Chapter Forty-One:
Signs of a Glowing Afterlife
Nicodemus
(I really don’t know if this is going to work…) Claude moaned as the six of us walked through the darkening forest just outside of Valyce academy. The setting sun was swallowing us the further we went in, but it was a good cover for what was going to take place this evening. I kept my hands in my pockets and my eyes to the ground, where I watched my sneakers snap twigs and leaves that I hustled by so his pestering wouldn’t break my concentration. Akira pranced beside me, running as fast as his little legs could carry him to keep the same pace.
[Claude, you have to be optimistic, remember…?] Alice said with a touch of annoyance in her voice, trying to hold her husband together without snapping his head off.
{Is everyone there yet?} May asked.
(We’ll see in a moment…) Claude whispered as we broke into the clearing. Stood around a white circle painted on the grass were the Gods and their children, all who were in their Elemental forms and wore serious masks of worry. I shuffled to the center and closed my eyes, waiting, as I transitioned myself into my own Elemental Form. My Shadows popped up on each side of me as I opened the small piece of paper Claude had given me this morning. It was a picture of the symbol I needed to use for the ritual, which I memorized before I began etching it into the ground with paint as white as my hair.
Claude watched seriously, making sure I did everything correctly before giving me a nod of approval. I crumpled the note and shoved it into my pocket before I stepped into the middle circle, clicked my heels together, and summoned my scythe. It emerged with a powerful hum, and when the handle made contact with my hand, the symbols below me began to glow to life. “You know the rules…” Dad warned darkly, “If something feels off, you pull out immediately. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” I said softly before I turned to my Shadow Walkers, “Everyone, please take one another’s hands.” They each clasped each other as I tilted my head to the sky, and began to levitate above the ritual. The wind began to rapidly whip through the clearing, which made everyone brace themselves a little. “Spiritus sancti donum fac obliti sunt. Ut ostendunt ductu et defensiva servos and obedience mihi…!” I called over the howling winds.
My eyes flashed, oddly, white, before the circle enveloped the five of us in a light that made the other Elementals shield their eyes. I was expecting an adverse reaction to the spell, but to my surprise, a shock of energy that my soul had been craving enveloped my abdomen before exploding through the rest of my body. I blinked in shock, and looked to see my Shadows all astonished as well, before the light cleared.
Before us stood ten Shadow Walkers. They were scattered amongst the circle, and unlike my own Shadows, I saw them as the ghost-like figures that Shadow Walkers usually portrayed to my friends and family. Claude and Jackson stared in pure, utter happiness at two Walkers, who were in a somewhat daze at the call my spell had sent them. “Welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. My name is Nicodemus Crawford.” I said calmly, stepping forward to shake each of their hands, “I am looking to recruit a Life Elemental and a Wind Elemental. If that is your element, please step forward.” I asked.
Four Shadows took position, two being the ones my Shadows were gawking at. One of the two was a man with the same blonde hair Claude had, who’s eyes shimmered with tears as he stared at Claude himself. The other was a woman with short black locks, a bit small but taller than May, who was making Jackson openly sob in Alice’s embrace.
I smiled at the reactions of my Shadows before turning to the male, “Your name?”
*Stark Bellamy, Life Elemental…* He croaked, not taking his eyes from Claude.
“And yours?” I asked the woman.
-Bianca Morgan, Wind Elemental…- She whispered seriously.
“I see you all know each other?” I scoffed, turning to smile dorkily at my Shadows. Jackson flashed me a look that would forever be burned into my memories; pure, heartbroken devastation. He longed for the two Shadow Walkers before me desperately, and made my sarcastic smile disappear at how serious his reaction was. I turned back to the two and held my hand out, which made them blink in awe. “I’d like to offer you the position, Mr. Bellamy, Mrs. Morgan. I must warn you, though, it’s not an easy job. I tend to be scrappy, and get into a lot of trouble; isn’t that right, Claude?” I taunted.
Claude chuckled, shaking his head with a loving smile, (It absolutely is, you dork…) He cooed lovingly, which made Stark and Bianca beam.
