5. Hell

Merging? …are you a Borg or something? Am I being assimilated? No, you’re too polite to be a Bor—WHO ARE YOU?!?

When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell.

Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may.

After all...I can't fix stupid.

Previously: Wendell survives the dragon, learns lore about this dream world…and is then given a ‘gift’.

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CHAPTER 5

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Is there a Hell?

I’ve wondered about this. If you’ve ever been in a no-win situation, you might agree that there is. Sometimes our only choice in life is to endure. You make the choice and do it.

The choice sucks, I get that.

It may be Hell, or whatever name you want to give it, but my dad would probably tell me about now that it’s also the accurate test of one’s character.

Well, if I wasn’t dead.

You’re not dead, Wendell.

Great, now I have voices in my head. At least you have some company now, Doubt. You can make friends and team up to criticize me until I can’t face life anymore.

*snort* I made a funny.

Hey, you missed your chances for a punchline…Doubt?

Huh.

Where’s the light? I thought you saw a light when you died.

You’re not dead.

What do you mean I’m not dead? A fist-sized diamond just went through my chest! I could hear it. I FELT it. Bones snapped, there was blood…all over my hands…

…so much blood…

Then I fell, and it went dark. Of COURSE I’m dead.

No. You are not. Not yet.

Not yet? *whimper*

Wake up, Wendell.

Wait, who is this?

We are you.

Then I saw it: the light. A sphere of cool white light, blurry in the distance. Kinda like trying to perceive the sun on a cool spring day, but you’re looking at it through squinting eyes. All blurry and fluffy, but you can feel its presence from the warmth. It was growing. No, not growing,…it was getting closer. Good, it’s coming to me. At least the pain is over.

Wendell, you need to wake up.

Half way to me, the light stopped moving.

Wendell, wake up.

I wasn’t listening. My mind just couldn’t let go of the events leading up to the snuffing out of my charming potential. Kidnapped by an ugly, smelly, short, but very strong, mean, green monster…taken to another planet…

My thoughts meandered through the events of my last hour of life.

It wasn’t a very long life. Only 17, and it certainly wasn’t the life I wanted to live. It was all I’d had, though. Choices, and then consequences of those choices. 

Met a blue guy, who wanted to give me an inheritance. It could have been gold. Would have been better if it was cold, hard cash. A ‘treasure’, he said. Then he gave me…a floating, TALKING diamond…the size of both my fists.

‘Accept the gift, Wendell.’ That’s what he kept yammering on about. ‘Accept’ it. All you have to do is ‘accept the gift’ and it can leave with you…IN YOUR CHEST!

The blueberry lied to me. He knew what I’d choose if I had full disclosure, and he took advantage of it. 

But that wasn’t the truth, and I knew it.

I had a choice. Many choices, all along the way, from the moment Dax showed up. Always did. Just didn’t know or ever suspect that all this could be real.

Why wouldn’t you accept the biggest diamond you’d ever seen in your life?

I would have been hyperventilating at this point…if I was still breathing. But I wasn’t. This would have turned out completely different if someone had pointed out the fine print on the ‘acceptance’ agreement. I imagined a scene in a hospital, with me in bed as the patient. The doctor, all dressed in white, hair perfectly combed, teeth uncommonly straight and white, approached my bedside, the Ithari squatting on his open palm, shining brilliantly in my face. The doc then hands me a clipboard.

[Those ‘accepting this “gift”’ may experience certain side effects which could include fear, hesitation, levitation, restraint by magic, panic, hyperventilation, regret, blurting obscenities, uncontrollable urination, dry mouth, gagging, whimpering…and being impaled in the chest with a cold, bloodsucking, talking diamond. Serious side effects may include broken bones, blood, gore, falling from extensive heights, loss of breath and loss of life. If you feel yourself suffering from any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. Sadly, you’ll be restrained and medical attention will be unavailable, but give it your best shot.]

I wasn’t dreaming.

That was the shocker.

The thought lingered in my post death mind.

I wasn’t dreaming.

The words sank into my soul.

I wasn’t dreaming.

It was all real.

…oh, crap, crap, crap.

All this…was…real.

This put everything in a whole new perspective, taking this to a new level of creepy.

I was actually kidnapped…by a green goblin…or, Evamu — or whatever the blueberry called him — and now, I’m dead.

You are not dead, Wendell.

Whatever. I’m not talking to you. Go away. Can’t you see how depressed I am? I wondered how Dad and Evan were going to take it? Will they know I was kidnapped or just think that I ran away?

You are not dead, Wendell.

Stop saying that!

Be at peace, Wendell. You are putting a great deal of stress upon your body. We cannot heal fully until the merging is complete. 

Merging? …are you a Borg or something? Am I being assimilated? No, you’re too polite to be a Bor—WHO ARE YOU?!?

We are you, Wendell. Focus on something that brings you comfort. Something that will make you happy.

I just experienced the greatest pain of my life, and you want me to think of something ‘happy’?

Yes. Concentrate. We will help you. Focus…so you can wake up. You must wake up.

I drifted for a moment. The voice wasn’t rash or irritated. It wasn’t even intense, so much as…present. I not only heard the words of this voice, I could ‘feel’ them within me as it spoke. A warm sensation that worked against the rising panic. A voice that calmed me.

