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.

201: Visible Lies -Crystal-

"Speak fast." I held the grenade ready to throw as he stood up.

"Let me collect myself." Patrick had an unsettling calm as he spoke. The anger from before was gone and replaced with confidence, as though he'd gotten control of the situation again. He didn't need any "collecting", he was stalling for time. He was going to lie.

"Vincent was a soul trapped inside that of a bear. Once the bear is destroyed his soul is no longer trapped there and can go find another, more suitable body."

The venom dripped off the lies as he spoke. He didn't even try to hide it. The anger that had been put aside so that I could possibly find a way to bring Vincent back filled me again.

"I can tell you a way to follow his soul from his remains to where he is now, but you need to put down that grenade first." I had to admit he was a good negotiator. If I didn't know that he was a filthy liar I might have done what he wanted.

"Fine." I tossed the grenade into the room he was standing.

Patrick's face went from calm confidence to fearful urgency in seconds. I had never felt a more gratifying moment in my short life. Patrick ran toward the door, but my heel between his eyes stopped him with a crunch of cracking bones. He fell to the ground and I ran. I'd gotten only a short distance away when the explosion shook the entire building. I ducked around a corner and covered my head as pieces of burning wall and shrapnel metal flew past. As the heat faded, the scent of burned flesh hit my nose.

I stood and made my way back down the hall to where I could see Patrick's burned, bleeding and unmoving body. I knelt and felt for his pulse.

There was none.

Something inside me cracked. I had killed someone. I had taken the life of another in a fit of anger and it scared me. This wasn't who I was. I didn't want this new part of me, I wanted it to go away. It had turned me into a murderer; a monster. I felt tears stream down my face as I stood and walked from the building.

I didn't want this.

200: Fatal Shadow -Unknown-

It took me three hours and twelve people to find the exact location of Patrick, and I won't lie; some of those people would have trouble walking for a while. I wasn't cutting corners. I wasn't taking chances. I knew better. You make a mistake or take a shortcut and you're dead. The only thing you can do is be one step ahead of the rest. You have to know the enemy so well that even their preference of cereal isn't a mystery to you.

I'd left them standing there staring after me. I didn't even hang up the phone. It was as though the sound of the death unlocked parts of me I'd never knew existed. An entire lifetime of espionage, and assassination flooded my mind. I knew the points on someone's body that would knock them out, cripple them, or worse. I could get to those spots before they could blink and disappear just as fast. Nothing was untouchable and as soon as I put my sights on a target, nothing could sway my gaze.

I wasn't a meek girl anymore.
I was the seven year old bringer of death.
I was a fatal shadow.
I was the eyes you always feel on you.
I was what made you hesitant to go into a dark room unarmed.
I was Crystal, and I was very, very mad.

Guards were nothing; just targets. They didn't last long enough to be surprised. There were three at the front doors. I always used the front door, because I wanted to spit in the face of my target's security. I wanted them to know when I arrived so that I could easily earn the quivering fear that I deserved to be shown. I left the gun where they laid and instead grabbed a single grenade as insurance. It's not that I didn't know how to use a gun. I could disassemble them in seconds and put them together just as fast. I had a killer's aim, but that was no surprise. I didn't pick them up because I wouldn't need them.

They wouldn't see me.

A group of seven heavily armed men flooded down the hall where I had been just earlier. They knelt to check the status of the door guards. Alive. I needed them to remember me. I needed them to fear me. I needed everyone in this place to know they weren't safe if they crossed me.

I came down like a spider from my hiding spot in a small nook on the ceiling. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. A single touch and every last one of them would be in a coma for a week. I left the pile of bodies near the door as I made my way deeper into the interior of the building.

I slipped into a room as I heard a voice coming closer. John. My friend working for the wrong side, so he wouldn't get special treatment. Open the door to the face, and a single jab to one of those special places I knew of. He fell like a brick. Not coma, but he'd be out long enough for me to complete what I'd come here to do. I disarmed him just in case. During the time I'd known him he'd done some very surprising things, and there was NO way I was going to underestimate him. Jay and Tim were all that was left to make a move, and the only person that had seen me was Tim. He probably saw my entrance in the video feeds.

After taking John down I turned to the nearest camera and waved.

Jay would be in the library, and Tim in the control room. Simple.

Jay's face felt the heel of my foot before the world went dark. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. I left the library and made my way to the showers; Patrick would be there unaware of my coming.

The doors to the bathroom were closed and locked, but a hairpin and thirty seconds later that obstacle was gone.

Patrick wasn't human, that much I was aware of. I wouldn't be able to rely on the normal means to do him in. He was also very experienced, and had probably had many assassins try to take him out. He would be ready for me and that wasn't something I could stop. We were in his territory, so I was all ready at a disadvantage. I had to switch it around. I had to change the field of battle so that it fell in my favor, or at least evened the odds.

I closed my eyes and counted to forty, all the while I could hear the shower running around the corner. I could hear his whistling as though he had no remorse or guilt about what he'd done. It drove me mad. I hit forty, turned off the lights, and opened my eyes.

