After exiting the ethereal vortex I dropped onto my hands and knees. My hands clutched at clumps of grass. When I looked up I could see a glade in front of me.

I was outside. The muted yellow sky above me made that plainly obvious.

A tree stood in the center of the glade. Many small lights danced randomly above the tree. Their appearance resembled fireflies, but they were much bigger. The tree itself looked to be about the size of a large apple tree with a bright white bark akin to a birch tree. I could see that many of the leaves were wilted.

In front of the tree was a bubbling pool of water with a set of five rounded stone statues encircling it. The water simmered up from the ground below, but didn’t seem to go anywhere. The faces of the statues were muted and worn away. They reminded me of gargoyles on the sides of ancient churches.

At the edge of the glade was a perimeter stone fence that encircled the area. The fence appeared to be made of the same blood red material as the rest of the structures in the horseman’s inner dominion.

My canine friend was lying unconscious on the ground beside me. I rubbed Patrick’s ears and patted his head to try to rouse him.

“Captain Douglas… Patrick, wake up!” I said.

His front paws jerked when he came to his senses. The Alsatian sat up and looked at me curiously, as if he’d been dreaming of something.

“Hannah. What happened?” he asked. “I remember entering through the door, but everything else is vague.”

“We entered into a place… a void of some sort. It’s called the Ethereal Vortex. Don’t ask me how I know this… because I cannot explain it.”

“What is the vortex?” he stuttered.

“I think it’s a place that surrounds Limbo, but I’m not sure to be honest.”

“How did we make it through? I don’t seem to remember anything.”

“I was operating on instinct. Some part of me remembered being in the vortex before. I almost lost you there. I was worried that you’d be stuck in there like so many others!”

“There were other beings in that place?”

“Yes, I got the sense that they belonged to Letum, the red horseman. They were the souls he’d accumulated for himself. For what purpose I have no idea.”

I petted Captain Douglas gently on his head.

“Well, then you have my eternal thanks for saving me. No pun intended!” he replied.

I laughed.

The Alsatian’s facial expression changed. He stood up and looked at the tree in the glade. His tail curved down between his legs as he started growling. His teeth flared out the sides of his mouth.

“What is it?” I asked.

Captain Douglas moved forward a few steps. He seemed to sense something that I couldn’t.

“There’s something around that tree. It’s watching us!”

I focused my eyes on the white tree, but I couldn’t see anything. The glade looked tranquil and solemn. I was still holding the book in my left hand. It was so light that I had forgotten about it. I opened the book and glanced inside.

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[Celestial]

Name: Oraculum (three sisters of the Nexus)

Points: 106

Power: 6

Type: Truthsayer

Location: Limbo

Abilities: Celestial Knowledge, Prophecy, Fate Diviner

Details: Three sisters make up the Oraculum of the Nexus. Their names are Hista, Feita, and Dia. They are able to see through all the celestial realms to predict the future. They are mischievous and will try to deceive the knowledge seeker. Beware as they will warp their knowledge to suit their own purpose.

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Captain Douglas kept growling as he looked towards the center of the glade.

As I looked more closely I saw three young women emerge from the tree, like ghosts through a wall. They appeared to be aged in their early twenties, but their mannerisms seemed much more ancient. All three had a different hair color; one each with blonde, red, and brunette hair. They were all dressed in white dresses of a fashion I’d never seen before. The only way of distinguishing them was through their hair color as their faces looked nearly identical.

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They smiled and waved for me to approach them.

Unconsciously, I took a step forward, but the Alsatian stepped in front of me.

“Hannah, I don’t trust these women. Do you think it’s wise to approach them?”

“Patrick, I think they’re the Oraculum.” I replied.

“Weren’t you expecting one being to be the Oraculum?”

“Yes, but that’s not what my book is telling me. It says these three women are the Oraculum.”

“Then, please approach cautiously," he said. "My senses are telling me not to trust them.”

I walked forward and closed the divide in-between us quickly. I stopped in front of the bubbling pool of water. I stood on one side of the pool with Captain Douglas and the three sisters stood on the other side.

“Hannah Jones!” all three spoke in unison.

“Yes,” I said. “What are you?”

“You have the book of Uriel!” they stated. “It should have told you that we are the Three Sisters of the Nexus. We are also called the Oraculum by many, including your acquaintances the angel, Adathan and horseman, Letum.”

“You seem to know a lot about me,” I stated.

“That is our gift… and our curse.” They cackled in unison. Their laugh gave me the chills as it reminded me of something from a nightmare.

“Do you have names?” I asked.

“She is Hista.” Hista tufted her long blonde hair.

“She is Feita.” The redheaded one smiled mischievously.

“And she is Dia.” The brunette did nothing.

