by J. D. Netto
“Why would you keep me in the dark like that, Xavier?” Erebos questioned him. A feeling of disappointment flowed with every word he uttered. “Can we not find loyalty in each other anymore?”
“Brother, after the fall I believe you have already realized that loyalty only existed during our days with the Creator. After those days, we have seen so much darkness, it is impossible to believe in loyalty, even amongst ourselves.” Xavier walked to Cahir, who now stood next to the Lessers and the blood-drinkers. “Once I saw that the Lessers and the blood-drinkers were battling, I had to intervene. I could not risk losing them.”
“You were not going to lose them. We had it—”
“Under control?” Xavier cut me off, letting out a sarcastic laugh. “If the Dark One wanted you to know about this place, he would have told you, Nephilin.” He grunted. “I swear, of all the mistakes the Fallen Stars have made, sleeping with women was the worst of them all.”
Out of anger I used my abilities to inflict pain inside of his head. With a single nonchalant movement of his right hand, he easily dodged my attack as if he could also see it coming. “I can see the red flashes that come out of you, Nephele. Do not be foolish enough to try to attack me with your cheap tricks. Your rage is your greatest weaknesses. You should learn how to control it.”
Cahir slithered closer to Xavier’s feet. “Master, I ache. Please renew my strength.” Drool poured from his mouth.
“I am fond of the name they have given you,” Xavier said as he kneeled down; Cahir’s eyes shot up toward him. “And I will gladly give you your strength back.” He held up two of his fingers and placed them onto Cahir’s throat. At his touch, Cahir’s skin opened, creating a perfectly round wound; blood flowed like a running river. He choked on his own blood, writhing on the ground in desperation.
“Bartholomew and Nylora, please come and drink.” They both walked toward the puddle of blood without hesitation. Their pace was slow and they stumbled as they walked.
They both knelt down and drank the blood that steadily poured out of Cahir’s neck.
“Cahir has served his purpose. It is time for him to meet his fate,” Xavier said as he approached Erebos and me.
I contemplated upon what I could do to escape, but in the midst of such great power, my abilities and tactics seemed inadequate.
“Do you know anything about the Book of Letters?” Xavier asked me with a grin.
“We know that the Book of Letters is not in Elysium, neither is the Book here in the Heart,” Erebos implied.
“Little brother, I am completely aware that the Book is not here.” He moved toward the Lessers, who were all standing as still as statues under his influence. “But I have been informed by our source inside of Tristar that they do not have the Book of Letters either. One of the book-bearers has possession of it. Only, the bearer of the book isn’t aware of the power of the book he carries around.”
A chill shot down my spine. The thought that the book-bearers had such a weapon in hand was frightening. An unexpected thought struck me.
“I remember when we arrived at the Prison, I saw three lines surrounded by a circle appear on the wall used to open the Prison, but the image rapidly faded,” I stated. “No one knew what the image was. Never had I seen such sighting.”
Xavier shot a worried look at Erebos and me.
“Afterward, when we headed back to Aloisio, in the middle of the battle, I found Devin, Ely and the book-bearers trying to escape,” I added.
“The book is with the book-bearers. Let’s hope they have not yet discovered the truth about the Book of Letters,” Xavier mumbled.
“Do you know the truth about such mysterious object?” Erebos asked.
“Yes, I do,” Xavier answered in an assertive tone. “Not only of the Book of Letters but the truth of all other books as well. Lucifer wrote all five books while he still lived in Tristar. The writings on each book are unknown and will only be unveiled once the books are opened and read by the book-bearers. He never revealed the things he had written on these books. Before Lucifer declared war against Tristar, he gathered the Stars and explained the purpose of each book.”
Xavier sighed.
“All five books are crucial in order to give Lucifer a body when he awakens. The Diary represents Lucifer’s heart, the Book of the Light Bearer holds Lucifer’s mind; the Book of the Destroyer, being the third book, represents Lucifer’s arms. The fourth book, the Book of the Enlightened, represents Lucifer’s legs, and lastly, the fifth book, the Book of the Justifier, represents Lucifer’s chest.”