-I think we can handle it.- Bianca joked lightly.
“In all seriousness, I'm expected to become a God one day. If that’s so, I need all hands on deck. Not only am I recruiting you two, but I need to resurrect a soul in the very near future, as in, like, tonight. I need to know you both can help me accomplish that.” I coldly said.
*I promise we can help you. In life, we were very powerful Elementals.* Stark assured.
-I’ve been able to siphon toxins for centuries; your life will surely be safe.- Bianca sang.
“That’s what I like to hear. Welcome aboard you two. Let’s complete the final step,” I took the tip of my scythe and cut a small hexagon into my palm to signify I would now have six Shadow Walkers. “Do you, Stark Bellamy, accept my contract as a Shadow Walker?”
*I accept.* He replied warmly.
“Do you, Bianca Morgan, accept my contract as a Shadow Walker?”
-I accept.- Stark and Bianca both placed their hands in mine, and as soon as they touched my blood, a violent flash of light exploded around us. They slowly began to morph from ghosts to physical beings, and smiled in awe at the transformation.
When it was over, I turned to the remaining eight, and bowed respectfully to them. “Thank you all, for your time. I hope you find very valuable partners in the near future.” I said. They murmured politely in return before dissipating, which made me smile to Stark and Bianca and smack my hands to my waist. “Well now, I call that a success! Now there’s eight of us, right, Akira?!” I chirped, which made my Shadows laugh and he yap happily.
Behind us someone dropped to their knees, which made my Shadow Walkers and I turn in shock. I was astonished to see it was Galaxy, who’s jaw was slack and his eyes full of absolute shock. “You did it… I can’t believe you did it…” he croaked hollowly. “How… How…?”
I simply shrugged, “I don’t really know how I do half of this stuff. Though, it kind of felt, good! I don’t feel as sick anymore…?”
“Stop, talking…!” Dad snapped, which made me blink worriedly. He slid a hand onto his face, which shook intensely as he tried to process his thoughts. “You contracted more Shadow Walkers…You, contracted… More Shadow Walkers…? How did you contract more Shadow Walkers…? How is any of this possible…?” He insanely cried to himself.
“Atlas… Please, we don’t need to have this conversation right now.” Mom hissed to keep him on track, though she looked as drained and defeated as he did.
He slowly nodded as I turned to my Shadows, who were a clump of hysterical happiness. Stark and Claude were sobbing wildly into one another’s embrace, while Jackson had his forehead pressed to Bianca’s, and was bawling about how much he loved her. I smiled at the scene, and moved to set a hand on May’s shoulder. She blinked at me, then smiled and combed a lock of my hair back. {You know, don’t you?} She accused.
“Sure do, May-May, I sure do,” I chirped, “Now we just need to find Bexley for you.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief at my comment, but instead of pressing the topic, she simply smirked and kissed my temple once before sliding an arm around my lower back. {As long as I have you, then I’ll be alright.} She whispered as she tightened her grip on me.
╪
The secret eighth door of the Septem Ostia was the first to be swallowed by the setting sun. It was shrouded in an ever-darkening black shadow that was taking the other Elemental Realms with it, and made an ominous cloud of despair emanate from what little we could see.
Blaine and Elizabeth slowly stepped out of the Water Realm, their faces grief stricken. In his arms, Blaine held his long lost beloved wife. Just as I had seen her in my dreams, her body was perfectly preserved from the ice she had slumbered in, and the same pillowing hair she and her son shared spilled across Blaine’s forearm. Tears collected in his eyes as he delicately laid Halcyon on the edge of the marble fountain that was the main focal point of the school, so that if this did work, she would be close to her natural element to fuel her even more.
He gently laid her left hand into the waves of the water so that her fingertips were submerged, then sunk to his knees to comb her hair back from her shoulders. Odysseus, who did end up coming after all, stood beside his father but had his back turned from his parents. His eyes were flooded with tears, and his hands shook, but Blaine didn’t force him to turn around. He knew the emotions choking his son were too immense, and he didn’t want to make things worse.
