"That is somewhat true," he said. "But not completely. Everyone who dies experiences Purgatory in a different way. It has no specific shape or form, but rather is consumed by each individual according to what they believe it will be. For me, this place is typical to 14th Century Italy. The others here are peasants, merchants, and farmers. In my mind you would normally be a knight, however your will has changed this place to something you are more familiar with. While you are here I am a CEO, sitting in the penthouse of a modern skyscraper. You have made this my reality. If you went outside the people around you would find themselves in this city you have created, and many would suffer some level of disorientation before they would be able to adjust to the change."
I looked out at the city again with new eyes. This was all a figment of my imagination? "How far does it reach?"
He shook his head. "There is really no way to know. It could be all of Purgatory has changed because you are here. Most of the inhabitants here will not remember the change once you have gone."
I wanted to test this. I wanted to have some proof that what I was hearing was true, to see what Dante saw. I wanted to be in his world. I tried to picture a medieval castle, a throne, and a large timber table. Nothing happened.
"You don't have control of it," Dante said, as if he had been reading my mind. "Not yet. Your mind created this because it was familiar. It will hold onto it tightly until you can convince it that it doesn't have to."
"I feel like Neo," I said.
"Hardly," Dante replied.
Something was nagging at me. Something he had said before I tried to turn this place into Camelot. "Once I've gone? Isn't Purgatory, you know... forever?"
"No," Dante said. "Purgatory is never forever, unless you choose it to be. It is where the souls who have not chosen a side or who have not earned a place in either Heaven or Hell are sent until such a time as they do. Time is not observed the same way here, so such endeavors can take many hundreds, if not thousands of Earth years. And yes, you will leave this place if you choose to accept who and what you are."
There it was again. "Who and what am I?"
"You are a diuscrucis, a crossbreed of angel and demon. Not directly of course, but somewhere in your lineage, buried deep within your roots. The blood of the creatures of dark and the creatures of light flows through your veins. Moreover, the balance of this mixture is precise, or you would not be here now. Almost all diuscrucis are inherently good or inherently evil, depending on which side is more dominant. But you... You are a perfect balance of every variable in the equation. The odds are so infinitesimally small, that it has happened twice in a millennia is beyond words."
I was expecting something grandiose, after all Dante had said there was only one other like me that he had ever met. This went beyond grandiose though. This went deep into impossible. You would think a guy would know if his grandma were Satan's handmaiden. If my day had gone any differently, I would never have believed it. I did though. There was something telling me that I should.
Dante had read my expression, and he watched me curiously as I worked through acceptance of my family tree. "You would know if I was lying Landon," he said. "That is one of the traits you inherited from your good side. It is what allows me to tell you all of this, and know that you will accept it and believe it."
I did know he was telling me the truth. "If that side helps me to recognize lies, does the other make me better at telling them?"
It was part of the balance. That deviousness had led me to hacking, to stealing, and ultimately to my arrest. The thought bothered me.
"Wait a second," I said. "You speak of balance, good, and evil as if we have no choice in the matter. Are you saying that every decision I make is predetermined in order to keep me right in the center?"
When I asked the question, Dante flinched as though he had been struck. His wide eyes narrowed and dimmed, and he took on a look of sadness. "Everyone has the freedom to choose their own path. Charis did."
"Charis?" She was the other one like me. I knew it by his reaction. "What happened to her?"
He paused before he answered. "She made a choice. She isn't with us anymore."
I could tell by the way he said it that it was all he wanted to say. There was no reason to push him. I had gotten what I wanted.
"Then I guess the burning question is, what exactly am I doing here?" I asked.
Dante's demeanor changed again, turning him back into the energetic and lighthearted man that had greeted me.
"You are in a unique position, but as I have said it is your choice. The battle between good and evil rages on; the angels want the perfection that God had envisioned, and the demons aim to mangle the world to satiate their desire for chaos and destruction. Mankind has been caught in the middle, and they have no one to fight on their side. No one to assure that the balance is maintained so that they may continue to have control of their own future."
"So you think that I can help humanity deal with this somehow?" I was doubtful. Maybe I could spot a lie and dress myself in cool clothes, but I had a feeling that wouldn't help much against Satan or Saint Michael.
"I know you can, Signore," he said. "You are stronger than you know. Shedding your mortal skin has opened your being up to all of the power that it is due a diuscrucis." He leaned up over the desk and looked me right in the eyes, a look that delved deep into me. "ALL of the power." He seemed very satisfied.
I would do this. I had to do this. The need was an unbreakable iron grip on my soul. It was what I had been born to do, had died to do. It was frightening, exciting, and impossible to resist. It wasn't about the power that Dante believed I had. It was about nature. My nature. How many people ever get to find out where they stand, and connect with it so completely? According to Dante even God Himself was being driven by His basest nature. I had asked about choice, discovered I had none, and realized that it was okay, because I didn't care.
"So what happens next?" I asked.