Now that I was closer to the Oraculum sisters I could see them much better. The brunette called Dia seemed to be the leader. She always started speaking before the other two sisters. Feita had a permanent mischievous expression on her face. I felt the most uncomfortable with her. Hista studied me more than the others, like she was trying to figure out what to do with me.

“I’m Hannah Jones and this is…”

“Do not speak its name!” they yelled. “It is an abomination that walks with you! An abomination unto the celestial planes!”

Captain Douglas barked at the Oraculum. I guess he didn’t care much care for their attitude towards him.

All three sisters hissed at the dog in response.

“Do not speak of it! It should be destroyed!”

I knelt down and rubbed the Alsatian. He whined and stepped backwards into my arms.

“We have been expecting you Hannah, or should we call you Potentate!”

I had a feeling that these ladies knew all about me already. That they probably knew much more about my situation than I did. I decided to take heed of Patrick’s warning and get down to business; not wanting to remain talking to the Oraculum for too long.

“Letum, the Red Rider, said that you would be able to help me find my lost token.”

“Yes, you arrived in Limbo without a token!”

They looked at each other and giggled.

“The Potentate without a token. How can that be?”

Again they all laughed.

“What is so funny?” I asked.

The reaction I got was immediate. The faces of the three sisters became glum and serious. Like a child having their favorite toy taken from them.

“She is so innocent Dia… can we not tell her the secret?” Hista said.

Dia turned to stare at her sister with an angry expression. There was obviously something that the sisters were keeping from me. Apart from information to help me find my token I also wanted answers. I had so many questions that I needed answered.

What am I?

What is a wisp or the Potentate?

How did I die?

“What is this secret that you keep from me?” I asked.

Dia turned her gaze back upon me. She analyzed me for a moment before responding.

“Do you know the story of heaven and hell?” she asked.

“No, not really, I’m not a religious person,” I responded.

Feita stifled a giggle as she placed her hand across her mouth.

“Hmmm, I see. Well, this knowledge we give to you without cost.”

The three sisters started speaking in unison again.

“Untold ages ago there was only one heaven. Then there was a great war between angels and demons that severed the heavens. This caused a great upheaval. Not even we as the Oraculum know the origin of the war. Only that it has been going on since time immemorial.”

“The celestial conflict between angels and demons sundered heaven into seven levels. We, like yourself, have been cast out of the upper levels and into Limbo. The Limbus Nexus is the lowest level of heaven and is where you are currently. Limbo is separated into three parts: the Limbo of the Damned, the Limbus Nexus, and the Limbus Potentia.”

“Limbo of the Damned is the domain of the demons and a place of great evil.”

The three sisters paused briefly as if to gather their thoughts. I wasn’t expecting a history lesson about Limbo, but the more information I had the better chance I had of surviving in this place. The angel Adathan had told me that I couldn’t really die in Limbo, but that I’d return as something else. I didn’t really like the sound of that.

“Do you understand Hannah Jones?” they asked.

“Yes, I think so, but I assume there’s more?”

“The Limbus Potentia is the dominion of the angels. It is from this place of great strength that the angels help to guide the lost spirits into the afterlife. Many who die aren’t aware that they are dead. The angels in Limbo help to guide the newly dead souls through to the remaining levels of heaven… if they are able.”

“The Limbus Nexus, also just called the Nexus, is the area in between everything else. It is the biggest part of Limbo… where all the spirits arrive and await their progression to heaven or hell.”

“Is that where I am now? In the Nexus?” I asked.

“Yes Hannah, you arrived in the Limbus Nexus as a wisp. At least this is what the angels would call you.”

“What is a wisp? An angel, Adathan, told me that’s what I was, but I don’t know what that means.”

“The horseman called you the Potentate, did he not?” they asked.

“Yes.”

“As a wisp you have the power to travel into any part of Limbo. But there is much more than that. We don’t think you are ready to hear the rest.”

I figured that this must have been the secret that Hista was referring to previously. She said I was so innocent. I decided that I needed to know everything and didn’t want the Oraculum to keep any secrets from me.

“Please tell me! Hista, was this the secret that you mentioned before?”

The three sisters looked at each other. Hista had a solemn expression, but Feita smiled devilishly. Dia turned to face me with a stern look.

“Since the very beginning there has been a balancing force between angels and demons. This balancing force resides within all wisps in the afterlife. The leader of the wisps is known as the Potentate.”

“So I’m a leader of wisps?” I asked.

“You are the Potentate.” they said.

“That doesn’t sound so terrible,” I said.

“You don’t understand Hannah Jones. There is an ancient augury that the Potentate will bring an end to the war between heaven and hell.”

Dia pointed at me.

“You, Hannah Jones, will one day bring peace to the kingdom of heaven!”