The Rise

by Nathan Parks

  “So, we act impulsively as a child and then lose sight of who we once were and become something we were not intended to be?”

  Metatron nodded, “Exactly. Not only do we become a child, but we become also the kidnapper of that child. We imprison the child within us, refusing to let that child mature. We condemn ourselves and convince ourselves that we are beyond help or forgiveness . . . beyond change.”

  Mantus looked over at his prisoner with a respect that he had never before possessed for any of the Arch Council.

  “Why are you telling me all of this?”

  The Angel smiled, his eyes closed, his body seemingly to be at peace.

  “Remember when I said that my purpose was to leave an impact?”

  “Yes.”

  “I made a promise that if given the chance to enter the gates of Scintillantes that I would never return to the world of man.”

  The general looked puzzled.

  “Yet, here you are.”

  “Yes, here I am. I knew when I stepped away from the Arch Council what it would mean, and I accepted it. I did so because I have learned that our purpose is bigger than ourselves. I didn’t know to where that purpose would lead, but now I do. I thought it would be, for as long a time as I had left, to stand and guide Leah and maybe the Alliance against the Clans . . . against you and your kind . . . more so, Hecate.”

  “You sound as if now you are doubting that.”

  “No, no doubt . . . just understanding.”

  “Understanding?”

  “My purpose was not to come and help them, but instead to help you. You, Mantus, have the ability to change the course of all of this: the Fallen, the Alliance, mankind! Just because you made decisions that set you on a path to arrive at where you are today doesn’t mean you have to banish yourself to the very hell over which you rule. No, if you really take to heart what I am saying, you can change all of this.”

  The ruler of the Abyss sat without saying anything, taking in all that had been spoken to him. As he chewed on it, there was an element that began to crystallize . . . something that was beyond the words spoken, but found in the pattern, fluctuation, and in between the lines. He turned and looked at the Arch Council member.

  “You stated that you made a promise not to return. You also suggested that you were accepting the consequences for coming back.”

  Metatron reached over beside him and grabbed a folded piece of paper. He handed it to the general.

  “Yes, you are correct. The atmosphere and weight of this world is recognized by my body. When I returned, the fingers of time grabbed me; and I am dying. I am not eternal here.”

  “What if I offered you the chance to go back to Scintillantes?”

  Metatron laughed, “I do not challenge you, Mantus, but do you really believe that you are keeping me here? This is not the Abyss. This is not your realm. True, this is your fortress; but the control you have over keeping me as your prisoner doesn’t start until we pass through the gates within the bowels of this place. That is why Michael insisted on Dumah taking me there, but you knew that. That is why I am here.”

  “Maybe you are right. As a soldier I fought evil; as a general I led others to understand the importance of standing for those who could not stand for themselves.”

  “Now, you are conflicted because something that you intended did not come to pass; and what you hated, you became.”

  “Yes.”

  “So, what will you do with the knowledge that I shared with you?”

  “Well, I guess we will see; but what I need to do now is something that may actually answer that for me.”

  “I forgive you,” Metatron started. “Please understand that once faced with a choice, you must make the decision on your own. Understand that the choice is yours, but the consequence to you comes with that choice. Once you make the choice, you may find out that you can also not return to where you could have been . . . but no matter what, I forgive you.”

  Mantus looked at the once mortal man and saw nobility. If he was honest with himself, Metatron was everything Mantus had always desired to be but so far had never achieved.

  “I know you do, and you do so before I even say that I am sorry.”

  The knife he pulled out without any fanfare slid deeply inside the Arch Council member. Metatron’s eyes of forgiveness and wisdom never looked away. He never stated another word. He was gone, and the darkness that had become Mantus became even darker.

  “Ashmedai, you were right. I long for what I used to be, but I have become what I am.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The taxi pulled up in front of Eden. The trio piled out of the car as the driver retrieved their luggage from the back of the van. Tanisha couldn’t wait to be back in the arms of her husband. She knew they had a lot of work ahead of them, but first there was going to be some time set aside for her to fade away into his love.

  Isaiah and Eve had a different feeling about this. Eve had said maybe two sentences since they left Austria. She was angry, bitter, and 100 percent not wanting to be here.

  Isaiah could feel her emotion, and it was feeding into his. Sure, he really didn’t want to see Leah, either; but a lot had changed with the both of them since he last worked with her. He had hopes that she now understood more about him after she walked away from what she was used to and became a Vapor.

  “Isaiah, you ever been here before?” Eve asked as they took charge of their luggage.

  He shook his head as he tried to figure out if his luggage even had a chance to roll through the snow.

  He realized it was futile, collapsed the handle as he picked it up, and then verbally answered, “No. I have heard of it; but no, I have never been here.”

  Before any of the three could take too many steps toward the large, front, wooden doors, a well-built and bearded man opened the door. The look on his face mimicked that of a young child hearing the ice cream truck coming down the street. They recognized Tanisha’s husband from the video conference they had just a few days prior.