The surrounding darkness dispersed, rolling away to reveal a vast forest landscape, as far as I could see. It looked familiar, too. Island Park, Idaho, my favorite place in the entire world to vacation with family. The slight hint of skunk mixed with pine and wild grass in the fresh morning breeze. The soft sound of the river whispered through the trees, while playful chipmunks dashed about the fallen longs. I could smell the campfire. Bacon and pancakes being cooked for breakfast for when we got back.

I’d replayed this day in my mind many times. I knew this moment well. Sitting with my dad on the bank of the river, fishing poles in hand, taking turns telling jokes and laughing so hard, dad was choking, and I had to pee.

Go to that memory, Wendell. We are almost complete.

It felt good, reliving this moment where the only things that mattered were my father and the peaceful world God had created around us. Winking at me, dad had boasted of how proud he was of me. That day was special, and I remembered searching his face. It didn’t feel the same now, because the future had already played out.

My father didn’t know what would happen this week. If I were to look behind me, mom should have been on the embankment, sitting there with cold drinks and sandwiches. But even I could feel her absence. There were less than 72 hours left and my father already looked frail. Mom would die in a car accident, just outside Reno, Nevada. The hero of my life would also die that day, lost in the death of his wife.

…but there was right now.

Today.

With considerable effort, I smiled back using all the love my heart could muster. I didn’t want to spoil our time.

Today had been perfect.

After mom died, I had remembered this day. Every aspect  flowed without compulsory means. I’d thought divine hands crafted this specific moment. God gave us today, so we’d have wonderful memories to help us heal.

That’s it, Wendell…you’re moving in the right direction.

Thinking of mom…hurt. The sounds faded. As the grass blurred, I blinked, watercolors dripping down a canvas. The moment slipped from my awareness, and I felt myself being pulled away.

Wait! I’m not ready. I want to stay here with my father. Please!

Gathering my consciousness, I tried to resist. Clamping my eyes shut, I forced my mind to hold the surrounding details. The grass, the pine trees, the cool running water in the stream, but it was too hard. An intense urgency pushed at me. Pushed at my memories, leaving me momentarily bewildered. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back on to the bank of the river. It wasn’t as I remembered, though.

I was alone.

The day had been clear and warm. Not now. Dirty, odious clouds advanced across the sky, and the entire scene made me…nervous. Something flashed out of the corner of my eye. A glimpse of movement in the shadows of the trees. Eerily, only in my peripheral vision could I detect the shadow. Darting from tree to tree, pausing for me to look away. Drawing closer,  without a sound, taunting my attention before vanishing again.

My heart beat faster than it, whatever ‘it’ was, advanced. Moments went by, then a flicker of movement would tug at my attention. First in one place, then another, always behind me, regardless of where I turned. 

I strained my ears for any sound of footfall.

Without warning, powerful hands shoved me squarely between the shoulder blades. It launching me toward the edge of the water.

I fell in slow motion.

Arching my back away from the water, I flung my hands out to either side of me. Fingers grasped at the limbs from nearby shrubs, but missed. Moment by moment I fell towards the river, unable to stop myself.

Just before my body hit the water, I felt a looming presence. It was behind me, inches from my back, but I couldn’t turn. Couldn’t defend myself.

THIS ISN’T YOUR FIGHT, BOY.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

It was a nefarious voice, sneering in cruel mockery. A foul, sticky breath against my neck.

GO HOME…OR YOU AND THOSE 

WHO LOVE YOU WILL SUFFER.

I continued falling.

It is complete, Wendell. We are one.

THUD!

With an unexpected clarity, I was corporeally aware of being awake. You know that sensation of laying in bed, with your eyes closed, and you know you’re awake, but you just don’t feel like getting up yet? Yeah, like that. The greatest overwhelming sensation was…nothing. As in, I felt no pain, no discomfort, nothing of any kind.

I was alive. 

Wait. AM I alive?

Hellooooo, anybody home?

Yoohooooo. Voicy, voicy — are you there?

You can tell me I’m not dead now…I’ll believe you!

Nothing.

Whew! No extra voices.

I opened my eyes and looked around.

Rather, that’s what I would have done, if I could.

Why can’t I open my eyes?

My breathing quickened, which was…reassuring. How could my breathing quicken if I was dead? The dead don’t breathe. Then again, I’ve never been dead before. Haven’t even talked to a dead person before.

Th-thump.

Th-thump.

Th-thump.

Th-THUMP-Thump.

Th-THUMP-Thump.

That refocused my attention. Hearing my heart beat. That steady, resonating motion in my chest felt good. Then again, what was this extra beat? The peculiar third beat pumped an unfamiliar vitality through my veins. If you have ever been dehydrated over a period of time and then had a large glass of cold water, you’ll understand what I’m saying. You have that sensation throughout your body, because it’s sucking it all up. That was kind of the sensation. An energy that moved down my arms and legs, and I could feel it in my neck as well.

I felt a single tear roll from my eye, down across my temple. I was alive, my head turned slightly. I could feel the tear moving over my skin. Soooo, why can’t I open my eyes?

I willed my body into motion, exerting the muscles in my back, shoulders and neck to lift my head.

Nothing.

Visualizing myself up and about, living my day-to-day life, I tried to move ANY part of my body.

Nada.

Limp as a rag doll. I couldn’t even twitch.

Mentally, I groaned.

Paralyzed, with a splash of blindness. Great. Think, think, think, Wendell — what happened? The gem stabbed you in the chest. Youuuuu fell. That’s right, you fell just before you blacked out. Hitting the floor. Hitting your….what’s with this third person craziness? I hit my head. Oh! Maybe I have brain damage!

