Believing in Myself

Thank you, once again, Falcon for your review. Wow, this is starting to become repeptitive, huh? Oh well, I'd thank you a thousand times over for taking time to read and review my story. Onward bound! This chapter is a little short, but that's ok. The next chapter will hold some more interesting things ahead.

Chapter 20


It was a little over a week now since they had left the quiet little farming village to go on this journey. It was nearing a month since Jessica had, what felt like a distant memory, podded him awake and gave him the shock of a lifetime. Had time really passed so quickly? It was only a month ago that his life had been... would he say normal? John supposed that thinking back with what he knew now, his life was not really normal. It was rather... just alot of secrets and lack of understanding. Not that it was wrong, since he had truely known nothing about the demons and magic and how they connected.

Things were truely moving fast. Perhaps he should have expected it from day one. Of course, to think things could move so far out of proportion as to this... and the way things were going, he wondered if it was really the end of the surprises.

First an angel comes to tell him he can learn magic, and that it's power had been sleeping in him for nearly eight years. Then a demon, Beras, who knows about his father from the time he was young. Something had happened, something that would have to spark the demon's interest in a mere human who, as far as John could tell, had nothing extraordinary about him. John had also not forgotten the brief experience with the red orb. And that Beras had wanted it badly. But why? What was the connection?

Then the stranger who attacked, and later, helpped them. He knew much... almost too much really. Like he knew John's and Jessica's exact movements and motives. Was he really thier enemy? And if not, could he truely be trusted? And last were the dreams. Who was that person near Beras? And did he have a connection with the demon that Beras had claimed to have let loose the monsters in Aseli?

All these thoughts swelled in his head. He felt like his mind would burst if things like this kept up. Jessica seemed to tell for she immediately had them camp for the night.

"Maybe you should rest John. You don't look to well."

"Yeah, your right. Thanks."

John had quickly fell asleep, but Jessica had not felt tired at all. Thinking to have a moment to herself, she silently left him be and walked away. She had not gone too far from the campsite before she heard the rush of wings. She quickly turned expecting maybe a bird of some sort to be flying up high in the night. However what she saw instead was a man in white robe, brushing a few lavender hairs from his face. His wings folded back against his back.

"Well well... out for a nightime stroll?"

"Oh... it's only you."

The angel smiled compassionately. "Well, I am glad you still remember me Jessica."

"Would you call it an insult if I didn't Eion? I am only human after all."

The angel moved over to her and brushed a few hairs of Jessica's to the side. Jessica shivered a little. She didn't know why, she knew that Eion would do no harm. But maybe it was because of her love for John that she should find it a bit unnerving to have this done to her. Eion saw her reaction and smiled.

"You truely are human, after all. Did being an angel get boring for you? I mean, I can probably understand after the first couple dozen centuries."

"Things have... changed. I can't always stay the same person you knew forever."

"Ah I see... emotions... well, I guess that's ok. Considering how it all ties in."

"How all what ties in?"

"I suppose you weren't informed... in fact when we did try to inform you, it was too late. You had already become human."

"Tell me what!?" Jessica said, her temper starting to flare. Whatever it was Eion wanted to get across, he truely was doing it in the most annoying of ways.

"I am afraid I can no longer say. Humans can't be told, not by us, and now that your traveling with him, it's too late to-..."

"John? Does this have something to do with him?"

"I've said too much already. Arois will probably be letting me have it for even showing myself to you in the first place."

"Arois? He knows too? Why won't you say anything to me! I was an angel, surely that must mean something!"

"You were an angel. But not anymore. Now you are human, free to do as you wish. That freedom comes with a price. But it is best you not tell John about our little 'conversation' we had tonight."

Before she could speak again, Eion vanished in a fury of feathers. She seemed to distraught to do much but stand there and watch. She knew Eion had a point. Whatever it was that he had wanted to tell her, must be something that could interfere with things. And angels were forbidden to interfere with the natural flow of things on earth. Whatever this was about, it would probably reveal itself in time. But she would not let it end like this. She walked back to camp, determined to wake John and tell him what she heard.

Your right Eion. My freedom of choice does come with a price. But it also means that I don't have to do anything you tell me to anymore.