by KT Webb
“It’s alright, mommy. I’ll be back,” Keira told her mother before giving herself over completely to the spirit of hope.
“Keira? Can you hear me?” Nora asked urgently. “Kerr, her eyes. They’ve turned blue.”
“I don’t mean to alarm you, but Keira has let me take over for the time being.”
Everyone stared at her with open mouths, except for the Creator. He smiled at her with pride.
“I am Elpis,” she told them.
Chapter Forty-One:
Elpis
“Where is my daughter?” Nora demanded.
“She is here. But she is letting me take over until the battle is won. She is not yet familiar with the abilities afforded the vessel of hope,” Elpis replied.
She looked around at the Evolved. She had watched them grow and change through the eyes of Tahlia, but had not had the opportunity to speak with anyone herself in centuries. Her eyes settled on Hadley.
“Your mother is a brave woman. You should be proud of the sacrifices she made to keep hope alive in your world. Though I know it is still difficult for you to understand, and you probably want to tell me off, it is important for you to know that everything she did was for the future of your world,” Elpis told her.
“Thank you. You’re right, it isn’t easy to understand. But I’m talking to an ancient spirit inside the body of a four year old girl. So . . . there’s that,” Hadley said slowly.
Elpis felt laughter bubble up inside her, and she let it out. It felt strange to communicate through a child, but she couldn’t help the age of the vessel. She had not planned on leaving Tahlia before the child was ready. She looked to Kerr and Nora next.
“I would not have joined your daughter until she was older, but the moment the Maladies took Tahlia, we knew it had to happen quickly. Tahlia fought it as long as she could to protect your daughter, but in the end she knew what she had to do. I had to leave her and enter the next vessel. I cannot survive in your world without the vessel. I cannot guarantee that your daughter will not suffer under my care, but I can guarantee you that she will not perish. She is the final vessel,” she told Keira’s worried parents.
Kerr closed his mouth quickly, obviously still in shock. Elpis wondered how strange it must be for him to hear her mature and soft voice coming from the body of his young daughter. Elpis looked to the Creator, her Father. She bowed her head to him in reverence. She had not been in his presence in centuries.
“It is time for us to bind the evils that threaten your world,” Elpis told them. “Come, we haven’t much time.”
The others looked at each other with concern. Thatcher had taken Hadley’s hand, and Kerr was supporting his shocked wife. The four of them cautiously approached Elpis.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Father. I shall see you again in the New Era,” Elpis told the Creator.
“Yes, you all will. I am proud of each of you and look forward to the day we are reunited,” the Creator said as he faded away.
Elpis looked to the Evolved and held out Keira’s little hand. They were hesitant, but they knew they needed to return to their world. As she took Kerr’s hand in her own, she thought back to the day she was released from the sphere. It was the last time she had been able to speak as herself. It was the day she gave herself completely to the first vessel.
She still remembered the day she claimed Tahlia from a life of ill-repute. The woman she had been was nothing compared to the woman she became. Her heart was pure; she had been forced into her lifestyle to survive. She did what she had to in the hope of securing a future for her unborn child. Keira was lucky to be spared a life such as Tahlia’s. And Elpis gave Tahlia the gift of erasing the memory of her life before. Some things were better forgotten.
In an instant, they were standing in the center of Benton. Elpis didn’t need to find doorways to and from Eternity, she could create them. A loud crash behind them caught their attention. They turned in time to see an old brick building crumble.
“Come, they are near,” Elpis told them as she took off at a run. Keira’s small legs slowed her progress as she tried to climb over piles of rubble.
The stench of death and decay told her the Maladies had been destroying the city for days. As they poured onto the main road, Elpis saw the bodies lying all around. She was filled with sorrow at the sight; more innocent lives taken because of evil and corruption.
“All these people . . . ” Hadley said sadly.
“This is our fault,” Thatcher said in frustration.
“No. This began long before you were born. This is not about getting to you or stopping me. For them, this is about destroying the world the Creator holds dearly,” Elpis told them.
Kerr knelt beside a body and checked for a pulse. He must have found one, because he began trying to wake the unconscious man in front of him.
“I have to try to save some of these people and get them out of here before it gets any uglier,” Kerr told them desperately.
Elpis nodded. “Yes. You and Nora must remove as many survivors as you can and try to heal their wounds. We will engage the Maladies.”
They agreed with the plan and quickly parted ways. Nora and Kerr would find few survivors, but the humans must be saved whenever possible. Hadley and Thatcher followed Elpis as she took off at a run toward the location of the Maladies.
They came around a corner and found themselves face to face with the Maladies. Thatcher instinctively threw up a wall of fire along the lines where the foundation lay in ruins. They were boxed in by the fire, trapping the Maladies with them.
Rage had taken a special interest in Thatcher and was circling him like a lion stalking its prey. Elpis knew that Thatcher had dealt with the aftermath of this particular evil before. She would not make him endure it again.
Thunder crashed overhead as Hadley caught sight of what was happening near Thatcher. The ground rumbled, the wind whipped around them, and the lightening flashed and crackled in the night sky.
“That’s my girl,” Thatcher said with a grin.