I’M RETARDED NOW!

Ohhh nooooo.

Wait. That’s stupid. I couldn’t reason with myself if there was brain damage. Could I? People might think I had brain damage if I talked to myself, sure, but my head didn’t hurt. Actually, nothing hurt. Doing a quick mental check, I paid attention to the sensations in my body. Not a single thing hurt. At all. A diamond went through my chest, and I didn’t have any lasting pain? A gnawing desire scratched at the back of my mind.

I wanted to look at my chest. To feel the skin or hole made by the impact of the diamond. I could hear the crunching of bones when it hit. My bones. There was so much blood.

Something pulled my mind away from the memory, and my body shivered on the cold floor.

I paused.

The floor is cold! I could FEEL the cold. WooHOO!

Like an army of centipede legs, an itchy wave crawled up and over the front of my body, burning my skin with irritation as it went. I ached to scratch. To dig my fingernails into my flesh to ease the sensation. Ah. Ahhh. Grrr-guh! SPIT! With each passing, irritating moment, my awareness grew.

No, be grateful. This is good. Good, good. I can feel. I just wished the floor didn't freeze my bare butt.

Then it hit me.

WHY AM I NAKED?

I tried again to open my eyes, but they didn’t want to respond. Being naked was both embarrassing and outright cold, but I wanted to move to fix this problem. Over and over, I screamed mentally, trying to coax my flesh to obey my will.

Come on, body, MOVE blast you!

Pushing and straining against the motionless bondage, my thoughts were so noisy and caught up with sighs, grunts, and not-so-nice words, I almost missed it.

Movement and conversation taking place around me.

I wasn’t alone.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that — I’m not the one who lied to the kid!”

The rough, grisly voice sounded familiar. It paced near my head.

“Didja even bother to check the kid’s pulse?” it asked. “He looks like a dead fish. You probably killed ‘em.”

“He’s not dead,” came the curt reply.

I recognized that voice instantly as the blueberry liar, a.k.a. Delnar, the High Elder. Yeah, he lied to me, alright. This may STING a little? You said it like it was a bee sting, old man…AND IT WENT THROUGH MY CHEST!!

“Just give him a few minutes to complete the alignment,” Delnar said.

“Minutes?” And there was a mocking choke of a sound. Dax. “The kid’s been out for over a day, Delnar,” he said.

“Yes, well, our records are not quite complete. This is, however, part of the healing process. The blood and wounds are gone. He will awaken soon, so please finish your report. I am breaking the rules to allow you in the Key.”

Dax chuckled deeply. “That ain’t the only rule you’ve broken, bub. Half the Council’s ticked at you for pulling this stunt. Besides, I have just as much right to be in the Key as corpse-boy here.”

There was a brief pause. “They will eventually see the wisdom of my choice. If I did not send you as I did,” but the High Elder fell silent.

Great, I was kidnapped by the rebel and his monster sidekick?

“Why you did what ya did is your business, bub. I don’t need ta know any more than I need ta know. Just don’t blame me, that’s all. I owed you a favor — but we’re even now.”

“We are.”

“Then I don’t wanna hear about this again. Slates are clean. The last thing I need is trouble with the old man.”

This made me curious about this unusual relationship…even more so with these tidbits I wasn’t supposed to overhear. Not like I would know what to do with the information.

“Did you mention this to Morphiophelius?” said the High Elder.

Morphio…huh? What kind of name was that? Parents must have hated the kid…

There was a snort, and I could smell cigar smoke. “Why wouldn’t I? You know he’s gonna find out as soon as he sees the kid. Unless you and the other blueberries discovered a way to open a port to other worlds?” 

The High Elder said nothing.

“Didn’t think so. Ya can’t use the Prime Gates you boys got out in the yard ‘cause they only work with the planet below. So who’s left that can port that far? Yours truly. Of course I told him.” There was a brief pause. “He’s been spending a lot of time in the Great Library, ya know.”

“What did you say to him?” replied the High Elder.

“Oh, stop sweatin’ — I didn’t incriminate you, Delnar, if that’s what yer worried about. He doesn’t care about your rules or protocol around here. Deciding ta bend ‘em, despite your buddies on the Council, is no big deal. I just wanted to make sure he knew this wasn’t MY idea. Told him you were sending me to pick up the kid a bit early, that’s all.”

There was a heavy, open sigh. “Did he say anything once he knew?”

“Yeah. He said, ‘It’s about time.’” Another snort. “Go figure. Probably knew you were gonna do this before you did. Hah!”

The High Elder let out a long sigh of relief…which made me more and more curious. So Delnar, the High Elder, wasn’t the one in charge around here after all. Dax didn’t seem to be completely on anyone’s side. Sneaky. That’s not very comforting. So who was this ‘old man’ they kept mentioning? Morph…morpi..feeyo…bah — the guy with the weird name?

“Has Thule ceased his advance?” the High Elder asked bluntly.

Again, there was a short snorting noise in response. “Thule never stops, you know that. He just changes his tactics.”

“Yes, I realize that,” the High Elder prodded impatiently. “His aggressive search for the shards has become concerning. What I want to know is…are the reports true? We must know if his forces are actually advancing on the Kutollum?”

Kuto…? I’m going to need a notepad to write this stuff down. Wonder if they have a dictionary or pronunciation guide for their weird names?

