The Return of the Watchers (Armageddon Rising Book 1)

by Denny Bennett

  “Now, here's what I need you to do: First and foremost, do not let any spiritual energy out when you're flying. I shouldn't have to explain to you why you don't want to do that. You don't have the necessary control to bring it back in so I need you to remain calm and focused. Remember what I told you back at the cabin when you were in trouble? I need you to be focused like that the entire plane ride. You can't let it go, Dorian, so stay focused. Right now your Shi is in check, but I have no idea how long you can maintain that. Don't risk everyone's life by getting distracted. Second, you need to know how to control your thoughts because you can be read pretty easily. Essentially, you're like an internet connection that's broadcasting everywhere without any security in place, so we need to act fast.

  “My mentor explained it to me like this: Focus your Shi around your mind and place an imaginary shield around it. You have to be able to feel someone trying to access your thoughts.

  “Remember that handshake you had with Zazu? Now, imagine that in your head, but you're not letting anyone in. I'm guessing that you're probably getting a lot of static because everyone is broadcasting their thoughts to you at the same time. You need to learn how to tune it out by focusing on either your thoughts, or one specific thought from someone else. I don't have any more time, Dorian, so call me at this number when you get to Sicily and I will tell you exactly where we're going to meet. I'm real sorry about your mother.” “Wait, why are these beings after me? What did I ever do to them? I still don't understand what is going on.” “We can talk about that later. For now, just take care of your mother then get to Sicily.” She disconnected the call and Dorian was left feeling empty inside. Normally he would be the one comforting others, but now who was there to comfort the comforter? He didn't have a spirit guide as far as he could tell, now that he could see them quite clearly. Yuki would have to fill the void. Driving back to the cabin proved difficult, as he was trying to remember Yelnisha's words and focus on them. As he made his way through the town he could hear the thoughts of the passers-by in his head. It was quite disorienting, as if someone got hold of the radio and started rapidly changing channels. He began to focus on his thoughts only and attempted to tune out the others, but it was so difficult that he instinctively muffled his ears, causing him to almost lose control of the vehicle. Approaching the cabin he could see the faint glow of lamp light from within that extended, forming a silhouette of the window panes in amber on the snow covered ground. Through the window he saw Yuki pacing and biting her nails. Dorian sensed the worry in her thoughts and the mounting questions she had for him. Her focus shifted when she heard the car pull into the driveway. Dreading the conversation he knew had to take place, he forced himself with heavy heart to the door. His emotions were welling up inside, culminating with a terrible pain in his heart. Yuki was standing at the threshold when he opened the door and immediately embraced him. Closing his eyes he could feel himself letting go and began to weep. She gently stroked the back of his head and held him tightly, standing on her tippy toes as Dorian leaned over her. Several minutes went by and he let go to wash up. Yuki went into the kitchen and prepared a cup of hot chocolate for him. A few minutes later he returned and collapsed in Iduna's favorite chair; her scent still on the blanket draped over it giving the illusion she was still there. A moment later Yuki joined him with beverage in hand. He sighed and began to tell her everything that happened. Initially she was at a loss for words and just sat there, unable to decide on what to say while Dorian was trying hard to focus his thoughts enough to get some peace in his mind. “So that,” she started. “Yes,” he interjected, knowing her question before she was able to verbalize it. “You did not let me finish. I suspect these aliens that have been after you are probably looking for revenge. What I don't get is why they just let you go when they had you in the house. Why bother to put that thing on your head in the first place?” “I can only speculate, as I'm in the dark as much as you, but I think they may not have known for sure who they were looking for. I seem to recall one of them saying something to that effect. I'm guessing it's because unless someone's Shi is active, they can't tell. At least that's my working theory,” he said, cupping the drink between his hands and staring at the wall, lost in thought. “If my birth mother had something to do with their imprisonment, maybe they're wanting to use me to gain their freedom? Or revenge? I don't know. Maybe I'm not even who they're after. All I know is that I need to take care of my mother's funeral before anything else. We'll head back to Starefossen in the morning. I'll have to make a lot of calls and let everyone know what happened. Let's try to get some sleep. It's been a long, horrible day.” They said their goodnights and he headed to bed, unsure how sleeping was going to play out. This was his first night with an awakened spirit and he was afraid he would end up doing something terrible in his sleep, or that the fallen Angels would be coming for him. Sitting on the bed he focused his thoughts in a meditative state and pulled his spirit in. Concentrating on Yelnisha's words he practiced blocking his thoughts. “I should have asked her about sleeping; now I don't know what to do,” he groused, unsure if he should stay up all night or not. The meditation was taking its toll and he was feeling more relaxed. Sleep came without him realizing it. That night his dreams were more real than any others he had experienced before; it was as if he had been transported to another plane of reality again. All of his senses were intact and he was fully aware of his surroundings. He was in his spirit form and standing atop a grassy hill, overlooking a large body of water, much like the ocean on Earth, with the exception of the violet-colored water and silver-colored grass. Bending down to run his hands across it, he heard a familiar voice. “No, you're not imagining it. The grass really is silver.” Quickly turning he observed a man who was also in spirit form, roughly fifteen feet in height with sandy white hair that stretched down to his upper chest, clothed in a loose fitting shirt and baggy pants. His face looked familiar to Dorian, yet he could not identify this stranger who was standing before him.