I had already adjusted to the dark so getting to Patrick in his surprised state was simple. My fist said hello to his nose with a crack loud enough to cause my ears to ring. I jumped back as he swung blindly in the dark.

"Who are you?! Where are you!?", he yelled angrily as he tried to hit me.

I silently moved behind him, ignoring the heat of the shower water as my knee crashed into the small of his back.

Patrick went down to one knee faster than I'd expected. I figured that he'd be some kind of monster like the ones we'd faced before. I didn't even fathom that he could possibly be simply human.

"Attacking someone in the dark is pathetic! Attack me to my face you pathetic fool!" His face was fuming, as angry as I could get it.

"You didn't attack me to my face. You went after my Father. You are the coward!"

Even in the dark I could see the blood drain from his face. He hadn't even thought that I would be capable of coming after him. He didn't even think I had it in me to make a one man assault on his badly guarded fortress. It was breathtaking to watch his anger swiftly change to a worried uncertainty. I watched his mind put the pieces together by reading the small changes on his face. A small look of guilt slid over his face and then vanished into anger again.

"You." He stood to his feet, and as I watched him he seemed to gain more confidence, "You killed the only human in this horrible world that I actually cared about. You took Saba away from me, so I went straight after the only people that I could to make you feel my pain. Do you? Do you feel the horrific feeling of loss like I do? After my employee finished his work, I called him and do you know what he told me?"

I could feel my anger growing as he started to explain his actions, as though he was justified in killing such a kind and innocent person.

"He told me that he missed." I felt my heart skip a beat, "He said that he had to sit there and watch your father choke on his own blood for half an hour before death."

My anger erupted with a ferocity I had never felt before. My foot was on his chin, followed by the heavy thumps of my fists bruising his chest, knocking him out of the showers and closer to the door. He tried to retaliate, but the lack of sight made his swings ineffectual and pointless. He leaped through the door, crushing it to the ground. He was moving toward the light so he'd have a better advantage, but I was right behind him.

Before he even got back to his feet I was there, leveraging his weight to catapult him back into the showers where he collided into the wall with a crunch of linoleum. I pulled out the grenade as I moved to the door. My finger yanked the pin as I smiled at his very surprised face.

"WAIT!" Patrick's voice made me hesitate, "Wait. If you let me live, than I can help you."

"Now who's pathetic? Can't you just at least die as something other than a cockroach? Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this.", I prepared to toss it.

"No. I can tell you how to bring Vincent back."

Patrick had earned some more time.

197: Completion -Sara-

Incomplete. I was incomplete. I must become whole again, but to do that I'd need to find all the pieces. I could see them all around me everyday as I moved through this place. I was in pieces and slowly I would collect myself to become one again.

"Mister?" She was small, but she had a piece, "Are you okay? You look sick. I think you're bleeding."

She was right, I was bleeding. These vessels weren't strong enough to contain me and would eventually explode. Even after I leave them, the strain is too much and it usually kills them. Such fragile beings. If I could find a stronger vessel than this it would be much easier, less murderous. I didn't want to have to kill these creatures, but I was incomplete. I needed to be whole again.

Adding a new piece calmed me for a time, until I felt the gnawing urge for completion again. I felt it now as I looked at the young child in front of me. Why was she alone? Where was her guardian? Those questions quickly became irrelevant as the need overcame me. I began to detach myself from this vessel, allowing small amounts of their free will come back as I reached out to the little girl.

First I released the pain, so I didn't feel as the vessel's chest slowly split open. I watched the girl's eyes go wide as the blood spilled onto the ground. She turned to run but I was too fast. My arm whipped out, clipping her on the side of the head and she crumpled to the ground. I turned to the alley wall and coated my hand with blood.

After I retrieved the next piece, I couldn't be sure what I would remember. I had to leave myself a message, telling me what to do next. Direction was what I would need if I was to survive. I couldn't allow myself to be caught, but what should I do next?

I searched the vessel's mind for the part I needed, and began melding it to me. I had to get this piece before I leave. It would be many, many months before I found this specific piece again. As I finished, I learned where I needed to go next.

Soon my defense mechanism would kick in, and I would not remember anything for a long time. I had to give myself direction. My hand slid along the wall as I wrote the words and immediately after finishing, I released myself completely and flowed into the girl. The old vessel was too far gone to scream and as my memory faded, I watched his body explode.

My eyes roamed over the words as I began to lose consciousness.

"Find Crystal Ferguson."

I could taste the next piece already.

179: Not Supposed To Matter -Alice-

I walked to the door and as I reached for the knob, a noise behind me made me freeze. Someone was breathing. I turned around and stared at a tall man wearing an expensive suit walking toward me. Something about him made me tremble. There was something in his eyes; something very ancient and powerful.

"Alice. So nice to finally meet you, Alice. I have been watching you for a very long time." His voice made me feel unnaturally calm, which instead of making me comfortable, put me on edge.

"What are you, a pervert?" I retorted.

The man laughed and then shook his head, "You've lived a very difficult life Alice, and you deserved better. Beaten everyday, forced to clean after your parents habit while avoiding your father's drunken rage, and everyday you wished you could die. You wanted it all to end and hoped that you'd feel no more pain."