“If he’s moving on the Dwarves, I’d be stumped on how he’d do it without us hearing about it. I saw the broken Prime Gate with my own eyes, which means Thule’d have to approach from land, on foot. That would be suicide. Except for Clockworks City, those beards have the best defenses I know of. Thule is many things, but he ain’t stupid. Naw, I think it’s a rumor to distract us. That crafty scum bucket has something else going on. Just can’t figure out what.”

Dwarves? There are actual dwarves on this planet? They’re REAL? COOL!

Dax paced back and forth next to my head, his large padded feet slapping against the stone floor. “He’s made several landings on foreign shores…but he doesn’t stay long. Attacks have been minimum. A few villages here and there, but only when he’s been opposed. Otherwise, he shows up, makes camp…then leaves within days. It makes little sense. He doesn’t do skirmishes. Something big’s gonna happen when he pops up again. I can feel it down to my hairy toes.”

Suddenly, I could feel scrutinizing eyes on me.

“He really looks like crap, Delnar. Maybe I should just give him a swift kick and see if he flinches.”

Still naked, limp and lifeless, I focused indignantly, all my attention inward. Come on body—MOVE, blast you!

Sigh. 

Not even a twitch.

“You will do no such thing, Daxänu!” barked the High Elder. “This child represents our greatest hope. The Ithäri accepted him. You will treat him with the respect his mantle deserves.”

Respect? Respect?!? I growled inwardly. You KIDNAPPED me, LIED to me, FED ME TO A VAMPIRE DIAMOND…and now you’re talking about respect? WhatEVER!

“Don’t call me that,” Dax snarled. I could feel him lean over my head, dropping so close I could feel him breathing.There was a smile in his voice. “The kid’s mumbling to himself.”

I could smell the hot, nasty breath of…you guessed it…dirty ashtrays and rotting fish. The stench hit my gut, and my stomach heaved. I clenched my eyes tighter.

Movement! 

The tingle in my eyelids was only the first sign. Moments later, I could feel my limbs warm. Well, except for my backside. Stimulation was good. All I had to do now was open my eyes. Then again, I wasn’t all too sure I wanted to open my eyes,…yet. Now that I knew this was real, I was in serious trouble.

I’d been transported to another planet. I had no friends, no backup, no escape. The moment I opened my eyes, I’d have to deal with ugly green midgets, blue people in dresses…okay, robes…magic, even dragons. This only seemed possible for my undisciplined imagination, not something I would have to grasp as reality. As usual, whether or not I was ready, something else took charge.

My hand, of its own accord, suddenly flipped up from my side and slapped down, fast, over my eyes.

“WOAH!” cried Dax, falling back from my immediate vicinity. His immense feet flopped across the floor, and I heard him hitting the ground with a grunt. “Well, looks like you were right, blueberry,” he said with a chuckle. “He’s waking up.”

“Thank the Makers!” the High Elder exclaimed, sounding genuinely relieved. “I was getting anxious. The last recorded transformation was instantaneous, not an entire day!” 

That’s when I surprised myself. “I’M ALIIIIVE!” I shouted. My eyes popped open behind my fingers. “AND I’M NAKED!” 

Dax stumbled back again in surprise, blurting out curses. He gripped his chest with clutching fingers. “Little freak’s quite the firecracker,” he heaved.

“Well, there he is,” the High Elder beamed, ignoring Dax’s comments. “Limbs working again, I see?”

I wanted to sit up and look around. Before the thought passed fully through my mind, my body jerked forward until I was sitting upright. The heavy blanket that had been covering me rolled forward into my lap.

Huh.

We were still in that circular room. They’d left my bloodied and impaled body without bothering to move it. Noted. The room was a bit gloomy, now lit by torches, compared to the light given off by the gem. The stone hands above were still palm down, with fingers spread. Yup, I’m awake, and this was all real. The High Elder and Dax stood next to me.

“Watch yourself, my young friend,” Delnar said. He knelt at my side to steady me. “Try to relax. Take slow, deep breaths. Your muscles may feel as if they’re burning as you use them, but it will pass soon enough. They’re not used to the constant stimulation of the gem’s natural regeneration. Immortality will take some getting used to.”

“Immortality?” I gulped. “I struggle with my life as it is! Not sure what to do, or who I am, and now it’s going to last forever?”

The High Elder smiled warmly. “One thing at a time, my l — Wendell. One thing at a time. You are where you are supposed to be. The rest will be achieved one step at a time.” He pulled the blanket up and wrapped it full around me. “Do you feel anything…different?”

“Different?” I said, “As in, more than being naked on a cold stone floor, on an alien planet?” But something was different. He seemed more…blue. I blinked a few times and glanced around me. The room seemed brighter. No, that wasn’t it. Clearer…more defined and crisp. The colors, shapes…it all seemed vibrant. More ‘intense’.

I slid my hand up to my chest.

My fingertips twitched, then pulled away. Breathe, Wendell. Just take it one moment at a time. Breathe in. Breathe out. Again I reached up…but this time, I forced my fingers to linger on the warm surface of the gem. It was weird, not feeling my fingers through my chest, but feel the hard warmth through fingertips. Slowly, I traced the outer ring where my skin met the alien material. That sensation made me flinch. The thin layer of skin was sensitive, but not…painful.

This is soooo weird.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t seem to wrap my brain around what was happening. There was a diamond,…in my chest. That was the first truth I could no longer deny. My fingers ran up and over the surface again, noting the ridges as the cuts of the gem changed. The other hard truth, the one threatening to overwhelm me — was that this was all happening — and Delnar had told me a whole bunch of crazy. The diamond being buried in my chest was only the beginning.