“So…when they are all read, Lucifer will have a full body…” Erebos sounded surprised, his mind trying to understand this new information.
“That is why all the book-bearers need to read the writings on the books…” My voice trailed off as I spoke.
“We plan on using the Dark Exchange on the book-bearers. The same curse used to give the Lessers a mind of their own. We will try to penetrate their minds, forcing them to open and read the books,” Erebos asserted.
“That sounds like a good plan, but we need more than just a curse to do this. This is why I brought you to me!” Xavier smiled, his eyes meeting mine. “Nephele, you are not afraid of taking risks and pursuing the unachievable to obtain what your heart desires.” He placed his right hand on Erebos’ shoulder. “Whereas you, little brother, you are strong and you willingly follow Nephele’s desires. A living proof of this is how you risked so much by coming here.”
“How do we know which book-bearer holds the Book of Letters?” I asked.
“You claimed that you caught sight of three lines inside a circle on the wall back in Justicia, correct?”
I nodded.
“Each book is marked by a symbol. The Diary is a circle with one line, the Book of the Light Bearer has a circle with two lines…”
“The third book is the Book of Letters…” Erebos affirmed in a thoughtful tone.
Xavier gave me an evil grin. “What better way to retrieve not only the Book of Letters and all other books than to send out Capios,” he said, shooting a thoughtful gaze at Erebos.
Erebos closed his eyes and in an instant, loud growls and howls resounded. On the ashy ground, I caught sight of the Capios’ footprints. They seemed to be rambling around.
“Good. We send the Capios throughout Elysium to snatch the book-bearers,” I said with a smile.
“Capios,” Xavier shouted. “Leave this place and find me the book-bearers. Bring them to me alive and unspoiled. They hold something that is dear to us and we need it back.”
The growls faded; the putrid smell vanished.
“What about them?” I nodded my head toward the Lessers and the blood-drinkers. “What are you going to do with them?” I asked Xavier.
“They are under my command now, Nephele,” Xavier said boldly as he walked toward the blood-drinkers and Lessers.
An unexpected laugh resounded. “Your command, Xavier?” Bartholomew retorted snidely. My eyes darted in his direction.
“I was wondering how long we had to keep on pretending to be under his influence,” Nylora said as she stretched her arms upward. “My body was growing numb.” She gave Bartholomew a smile.
Xavier angrily looked at the blood-drinkers. The Lessers remained motionless, their breathing shallow.
“How dare you try to fool me?” Xavier questioned the blood-drinkers with a loud voice.
“The moment you tried to force us to fight for you, I realized there was no other choice,” Bartholomew said with a smirk. The blood-drinkers closed in on us, walking in perfect synchronism.
“This kind of action is typical of your kind…the Fallen Stars have always believed that they had the right to order us around. Well, things have changed, Xavier. I hope you and your friends have enjoyed your stay here in the Heart of Elysium, because this is where you will sleep for the rest of your days.”
Before the last words drifted out of Bartholomew’s mouth, the blood-drinkers’ eyes turned
white and a red mist enveloped us.
Torturous pain raced through my body. I contained my urge to scream. A throbbing ringing sound echoed in my head. I tried to release my attack, but my body did not respond.
“You scum…you…” My mouth stopped responding to my command before I was able to finish speaking.
As my vision dimmed, I caught sight of Erebos and Xavier writhing in pain.
My body thudded to the ground as I lost control of my arms and legs. With every breath I took, ashes traveled their way inside of my nostrils.
My eyelids closed on me as I took in one last breath.
As I succumbed to the darkness that took me, a vivid image of Isaac filled my mind.
In his hand, he held a silver sword. The sword’s blade was long and thin, its grip as black as the night.
I struggled to stand to my feet, realizing that some unseen force was pinning me to the ground. I desperately tried to move my hands with the hope that I would break free from whatever had ahold of me, but my attempt was folly.
Isaac strolled in my direction; his wings expanded, revealing their pearly white color. At every step, the sword Isaac held in hand shone with a vivid light. There was nothing around us but pure darkness.
My body was still unresponsive to my commands. I was frozen before my enemy like a lamb out to slaughter.
