The horizon was bleak and ominous. A howling wind throttled across the front grill of the car as I drove down the highway. A torrent of driving rain peppered the front windshield which made it hard to see. I squinted to see the lines on the road as I kept both hands on the steering wheel. The road was slick with water and it made driving behind the wheel that much harder. I considered myself to be a good driver, but I had nearly hydroplaned my Plymouth off the road a few times.

We were driving in the desert. It reminded me of the Nevada badlands. The road meandered through a sandy waste ringed by an ancient series of mountains. The cascade vista was somber as a storm rolled over the area. Lightning strikes thundered across the landscape like fingers reaching down from the sky. When the bolts of light flashed it allowed me to see far away in the distance.

The storm was messing with my mind. I thought something was playing tricks on me. When I looked into the surrounding desert I thought I could see faces in the rain. My boyfriend’s face or the faces of my friends flashed with each lightning strike. I jumped out of my seat the first time I saw it. It scared me, but I pretended that it was only my imagination.

Both of my companions were oblivious to the conditions outside the car. They were both fast asleep. Azazel rested beside me in the front seat while Captain Douglas slumbered in the back. I wasn’t expecting my new acolyte friend to sleep.

I guess demons and angels could also sleep!

I hadn’t encountered anything that slept since my arrival in Limbo, so I was weirdly comforting by it. I yearned for normalcy, so seeing an angel-demon sleeping made me feel grounded. If creatures needed to sleep in the afterlife, then they would most likely need to eat, breathe, and do other common things. Limbo seemed so strange to me, but it was nice to know that some ordinary aspects of life existed here.

After Azazel teleported me out of my cage we quickly escaped in my car. The acolyte had used some kind of mind control on the drudes to camouflage our escape. The lands we fled from were called Aternum, which Azazel told me was the entrance into the nether regions of hell. All those souls that I had seen streaming into the entrances were being banished to hell for their misdeeds in life. Supposedly, the drudes guided the unworthy spirits from Limbo into the depths of hell.

It all seemed so unreal to me!

Once we escaped in my car I quickly used my vehicle’s seeking power to change the drifting scenery. It was easier this time. I shifted the world around me like I was changing channels on a radio. After a short time we passed away from the desolation of Aternum and into the unknown grayness of Limbo. I was happy to have escaped the archdemon Hycus, but worried that he’d catch up with me again one day. Maybe I'd be stronger the next time.

Captain Douglas had been sleeping for a long time and I was getting worried about him. He never woke after we teleported out of the cage. I had tried to rouse him from his slumber, but the Alsatian remained in a state of unconsciousness. His breathing was normal and I checked some of his vital signs, but I was no veterinarian. Azazel had told me that he simply needed to rest and that his energy was depleted.

My new acolyte friend was true to his word. He had helped me escape from my cage and had aided in our get-away out of Aternum. I decided that this was enough for me to trust him. I didn’t understand his connection to me or to the Potentate, but I was relieved to have something else to depend on. He was a powerful companion too. The Tome of Uriel had suggested that Azazel was a very formidable creature.

As he slept next to me I wondered how many other Potentates he had served as acolyte. I didn’t know his full story, but I was interested to learn more about him. He seemed devoted to helping the wisps achieve their goal of bringing peace to the kingdom of heaven. I couldn’t understand why, but it might have been because Azazel was an outcast amongst both angels and demons. At least this is what he insinuated to me. Perhaps that's what allowed the angel-demon to fit in with the wisps.

Several tumbleweeds blew across the road as the wind gusted up again. When I looked through the side window I noticed that there were utility poles along the roadway. I had drifted in Limbo again and hadn't noticed the change.

I had been content to drive in the rainy desert. There was a peacefulness in that desolate landscape. As the rain washed over the car I emptied my mind of thoughts and concerns. It was like I was being cleansed of everything that overwhelmed me since my arrival in Limbo. I could have drifted through the landscape and pressed onward with my quest towards the Tree of Life. But at that moment, I was happy to just drive, even if it was to nowhere in particular.