He knew too much of my thoughts, of my life. I stepped back, "Are you God?"

He stared at me for a long time and then smiled, "No. I'm as far from a God as you can get, and I'm not even sure if the big guy even exists." He stepped forward and held out his hand, "My name is Patrick Bernauw, and I'm here to give you what you really want."

I'd always read stories of deals made with the devil and this sounded like one of those times. I shook my head and stuck my tongue out at him, "No way. You'll ask me to do something later, something I won't want to do."

"There is no catch. In fact, I'm not doing this for you at all. I only choose you because your life needed a change and I felt generous." The way he said generous made the incorporeal hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"You killed me to make my life better? Did you flunk out of grade school?"

He laughed again, "You are so smart, Alice. Yes, as a matter of fact, I did flunk out of school. Except it wasn't grade school. Have you ever heard of a place called the Other Lands?"

I shook my head still not trusting his words. This could all just be a plan to get me to go along.

"Well, you are a ghost, also known as a Walking Soul in the Other Lands. Walking Souls are the only beings capable of instantaneous travel between this realm and the Other Lands without training. With training a Walking Soul can become a very dangerous being, but that is not important to you. What's important is that you understand that the afterlife humans refer to is the Other Lands."

"Why is that important?"

He stared at me, "I'm trying to give you a better life, Alice. You need to trust me."

"I don't. You're a smelly old man that likes watching a fourteen year old. Even if my Mother couldn't teach me to be careful of guys like you, I'm not stupid." I stepped back again.

He nodded and stood up, "Well, I'll be seeing you again sometime. When we meet again you might think I'm doing the wrong thing, but I swear I'm not the bad guy. The bad guy is a lot worse than me."

"I don't even know who you are! I'm dead, remember?! I'm not supposed to matter anymore!"

He laughed as he walked toward the opposite wall, "Alice, your life is just beginning. Give my regards to Ben."

"Ben? Whose that? Why me? Hey! Stop walking away!"

He turned and smiled, "Ben is the guy that killed you, Alice."

And then he vanished and I was again alone.

But even more confused.

Flashback Entry 157: Janitors -Christina-

"You'd be surprised at how frail you actually are. Your kind sits above everything, looking down at all the humans below as if you're better."

Mardockt knelt and grabbed some grass. He twirled it in his fingers and its green turned to brown as the plant died instantly.

"You aren't though. You can die just like any other mortal, it just takes a little more force. You call yourselves Gods! You cannot even FATHOM what a God really is!"

Patrick stood up, "Christina, you tell me what you see. I'll be the sword and you be the mind."

We'd done this before in the past to fend off wild animals. This wasn't the same. This was us fighting for our lives against something we didn't understand. Maybe the adults felt it. Maybe they were headed here to help us right now. The Highest Tier would know what to do.

"Christina! Concentrate!", Patrick ran forward.

Mardockt stood and continued walking as Patrick closed in. The dark tentacle flew from Mardockt again.

"Left!"

Patrick veered left, straight in to Mardockt's waiting arm. Patrick's feet left the ground and he flipped in the air behind Mardockt. I could hear the pain as Patrick pulled himself to his feet again.

"This is fun. I haven't done this in years! A few thousand years of imprisonment makes this more enjoyable than it normally would be. Come on, don't give up. I want this to last!", Mardockt's eyes had a lust that made me shiver.

At my cues Patrick dived left and right to avoid the tendrils of death as they swung out to do their horrible job. Mardockt didn't move, nor did he stop staring at me. Even though his eyes watched me, it was all I could do to keep Patrick from being hit.

"You're interesting. You can see things you shouldn't. Skills like that are reserved for certain humans, not your kind."

Mardockt smiled evilly and then a tendril shot out toward me. I rolled to the side to avoid it but it kept coming. I jumped to my feet and ran.

"Christina! Where are they?!?!", Patrick was still, looking left and right as though he'd be able to see what I could.

"Left!" I jumped to the side to avoid the tendril that was after me.

I heard a thump and Patrick’s groan of pain. Glancing back I saw Mardockt standing over him staring at his face. The tendrils had faded to nothing.

"See, you were doing so well and just one mistake is the end. I'd tell you to learn from your mistakes, but I have the feeling that you don't have time. You should have left your young friend up here and ran."

"You talk too much." Patrick glared at Mardockt with a resolve I hadn't seen in a long time. He swung his feet up, spinning his body to get momentum. A loud crack was heard as Patrick's foot made Mardockt's neck collapse.

Mardockt stepped back, his neck inflating as a laugh escaped, "Such disrespect. I'll show yo-"

A spear suddenly appeared through Mardockt's chest. A light emanated from it, surrounding him. From his feet the sacred Circle of Ghat formed. Patrick jumped back away from the circle. Hundreds of smaller circles burned in to Mardockt's skin, causing him to scream with pain.

A massive white tentacle erupted from the clouds above and stabbed in to Mardockt. Judging by Patrick's reactions, he couldn't see it like I could. He couldn't see the radiating white aura that stretched across the sky.

