You… you’re an angel!” I stated.
Adathan smiled and gave me more coffee. The big man had saved my life and was now nursing me back to health.
“Yes. I’m an angel, an archangel to be precise. A rank of the lowest order.” he said.
I sipped my black coffee, but spilled some down my chin. I was laying down on a small couch with a wet towel over my head. We were inside a large motorhome parked behind the Mega Mart. I guessed that this was Adathan’s home, but I hadn’t remembered seeing the vehicle previously. The inside of the motorhome looked completely normal with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and a bedroom at the back.
“Why would an angel be stuck at a gas station in the middle of nowhere?” I asked.
Adathan chuckled as he put on a new Hawaiian shirt that he had pulled out of a closet. He didn’t seem very angelic at that moment, but I had seen what he did to the kerberus only a short time ago. The wounds on his chest were almost completely gone.
“My dear, I’m in many places. It’s hard for you to understand at the moment, but eventually you will. Limbo is not like the world you remember - it is different.”
It was too much for me to digest at that moment. My head was hurting and my leg was throbbing from the fight with the kerberus. Adathan had slain the creature that was stalking me. I had a great degree of gratitude towards my newfound friend.
“Adathan, what was that creature? And why was it after me?”
“That was a kerberus… a servant dog. That was a particularly nasty one. I would think that it was sent to retrieve you.”
“Retrieve me? Retrieve me for what purpose exactly?”
Adathan settled into a sofa chair beside me and sipped on his coffee. He didn’t seem phased or unnerved by the situation. Not like me. Maybe, this was a normal day in Limbo for him?
“That kerberus was sent to retrieve you because you are a wisp. Some entity within the void wanted to claim you. To use you to gain your powers. The fact that you possessed no token made you very easy to track.”
I didn’t understand any of this and I didn’t want to either. At the same time I needed to figure out where I was and how to deal with things.
“This entity that sent the kerberus, is it a demon or something?” I asked.
“Maybe, I cannot tell. There are many powerful beings in Limbo. Some of them cause problems and try to cheat their way in the afterlife.”
“I still don’t understand, I have no powers, I mean I nearly died from kerberus’ attack.”
A thought occurred to me and I spoke quickly before Adathan could say anything else.
“Adathan, am I able to die in Limbo? What happens to me if I do?”
“Yes and no. Your body can die in Limbo, but you’d return in a new form. A soul is everlasting. Something would need to steal your lifeforce for you to cease to exist.”
“Is that what the Kerberus was trying to do - steal my lifeforce?”
“No, but whoever sent it might want to do that. I cannot be sure. The kerberus was only sent to retrieve you for some vile purpose.”
I sat there wincing in pain as I tried to move my arm. The Kerberus didn’t kill me, but it definitely injured me. In a normal situation I’d need antibiotics and stitches. I doubted whether any medical supplies were available in Limbo.
“My apologies my dear, I forgot that you don’t have your token, so you cannot heal yourself more rapidly. Let me help you out!”
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Adathan placed his hands on my shoulder and I started to feel a warmth. A golden aura shone from his hands as the sensation spread across my body. Instantly I started to feel better and the throbbing in my arm stopped. I felt the skin on my thigh tingle as the gash repaired itself in seconds rather than days. After a few moments I was completely healed.
“There, how does that feel?” Adathan said.
I sat up, startled by his healing hands. My clothes were still bloodstained, but underneath I was physically back to normal.
“I’m not sure what to say Adathan. I’m…I’m….”
I began to shake as a realization came over me. Tears started to drift down my cheeks and I began sobbing.
“What is the matter my dear? Are you still hurt?”
I shook my head as I cried. Adathan handed me a tissue and I rubbed my nose and my eyes.
“I just realized that I must be dead… I mean really dead. I didn’t believe it until now. Didn’t really think about it either.”
“I’m sorry dear.” he said with a pleasant voice. The way he spoke made me instantly feel a bit better.
I continued sobbing as I felt scared. I wondered if this is how Alice felt like when she entered Wonderland? Limbo was a strange new world to me, but it was the realization that I'd never see my boyfriend or my friends ever again. My life as a university medical student was over. This fact made me uniquely aware of my situation. Everything and everyone I had ever known was gone.
“Adathan, is there any way for me to get out of Limbo and go back to an earthly life?”
“Normally I’d say no, but as a wisp you might have the power to move through any realm.”
I sat up excitedly.
“You mean I could go back?”
“I don’t want to provide you with false hopes. Even if you returned to the earthen realm you would still return as a wisp. You wouldn’t be able to return in the same physical form you once inhabited.”
I wiped away my tears and decided to quit acting like a little girl. I blew my nose and cleared my throat.
“We don’t yet know your powers as a wisp, but eventually you’ll learn your true potential,” he said.
I drank some more coffee and started thinking. Maybe I'd even be able to return home to the land of the living - in my own body. It sounded like even Adathan didn’t know what I might be capable of doing. It could be that anything was possible.
“What are my powers? How do I find this out?” I asked.
“You will learn them as time goes by, but your token is most helpful for this.”
I remembered the book that Adathan had given me. I still had it. It was on the floor of the motorhome beside me. I picked it up and looked at the outside cover. I didn’t have a chance to inspect it before, so I looked at it more thoroughly. The book had a brownish red hard cover leather binding. It was about the size of a dinner plate and had a symbol on the front cover of an endless swirl. I didn’t know what that represented. The book looked extremely ancient, but was still in great condition. It also felt very light for a tome of its size.
“Will the book, the temporary token you gave me, help with discovering my powers?”
“No, this is merely an aid. Your true token will be much stronger.”
I opened the book and looked at the first page. My statistics had changed.
----------------------------------------
Name: Hannah Jones
Points: 6
Power: 1
Death Level: 1
Type: Wisp
Location: Limbo
PRNL (points to reach next level): 99
Items: Black Car
----------------------------------------
“Hey, looks like I gained some points.” I said.
Adathan smiled.
“Did I get more points for helping to defeat the kerberus?”
“My dear, I don’t understand your question. The book shows you only what you need to see. I don’t see the same thing that you do.”
I looked at him perplexed and decided to show him the page of the book. I turned it around to show him.
“You don’t see this? My statistics listed on the page?” I asked
“No.”
“What do you see?”
“Nothing. The page is empty to my eyes.”
I was perplexed to say the least. The writing inside the book was plainly evident to me.
“But, you’re an angel, aren’t you supposed to be all powerful or something? How can I see what’s written and you cannot?”
Adathan chuckled again, rubbed his forehead, and took another sip of his coffee. I enjoyed being around him, he made my situation feel bearable. I didn’t know where I’d be without him.
“As an angel I have powers, but I’m certainly not all powerful. You have in your hands the Tome of Uriel. Only the possessor of the tome can see what’s inside. No other entity within Limbo can read the contents of the book.”
“But, it's your book… is it not? I said.
“No, when I gave it to you, it became your possession. Now, the tome only works for you.”