40. In The Beginning

Chuck opened his mouth to reply, but Dax growled from his chest.

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: With Wendell revived and on the mend, there’s a whole new issue to address. One of the Demoni Vankil seals has been hidden among the gnome populace. To calm his friends, Chuck promises to reveal the whole truth…

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It’s difficult, if not impossible, to properly appreciate and navigate the present without a true understanding of our past.

There’s one thing I’ll say about spending time with Chuck and Dax…it’s rarely dull.

When the room exploded with emotion, I knew right away that the wisest thing for me was to stay out of the way. Grabbing a few paper towels from the table, I sopped up the spilled drink on the floor, collected the largest pieces of the broken mug and set it all quietly on the table in front of me.

No one was paying attention to the kid back from the dead.

Deloris had Morty pinned in a corner, trying to calm him down. The gnome was so irate he’d actually taken a swing at the wizard. She kept a firm hand on his chest, speaking soothing words of encouragement. Nat had immediately left the kitchen with Chuck’s announcement and now towed a small cart into the room. The cart carried a monitor with small cameras attached to it. On the screen was a rich-looking gnome with slicked back hair and mirrored sunglasses.

Lili wasn’t able to hold still with all the shouting, so she was tidying up the dishes and straightening the chairs.

She looked so tired.

My heart ached when I noticed the dark rings under her eyes, and it was then that I payed attention to her sluggish movements.

As the intensity started dying down, Dax pulled a chair closer to me and sat down.

“How you doing, kid?”

“I’m feeling pretty good, considering I’m back from the dead,” I said. “This isn’t the easiest situation to follow. We’ve talked about the seals, and I told you some of what the letter said, but…”

The letter.

From father to son, instructions to the young man…the actual hero that was supposed to be here instead of me.

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

No, don’t start that all over again, I told myself. Just relax, sit back, and use this time as an opportunity to learn.

I leaned back against the chair and slid my hands into the pockets of my robe.

…and felt the edge of an envelope push back against my right hand.

I gulped.

‘Not now,’ Doubt whispered. ‘Pay attention. Freak out later.’

Right, I thought. Later.

….

Wait. I’m not freaking ou…

‘LATER.’

Dax leaned near as Chuck passed. “You sure you want ta let the cat outta the bag?”