I ghosted to Blaine’s side and knelt beside him, laying a hand on his trembling shoulder. He slowly looked up to me with his broken eyes, and I could see that years of pain were once again on the surface. “I promise, I won’t make you go through this for nothing…” I whispered, my voice level and dead serious as I spoke. “I would never ask either of you to do this had it not been our only option. I need you to trust me completely.”
“I do, Nick, but…” he stuttered, and brought his fist to his mouth to steady himself slightly before continuing, “I can’t lose you both, so please, promise me you can do this. I love her, but I love you too; we both do. We need to know this will work…” Odysseus stiffly turned to give me a look that meant he agreed completely with his father.
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I smirked lightly to ease their worries, and reached over to clasp Odysseus’s hand, “It’s all going to be ok. You need to be ready for when I get back. I’ll need all the help I can get once I cross back into our Realm. Make sure she’s ready for this, too. This is a difficult process for not just me, but for her body and soul. They’ve been apart for a long time, so bringing them together is going to take every ounce of anything my Shadows and I have.”
“Where do you want all of us?” Mom asked, sitting on the fountain beside Halcyon. She moved her fingers through her friends’ hair, smiling softly to herself.
“You, Sebastian, and Devereaux need to stay by Halcyon at all times. You are the healers of the group, and no matter what happens, need to focus on her and her alone. Elizabeth will feed her the energy her element needs to recharge. Dad is going to keep me going on the Death Elemental side. Odysseus…” I turned to him hesitantly, “You know what I need from you.”
“I’ll be there the moment it’s over, Particeps Potestatis.” He assured with a wink.
“Now’s the best time to test if that theories true?” Sebastian teased sweetly.
-I will do everything I can to keep up with the toxins that enter your body. You’re going to feel a lot of it, but as soon as we’re done, I can relieve them from you.- Bianca assured.
*As for I; focus on keeping your energy as level as you can with my own. Use every ounce I give to you. We’re not just pulling her from the Shadow Realm, but we have to keep you in the form of Grim the entire time we’re in there. It will not be a cause to take lightly. It has been thousands of years since I have exerted this much, so please be patient with me…* Stark tried.
“Stark, relax. I know you can do this,” I said, clamping my hand on his shoulder reassuringly. He smiled and nodded as I sighed and turned to the crowd. “Everyone ready!?”
“If you get sick…?” Halcyon began, her voice flooding my consciousness.
I rolled my eyes a little, fronting confidence to try and ease her worries, “Halcyon, please, focus. I need all of your attention and energy right now.”
“You’re right. Ok, I'm ready whenever you are, Nicodemus.”
“She’s here?” Odysseus whispered nervously, his lips quivering slightly as all of his pent emotions began to bubble through.
I turned with a big smile and nodded, pausing as she gave me one final message. “She said that as scary as this all is, she knows we will both be fine. She also told me that she loves you both, and she can’t wait to be with you again.” I said, making the Levasseur’s smile wearily.
(Ready when you are, chief.) Claude said as all six of my Shadow Walkers appeared in a circle around me.
I nodded and whispered the words to begin the spell to turn myself into Grim, which made my father incredibly uneasy, but he hid his face in Mom’s hair to keep himself from interrupting. This time, as my body morphed into the ancient skeleton, the shift was nearly painless, and when I slowly rose to stand once more, I felt like wires were racing up my joints. “How odd…” I mumbled in Grim’s eerie tone.
“What?” Dad croaked nervously, lurching forward a little instinctively.
I turned over my shoulder, a smile in my voice though not visible of course, “This time feels, different… I feel, whole. But then again, I am on borrowed time. Everyone be ready; Let’s get this over with as soon as we can.” I ghosted towards the door and laced my fingers around the knob, which trembled with undeniable energy. The energy recognized that the Grim Reaper had come in contact with the door, and when the knob turned, it revealed to us a never-ending black void of oppression.