  “Well, I can see where you get your good looks from; definitely your mother and not from me that's for sure,” the stranger said telepathically as he stretched his hand towards him. “Urieth,” Dorian thought as they met their hands together. Urieth extended an expression of good will towards Dorian, who was feeling whipsawed by all the sensory, emotional, and traumatic events that had recently transpired. Meeting his father for the first time was not something he had prepared himself for and this particular moment was not a good one. They studied each other for a few moments before Urieth broke the silence as he turned towards the sunset on the cliff on which they stood. “I was made aware of Iduna's passing. My sincere condolences, Dorian. She was a good mother to you; Esme'el chose well. If it were up to me I would have raised you myself, but we wanted you to try and have a normal life. Your mother did not know she would give birth to a male, and seeing that she already had broken her command by having a child with me instead of with an ordinary human, we felt it best to have you live with Jorn and Iduna. No one except Matthias knows who your birth mother is and I kept it a secret for a reason. She has quite a few enemies because of what she did and who she is.

  “You have some questions, I'm sure, but before we get to anything else I want you to know that I've watched over you over the years and I'm very proud of what you've become. Sin has a way of corrupting those who are like us more than it does ordinary humans; it's remarkable that you've turned out so well. It gives me hope for the rest of us.”

  Dorian looked over at Urieth, who was gazing at the sunset. “Do I have any siblings?” “None that are alive. I had a son and a daughter from another that were both killed by a flood many years ago. Since then I have remained unattached. To my knowledge, you were the only one that your mother birthed. She sought me out almost fifty years ago, although I had known her ages before that.