"AGAIN?!? You think I can be contained the same way twice?!? I'll be back, sooner this time and when I am, I'll wipe your miserable race off the Earth. Arrrgh! No matter how long you live, no matter how much you forget, I will always be in the back of your heads; and when all the Highest Tier have died I will come back. Who will stop me then?!?"

With those last words Mardockt vanished. As the skies cleared several adults floated to the ground. I recognized half of them as people on the Highest Tier.

"We can not kill the children, but they must learn a lesson. They must stay away from areas that are restricted."

"We didn-" Patrick pleaded.

"Shush child!"

Patrick fell silent.

"You will forevermore be unsigned. Never will you have a chance to sit with the Highest Tier, and all your jobs shall be janitorial."

All of my goals dissolved in front of me as my future was stripped away.

Christmas Special: Future -Ben-

(Well, I haven't posted anything in a while but I was busy with a few other things. Until a couple of days ago when I realized what day was fast approaching. So, in honor of Christmas I am going to give everyone a little sneak peek into the future of all the characters in the blog. So I present what could happen . . . if . . .)

"I miss John."

Crystal looked out from my porch at the snow covered lawn. Nick stood behind her, his arms protecting her from the cold. Nick smiled gently and kissed the back of her head.

"I do too. He was a great man. He gave a lot for us all. So did Ben."

Crystal smiled and turned, "You did too. I'm just glad you weren't taken away from me like they were."

She leaned in and just as they were about to kiss, a light flashed over them. Turning, Crystal and Nick looked out at the approaching car.

"Patrick is here!"

Crystal slipped out of Nick’s arms and smiled widely as she bounded down the steps.

"Patrick! You made it!"

The car slowly came to a stop. Nick turned to the door and called in, "Johnathon! Benjamin! Patrick is here!"

Down the steps the children leaped, running out to the car and in to the arms of Patrick as he got out of the car. Behind them came Saba, who stopped in the door and smiled at Nick, "You interrupted our game of Soul Caliber. I was winning."

"I guess you'll have to win another time.", Patrick said as he carried the two boys over his shoulders in to the house. In all the time that had past Patrick hadn't aged, not at all. He still had this presence about him, except it had long since become more benevolent.

Patrick set the children down and looked at Nick, "Are you ready?"

Crystal walked up to Nick and grasped his hand, "Do you have to? You go every Christmas."

Nick smiled and leaned in to kiss her, "I have to. One day he'll come out of it. I just know it."

Crystal returned the kiss and then pulled away, "Patrick, have you heard from Carl or Vincent?"

"They said they would be here for dinner, so I'd expect them to be here very soon."

"And Will?"

"What about me?" Through the door he walked, a large smile on his face and two massive presents under his arms. He set the presents down and hugged both Saba and Crystal.

"Boy, do I have tales for you guys."

That was Will, always telling tales and catching every one’s attention. He and Patrick had decided to bury the hatchet, especially after he found out the truth.

Will turned to Patrick and shook his hand, "Have a good drive. Give him my regards."

And with that, Patrick and Nick slipped in to the car and drove off.

A few hours had passed when they finally pulled in to the driveway of The Bernauw Mental Institution. Nick and Patrick walked up to the doors, waving at an orderly as they passed. The two didn't talk much, this was very hard for both of them. No one enjoyed seeing John like this.

Possessed, only his will holding it inside. Protecting us all.

They could hear John's rants as they approached the door. The door they never opened, just listened through.

After seven years, the rants hadn't changed.

"They tell me things, then I eat them. O' Dorothy, Dorothy!"

"Merry Christmas, John.", Nick whispered.

I looked through the window at him and wished I'd taken his place. He'd have been better dead. Like me.

142: Lies, Lies, Lies -Crystal-

I watched him as he sat on the Hotel bed eating and watching television. This was a disaster and I didn't have to be Ben to see that.

"Why'd you tell him he could go with us?", Ben was not happy.

This seemed to be something constant with me. Going to the wrong person for help and getting everyone in more trouble. First it was Saba, and now Will.

"It was payment. I told him he could go with us if he did me a favor."

Nick looked at me, "What favor?"

"Nick, right?", Will suddenly spoke, "She wanted me to look you up. Dig in to your past to figure out how dangerous you are."

I suddenly wished I'd found a reporter with a bit more tact, or at least some restraint. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I sat there.

I was about to try to explain when Will spoke again, "Fact is, she's right. You are a very dangerous man, Nick. Seventeen years ago you decimated an entire village of 100 people, and based on the eye-witness accounts, it only took you 13 minutes to do it. On top of that, you were committed in an old folks home at the same time this happened. You also were reported dead a few weeks ago."

Ben glanced at Nick and then me, "How is this possible?"

"Oh that's easy.", Will shut off the television and pointed at Nick, "He is a fake, a sham, a liar, and judging by his lack of skill in covering it up he's also a noob."

Nick put his hand in front of him, "Whoa now, just hold on a secon-"

"Now I don't know why he would use the alias of an obviously dangerous man, maybe he's just dumb, but I couldn't find any record of him except for footage of him walking out of the home that the real Nick Brown had been admitted to."

