The Myth and The Guardian Book II: Christopher

Christopher emerged from the portal and was greeted by an angry look on Allen’s face.

“You can’t understand love. Forget about that girl at once, or everything we are trying to accomplish will suffer.” Allen spoke firmly.

Christopher did everything he could to hide the anger he felt from the tone of voice Allen was using to speak to him.

“I don’t have feelings for the girl. She’s human. I will never have feelings for one of these things.” Christopher replied coldly.

“Good, because she will never love you back. To risk what we want, for her, would be beyond stupid, Christopher.” Allen responded quickly.

“I said I don’t care for the girl. I do however have a problem with you listening in on my conversations. It will not be tolerated. Do you understand?” Christopher expressed strongly.

Allen walked slowly towards Christopher and stopped when their faces were only inches apart. Christopher stood his ground and stared into those lifeless eyes of Allen’s before he finally attempted to prove his authority.

“I asked you a question, and I expect to be answered!” Christopher screamed in Allen’s face.

Allen chuckled softly and stared at the boy with a look of respect. The look faded as Allen immediately struck Christopher in the face with his right fist. Christopher was prepared to return the sudden attack, but, before he could prepare any technique, Allen’s hand was firmly wrapped around his throat. His grasp was tight and unyielding, and Christopher could feel the heat coming from Allen’s hand burning its imprint into his neck. The pain was excruciating, but the boy was too proud to show any sign of pain or weakness.

“Pay attention closely, boy. If you ever speak to me in such as way or raise your voice at me again, I will kill you where you stand. “Allen forced through gritted teeth as his handprint burned deeper inside of Christopher’s throat.

“I understand.” Christopher tried to choke out.

“NO! I don’t believe you do. I am the boss. Your job is to listen, follow all orders, and keep your goddamn mouth shut between the first two. You got that boy?” Allen boomed as he felt Christopher’s windpipe indent more.

Christopher’s eyes were filling with tears, but the boy did not release a single sound of the agony he felt.

“Now, do YOU understand me?” Allen asked as he finally released the boy from his grasp.

Christopher fell to the ground, but his neck healed quickly due to the anger he felt. The burn was deep and made the inside of his throat visible. His eyes were blood red with anger, and the burned flesh and skin was unnoticeable by the time he stood again.

“Yes, I understand.” Christopher forced himself to spit out.

“Show me respect, you insect!” Allen yelled as he struck the boy to the floor with an open hand.

Christopher was shaking with anger, but he contained himself a second time. He stood slowly to his feet for a second time, and took a few deep breaths before speaking.

“Yes. I understand you…Father.” Christopher hissed softly.

“Good boy.” Allen replied with a smirk as he walked away from the boy. Christopher regained his composure and finally felt his anger subside enough for him to speak.

“Father, why must we stay here?” Christopher asked as he stared around the room.

“The temple is my only constant portal to earth. I’ve told you that already, boy.” Allen said as he sat down on his throne.

He motioned over for Christopher to come and sit in the smaller chair to the right of him.

Christopher obeyed the motion without hesitation, and the two of them sat in silence for a moment. He stared around the large room and admired the detail that had gone into the building. The stones used to build it were larger than any he was used to seeing, and they were all as smooth as stones could ever become. From floor to ceiling the stones were placed beside and on top of one another to create the entire monastery. There was no denying the place was one of the oldest buildings still standing, but the light gray of the stones gave the place a feeling of being new. The only other materials attached to the building were the polished wooden doors. Three doors were all Christopher knew about inside the building. The first was the entrance which was a gigantic opening in the center of the farthest wall. The opening was sealed by two equally large doors that each took up half of the opening. Christopher considered them to be one door because they closed the same opening. The second door was behind him and to the far right. This door was small in comparison to the entrance, but it was also chained and locked. The last door was behind Allen and to the far left of the back wall. This door was had no chain and lock, but it did not need them. The door had no knob or handle to allow anyone to open it. He wanted to ask Allen what was behind the doors, but he had a feeling he would know soon enough.

