Detarru Island_The Gates of Hell

by Mickey Deymon

  “Am I dreaming?” I asked, letting go, trying to avoid a major disappointment.

  “Can a dream do this?” He pinched my arm hard.

  “Ouch!” I cried.

  He laughed, then I laughed too, then we both laughed hysterically for another minute. It was just like old times.

  “It took you long enough. I’ve been waiting here for so long I grew gray hair, look,” he said, playfully touching his hair. “There’s a lot of things I’ve been dying to tell you.”

  “Word, me too! Did you know about my secret identity?”

  “Are you kidding? I knew about you since the moment you were in your mother’s womb,” he replied.

  “How did you know?

  “Because once upon a time, I was one of your first guardians on Detarru Island,” he chuckled.

  “No way!”

  “Yes way! In fact, I was right by your side when you defeated Satu and his army for the first time. Together we succeeded, and I know we will do it again.”

  “I don’t know, Pops. How am I supposed to do this? I am much weaker than before. I’m basically useless,” I said disappointed.

  “That doesn’t mean you’re useless. That only means it isn’t your time yet. Trust me, you’ll know when you’re ready, and when you are, you will succeed.”

  Listening to him brought back memories again. I remembered those days where out of nowhere, he would give me a pep talk and say these exact words:

  ‘No matter what happens, never give up.’

  I wondered if he was preparing me for this moment.

  “What are you doing in Paradise?”

  “Waiting for you,” he replied. “This is where we always meet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He looked at Matheus, who was standing behind me quietly.

  “So you don’t remember anything about your past?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  “That’s really strange. I thought by now you’d remember something.” He crossed his arms across his chest and thought for a moment.

  “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to explain everything.” He smiled. He took a deep breath and continued.

  “First you must know, this won’t be your first or last time here in Paradise. Satu is not the only one who’s been threating the world. Many have tried to destroy Earth before, and they’ll keep trying. When they do, this is where we meet, and find The Others.”

  “The Others?”

  “Just like you, there are other valiant men and women, chosen to protect Earth!” he exclaimed. It was kind of relieving to know that I wasn’t the only Power Ranger alive, but something just didn’t add up.

  “So why aren’t these Others doing something about Satu?” I asked.

  “Because just like you, it isn’t their time yet,” he answered. I got quiet for a minute, and tried to compute all of that. My grandfather sat on the floor, so I did too.

  “Not their time yet either, huh? So then, where are these other Mutants?”

  “How would I know?” he answered with a shrug.

  “You don’t know?”

  “I said I was one of your guardians, not a psychic, Dumbo,” he replied.

  “Do you at least know who they are?”

  “Nope,” he replied, shaking his head. "You secretly choose them yourself.”

  I could not believe it. This was a matter of life and death. I really needed to build my own Justice League, or I was definitely going to end up dead.

  “It’s alright,” he continued. “Once you’re ready, you’ll know who The Others are, and what to do.”

  “How will I know when I’m ready?”

  My grandfather looked at me, then at Matheus, and nodded. Matheus smiled kindly, came forward, and handed me a pair of white pants, and a white shirt, identical to what my grandfather was wearing. Then he said, “First, you need to get yourself cleaned up. Harris and I will show you around Paradise, then teach you all you need to know in due time.”

  I was responsible for the wellbeing of six realms. One of them is Earth. If I didn’t do this right, The Clash of the Titans would begin, and it would be game over for all of us. I couldn’t help it.

  I was afraid I’d fail.

  Chapter 11

  Detarru Island

  “Do not let anyone in or out,” ordered a man with a black long cape and a very soft crude voice. His hoodie covered his face, creating a dark shadow.

  The Satunian soldier bowed, then ordered seven of his men to follow. They jogged to the small entryway that led downwards to a cave.

  “My Lord?” came a voice from behind a building. It was Oliver, the messenger. He was some kind of witch or visionary with telekinetic abilities, and was able to communicate with spirits or demons in the underworld. Short for his age, late fifties, he was dark skinned and very skinny, with shoulder length white hair and perfect teeth.

  “I have words from the underworld,” he said. “The Chosen One has made it to Paradise.”

  The man in the cape turned, furious. “Who was in command?”

  “Rukus, sir,” Oliver answered with fear.

  The man in the cape clenched his teeth, and with an irritable gesture said, “I want Ethasus and his guardians dead, do you understand?” he snarled.

  Oliver nodded.

  “Where are The Others?”

  “We, we don’t know their whereabouts yet, my Lord. We are doing everything we can to find them.”

  “When you do, bring them to me, alive,” he said, with a grin.

  “As you wish,” Oliver said.

  “Is everyone in position?” he said, as he was scoping out the Detarrunian village.

  “Yes, we are waiting for your orders, sir.”

  “Good, we will strike tomorrow morning.”

  Oliver bowed before him, and made his way back into the building. The mysterious man took off his hoodie, revealing a shiny bald head. He was in his late sixties, tall with menacing silver eyes. His arms and legs were muscular, and he had scars on his face and body from previous battles.

