by Tim Hawken
“There was nothing around me. I floated in space, out in the deepest reaches of the universe that God, The Elemental before me had neglected to touch. At first I thought I was blind, so I grew myself as many eyes as I could fit onto my skin in order to be able to perceive the unperceivable. Eventually, I learned to see the things around me, the particles that made up the nothingness. These are the elements. They are everything. You will need to learn to see these before we can move forward with your training. Now sit down and relax,” he said.
Even though there was no floor to sit on, I sat, and the Elemental did the same in front of me. He closed all of the eyes on his body accept the one in the middle of his face and stared at me. I stared back.
“You must look around you and see the tiniest points of light swirling all around us. There are particles of every possible shape and color, all smaller than specks of dust, but they can be fused together to create larger elements, like building blocks. By piecing the elements together you can make anything you desire: fire, wind, water and earth; also spirit, emotion and intelligence. To harness the power of the elements is to harness all the power in the universe.”
I accepted what he was saying. It made sense to me that this was more than possible; that these elements existed was probable. My rudimentary knowledge of atoms from high-school science classes made it easy for me to envisage that there were elements swirling all around me. I stared and stared into the space, looking for something, anything. Nothing appeared. The Perceptionist sat still.
“You are close,” he said. “But you are trying too hard. You are trying to see something that is right in front of you, it should be evident that these elements are real. The elements aren’t hidden away or concealed by objects. They are the objects. Now fix onto your breathing and believe in what I’m saying and you will see them.”
I blinked slowly, breathing in deeply, filling my lungs and then exhaling loudly. I knew this creature was telling the truth, I believed it with all my heart. I began to see a faint glow, a general light at first, but as I looked closer I began to see separate points of light all around. It was like looking at a galaxy of stars take shape through a telescope.
“Excellent!” the Perceptionist said, laughing his strange sound of birds again. “You already learn faster than any being I’ve ever taught, which, of course, is only to be expected considering your paternity.”
I sat up more alert than ever. I was an orphan with no idea who my mother or father was. I was told that my mother was a prostitute who had fallen pregnant to a client and had handed me over to the nuns after my birth. Other than that I knew nothing.
“You are right about your mother,” the Perceptionist said, interrupting my thoughts just as The Devil had done. “Your father is a different story,” he said.
“You know who my father is?” I asked quickly. As a child I dreamed he was someone rich and famous who would one day come to rescue me from my poor life.
“Your father is rich,” he said reading my thoughts once again. “And he is most definitely famous.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My whole life had been spent wondering where I had come from, what my family history really was.
“Who is he?” I demanded. “Can I meet him? Where is he?”
The Perceptionist looked at me without expression.
“Your father is down in Hell, Michael. You have met him already.”
Already met him? I thought, perplexed. Was it Mack, or Smithy?
“No,” the Perceptionist said slowly. “Your father is Satan.”
four
I JUMPED TO MY FEET, shouting. “Liar, you’re a liar! Satan is not my father!”
The instant these words escaped from my lips, the elemental lights went out around me and we stood in nothingness once more.
“Why should I lie to you?” he said innocently. “I’ve told you that you must trust what I say and that I will never break that trust. You must learn to accept even the most impossible truths if you are to harness the power I can teach you.”
“This is a lie!” I said again, stomping around furiously in the void of nothingness. I felt like my soul had been sucked out of my body. I was empty. This couldn’t be. Why was he telling me this?
“I knew you would reject what I have said at first, but you must concede that it makes perfect sense,” the Perceptionist said firmly. “Why else would the Devil trust you with learning God’s secret from Gideon? Why else would he send you to succeed where he failed? Why else would God send Gideon to kill you and banish you to Hell, if you were just a normal human? He made sure your heart was full of rage when you died so you wouldn’t go to Heaven and spread Satan’s seed where it isn’t wanted. You have not thought about these things hard enough because of your rage, your blind need for revenge. Think on it now and accept the truth of it.”
It was hard to argue with the logic of a supreme being, but I refused to accept it. It was true that all of these questions were answered by the possibility that The Devil was my father. There had to be another answer.
“Why didn’t Satan tell me this himself?” I asked, grasping for a sense of reason.
“There was no immediate benefit to him,” The Elemental continued. “In fact, it would have simply wasted valuable time in you getting to Gideon. If he had told you right away there would have been questions that needed answering and painful realization on your part; all of these things take time. Satan knows that Gideon is gaining strength by the day and if God were to find out your plan, he would never leave him unguarded on earth. Once The Devil had the secret safely in his hands he would have told you and recruited your help in defeating God.”
I shook my head in denial, but could think of nothing to counter the argument. The Perceptionist realized his advantage and pressed on.
“The other reason I am telling you is because I believe this knowledge will help with your confidence in learning the knowledge of the elements. It is a positive, from my point of view. If you know that your blood is of a higher being, then you can accept more readily your ability to control these powers. The mind is the most powerful thing in the world as long as you believe in its power. Of course, Satan will be angry that you found out from me, but that is not my concern,” he added. “You must accept this truth before we can move on. I have no reason to lie to you, Michael. How would that benefit me? You cannot deny it, so accept it. I understand it’s difficult, but give in to the possibility and you will realize it’s fact. Your human reaction of denial is a waste of time and energy.”
