Chapter 46

When Mykella opened her eyes she didn’t find herself in the corridor outside Orion’s sacred room. Instead, she was lying on the grass looking up at the trees and a beautiful blue sky with white puffy clouds. She sat up and smiled, thinking this must be the Heaven everyone talks about because where she lives, there was nothing beautiful in it.

And then she thought of the jungle she used to dream about all the time.

She stood up and took another look around – this time, paying closer attention to her surroundings. No, this was not any jungle she had ever seen before. In fact, as Mykella took note of how far apart the trees were, she realized that this was no jungle at all.

This was a paradise lost in her mind.

She knew that she had not really died; she walked out of that damned room and then fell unconscious. But why, she wondered. Why did I pass out?

A rustling of fabric made her glance behind her and when she saw who it was standing less than ten feet from her, she remembered why she passed out: Mental overload and anguish.

Mykella dropped her hands down to her sides and balled them into fists as she glared at Orion who did nothing but stare at her in wonderment. She hated him more than she had ever hated anyone. And by the look on his face, she was certain that he had no idea of who she was.

Something repulsive happened at that moment, while she stared at her father; she realized now that it was so much easier to want to kill him. She knew now that she had waded through his memories with the slight chance that she might find compassion for him and try to save him as well.

But now, knowing who and what he really is, a repulsive desire to rip his head clean off felt good to her right now.

She didn’t need to look down to see the electricity bouncing from one fist, through her body, and into her other fist; she could feel it. Must be a family trait, she thought sarcastically.

And then she heard a familiar voice in her head; one that she heard in the darkness of the tree passage.

“I see that God has told you the truth,” the serpent hissed in her head. “And I can feel what it’s doing to you. I love you, Mykella. Unleash your full potential and kill him now.”

Neither Mykella nor Orion knew how long they actually stood staring at each other, but it was Orion who spoke first, despite the uneasiness crawling up from his gut. “Is this where it’s supposed to end?” he asked and then smiled. “My life actually began in a garden,” he said. “But you already knew that.”

“Yeah? That’s when you got your power,” she said. “But mine began in a little room with a fireplace and an altar.” Her cynicism escaped and she found she didn’t want to control it any longer. Wasn’t it God himself that told her not to think anymore? “Yours will end in a garden, too.”

He looked at her, not paying attention to her threat, but rather what she said before it – where she was born. “What on Earth do you mean your life began in my room?” Could it be true, what she said? Had he misjudged her entire existence? Had he misinterpreted everything his mother had foreseen?

“Oh come on,” she blurted out. “You caught me when I was in your dream. You wondered why I looked so familiar to you. Think, you imbecile.”

“Calling me names, now, are we?” He laughed. “Let’s see.” He looked her up and down, stopping when he saw the electricity running through her fists.

“You look a little like my mother,” he almost whispered and then shock hit him. “And you have some of my powers.” He didn’t like where his thoughts were leading him – to a conclusion he was more afraid of than he did hate it.

“Father,” she said in an emotionless tone.

“But,” he was stammering now. “That can’t be true. I don't have any children.”

“You impregnated your own mother! God took my soul and gave it to me, the girl you’re looking at now.”

“This isn’t true. That can’t happen!”

She saw his anguish and she loved it. “Think about who we’re talking about. God can do anything he wants to, Father.”

Orion backed away, shaking his head. “Stop calling me that. You are not my blood.”

“Perhaps not blood, but spirit,” hissed the serpent inside her head. “You are to be my Queen,” said the voice and she could picture it smiling. “Kill him now and together we shall reign forever.”

She let the snake talk to her and she listened. Why would God do this to her? Why was he damning her for all eternity?

Mykella turned her head and a new appearance formed in the Garden. No; two figures formed out of nothing and began walking toward her. She looked into the young boy’s face (he was about fifteen or sixteen years old with black hair) and had that feeling of déjà vu. But as she watched him advancing, it wasn’t through her own eyes she watched him; she was looking at him through her father’s eyes.

“Alexius?”