“It’s really in my chest,” I mumbled softly to myself. A small shudder rolled through my body as my stomach sank. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat. It’s real. Accept it, Wendell. It’s real. Ready or not, accept it. I slowly lowered my head to walk my eyes towards the perfectly round object protruding from the center of my chest.

Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting. Nothing like this seemed possible in the world I’d come from. My mind was so preoccupied with being a walking jewelry display case, I barely noticed Dax taking his leave.

“Let me know how the kid turns out,” he said casually. “I got me places to go and things to do.”

The High Elder nodded to Dax before turning his full attention back to me.

Dax’s snapping fingers drew my attention. I didn’t…want him to leave. If he left, I would be stranded here, wherever here was, under the power of a man I didn’t trust. Oh, I know what you’re probably thinking, ‘But Wendell, Dax kidnapped and lied to you also,’ and you’d be right. But Dax didn’t try to kill me with jewelry.

A thin, vertical line appeared in the doorway, next to the Evolu. Having a purpose all its own, the line stretched, tearing and burning an oval hole in mid-air, expanding to reveal an unnatural and empty blackness. A blackness connected to who knew where.

Dax looked at the High Elder, shaking his head. Then he looked at me. His features softened. It looked odd on that giant angular face of his. Was that…pity? For something I assumed alien to his rough personality, his expression seemed all too natural.

He knew something.

We locked gazes.

Before anyone could say anything else, Dax stepped into the blackness and disappeared. The hole slammed shut behind him.

BAMPH!

For several moments I stared where the tear in space used to be.

“The transition can be strenuous,” said the High Elder, pulling me back to the moment. 

“Strenuous?!?” I choked. Looking down at the diamond, it caught the light as I moved, reflecting little rainbows onto the blanket and floors. Great, I thought, I can hire myself out as a Disco Ball. The weight of unimagined consequences settled firmly on my shoulders. “I feel naked, for starters," I said. "Oh yeah, because I am. What did you do with my clothes?”

Delnar chuckled like I’d told a joke. "The old cloth was consumed," he said. “When the Ithäri merged with you,” but he paused with raised eyebrows at my snort.

“Merged,” I said. “That wasn’t a ‘merge’, it was an IMPALING.”

He looked away and stood up. “There was a purifying process that took place. By bringing a host's existence up to her own level, the Ithari altered your blood. The heat of the purification incinerated the cloth on your skin.” When I looked up at him, he added, “It encompassed you in flames. Quite fascinating,  might add. I’m sorry, Wendell, none of your clothing survived.”

I certainly didn’t remember rolling around in agony or screaming for help. There weren’t any burns on my arms and legs that I could see…or feel, for that matter. So if that was true, and I was literally on fire, I couldn’t tell. I shook the image from my head. "Well I’m not moving from this spot in just my birthday suit, buddy. Not happening. Oh, and you better figure something out, because eventually I’ll need to pee."

With a wave of the High Elder’s hand, stones in the floor near my feet shifted. Small grains jumped up from he mortar between the laid stones and swirled into a small tornado. Grain by grain the sand added to itself at fantastic speed, up into this swirling mass, and then adhering to one another. Within moments the sands had formed into an ornate trunk. A wood trunk, not sand. About four feet wide and half that deep, it was red like Cherrywood, complete with tarnished metal hinges and a latch in the front.

“Woah,” I said. When the High Elder wasn’t watching, I pushed against it with the toes of my feet. The thing was solid.

The High Elder opened the trunk and lifted a handful of cloth and tossed it to me. It was a pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt with a low ‘V’ neckline. The cloth was pale yellow in a tight stitch with brown trim. It felt soft, lightweight, and thin.

“See if those will do, Wendell,” he said, turning back to the trunk. “I believe we have sandals in here somewhere.”

Taking advantage of the distraction, I jumped up and slipped the loose-fitting pants on under the blanket. Pulling the rope drawstring tight, I slid into the shirt. Making a quick assessment, I jiggled in my new duds, surprised that they felt so comfortable. The drawstring kept the pants up, and the shirt hung comfortably on my frame. Good enough.

Nothing else seemed different to me…about me, I mean. I wiggled my fingers, palms wide, then flexed my arms and legs. Still had a full range of motion. That was good. Then I squatted, letting my muscles stretch and joints bend, quickly bouncing back up. I couldn’t help but grin. I’d damaged my knees trying to learn how to snowboard a couple years ago. Took a bad spill and hit a rock. Had to have surgery and spend time in a cast. I’d never regained full flexibility. Squatting was an uncomfortable move for me. Or, it was.

I let my body drop in a sudden squat again, my knees taking the stress.

No pain.

None.

In fact, it felt fantastic.

Without thinking, my hand went to settle over the lump in my chest. Is this because of you?

Tha-THUMP-THUMP!

I almost fell over at the sudden sensation of my heart beating out of step like that. It was an undeniable beat from my chest. Was it responding to my thoughts? 

Tha-THUMP-THUMP!

Woah.

I wasn’t sure how to take all this…reality. I needed answers. The problem was, I had no choice but to get those answers from the man who had lied to me. Could I trust anything Delnar would say? Even Dax revealed he was a person of deception. If you trust a thief, you’ll end up getting robbed. Trust a liar and you get lied to. Trust a blue guy in a robe and…

Well,…it had to be something bad.

