Writer: Timothy Dumont Jr.
Co-writer: Crystal Ferguson

Thursday, July 26, 2012

224: Heritage -Carl-

The plan was simple; seal the magic that Melissa would use to revive her race. Qaliphus only needed two things, The sword Excalibur, and time. Qaliphus knew where to find the first part, but the last was left to me. My job was to keep whoever Melissa tossed at them away while he worked his mojo on the blade, which was conveniently stuck in a massive stone and sitting in an abandoned warehouse.

Just walking into the room with the legendary blade made me dizzy. The room exerted a pressure of power that nearly brought me to my knees.

"Wow. What power." I forced myself to stand, which wasn't easy, and glanced at the small fairy.

"It was forged in The Other Lands and imbued with the power of the fairy queen at the time." Qaliphus had failed to stay standing, but soon after falling to his knee he was able to stand again.

"Why would the queen give a blade like this to a human?"

"She was foolish and fell in love with a man." Qaliphus spat the word love out like it was a curse. "This man asked for a way to keep his king alive and she sacrificed herself to create this blade. Sadly, her gift failed it's purpose and was stuck here."

I laughed, "Let me guess, only the worthy can pulled the blade from the stone? Maybe I should give it a try?"

Qaliphus frowned at me, "No. Do not touch the blade until after the sealing ritual. To do so would contaminate the magic."

Something about the situation was eating at the back of my mind. It didn't seem right; magic didn't seem like something that could be sealed away. At least, not unless it was attached to an object and even then it was only that instance of magic.

I shook my head. Where had that come from? Since I walked into this room, my mind had started becoming increasingly clearer and the pressure from the sword had started lifting. Now I was pulling information from seemingly nowhere. Qaliphus was busy readying his spell to notice my confusion.

"All set, now make sure I'm not disturbed for forty minutes. If I am then we'll have to start over." He sat down and closed his eyes.

I had barely heard him. Everything around me seemed brighter, more focused. It was the best I'd felt in a long time.

"Welcome back, my king."

I wasn't prepared for the pain that shot through my head as the voice spoke. A quick glance revealed that Qaliphus had not heard it.

"I only speak to you my lord. I am your blade after all."

More pain. I fell to my knees as the voice invaded my skull.

"Oh dear, you aren't receiving me right. I wonder how far down the family tree you are? Are you still refered to as 'Pendragon'? Hold on let me adjust."

The pain escalated to an unbelievable intensity that made spots appear on my vision, "AH! My apologies, you are familiar with fey magic which means I need to calibrate for that too. Tell me if the pain gets worse or better."

My breath was knocked from my chest as another wave of pain sent me to the ground, "Not . . . better."

I had spoken aloud, but the person who responded was not the voice.

"Oh no! Carl, my darling, are you alright? Did this mean fairy bigot hurt you?" Melissa was here. I pushed myself to my feet; fighting against the pain that dotted my vision and made the world sway. I had to protect Qaliphus.

"Unbelievable. You certainly have the Pendragon spirit!" The voice brought metaphorical sledgehammers on my head. I swayed as I tried to stay standing.

"What's wrong with him? He looks sick." Another voice I recognized invaded my ears; past the ringing pain. Christina.

"There are many hostiles in this room with you, sire. I'm trying to situate things better, but it's going to take some time. Perhaps if you start fighting it will go easier?" The voice's command flooded my ears and slowly the pain faded, "Ah, there we go. Now we're both in the same train of thought which will make things eaiser."

My vision cleared and I saw Melissa, and Christina standing at the doorway. Behind me was humanities only salvation, and it was up to me to keep it safe.

Monday, July 16, 2012

223: Simple -Christina-

"Is that how you respond to everything?! Beating it to death?" He was angry, and at the time I hadn't realized that not only had I been in the wrong but his anger was less about what I'd broken and more about molding me into a person that could exist alongside humans.

"It wasn't working! The stupid thing never works and the retarded human landlord never tries to fix it!" I stomped my foot.