  He had his entire army on a mission, to search and destroy. All he cared about was power, and he wanted to wipe out humanity from existence. Creating his own demonic realm on Earth was something he’d been trying to do for centuries. As he stood there, he felt the presence of a guardian.

  “Let go of me!” screamed a woman being dragged out of the cave by two guards. She was thin and elegant, with hazel eyes and brunette curly long hair. Right behind her was a man whose hair had shades of gray, and he had brown eyes that hid behind his glasses. Seconds later, an average man with blue eyes, red hair and a beard was dragged out, followed by a blonde woman with gray eyes, and a muscular guy that took three soldiers to restrain. They were all squirming and yelling, trying to get loose.

  “My Lord? We found these men and women hiding by the gates,” the guard in command said.

  “Clara?” the man in the cape spoke. He leaned closer, and got a better look at her. She didn’t reply, and just stared at the tall man with scars, who was also staring back at her with a malicious glare. Seeing him back again, had her trembling in fear.

  “How did you get out? Where is my son?” she screamed. “Where is Erick, you bastard?”

  He backed away slowly. He didn’t know what she was talking about. “Who’s Erick?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, you monster; he went to Inferno looking for you. What did you do to him?”

  His eyes were still fixed on her for a moment. Then he finally realized who she was referring to.

  “AH! You mean Ethasus?” he asked with a grin. “He’s your son?” He chuckled. “I haven’t seen him, unfortunately. In case you haven’t heard, there’s a price for his head, and every demon in the underworld is searching for him now. So as far as I’m concerned, he’s
probably already dead,” he scorned softly.

  Clara didn’t say anything after his wicked response. She stood there quietly, thinking.

  “Satu?” The blonde lady with gray eyes called. He glanced at her with this intensity. He sure didn’t like servants addressing him by his name, and didn’t like being interrupted either.

  “I’m Rebecca Taylor and this is my partner, Nathan Jeff,” she said. “We were the ones who freed you, and lured Ethasus into The Gates of Hell, with this book.”

  She handed him The Book of Mythos. He took it, studying it for a moment.

  “I don’t recall ever asking you to speak,” he finally said, almost in a whisper.

  Both Rebecca and Nathan exchanged looks, puzzled. A guard slapped her across her face, hard. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. Nathan helped her up while she wiped the blood from her nose.

  “This book is worthless to me, and so are you.”

  Rebecca stood there in silence, rubbing her face in confusion. She thought that Satu would reward her greatly for her actions, but it didn’t seem that way anymore. She betrayed the guardians and joined the Satunians for nothing. He was probably going to kill her as a sign of gratitude. She made the mistake of dragging Erick into the underworld, and now he can’t come back and save them.

  They were on their own now.

  “Where are The Others?” Satu asked, looking at Clara.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Satu lost his cool. She could see his jaw movements from where she was standing. No one expected his sudden reaction either. It was so fast that he looked invisible for a quick second. The only thing Clara felt was his big cold and rough hand on her throat. He was so strong that with just one hand, he lifted the woman up in the air.

  He was choking her for answers.

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell me where they are,” he said with clenched teeth.

  Clara was running out of air. The more she fought, the more he held tighter.

  “Let her go!” the man with glasses yelled.

  Satu quickly turned to him. The other guards held him down.

  “And you are?” Satu asked, interested.

  “I’m Jack Ross, Ethasus’ father, and that’s my wife, so get your hands off of her!” he demanded, with no signs of fear.

  Satu watched him perplexed for a moment, then gurgled.

  “Is this what the new generation of guardians are doing? Mingling with the outsiders?”

  He let Clara go, and she started rubbing her throat in pain. He definitely left a mark on her. His focus now was on Jack. He took a few steps, ready to attack him.

  “Wait!” Clara shouted, knowing his intentions. His attention was back to her again.

  “You don’t understand, there is no way we could possibly know that. Only Ethasus knows who they are, and where to find them.”

  Satu’s expression turned to anger. That piece of information turned him wild with rage and he screamed like a wild animal. He grabbed Gregory by his collar, and threw him up in the air, so high he landed on top of a rock a few feet away, dead. He ordered his guard to deliver a message to Oliver. When the guard in charge walked away, Satu turned back to Clara and Jack.

  “What are you going to do to us?” she asked.

  He stopped and took a deep breath, and just like that, his anger was gone again.

  “There has been a slight change of plans. I’m going to have to let you go.”

  That was an unexpected answer.

  Clara and Jack were not convinced. They didn’t know whether to believe him or just run for their lives.

  “You’re just gonna let us go?” Rebecca asked. She sure broke the awkward silence.

  Satu ignored her and walked away. He ordered his guards to let them go, then they all went inside the building, leaving them in the dark.

  Clara and Jack didn’t waste any time. They ran back to the terminal, and didn’t care if Rebecca and Nathan followed or not.