  “From time to time she would visit me over the centuries; perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps it was love. They are very unusual beings, the Angel
s. Matthias explained everything to you, I presume?” “As much as I could handle at the time. He mentioned that Esme was one of the Archangels who fought against the fallen. He also mentioned a coming war,” Dorian replied. “Yes, that is correct, on both accounts. I still cannot fathom why she chose me or why she wanted a child. It went against her station.” “She didn't tell you why she wanted to have a child with you? That's kind of odd, don't you think?” Dorian asked. “It wasn't like that between us. Esme'el just didn't ask lightly, she was very persuasive. I wasn't even there when she gave birth to you, but I did get to see you shortly afterwards, just before she sent you off. I don't believe she was prepared for the reaction her superiors had, but who knows, she may have foreseen everything. Her conception was not like you are accustomed with humans; we merged our spirit essence, not just our genetic code. She had to take a flesh form for the birthing, and the result was an entirely new being altogether,” he said, as he created flying swine with a motion of his hand in this imaginary world of his. Dorian looked over and chuckled inside at the irony of the moment. He would have believed this encounter a month ago when pigs fly; now, it seemed, they were. “Does any of this have to do with what is happening to the planet? There's more natural disasters now than ever before; people are going crazy, killing each other for no apparent reason. We've had asteroids fall, animals and fish dying everywhere, famines, plagues, wars and endless violence. It's like the Earth is going through death throes,” Dorian said. “All that is taking place points to the coming war. The biggest of all; the end of the humans and beginning of a new world. The fallen and their followers are not going to go out quietly, that much is well known. The enemy is trying to free those that were imprisoned in the Earth. There are others bound elsewhere also. As I understand it, they are looking for your blood in order to help break the spell that holds the barrier in place. They found out about your mother's confinement and know she had a child. That's why they're looking for you, Dorian; your mother, along with six others, bound the lock with their spirit essence, the same essence that makes up who you are. They cannot get to her, as only a few actually know where she has been exiled.” he said grimly. “Well, I wouldn't exactly say no one knows about it, because there was someone who was in Hawaii that knew about my blood. At least I presume so, since he grabbed the sample I was handing over and destroyed it,” Dorian said. “That was my doing. Also at Primase, where you worked before the University. As I said, I've been watching over you all these years.” “How did you manage to watch me there? I've never seen you before Hawaii,” Dorian asked with some skepticism. “I was able to observe in spirit form. Once I saw what you were doing, I had to keep a close eye on the others around you. Some spells can be worked to fool security cameras and open doors.” “So this Hermoni Company- who is behind it and who is Theodore Dantanian? As I understand it, Hermoni was one of the fallen, correct? I find it hard to imagine he's running a multi-billion dollar organization while being imprisoned at the same time,” Dorian said. “Theodore Dantanian's name has changed throughout the centuries. He is a Nephilim and his father is Hermoni- one of the fallen. Dantanian has spent years trying to find a way to locate and free his father. The company was formed as a front in a discreet attempt to discover the location where the fallen are interned. Unfortunately, we don't know much else of what he knows and who he is working with. That woman who was in Hawaii is one of the fallen. Her name is Onoskelis; she was not one of the retinue that came to Earth to have children with humans. She, along with several others like her, are searching for Asa'el, the leader of the two hundred, who was bound and placed in the desert of Dudael. Asa'el was imprisoned alone, whereas the others were placed together in separate locations. To my knowledge, they are being held in thirteen prisons in total.

