Chapter 5 - Darker Days

It was the last time there was peace in Achker. The incident in the glass hall has never been erased. It left a mark in the identity of all Achkerians, especially of those who cause the chaos - the prophets clan. Now, the Prophets especially Cascade don't need to hide in his Keeper's cloth, for his true face was already revealed to all. The summon which Celestine had uttered must have been effective, that the only thing clear now to all Achkerians is that Cascade is one savage predator, of course, they remember everything that the lost page reveals. Despisement. Hatred. That is what the Achkerians have for Cascade now. But it's too late, they're all trapped now, hostage, powerless, and slaves. The only clan whose some of them manage to escape is the Astrals. But Cascade is hunting them down, he wants to consume their powers. This is a dark day... no, darker days to be exact, This is the darker days in Achker.  Adaia was right, they have stayed long in the dark, that they don't know anymore how to distinguish the difference between light and darkness.

Maybe this is their end.

No one dares to fight the Prophets. 

They don't have the courage.

And they don't have the power.

" How is she? ",       Celestine could hear voices from afar. She forces herself to wakes up and struggles to open her eyes. She could see herself lying on that white bed, and she knows she's been asleep for a long time in the physical world.   " How can she go back to us? ", her tribrid abilities were greatly damage",  said the voice.                        " It will be difficult for her soul to find its path back to her body, unless... "  What did she just hear? Celestine looks at her hands and taps her face, and forcibly closes her eyes. It's not working. They're right her astral ability is not working. What is she going to do now?  "She can't go back unless the spirit in her awakens,"  said the man who has a white beard whom Ava is talking to. " Well, we all know that as an incarnate, she's my grandchild.", Ava answered looking at Celestine on the bed.   What? I'm her grandchild?  It must be Ava, her gran. Celestine's eyes widened about what she heard.                "  But, even if she's a tribrid incarnate, still she cannot defeat Cascade now, much more prevents the Apocalypse from killing us all",    the man explains to her gran.        "  Yeah, I know there's only one way out, the spirit in her must awaken",        Ava concluded.  

What? the spirit? Is there something else she needs to know? This is driving me crazy!  Celestine whispered to herself as she watches the two oldies walking away from this room.          " I'm certain she'll wake up, ",        Celestine could still hear what they're saying even if they're now far from her. She could see them walking towards that field,  where some young people train martial arts, and the man with a white beard touches something on the ground, and a wave of lights appear surrounding the whole field.  A barrier to hide all their activities in there. Celestine thought.  But how can he make that kind of barrier so effortless? She wondered.  But wait! I still can hear them? Celestine smiled brightly. She felt relieved somehow. Ok, not everything was sucked up by that reaper thing. She thoughts. I must find a way to leave this astral consciousness.  I have to. Achkers needs me and Abby especially.

" Dad, Abby is awake already, so is her mom and her brothers",      Vex told Cascade as he spreads peanut jam on his bread. It's breakfast time. It's a good time. After that incident in the glass hall, their clan has been enjoying everything in Achker, they ignored what others are thinking, besides their clan had long for days like these to come, where they'll be the most powerful clan left in Achker. Thanks to his dad. His dad, Cascade might be evil to some, but for Vex, he's one hell genius manipulator. No, wonder even the reaper thing recognizes his dad as its master because his soul is likened to that thing somehow. Greedy. That is the real Cascade. He'd already sense that even before when he's still a kid. That is whys he's not impressed whenever his dad shows affection to a creature or any Achkerian. Being kind, gentle, and righteous was part of his dad's plan, so they could enjoy days like these now.

" Put her family in the cell, but let Abby free"     Cascade answered his son, chewing some food.     Vex pauses in spreading the jam. What did he just heard?           " You like me to free Abby"?        Vex asked his dad reiterating his decision.        " Yes, "  Cascade answered, unbothered and relaxed, putting foods on his plate.    " Why"?    Vex wondered.         "She could be my assistant, she'll carry my stuff when I go shopping"        Felon butts in giggling, well being bubbly doesn't suit her. Vex looks at her mom disgustedly,  Why she's always dressed weirdly? And that exaggerated makeup on her face? She doesn't know she nearly looks like a clown.   " Mom, when will you stop visiting that beauty clinic"?     He asks,              " I think you should not waste your time on it, because it just makes your face worst",        Felon got dumbfounded, she's about to sip the coffee, but she puts the cup down instead and looks at her son sharply, then frowns.      " Son, "    Cascade tries to mediate,       " Don't bother your mom, no worries, we're now the law here in Achker",       Cascade said smiling.

" Anyway, about Abby", his dad changes the topic.    " I'm planning to train her,"      Vex lifts his head in surprise,      " Train? why? "       Vex's voice rises, and pierces the bread knife he's holding into the table.    He doesn't like what he's hearing.

Cascade holds his son's wrist and taps his shoulder        " Son, Abby is the best weapon we could have against Celestine, I know that girl very well, she'll rather not fight a friend"    Cascade explains to his son.        " Ok dad",       Vex answered softly, not looking at his dad. He just picks up the bread, with his head down, it's obvious that he doesn't like the idea.  

At the ground under the Keeper's Mount, lies a cell. This is where Cascade had kept all the Achkerians who resist embracing the new order in Achker. Some choose to be the slaves of their clan, some refuse to acknowledge his authority. Recently, he proposes a new law, stating that those who do not acknowledge him as their Keeper, will be charge for rebellion. They could escape if they can, but most of them cannot, that is why there are many Achkerians now, here in this cell. 

