay I get the gist.” “They can even progress through the ranks.” Faru gestured towards himself. “Of which I am living proof.” “So what does the HASEA get in return?”
“More manpower for one. In addition, the benefit of Pandemonians’ unique abilities. For example, Fae are required to regularly donate blood, which is put to good use. In addition, our single most important alliance has been between ourselves and the vari
ous Covens. Witches are able to tap into the ether and receive premonitions of attacks before they happen. That way we can have a team there before anyone gets hurt.” Faru stopped speaking and stared at me with his glowing eyes. “Have you understood everything so far?” I ran over everything he told me. “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s move on to our final stop.” Faru clicked his fingers and the world around us began to change once again. The knights disappeared one by one in quick succession, like bubbles bursting. The white space around us began to fill itself in. It started with lines, which grew denser with shape and then filled with colour, coming to life as real objects. The same was true with people, who were sketched into life and then started walking around and speaking with one another.
Once the scene was finished, I saw that we were in the lobby of a vast mansion. A huge staircase with plush red carpet swept up to a gigantic painting of Faru, before splitting off to the left and right. The twin stairs led to parallel balconies with countless doors and archways. A grand chandelier hung at least 10 metres above my head. Around us, dozens of people moved in all directions like frenzied ants. Some went up the stairs, others filtered through various openings and doors. None of them were paying us the slightest bit of attention. In this reality, or whatever it was, we were invisible. “This is a HASEA base I’m guessing.” I said. “It is. In fact, it’s the very one you came to earlier and the one which your body is still in right now.” The Seelian chuckled at my expression. “Don’t worry you will be going back to it shortly.”
He gestured towards the bustling scene. “The Warren is the main headquarters for the HASEA in the London area. I’m proud to say it’s one of the most powerful in the world. It was built — as all Alliance headquarters are — around a remaining section of the Veil.”
“It’s so…nice looking,” I remarked.
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