Dante smiled. "When someone who leans to good leaves Purgatory, they go to Heaven. Someone leaning evil goes to Hell. Someone who doesn't lean at all, they go..."
He didn't finish. He didn't have a chance to. The solid glass window I had been enjoying looking out of earlier exploded inward, showering us both in glass. I backed away and raised my arms to cover my head. Dante didn't move at all, he just turned his head to watch the interlopers make their entrance. The glass seemed to bounce off of him. It took me a moment to realize it hadn't hurt me either.
The interlopers looked like angels, but I knew on my new instinct that they weren't. Maybe once upon a time before the greedy promises and lies had changed their hearts, but not now. They may have been brothers, both with long silver and white hair, ebony skin and sharp red eyes. They were wearing matching leather dusters with black leather vests over purple shirts and dark wash jeans. Each was holding what looked to me like a samurai sword. They glared at Dante with disgust, and looked at me as if I were nothing more than an ant to be stepped on.
"You have no rights here," Dante said to them. He shifted over to put himself between them and me. "If any harm comes to me you will be in breach of the Treaty."
The two dark angels stepped forward as one. "We have no intention of harming you Alighieri," the one on the left said. "We only want him."
I felt my heart jump into my throat. What was this frail old man going to do to keep those swords from taking my head? This was turning really bad, really fast.
Dante turned his back on them and leaned in close to me. "I don't know how they found about you already," he said. "Take this." He handed me a... cellphone? "Mr. Ross will get you out of here."
"Wait... what am I supposed to do?"
Dante whispered something and put his hand to my forehead. The entire room started spinning. One of the dark angels pushed Dante out of the way. The other raised his sword and smiled, taking pleasure in his killing strike. I closed my eyes so I didn't have to watch myself die for the second time in one day.
I wondered how that was even possible, sure I was about to find out.
I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. I smelled something burning. The blow never came. I opened my eyes. I was standing on the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
Chapter 3
I stood there for a few minutes, trying to make sense of everything that had happened within what had felt like only a couple of hours. Somehow, I had been brought back to life. I worried first that I was one of the undead, a zombie or something, but I could feel the pulse beneath my fingers, and I was cold in the night air. I was still wearing the same clothes, which I was grateful for, because it was REALLY cold. Hadn't I died in the summer? How much time had passed? What was I supposed to do? Where should I start?
I looked at the phone Dante had given me. It was a newer model, a smartphone. I lifted it up to my chest and turned it on. Along with the standard assortment of apps was one titled 'Landon'.
I thought about opening it there, but I was freezing. I edged my way around the torch to the small door that led down into the main stairwell. Please be open. It was. I slipped inside and closed the door; glad to be out of the bitter winter wind. Not that it was a whole lot warmer inside, but at least I was out of the elements. I descended the ladder and made my way out to the staircase, then sat down on a step and opened the app.
Buongiorno Landon,
I'm sorry that you will have to learn in this way. It means that we've been compromised to Mephistopheles, and his Collectors have come for you. Be thankful that I had suspected a traitor in our midst, and have prepared this guide to help you on your journey to discovering your full potential and making good on your promise. I will speak with you again once I can be assured that it will not lead them to you. In the meantime, if you do nothing else, read the entry titled 'Rules'. Following the rules within will keep you alive. Yes, you are 'alive', although not in the manner you are used to. You are Awake, and a full member of the Divine, with all of the rights, privileges and power that comes with it. You will find out what that means in time. Stay safe my friend.
Ciao,
Dante
There was a menu item at the bottom that said 'Rules'. I pressed it, and read them.
1. Check the inside pocket of your jacket.
2. Find somewhere safe to read the rest of this guide.
3. Do not travel at night.
4. Stay aware of your surroundings. You will be able to recognize the Divine. Most of the Divine will also be able to recognize you. Only the weakest will be fooled by glamour.
5. When in doubt, hide. They will know what you are, and they will try to kill you. You have no allies.
6. Both sides have human allies. The agents of good are called the Touched. The agents of evil are called the Turned. They have some power that has been transferred to them by the Divine, but they are still mortal. They will try to kill you, but will not recognize you so easily.
7. You can kill an angel with anything that has been cursed.
8. You can kill a demon with anything that has been blessed.
9. You cannot kill a Divine with anything that is not Divine.
10. Do not lose hope and do not give up. You are special.
That was it. A few bits of advice that read more like instructions, and a few helpful tips that may or may not keep me alive. That part about killing angels and demons; I couldn't even fathom the concept, but if they really were going to be out to kill me, I guess I wouldn't have a choice.
I reached into the pocket of the blazer, grabbing onto a large wad of paper with a familiar feel. I unfolded it and a wedge of blank plastic the size and shape of a credit card fell out. What was I going to do with a blank card? I tucked it back into the pocket and spread the cash. It was mainly twenties and hundreds; four thousand dollars. That wouldn't last me too long, at least not in the Big Apple, but it was better than nothing.
