Alyson was struggling to breath, she tried to stop crying, but she couldn't. Ever since Kane's argument with Kale, Alyson had been crying, curled into a ball her arms wrapped around her belly. Serenity and Olivia gave up trying to calm her, they knew it wouldn't do any good, the best they could do was try to keep her from over taxing herself. Kane stood outside guarding the yard, while Thalia stood just outside the bedroom, armed with a weapon. Alyson only saw a brief glimpse of it. 

"We're back!" Hektor called from outside. 

Alyson turned to look and saw only Alekzandor's chest as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Everything's alright now, I'm here, and I'm okay."

"The baby?"

He laid a hand on her belly. "No one is going to take our baby away."

Alyson collapsed in his arms and fell asleep again. Still crying a bit in her sleep. Alekzandor picked up her and looked at his grandmother, "I'm going to bring her home, and I won't be leaving again, have grandfather move whatever meeting he wants to hold there."

He didn't wait for an answer, he just brought them home and laid her down on the bed. Although she was asleep, he could feel her stomach harden under his hand. He didn't understand the labor of women, but he knew it would only be a matter of hours now, if not sooner. He heard voices and left the bedroom and walked the little ways down to the beach where his family had gathered. 

 - - - - - -

Balor explained everything to the family. His father had his arms wrapped around his mother, while Alekzandor was making his way down from the house. Graeson had returned from the mortal realm, and was listening eagerly to the story. Thalia's face was etched with worry and fear. Kane stood leaning against the stone wall that marked the start of the beach and the end of Alekzandor's yard. He listened, but there was a look on his face that Balor couldn't decipher. 

"Then, dad squashed the demon like the little bug it was!" Balor laughed. 

The others, didn't share in his amusement. 

Thalia looked up at their father. "Will there be others?"

Hektor shrugged. "That one came through as I was closing the other portals when I first came here. Alekzandor saw it's memories, so he can atest to that. As for more, I'm not sure. According to my parents, there were more once, but they were all created on a world that's locked away from all of the others much like this one. So either that one came from a different place, or somehow managed to break through the worlds."

All eyes turned to Alekzandor. Searching for a better explanation. He sighed. "From what I gathered, it did from the other locked world grandfather was talking about, it was supposedly killed by another of our kind, but a small fragment of it got away. It was because it was so small it was able to get through the small break the battle created through the barriers, and was able to slip in so easily as grandfather was closing the ones to here."

"So, there won't be more?" Graeson asked. 

Alekzandor shook his head. "Unlikely, but that's not to say there won't be challenges. I did see some rather suspicious beings in it's memories."

"Do we need to worry?" Kane asked. 

Alekzandor shook his head again. "So far, they don't seem to want to anger us."

Kane nodded and pushed off against the wall. "I suppose I should tell you about what happened."

"I was going to ask where your brother was." Balor said looking at his son. He noticed Serenity hang her head and sniff. He went to her and lifted her chin so she would look at him. "My love what's wrong?"

She broke down crying then. He wrapped his arms around her and looked at his son. "What happened?"

Kane sighed. "I called Kale to the Heart, I explained what was going on, and he refused to help us. He said he wouldn't help former mortals. Not even the baby because she was still inside a former mortal. He wouldn't even stay to help mother. He insulted all of the women, but Thalia, that were there. He also didn't believe that the demon could do any real damage to us."

Balor stared at his son, holding his wife, furious. "What in the world is wrong with you boys!? Just because they live and die, doesn't mean they are any less important than us!"

Kane met his fathers eyes. "I don't hate them father. At least not the way that Kale does. I have my reasons for what I feel, but I assure you, I would never do anything to harm them, or harm our family. You have my word on that."

Balor nodded once at his son before looking at his father. The fury there was also evident. "What now?"

Serenity looked up and looked at Hektor. "Please! Please father! Don't be too harsh on him! Please Hektor not my baby!"