  Zarius grabbed his wife around the waist and picked her up off the ground with a huge bear hug.

  “Hello, My Love!”

  “We will leave you two alone.” Eve rolled her eyes as she looked at Isaiah and nodded her head toward the door, “I think we can figure our way around.”

  Tanisha ran her fingers through her husband’s beard and looked deep into his eyes. She saw it. She had never seen it before, but she could see it now. He looked older. It almost appeared as if the ages of time had found their place upon the deep etching of his face. She knew that when they chose to move forward with this plan, there would be a chance that by the end of it she would notice an even greater change in her husband. The warrior within him had been docile for so long, but that hadn’t changed the fact it was still who he was. He had stepped back into that role; and with it, the burden of all he had seen had risen to the surface.

  “How are you, Zee?”

  “I am better now that I have you in my arms and not all the way across this planet.”

  She playfully glared at him, “I am serious. How are you?”

  He placed her on the ground and picked up her luggage.

  “I have been better. This all has become a burden so heavy on me. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel we are not even close to understanding what is happening around us. I feel this darkness starting to circle us; and honestly, I am already worn out.”

  “Now, that I do believe.”

  She followed beside her husband as they walked into the front of Eden.

  “We will have time to start digging in; but before we do that, I need some time with you.”

  “I want nothing more.”

  He kissed the side of her head as he held the door open for her and then followed her in.

  The two walked in to find Isaiah and Leah standing inside. As most do, they both were admiring the large tree within the foyer. Tanisha stood looking up at it, and the magnitude of what she was looking at
swept over her. She looked at her husband, the one who was the Guardian of the tree.

  “You were right, Dear. There are no words that can describe it, and knowing all that this tree represents leaves me just wishing that it could speak to me.”

  The whole group turned as they heard footsteps coming toward them. Eve felt rage flash up inside her. She felt Isaiah’s hand on the back of her arm as Leah walked toward them. Both of the Nephelium had to admit—even if Eve didn’t want to—there was something different about Leah. She seemed as if she had crawled out from underneath a heavy burden; and there was an air of focus, but freedom.

  “Eve, Isaiah, good to see you both. Thank you.”

  “Liar,” Eve muttered under her breath as her partner squeezed hard on her arm.

  The Vapor turned her attention to Zarius’ wife, “Tanisha, great to meet you in person. Your husband has been invaluable, and he has talked you up quite a bit! We will let you all get settled in, and then later tonight we can all get together and strategize our next move.”

  She turned to Eve, “If you don’t mind, I need you and Isaiah to follow me before you both get settled in. We have something that we need to talk about before anything else takes place.”

  The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

  “Ok,” was all Eve said.

  Leah nodded to Zarius, “Will see you both a little later.”

  The other two then followed her as she headed to Gene’s study. Leah opened the door and ushered them in. Once the door was closed, she motioned to the chairs.

  “Please, both of you have a seat.”

  “Why do I feel like I just got ushered into the boss’s office for a disciplinary hearing?” Eve stated to Isaiah.

  “Because that is exactly how this feels,” he responded as they both sat down and watched Leah walk around to the other side of the large desk and sit down.

  “Listen, let’s just get everything laid out. There is no way any of us are going to be beneficial to all that we need to do if we can’t just at least find some clear air, level heads, and somewhat of a clean slate. Fair?”

  Eve refused to answer the question, but Isaiah acknowledged with a simple “Fair.”

  “Eve, I need to ask your forgiveness before we go any further.”

  “Excuse me?” the Nephelium asked with a hint of shock in her voice. “Forgiveness?”

  “Yes. No, I don’t agree with almost everything you do . . .”

  “Really?”

  “Please,” Leah put her hand up to stop any sarcasm coming from Eve. “I really need you to just let me talk. I’m not demanding; I’m asking.”

  “Well, that is new . . . the asking part, I mean; but the need to be heard . . . not so much. Go ahead.”

  “As I was saying, I do not agree with most of what you do; but I also understand that I do not stand innocent in much of the bad blood between us. I have made choices that have been with the best intentions but maybe not the best choice, no matter the intention. I was angry at you because I blamed you for all that has gone wrong with my team and also for my standing with the Arch Council.

  “This all was wrong. I did this because I did not want to admit that the issue lay inside me. We all have changed in the last five years, and I ask that you allow me the chance to show you my change.”

  Eve didn’t know what to say. Leah had disarmed her with the confession and request for forgiveness. She wanted to hate her, be angry at her. It was actually a driving force within her. Eve had allowed the desire for revenge, as well as the knowledge that she was a thorn in Leah’s side, to be her motivation.

  “Leah,” Isaiah responded, “we understand that you are no longer with the Alliance.”

