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Celestial: Fallen
Chapter 43-The Unseen Bond

Chapter 43-The Unseen Bond

"How did it happen?" Papa asked, his voice low yet filled with concern, as we sat in the living room.

They surrounded me—Mom, Papa, and Michael—each of them wearing a different expression. Mom's eyes were worried, Papa's stern but calm, and Michael... his gaze was intense, as though he was trying to decipher what was happening through me.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady the tremble in my hands. "I was resting, and suddenly I felt this tingling in my fingers... It spread to my hands, then my arms, and eventually my entire body," I explained, still struggling to understand it myself. "Then I heard a voice. It was calling me, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. It wasn't... normal."

Michael leaned forward slightly, his jaw tight. "I felt something too," he said, his tone urgent. "It was like a hum, a kind of buzzing that wouldn't stop. It kept getting louder, and that's when I panicked. I knew I had to find you, Arwen. I found you on the rooftop."

I turned to him, confused. "But how did you know? I didn't tell anyone where I was. I said I was going for a run, remember?"

Michael hesitated, searching for the right words. "It's not something I can easily explain. When you start trusting in the circle—believing in me as the leader—I can feel it. I can sense your presence, your essence, just like I did with Nick. That's how I knew he was still alive, even though I couldn't tell where he was."

Papa leaned back, nodding solemnly. "Michael's right. It's how it's always worked, even before him. When his father led the circle, he could sense all of us. When he passed the mantle to Michael, the connection didn't happen instantly. We had to trust Michael, and he had to trust us in return. That bond... it takes time."

"So... you can sense all of us?" I asked Michael, bewildered yet fascinated.

"Yes," he replied, his voice calm now. "Your parents were the first. Then Grae, because we spent a lot of time together. Eventually, Nick. And now, you—when you started to trust me, to trust what the circle stands for. I know you've had doubts about Azrael and Talisa's story. I understand that. But after the incident—when you glowed—something changed. You started to believe, didn't you?"

His words struck a chord deep inside me. I had questioned everything—the circle, the connection, even Michael's leadership—but something had shifted after that strange glowing event. I had no logical explanation for it, yet I was beginning to believe.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... I've been thinking about it. I'm starting to believe, even though it's hard to accept everything."

Michael's expression softened. "You don't have to understand it all at once. Just trust the process. The connection is real, and I'll help guide you through it."

I smiled weakly at Papa, then turned my attention back to the main topic. "When I connected with Nick, he told me he was okay. He didn't know where he was, but he was fine. Then suddenly... our connection was severed. I don't know why."

Mom and Papa exchanged a look—a flicker of relief crossed their faces. Even though they couldn't explain it, knowing Nick was alive brought them some peace.

"I believe you'll connect with him again," Mom said softly. "You've always had a special bond with Nick."

"I hope so," I replied, though uncertainty gnawed at me.

Later that evening, I retreated to my room, my thoughts racing. I picked up the journal Miel had given me—the one about Azrael and Talisa. As I read through the pages, something clicked. The journal wasn't just a collection of historical notes—it was deeply personal, written by Azrael himself.

Azrael's entries were filled with raw emotion, his confusion over the connection he shared with Talisa evident in every word. He described how, at first, he didn't understand the essence bond—how he felt something intangible, yet powerful, drawing him to Talisa. He wrote about dreams that weren't just dreams, and feelings that weren't entirely his own. There were moments where their thoughts overlapped, their emotions intermingled, as if they were two parts of a whole.

I turned the page, my heart racing as I read his account of their first true connection.

"I didn't recognize the feeling at first. It was like a thread—thin, barely noticeable—connecting my heart to hers. It hummed, almost like a whisper in the wind. I resisted it, fought it, but the more I pushed it away, the stronger it grew. And then, one night, I saw her. Talisa. Not in a dream, but as if she were standing right there in front of me. She glowed, her essence shining through the darkness. It was in that moment I knew... our fates were intertwined in ways neither of us could control."

I closed the journal, my mind buzzing with questions. Could the bond between Nick and me be anything like what Azrael described? Was our connection severed because I wasn't ready, or was there something more? And why did Michael feel it too?

I slid the journal under my pillow and lay back, staring at the ceiling. The threads of fate that connected us all were becoming clearer, yet the mystery only deepened. If Azrael and Talisa's story was any indication, this was just the beginning.

That night, after reading Azrael's journal, I slipped into a restless sleep. The room felt colder than usual, and the silence wrapped around me like a heavy blanket. My mind couldn't quiet down—thoughts of Nick, of Michael's words, and the journal spun like a whirlwind, pulling me into uneasy dreams.

It started slowly, the way dreams sometimes do, vague and disjointed. I was standing in a field, the sky above me dark with swirling clouds. A strange energy pulsed in the air, making the hair on my arms stand on end. I wasn't alone. I could feel a presence nearby, watching, waiting. The air around me seemed to hum, as though something was about to reveal itself.

