by Jamie Loeak
“It’ll be okay, honey. Rico and I are going to take care of you,” Adriana said comfortingly.
“I’m afraid,” Kate said honestly. “I don’t know why I’m seeing these images. I’m afraid that it’s what I want. What I secretly want to happen.”
“We know that it’s not, Kate. We know you would never want that,” Adriana said.
Kate shook her head, tears and snot leaking from her face at this point. She was attempting to pull herself together but it wasn’t working. She was not just crying out of fear; tears spilled out of frustration at her weakness as well. Kate grew increasingly embarrassed and angry at her faults, momentarily forgetting the real reason behind her tears. Rico grabbed a handkerchief out of one of Adriana’s drawers and used it to wipe her face. Kate looked into his eyes and felt them pull her back into Adriana’s room.
“What is it, Kate?” he asked. “I promise that you can tell us. I promise that you will always look the same in our eyes.”
Kate shook her head again.
“Kate,” Adriana said, “Rico and I have tried to kill. Rico has killed. You could never do anything worse than we have done, I promise that. Please tell us. We can help you overcome this. We can go through this together. You don’t need to hold the weight of this on your shoulders anymore. Rico and I are here to free you from this burden. We are here to share it with you.”
Kate looked into Adriana’s eyes and decided to tell them the truth; she had no choice if she wanted this terror to end. Kate drew in a deep and shaky breath before speaking.
“When I traveled to the alternate dimension, I saw the same burning world when I was there. I know that it contained my deepest desires, so don’t try to convince me otherwise,” she added evenly, sensing the truth in her words.
Adriana and Rico looked at one another and nodded.
“I think it’s time that we tell you something, honey. It’s time that you hear the truth,” Adriana said.
Chapter 24
“Adriana and I believe that you were born to have visions,” Rico stated. “We think you were born to determine the fate of the world, Kate. Adriana and I guessed this about you the day that I saw the image in the sand; we didn’t know for sure, though, until now.
You see, demons like Erik and Kern haven’t been able to take over the world because a catalyst has never come along. You, Kate, are a catalyst. You are what keeps the human race safe from demons. There has always been a catalyst on Earth. Once one dies, another is born. You are the single pure soul out there in the world.
Kern has never been able to find a catalyst until now. I don’t know how he found you, but he did Kate. That’s why he’s sent Erik. He probably wants to keep you safe until he’s ready to claim your soul as his own. If Kern claims your soul, the purest soul in the universe, he will tip the scales in Darkness’ favor.
Remember when I told you that Light cheated Darkness by ensuring that demons die if they are unsuccessful in their possession?”
Kate nodded once.
“The catalyst was Darkness’ way of keeping things even.”
“Kate,” Adriana said, “How are you feeling about this knowledge?”
Kate sat there, stoic. She couldn’t focus on anything. Her thoughts whirled around her mind, giving her a headache. She sat there, growing increasingly dizzy until her vision blurred. In another moment she was sprawled across the bed; Kate had blacked out.
Kate woke up on the kitchen table. Donovan, Adriana, and Rico were sitting around her. Rico was running his fingers up the inside of Kate’s arm, tickling her gently with his touch. Adriana and Donovan were whispering in an attempt to figure out what to do next.
When they all noticed that Kate had woken up, they sat quietly, waiting for her to sit up. Kate’s head still hurt but she wasn’t reeling from the knowledge anymore. She sat there, figuring everything out, trying to match the puzzle pieces.
“Are you all right?” Adriana asked finally. Her brow was furrowed, her lips set in a frown.
“I’m processing,” Kate said weakly.
“Take your time,” Rico whispered to Kate. “We can wait for you.”
Kate thought about this new information and mixed it with the things she already knew about herself. She knew that the image of the world on fire was real, was something that could happen sometime. She also felt as if she wanted it to happen. If Darkness created the catalyst – created Kate - she could see how she would feel these emotions; Rico had stated previously that demons were evil in nature, so Darkness would, essentially, equate to evil as well.
Kate moved her thoughts, focusing on how she felt about being a catalyst. Was she supposed to start the fire? Was Kate supposed to do Darkness’ bidding? Was that her purpose in life? She knew that if Darkness created her, that she was meant to stand next to him, to be on his side. But Kate didn’t want to be on his side. She needed to figure out how to relinquish the hold that Darkness had on her soul; Kate needed to figure out how to be free of the Darkness within her soul.
The first question that popped out of Kate’s mouth when she was ready was: “Why me?”
“We don’t know, Kate. We just know your purpose,” Donovan said.
“And my purpose is to determine the fate of the world?”
“Your purpose is to keep the balance. The scales are very sensitive, Kate. We need your soul to stay on this side,” Donovan said, clearly taking over the conversation.
“What do I need to do?” she asked.
“Kern is going to attempt to possess you at some point. We need to make sure that he isn’t successful. Have you located your talisman yet, Kate?”
Kate looked down, ashamed. She had been so caught up in Rico that she had forgotten about the talisman.