  She sat back. “No, I am now a Vapor. Don’t ask me too much about what that means because a lot of it I am still learning myself. What I can tell you is that in the short time I have walked in these shoes, it has allowed me a small view into your world. I see now that even though I felt that I did not view mankind or anyone else differently, I was wrong. I was created into a world that influenced me to look down upon each of you, and I didn’t even recognize it until the day I no longer had the larger group to stand with. That feeling of not belonging, feeling as if I was fighting from the back of the pack no matter what I was capable of . . . I now know what that looks like.”

  “I’m not looking for sympathy, Leah. You may know something different, but I can tell you that I have not known anything different . . . even before I knew about being a Nephelium. I have always fought for everything that I have.”

  Eve was not fully ready to embrace the former Alliance leader.

  “I know, and I know that I did not help. I thought I was, but I see now that I was working for a different platform . . . one that was driven by my own selfish desire.”

  Eve couldn’t think of anything else to say in response, so she just sat there. She had not expected this reception. There were so many emotions right now, and she did better at blocking emotion rather than expressing it.

  “Can we work together, even if it is simply with a respect of what each of us can bring to the table?”

  Eve simply nodded her agreement. Leah was pleased with the acknowledgment from both of them. She hadn’t expected a miracle, so she was happy with the mutual understanding.

  “Before I let you both get settled in, there is one more thing I need to share with you. When I share this with you, I do not expect either of you—especially you, Eve—to fully understand. I just ask that you listen with an open mind and an understanding that what I am going to share is bigger than any of us.”

  Eve shifted in her seat. There was a tone in Leah’s voice that made her uneasy. She wasn’t sure why, but she could sense something big was about to be dropped in their lap. She hated surprises, and this sure felt like one.

  “Five years ago, every single one of us dealt with the start of the Clan War. All three of us were at the Vortex that night, and we all had a part in it. No doubt it changed all of us, but I need you to understand that there are elements of that night that only a very small group of people really know about. It was a necessity that it was kept that way. Furthermore, I do not expect either of you to understand; but I do ask that you just trust those involved in the secret.”

  “Secret?” Eve asked.

  “Yes.”

  Leah stood up and looked toward the door that led to the conference room that had been changed into the Command Center.

  “You can come in.”

  Both Eve and Isaiah turned as they heard the latch open. Neither of them could have prepared themselves for what happened next . . . especially Eve.

  Chapter Thirty

  Eve gasped. Her reaction was involuntary, and she could feel her body starting to shake. This was not happening! This was a dream—a bad nightmare—but in a twisted way, a dream coming true right in front of her.

  Isaiah looked back and forth from the individual who had walked in and Eve. He had no words; but he also felt like he needed to say something, even if it was just for the sake of having words spoken in the sudden and surprising silence. He couldn’t. He was shocked as much as Eve.

  “How?” the words finally broke from Eve’s vocal cords. “I don’t . . .”

  “Hi, Eve.”

  “Megan? How?” The Nephelium sat stunned as she pinched the back of her hand to make sure this was real: her best friend standing very much alive in front of her . . . the best friend whose grave she had visited so many times over the last five years but who clearly was not in the grave.

  Eve looked at Megan and then Leah, waiting for someone to either come up with an explanation or a cruel laugh, indicating a very bad joke. She didn’t know if she should get up and hug her friend or become angry at her. Should she feel elated or betrayed? She couldn’t figure it out.

  “Eve, this is where I need you to please just trust and listen,” Leah quietly spoke as Megan came in and stood to the side of the table.

  “That night at the V
ortex, we had a team that came across Megan while looking for Alfonso. They had no idea who she was, but she was in very bad shape. If left at the Vortex, she would have died there.”

  “‘Would have’ versus actually dying like most of us—most importantly me—was led to believe?”

  Her anger started to rise. She knew anger; it was familiar to her.

  “Eve,” Megan stopped her.

  She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around her longtime friend and go sit on the porch to catch up. Megan never thought that this reunion would actually ever happen, and yet here they were. She knew that Eve had spent five years mourning a friend who was still alive in reality.

  “Please, just listen. That night when the Alliance found me, they thought they had just found a random girl inside Arioch’s room.”

  “Arioch’s room?”

  Megan nodded, “I know you told me not to go back, but it was all I knew. Sure, I knew the club was no longer safe; but better the devil I know than the devil I do not. The only thing was I didn’t even know the devil . . . not the real face of evil.”

  “Arioch and Denora used my drugged stupor to, in essence, kidnap me. They used me that night for a ritual that left me pregnant and on the edge of death.”

  “What? Wait . . . they did what?” Isaiah cut in.

  He was stunned. He had been told that night that they had gotten Megan out, but then later that story was refuted. It was explained that they had originally thought they had her out but that, indeed, she had been killed that night.

  “The Alliance did get me out that night; but when it was discovered that I was carrying the child of a demonic leader, it was believed that for me and the sake of my child it would be safe to have everyone believe I was dead.”