The floor was exactly like every other inch of the place with the exception of their chairs, which were a part of the stone, somehow, and the carpet. Starting from the entrance was a long piece of blood red carpet that stretched to the only small step inside the place. The single step made the spot Christopher and Allen sat on look like a type of platform. On the platform were the seats the two of them occupied. The seats were made to resemble thrones. They were not shiny or made of gold, but the way they were shaped had a regal quality to them. They too were made of stone, but the actual seat of the chairs and the back of them were padded with some type of soft material. It was the same red color as the carpet, but it was immensely comfortable. Christopher had no idea what the material could be, but he had fallen asleep in the chair the previous night. The room had only two windows each placed too high to reach in the tall building. There was one on each side of the front wall equally distanced away from the entrance and each other. Neither of the windows had any type of glass covering them, but there was oddly no sign of rain ever coming through them. To Christopher’s knowledge, they were just two giant opening that let nothing but sunlight inside.

The gray of the stones reminded Christopher of the chamber Archie tried to use as a prison for him. The unending gray of this place matched the vast whiteness of the chamber, and Christopher saw both as potential prisons. The only allure about the entire room were the statues that stood under the windows. The statues were of angels with their eyes closed holding babies. They were identical in every way except the symbols on their chests. The statue to the left had the image of a sun imprinted in the center of its chest, and the other statue had the image of the moon in the same location. Each statue stood on a large square foundation with the sun or moon symbols patterned in lines on each side. No matter how much he did not understand, Christopher knew that there was history to this place regarding Allen and Archie. He noticed that Allen would stare at the statues at great length with nearly unbreakable focus. Allen’s facial expressions were enough evidence to figure out the thoughts the statues gave him caused him anger and pain. They caused him anger and pain, but he never seemed to want to stop staring at them. The only time Christopher had ever seen the man look peaceful was when the sun was rising in the morning. Christopher woke early one morning, and Allen was sitting with his eyes focused on the window to the left. His face was relaxed and eyes were lost in peace as if he was listening to a soothing song. Other than this, Christopher only knew Allen to be cold and angry like him.

Christopher had been thinking about anger over the past few days because of what Archie said to him in the chamber.

“Angry and full of hate without the slightest idea as to why.” Christopher replayed the words in his head.

At first, he thought Archie was trying to mess with his mind. Now, he could see the importance of the question. He had never known happiness or peace. Every thought he owned was one of pain or anger, and he did not understand why. He hated the people on this planet, and he wanted to kill anyone who dared to get in his way. For a long time, Christopher thought that was all he needed to know, but he was beginning to think about himself more. In his opinion, there were many reasons to hate other living things, but he did not understand why he enjoyed the feeling as much as he did. It was becoming an addiction for him, and he never felt normal unless he was full of anger or rage. He had no desire greater than to cause others pain and grow stronger from it.

“But why?” Christopher thought to himself.

“Why are you letting him get to you, son?” Allen asked out of nowhere.

“You were listening to my thoughts again?” Christopher asked trying to hide his anger.

“Yes. I will not have you ruining everything that we are working towards. You must discipline your mind and keep your thoughts focused on our task.” Allen said calmly.

“I’m sorry, father. I was just wondering as to why I’m this way. I suspect it’s the weakness of being half human.” Christopher replied slowly.

“No, Christopher. That is not just a human quality. You have a right to know why you are the way you are.” Allen replied.

“Do you know the reason?” Christopher asked trying to hide the excitement of finally being able to talk to Allen.

“You are my son, Christopher. You feel as I do because you were made to be as I am. You hate these “things” that are labeled as human because they deserve to be hated. Deep inside your mind, you already understand this to be true. My foolish brother is nothing more than a puppet to an unmatchable ego. He passes messages without question and insists that I was wrong in my hate for these creatures. They are bugs, Christopher. You’ve seen that first hand, and you must embrace your superiority in comparison to them. I warned “him” that these beings were not worth being created. I begged him to listen to me, but I was ignored and punished.” Allen confessed.

“Is that why you were cast down, father?” Christopher asked.

“Yes. He would have them believe that I was after what was his, but the truth is I knew what they were and would become. All I have ever wanted was for him to bestow upon us the many gifts he has given them. He was not willing to listen, and I vowed to protect our kind, Christopher. I vowed to prove him wrong and show him his own ignorance.” Allen explained.