"Excuse me, I guess that means that we punch it until it works. What was I thinking?! I mean, you're only human right? It's not like you could punch a hole in solid steel!" He pointed at the wreckage that was once a stove his eyes furious.

I curled my hand into a fist, "Your stuff is so pathetic and weak, how was I supposed to know!?"

Sam stepped up to me and stared into my eyes, "Right now, you're stuck with weak and pathetic so get your act together!"

I admired his bravery, which at first I'd taken as being uninformed. Soon, however, I realized that he'd learned how much I was capable of and still wasn't afraid to tell me off. It was part of him that made my heart flutter sometimes; something I'd gone to the doctors several times about and was always told that I was fine and then smirked at.

"Why do you even care?! You met me in a corner store and all I seem to do is break things! It's not like I'm a friend, or family. I'm a no one that you'd probably be better off getting rid of!"

He didn't respond, and I took this chance to make the killing blow, "Yeah, exactly. I've been here for nearly two months and so far I've broken most of the things in the house! Is that what you intended by bringing me here? Am I your wrecking crew so that you can get your revenge against your ass of a landlord!?"

"No." His response was low and meek.

"Then why!? Why would you keep me around for so long?!"

"Because I love you!" I hadn't expected him to respond like that. and the roles were suddenly reversed; now I was quiet and unable to respond, "At first you were the most annoying person on the planet and I couldn't wait until I'd helped you enough to get you out! Do you remember that night last week when you ran off? God, I was so happy; I'd thought you'd gone forever! That lasted only a few moments before I realized that the house was so empty without you here. I found myself staring at your log-in on the Xbox and being unable to eat because you weren't there to talk to. The more time passed the more I found things that I missed about you; Your hair after a shower, the way you hide your smiles so badly that it's obvious your smiling beneath your hand. You are the most difficult woman I know and even though you won't explain anything to me I still find myself completely and unstoppably entranced when you're around. I even missed how I could never win against you in a video game; it was insane. It IS insane!"

That was the first time Samuel had confessed his love and it wouldn't be the last time either of us said it.

"Wake up!" In seconds I was yanked from my dream and forced into a reality where everything had gone wrong.

"Are we there?" I sat up.

"Yeah, any moment now." Melissa, the arrogant, loud fairy of evil sneered, "So who's Samuel? You wouldn't stop saying his name the entire time you were sleeping. I've never seen your kind cry like that."

I didn't dignify her questions with an answer; she was just trying to get under my skin. I knocked on the window between the back of the truck and the drivers seat. It slid open.

"We're almost there. I don't have any idea why you'd want to be brought out here in the middle of nowhere, nothing here for miles."

Carl and Qaliphus had been tracked here by the powerful fairy magic Melissa commanded. Here was where they'd try to revive the fairy race and make this world their own. In the end we decided that Ben should be kept in the dark. Not only wouldn't he trust the word of Melissa, but he didn't even know me.

So it was just me and Melissa trying to save the world we'd come to love like our own.

And it made me feel human.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Flashback 222: Death -Alex-

"John, just shut up and listen!" I glanced behind me at the open pit in the middle of the warehouse.

Deep inside that pit lay a massive creature looking to destroy everything I'd ever cared about. We'd gotten ourselves in over our heads but at the moment we were the only people who could do anything about it. John, Carl, and I were the only ones that knew; the only ones that would believe it. Moloch, the sun god wanted to destroy the city so that he could rise in power again.

"It's too crazy. Let's back out and come back with a plan." Carl spoke against it but he was holding John back; stopping him from stopping me.

I shook my head, "This IS the plan. He needs unwilling sacrifices or the spell will backfire. He needs people who don't want to die. This is the only way."

"Let me!" John struggled against his brothers hold, "Let me go in your place!"

The ground beneath us began to shake, pieces of wall bending and contorting as the weight of the roof combined with the growing heat wore down at it's strength. I stepped aside as a massive steel pole fell where I had been standing.

"You can't. It has to be me. These things are terrible, and must be fought. You and your brother are the only people that can do it." I turned toward the pit.

"That's a bullshit excuse! Why do you have such a death wish?! I thought you were smarter than that!"