Hektor softened a bit at Serenity's plea. "Rest assured daughter, I will not kill him." Serenity fell against Balor in relief. "But he will need punished, and I have just the thing."

With that, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers loudly. Kale appeared then, looked around then glared at his family surrounding him. "What now!?"

"We need to have a little chat with you." Hektor said firmly. 

Kale rolled his eyes and looked at everyone severely annoyed. "Look, I told you, didn't I? That the demon wasn't a threat? I said what I had to get out of some pathetic guard duty."

Hektor's eyes glowed. "Need I remind you, that I can tell when I'm being lied to, even by a fellow Divine?"

Kale's face fell. "You can?"

Hektor nodded. 

Kale sighed, stared at out of the waves for a moment then nodded. "Alright then yeah, I'll admit it, I meant what I said."

Serenity started sobbing again, and Kale rolled his eyes again. "Ugh! Mother, please, stop being so pathetic!"

Balor rushed forward at his son, fury blazing so bright in his brown eyes, they almost glowed red. "Watch what say boy! That is your mother! You will treat her with respect."

"She was once a mortal, and I am a born Divine." Kale said firmly. "Why should I respect something who's of lesser value than myself?"

"Because without them none of us would be here." Alekzandor said stepping forward. "These former mortals are our half's, the missing pieces to our souls. They born special so they could become like us someday."

"Doesn't mean I have to like them, or like the fact that I came from something I detest." Kale said to him. 

Balor shook his head at his son. "Why are you like this? What happened to make you hate the mortals so much?"

Kale gave no answer. He merely turned to look at his grandfather. "So what's my punishment? Am I to be confined to my realm for a set period of time or what?"

"No." Hektor said. "You're being barred from your realm. In fact, from the entire Divine realm."

Kale paled. "What?"

Hektor nodded. "You shall be banished to the mortal plane, there you live among the mortals. You'll still have your powers, but they will be severely down graded, and you shall not age, unless you use too much of your power."

Kale shook, for the first time since appearing before the family, there was a look of sincere fear on his face. "You, you wouldn't do that. You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Hektor asked. "You are henceforth banished from the Divine realm to the Mortal. You are not to be allowed back until you're twisted way of thinking has been reversed or we deem you've learned your lesson."

Hektor raised his hand once more, and Kale vanished. Serenity looked up from Hektor, "Where did you send him!? Will I ever see him again?"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Hektor smiled at her. "Please relax Serenity, much like with Alyson, there is a plan here. There's something that he needs to do down on Earth. Someone, he needs to save."

Serenity, and everyone else, visibly calmed. They didn't know specifics, but they could guess at the hidden meaning in Hektor's words. 

A scream from up the hill shattered the moment, and Alekzandor took off toward the bedroom. Alyson was standing, leaning against the door frame an arm under her round stomach, sweat pouring from down her forehead, a pool of thick clear fluid puddled at her feet. 

She looked up at Alekzandor. "The baby! She's coming!"

"What!?" Alekzandor said nearly falling to his knees. "Now!?"

"Move! Move!" Olivia said rushing forward, "Thalia, you help me get her back onto the bed, Hektor, you bring the men down the hill, Alekzandor, get your ass on that bed and help your wife bring that baby into the world!"

- - - - - -

The night slowly ended, and the sky began to glow bright as the sun rose. Alyson's cries echoed down the beach and across the water as she fought to bring life into the world. For a brief time she had fantasized that being a Divine would mean less pain, but she was wrong. Her body endured wave after wave of intense pain as her baby slowly came out of her. Alekzandor helped her hold her knees high so her feet were in the air, as Thalia and Olivia helped deliver the baby. 

As the sun crested over the ocean, Alyss's first cries of life could be heard across the realm. The family who were down at the beach, wandered up to the house slowly. When they reached the bedroom, whatever mess that been created during the birth was gone, instead, Alyson sat on the bed, clothes in a pale blue dress, light radiating all around her as she held her new daughter, Alekzandor had his arms around both, smiling so brightly, the glow seemed to come from his as well. The sun rose higher, bathing the room in a golden light as the new life cooed. 