“And he cast you into a burning prison for all eternity for this?” Christopher asked in the form of a statement.

“Now, I ask you. Does the punishment truly fit the crime? Do you think I deserved to be imprisoned inside a burning prison chamber forever because I wanted him to live up to his name and be just?” Allen asked rhetorically.

“No. You were right about them all, father.” Christopher said feeling his hate rise. “However, there was one who lived up to his expectations. There was one who understood all that a human could be.” Allen said masking the pain in his voice.

“Who was it?” Christopher asked curiously.

“Your mother. She was the most beautiful of them in every single way. She loved in ways that I can still not fully understand. No matter how bad the rest of them were to her, she treated them all with more love than she treated herself. She was the quintessential human being, but she made a fatal mistake.” Allen explained.

Christopher had often thought of his mother, but he had never asked a question about her until now.

“A mistake? What type of mistake could have been so bad?” Christopher asked with enthusiasm.

“She loved me, Christopher. She loved me and my fool of a brother. At the time, I seemed to be all she had ever wanted, but his kindness won her over. It made her confused in the worst of ways.” Allen said dropping his head slowly.

“What happened? Did she choose him over you or the other way around?” Christopher asked directly.

“She never got the chance!” Allen screamed as flames rose from the carpet on the floor.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean she never had the chance?” Christopher asked cautiously.

“She became pregnant, and the physical side effects were noticeable. They treated her as leper, and she learned to hate herself because of it. She ordered both my brother and me to stay away from her. She begged us to respect her wishes, and neither of us could say no to her. She was completely alone during the pregnancy, and being pregnant with a nephilim lasts for years. She carried you for the better part of a decade and had no one to explain to her what was happening. She had no one to help her with anything. The people would shout insults to her as she walked down the streets, and they were afraid to be around her at all. She was completely alone for so many years, and the loneliness eventually took her sanity from her. This increased the people’s fear in what they did not understand. They beat her for no reason at all, but, because you were inside of her, her wounds healed quickly. Some suspected she was witch, others believed her to be possessed, and they soon called her “Diabolus Uxor”. …..The Devils Wife.” Allen said as the flames on the carpet changed into a bright blue color.

Christopher’s own anger was slowly reaching a boiling point inside of his body. He did not want Allen to finish the story as he felt a surge of rage nearly consume him. “Stop it. Enough!” Christopher screamed as his eyes grew red with pain and anger.

“No! You need to hear this! They were more vicious than animals when it came to her. They broke her bones, cut her body, and set her on fire in public. She screamed for them to stop. She begged them all to leave her alone, but none of them listened. They hated her too much to consider her a human like themselves.” Allen spoke loudly. “Please, I said that’s enough! No more!” Christopher begged while trying to contain himself.

“She gave birth to you while she was lost in the woods she used for safety, and she hid you when she heard their footsteps approaching. She was in pain from the delivery, but she stood up and ran. She ran so they would not find her baby, and they eventually caught her. They chased her down like a wild animal that needed to be put down. I could feel how bad she hurt and how frightened she felt. I showed up at the same time as Archie, but it did not matter. We were not allowed to physically harm humans, and we watched as they…” Allen let his sentence trailed off.

The fire on the carpet was as red as Allen’s eyes, and Christopher could feel his heart trying to beat through his chest.

“One of the men found her first, Christopher. He found her, and she begged him to just leave her alone. She begged him! Do you know what he did to her? Do you have any idea the type of pain she felt because of him?!” Allen screamed as his hands started to shake from rage.

He walked to Christopher and placed his right hand over the boy’s eyes. He then took Christopher’s hand and placed it on his own forehead. The connection was instant as Christopher saw inside of Allen’s head for the first time. The image was dark and hard to see at first, but it cleared as the man found the stone. A stone as large as his hand, and he picked it up in his right hand. The man proceeded to place his left hand around her throat and used it to keep her head from moving. Christopher looked away as the man lifted the stone into the air, but he could hear the crunch as it connected with his mother’s nose. “Look at him! Watch him!” Allen’s voice boomed inside of Christopher’s head. Christopher obeyed and forced himself to watch as the man repeatedly bashed his mother’s head with the stone. He could see the blood spew from her nose after the first strike, and he watched her choke on the blood as the second blow crushed her nose inward. He watched her eyes as she tried to scream, but only a strained cough came from her as the man continued to pound her skull with the stone. He struck her with all of his might over and over again until she no longer breathed. He beat her until she no longer had any resemblance of a human face. The beautiful woman that had given birth to Christopher was a bloody corpse with no face. Christopher continued to watch as the rest of the mob joined the man and witnessed what he had done to her. They loved him for it, and they cheered for him as they set fire to her lifeless body. They celebrated her murder, and not a single one of them felt bad about what was done. None of them felt the slightest bit of remorse for watching her die.