Nick sounded exasperated, "I woke up there. I-"

"See, she was right to call me and have me check up on him. If she hadn't, he'd have been still learning all there was to learn about all of your secrets."

Ben frowned at Will, "Just like what you're going to be doing."

"At least I'm honest about it. Tell me, has Nick done anything that sticks out, something so glaringly wrong that it's the first thing that you think of when you talk to him?"

I watched Ben's face and knew he was thinking about the man that had been murdered on the plane. Nick had just burned him to a crisp, with out even flinching. We should have at least attempted to rid him of the possession.

"Fine, seeing as there are many secrets going on between the three of you, all of you will stay here while Carl and I examine this case."

"That wasn't the deal."

"Your deal was with her, and she's staying here."

I should have told Ben my suspicions before I acted on them. Now I'm going to be stuck in the Hotel room with an angry warlock, and an annoying reporter.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

137: Heroes and Villians And Those Inbetween -Saba-

"A long time ago you told me that sometimes I can't choose. You said that I might find myself on the wrong side for the right reasons! Is this what you meant?! The only way to save so many people is by doing this?! You're insane!", my teenage voice sounded distressed and angry.

"Right now it's out there Saba, building power to overthrow the balance that has been forever. We need to have the strength to face the mistakes of our parents, and if that means that we need to do things unmentionable; then we do it. We do it for people who won't have a chance. We do it for people who haven't lived their lives. We make this thing fear for its life and then we kill it with out mercy." Patrick almost sounded like he cared for people.

"I can't! I just can't. I see them looking up to me with their pleas, those scared eyes and I can't. My hands start shaking and the air grows cold. I know it's out there, but my hands won't listen to me. I know it's the right thi-"

"No!" Patrick’s voice became louder as everything around me came in to focus.

Patrick stood in front of my teenage self holding her shoulders. They stand in front of those double doors again, a knife laying on the floor at their feet.

"It's never the right thing. What we're doing is horrible, but we do it because it's the only way. The last resort."

"I CAN'T!"

A silence fell over the hallway and as he stared into the younger-me's face, I swore his face blinked away again, revealing the horribly twisted visage beneath.

"I can help you kill our parents." Patrick spoke calmly and silent. A tear rolled down his cheek and splashed on the floor. "If you want to do the right thing, I can help you."

"Please help me."

I felt a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach as the scene in front of me faded away, leaving me and my younger self looking at each other.

"You came. I knew you'd come." Younger me smiled.

“Yes, it's good to see you again." A voice behind me spoke.

The child version of myself, the one that had brutally murdered my parents stood behind me. Her clothing drenched in blood.

"Patrick knew I couldn't do it, so he brought out the side of me that could. I went to sleep . . . "

". . . while I did the dirty deeds." Darker-me continued.

"But why? How?" I cried.

"We aren't sure. The door remains locked and hidden in your Soulscape. It's something horribly bad. Something involving Ben, John, Crystal, and all of the others. They can survive, but they need you."

"But I've just met them and you're saying that we're all connected. How does that make sense?"

“We're not saying it.", the evil me smiled and stepped up to the nicer me. She reached out and grasped her hand, "You are."

I felt my body get torn apart as everything went dark.

"Wake up, you fool girl! Wake up!"

It was Merlin. I was back. I wish Ben was here.

Flashback Entry 114: Oldest, Youngest -Vincent-

"We can't tell which of them is infected, Vincent! We can't wait for one of them to just get behind us and stab us in the back! No, I say we kill them now, before they wake up." Andrew was right, but I just couldn't. It was my family.

At the time I couldn't tell that he was infected. If only I had.

"No.", I emphasized my point with a glare, "We do it the usual way. We wait to see if they try anything."

Andrew looked upset but put the cleaver on the butcher table, "Fine, but don't come crying to me if this all turns out bad."

It took me 3 hours to fall asleep. I don't know how long I was like that.

"Wake up."

I heard crying and when I opened my eyes I saw Andrew’s grinning face.

"Nice of you to join us, silly. I was beginning to think we'd have to start with out your sorry mug." Andrew's own special brand of slang, a mixture of old and new; laced with hidden meaning.

A glance at myself revealed that I was tied down. A glance around the room revealed that everyone was awake and tied down, except for Andrew.

"Andrew, what are you doing?"

He had the cleaver in his hand.

"I'm doing what you couldn't. I'm ridding us of the trash in order to survive."

"Andrew, they're awake. They are infected."

"Vincent, Vincent. How do we know? They are sitting there crying and afraid, but how do we really know?"

Andrew's eyes had a tint of gold; he was infected. He was free to do what ever he wanted, which probably consisted of killing my family and then me. I fought against my captor; innocent looking duct tape was the only thing that kept me from helping my family.

"Who should go first? Oldest . . . or youngest?"

"Oldest!", my Mother yelled out looking at my dad.

"Youngest!", my Dad yelled out looking at my sister.

"Andrew, we can work this out. We'll test them."

"Too late for that. I'm already curious."

"Andrew, please."

"You didn't ask me why I was curious. That's no fun at all.", his voice was seething with barely controlled lust as he looked at my Mother.