The young man nodded. “God knew that you were the only one who could have done what must be done,” he said to her.

There was a woman walking next to him, but she didn’t recognize her, but she felt that she should have.

“Get away from me, damn you!”

Mykella turned and saw that Orion was cowering from the sight of Alexius and the other woman.

“You must stop,” cried out the woman and held out her hands.

“I created you, Beth, and I destroyed you. I order you to leave me alone,” shouted Orion as he tried his damnedest to pull his cloak around him as tight as he could.

“You must understand,” said Alexius, “that if you kill her, you’re killing your own flesh and blood. Could you live with yourself knowing that?”

“I’ve done it before, mind you.”

Beth looked back at Mykella. “Not before producing this beautiful young woman,” she said and then turned back to Orion.

“You have to end this war, Master,” said Alexius. “You must allow yourself to see what would become if you continue to fight. Your soul will perish.”

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“No,” said Orion and he stood upright again. “I will not perish. I am destined to destroy God. I will become the ruler of the universe!”

Beth shook her head in sympathy. “No matter what you think, you will never defeat God. You must understand that He created you and he can uncreate you with just a thought.”

“Yeah? Then why doesn’t he just erase my entire existence then? Why doesn’t He strike me dead right now?” He was raising a fist into the air as he screamed at the three of them.

“Once you entered Eden,” Mykella broke into the conversation, “God locked the gates to Heaven. He chose me to unlock the gates so souls could get through again.” And then she shook her head despite herself. “Lucky me, huh?”

“I would die to have that chance,” said Alexius as he looked over at her.

“You want it, you got it.”

“No,” he said and lifted his hands. “I wish I could, but it is your cross to bear, not mine.”

Beth went over to Alexius. “We weren’t chosen, Mykella. But you were.”

“Vincent knew how important you were to become,” she continued. “When he and Samantha, the one you called mother, were in Jerusalem, Samantha was unconscious – maybe dying – and Vincent carried her with you inside her through a parking lot. Orion was at the other end throwing cars at him, trying to kill him. Vincent didn’t care because he loved you so much. He was prepared to die for you. You must be strong enough to repay that favor.”

“To die for humanity?” She looked into Beth’s eyes and tears began falling down her cheeks. “Why would I want to die for a species that enjoys killing each other?”

Orion turned and looked at Alexius. “You asked me if I could live with myself if I killed my daughter,” he said. “You must understand, my old friend, that killing Mykella is nothing personal. She was destined to kill me; therefore I see it as an act of survival. I will not allow myself to be destroyed.”

Alexius lifted a hand at Orion. “We’re not asking that. What we are asking, no, pleading, is that you end the war. Stop now and you will be forgiven. I promise you that.”

Orion paused as he considered all that he had heard. There was that brief moment while listening to Tracy that he really did want to be forgiven; that he could walk in Heaven. And now Alexius, the only friend he ever had, is begging him to do the same thing. And again, he is finding himself wondering if he could actually be forgiven.

After a short eternity during which Beth, Alexius, and Mykella waited for Orion to speak, he finally did. He bowed his head and slowly shook it from side to side. “I’m sorry, my dear friend, but not even God could promise that.”

“Okay, fine,” exclaimed Mykella. She was beginning to get anxious. “Have it your way then. But I want you to do something for me – your daughter.”

Orion cocked his head to one side and smiled. There was a small pleasure in having a child.

“First, I want you to go back to your fortress and watch the battle. Look deep into the souls who are dying. Then I want you to use your divine gift to go to the gates of Heaven and see all the lost souls you created. When you’re done, come back and tell me truthfully that it isn’t a pitiful sight.”

He slowly nodded his head and lifted his hood back up over his head. “I will do as you ask because I do believe you are my child. But I don’t see what good it will do for anyone.”

With that said, and one final bow, Orion vanished, leaving Mykella alone with Beth and Alexius.

Alexius turned to Mykella. “I truly am sorry that everything is as it is. There were times, not many of course, but a few, that Orion was a good friend. I believe it was his father and the beatings that altered Orion forever.”