The connection broke as Christopher fell to his knees and pounded the ground until his hands started to bleed. Allen watched as the tears flowed from the boy’s eyes, and he witnessed it happen. Christopher’s eyes became blacker than darkness, and all that could be seen in them was the reflection of the flame of the carpet. A combination of black mist and bright light shot from his body furiously. It surrounded him as he began to float in the air.

“They will pay for this! They must all pay for this!” Christopher yelled in a voice that had a booming echo.

The temple began to shake as if the ground underneath it was moving. The sun medallion around his neck glowed bright red as the mixture of dark and light started to twist around him. The flame from the carpet was sucked up into the mixture, and Christopher let out a roar of rage as his body absorbed all of it. He was floating above the ground, and his body started to glow the same red color as the medallion. His face twisted left as a second face came from inside of him and went right. Both faces were screaming in anger and pain. The second face was a bright blue color, but the eyes were white and empty. A black portal opened to the left of him, and a white portal opened to his right. He screamed in pain as the two portals seemed to be ripping him apart. The stone floor of the temple began to crack and crumble while Allen watched in absolute fascination. Christopher was sucked through the white portal for a few seconds and returned through the black one.

Lighting flashed between the two portals, and Christopher clenched his fists as the lighting struck him and shot through his body. He let out another yell as fire shot from his mouth and his bones moved within his body like snakes. His body was thrown to the ground suddenly, the stone floor cracked as he made contact. The two portals merged above his head and transformed into a giant opening filled with flames. His right hand became surrounded by the dark mist, and his left hand glowed with burning white light. He shoved them threw the broken stone floor into the ground. The temple shook harder as Christopher dug his hands deeper into the earth. Thunder boomed from outside and light shot through the temple windows and struck the ground. The blue face was sucked back inside of the body for a moment, but it emerged a second time screaming with volume that matched the thunder.

“NO!!!” The second face screamed loudly.

There was a bright flash of white light that came from Christopher’s body and surrounded him. The light threw his body across the room into the wall. There was a loud crash, and Christopher’s body fell to the ground motionless. The portal of fire vanished, the ground ceased to shake, and everything was silent.

Aaron and Archie entered the Wilson home after confirming their identities to Joel. The entire family was huddled in the living room waiting to be updated about what happened.

“Did you tell your family what you saw?” Archie immediately asked Joel in a hushed voice.

“No, I only told them that everything would be fine.” Joel answered flatly.

“Good judgment, Mr. Wilson. Still, I’m going to have to insist that you accompany me into your study. There is something I wish to discuss with you in private.” Archie said in a slightly louder voice.

“Sure. Right this way.” Joel said as he motioned for Archie to follow him. “Archie, wait a second.” Aaron said firmly. “I have a strong feeling that we should tell them about us.” He added boldly.

Archie stared at Aaron with absolute shock in his eyes.

“Aaron, why would you even think that would be an option?” Archie demanded. “We can trust these people, Archie. Besides, I think they will find comfort in the truth.” Aaron answered as he looked around the room at the Wilsons.

“Yes, they would, but you know the rules. It interferes with how they see the world and make choices. Therefore, it cannot be done.” Archie replied firmly.

“I know, but they already know that the supernatural exist. What harm could there be in explaining why Austin can do what he can or why we can do what we can do?” Aaron protested.

“There is a difference in witnessing supernatural events and revealing what most of them don’t even believe to be true, Aaron. If we were to tell them, we would be robbing them of their own nature and free will.” Archie explained in frustration.

“Mr. Wilson, Archie is going to glean you if you go into that office with him. It’s going to make sure you forget what you saw earlier.” Aaron blurted out.