"STOP! ANDREW, PLEASE DON'T!"

"I wonder what their blood looks like."

He raised the cleaver above his head.

108: All Night -Saba-

I woke up to a heavy weight on my stomach. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw the black haired head of Carl sleeping on my stomach.

"He's been there since the surgery."

Looking to my left I saw Crystal sitting in a chair nearby. There were bruises all up and down her arms and across her face, but she otherwise looked fine. When she moved, the pain was very evident in her face. "Which one are you?"

I felt different. I wasn't having the dark thoughts I used to, but I wasn't all flowers and posies either. I was confused about myself, about everything. The last thing I remembered was both parts of me wanting to save Crystal, and then failing. Everything after was a blur of pain.

"I . . . I'm not sure.", I knew there was fear in my voice. I took a deep breath to calm down and felt pain surge through me. Looking down, it was then that I noticed the bandages over my chest, "I'm alive?"

Crystal didn't answer, instead she winced as she waved toward Carl, "I've only known them for a short time but I've never seen him act like he did after the surgery."

"He was here all night?", I watched as Crystal nodded.

"Yeah, the little cry baby couldn't get himself to move away from you."

I look to my right to see a medium sized teddy looking at me. It scratched its head, "Hi, I'm Vincent the bear."

I wasn't surprised. Nothing had been normal about me, and since being with these people the whole world seemed crazy, "Figures."

I turned to Crystal and frowned, "You look fine. I figured you would be in a bed like me."

Crystal frowned and seemed close to tears, "Well, all I had was a few bones pulled from their sockets. I was resting all night and seem fine now. It hurt though, she was moving my bones in and out of their sockets and pinching nerves."

I saw her shudder and then fall silent.

"So how long till I can get out of here?"

Vincent made no noise and Crystal looked out the window.

"Seriously, someone tell me." Deep inside I knew what they were going to say, but I had to hear it. I couldn't believe it until they said it to me.

"They tried to save you, but . . . "

"Oh suck it up and just tell her! She deserves to know.", Vincent yelled at Crystal.

I looked at Vincent, "What's going on?", my eyes were filling with tears. Something only the happy one would do, but I was so mad. It was unfair.

"Saba, you're dieing."

Entry 95: A Common Goal -Vincent-

This guy was so easy. The whole walk I had people looking at him like he was stupid. He was stupid, but I had people THINKING he was crazy. And his face? Priceless.

I knew he was tiring of my antics. I was pretty sure that you couldn't kill a teddy bear though, so I didn't care. Besides, my life was destroyed all ready. I didn't care if I could be killed. All I cared about at the moment was somehow earning back my place in Heaven; if it actually existed.

We had been walking for a while before we decided to find some car and "borrow" it. We were getting close, but it would have taken hours before we got to Crystal. The car would speed things up a bit.

It did ruin my fun though. I was stuck sitting in the passenger seat looking at the glove compartment. Carl couldn’t hide his laughter, nor did he try.

I had just lifted my head to make a degrading remark toward Carl's driving skills when I felt this static in Crystal's connection to me. Kind of like a fuzzy feeling, and yes; I do see the irony of that.

"We need to hurry. I don't care how bad your driving skills are, just get us there. Something’s going on."

I felt the car speed up as his foot hit the floor. We were going fast. It would still be ten minutes before we got there. It wasn't quick enough. We'd never get there in time.

There was no longer any static between our connection. Our connection was completely gone.

Flashback Entry 93: "Not today" -Nick-

Patrick was born soon after and I was kept under their employ for their wife. I would go and find the artifacts she was looking for while she took care of the baby. I knew she was working toward some kind of goal, but I realized what it was way too late. I had helped her achieve what she was attempting to gain.

I found out on the last night I was under their employ. I had just retrieved the final artifact and, like usual, I went to my quarters to rest. The final wizard was well-known and very powerful. I say wizard because that's how I knew him. Of course he was a warlock like me, but he presented himself as a wizard. I guess that's what they called us back in his age, when his place was next to King Arthur's throne.

I'm not sure how long I'd been sleeping when I was jolted awake by the building quaking beneath me. I could feel the magical energy flowing through out the house, and it was stronger than normal. Usually I could just feel the power of the artifacts I'd been collecting, but this time the whole house was vibrating with it.

Something horrible was going on. I leaped from my bed and bolted down the stairs three at a time. The energy was seeping from above me; I just kept going up. I felt the power increase and could sense the malevolence within it. I was moving too slow.

I burst in to the biggest room in the highest tower of the house, and was immediately hit with a massive blast of magical force that picked me up and pushed me to the floor.

"I will not have you interrupting our summoning, Nick. It'd be best if you stayed down." Saba's voice was filled with dark intent. It was almost as though there was a different person in control.

"What's going on?" I tried to lift my head to look, but the force kept me stuck in place.

"We must bring our Lord into this world, so he may crush the unworthy. You should not worry though. You are more than worthy. Non-magicals, how ever . . ."