I didn’t like my options. 

“Where am I?” I asked.

The High Elder looked at me, confused.

“Seriously,” I said, “Where am I?”

“Wendell, I don’t think you…”

“LOOK,” I interrupted. “I don’t care what you think at the moment, Delnar. I played by your rules, did what you said and look at me.” Pulling at the neck of my shirt, I glared at him. “LOOK AT THIS! I want to know where I am and how I got here. You told me when I arrived your role is to serve me or this ‘mantle’, so answer my questions. Right now.”

It wasn’t hard to read the shock on his face. Obviously, Delnar wasn’t experiencing what he thought he’d get with me. Yes, I had used a sharp tone, but I was also fed up. This wasn’t a dream. This was no longer a joke. I was in over my head, involved in something I didn’t understand. 

Sighing, the High Elder closed the lid and sat down on the trunk. He stared back at me for a long moment, studying me. Not once did he look away or avoid my own inspection of him. He was searching for something, but he asked nothing. When he turned his attention to the ground between us, he waved his hand. Sand once again jumped into the air, pulling from dozes of places between the stones.

The particles rose up high, forming miniature spheres above our heads. As upset as I was, this drew my attention and kept it. Magic, and I’m not talking sleight of hand or illusion stuff, was real. That was something that interested me. A lot. Dax had said I was supposed to DO things like this. That I was supposed to receive training to be one of the best.

I bit my tongue and watched.

The spheres condensed into various sizes. Vibrant colors seeped from the remaining pores, rolling over the smoothing surfaces. Some looked like odd versions of Earth from space. A white sphere, larger than the rest, rose into the center…and flared. A sun, blazing in its glory, casting light and shadows across its lesser neighbors and across the chamber of the Key. Thirteen planets, forming a solar system unknown to me.

“You are far from the home you know. We call this planet Iskäri-Käläm.” Delnar pointed to a small red sphere. It rotated around a much larger blue and green planet. “We are a moon revolving around Elämä, the inhabited planet of our system. Umbra-Gem, our smaller sister moon, follows in our wake. It will be hundreds of years before Earth discovers our system.”

I watched the planets rotating, digesting in silence.

“I called upon Dax to bring you back because of his unique ability to travel distances.”

“You mean teleport,” I said.

He nodded.

I tapped on my chest impatiently and asked, “What is this? …and don’t tell me ‘a treasure’ or ‘my inheritance.”

“Her name,” the High Elder stressed, “is Ithäri. She was sent from the creators of this world to help us. To protect us from her opposite. A darkness which plagues all worlds. Some more than others. She,…the Ithari, has had a symbiotic relationship with the male descendants of your bloodline since her arrival. This goes back many, many generations to a covenant she made with our forefather, Arödrin, to protect the people against slavery and extinction.”

His words didn’t connect in my mind. So many thoughts and concepts weren’t possible from where I came from. I pulled in a deep breath through my nostrils and held it. If this is too much, then we’ll take it apart and digest it piece by piece. Parting my lips, I let the air out slowly.

Step one: figure out who I am and where I stand in all this.

“Wait,” I said, something clicking. “You said ‘host’ and  ‘altered’. What did you mean by ‘alter’, and what the heck did it alter?” I spun away from the High Elder in a moment of panic and did a self check. My head fell forward as a heavy sigh of relief escaped. All accounted for.

It was so strange to me, standing there, watching my own chest rise and fall with each breath. I let my palm rest against the circular bump pushing from under my shirt. Ithari was her name.

Her.

It seemed strange, something so big, so out of place, didn’t hurt at all. There was nothing natural about this, but I couldn’t feel it…her…in my chest. With my fingers, yes. I could see the gem when I looked at her, but when I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I couldn’t feel any sensation of my lungs expanding, or the rise and fall of my ribcage. “What’s an Ithäri?” I asked.

“Haven’t you been listening?” Delnar said, his tone stressed.

“Of COURSE I’ve been listening!” I replied. "I’ve hung on your every word!" My face flushed, eyes locked on the High Elder. “Forgive me for not drinking all this in and comprehending.” I didn’t even try to disguise my disgust. “I think what you need to pay attention to is my confusion. I still don’t know what I’m doing here. So, let's pretend that I wasn't raised here, taught your history, your culture, or your world lore. In fact, why don’t you pretend I don’t anything about ANYthing...” That’s when I snarled. “Oh, wait.”

The High Elder cleared his throat. Maybe it was my tone, or perhaps he felt my desire to punch him in the nose. I could see his hesitation. His shifting body language hinted he was choosing his next words carefully. I know, because that’s how my body reacted to bullies…which made me feel bad. Angry as I was, this was about communication.

“I am sorry, Wendell,” he said calmly. “I assumed your merging was complete. The mantle comes with the knowledge from the previous heroes. Perhaps it will take time for the memories to surface for you.” He gave a slow bow of his head. “That does not excuse my lack of patience or ill treatment of you. I am here to help, not hinder you.”

“I’ve always been a joke to the Universe until now. Unable to get a date if my life depended on it, and now I have a chick attached to me 24/7?” I looked up at Delnar. “I’m not sure how to cope with this.”

He gave me a weak smile.“Then tell her. The Ithäri is a sentient being of light, sent from a perfect sphere to us mortals to raise us up. She is alive.”