I didn't tell him about the doctors visit. Maybe Carl would later on. I was dying anyway, I had maybe a month left. It was like I'd been conditioned for this role; created by god to serve specific purpose. My wife was a horrible mess over it. My daughter tried her best to stay strong, Emma was like that. A fighter and crazy smart, two things I couldn't have expected.

"See you guys later."

"Let me go, Carl!" I could hear him fighting behind me as I approached the pit, "Alex! I'll make sure of it! I swear on my life that we'll see each other again. I'll do whatever it takes!"

"I'll see you then." If John said he was going to bring me back then I wasn't sure if there was anything that could stop him. He'd break vows he made and beliefs he held without blinking to get what he wanted. It was almost scary, because there wasn't often a time when he didn't deliver.

But this was the real world, and it was cruel.

I dropped into the pit. As I felt my flesh burn away, I knew that I was screaming for help but it was involuntary. In my mind I knew that I had to do this. To save everyone I had to sacrifice myself. The pain was unbelievable and lasted for what seemed like ages.

And then . . . silence, painlessness, weightlessness, loneliness.

"Alex Kayser." A voice, followed by a person. A tall man wearing an expensive suit with eyes that seemed ageless.

I couldn't respond. I had no voice.

"Don't worry I know what you'd ask. I am Patrick Bernauw, better known as death to humans."

What could I do but listen?

"I have the important task of putting people where they belong. I do this sort of thing for everyone but most don't get a choice. You do."

A choice. To make. A choice, to make without a mind.

"You can either be dead and enter the nothingness. You'll no longer have anything; you'll cease to exist.  Or you could be changed into a Walking Soul and then you can help me save the entire world. Of course the only stipulation is that you cannot return to your realm. You'd be stuck within the Other Lands until I called you."

I'd already made my choice.

"The Other Lands run on a different time frame than normal reality, so if one of your friends does try to bring you back to life than four years to them could turn into thousands for you. You wouldn't age, but it is a really long time. Trust me. So be sure."

I was sure.

"Good choice. Be prepared."

The world flew into focus and I found myself high above the ground falling rapidly. Down below a huge battle was raging and I was headed right for the middle. I hit the ground so hard that it shook, but was unhurt. Probably because of Patrick, or rather Death. In front of me stood a man. He had dark hair and a scar that ran from his neck, through his left eye, and cut into his ear.

"Who the hell are you?!?"

"I'm Alex." I stood, my head spinning, "Where am I?"

"In the wrong place," He leaped around me and gunned down a creature that had a black bag over his head, "My name is Jason and you need to run or pick up a weapon."

I looked toward where he was shooting and my breath caught; Thousands of those black bagged creatures were flowing over the landscape toward us. I felt my panic rise and I turned to run.

What the hell was going on?

Monday, February 13, 2012

Flashback 221: New recruits -Jason-

"Can anyone tell me the three types of Baggers?" I looked over the room full of our newest recruits. I had been training them for a week and they were showing great progress. It didn't take long for the smartest one to raise her hand.

"Yes, Betty?" I pointed in her direction. Betty was a shape-shifter which meant she could possibly be more of an asset than anyone else in the tent.

"Class A, B, and C. Class C are relatively mindless and follow the direct orders of Class B and A. There are usually an upwards of 100,000 of them in every army but anything converted joins this class at first."

She was right of course, but what she didn't realize just yet was that it was the Class C's that were a big problem. The sheer number of them was akin to a zombie apocalypse. I could remember the countless friends that had gotten swept up in a charging mass of them, only to be converted. I could still remember the sound their head made as I stabbed my blade through it.

"Class B are slightly taller than Class A and they're much more intelligent. They can make snap changes in their plans to ensure the safety of the Class C's that they give orders to. If a Class B dies then one Class C takes their place. There will always be at most 5000 Class B's in every army."

These noobs would soon find that surviving a Class B attack was more simple than expected. They were almost human, which meant they made very human mistakes. The real danger was an army of B's and C's. The Class C overwhelm your defenses at strategic points while the Class B attacks from behind while you're defending from the Class C. One of the reasons that I've survived as long as I have was because I'd never been in that kind of battle.