Then, I saw him.

Nick.

He stood a few feet away, his back to me, silhouetted against the dark sky. There was something off about the way he looked. He wasn't the Nick I remembered—his figure seemed almost transparent, as if he was there and not there at the same time. He turned slowly, his face coming into focus. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, everything felt like it always had—familiar, safe. But there was something else in his gaze now—something distant, unreachable.

"Nick?" I called out, my voice soft, unsure if he could hear me.

He didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked down at his hands, which shimmered with a faint, silvery glow. His mouth moved, but no sound came out, as if he was speaking from another world.

I took a step closer, reaching out to him, but as I did, the ground beneath me shifted. The field we were in began to change—stretching and twisting—until I was no longer standing in a field but inside a vast, ancient chamber. The walls were carved with strange symbols, glowing faintly with the same silver light that surrounded Nick.

"Where am I?" I whispered, feeling the energy of the place pulse through my body. The air was thick, heavy with meaning, though I didn't understand it yet.

Nick finally spoke, his voice distant but familiar. "You shouldn't be here, Arwen."

"Where are you?" I asked, stepping forward again, but he raised his hand, stopping me in my tracks.

"It's not safe. You're not ready for this." His voice trembled with something I couldn't quite place—fear? Desperation? I wasn't sure.

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"But I need to find you. We all do," I insisted, the urgency rising in my chest. "Why can't I reach you? Why did our connection break?"

Before he could answer, the chamber began to tremble. The glow on the walls intensified, and I felt a rush of cold air behind me. I spun around, only to see another figure standing in the shadows—this one different, more ethereal.

It was a woman, her figure draped in flowing robes that moved like liquid silver. She stepped into the faint light, her face pale and hauntingly beautiful. Her eyes, dark and intense, held a wisdom I couldn't comprehend. And yet, she seemed familiar in a way that unsettled me.

"Talisa?" I whispered, recognizing her from the descriptions in the journal.

She didn't answer but moved toward me with a graceful, almost ghostly step. Her presence filled the room, commanding and ancient, as though time itself bent to her will.

"Nick is caught between," she said, her voice soft yet echoing in the chamber. "You cannot reach him fully because he's neither here nor there. His essence drifts, bound by forces beyond your understanding."

I swallowed hard, fear creeping up my spine. "What forces? How do I help him?"

Talisa tilted her head slightly, as if considering whether to tell me more. "The connection between you and Nick is fragile. It is not yet fully formed. There is a trial ahead of you, Arwen—a choice you will have to make. The essence bond is not something you can control, not yet. But if you wish to save him, you must be willing to step beyond what you know."

I tried to make sense of her words, but they slipped through my mind like water through fingers. "Step beyond... what? I don't understand."

She reached out and touched my forehead lightly, and the moment her skin met mine, my mind flooded with images—flashes of Nick, of Michael, of the glowing incident. I saw the circle—each member connected by invisible threads of light—and I saw myself standing at the center, the threads stretching toward me, pulsing with energy. But there was something dark, lurking at the edges—something watching, waiting to unravel it all.

I gasped, pulling away from her touch. My heart pounded in my chest, and my breath came in ragged gasps. "What was that? What did you show me?"

Talisa's expression softened, though her eyes still held their eerie intensity. "The essence does not lie, Arwen. It reveals the truth, even when you're not ready to see it. You must prepare yourself for what's coming. Only then will you be able to help Nick."

As her words echoed in my mind, the chamber began to fade, dissolving into darkness. The last thing I saw was Nick, his eyes filled with sorrow, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Then everything went black.

I woke up with a start, my heart racing. The room around me was still and quiet, but the dream lingered, as vivid as reality. I reached up and touched my forehead where Talisa had placed her hand, feeling an odd warmth there.

The journal lay beside me, still under my pillow. I pulled it out and stared at the cover, knowing now that this was more than just a story about Azrael and Talisa. It was a guide—a warning, perhaps—about what was coming.

The threads of fate were tightening around me, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to face them.

I woke with a start, the lingering traces of my dream still swirling in my mind. My forehead tingled where Talisa had touched me, and my heart raced as if I had run miles in my sleep. The room was quiet, but it felt like I wasn't alone—like the presence of the dream still clung to the air.

Nick's sorrowful eyes. Talisa's cryptic words.

I threw off the covers and sat up, pulling Azrael's journal from under my pillow. The events of the night before were too vivid to dismiss, and I knew I had to tell someone—someone who would understand.

I found Michael sitting in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee, his eyes distant, lost in thought. He looked up as I entered, immediately sensing that something was off.

"Morning," he said softly, his gaze searching my face. "You look like you barely slept."

"I didn't," I replied, sitting across from him. "I had a dream... but it wasn't just a dream. It felt real. Like they were there—Nick and Talisa."