Elpis stepped forward to face the Maladies.
“Oh this is a surprise,” Malice said when she saw Elpis.
“Malice, it is time for you to stand down,” Elpis commanded.
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Malice said as she laughed. “How’s a wittle girl like you gonna stop me?”
Elpis sighed deeply and shot a beam of light from her hand in the direction of her enemy. Malice yelped as the light hit her shoulder, then she looked at the wound and hissed at the white burn that would never heal. The momentary distraction gave Hadley enough time to sneak behind her and hit her with a blast of energy that sent Malice forward, where she fell splayed across the rubble.
Her light had a calming and inspiring effect on humans; as a result, she was often misrepresented as a muse. They were entirely different beings, but she understood the confusion. Her light was not used to inspire artists, but great acts that restored faith in humanity. Hope could touch even the darkest souls; it left a mark on the body and burned the soul. This light was especially painful to those who had no hope left in them; their souls could no longer endure the purest light. Such was the case for the Maladies.
“Don’t think it will be that easy, Elpis,” Malice scoffed.
“No, it will be much easier,” Elpis replied grimly.
She took in her surroundings again. Hadley was trying to battle with the Maladies from afar. It never ceased to amaze Elpis how fervently humans fought against what the Creator had planned for them. The Evolved should not be trying to fight the Maladies, they should be trying to corral them so she could bind them. Thatcher was in danger; he was letting his personal vendetta against Rage cloud his judgment.
It was time for her to take control of the battle.
Chapter Forty-Two:
Thatcher
Rage was circling him. It made his stomach turn to see the hunger in the eyes of the evil standing before him. He watched him wearily, aware for the first
time that Hadley was losing her temper.
The thunder and lightning crashed around them, striking the ground near the ruined building. He saw Keira’s slight frame step forward to face Rage and instinctively moved to protect her, but he found himself frozen in place by an unseen force.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Hadley standing with her arms folded triumphantly as she held him in place. Thatcher looked back to where Elpis had been standing. She was now surrounded by Rage, Avarice, and Disease.
They circled her with ill-contained glee. The idea of infecting a child clearly appealed to them. Apparently, they hadn’t witnessed the exchange between Elpis and Malice. Elpis turned to keep an eye on each of them, bobbing and weaving at lightening speeds when they tried to touch her. They couldn’t infect her, but she wasn’t going to let them find out so quickly. Thatcher watched as Chaos approached, ignoring the little girl and heading straight for him.
Thatcher struggled against the force that held him, silently cursing Hadley for being so protective. He pushed against her again, only to stumble forward unexpectedly. He glanced over his shoulder at Hadley to find her writhing in agony on the ground. Pain stood over her, leaning down and touching her with just one finger.
No. This was not going to happen. Thatcher turned from Chaos and took off toward Pain and Hadley throwing fireballs as he went. Pain was hardly distracted by the fire raining down on him. He smiled evilly at Thatcher as he approached.
“Don’t touch her again,” Thatcher said through gritted teeth. Something was happening to him; the abilities he had inherited from killing Absalom were threatening to surface. “You like a little pain, do you?”
Thatcher slashed a hand through the air and blood spilled from a gash in Pain’s stomach. The Malady grunted, but healed instantly. Thatcher reached deep within himself when he saw Hadley still writhing on the ground. He used an ability he had never used before; he sent Pain flying toward Elpis without lifting a finger.
Nora and Kerr materialized near Hadley moments later. Thatcher was relieved to see them. They instantly jumped into battle. Nora grabbed a pipe as she ran toward Malice, who had woken and begun slinking her way toward them.
Kerr knelt next to Hadley, trying to heal what Pain had done to her. Only Hope could break the hold of a Malady. Kerr took off to help Nora, leaving Hadley lying on the ground in the fetal position.
Nora made her way back to Hadley once Kerr was distracting Malice. Thatcher was relieved to see Hadley melt from view as Nora cloaked her from the battle.
He looked at Elpis to see her attempting to gather the Maladies in one place. When he looked back to his friends, Thatcher had lost sight of Nora and Kerr. He whipped his head around frantically to find Kerr lying on the ground as Nora wielded a broken pipe trying to protect him from Malice.
He looked back at Chaos. She hadn’t touched him. Why had everything gone so nuts all at once? She grinned and winked at him.
“What did you do?” Thatcher demanded.
“I can create chaos wherever I go. I don’t have to touch anyone. Chaos doesn’t generally come from just one person, after all,” she replied with a laugh.
Thatcher watched her with disgust as she climbed up on the crumbled remains of a chimney at the center of the battle. He saw her perch atop the pile of bricks next to Vanity. He shook his head at Vanity calmly filing her nails. Rolling his eyes, he sent a few fireballs in their direction and couldn’t help but chuckle when they yelped in surprise.
Thatcher couldn’t decide which way to go first. He looked back and forth between where his fiancé lay and his friends for a moment before he tried to move. He found himself frozen in fear. He couldn’t move. He didn’t want to move. If he moved, something bad might happen. His heart was beating as though it would burst from his chest, and he was sweating profusely. What was happening to him?