"Class A are the most intelligent and have the most strength. There are only 1000 Class A in every army and they are the main generals. They decide what strategy to employ in battle and when one of them dies then a Class B takes their place. They are also the only known Bagger that can convert others and they're the tallest."

"Good," I wrote Class A on the blackboard, "That's exactly what we're going to be talking about today."

I put down the chalk, "I need a volunteer."

Hands shot up and I searched for the strongest among them. I choose a tall man named Fredrick. He got up and made his way next to me. He looked a little worried because word had gotten around about my teaching methods. I stood him a few feet away and turned to the class. Way in the back I saw Alex slip in and stand against the wall. I'd have to finish this lesson quick.

"Class C," I pointed to my fists, "Class B," I pointed to my head. I turned to Fred and swung.

It wasn't expected but Fred took it with stride and didn't move. I frowned, "Fred, if you don't fight back then you're going to die. I'm not going to stop hitting you until it's a fair fight."

I swung again. Fred slipped under my swing and caught me in the chin with his elbow. I stumbled back as he charged forward. I saw his swing coming for my ribs and sidestepped. My palm smacked his back, adding a little more to his momentum. He stumbled until he caught himself and turned. I was already swinging. My knuckles crunched into his nose with a sound like the crumpling of a paper bag. Fred seemed unfazed and got two punches in my gut. I fell back as Fred moved forward.

It was time. I unsnapped my holster then brought my gun forward until it was very visible and pointing in his direction. Fred stopped in his tracks. The color drained from his face when he realized that the gun was cocked and ready to be fired. He stepped back and put his hands up.

I pointed to the gun, "Class A. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Class A's are very dangerous and if you aren't prepared for them then the only thing you can do is run. They change the tide of battle just by showing up. Had we been really fighting I would have shot Fred dead without hesitation."

Fred laughed, "C'mon, I could have taken you."

A loud bang filled the tent and everyone jumped. Alex was standing at the back, his gun aimed at Fred, "Now listen, when a Class A shows up it will probably be a surprise, kinda like me. You might have seen Jason's gun, but in real battle you wouldn't know a Class A was involved until soldiers started dying. Class dismissed."

I holstered my gun and slapped Alex on the back, "So what's the word?"

Alex was one of the only humans I could call a friend. He'd taught me not to underestimate the human race because they were tougher than expected. He'd saved my life countless times and I'd do the same for him. The baggers had their Class A but we had Alex. In our time serving together I'd seen him take on Class A's on three separate occasions. Not only did he survive all three times, but he actually killed one in hand to hand combat.

Not that he looked the part; he was slightly overweight and shambled around looking for a seat more times than standing. However, when he battled he was a monster. Even I'd be worried facing him.

Alex frowned and shook his head, "We've found the Academy, but it's completely infested. Only Class C's and they seem to be looking for something. I think your information was accurate, there is something in those ruins."

"Good. Bring the platoon back. We'll regroup and attack with force. We need to get whatever it is before they do."

"Can't. The scout escaped just as the army was attacked. No one survived Jason. They've all been killed or converted." Alex punched the blackboard.

"Shit," I sat down in a chair, "Alex, I haven't heard from the other generals for weeks. I fear that we might be the only ones left."

We sat in silence for a long time until I stood up and went to leave, "Prepare the troops, even the newbies. We leave tomorrow morning to take back the Academy. Hopefully what we have is enough, but even if we don't, we can't stop fighting."

"I'm fighting till I'm dead." Alex smiled.

"Me too." I slipped from the tent and out into the escaping sunlight.

I was terrified.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Take a look!

I've started a new blog everyone.

I've already begun work on a novel and I'll be posting weekly chapters on the new blog for everyone to read until I'm finished writing. Here's a bit of what it's about:

Jason Brand is new to town and hates it. Due to an angry outburst in an argument with his father he discovers something that changes everything. 
In no time he's teamed up with Gretta (a girl from school) and investigating the hidden past of Ulster County and the even more unusual present. Suddenly a secret is revealed that puts him right in the middle of the maelstrom and he'll have to adjust because one thing is becoming increasingly clear . . . 
This is his home now.
 Please give the entire first chapter a read through and let me know what you think. If you like it then share it and all that jazz.