Alekzandor took his daughter, and stood leaning against one of the columns, looking at her and smiling so much his face began to hurt, but he couldn't stop. She looked up at him, her eyes the bright blue of her mothers, but her hair was the pitch black. Same color of his mothers, and the color he used to have before he changed it to blue and kept it that way. Wrapped in white, with pink roses dotting the dress beneath, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen next to her mother. She was going to have his nose, he realized.  

"Oh yeah," He finally said looking over at Alyson, "I definitely want nine more of these." 

Alyson laughed, offering no protest. 

Balor stepped forward and held out his arms. "May I have the honor of being the first to hold her?"

Alekzandor grinned and handed Alyss over to Balor, walking back and sat behind Alyson so she could rest against him. Balor cradled the tiny girl against his chest and couldn't help but grin at the tiny thing. He looked up at Serenity. "We're going to have a daughter."

She looked shocked for a moment before beaming with happiness. "If you insist, but what if the next one is a boy?"

Balor shrugged. "Then we keep trying till we have a girl."

Everyone laughed at Balor's assurance. Since they all knew that Alekzandor and Alyson would be the couple to have the most children, Balor was certain that his next child would be a girl, and it would be his final one. He looked up at Thalia. "You sure you don't want to have another?"

Thalia ran her fingers through Alyson's hair, "No, I'm good with the son that I have, and the daughter that followed when he claimed her as his bride. Besides, I'll have my hands full with ten grandchildren. I don't need to have anymore."

There was laughter, light, and love flowing through the Realm of Insanity that day. On that day, several souls were touched by that glow, and redemption became possible for them. Alekzandor's realm had once been a place so dark and full of evil, no one was sure if a soul would ever be able to pass on to try again. Now, almost half were ready to be cleansed, and to try again in the next life. 

One by one, the extended family left, leaving just Alyson, Alekzandor, and Alyss curled up in the bed. Bass was once again huge, laying near the bed so he could keep an eye on his charges. Alekzandor had Alyss in his arms, her back pressed against his chest, and Alyss lay on her side against her mother, nursing from her breast. 

"I can't wait to see what the future holds for us." He said kissing her bare shoulder. 

"Considering we're going to have ten children, it's probably a good thing you feel that way." She said with a smile, "But I do have one request."

"What's that?"

"Please let Alyss be two or three before you get me pregnant with the second one."

"No promises." He chuckled before kissing her lips. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~ End of Book One ~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A/N And Preview for Book Two : Earth Bound

well that is the end of Realm of Madness, I hope you enjoyed book one and plan to stick around for book two. 

For a preview, for those who haven't already guess ; Book Two will feature the Divine of Air, Kale. He's been banished to Earth to live among the mortals he claims he detests so much, and no knows why. While there, he lives with the people who are dealing with the aftermath of what happened. While the temples were restored, there was still the three months that Rick possessed the demons powers, and he had a hit list to complete before he went up against the Divines. To get an idea of what he was capable of before he fought against his greatest enemy. 

Several people were killed, many more injured, and no one knew who it was. Rick, was thought to be the culprit, when he vanished, everyone thought the killings would stop. But shortly after Kale's arrival, the killings start again, and is leaving messages for Kale. Who is this killer, and how do they know him? Is it some unknown enemy or is it the girl next door who won't leave him alone? Either way, Kale is without his full power, he can fight, but now there is chance if it's something similar to the demon his family faced, then he could be in some real trouble. 

Kale is faced with many questions, a punishment to fulfill, and a growing sensation he never thought he'd ever feel. A desire to protect. And it's to protect the very thing, he claims he hates.

was he lying about his hatred? Or is there some hidden reason for it?

Find out in Book Two of the Divine Works!

WD