" Open it",       Cascade points at the steel bar of the cell at the end of the alley.  One of his armies inserted the key and pushes the door after.     " Abby, how are you here?",     Cascade enters the room with arms wide open, as if welcoming Abby.  Abby just sits on the bed, hugging her knees to chest, looking downward, not wanting to talk.  "It's always dark here, "     Cascade lifts his head glancing at the whole room,        " It would be best if you start seeing the sunlight",   he said grinning like an evil.    " This darkness here is nothing compared to what you did",  Abby answered glancing to her side, not wanting to look at Cascade.   Cascade howled with laughter, then he pauses and looks at Abby intensely.         " I know you will always resist",        Cascade's tone seems suspicious. He walks nearer to Abby and presses her face so hard, that it's hurting her.       " Look at me!"      Cascade shouts.  Abby forcibly turns her to the side, avoiding eye contact with Cascade. She knows what he will do, he'll alter her mind.     " Stop with your hypnotism schemes",     she shouted back. Two of the armies grabs Abby's hands, preventing her from moving.        "Oh, dear, that's not...this is what I will do",    Cascade's teeth grind as he presses Abby's face harder, until her mouth open, and when it is, a black cloud of smoke comes off from his mouth, transferring it to Abby's mouth.... more and more. Abby couldn't resist anymore, it's like she's being drowned by these smokes. She gives in and then her eyes turn black.

Celestine sees a gate ahead, she's still lost here in this astral consciousness, her mind had created. Before, he can travel here and gets back to the physical world easily, but now she had lost her astral ability, she might be trapped here forever. So far, the gate ahead is the last passage she had tried. The other portal she'd check only leads her to nowhere.  Wait! Celestine stops before the gate. She's about to cross in that when she notices that behind the gate has a different time, its night here in the area where she's standing, but its daytime there, just across this gate. Should I cross? She asks. It's better to try. She thinks. Then Celestine passes in that gate in front of her, leading her to another time.

She walks forward, slowly, carefully, observing the things she passes by. The narrow road seems endless. And it's like she's the only one here. What in the world is this? She thinks. Where am I? She keeps asking on her mind. Something far ahead caught her attention. Is that a mirror? a life-size vintage mirror in a garden? She wondered.  Then, she walks towards it and caresses its side. This must be a door in a door. I have to win this! She thought. Then a sight of herself in the reflection catches her attention. What the? Celestine touches her face in amazement, Why I look different in there? She's puzzled. In the mirror she sees herself wearing a black feather dress. She's got blonde hair there, and she got that goldstone on her forehead. She stares herself in the mirror and after a minute, she sees that the stone she's wearing in the mirror,  floats from her forehead, slowly....slowly moving.... moving outside, piercing through the mirror she's staring at, the mirror cracks, then suddenly the stone burst like a firework gently crushing before Celestine's face, covering her in bright light. The next thing she knows, she's in a different place again.  How come? seems like questions don't end in this place.  She wondered.

" I told you, I would come for you here "                                                                                That was it! that voice! She needs to find it. Celestine runs around searching every corner of that place. Then she's stunned by what she saw. She saw a back of a man, his hair is white and long, he looks like in his 50's, he's wearing a silk white coat with gold lining,                       " I have waited for this moment to finally see you again, my daughter ",      his voice is powerful as thunder, yet soft as raindrops. The man faces her, radiantly smiling, in all joy. Celestine could feel like all the happiness in the world had just crept into her soul. This feeling! This is the feeling she's been searching for in her whole life. Home. The feeling of being home.

But wait?!,       " Hey, did you just call me your daughter?",      Celestine asks confusingly, her tone rises.  The man laughs.    " I am the child of Cecily and Alfie, a prophet and an astral",  Celestine explains. 

" And you are the grand  daughter of an angel incarnate ",      the man added.                         " That is who you are in that body, that is what you know about who you are, "      the man started to explain.     " But a thousand years ago, when Pyramids was not yet built in the human world, my precious youngest daughter, vanishes into the dark emptiness, her celestial spirit falling in the human world. That is the last thing I could do for her, to keep her safe from that great war in the spirit world",        Celestine holds her tears as she listened to the man's story. She's finding reason in herself why she could relate from it? Why does that story move her? Then she feels like all the from the depths of her heart started to be remembered, that feeling of falling in great uncertainty, it's like she can hear her cries of being alone in that empty darkness, she's young, fragile, and scared. She's that girl she keeps seeing in her visions! And now she confirms it's not a vision but a memory of her past life.  Tears rolls in her checks.  " How come that I'm your daughter"?      there's a crack in her voice, as she tries to hold her tears.  The man fondly taps her head,     " You're flesh possess the blood of an incarnate, but you're more than that, you're an angel in your past life and I am your father, the Ancient One. You are not reincarnated, nor reborn but this is you my youngest daughter, Celestine -  in your human form.",         her dad caresses her hair, and then he hugs her.  Celestine weeps loudly like that of her 4 years old self, she's seen in her memories before. She hugs back her dad. She feels complete now, and at peace. Her search for her identity is over. 

" Listen, child, "     her dad holds her shoulder, facing straight to her, looking at her in the eyes,       " You must go back, to your physical world, claim your body, and see me when your battle is over ",      her dad said intensely,       " But dad",      Celestine tried to argue               " Listen you cannot stay here, this realm, this world doesn't exist, I just travel here inside your astral consciousness, you must get out of here, so I could see you again, in an existing world, Ok?"     her dad caresses her face again, and hug her once more.                                             " One more thing, remember this dear... power resides not in the blood or any clans, or in accumulating more abilities, "        Celestine looks at her dad, listening closely to what he's saying. It's like her dad wants her to remember a piece of really important advice. He's looking intensely at her, full of passion.   

"Dear Celestine, greater power comes out from embracing who you are"    

 Those words.... how can those words be so peaceful? Celestine could not answer, her tears just keep falling. Then she sees her dad, snapping his fingers, and the astral consciousness she's trapped in is destroyed.