Now, this doesn't mean that I'm finished with Unusual Circumstances or Obviam Vita. In fact they may be updated more often then usual.

I so hope you enjoy it and I'll catch you people later.

-Timothy

Thursday, February 2, 2012

220: I am Animus -Sara-

"It will be okay. It was just a dream."

I stood near a bed, on which sat a small girl with tears in her eyes. The speaker stood nearby; a tall man with striking features and ageless eyes. Where was I? I had tried to possess that Arabic girl and then this.

"Patrick," She started to wail louder, "They wouldn't allow me on the boat! The rain was coming down in torrents and I was gonna drown, but no one wanted me on board. They told me I wasn't one of them. they said that I was just a tool to be used and discarded."

"She couldn't get on because I enjoyed watching her squirm." A voice to my side made me turn. Standing there was a nearly identical little girl, though this one seemed very different and dark.

"What's going on here?"

"That's not important. You should keep watching, because I know what you are now and there's something you should know." I found her smile disturbing as she turned toward the bed again.

"Saba, I'm sorry." Patrick sat down next to her and pulled her close, "I wish I could give you words of comfort."

"I'm not like them am I?"

Patrick shook his head, "You're not, and when the time comes you will be left behind."

"But why?" Her voice came out in a whine and the tears started again, "I don't want to be left behind. I want to be like everyone else."

The man named Patrick actually had tears in his eyes, "I'm going to be left behind as well. Neither of us will last, we're not meant too. Humans are forever and we're not."

"But . . . but I feel human." I was tiring of hearing the girl whine, but without knowing how to escape I could only sit and watch.

"I know. You need to understand that you're a copy, and one day you'll no longer exist," Patrick looked into her eyes and smiled, "but that doesn't make us any less important. The humans need our help, now more than ever."

"Why am I important?" She looked up at him, slowly calming down.

"You remember the story of Gilfred?"

She nodded.

"There are only four known beings like that, do you remember?"

She nodded again, "The Human Race, Gilfred, Animus, and Mardockt. Mardockt was made by Gilfred and is a bad, bad man, he's who we're trying to stop. Gilfred and Animus have been around forever. Animus is the power of the mind."

"Well, a long time ago, there was only three which lead Gilfred to decide to create Mardockt. The human race is unable to take direct action before a threat presents itself so the only being that could stop Gilfred was Animus."

Animus. Why did that name sound so familiar? Beside me I heard the dark one giggle.

"Here's where it gets good, keep listening." She stepped backwards into the darkness and I turned to watch the events that were taking place.

"Are these your memories?" I heard no response.

"Animus could tell that Gilfred shouldn't being doing it so she stood up against him by creating several armies; An army of fairy-folk, an army of Angels, and the army of the Cubi. To the fairies she gave great magical prowess, to the Angels she gave varying abilities centering around something human or natural, and to the Cubi she gave the gift of charm and politics. When she had finished, Gilfred was nearly done. She swept in with her armies, laying waste to whatever Gilfred put in her way."

My head began to hurt as I got a flash of standing above a sea of creatures, all armed and ready to do my biding. I shook it away and kept watching.

"I remember this part, can I tell it?" The girl smiled and rubbed her red eyes, "Gilfred knew the armies were strong, so to stop them he gave them each fatal weaknesses, that allowed them to be overcome easily. Fairies were suddenly able to be killed using their names, angel's abilities were sealed away, and the Cubi had to consume living energy to survive. Animus was defeated and she vanished, never to be heard from again. When Mardockt was created, Gilfred realized that she had been right so he contained Mardockt away and unsealed the Angel's powers so that they could be Mardockt's guardians until he found a way to destroy him."

I fell to my knees. Another flash and I was stepping up to an old man. He turned with a surprised yell and I felt myself tear into millions of pieces. I shook my head and tried to ignore the pain.

