by Luke Valen
“This is crazy,” I said, pulling out my book and handing it over. “I can’t believe that I actually believe you.”
“Dude, what if you are like some god? How freaking cool would that be?” Bryon said before slurping down some hot coffee.
This guy could not avoid food when it was in front of him.
A new feeling had overtaken me, the feeling of excitement and hope. What if this really was the truth? Maybe I could finally find out who I am and what I was put here to do. I just never would have imagined that it would have been anything like this. What about Abigail—what would she think to find out that I was a god?
Come to think of it, she has a similar mark.
What does that make her?
“Dean, your book is filled with notes,” Jade muttered softly.
“Yeah, I know. Why are you whispering?” I asked.
“Notes of the end times. Revelations,” she said.
“No,” Bryon said, leaning closer to us to look at the journal.
“So? A lot of books do too. I never could understand what it said. It’s all written in some other language,” I said.
“Most of it is Hebrew and the same language as in the book. I don’t know which one that is, but what I can understand is…bad. It talks about a great deceiver and a woman. There are a lot of biblical references in here, a lot to the Messiah and His second coming.” She looked through the pages.
“So this one is what, Christian? Isn’t the other one written about Egyptian gods though?” I asked.
“Yes, it is,” she said.
“So then what does that mean?”
“I’m not sure. It seems as if the two are from different time periods completely. Yet are telling a very similar story. Are there any other things you have from when you were born? Anything at all that could give us a clue?” She handed back my journal.
“No. Nothing. I…Wait.” I gripped the journal harder, remembering something.
“What is it?” Jade stood up.
“My basket. I came in a basket at the hospital. I think I remember seeing it in the attic of my first foster family’s home. They kept it—maybe that has something?” I looked from Bryon to Jade.
She smiled. “It’s worth a try. Do you remember where they live?”
“Yeah, it’s next to the hospital.” I pocketed my journal.
“All right, then. Let’s go,” Jade said, moving toward the staircase.
“What? Right now?” I asked, still standing at the desk.
“Yes, we have no time to waste. We need you remembering—and remembering quick.” Jade moved to a small shelving unit next to the staircase and pulled down a medium-sized brown leather duffel bag. She began packing it with random items off of the shelves.
“Hey, Jade, can I bring the rest of the bagels? It’s kind of a far walk.”
Byron was already filling his pockets. This guy.
With that we made our way up the stairs and out of the tree and began our journey back into town. The day was young, and the sun was rising over the mountains. The brisk air was calm and quiet. The birds flew overhead, landing in nearby trees as we passed, singing to the sky in their own beautiful language. Nature was alive and well. A brown bear greeted us as it crossed our path, making its way into his forest home, so gentle in nature. Bryon offered it a piece of bagel, tossing it near its feet. A bit foolish if you ask me, though the bear seemed to enjoy it and continued on its way. Nearing town, we could see a flock of deer grazing in the high grass on the side of the dirt path.
Hope was a beautiful thing. It opens the goodness of the world to the eyes of the beholder.
Everything felt…new.
—§—
“All right, it’s just around the corner,” I said as we neared our destination. As I turned the corner, an eerie feeling swept over me. Before I could stop us…
“Hello, Dean,” a figure said just feet away from where we had stopped. He hadn’t even looked up. How did he know who I was? “Good to finally meet you,” he added in a raspy voice, standing there with his ashy gray hair hanging down in front of his face. His red eyes darted up from the ground and locked with mine. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said as he slid off his gray pinstripe coat jacket, hanging it on a nearby fence post. This guy was dressed to the tee in a purple silk button-up and gray tie.
“I think you have the wrong guy,” I said, taking a step forward.
Jade and Bryon stayed frozen in place, not knowing what to do. The town was oddly quiet. No trucks moving about the dirt roads. The small cabins all silent and unwavering. The only thing that could be heard was the broken streetlamp hanging low above the street. Clicking with each flash of the round, yellow light.
“Oh no, I believe I have just the guy I’m looking for. You’ve been talking to my little cousin, Abigail,” he said, rolling up his sleeves to reveal burn marks and strange tattoos all up his pale, white arms.
“Hey, man, we are just friends, okay? I don’t want any trouble,” I said, trying to remain calm.
My wrist began to warm up. I took my stance.
“Well, who says I don’t?” he said, taking a step toward me. My wrist was now glowing red and hot. His eyes, they were like the others I had seen.
“I don’t think you do…” I said, glaring back into his dead eyes. “Bryon, Jade, get behind me.”
This guy couldn’t be related to Abigail. No way.
The two stepped back.
“You seem to know a lot about me. Who are you?” I said, holding my ground.
“Ah, Dean!” He gripped his chest. “That hurts. I would think with the history we’ve shared, you would have at least remembered me.” The veins in his arms began to pulse, and his muscles bulged, tightening his skin. His once-scrawny stature was growing.
This time I wouldn’t wait for something to happen. I lunged as fast as I could, faster than one could blink, throwing a meteor of a punch. It was as fast and as hard as I had ever punched before I was scared it was going to kill the guy. I closed my eyes as my fist connected. The air shook.