I began to acknowledge that the Perceptionist was indeed telling the truth, even if it was a hard thing to bear. I was the son to the most hated being in the entire universe. I was the anti-Christ.
I sat down, staring into space. What did this truly mean? Did it mean I was evil? Did Satan being my father affect my current course of rescuing my love? No. Lotte was more important than anything. I couldn’t ignore this revelation, but for now dwelling on it would serve no purpose.
Another realization dawned on me. The Perceptionist had confirmed the possibility that God had a hand in murdering Lotte and me. Before, I had only really been concerned with bringing Gideon to justice; now God would taste my vengeance as well. As I accepted the truth of the Perceptionist’s words, the lights of the elements returned around me.
“Why would you aid me if you know that, should I succeed in gaining Gideon’s secret, God may be doomed?” I asked.
“His fate is of no consequence to me,” the Perceptionist said flatly. “Phineus has said if I help you, he will teach me to see into the future, to know the unknown. It is more power that I seek, and knowledge is power. The better question is: why would Phineus help you? I believe he also resents God’s freedom while he himself is trapped in Hell. I think he wants revenge on God just as you and Satan do,” he finished.
Again, it made sense. I was still coming to terms with the fact that I knew who my father was, but I had even more pressing matters at hand than
my father. The all-consuming need for revenge was still boiling deep inside me.
“Is it possible to trap God?” I asked. If anyone would know then it would be the creature in front of me.
“Of course it is possible,” he said, chirping his bird’s laugh.
“But how do you trick an omnipotent being?” I asked. “It seems impossible that if he is all powerful and all knowing that anything could contain him.”
“Omnipotence is an illusion,” the Perceptionist explained. “Let me ask you a question to help you better understand. Could God make a wall so strong that He himself could not break it?”
“If he is all powerful then he could,” I answered, without giving it too much thought.
“Ah, but if he was all powerful then wouldn’t he be able to break the wall after He had made it? Either He can make it unbreakable or He can’t. Both outcomes end in God not being able to achieve something. Therefore, it is impossible for him to be all powerful. The same can be applied with knowledge. Can God create a puzzle that He doesn’t know the answer to?”
My mind was spinning but I understood what he was saying.
“So you believe God has created something He cannot break or know. Could that be the secret that Gideon is holding?” I wondered.
“Very good!” the Perceptionist said, clapping his hands together. “You do learn fast. I can see you will become very powerful, very quickly. It is most likely that God has created a prison for Himself somewhere, and that Gideon is the holder of the key to that prison. He may also have the knowledge of where it is located. I do not know this, of course, for God does have the power to mask His secrets from even me, but I think it is probable. Why God would make such a prison is the biggest puzzle to me. Knowing God, he likely did it just to see if he could, and now cannot destroy it because he succeeded completely.”
The possibility of God having created a prison for Himself provided me with some much needed hope, and hope was all I had right now. If the Perceptionist was right, then I’d be able to take my revenge on not only Gideon, but his master as well. I’d need to learn the power of the elements completely if I was to succeed as I wished. I settled myself back down on the ground and pushed all thought from my mind. The startling revelation of Satan being my father would have to wait until next we met. At that moment, all I wanted to do was learn how to destroy my enemies.
“Let’s begin,” I said determinedly to the Perceptionist.
five
LOOKING THROUGH THE MILLIONS of points of light, I could just make out the figure of the Perceptionist. He was sitting mere inches away from me, but the galaxy of elements between us made the distance seem greater. His voice rang out clearly through the dazzling spectacle.
“You must learn to shut out the elements that you don’t need to see,” he said. “At times it will be best to shut them all out completely. If you’re creating fire then focus only on the fire elements and the rest will dissipate. The same goes for the rest of the elements. I’ll now show you how to differentiate between each of the different kinds of elements. It is a matter of color.”
With a wave of his hand, the Perceptionist swept all the lights between us so I could see him properly. He proceeded to open and close certain eyes all over his body, while looking at and picking out elements from around him, placing them in order in the space between us. Each separate element hung still in the spot he had placed it. In all, there were over a hundred elements in front of us. Four in particular stood larger than the rest, at the top of the grid he had created. Red, blue, brown and green.
“Fire, air, earth and water,” he said, pointing each one out respectively. “These are the most simple to master and the only elements you’ll need to defeat Gideon. The others will take centuries for you to control properly, if ever.”
He then motioned to the elements underneath the main four. “These are the elements that make up the human soul when arranged in perfect order. They include all of the emotions, spirit, free will and the different types of intelligence. Arrange the master elements of air, fire, earth and water together in the right way, and you create body. Add both body and soul together and you have life as we know it on Earth.”
As he explained this, he built mini diagrams with the lights to show what he meant. He built a miniature human body and fused it with a glowing golden soul. They flashed brightly and the little man began walking around. Before the miniature walked too far, the Perceptionist waved the elements apart and the man was no more.