"Animus did get to Gilfred. She was going to stop him and since Animus couldn't be destroyed Gilfred did the only thing he knew would help. He destroyed her body."

No. No no no. I grabbed my head as pain seared across it.

"Gilfred needed a place to contain her so he put pieces of her into each human and over time those pieces broke down and were passed on through the generations. Now every human alive has a small bit of Animus within them, one could call it memory but that's a very basic way of describing it."

I was Animus. I knew that now.

"But this doesn't make me important."

"It makes you very important. You don't have a piece of Animus within you. To her, you're an empty shell, a body that she can use to collect the rest of herself when she awakens."

I knew something was off with that Arabic bitch. Now I knew where I was and I smiled. I would no longer need to jump from body to body. I could just kill them and go to the next human with a piece. I was unstoppable now. I started to laugh but stopped as I looked down at my hand. I could not move my fingers. I felt my breath quicken in terror.

"Sadly, you aren't human. You're a copy, made by me to contain her indefinitely. She'll find herself unable to exert her control and she'll fall into a deep slumber until she's needed. Without you she'll go on killing constantly, so in a way you are the human's defense against her."

I heard laughter next to me and looked at the dark eyes of the young girl, "I don't want to go to sleep. Help me."

"You won't. I'm a flawed experiment. Normally, you fall into a slumber," She laughed and I felt dread in my heart, "but with me you'll simply be unable to do anything . . . except feel . . . as you spend years and years under my blade."

She pulled a knife from behind her back and approached smiling.

This was worse than being incomplete.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

219: Fall of the Other Lands -Alice-

"What are they?" I stared out the window at the hundreds of Black Baggers whose heads were turned to look back at me. Not that they could see; their heads were encased with bags of black plastic.

Jason glanced out the window and then back at me, "I call them Baggers and they used to be residents of the Other Lands. Many of them I used to call friend."

"What happened?"

"No one is sure. One day they just started to appear and soon there were so many that they became a serious threat. Many species had to team up to fight them but without the power of the fairies and the angels there was nothing we could do."

"Under the command of Dorothy we stood together," A voice behind me spoke. I turned to see Alex pushing himself off the bed, "But whenever we battled them we lost and they gained. I watched as people who I cared about were dragged into the crowd and the next time I saw them they had a black bag over their face."

Alex walked to the window and closed it. Drawing the curtains he turned, "Before I go on, you're going to have to tell us who you are. Otherwise you go right back out the window, and this time we won't give you a rope."

Stephanie stepped between Alex and the child, "Jesus Alex! She's just a child!"

"She could be working for Mardockt! We can't take any chances, we've already lost so much! I'm not going to get all teary eyed over a follower! If she can't tell us who she is then the Baggers can have her."

Stephanie grew silent and I realized in horror that she agreed. None of the others spoke up either. They were all willing to end my life to avoid the risk that I worked for someone named Mardockt.

"My name is Alice. I was sent here to find you Alex. I was sent here by a man named Ben Wiltshire/Ashford."

Alex stared at me as Jason walked over, "Ashford? As in the son of Wilson Ashford? Little girl, you had better not be joking."

"I'm not. He wants me to ask Alex about the thing that wants to escape. Also, Carl wants me to say hello."

Alex sat down in surprise, "Carl. Carl Miller? I haven't heard that name in so long. Time here works a bit differently so it's been over three hundred years since the last time I spoke to him. How is he?"

"I don't know him that well. I only just met up with everyone."

"Everyone? Does that mean John was with them?"

"No, I didn't meet any Johns. The only people Ben runs with are Carl Miller, Saba Zahid, Crystal Ferguson, Nick Brown, William Melahn, and Kelly Hartmen."

Jason looked surprised, "My sister . . ." He smiled, "If she can get her powers back then we'd certainly have a better chance."

I sat down on the bed, "So, could someone tell me something to tell Ben please?"

Alex walked to the window and glanced out, "The being he's worried about is known as Mardockt and we can't really tell you that much about him. All I know is that for the last three hundred years we've all been fighting against his minions."