This, was Purgatory; the space where souls of the lost and forgotten were bound to aimlessly walk until they finally accomplished what had plagued them to be there to begin with. The energy was devastatingly oppressive, even to myself, and made my bones shudder enough that everyone could hear them clink together. “Do not, under any circumstance, enter this Realm or open this door. Not only will I be unable to return, but neither will you. Am I understood?”
“Yes…” the Gods and their children weakly replied.
I gave the group one final nod before floating forward, and slowly entering the black abyss. As soon as I crossed the threshold the door slammed shut violently, and the knob turned a sickly grey before disintegrating. I swallowed hesitantly, but summoned my courage and began to venture into the darkness. The first corridor we traveled down was void of all souls, so the only sound was the smoke of my cape whistling as I ghosted through the halls in search of Halcyon’s Elemental Realm. I felt Alice tighten up, and her voice broke the agonizing silence. [Years, thousands of years, we were forced to aimlessly walk this place. I cannot help but be terrified to return.]
“We are together, and we will leave together, Alice. Do not be afraid; you will never be along again, let alone in this place.” I coaxed warmly.
[Thank you…] she breathed to my surprise.
“I know how scared you all are to be back here, but once this is over, I do not plan on returning under these circumstances anytime soon. Stay with me, keep your energy aligned, and we will leave as soon as possible.” It was overpowering to feel their terrified energy, and I didn’t blame them for one second for being as petrified as they were. I wanted to soothe them as much as I could, not only for the sake of our mission, but because I needed them to know I empathized with them completely. I seemed to have accomplished this, at least momentarily.
After what seemed like hours of mindless drifting, a shift in the energy broke through the void, and before long, that single energy became thousands. From every angle I could feel soul after soul, beating like a drum in my ears as I passed. Many of them were alone, sobbing to themselves, curled up on the ground in their own misery. Some recognized that the Grim Reaper was amongst them, and began to claw towards me with empty moans of desperation. Their hands clasped my cloak and pulled me in every which way, but that was because I was allowing myself to be bothered by their torment.
As much as I hated it, as soon as I blocked out their never-ending sorrow, my cloak became smoke again, and their fingertips grasped nothing but air. I had dedicated years of my studies to crossing over lost souls such as these ones, so I was in agony the same as they were. To know so many Humans were in this crushing pit of despair made my heart sink, but for right now, I needed to focus on finding Halcyon before I worried about any of the other souls.
Beyond the Human Layer of Purgatory was the Iter Septem Animarum, the Paths of the Seven Souls. It was where all deceased Elementals who did not chose to become Shadow Walkers were split amongst this Realm, and where they would wait to see if they would be placed into Caelum or Gehenna.
It would be the last time they would be in a Realm with their own elements, for when they did get placed into the next world, they would be stripped of their Elemental powers so they could not return to the Living Realm. The problem with this was that most of these Elementals were not the good ones; almost every Elemental in the Iter Septem Animarum was one who committed serious crimes and were trying to prolong going to Gehenna.
Any Elemental who lived a good life would always chose to become a Shadow Walker, especially since they enjoyed their powers and being able to keep the Earth and its inhabitants safe and happy. If an Elemental chose otherwise, it was most likely because they had done something so bad that they would be sent to Gehenna before getting assigned anyway, and this way they could hide from Dad longer.
When I reached the portal into the Water Realm, the cold that radiated from it was so bitter than it made my own soul shiver. Unlike the actual Water Realm, there was only ice and sleet for as far as the eye could see, and was nothing close to the inviting oceanic beauty that Elizabeth and the Water Gods before her had strived to take such good care of. I hesitantly slid through the shimmering icy portal, and when I crossed over, I was met with the same exact dense ice from my first dream of Halcyon. The whipping chilled winds made the smoke of my cloak pillow wildly throughout the Realm, and when it mixed with the snow pelting us, it was swallowed in the uninviting white immediately.
“What a place… I could never imagine spending my afterlife trapped here…” I mumbled as I floated across the ice, following the tree line that I had become somewhat familiar with.
