My head exploded with the possibilities that I, Hannah Jones, would one day bring resolution to a war between angels and demons. A war that had been going on since the creation of the world.
How was that even possible?
I didn’t even know anything about this war. In fact I didn’t get a sense that I had ever known anything about it. Everything I had experienced in Limbo up until that point led me to distrust the Oraculum.
“Don’t believe them Hannah!” Captain Douglas said.
I petted the Alsatian. I wore a concerned look on my face, so I tried smiling at him to ease his apprehension.
“They are liars,” he whispered. “I can sense that they’re not telling you everything.”
The three sisters hissed at Patrick again.
“How can I be the Potentate? I don’t even know anything? Shouldn’t I be able to remember something about this?”
The three sisters giggled as they looked at each other. It was obvious to me that these women were not human and that they had no souls. The book had stated that they were celestials, so I could only assume that they were born here in this nebulous place.
How could I trust something I didn’t understand?
“Hannah, there is much that you do not know or remember. This is because your token was taken from you.” The Oraculum said.
“If I’m the Potentate, shouldn’t I have some powers, something to help me?”
“You have powers.”
“What are they? What can I do?”
“You will discover this on your own, in good time. That is part of your journey.”
I was frustrated by their response. I wanted to know right then and there.
“If I am to be the Potentate, then shouldn’t I at least know one of my powers?”
“You already know your most powerful ability. You have the power to move through any part of the celestial heavens and even into the nine circles of hell.”
I remembered Adathan telling me this, but I didn’t understand what advantage that gave me.
“What good is having a power that I don’t know how to use?” I asked.
“That is why you must discover these things for yourself.”
Again they laughed.
I realized I was getting caught up in things that I didn’t care about. I didn’t go there to find out about my status as the Potentate. I was there to find my token and hopefully, eventually, to go home again. Even though it seemed like a forgotten dream.
I needed to focus on my quest. What I was there to do.
I thought that the sisters were offering me this extra information to confuse me. This must have benefitted them in some way. They wanted me to be confused, so I couldn’t let them delve any further into my psyche.
I said with an acid tone, “I didn’t come here to find out about a war between angels and demons, I came here to find my token. Are you able to help me or not?”
“There is a cost for the knowledge that you seek… surely the red rider told you as much?”
“He mentioned that there would be a price? What do you want?” I asked.
“We wish to be free!”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“We want you to release us from our imprisonment.”
The three sisters turned and motioned to the tree behind them. At closer range the tree looked exotic. White bark wound around the tree trunk like rolled up paper. Its gray limbs looked like small arms reaching out to the sky above. The leaves were yellowish-green with specks of brown. It also vibrated with a pulse, almost like the heartbeat of a human being. It was unlike any tree I had seen or could have ever imagined.
When I looked at the tree I could sense that this was only a small part of a whole. I glanced quickly at my book searching for more knowledge.
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[Entity]
Name: Tree of Life (Lignum Vitae)
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Points: 1000
Power: 25
Type: Genesis
Location: All
Abilities: Soul Creation
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“Yes Hannah, you can sense it can’t you?”
The Oraculum sisters laughed again. They seemed to delight in the fact that they knew secrets that I did not.
“This is the Tree of Life, the Lignum Vitae. The Tree of Life extends throughout the seven heavens. But it is rooted here in Limbo. This is only a very small part of the tree.”
“The tree is beautiful, but what does it have to do with your imprisonment?”
“We are celestials born of the tree and as such we are bound to it. We were born unto the heavens and we cannot exist without the tree. For a long time we have been all-knowing and all-seeing. Hardly anything transpires in the planes of existence that we aren’t privy to, but we grow tired of this life. We wish to be free of the tree’s imprisonment. We want to live a life of our own choosing; to walk the realms, to grow, and to learn just as you do.”
I suddenly realized something. Because the Oraculum was bound to the tree they couldn't cross over the pond. They needed to stay close to the Tree of Life at all times.
“How would I free you from your imprisonment?” I asked.
“We want you to travel to the Gut, to the base of the Tree of Life. That is where the fruit of the tree falls from the heavens. You will retrieve three fruits, one for each of us. Once you have the fruit you are to bring them back to us. When you do this we will provide you with the knowledge you seek.”