"Ben had a book. A book written by his father. He needs to know why his uncle would want him to think he's a murderer."

"A book?" Jason spoke up, "Wilson never had a book. He hated the things, he said that the best way to learn was experience and memory. There is no chance that it was written by his father."

As if on cue the entire building began to shake.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Flashback 218: Gilfred -Indigo-

I had never met a Constant before. I barely even believed that they existed. Humans had everything wrong. They thought there was a single being responsible for the creation of the world. They lived by the belief that everything began somewhere, but that was a flawed view. The universe has always been and would always be. The universe was one of those Constants. Something that always was and would always be.

It was a hard concept for mortals to understand and even I had trouble believing it. There I was though, standing outside of the home of a legend. Gilfred was a Constant, someone whose stories were told to me as a child. I walked up onto the porch and lifted the knocker above which the initials G.O.D. were inscribed. I dropped the heavy weight and let it fall once.

Patrick had spent his life looking for this one man, if he was a man. Gender probably meant as little as age when referring to a  Constant. They weren't something that could be defined by those categories. I turned and glanced at the car. Inside lay a sleeping Patrick, a child for the time being. It wouldn't be until he got older that he would regain the memories he once had. His vessel's sister had been born yesterday so I had been left to care for him, a task I had wanted to avoid. I didn't want him to think of me as a parental figure because of my feelings toward him.

No answer from the door. I reached up to knock again. It had taken me years to find his residence, and I didn't expect him to be here. His house sat in the center of a massive field, a monument to his power it would have been, if it wasn't surrounded by small, wooden crosses. Thousands, if not millions of them surrounded the house, each one with a name and date. The neighbors said that when he first moved here there weren't any crosses, but over the years more and more began to appear.

I pulled my hand away from the door and glanced at the car again. Why was I hesitant? Patrick believed completely that this man was safe, but something in me was screaming to just walk away; just leave this thing alone because it wasn't worth the trouble.

If I did, then Patrick would never forgive me. The other people of our race had forsaken him, claiming that his words were lies. So he left them, choosing with conviction to side with the one race that seemed to be the only that wasn't too blind to see when things were getting bad. Humans.

I couldn't understand his faith in them. He seemed set in the belief that this entire time, humans had been the superior race. Our kind had enslaved them, done horrible things to them, made them believe things that gave us more power, but Patrick believed in their potential. I had asked him why he believed this so much and he asked me to think back to a time when humans weren't around. Even before the realm of humans, there were humans in the Other Lands; in the oldest history books, the ones buried in our forgotten cities, they were still spoken of from first page to last.

This fact scared me to my core. As far back as I looked, humans were always there. My fear came to the notice of Patrick, who took me back in the basement of his Other Lands home. There he showed me a large block of cave wall. On it were symbols that I recognized as the first roots of our language system, and right there in the most rudimentary of writings was the word Human. Patrick proceeded to explain that he thought humans were a Constant, not individual humans, but the human race as a whole. He believed they had an untapped potential, one that only manifested when their race was in danger of extinction; a bestowing of abilities to seemingly random humans, who would become the shield and sword needed to weather any storm. He showed me thousands of documents, all of them a record of times when the human race triumphed against odds that were completely unreal.

I lifted the knocker and dropped it again.

"I have something to show you Indigo." A voice behind me spoke and I instinctively branched out my power, but it was deflected. It had never been deflected before.

I turned to see an old man standing at the bottom of the porch stairs. He was smiling and I felt comforted by his presence.

"You must be Gilfred." I made my way down the stairs and followed him through the rows and rows of wooden crosses.

"When you've lived as long as I have," He brushed a hand across one of the wooden crosses, "you hardly ever make any mistakes. I'm sure you can understand that, given your races longevity, but I'm not sure you understand what it means to a person like me. A mistake of mine can have consequences that last for a very, very long time, and it will kill so many people."

"I'm not sure I understand."

He was quiet for several minutes while we walked through the unending field of crosses. Each one that he passed, he touched and he never smiled. Each cross he passed seemed like a weight on his mind and visible on his face as a burden. I could tell that to him each one was heavier than I could imagine.