  They were on a mission.

  “I really don’t buy it!” Jack exclaimed, while running.

  “Me neither, but Satu is getting his army ready. Therefore, he won’t touch Erick until he finds The Others first.”

  “That’s great news,” Jack said relieved.

  “I just don’t know why The Others are so important to him.”

  “Who are these Others?” he asked, eager to know.

  Jack’s research had escalated into another level that he could no longer understand. Now everything was a fictitious reality. He realized there was more to this island’s legend than he expected. The only way of finding answers was through Clara.

  “The Others are Erick’s most trusted allies,” she informed him. “Just like the guardians, they were also chosen. Yet they are much more powerful than Erick himself. Their purpose is to help Erick when The Order is at risk.”

  “The Order?” he said bewildered.

  “Yes, it is a law created to balance good from evil in the underworld. As long as that balance of power exists, there will be peace in all six realms.”

  “What if they are destroyed?”

  “It will be the end of everything,” Clara responded.

  Jack stopped running. He was thoughtful and concerned.

  “Are you saying that our son will be in the middle of a major battle? And if he doesn’t win, it will be the end as we know it?”

  Clara nodded.

  “Clara? He’s only 16 years old. How can he possibly save all the worlds?”

  “I know exactly how you feel, Jack. Luckily for us, we have a backup plan in case things get out of hand.”

  “What’s the plan?” he asked.

  “I’ll show you once we get back to New York, but we need to hurry! I think I know where Erick is, and if I’m correct, he should be safe with my father in Paradise.”

  “Harris!?” Jack glanced at her, shocked.

  Nathan and Rebecca were heard catching up to them.

  Jack was ready to fight them again, but Clara held him back.

  “This is not their fault and neither is it ours,” she said softly. “I gave birth to Erick, thinking he could have a normal life, and be a normal kid. I thought I could protect him, and change his destiny. Unfortunately, he was destined to go through those gates no matter what. We cannot control that.”

  Jack stood there silently, listening as she kept hitting him with facts that were too hard to understand. To him, it was very unfair to know that his only son was trapped in the underworld, and was destined to fight demons for the sake of mankind.

  “Jack? Wait up please,” Nathan called out behind them. Jack and Clara waited for both of them to catch up.

  “I’m so sorry, please, let us help you bring Erick back,” Nathan implored. “We made a mistake and we want to—“

  “You’re only sorry because you got ditched, and your dumb plan didn’t work out,” Jack said annoyed.

  “Let’s keep moving,” Clara interrupted.

  They finally got to the truck, and they headed back to the terminal. Clara went on about the Six Realms, and her father, Harris Montclair, the very first guardian on Detarru Island.

  She went on about other things that Jack needed to know, like The Others, and The Creator. This side of the story he had never heard of before, in any of his research. Neither had Nathan and Rebecca. They never thought such things could even be real. There were more secrets about Erick that Jack never thought were possible. Now he knew why she never told anyone.

  It was for Erick’s protection, and the protection of the world itself. He started to accept it. He finally realized how valuable and important his son really was. Even in all that anguish and desperation he was feeling inside for not being able to help him, he was still one proud parent.

  “Will he c
ome back?” was Jack’s response to everything Clara told him.

  Clara looked at him and smiled warmly and she gently grabbed his hand. “Of course he will.”

  Paradise

  “That does it?” I shouted in frustration. “For Christ sakes, Pops, I’m going to be fighting demons, not teddy bears.” My grandfather and Matheus just listened while I complained, in silence. I was about to go Super Saiyan in a minute if they didn’t train me the right way.

  “Well what did you expect, kiddo?” Pops said.

  “I thought you were going to teach me some Harry Potter moves, or how to give Satu a punch to the throat. How is learning about the past going to help me with anything?” I said annoyed.

  “With that negative attitude, you won’t understand what I’m trying to show you, Erick,” he responded calmly.

  “What exactly do you need me to see?”

  “I need you to see within yourself”

  “Look within my wha?”

  “Look inside of you, feel your soul, your energy, and find that heroic spirit that you once were before. Let him guide you once more.”

  “How?”

  “First I need you to close your eyes, and take a deep breath.”

  I did exactly that. “Okay, now what?” I asked.

  “Now relax, and keep breathing in and out.”

  “I am relaxed.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Pops, I did exactly what you said, and I’m relaxed,” I said, not relaxed.

  “Okay, now, I need you to try to clear your mind.”

  “Okay I did.”

  “This is a very important process; if not done right, it won’t work,” he advised.

  “I swear I’m not even thinking how dumb this is. I’ve cleared my mind, trust me,” I said, being negative.

  “Now, listen to your soul, and tell me, what is it saying?”

  “Umm…”

  "Can you hear your soul?" he asked.

  I took few seconds to respond. “No. I can’t hear anything.”

  “Well, that’s because your mind won’t allow it, you must believe.”