I had been working for these people for so long and they'd never exhibited any kind of evil intentions until now. They had hid it so well, but now while I was trapped, I saw the signs I'd missed. The late night walks, locked rooms, questions they shouldn't have ignored; questions I shouldn't have stopped asking.

Non-magicals. They were going to take out more than 90% of the people alive. This was not going to happen; I'd never let it. I slowly began looking for that faint magical signature that Saba's abilities gave off.

"That's complete madness. You're insane!" I felt the force tighten on me as I yelled.

"Insane? Non-magicals are ruining everything. In a few more years the only thing people will talk about is how much the planet is in danger. Why shouldn't we kill them all?! You think I'm mad, but I am more sane than most."

I could feel the magic increasing and right now it was so powerful, that my ears were ringing. It was now or never. I forced as much magical force out of me in every direction, feeling the restricting energy fade and break apart as it tried to contain me.

"I can see you're upset. Maybe I was wrong about you. You may leave now."

"No! I'm not going to let you do this. It's genocide. You will stop now."

The middle of the circular room was filled with hundreds of objects that I had collected during my employ. Saba had turned toward me and her husband was staring in to the objects, his hands raised above his head. Their son Patrick was sitting nearby. A giant light floated above the pile of artifacts.

I only got a glimpse because Saba raised her hands, and I was lifted off the ground. With a flick of my wrist and a few words, I fell to the ground again. I ran for cover but was too late.

Saba's unique energy slammed in to my side, sending me in to the wall. The lack of magical signature made dodging and countering the spells more difficult. If it was still I could find it after some time, but moving made it impossible. Three more hits left me breathless.

I felt the energy wrap around my leg and I was lifted upside down in to the air.

"You can't stop us and killing you would be a shame. Can't you just see things our way? Ignore morality and let everything fall into place." Saba's voice was alien; filled with hate and loathing.

"People shouldn't be killed just because they were born a certain way! What you're doing is murder. You can't get away with that!", I yelled, my anger increasing, "One day I'll watch as your deeds come back on you two-fold."

"Not today." She tossed me like a rag doll out of the nearest window.

Entry 86: Disguise -Nick-

I couldn't see any other way out of this. Everything must go. I chuckled a bit as I tossed the dust into the semi-circle of runes and symbols.

I would miss the children, but that wouldn't last long. The spell would soon wipe even that memory clean. I would have to learn everything again; start from scratch. I smiled to myself as I remembered back when I had been nineteen. I enjoyed those times. It'd be good to live them again. This time I could do some good; make some different decisions.

Nineteen. I had just started learning real magic. Not the normal parlor tricks, but real supernatural magic. It'd be hard but I could help them still. Maybe avert the coming crisis. I couldn't do that if I was dead, and I had all ready prepared a protector for Crystal by botching up that resurrection spell. That was an intuitive way to use failure.

Using spells in unusual but effective ways was what I was known for. Something I'd been proud of all my life. My name instilled fear in to peoples hearts, but not for long. Soon I'd be ordinary Nicholas Brown.

I placed my hand into the dust and felt the magic flow in to me. This would keep my memories alive long enough for me to escape with my life. After that, I'd be gone.

Entry 83: Gone -Carl-

6:00 A.M. The time I was woken up by the noise of Ben and John arguing. I didn't bother yelling at them, because I knew that I would be pulled into the yelling and it'd put me in a bad mood.

On my way to the kitchen I noticed that the basement door was wide open. I guessed Crystal was bringing food to our new guest, until I noticed the lack of breakfast smell. For the few days she's been here, Crystal had been making us breakfast, lunch and dinner. How did a seven year old learn to cook so well I'll never guess, but I was always looking forward to breakfast.

Something was going on. Something that Ben and John failed to notice in they're marital bickering. I had descended half way down the stairs when I saw the open cage. Panic filled my mind. Saba has escaped, and Crystal is nowhere to be found. Shit.

A thump on my back made me go sprawling down the stairs. My head hit the floor and my vision blurred. When I turned to see who had pushed me, I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"Vincent?“, Crystal's teddy stood at the top of the stairs, its eyes filled with a milky blue light. I glanced around for a person.

There was none.

Vincent smiled, "Crystal; where is she?"

Entry 81: Unusual memory gain -Crystal-

Ben had left his book on his bed as he went to go look for John. I had told him everything about Nick and about the note that John had gotten.

His book rested inches from my hand; an irresistible temptation. Closing the door, I picked up the book and began flipping through the pages. The person who wrote this had not been sane, that was obvious. Despite that, the book seemed to be full of all kinds of knowledge. I suddenly got very excited and began to look for some information on resurrection spells.

Finding the page was not an easy task, as there was hundreds of pages to go through, but I did. I read the page until I got to, "unusual memory gain", and stopped.

My resurrection had failed? I was having unusual memory gain. I knew things that I shouldn't. I was very confused about my life now, but I thought that was normal. This was bad. What other side effects could have taken place? What if I was just like Saba?

Ben had told me of her resurrection, but he didn't go into detail. Still, multiple soul residence sounds awfully similar to crazy psycho living in the same body.

What was I going to do? I had to find Nick. I had to find him fast, before other side effects began making their appearance.