Something was off.
I opened my eyes. My fist hadn’t connected at all…He…he had caught it. It was like stopping a speeding bullet, no ricochet, no vibration, just pure stop. I stood there, staring. Dumbfounded.
Bryon and Jade, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, stood in awe.
“Seems the stories were wrong.” He looked up with a smirk, tossing his long gray hair backward, still gripping my fist. He lifted me up off the ground like a whiffle bat, like I weighed nothing.
“What are you?” I asked just before being tossed like a bag of sand through the wooden fence and across the open field behind us.
I went tumbling amid the rocky, ungroomed ground. My face bloody and body bruised and bleeding, I felt as if King Kong had punched me square in the chest and then beat me into the ground.
“Dean!” Bryon yelled from the other side of the fence.
Jade was flipping through a book, searching frantically for something. Surprise, surprise. I hoped she’d find something and quick.
I raised my hand with the little strength I had left and motioned for Bryon to stay where he was.
“Pathetic. I was expecting so much more from you, Dean,” the guy said as he ducked through the hole in the fence, making his approach to my crippled body. “There was so much fun I wanted to have with you, so many battles that the people would talk about for eternities. Just like old times!” His red eyes locked on mine. “I guess I will have to settle for a quick victory over the great Dean Mi—”
He was cut off as a huge explosion of lightning blasted between us.
BOOM!
A blinding light sent him flying almost fifty yards away.
My ears were ringing as if a concussion grenade had gone off right next to me. Crawling and flipping on the ground, I gripped my ears and shouted for Bryon. Opening my eyes, my vision was blurry, though I could see Bryon and Jade running toward me. My brain was shocked, dizziness s
et in as I tried to stand.
“Dean…Dean…are you okay?” I couldn’t make out who it was.
Their voices sounded mumbled as the ringing persisted. Jade came sliding in to where I was lying. “We got you. Come on. Stand up.” Bryon was running close behind. She picked me up off the ground under her arm as Bryon came and took the other side.
“We need to get out of here,” Bryon yelled, though to me it seemed like a low whisper.
Looking up, I could see Abigail’s cousin wrestling with something. Something bright. Something fast. Both were moving fast—so fast they seemed to be jumping from one place to another.
“What’s going on?” I could feel the blood dripping from my mouth. My eyes fluttered.
The two seemed frantic and were moving as fast as they could with my dead weight underneath their arms. I don’t remember even being picked up. My feet dragged and bounced off the ground, hitting one large rock after the other. We headed for the fence opening.
I could hear pounding in the distance from where the other two were fighting. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was quiet. I tried looking around for the man in gray suit, but I couldn’t find him. Or the other thing I couldn’t see either. They were both gone. As we neared the hole in the fence to make our exit, Bryon and Jade stopped.
“What are you doing? Let’s get out of here.” I shoved my weight in their arms.
“Dean,” a soft voice said from behind us.
“What are you two doing? Let’s go,” I said again as they began turning me around.
A middle-aged blond man in shining silver and gold armor faced us. He was the tallest man I had ever seen. He stood solid and strong like a grown oak tree. His blond hair reached down past his shoulders and chest, glowing in the breeze. His blue eyes, aged and wise, had a familiar feel to them.
He was glorious.
He took us in with a deep gaze. As did we.
“Dean. You must come with me. There isn’t much time,” he said, turning to leave to an awestruck crowd. His accent, it was foreign. I couldn’t place it though.
“Who are you?” Bryon asked first.
The man hastily turned back to us and paused. “I am Nile. A friend,” he said as he revealed a necklace with a similar marking on it—my marking.
Jade and Bryon looked at each other and then to me. I stood, using my own strength, and gazed at the stone. Reaching for it, he interrupted, “I’ll explain more soon. First we must get out of this place.”
Agreed. All of the commotion would have drawn some attention, especially a hole in the fence and fire in the field. Local authorities would be here in no time. Nile reached out for me, motioning to Bryon and Jade that it was okay. He gently lifted me into his arms like an injured child.
We took a familiar route. It was the way to my place, the church. How did Nile know where I lived? How did he know my name? How did either of them know my name? I was in and out of consciousness.
My life is an endless list of unanswered questions.
I am the riddle.
We approached my safehold. She stood as elegant as ever, wood chips and all, welcoming us into the safety of her bosom.
Finally, we made ourselves comfortable inside my old glorious home. “Okay, guy—Nile—what’s your deal?!” Bryon yelled pointing his finger.
At that moment, Uncle Homer came running out from the master quarters, yelling. “Boy, I told you not to come back with anymore of those bruises. Haven’t I taught you anything!” Uncle pointed his old bony finger in my face. Nile gently laid me down on the red carpet in front of the pulpit.
I had never seen Uncle move so fast or be so angry.
“And you!” He was pointing at Nile. “What happened? You were supposed to be watching him! How did you let this happen?”
Wait, what? Did Uncle know this guy?
“Yes, sir, I take full responsibility,” Nile said, bowing his head. “Legion, he was cloaking his power. I didn’t know this would happen.” Bryon sat on the front pew, lacing his fingers together, while Jade paced back and forth, biting her nails.