Rage and fear tried to find their way inside of me, attempting to take me over, but I refused to surrender to these feelings.
Isaac got on his knees next to me and I feebly clenched my fists in an attempt to punch him, but my arms didn’t move.
My eyes looked up into his cold gaze.
Brusquely, the blade of his sword pierced the back of my left hand. I tried to scream, but there was no sound coming out of me. My body trembled as the pain coursed its way from my hand to my arm.
The only weapon that had the ability to kill a Nephilin was a sword or a spear. This pain was different from any other I had ever experienced. I felt a sharp pain spreading inside of me, rushing through my veins.
The feeling I was enduring was excruciating. My organs felt as though they were being burned from the inside out. Sweat streamed down my face.
Isaac placed his right foot on my head, crushing my face to the ground. I took in heavy breaths; my eyes couldn’t see anything but the darkness.
The coldness of the blade invaded my chest, followed by an unbearable pain. I groaned, holding back my screams. In a matter of seconds, my entire body was numb.
My teeth clenched as my heart accelerated in my chest, but the beating progressively slowed its pace and became nothing but a soft murmur.
I felt the pressure from Isaac’s foot leave my head. Moments later, I felt him breathing on my neck.
“You see…even with all of your dark powers, Nephele, in the end, you will never win,” Isaac whispered in my ear.
All faded as I surrendered to the weakness that had taken me.
“I knew the darkness was strong and
the time I had spent in the shadows showed me
that power is a mere force ruled and yielded by wisdom.”
Isaac Khan
Acknowledgments
God, I would have never been able to write this without you. Thank you!
It would be extremely selfish of me not to mention the people that helped me on the birth of my first novel.
I can’t imagine how someone could get through all this process without a family. Mom, Deborah, Dad, and Carlos, you guys are amazing. Thank you for supporting me and all my crazy ideas.
My friends, how I could have gotten this far without your words of encouragement and your willingness to help me “see the bigger picture” is beyond me. Thank you for believing in me all these years.
A huge thank you to Valentina Gaines for all the suggestions and corrections. Your efforts have not been in vain. Thank you for being so in tune with the story.
My dear friend and author, Janet DeAngelo. Thank you for loving these characters as much as I do. Your restless dedication to this story has inspired me in so many levels. I love you.
Pastor Sandra Santos and all my mentors and pastors, a huge thank you. Your words of wisdom, encouragement, and your dedication have inspired me beyond words.
Thank you to my “first readers,” Ronaldo Alves, Fernanda Alves, Luiza Aquino, Iggy Villaverde, Mariana Debossan, Mariana Novaes, Lorrayne Romeiro, Junior Almeida, Jorge Trindade, Yuri Pradines, Daniel Junior, Sydney Giers, Rosalie Galante, Josiane Costa, Peter Batarseh, Daniel Batarseh, Flavia Duddey, Hannah Lemes, Josh Cabral, and Rafaela Melo. Your input and encouraging words have made all the difference.
This story would never be what it is if it wasn’t for all the amazing music that inspired me along the way!
Howard Shore, John Williams, Muse, Linkin Park, Evanescence, James Newton Howard, Alexandre Desplat, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Fever Ray, Florence and The Machine, Red, Atticus Ross, Harry Gregson-Williams, Nicholas Hooper, Two Steps from Hell, Within Temptation.
You have all helped me overcome writer’s block.
A huge thank you to all the readers. Thank you for believing Isaac and all the other characters are worthy of your time, attention, and love.
Thank you for embarking on this journey.
About the Author
J.D.Netto (Jorge de Oliveira Netto) is Brazilian-born. Raised in Framingham, MA, J.D.Netto always had an eye for epic fantasy and storytelling. At an early age, J.D.Netto had the habit of locking himself in his room, turning on any soundtrack he could find, and there he wrote for hours. During his senior year in high school, J.D.Netto had an idea that changed his life: “What if Lucifer had a diary? What if the diary was a secret? What if the secret was a reality?” These simple questions led J.D.Netto to write for six consecutive years, creating the world of Elysium. Apart from writing, J.D.Netto is a graphic designer, musician. and illustrator.
http://www.thewhispersofthefallen.com