“Enough of that for now, Michael,” the Perceptionist said. “We must work on the elements that will help you in your quest.” He swept all but the master elements from between us.
I focused on the four points of light that remained in front of me, taking in each one’s unique color and shape.
“We will start with fire first,” the Perceptionist said.
He picked out the red fire element, and brought more like it from around him to hang in the space between us. He linked them together in a thick loop, attaching each single element together by pinching them in his fingers. They stuck together as if they belonged that way to begin with.
“Now, shut your eyes and concentrate on seeing as you would normally see the world, through human eyes,” he instructed.
I shut my eyes and thought about what the void and the Perceptionist looked like the first time I came through the portal. I slowly opened my eyes and beheld the void as it should be, except a large ring of blazing fire hung in the air in front of me. I blinked because of its brightness.
“You made that fire from nothing!” I exclaimed.
“No, I made it from the elements,” he corrected. “Alone they are too small to be of any significance, but arranged in just the right way they can create whatever you set your mind to.”
He waved his hand and the fire dispersed into sparks that faded into the void. I was in wonder at the power I’d just witnessed. I saw the eternal potential in what the Perceptionist had just done. Once I mastered the elements, I could achieve anything imaginable!
“Now you must try. Return your perspective to see the elements of fire,” he said.
I shifted my focus and the red points of light returned around me, floating and spinning in every direction. The Perceptionist held his hand up and they stopped moving.
“I will make it as easy as possible for the first try,” he said. “Now pick one up.”
I reached out to catch one of the tiny sparks. It eluded my grasp, slipping from my fingers every time I tried to pinch them from the air. I began to grow frustrated and the Perceptionist stopped me.
“Don’t grab them, or pinch them like an oaf,” he said sternly. “It’s more like lifting an eyelash off someone’s cheek. You almost have to let the element stick to your finger rather than actually take a hold of it. This requires finesse.”
As he finished the sentence he plucked five fire elements from the air, each sticking to a separate finger on his hand. He made it look so easy. I felt stupid for not being able to do it. He then curled his fingers into his palm and opened it to reveal a large single element of fire. I’m sure if I was looking with a normal point of view I would have seen a flame flickering in his hand.
“Try again,” he said; throwing the elements away like they were nothing.
I reached out slowly again, focusing on one element right in front of me. I pressed my forefinger to it lightly and it stuck. An involuntary laugh escaped from my lips. The Perceptionist’s mouth turned up into a creepy smile. I used the other fingers on my hand to trap other elements of fire before pressing them together in my palm as he had shown me. They stuck together immediately, and formed a larger red blob in my hand. I did this seven times and then stuck the blobs together to make a solid mass the size and shape of a tennis ball. I shifted my focus back so I could witness my handy work. A brilliant fireball hung above my hand in the air. It didn’t burn me, but I could feel its heat. I grasped it and launched it out into the void where it faded away in the di
stance.
“That’s why I’m teaching you this here,” the Perceptionist said. “If you’d done that in my home, you would have burnt the place down!” The bird chirping noise escaped his lips again, and I realized he had just made a joke.
“Teach me more,” I whispered, dizzy with power. “Teach me much more.”
six
THE PERCEPTIONIST TAUGHT ME in the void for what seemed like months on end. There was no day or night to calculate the passing of time. I slept when I was tired and practised obsessively every waking moment. I would concentrate on a particular element at a time. My favorite was fire. It was like a liquid to deal with, flowing and rushing where I directed it, cascading through the void under my will. I had become a master of the inferno. It was time to test my powers.
I surveyed the scene before me, a scene the Perceptionist had made from the elements. This was a training ground; a forest of dangers suspended in nothingness. My teacher stood at my shoulder, whispering in my ear.
“There is only fire, earth, air and water in that forest, Michael. The monsters contained within are just shells, they are not truly alive. Have no fear in scattering them into dust, for they are meaningless. You must pass through this jungle to the other side if you want me to teach you the power of flight.”
I steeled myself to move through the gauntlet. I had to make it from one end to the other in one piece, using my new skills to preserve myself. My reward at the end would be the knowledge of how to soar like a bird.
“Remember, Michael,” The Perceptionist coached, “you needn’t touch the elements now to command them. Pull them around you with the power of your mind. They will bend to your will if you command them with certainty. Now go!”
With the utmost conviction, I gathered air behind my back and pushed myself into a run. I could see no easy entrance into the dense scrub so I sent a burst of fire to open a path before me. Blazing ahead, the flame ate through the trees, creating a trail which sparked and smoldered. I rained down a soft drizzle to quench the earth beneath my feet. A winged demon screeched down from above, claws reaching for my back. Without breaking speed, I dove into a roll and grew a wall of stone from the earth behind me. The creature exploded into a cascade of shimmering elements as it thundered into the barricade. Back on my feet, I slowed to a walk. I came to the edge of a huge ravine, which stood sheer above a raging torrent of black water. On the other side I could see a beautiful garden where golden sunshine shone upon a white figure. It looked like Charlotte. I became desperate to get to the other side. The thought of it really being her overtook my reason.