“Thank you,” said Mykella. “You can say what you want about him, but I will never call him Father and mean it the way I mean it when I call Vincent Hopman my Father. Besides, I’m sure things could be worse, I’m not sure how, but I’m sure they could be.”

They said a quiet good-bye and all three of them vanished just as Orion had done minutes before.

Orion kept his word to his daughter; however instead of making himself seen, he watched the fight as an unseeable entity, sitting on his enormously decorated throne. With everything that has transpired, he felt that there was a small chance that, if seen, he would be attacked and he really didn’t want that to happen. For one, he made a promise of sorts to Mykella to watch. Also, he felt deep down that he might actually not survive an attack.

He really thought that was a near impossibility. But there was that one miniscule chance; and he didn’t want to take any chances.

So he watched.

And what a lovely battle it was; although he himself was having trouble picking out the Dreamkillers that were faithful to him.

Blood was being spilled by humans and Dreamkillers alike. His creatures were fighting beautifully (no doubt from all the training they’ve been subjected to) but he also knew that the humans now outnumbered their enemy two to one. And if he counted the rebels, then the number would be somewhere in the range of three to one.

Even though the humans had horrible weapons – he had seen much better swords forged in his father’s kingdom – they were fighting gallantly. And they seemed to be winning without the help of the rebellious monsters. Why?

He looked hard into the faces of all the humans. There was a parallel similarity in each and every face he looked into. It was the same determined will that he saw in them; and despite himself, he quite admired it. It was their will to survive that aided them in their struggle to overthrow him.

Wasn’t he doing the exact same thing? Fighting to survive a world determined to kill him?

He closed his eyes and nodded to himself. Perhaps I should call off the war, he thought. Maybe there could be some way to coexist. Once I’ve overthrown God, I must look into that possibility.

He watched long enough and now he must make good on the other part of Mykella’s request. But the act of traveling to an unseen gate was more difficult than he thought it would be. He was alive and in that respect, he doubted he would be permitted anywhere near Heaven.

He needed a guide.

And he found one in a dying young man whose throat had been brutally torn open.

“Sorry, Chap,” whispered Orion and then plummeted his own self into the dying man.

Everything was dark. It was almost claustrophobic; like being put under anesthesia without your consent. Twilight sleep was what it was called twenty years ago, he mused. But then he realized that his eyes were closed.

“Open,” he said, yet could not hear his own voice.

The eyes opened but he wasn’t looking through his own eyes. He was at first frightened and then realized that he was looking through the orbs of the dying man – now dead, he suspected.

One thing was different. He expected to see some big beautiful light yet he saw no such thing. What he did see was a large congregation of souls – men, women, and children – standing around looking like lost sheep in need of their shepherd.

And then he turned his head, or rather, made the man’s soul who he inhabited, turn his ethereal head. He saw that every soul was either looking at something or else talking to other souls about that special something. He overheard sobs from a woman claiming that she couldn’t get in – that she had paid for her sins in Purgatory already. Still, he heard male voices saying that it was locked.

Again he turned and that was when he saw the golden gates (why they were of gold he didn’t know nor care). Most of the souls seemed to be staying closer to the gates and every one of those souls was weeping.

He saw that the brightness of the souls diminished slightly the closer they got to the gates; as if their ethereal existence was in anguish and confusion.

“I created this confusion,” said Orion to himself. “They’re lost without some sort of God.” The sobbing was growing louder. “I did this when I entered the Forbidden Realms.”

And then he felt that sorrow too. He didn’t know if it was coming from his host’s soul because he himself was in immortal anguish. “Something must be done,” he said but didn’t know how to even begin to help all those souls.

The sorrow was intensifying inside him to the point of blindness.

He tried to calm himself, telling him that his sight would return. But what if it didn’t? His mind screamed from the pain and this time he knew that it was his own soul in torment and not his host.

He had to get out of this soul. For some strange and alien reason to him, he knew now – after centuries of bloody deaths – that he must make things right. He must use every power given to him to plead with the humans for coexistence.

He closed his eyes and told himself that the war was finally over.