Michael straightened in his seat, his attention fully on me now. "What do you mean? Tell me everything."

I took a deep breath and started from the beginning. I told him about the field, how it transformed into the strange chamber with the glowing symbols, and how I saw Nick, but he wasn't... whole. I described Talisa's appearance—her otherworldly presence and the way she had touched my forehead, flooding my mind with images I couldn't fully comprehend.

As I spoke, Michael's expression grew more serious. He was listening intently, nodding occasionally, but his eyes were troubled.

"Talisa said that Nick is caught between," I continued. "She said our connection is fragile, that it's not fully formed yet. And she mentioned some kind of trial ahead of me, a choice I'll have to make. But I don't know what any of it means."

Michael leaned back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "A trial... that's not something we've ever encountered before. But if Talisa said it, it's something to take seriously. She's one of the most powerful figures connected to the essence, alongside Azrael."

"Do you think it's related to what happened with Nick? Why I lost the connection with him?" I asked, my voice betraying my frustration. "I need to find him, Michael. He's out there somewhere, and I'm starting to think that I'm the only one who can reach him."

Michael hesitated, then nodded slowly. "It's possible. If Nick is caught between life and death, or between this world and another, it would explain why you can't maintain the connection. Talisa may be warning you that there are dangers you don't fully understand yet."

I bit my lip, trying to process everything. "And what about Azrael? Talisa mentioned the essence bond isn't something I can control. But she showed me something... I saw the circle. I saw threads connecting all of us, pulsing with energy. And there was something dark, something watching from the edges, like it was waiting to break everything apart."

Michael's face darkened at my words. "The essence isn't just a bond of trust. It's ancient—far older than we understand. It ties us together, yes, but it also attracts forces that want to disrupt it. That darkness you saw... it's real. Azrael wrote about it in his later entries."

I opened the journal and flipped through the pages until I found the section Michael was referring to. My fingers brushed over Azrael's writing, the words swirling in my mind as I read them aloud.

"The essence is not bound by time or place. It stretches across realms, linking those who share it, but it is fragile, vulnerable to what lurks in the shadows. Talisa and I have felt its pull—both the light and the darkness. We've sensed the presence of something watching, waiting to sever the threads that bind us. The essence is a gift, but it is also a burden. One that requires great strength to carry."

I closed the journal, my heart heavy with the weight of Azrael's words. "So it's true... the connection isn't just about us. There are forces out there trying to break it."

Michael nodded. "Azrael and Talisa faced this darkness too. Their bond was strong, but it came at a cost. Talisa nearly lost herself to it more than once."

"Do you think that's what's happening to Nick?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "But I think Talisa is warning you that the essence bond between you and Nick isn't fully formed yet. If it breaks... you might lose him for good."

The gravity of his words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. The idea that I could lose Nick forever—because I wasn't ready, because I hadn't fully trusted the circle—terrified me.

"I don't know if I can do this, Michael," I whispered, my voice breaking. "What if I'm not strong enough? What if I fail him?"

Michael leaned forward, his expression softening. "You are strong enough, Arwen. You've already come this far, and that's not by accident. The circle chose you for a reason, just like it chose Nick, and Grae, and the others. You're a part of this—whether you want to be or not. And I'll be here to help you through it."

I nodded, though a part of me still felt unsure. "There's something else," I said quietly, almost afraid to voice my fear. "When Talisa touched me, I saw darkness around the edges of the circle. Do you think it's already here? Whatever Azrael and Talisa were fighting... is it already coming for us?"

Michael's face hardened again, his eyes locking onto mine. "If it's here, we'll face it together. The circle is stronger than any one person, and as long as we trust each other, we'll fight it."

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words settle inside me. The circle, the essence, Nick—everything was connected, but I knew now that this wasn't just about finding Nick. It was about understanding the power we held, the bond that tied us together, and the forces that wanted to tear us apart.

Later that morning, I found Mom and Papa in the living room, discussing the events of the previous night. They looked up as I approached, concern etched into their faces.

"How are you feeling, Arwen?" Mom asked, her voice soft, but her worry was unmistakable.

"I had a dream... about Nick," I began, sitting down beside them. I retold the dream—everything about Nick, Talisa, and the warnings she had given me. As I spoke, their expressions shifted from concern to something more somber.

Papa was the first to speak. "This isn't just a dream, is it?" he said quietly. "It's a message. Talisa's preparing you for something bigger."

"That's what Michael thinks too," I said. "But I don't know if I'm ready."

Mom reached out and took my hand. "You don't have to do this alone, sweetheart. We're all here for you. We'll face whatever comes next together."

I smiled weakly, grateful for their support, but deep down I knew this was something I'd have to confront myself. The threads of fate were pulling me into something far greater than I had ever imagined, and there was no turning back now.