Rule one taken care of, now what about rules two and three? It was nighttime, and Lady Liberty seemed safe enough for now. The problem was, come morning this place would be crawling with people and I didn't know if I should be afraid of that or not. How many Others were there? Did they mix in with the population, or keep to themselves? What about their allies? I could just picture Joe Blow the Tourist laying eyeballs on me and literally unleashing Hell. Of course, I was on Liberty Island. There was zero way I was going to get out without getting on a boat. There was no way I was going to get on a boat without any other people on it.
Decision made, I figured it best to at least head towards the bottom of the Statue, so if nothing else I'd be set to make a break for the ferry right away. Once I had gotten off the island I would find a hole in the wall somewhere and stay there until Dante got back to me with some useful information.
I was cold, slightly confused, and really scared. Through some strange twist of the Universe I had been granted a second life. It occurred to me that this was not the kind of second chance I would have imagined, and I doubt one that too many people would have jumped at. What would have become of me if the dark angel's sword had made contact? Dante hadn't had the chance to tell me what the downside to this was, but I could guess. I couldn't go back to Purgatory, and the other places didn't want me. Could a being just cease to exist completely? Could I be erased from the Universe?
It was a long way down, but to my surprise I didn't tire. I pounded onto the steps with gusto, hopping two at a time and expecting to become winded with every drop. I wasn't a total sloth, but I wasn't exactly Tony Horton either. I kept my body in shape, but it was more of a visual in shape than an actual efficiency in power and endurance. When I got to the bottom without even breathing hard, I began to question Dante's assertion that I was alive. He had called it being Awake. He claimed I had power. Maybe this was part of it.
I didn't see any guards, but I assumed that one of America's national treasures wouldn't be completely deserted. I pushed open the door to the stairwell, trying to prevent any squeaks or whines from the hinges. The coast was clear. I slipped away from the stairs and looked around. I assumed the outer door had to be alarmed, so that was a no-go. What I wanted was the men's room.
I circled around the entire area, past the old torch, up the steps and around the exhibits. I had only been the Statue once before, and I never realized that there was no bathroom inside the pedestal. I would have to find somewhere else to hide out.
The somewhere else turned out to be a small janitorial closet out of the way of the main traffic lanes. I was fortunate in that the door was unlocked, hanging open about a quarter of an inch when I spotted it. It was your standard maintenance room; shelves with cleaning agents, buckets, mops, and so on. I turned on the light hanging over the center of the room, found a comfy looking box to sit on in the back corner of the small space, flipped the phone over to face me, and opened the 'Landon' app again, pressing on 'Guide' in the menu.
*******
What is written here has been collected through over five hundred years of exhaustive research, along with a number of interviews conducted by Mr. Ross, and through direct verbal interviews with Miss Charis Stone, the first true diuscrucis to be granted access to the mortal realm. Miss Stone's first hand experience is the most vital part of this guide, as it will give you a common insight into what it means to be what you are, and to take on the responsibility that you have. Read these words and take heed in every message contained within. Do not expect that being Awake will be easy. It is a difficult yet rewarding existence.
The assumption has been made that you have already read the rules, and are hiding out somewhere safe so that you can read this guide. In order for you to be prepared to survive the coming days, you must learn to control the universe around you. This will not be an easy task, but I believe you will find it most beneficial.
You may be wondering what this means. When you were in Purgatory you had the ability to change your surroundings at your will, although only subconsciously. You hold this same power in the mortal realm, albeit to a lesser degree. How mu
ch less, I cannot say. Your ultimate strength rests within yourself. Since you are still wearing clothes, you have your first physical proof of this power.
To control it, you must above all things believe in it. This is not a simple task, as you must let go of every natural law that you have ever learned or experienced. These laws do not apply directly to the Divine, as the Divine originated from the Creator to help guide the world He created. This does not mean you will be able to fly, or walk through walls, or any such nonsense because abuse of these laws can have catastrophic consequences on the fabric of the universe that you are manipulating. The more you push, the more resistance you will encounter. You do not have unlimited resources. You will become fatigued and could lose consciousness if you push too hard, leaving yourself open to your enemies, of which there are many.
Read this first exercise, then close the Guide and practice it. Once you are able to succeed in producing the desired effect, move on to the next page. Do not give up, no matter how difficult it may seem.
Make It Rain
1. Close your eyes, try to relax
2. Think about rain
3. Open your eyes.
4. Focus on a spot directly in front of you
5. In your mind, command the water vapor to condense in the air, creating rain.
*******
I turned off the phone and put it in my pocket. After what I had been through already, how hard could it be to reject the laws of nature? Was there any reason I couldn't make it rain? At the same time, it just felt silly.
I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but even that proved difficult. I didn't feel like I was any different now than I had been before. True, I had just hiked down the Statue of Liberty without a sweat, but that was physical. I opened my eyes and focused on a spot just in front of me. Rain! Nothing happened. Rain! No dice. Dante had known this wasn't going to be easy. Anyway, what else did I have to do while I waited for daybreak?
His Dark Empire (Tears of Blood) Page 27