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“Where are we headed?” Azazel asked.

“Oh, you’re awake?” I replied. “Um, nowhere, I'm just driving through the desert storm. I needed some time to think.”

“My apologies for falling asleep Potentate.”

“Please don’t call me that… I’d prefer it if you just called me Hannah.”

“As you wish.”

The angel-demon hybrid sat up in his seat and looked out the window. His blue skin contrasted with the gray seats inside my car. He blended in naturally everywhere he went, almost like a chameleon. He had somehow tucked his wings behind him while he was resting so they were indiscernible. His muscular body was angelic to look upon, but his leathery wings reminded me of his demon side. He was both ugly and beautiful at the same time. I found myself trying not to stare at him.

“There’s no reason to apologize for sleeping,” I said. “Do you sleep a lot?”

“Only when my energy fades.”

“Is that the same thing as being tired?” I asked.

“No, not really Hannah. When my energy fades I need to sleep, but I can recharge in other ways too.”

I shook my head and tapped on the steering wheel.

“See, there are so many things that are different in the afterlife. Even something as simple as sleeping confuses me. I’m not tired and other than being unconscious I haven’t slept for days.”

“You will sleep when most of your ethereal energy is consumed.”

“So, sleep doesn’t follow the shifting of day and night?”

“No. In Limbo there is no day or night, no earth or sky, no physical form.”

“Ok, now you’re just confusing me even more,” I laughed.

He shifted in his seat and looked at me. His gaze was unsettling, but not in a scary way. He seemed to see something in me that wasn’t there. I’m sure he recognized me as Potentate and it left me feeling bewildered. I think he realized with my token gone that I wasn't the leader he was expecting.

“Here in Limbo the laws of nature are chaotic and shift like an ever changing storm. A day may last for a few weeks before the sun sets and night arrives. It's impossible to know when things will change.”

“I’ve noticed, everything seems so unusual,” I responded.

“It’s the ethereal energy that causes the calamity… but without it there wouldn’t be a Limbo.”

“Where does this ethereal energy come from?”

“Limbo and the kingdom of heaven exist in a separate plane of existence. There are many realms that make up the planes of existence. It can get complicated to think about, but when you have your token restored you will remember.”

I’m sure he was right, but I still wanted to know more. I didn't want to wait for the restoration of my inner spirit.

“So, the ethereal vortex surrounds all the planes of existence?”

“Yes, that is correct! How did you know that Hannah? Do you remember this from being the Potentate?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure to be honest. It’s more like instinctive feelings than memories. I stepped into the ethereal vortex when I visited the dominion of Letum, the red rider of the apocalypse.”

He looked at me quizzically, so I spent the next few minutes filling him in on all my travels in Limbo to that point. Azazel seemed impressed that I had managed to avoid death several times without having any powers as the Potentate.

“So you floated inside the ethereal vortex? How long were you within it?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but there were many spirits trapped inside. I exited as quickly as I could, so I wasn't lost in there forever.”

“You did good, not many celestials ever return from the vortex whence they enter.”

“How many realms are there in the planes of existence?”

“No one knows for sure. These things are a mystery to me,” replied Azazel.

I was finally getting some explanations for things that had perplexed me since my arrival in this place. I felt completely overwhelmed by the knowledge Azazel was providing, but it all made sense to me. It felt like something familiar, like something I had forgotten.

“So the energy in our bodies comes from the ethereal vortex?”

“Yes, everything in Limbo absorbs energy from the vortex. It surrounds all the planes and is a source of immense power. It provides all the energy to the planes and allows us to exist.”

Azazel saw the confusion on my face.

“I can show you in your mind, so you understand, if you let me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I have the power to commune with you through your mind. I can illuminate your consciousness and provide you with some of the knowledge you’d have as Potentate.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“No, but you will need to stop the car for this. You cannot be driving.”

Through the storm I saw that we were approaching an old abandoned cafe. The tilted sign by the side of the road read: Boxcar Restaurant. There were no lights, but the building looked to be dry and in good repair.

“How about stopping at a restaurant?” I asked.