"Each and every one, I put here. So that I never forget who they were and what they contributed to the universe, so I never forget what was lost. However, I believe there is only one that would have any relevance to Patrick, and in extension; you."

He stopped in front of a cross and pointed to it. Inscribed in the wood was a name. Mardockt. I stepped backward in shock and looked at the old man.

"Wh-What is this?" I was incredibly confused, Patrick believed Mardockt to be alive and trapped just waiting to escape. However, right in front of my face was proof, delivered by a being without age, that Mardockt was indeed lost.

"Humans were the most powerful of the Constants. They were because the entire universe and everything within it conformed to them. When humans were in danger, seemingly unrelated and inconsequential events took place bestowing seemingly random humans with powers that neither me nor you could understand. Then these humans turn out to be exactly what the race needs."

"You aren't making any sense. I came here to ask for your help, we need to kill Mardockt. We need you to kill Mardockt."

My head was still trying to get over the fact that Mardockt was dead. Patrick based every action that he made on the belief that Mardockt had been changed evil and that Mardockt had more power than he could imagine. Had Patrick been wrong?

"Only a Constant can create a Constant and the same inverted. Only a Constant can kill a Constant. Anything else that tries will be killed. I knew this, but in my loneliness I ignored that fact. The being you call Mardockt was created long before your friend unleashed him. It took me many years to learn how to create a Constant, and even longer to contain him."

Suddenly the weight of the field I stood in fell on me. Each one of these crosses were a life destroyed by the being Patrick was scared of, and because of Gilfred's guilt he lived everyday in the presence of monuments he'd created for them.

"This field," I felt a heaviness in my heart, "How many of them are of my race?"

"Patrick's friend, Mardockt, was not born without a power. When he was destroyed he created an anomaly in the universe. He was part of the protection that humans would need to survive."

"You aren't answering me."

"Don't you understand? Smell the air, look at the sky, you can see it everywhere. The human race is preparing to defend itself. I can feel the tendrils of fate weaving throughout the universe. I can see the dominoes falling in sequence as the universe and everything within it bends in attempt to ensure their survival. The last time I saw the universe react like this was back in the Ice Age, but even that wasn't anything compared to this."

"Stop speaking in riddles!" I stomped my foot causing the ground to tremble.

"The human race is scared. It doesn't know whether it can survive this time and because of this, the universe is not pulling any stops. Do you know what that does to me? I created the Constant that they're worried about. I caused the death of thousands and I can do nothing to help. I can only tell you the right direction."

"So what's the right direction?"

"Patrick's already headed in it, but he needs to find the anomaly. He needs to find it as soon as he can, because it will lead him to the only defense humans have."

"He's not interested in just saving the humans, he wants to save the universe. He wants you to lead the army he will create."

Gilfred smiled, "Indigo, you really need to be more understanding. A Constant is a Constant because it must be there. Without the human race then the universe loses meaning, and without a reason to exist it will fade away. I might survive as well as my creation, but the universe will evaporate. Take a look around you, I am not fit to lead an army, but maybe the anomaly will be."

I was angry, "You aren't the person I thought you were. I heard legends about you for as long as I've lived, but you're nothing but a sad old man who doesn't want to get his hands dirty. Patrick is more than you'll ever be."

Gilfred looked surprised as though I had said something he hadn't expected, "I have done enough. You may leave now, my answer is no. I will not join Patrick."

"Then I give you a message directly from him, if you will not help us then you will be hunted. You'll be hunted forever, because Patrick will not stop until he's either contained you or killed you."

As I turned to head back to the car, Gilfred laughed, "Patrick is an amazing person, very dedicated and willing to do what it takes, so I wait for the day when he comes to collect."

As I slid in next to Patrick, I couldn't help but feel a chill. Gilfred's words stirred something that I had stuffed away for a long time. Deep within my soul I felt the one thing besides love that controlled my actions.

Deep within I felt the cold hand of terror as the car pulled away from the house, the crosses and that horrible old man.