  “If the prophecy is correct, he will be freed. There can be no doubt he will unleash hell on Earth.” “Did you say Dudael? Where exactly is that?” Dorian asked. “In truth, I do not know the exact location myself. Your mother did not tell me and I would not want to know. Some say it is below the great pyramids in Egypt; others say it is in the Nubian Desert at Nabta Playa. I suspect it is a place where the air is foul and there are no signs of life. Wherever he is entombed, it will not be his final resting place. As for the others, I am unaware of their whereabouts as well,” he said bleakly. “It sounds like there's nothing we can do about it except prepare ourselves,” Dorian replied. “That's exactly what you need to do, my son- prepare yourself. Yelnisha is somewhat experienced and can teach you how to hone your spirit energy. You will need to part ways with the woman who is traveling with you. She will not be of any use from this point forward and will only serve to become a liability.” Dorian looked despondent. He knew Urieth was right, but could not bring himself to part from Yuki. Not after all they had been through. “It's for the best. If you have any love for her, you know it is the right thing to do. In this matter I can speak with assurance; I've lost far too many loved ones over the millennia to lead you in the wrong direction.” Dorian's life was spiraling out of control. What had begun as an escape to check up on his mother had lead to her death and a situation that was becoming a life-changing event. There was no doubt he had to take a leave of absence from the university and try to get a handle on things, but he knew in his heart that leaving the university meant he was leaving everything and there would be no going back. A few scant weeks prior none of this would have seemed possible- and yet here he was, facing otherworldly beings in an end of the world scenario. A part of him wanted to walk away and get back to his normal life, but something stirred inside him: a feeling of duty, responsibility; a sense of destiny that overpowered his personal desire for normalcy. This was the greatest cause he could undertake. Billions of humans in the world were all consumed with their individual lives, but this was about everything- his whole purpose and theirs. If this was his greater calling in life, then he would face it head on, with courage and determination. The world was rapidly changing, why should his life be any different? Urieth smiled at him. “I will join you and Yelnisha in Italy so we can begin your training. Finish up in Norway as quickly as you can. There is still much you have to learn. If you find yourself either out of control or under attack, simply speak my name and motion two fingers as I am doing and you will find me,” he said, demonstrating the maneuver. “You will need to use your spirit energy to accomplish this, so hopefully I won't be needed prior to Italy. It has truly been a blessing to finally meet you and for us to talk my son. I look forward to our next encounter. Take courage,” he said as he extended a hand to Dorian. They looked at each other a moment and their surroundings began to dissipate. Dorian was slowly fading into a dreamlike state, falling fast asleep.

  Eleven

  The next day he awoke with a fog in his head, feeling as if he could sleep for another week. That, along with the monumental weight of the tasks that lay ahead, made his body scream in protest at the notion of getting up. Forcing himself upright, he rubbed his eyes when it dawned upon him that he had forgotten to tell Urieth about the strange object he possessed in addition to the cryptic message that Mahin had given him. It would have to wait. From behind the bedroom door he could hear the sound of dishes and pots clanging, along with the sound and aroma that accompany frying coming from the kitchen. Moving his mind to Yuki's thoughts, he saw that she was desperate to try and make this day go well for him. It was Christmas Eve and he needed to make some calls to his relatives on short notice. Her surface thoughts revealed nothing else to him, so he got dressed and made his way out into the kitchen where Yuki had breakfast waiting on the table. “Please, sit,” she said, motioning with her hand. She had a worried smile on her face. The breakfast was a nice gesture that served as a brief respite to take his mind off of his mother's passing. “I looked up some of the Norwegian recipes and hopefully this does not taste too bad,” she said, preparing him for potential disaster. “Yuki, this could taste like dirt and I would be thankful. But it smells wonderful and looks every bit as
Norwegian as my mother made it,” he said, peeking at her thoughts. He remembered when Yelnisha looked into his mind and decided it was best not to pry; Yuki's mind was her own private sanctuary. “I also looked up several funeral homes in Bergen and spoke with them. I wrote down the details. You can call when we're finished.” They gave thanks for their meal and proceeded with the cleanup. Dorian began by placing phone calls to the funeral home that had held his father's service, to Iduna's church, and to all the relatives and friends of his mother and father. The service was going to be held in the evening as he did not want his relatives to have their Christmas day celebration, what little there would be given all that had happened, on the same day as a funeral. The church was very accommodating, given the short nature and timing of Iduna's passing; however, there were many other casualties as a result of the earthquake and their time was limited. White flowers and lilies adorned her casket and surrounded the asiles. She would be laid to rest next to her husband and their family in a centuries old cemetery that was not far from where they had first met. A picture of Iduna and Jorn together was brought in by her close friend Berjit, who, along with several of her other close friends, mourned her loss. After many hugs and stories shared amongst Dorian and his relatives, they said their goodbyes. All the while Yuki stood by his side as a pillar of support. After everyone had left he had a moment alone with his mother. Saying a final farewell, he simply hoped she had achieved her purpose in the life she lived. When they reached the house in Starefossen, there were multiple cards, candles and gift packages left by her students and friends in the community, a gesture that helped raise his spirit a little.