My head flopped forward with a sigh. “So you’re saying I have a nice girly leech in my chest? Super.”

“What you have is power from the gods through an ancient relic.”

“Ah,” I said. “So I have a really, really old girly leech in my chest. How do I get her out?”

“Get her out?” Delnar gasped. “You are missing the point, Wendell. The Gem is a conduit to provide you with powers and abilities unequaled. It originally bound itself to your ancestor before the Great Sundering.” As if all this information would change the whole of the mood, the High Elder smiled wide.

I hated that smile. “I believe YOU’RE missing the point,” I snapped back, exasperated. “I’m just a kid who still doesn’t understand what the crud you’re TALKING about! Gods? Ancient relic? Great Sundering?” I repeated mockingly. “Let me repeat this to you one more time. You talk like I’m supposed to know this stuff, Delnar. Or did you forget that someone’s parents left him by the side of the road…”

Undaunted, the High Elder composed himself. “You will learn these things in time. As the host, you have…time.” 

When I opened my mouth, nothing came out. It wasn’t often I found myself speechless. Not because I lacked something to say, but because I couldn’t choose what to say. Sarcasm was my comeback of choice, but I had nothing.

Stepping into the hovering spheres, the High Elder raised his hands, pinched an invisible string and pulled. Elämä grew in size as its counterparts shrank. “You also have the collective knowledge of the last hero, through the Ithäri.”

I stood there, unmoving. “You really suck at motivating people, you know that, right?”

He looked over at me and shrugged.

If this thing was supposed to give me some great power or insight, I had no clue where she put it. “I’ll ask again. How do I get Ithari out of my chest? I want to go home.”

With that rascally triumphant smile upon his face, he shook a fist enthusiastically in the air, “By fighting the forces of darkness!”

“YOU SAID THERE WAS NO CATCH!!” I snapped.

“That is true,” he said. “Fighting the forces of darkness is a responsibility we all have. It is not a ‘catch’. It just is. If I can help another, I should do so. You now have the ability to help others in ways most cannot.”

“You said nothing about fighting,” I said. “I’m not a fighter. My only skill in that area is attacking other people’s fists with my face. The last thing I want to do is get into a fight,…with ANYone.” My head throbbed with the possibilities of pain. 

“I never said anything about magic, either," he said. "Or what you have inherited, such as your mansion and lands. My duty was to make sure you received what was rightfully yours, no more,” he said.

I was being manipulated. Say what you wanted, but this…wait.

Mansions? Lands?

Stop it. Don’t listen. Shake it off. This entire experience was a setup to get me to do something I never would have done if I’d known up front.

That is not true.

The voice swept through my body. Hitting me in the spine with a warm tingle, it sprinted up to my mind, and pierced my heart at the same time. It wasn’t painful, but it was overwhelming. For a moment, I lost my balance.

“My Lor — Wendell,…are you alright?”

I waved Delnar away. My body shook uncontrollably, heat rising to my face. I was furious, but that voice was…right. It wasn’t true, and I knew it. Here I am, on some distant planet,….I’m actually saying that — some distant planet — being told I’m a long-lost hero?

There’s absolutely no way that’s me. A hero. The one thing I’d always wished I could be.

Just like Evan.

Just like…

………

Oh crap.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

Why this felt like a dream. Too good to be true, people wanting me to come save them.

To be the hero.

They weren’t looking for me.

They never were.

I wasn’t the one that was supposed to be sitting alone on that back porch. Evan had brought me to his house to patch me up. When he went inside to answer the phone, I should have left immediately.

Instead, I’d stayed behind, taking a moment to daydream…about being a hero.

When I glared up at the High Elder, my fists clenched. If the old man was any closer, I…I wanted to lunge at him and take a wild swing. But it would have been wrong. This was my fault. All this crazy garbage and pain was my doing. It was my own choosing. As much as I hated admitting that, it was the truth.

As the silent moments passed, I felt a warm, soothing strength flow through my body. My muscles relaxed as my breathing evened out. I could feel my pulse slowing until the shaking stopped.

“Think out loud, young Wendell,” he said. “Let me show you the great opportunities before you. Let us reason with one another.”

His words hit me like an openhanded slap, and my body jerked forward. It was so fast and sharp, the High Elder took a step away. “Reason?! I’ll give you a reason. Y-you can’t do this! It’s WRONG!!” The heat quickly rose again, and I felt my face flushing. The veins in my forehead throbbed with the pressure, followed by an unfamiliar surge of strength through my arms and legs. Even the muscles in my stomach clenching tight. “You,…aren’t you some kind of holy man or something?”

“I am not,” he replied calmly.

“AAAARGHH!” I screamed, clenched fists pumping. “I want to go home!”

“Nevertheless,” he said softly, “battling the Dark Lord is now your responsibility.”

“What the CRAP!? Now there’s a Dark Lord involved?!?” I stammered. “You can’t make me do this, you know. I refuse to be a puppet, forced to do your bidding.”

“You have the power to do anything you want,” he said.

“Fine,” I snapped. “I want to go home, live with my dad and forget all of this.” 

The High Elder raised an eyebrow. “In that case…almost anything you want.”

“What if I don’t WANT to be your Hero? Doesn’t that matter? What if this wasn't intended for me? Can’t we give this thing to someone else?” I felt the soothing strength pouring through me again, but this time there was something…else.

Something odd.

A comforting familiarity.

For a moment, I could have sworn that the gem, this ‘Ithari’, was trying to…befriend me.