“No,” she said at last. “I sort of forgot about it. I know that it’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth. I’m sorry. You gave me one task to complete, and I couldn’t do it.”
“It’s fine, Kate. I think you still have time,” he said reassuringly.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“No, but it’s all we’ve got, right?”
“Yes, I guess you’re right.”
Donovan nodded.
“So at some point I have to, sort of, allow Kern to possess me? I have to sacrifice myself?”
“No,” Rico said. “You won’t sacrifice yourself, Kate. I promise that we will save you. Your soul is the strongest there is. You’ll be able to fight.”
“Only if she has her talisman, Rico,” Donovan interjected. “You need to find it, Kate. I’m serious.”
“I know,” Kate said, feeling worse than ever.
“Kate,” Donovan said. “I want to make sure that you understand the severity of the situation. If Kern succeeds in taking your soul, in possessing your body, the world will be destroyed. The visions aren’t telling you what you want, even though it may seem that way. They are telling the truth. Your soul is the only thing protecting the fate of the world as we know it. Your soul is the only one that matters; it is, essentially, Light himself.”
“You mean to tell me that I am the reincarnation of Light? I thought that I was created by Darkness.” Kate claimed.
“No,” Donovan said. “You are Light’s daughter.”
“Donovan,” Adriana said warily, “Don’t you think you’re putting too much pressure on Kate? You’re clearly frightening her,” she said, looking at the expression on Kate’s face.
“No, Adriana. I’m doing what’s best for her, what’s best for the world. If anything, you and Rico are babying her. She’s sixteen, Adriana; she needs to know what’s at stake.”
“He’s right,” Kate said in agreement. “It might scare me now, but at least I know what’s going on when things start going. I want to be as strong as you are. I want to be ready to fight Kern and Erik.”
“We can prepare you for that,” Donovan said.
“No!” Rico interjected, standing up quickly. “We are not going to attempt to possess Kate!” he shouted, p
ounding his fist on the table.
“She says she wants to be ready to face Kern, Rico!” Donovan shouted back.
“She is prepared! She’s strong enough on her own, Donovan!”
“No she’s not. She has no talisman, and little luck of finding one before Kern strikes. This is the only chance she’s got.”
“I don’t care,” Rico said. “Neither of us is trying to possess her. You’re too knowledgeable. I’m too skilled. What if one of us succeeds? What happens when one of us tips the scales?”
“It would be better than Kern tipping the scales!”
Rico punched Donovan in the jaw. Donovan went down and Adriana stared at Rico, angry tears burning in her eyes. She crouched down, leaning over Donovan.
“You’re letting your love affect you,” she said simply. “Donovan is trying to protect Kate. Your heart is weakening your judgment, and you are weakening Kate.” Kate watched tears fall onto Donovan’s chest as Adriana tried to bring him back to her.
Rico moved toward Kate, but Kate pulled away. She was angry at him. After all of this time, after everything that they had been through, he still thought that she was too weak to face Donovan, who had never even tried to possess a human. What made it worse was that Rico had hit Donovan to make sure that he didn’t try, even for the sake of further preparing themselves for the ensuing battle. Kate was the type of person to speak for herself, and she wondered if Rico would always be this controlling with Kate’s life, with her soul.
“Kate,” he said. “Come on.”
“No,” she said angrily. “Donovan and Adriana are right. I need to learn how to fight Kern. If I don’t find a talisman, I’m useless. I don’t want to see the world catch fire like it did in my dreams, Rico. You can go, but I’m staying here. I’m going to learn to fight, whether you’re here beside me or not.”
Rico flinched at her words but stayed where he was. He sat back down in his chair and moped. Kate felt bad for her harsh words but knew that she needed to make her own decisions. She wouldn’t let Rico’s feelings for her come before the safety of the world; she wouldn’t make that mistake like she had before, when she let her feelings get in the way of telling Rico and Adriana the truth. They could have known this already; they could have been prepared for this long ago.
Donovan was getting up now. He wiped his hand across his jaw and stared at Rico. He stood up, with the help of Adriana, and turned to leave.
“Wait, Donovan. Please don’t leave,” Kate pleaded. “I want to practice.”
Donovan paused and turned to face Kate. “What about Rico?”
“He has nothing to do with this, Donovan. He can’t make this decision for me.” Kate knew that this hurt Rico, that this was the worst thing that she could say about him, but she had to say it. She knew that it was the only way to get Rico to leave her alone about this.
“Okay,” Donovan said calmly. “Let’s get started.”
Chapter 25
Kate found herself sitting in one of the pastel chairs that belonged underneath the kitchen table. She was sitting in the open space between the living and dining rooms. Donovan and Adriana stood off to the side, discussing how they would start from this point. Rico sat at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. Kate could tell that he was miserable, but she couldn’t save him from himself.
Adriana and Donovan separated, and Adriana went to sit next to Rico. Kate heard her murmuring to Rico; her hand was on his back, comforting him. She was probably trying to convince Rico that everything would be alright, that Kate would be okay.