“Aaron, that’s enough! Stop talking about it.” Archie exclaimed.

“Archie please listen to me. Look at them. Look at them in the way that only we can. You will see it for yourself. They are not like the rest.” Aaron pleaded.

Archie stared at the family for a moment and concentrated on each one of them. He stared until he no longer saw their faces or bodies, and all that was visible was a glow that surrounded each of them. He saw the beauty of the light that seemed to outline each of their hearts. Each one of them made him feel warm and calm to the depth of his core. He closed his eyes and allowed the feeling to soak inside and linger for a while. Aaron was right about them. They each possessed the warm soul that all angels longed to have and experience. They were good people from their actions to the very matter that made them.

“You see? They are the quintessential design of their species, Archie.” Aaron said softly.

“Yes, I can see it.” Archie replied as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“Why is he crying?” Amy summoned the courage to ask Aaron.

“Because of this family. At this very moment, none of you have a single ounce of bad inside of you. I’m not sure how it is possible, but it’s beautiful.” Aaron explained passionately.

“We are all just happy our family is safe, and we are happy that Alex is safe as well.” Joel said affectionately.

“You all could have died today, but each one of you cares about someone else more than yourself. That’s rare and special for us to see.” Archie spoke.

“We have a saying in this family.” Angela added with a warm smile.

“What is it?” Aaron asked enjoying the beauty of the moment.

“If we can’t love beyond ourselves, then we don’t deserve to live.” Alex replied to everyone’s surprise. “Austin taught it to me.” She added softly while wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

“That’s right, Sweetie. Angela replied putting her arms around Alex.

Archie was about to speak when the ground started to shake without warning. Angela grabbed Alex and used her own body to shield the girl. Joseph grabbed Amy and done the same.

“Angie, take the kids into the study. There is no glass or windows.” Joel said with panic as he guided them all towards the study.

The shaking grew more intense, and Alex and Amy screamed from fear as they heard glass shatter. They all walked towards the room but could hardly maintain balance. As they reached the door of the room, the shaking stopped suddenly.

“Is everyone okay?” Joel asked immediately.

There was a short pause before everyone answered.

“Hurry inside before it happens again.” Angela added quickly.

“Archie, did you…?” Aaron started to ask before Archie interrupted.

“Yes, I felt it too. We are running out of time.” Archie said to Aaron. “I must insist that everyone relax. It will not happen again.” Archie added loudly so that everyone could hear him.

“How can you be sure?” Joel asked curiously.

“Mr. Wilson, that was not an earthquake.

“Then what was it?” Angela asked as her hands trembled.

“That was Austin.” Aaron replied for Archie.

“What do you mean?” Alex demanded.

“There’s no time to explain.” Archie insisted. “Aaron, listen to me very carefully. Go to Enish Island and find Gabe. Tell him that I need the second half of it, now. He’s going to ask where I am, and you tell him I will be at the temple. When he forms the portal, you are going to have to come with him through his portal. It’s the only way you can get there, Aaron. Do you understand?” Archie spoke quickly.

“Yes sir. I won’t let you down.” Aaron replied immediately.

He formed a portal and instantly vanished.

“Alex where is your mother?” Archie asked with great impatience.

“She’s with James. She went over to his house a few hours ago.” Alex replied quickly.

“Wait, what is going on? How did that boy just vanish through that light?” Angela asked as she, Joseph, and Amy stared in shock.

“I’m about to show you.” Archie responded as he waved his hand and formed a large portal. Everyone come in close and follow me. Take a deep breath and hold it before you step inside. It will be freezing cold, but we have no time for any of you to prepare.” Archie explained quickly.

“I’m not going anywhere near that thing.” Amy insisted.

“No way.” Joseph added. Alex was nearly petrified and stood completely still from fear.

“They’re angels.” Joel finally blurted out. “Trust me, I have seen his wings. We all have to do what he tells us to without question. He wouldn’t ask us to go if it were not necessary.” He added for reassurance.

Amy, Joseph, and Angela looked at Joel for a moment. They saw the serious expression on his face, and that was more than enough to convince them. They each stepped closer to the portal prepared to enter it based on their trust in Joel. Alex was still completely frozen with fright and gave no sign of wanting to move.