That sounds weird, I know, but was that even possible? I mean, the High Elder said she was sentient, right?

No. That’s it.
Stop it, Wendell, you’re doing it already. Don’t fall into the trap of believing. You’ve got to get out of here.

Get home.

That last thought presented two key problems. The first, which  terrified me, was that I’d likely have to find a way out of this on my own. My only connections were to Dax and this guy. Bad options. I’d have to explore and find someone else with the ability to help me, which meant it would take time to get back home.

The second problem made my heart sink altogether. 

What would I be going home to?

I tried another route and softened my voice. “Does this thing have to use me?” I asked. Hopefully, my skills in looking pathetic would gain some sympathy.

I slumped my shoulders in obvious defeat and discouragement, then created that abandoned, lost puppy dog expression on my face.

“I mean, isn’t there some kind of backup plan? Considering you’re a ‘technical’ liar, and hey, I get it — you have a job to do — so I’m not calling you an outright liar, but you must have thought you’d screw up eventually, right? So what’s your Plan B? What would you do if you didn’t have me?”

Okay, not the best strategy to call your only lifeline a liar, especially to his face. To his credit, though, the High Elder just stood there, staring at me, taking my insults without a single flinch.

Huh. Good on him.

When he spoke, his tone had changed to one you’d use with a questioning or scared child. Not condescending, just an adult trying to make a connection. “If I remember correctly, in times of great peril, the gem does have the ability to accept an alternative host. This is to fulfill her purposes while honoring the agency of others. There is one instance where the hero was not of age and therefore could not merge with Ithari. They found his bodyguard worthy to take his place, but only for a short duration. The man served well, but Ithari’s power was severely limited during that time. The direct bloodline alone reserves the full measure of her power through the covenant.” 

He stepped closer to me, and to my surprise, perfectly mirrored my pathetic expression. “This is the end time, Wendell. It is where all the secrets, powers, knowledge…even evil, will come to its fruition. This is the point in time all the prophets saw in vision and spoke of. When every power, secret, and prophecy would come to light and be fulfilled. It is time for the fate of our world to be decided.”

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

“You guys are so screwed,” I whispered.

“Pardon me?”

“Nothing,” I said.

The High Elder’s expression softened. “Would you risk all this and walk away with so much at stake?”

That was another question. Was there so much at stake? Or was that just another con, trying to rope me into something they couldn’t figure out on their own? “How do I know you aren’t just lying to me again?”

I almost felt bad saying it out loud after that pitch, though.

Key word being ‘almost’.

“I have never lied to you,” he said. “Nor would it be that simple to pass the Ithari on to another. Once the Gem has accepted a host, outside forces can not remove it.” He opened his arms in a helpless gesture. “I could not remove the gem from you, even if I wanted to.”

All I wanted was to run. To get as far from this horrifying mistake as I could. This was never a dream,…it was a nightmare. “Do I have any options? Any options at all to get rid of this mantle?”

Delnar’s countenance fell. You could see the conflict plainly on his face. It was intense enough that I worried about him.

Ahh, crap.

That’s the thing about being angry — you lose perspective most of the time — and you leave your humanity behind. After all, Delnar was only looking after his own people. The people he cared about.

I was mad and irritated, yes, but I couldn’t put all this on his shoulders.

“There are three ways I know of, to remove Ithari. Each of the choices relies on you own efforts, Wendell. You are, from this point forward, in sole control.” He looked at me soberly. “Do you understand me? You may have accused me to this point, but I will not take part in your decision to rescind what you have been given. However, this is your agency, and you have a right to choose for yourself.”

“Fine. Good,” I said. “I can handle options.” Relieved, my stomach did a little flip before I restored my composure. “What do I have to do?”

Picking up the blanket, the High Elder tossed it toward the trunk. It folded itself and landed softly inside the container. The lid sealed itself before collapsing into a pile of sand and melting into the floor through the seams of stone.

“The first way to be released of the mantle is to defeat evil and restore harmony. The Ithari awakens when the balance between good and evil leans too far towards darkness. Her purpose is to correct that balance. She will then come back to Sanctuary and be taken care of by this Council until there is a need for her again. That is why we brought you here."

“Not going to happen,” I said cooly. “Next?”

“The second method is to reject the mantle. If you do so, the gem will also reject you. In this case, you will have to wait for one revolution of the moon and then the Gem will fall from your chest. Hopefully, during that time, you will feel a connection with her and change your mind.” He looked over to find me completely unemotional, eyes locked upon him from under my creased brow.

“Not likely,” I muttered, “but it sounds like the best plan so far. Wait a month?” The High Elder held up a finger and opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “No. Say nothing. I don’t belong here.”

“But you should know…”

“No!” I snapped. “I don’t want to wait that long, but I could cope if this was going to get me home. Moving on. What’s the third way?”

The High Elder let his hand drop and paced in silence, fingers pressed together in front of his chest. He spoke to himself as he did so, lips moving, though I couldn’t hear or understand what he was saying.

“Elder?” I cleared my throat, trying to prompt him. “What’s the third way?”

When he stopped moving, his expression was stony, which made me extremely uncomfortable. 

“The third way is death.”

“Death?” I said.

“If you sustain wounds beyond what Ithari can heal, your body will die. If you die, she will require a new host.” He made his way to the doorway and motioned me to follow. “That, of course, would make your journey home quite impossible.”

I gulped.

Delnar smiled. “Hungry?”

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