“He isn’t ready. I told you. He is just starting to remember. We need more time.” Uncle Homer was wringing out a warm cloth from the altar. He shuffled over to me, muttering something under his breath. He placed the wet, warm cloth on my forehead. My body felt warm instantly. Alive.
I managed to cough. “What is going on? Uncle, how do you know this guy?”
“Dean. My boy. There is so much you don’t yet know. I was waiting for the right time, for you to remember on your own.” Uncle Homer had his hand on my head.
“I am a friend,” the big, blond man said. “Your uncle here was assigned to look after you on this earth. He was the only one strong enough to hide you without being noticed.”
“What is he talking about, Uncle?” I asked.
But Uncle ignored me, instead talking to Nile. “We need more time—talk to Him.”
“He will not listen to me. We cannot wait any longer,” Nile said.
“Talk to who? Wait for what? Who was that guy in the field and how did he know who I am?” I stood to my feet, stumbling under the weight of my own body. I was becoming impatient.
Uncle looked up at Nile, distress in his old, wise eyes.
“His name is Legion,” Nile said. “Though here he goes by the name of Kip. A very powerful demon. He and I have been battling for the past four generations, ever since you went missing.”
Bryon and Jade stared silently at Nile, as did I. Waiting to hear more, my mind reeling from what this stranger was telling us.
“We begged Him to reveal to you your past, to heal you. He would say that ‘in the right time you would return,’” Nile said, looking up at my roommate, J.C. “Those times were some of the hardest any of us had ever known. Try as we might, we just could not handle them without you. The humans even came up with a name for it—”
“The Dark Ages,” Jade interrupted.
“Very good, Jade,” Nile continued. “The balance had been lost and the scales tipped. Darkness ruled.”
“All this because…I was…missing? Why?” I asked.
“You were hidden in Homer’s custody for generations. Still to this day, we maintained to hide you from the Dark ones.” Nile moved up the aisles of the church, observing the art. “They had taken your memory, your power. How, we still do not know. You were the only one He entrusted with His name. You were His chosen one, do you not remember?” Nile stopped and looked at me.
“Who is He?” I asked.
“Your father was so proud the day you were chosen.” Nile moved closer. “The day He took you in to begin the training. You were such a young boy, yet so strong. Stronger than us all.”
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!” I yelled at the top of my lungs as my wrist burst into flames. The heat waves emanated off my being like ripples on a summer asphalt road. My breathing came fast and deep, blood flowing like a raging river through my body. Jade, Bryon, and Uncle covered their eyes as a wind-like force erupted from my core. The cuts and bruises disappeared from all around my body. I stood in fire.
I am fire.
Nile slowly moved through the heat and flames. “My friend.” His calming voice pierced my anger and confusion. His eyes were soft, filled with compassion. Like he could feel my hurt. Like he could feel my confusion. His large but gentle hand touched my shoulder. I began to cool down, it was as if he were taking away the pain. The energy from within returned to normal as I dropped to my knees.
Tears streamed from my face. I could feel Uncle’s hand on my other shoulder.
“Who am I?” I said through the knot in my throat.
“You really do not remember, do you?” Nile asked. “You…are the son of the great Michael.”
That statement meant nothing to me. Michael. Michael who?
“Michael…the Archangel Michael?” Jade exclaimed, leaping from where she was standing.
I stayed there on my knees, head hanging low a
s tears hit the ground like bombs from above, trying to absorb what was just spoken.
“Yes, Jade.” Nile looked at Jade and back down to me. I looked up into his safe blue eyes. “You are the strongest of us all, even more so than your father. That is why He chose you.”
“Who chose me?” I whispered as the last tear dropped from my eyes. It was so much to take in. I had not processed what was happening.
I looked over to Uncle and then back to Nile. They said nothing, slowly shifting their gaze behind them.
“Him,” Nile said solemnly as he admired my cement-formed roommate. “The Son of God, The King of Kings, The Light…You must remember.”
“I…can’t…” I said, staring up at good, ol’ J.C. Sadness and defeat swept over me.
“You must,” Nile said softly as he slowly reached out his open palm, touching my sweaty forehead. “You must remember. We need you to.”
The second his warm hand made contact with my clammy skin, a shock-like feeling electrocuted my mind. As if electric paddles had been placed directly onto my brain. Light flooded the room. My head whipped backward. Images flashed through my mind like passing buildings on a runaway train. I caught one for a brief second: it was bright, an arena-like setting such as the old Roman Colosseum, yet made of marble and gold.
A man approached me with an outstretched arm. “Get up, son. It’s time to come back…” the deep voice said just as the image was wiped away and a thousand more whooshed by.
Another image caught my mind’s eye, something so bright and warm. I couldn’t make out what it was. The light it was emanating was brighter than anything I had ever witnessed; I could feel its warmth as the shining silhouetted figure drew closer to me. I reached out, and a feeling of comfort and security came sweeping in.
Just as I neared its embrace, I came to.
I gasped, as if being dropped in a lake of frozen water, searching for oxygen.
“Dean.” Bryon leapt from where he was sitting to help stabilize me.