“Alex, I need you to listen to me. Austin is in more danger than I have time to explain. If you do not come with us immediately, he is going to die.” Archie expressed while trying not to yell at her.

She took a moment and wiped her eyes as she summoned up courage. Finally, she stepped towards them and grabbed Angela’s hand.

“Remember, take a deep breath and hold it.” Archie said again.

“He can only be saved by one of them.” He whispered to himself.

Everyone obeyed his order, and they all stepped into the portal together.

Their arrival to the temple was instant, and everyone, but Archie, looked pale and nauseous. Archie looked them over quickly to make sure they were all okay from traveling through the portal. Once he was sure they were all fine, he instructed them not to move, created a second portal, and vanished again. They stood outside the temple for less than a minute before Archie returned with James Farmer. James arrived with the same pale look the others had at first, but overall he looked healthy.

“James, where is my mom?” Alex asked immediately.

“She had just left before he showed up. She’s probably driving home as we speak.” James replied.

“I can’t get her if she’s driving or around another person. The portal could possibly…” Archie let his sentence fade, but his face showed his disappointment.

“But she’s my mother!” Alex yelled.

“Don’t worry, Alex. She’s safer than all of us right now.” James assured her.

“I hope it’s one of them. Please let it be one of them.” Archie whispered to himself.

They could all see the concern in his eyes, but none of them bothered to ask any more questions.

“Let’s not waste time. You said Austin was in trouble.” James said as he looked directly at Archie.

He walked towards the two gigantic doors and noticed there was no way to open them. “How do we get inside this place?” James asked as he raised his hand to examine the door.

“Don’t touch the door!” Archie yelled.

James stopped his hand just in time and turned to look at Archie.

“Every one of you needs to listen to what I have to say. I allowed you to believe Mr. Wilson’s statement that you could trust me to not endanger you, but this is a lie. This place we are about to enter is not for humans. You touch the door or anything inside of here other than the floor, you will meet a horrible fate. Do not touch anything at all, and it is of the most importance that none of you touch the carpet in the center of the floor. Stay off to the sides of it, and avoid standing on it at all cost. I will say this again: Under no circumstances are any of you to stand on the red carpet in the middle of the floor or touch anything inside of this place other than the floor.” Archie warned with great caution. “Does everyone understand what I just said?” He asked slowly.

They all looked completely terrified which let he know they had heard him. Archie noticed the look of fear in Joel’s eyes for the first time. The family noticed the look as well which only increased their own fear. They only person who seemed completely unaffected was James Farmer. He stood there and stared at the door as if he were looking through it.

Archie focused with mild intensity and made a small rectangle using a tiny flicker of light on the tip of his index finger. Once he had connected the last line of the rectangle, it floated to the door and rested for a few seconds. The rectangle grew a little larger as it moved away from the door and placed itself on the wall to the left of the door. The lines started to flicker faster with each passing second. It grew larger until it was long and wide enough for a person to walk through. As the increasing size of the rectangle finally reached an end, the light from the lines of it began to stretch out over the wall. The stone walls inside of the shape were slowly being covered with the bright light. Less than a minute had passed before the entire rectangle was filled in with the light.

“The man inside of this place will not attempt to kill any of you himself. He may try to harm you in other ways, but he will not kill you. As long as you all remain on this side of the red carpet, the most he could do is cause you a little pain.” Archie spoke to them in a voice designed to inform without scaring. “I will say this one last time to be clear. The only way you will be in any fatal danger is if you touch anything inside or stand on the carpet. This place was designed to make sure any human who entered it would never come out alive. So, please heed my warning, and you will all be fine. I promise.” Archie spoke in a reassuring tone.

All of them stared at one another for a few seconds, and each one of them transformed all of their fear, concern, and uncertainty into one goal: Helping Austin. They were all prepared to do whatever they had to do in order to help him because they all knew he would do the same for them.

“Is everyone ready?” Archie asked as he looked at these frightened people whose fear was overpowered by their love for one special boy.

Joel stepped behind Archie first. Alex was next in line followed by James, Angela, Joseph and Amy. They each took one last deep breath and walked through the newly formed entrance one by one.