He whirled around to find a frail, wide-eyed man smiling maniacally at him. Of course, Panic. He took a deep, calming breath and tried desperately to fight against the anxiety that rose inside him. He had already been touched by Panic, so why not go all out? He swung a punch at his terrified face, hitting him square in the nose. Panic screamed in a very feminine manner and fainted. Thatcher shook his head. Did he actually just faint?
He didn’t have time to fully appreciate the humor in the situation as he ran toward Hadley.
Thatcher had just enough time to scoop Hadley up and run. She was whimpering in his arms. Even without the constant touch of the Malady, Hadley was still in agonizing pain. He couldn’t just set her down to be attacked again, but the others needed him too. He felt the anxiety begin to tighten his chest again as he tried to determine his next course of action.
Nora practically shouted in his head. “We need to get them over to Keir—I mean Elpis. They have to surround her in order for her to bind them.”
Thatcher made eye contact with his cousin and nodded his head in understanding. He hoisted Hadley back into his arms and moved closer to Nora. Malice had left them alone but was still searching for them. It was clear that Nora was using her abilities to hide herself and her husband.
Before Thatcher could reach Nora, Chaos and Malice noticed his presence. He was really starting to get worried. He didn’t know what to do. He tried to push the fear and panic from his mind, but it was crippling. He slowly let Hadley down to the ground. She was slipping in and out of consciousness as all her muscles continued to contract in the constant torture Pain had inflicted upon her.
As he saw her beautiful face wrinkled in discomfort, he found what was left of the calm he so desperately needed and hoisted her back up into his arms. He closed the gap between himself and Nora in a few moments and laid Hadley gently beside Kerr. He took one look at his friend and realized he had suffered a blow; a deep gash bled freely on his forehead.
“I’m going to try to round them up,” Thatcher said, trying to hide the fear in his voice.
“No you’re not. Don’t be an idiot. They can’t see us right now. We already tried to join the battle. Look at us now.” Nora shook her head and looked at her daughter. “If Elpis is the only one here, they’ll automatically go to her. We might as well realize that the Creator was right; Elpis has to do this. Without us.”
Thatcher couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Nora was actually letting her daughter be bait and fight this battle on her own. He knew Keira wasn’t exactly home, but this was still just a little girl. He grudgingly sat down and tried to soothe Hadley.
Soon enough, Nora’s guess had proven correct as the Maladies began to swarm around Elpis. He caught one glimpse of the little girl’s face and saw the triumph written all over it.
Chapter Forty-Three:
Elpis
She smiled at the Maladies as they began to swarm around her like parasites ready to latch onto an unknowing victim.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” she told them.
Her skin began to glow and her eyes lit up with an ethereal blue light. A moment of recognition crossed the faces of the Maladies as they saw her for who she really was.
“Well, well, well, did we finally succeed in destroying your vessel?” Malice asked with a sneer.
“Not quite,” Elpis told her.
“Looks like you’ve found a new home either way,” Avarice said in her condescending tone.
“I have. And it’s time for you all to do the same. You’ve caused enough trouble for mankind,” Elpis told them.
The Maladies laughed together. It was clear they did not think she had the power to do anything to them. She thought back to the time she had spent in the sphere with them. Their hatred toward the Creator, Old Immortals, and mankind had led them to this point. Their hatred had destroyed them. Now they wore their worst sins as a constant reminder of the hatred that brought them here.
“You can’t kill us. Only the Creator can destroy us,” Vanity said, sounding for all the world like a valley girl.
“Oh, I’m not going to kill you. I’m just going to put a
damper on your plans for a while,” Elpis replied.
The Maladies exchanged a look that told her she was starting to scare them. Good. They needed to understand that they were done. All eight of the Maladies stood around her in a circle, just as she needed them to. She closed her eyes and focused deep within herself.
Elpis let the power within her build, releasing it just as it reached its peak. The light burst forth, hitting each of them square in the chest. Their angered cries filled her ears as the light burned into their bodies. The light enveloped each of them from head to toe, before erupting in a million different directions.
The light reached out and touched every soul in the world. She knew the tiny seed of hope she planted in each human being would be all that was needed to neutralize the evil emanating from the Maladies.
Soon, the light seemed to suck back into the Maladies, then back to its home inside Keira. The evil beings around her slowly drifted to the ground. Elpis looked at their lifeless forms. They wouldn’t wake for many years.
Chapter Forty-Four:
Kerr
Kerr regained consciousness when the entire ruined building was bathed in the purest light he had ever seen. He didn’t entirely remember what had happened to him, so he decided he’d have to ask Nora. Before he could say anything to anyone, the fire around them dissipated and they were left in the relative darkness of downtown Benton.
“Holy crap. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Thatcher said as he made his way over the rubble.
Beside him, Hadley sat up and looked herself over. When she decided she was alright, she rose and followed Thatcher to examine the motionless bodies lying in an array around Keira.
“Nora?” Kerr asked.
“Hmm?” she replied, still gripping a pipe in her hands.
“Why am I bleeding?” he asked as he gingerly touched his throbbing head.
“I hit you,” she said simply.
“What? Why?” Kerr asked in disbelief.