Donovan stepped up to Kate, and she grew suddenly nervous. She didn’t really know what to expect, because the last time someone tried to possess Kate she was traipsing through an alternate reality, oblivious of what was truly happening to her body and soul.
“When a demon attempts to possess a human, Kate, he needs to have the human’s full attention. He will often make sure that he is the only thing that the human sees. When Kern tries to possess you, you will probably be in a room alone. He won’t allow anyone to be near you.
The first step of any possession is the Rite of Control. The demon must say this rite, asking the human for permission to take the soul. Usually, the permission isn’t granted, it is forced. The first line is as follows: ‘I beg of you, my soul, to grant thy one request’. The demon is literally asking the human soul to grant him entrance into the body.
Are you following me thus far?” Donovan asked.
“Yes,” Kate said. “I understand perfectly.”
“Okay,” he said before continuing.
“The second line, ‘Let thee share thou pleasure’, is sort of reiterating the first. It tells the human that the demon wants to share the pleasures of a human soul, to share human emotions and feelings with the human host.
The third line is, once again, asking for permission. This one says: ‘Allow these wishes met’. It gives the illusion that the human has the right or power to refuse the demon. However, this is not the case because of the demon’s strength.
The fourth line is where it gets tricky. The fourth line is: ‘Thou warmth concedes – blend fire and ice’. As Rico has probably explained to you by now, demons are frozen creatures. Your human soul lends you warmth, thus the use of the word in the line. It is essentially saying that if your soul allows the demon entrance, you will blend. The human is the fire, the demon the ice. When you blend, you become one, sharing the same soul. Most demons, though, will not actually share the soul with the human host. The demon will take complete control once the human is weak enough. When the human is weakened enough, the demon controls everything the human does; the human lives within the demon, witnessing everything that happens, but doesn’t have the capability or power to stop the demon. If the demon makes it to this point, the human has no chance. He or she will eventually die, becoming weaker as the demon gets stronger. When the human dies, the demon resorts back to his physical form and discards the body.”
“Wait,” Kate interrupted, “Can a demon choose to leave the human host? If you are successful in possessing me, can you leave?”
“Not unless the demon is willing to sacrifice his life. If a demon possesses a human, but relinquishes control, he is essentially allowing the human to expel his body. Don’t forget that when a human is strong enough to expel a demon, that demon will die. We must keep the soul of the human that we possess until the human body dies and the soul returns to Light. Some humans are strong and can live for years, but others can only live for days or months. But to fully answer your question, I would say no. Even I would not be strong enough to choose death over possession of a human soul, Kate.”
“Okay,” she said, growing increasingly nervous.
“The fifth, and final line, is as follows: ‘then give to thee, eternal life’. When the demon takes over the soul, he does, at least momentarily, have eternal life. It’s metaphorical, really. All demons want, in all honesty, is a chance to an eternal life. We do have one right now, with our immortal bodies, but as I told you in the hospital, we are afraid of death. There is nothing there for us when we die. When demons share human souls, they not only feel and love as humans do; they get a glimpse of what comes after life for those with immortal souls. Do you understand all of this?”
“Yes,” Kate said.
“Once I say the incantation, you must attempt to fight. You can do this physically and mentally, Kate. You can push my hands away from you; you can kick and bite and punch me. Demons can feel physical pain as you have seen, so don’t be afraid to come at me as hard as you can. I am much stronger than you are, so make sure that you aren’t obvious.”
“I understand,” Kate said. “What else do I need to know?”
“You need to know how to fight mentally. When I attempt to enter your mind, you need to throw walls up. You can use your imagination, Kate. Picture barriers in your mind, create obstacles, do anything your heart desires. Just know that I literally have to crawl through your mind in order to reach your soul, o
kay?”
“Okay. Where exactly is my soul, Donovan?”
“Have you ever heard of the phrase, ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’?”
“Yes, I have,” Kate said.
“It’s the truth. Your soul lies behind your eyes. That’s why human eyes are so expressive.”
“Your eyes, and Adriana’s and Rico’s are expressive too.”
“They are, but it’s to make us appear human. We don’t feel the feelings as intensely as you do, though.”
“Oh,” Kate said. “I understand.”
“Are you ready now, Kate?”
“I just have one more question about the incantation.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Why must you place your thumbs on my temples?”
“It is the easiest way to enter your body. It is the thinnest part of your cranium, so it is where we enter. Is that all now?”
Kate nodded.
“Are you entirely certain that you’re ready?” he asked once more.
“Yes,” Kate said. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Okay. Let’s go,” Donovan whispered, more to comfort himself. He took a deep breath, and released it slowly. Kate thought that he almost seemed nervous.
Donovan began to recite the Rite of Control:
“I beg of you, my soul, to grant thy one request.
Let thee share thou pleasure.
Allow thee wishes met.
Thou warmth concedes – blend fire and ice.