{This, is where I was forced to be…} May croaked, shuddering so violently that her voice cracked, {The Elemental souls here are far from kind. You need to watch every step you take, Nick. If they find out you are amongst them, they will attack until there is nothing left of us…}
“Why were you sent here and not the Shadow Realm? Did you all not request to become Shadow Walkers?” I curiously prompted.
(We don’t know, and never will, I suppose. We thought maybe it was because we were Gods, but now that we met you, it may be because we were never meant to be given to anyone else; not that this is your fault, Nick, just that this is how Endymion wanted things…) Claude said.
“The more I hear of this Endymion, the more I don’t like him.” I snarled before pausing at the tree line. “She should be nearby; every time I saw her, she was in a cave with a ceiling covered in crystal icicles. I think she was hiding there to protect herself from the other souls.”
{No, don’t you dare! If the others hear you, we’re toast…} May croaked.
“On foot it is.” I assured to calm May’s worries. As we glided in between the thick forest of snow covered trees, I began to feel the ominous beating of dark energies against my spine. Their souls were so dense it was as if I was being smothered by mud, and they kept getting closer and closer to my disdain. I didn’t want to scare my Shadows, so I kicked it into higher gear and tried to distance myself from the souls as much as I could.
Finally, I found it… the cave.
The entrance was sealed by a wall of incredibly dense ice, so I had no other choice than to whip my scythe out and slam it into the wall. It shattered with an indescribable, Earth shattering crackling, which then made the icicles inside the cave shake violently before crashing to the floor. “We need to move quickly; there’s no doubt that signaled the others.” I snapped, darting inside to follow the beat of whimsical energy. At the back of the cave, though there was no crystal coffin, a small whisp of blue energy was flickering. It was bobbing across the floor as if it were pacing, and I could hear it whimpering soft cries of worry. I recognized the tone and knelt down carefully, “Halcyon? Is that you?” I coaxed.
The flame bobbed to a stop, only to gently float closer to me until it was settled in my hand. The energy pouring from it was light and refreshing, crisp even, compared to the gunk just outside the walls. “Nicodemus…? Is it really you…?” Her voice cooed.
I chuckled softly, “I think it’s time to take you away from this place.”
“Oh Nicodemus…I can’t believe you’ve made is this far…?”
“As much as I’d like to celebrate, too, we need to get back. I can only hold this form for so long. Besides that, there are a lot of souls hunting me down, and I don’t want to get either one of us hurt.” I stood and guided her soul towards my rib cage, where she danced inside and flickered steadily, “You’ll be safe there. Let’s get out of here; don’t leave my body no matter what. If you get lost, I won’t be able to come back for you.”
“Understood.” She whispered before tucking herself into my cloak.
When I broke through the entrance of the cave, instead of being met by the deafening silence from before, a deep and methodic howling sent chills down my spine. It was an inhuman, yet not animal, sound, and with it came a line of disgusting corroded black figures. Some were misshapen by broken bones, others missing body parts, and all smelled so putrid that I gagged. “Everybody hold on!” I called before darting through the trees like a comet.
The corrupted souls howled once more before bounding after me through the icy landscape, panting and screaming my name over and over. Some reached out and barely clasped the ends of my cloak, but I was able to get across the ice and through the portal before anything latched itself onto us. When we did break through the portal, I ended up bouncing across the void a few times before coming to a standstill, my bone arms trembling as I lifted myself. “I’m losing too much energy… We need to get out of here…”
“Let me help!” Halcyon’s soul hummed before a flood of cold energy snaked through my bones, which did invigorate me enough to be able to catch my bearings and head towards the door. The Human souls all screamed in agony and grabbed at my legs and scythe end as we raced by them, and some made it impossible to continue without shaking them off. “The doors just ahead! We can do it, Nicodemus!” Halcyon cried as I reached for the knob that now reappeared for me.
As soon as my fingers clasped around it, the door opened with a blinding cascade of light, which sent the souls dangling from my body hurling back to their own Realm, with a hissing that would forever be burned into my memories.