That sounded completely crackers! What did I get myself into?
“Why would I do this?” I asked.
“Because without our help you will never retrieve your token! It is so well guarded and hidden away that none safe a few know where it is located. Without our help it will remain lost to you forever!”
I knew that my car could seek objects within Limbo. If I left the Oraculum I could possibly learn to use my car's ability and track down my token. That seemed like a possibility, but when I was previously driving in my Plymouth Satellite I didn’t get any sensation as to the whereabouts of my item. I had just driven around aimlessly.
“The fruit that you ask me to gather… Why is it so special?”
“It is only fruit that falls from the tree… it will not be missed by many,” said the Oraculum.
The Alsatian barked.
“They are lying Hannah. I can sense it!” Patrick said.
“We never lie Hannah Jones! As the Oraculum we cannot utter untruths. It is forbidden to us in the same way that we cannot stray far from the Tree of Life,” The Oraculum said.
I knew that there must be more to the situation than the sisters were telling me. Lying and keeping secrets were two different things. They could easily twist their words to provide me with only snippets of knowledge. I needed to uncover more before making any decision.
“Where is the Gut located?” I asked.
“The Gut straddles the border between Limbo of the Damned and the Limbus Potentia.”
“So, it straddles the border between good and evil?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds dangerous, and I don’t even know where to begin such a journey. And what of Letum, the red rider, won’t he be displeased if I free you from your imprisonment in his dominion?”
The Oraculum ignored my question.
“Your car could be used to travel to the Gut. Its powers are perfectly suited for the task.”
“You didn’t answer my question. What of the war horseman of the apocalypse?”
“He will not be pleased with our release, but he is powerless to defeat you. You are the Potentate after all. He will not harm you as your agendas coincide.”
“What is the horseman's agenda?”
“Surely, Hannah, you must know of the prophecy of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”
“I know something about the prophecy, but not much. I only have some anecdotal knowledge.”
The sisters looked at each other and smiled. It seemed to me that they had changed since my arrival. At first I thought it was their hairstyle, hair color, or dress. Something had changed, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly.
The three sisters began to speak in unison like they were reciting a written prophecy.
“There is a seal locked away in the heavens. When the seal is broken it will usher an apocalyptic end to the earthly plane. The four horsemen will ride out from the heavens and bring devastation upon the world.”
“The white horseman will bring conquest to the world. He will devour the world with pestilence and all the unholy will align at his side to reap the world.”
“Letum, the red rider will unleash the greatest of all wars. A war so immense that it will cause unending strife and conflict. With a wave of his hand he will destroy all that you have ever known."
“Famine rides with the third horseman as he brings despair to all those who hunger. With his black horse he will cause crops to fail and food to spoil. All those that go before him will suffer from starvation.”
“The last horseman is death incarnate. He rides a pale horse and brings a legion of undead with him. With his army he will sweep away anything that remains of the world.”
“The four horsemen have always been aligned with the Potentate. They think that you will bring an end to the war between angels and demons, and in so doing break the holy seal. Thus, they are waiting for you to fulfill your destiny, so they can fulfill theirs.”
“Is this part of the prophecy? That the Potentate will break the holy seal?” I asked.
“We do not know. These celestial events are unknown to us.”
“You cannot lie?”
“We cannot lie!” The Oraculum said.
“So you’re saying that the Four Horsemen think I’m on their side. That they won’t do anything to me because they are waiting for me to fulfill my destiny as Potentate?”
“Yes.”
How was I to trust these three sisters? They could be lying to me - even if they said that they could not. How was I to believe them? I didn’t want to be gullible.
Again, I found myself swimming in knowledge. Lost in events that I didn’t understand or even wanted to take part in. I wanted to get out of there. I never wanted to be the Potentate. I just wanted my life back again!
I knew that I needed to get my token. Nothing else made any sense to me. I knew that this part of my soul was missing and I wanted to get it back again.
Learning that I was a leader of the wisps and the Potentate was all too much for me. I was only a young woman who was recently sitting in university classes and going out with her boyfriend. Now I was being asked by a celestial to retrieve a piece of fruit from the Tree of Life.
I wanted to leave and never come back, but I knew that I couldn’t do that.