Dream Entry 79: A new dream, A new worry -Ben-

I'm standing at the top of those God damned stairs again and looking down at the body at the bottom. My body; his body. I feel his murderous urges within me as I walk down the stairs.

"This is who you are. You know it, I know it. You just don't remember."

The voices again. I shook my head to get rid of them and when I opened my eyes, I was in a large yard with a massive fountain in the middle. I'd been here before. I was far away from my home. There were people standing in a circle a distance away.

"Who did it?", one of them whispered to another.

"It was the boy that man brought here."

"Oh my God!"

I pushed through the crowd till I found myself staring at someone I had forgotten, until just now. I realized how I knew Saba, but this brought up more questions than answers. How could I know Saba if she's dead?

"I told you." The voice couldn't mask its glee.

Entry 75: Uninhibited -Carl-

Unexpected? Yes. Allowed? No. I can deal with her calling me a butler. I don't even care about that, but attacking my brother; that isn't allowed.

"YOU WILL NOT TALK TO ME LIKE THAT YOU USELESS PIECE OF FLESH!" If Saba had been foaming at the mouth, it would have looked more normal.

My tea glass hit her head faster than I could think. Everyone visibly relaxed as she hit the floor.

"She is one CRAZY . . . "

"She just needs help.", Ben interrupted.

"Guys, before she wakes up and begins her rampage again, we need to find a place for her." I lifted her up over my shoulders.

"The basement has an old dog cage in it. You can put her in there until we can find a more comfortable place for her."

The basement light didn't do much to the darkness of the basement, but I found the cage pretty easy.

"Mmmmmm, so strong. You work out.", her hands found my bicep and she pushed her chest into my back, "We could . . . have some fun maybe, sometime. I know this neat little trick with a razor and a whip that will drive you wild."

Damn it. "Not interested.", I tossed her in the cage and slammed the door shut, pulling the padlock closed.

As I turned she was opening her top, "You don't want this? Come on! Let me out, we'll have fun."

I shut the light off and closed the door.

Entry 74: Personality Issues -John-

From the moment I saw her, this girl got under my skin. She didn't seem like a bad person, but something about her was off. She was hanging all over Ben like an extra shirt. That wasn't it though. Something else was bothering me.

"What do you mean you can't help me?" Saba had the whole sadness act down to an art. It even made me feel bad. This was going to be difficult.

Ben shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you did come here at four in the morning. How ever, that isn't why we're saying no."

Saba began to cry, "It's because I offended your cook, isn't it?"

Yes.

"No, no it's not.", Ben was trying to calm her down.

"Then why?" Miraculously, her crying stopped and she looked at Ben with wide and curious eyes. I was slowly tiring of this act.

"Recently a friend of ours was admitted to the hospital.", Ben said.

After he tried to kill us.

"So we'd like to make sure he gets better before we do any more cases."

I just want him to wake up so I can knock him out again for being a moron. What he did was unacceptable. If he wanted to bring Alex back, he should have at least pulled me and Carl in to the fold. I would have gladly sacrificed my life so that he could be brought back.

The noise of glasses clinking together told me that Crystal was coming with tea. She was nice enough, but it is a little weird that just a few days ago she was a seven year old zombie that was out for our heads. She seemed nice enough regardless; one of the guys. She fits the group like a glove.

It was my turn, "Besides, what's after you sounds completely ridiculous. How could you be hunted by yourself?"

She cuddled against Ben again, "It's me but not. She's different, mean, and has almost no inhibitions. Totally not royalty, like me. I've got a lot of money AND more polite cooks."

Does she not realize that we're not the servants? Really?

"So how much are you paying us?"

"I'm not paying the cook. I'm paying Ben. I'd be willing to pay almost any amount as long as he helps me."

I had had enough. It was time to stake my ground, "Okay, you listen here. I am not the cook and he is not my master, so quit calling me that. Here we work together, so get used to it."

Her demeanor changed almost instantly. I could do nothing as she broke her glass of tea and put one hand on my chest. She lifted herself up and rested her weight on my torso, keeping me from moving. Her eyes were no longer cute or scared, they were dark and hateful. In a matter of seconds, she had a piece of glass to my throat; and I was seconds from needing new pants.

Entry 66: Jay -John-

Our feet pounded the ground as we ran toward the sound. We jumped through bushes and the branches cut my face, but I didn't notice. My mind was trapped in memories.

I had broken my leg in an accident. Jay was the first one there and the last one to leave.

Someone twice my size was picking on Jay. I couldn't allow that. The guy never did it again.

It was late and I couldn't sleep because I had things on my mind. Jay was sleeping when I called. We walked for hours talking about the latest video game we'd played.

The whole group walking together, Jay making wild assumptions that was ceremoniously shot down by everyone.

So he'd planned all this and almost got us killed. I could understand why he would; Alex was one of the closest friends we'd had. I would have done almost anything to get him back. He messed up. We'd definitely give him Hell for that . . . after we saved his ass.

He was still screaming when we got to the railroad tunnel. We didn't even hesitate. This snake was not going to hurt one of our friends, no matter how much of an evil jerk he is sometimes.