Author's Note: Greetings, everyone! Well, I'm going to assume that if you made it this far, you survived the first chapter. This first chapter is quite a bit longer than that one, but I think it will maintain your attention. As always, please continue to read and review.
It feels like the end,
when you're closer to losing your dreams,
than losing a friend.
Flying blind.
I'm shooting into the dark,
who will I find?
Oh, girl,
and if it takes me a lifetime.
I swear, I'll tear down every wall.
Love conquers all—
"Love Conquers All"—Deep Purple
Darkness and Light
Chapter II
Two days later, Johnny and Lenny left New York City for Wales. They arrived in Cardiff about an hour before dusk and secured a car, with Lenny driving. Unfortunately, no roads existed directly to Roger's place, so eventually Lenny and Johnny had to park the car and walk.
The road to Roger's house was a lush forest of pine and deciduous trees—which had lost their leaves due to the cold winter—and the sun's final rays reflected on these trees.
"This is a fascinating place," Johnny said. "I've never seen any place like it."
"How could you growing up in New York?"
"New York's not the only place I've been to, remember? I did travel throughout North and South America, and I've been to Europe before."
Lenny nodded. "True, it was in Europe where I first met you and your father. But you're right about this place. It hasn't changed for centuries, I'm sure. It certainly looks the same, since the last time I saw it."
"When was that?"
"…About 15 years ago, I guess."
"Lenny?"
"Yeah?"
"I never really asked you this, because I could tell that it always bothered you, but I am curious to know…"
"Know what, Master?"
"How is it that you know Roger, because he said something about you knowing him in Roswell—that you kidnapped him or something?"
Lenny sighed. "It's quite a story."
"Will you please tell it?"
Again, Lenny sighed. "Before the Great War, I was in Italy. I was there, because I thought about becoming a Swiss Guard."
"A Swiss Guard?"
"They're a group of men, who have guarded the pope, since the sixteenth century. Anyway, while I was there, I met a man named Nicholas Conrad—although he preferred to be called by the Russian form of his name, 'Nicholai.' And Nicholai had some interesting things to tell me."
"Like what?"
"Like he was the son of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia."
Johnny laughed.
And Lenny smiled. "I laughed as well. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know the difference between chicken salad and chicken shit."
Johnny continued to laugh.
And Lenny maintained his smile. "You can imagine how surprised I was when what Nicholai told me turned out to be true."
Johnny ceased laughing. "Wh-what?! I thought Tsar Nicholas' son was named 'Alexei,' and that he suffered from hemophilia."
Lenny nodded. "That is correct, but apparently before Tsar Nicholas II became the tsar, he had a little affair with a Polish ballerina. That woman was Nicholai's mother, but it was decided that it would be in the best interest of the Russian state to keep this little affair quiet, so Nicholai and his mother were sent away. Nicholai's mother died in exile, and Nicholai was discovered by a man named Gregory Rasputin…"
"Gregory Rasputin?! Isn't that the guy who tried to take over the Russian Empire?"
Lenny nodded. "The very same, but Rasputin was also in charge of a secret society called 'Sapientes Gladio.'"
"Sapientes Gladio?"
"Yep, they were a society built on world domination, and Nicholai was telling me all these things that the society could do for me."
"Like what?"
"Money, power, the chance to command my own regiment—in short, I could be my own boss. However, I don't think I would have joined, if it wasn't for meeting Rasputin himself."
"What kind of person was he like?"
"A great manipulator—he knew how to a devil one moment and a saint the other." Lenny paused to look at the sky; only a few more minutes before it would be dark. "But let's not dwell on Sapientes Gladio too much. You asked me how I knew Roger Bacon, and now I'm going to tell you.
"Sometime in early 1915, Nicholai ordered me and the regiment that I commanded, known as the Steel Claws, to kidnap Roger from his home in Wales, and bring him to Italy. For the life of me, I still don't understand why Nicholai and Rasputin needed him anyway, but I did as I was told."
The last ray of sunlight sparkled on the Welsh coastline, when Lenny and Johnny reached a most unusual structure of steel and brick.
"What in the hell is this?!" Johnny said in awe.
"Roger's house," Lenny replied, without the same awe as his young master.
"It looks like something out of a Science Fiction book!"
Lenny chuckled. "Well, let's see if he's home."
Lenny rapped on the front door, and on the other side looked to be a man in his nineties, but was actually much older. The man was incredibly thin, with a white vandyke beard; bald, except for the white hair around his ears and in the back; and wearing a robe from the Franciscan order.
"How goes it, Roger?" Lenny said.
"Lenny?! Johnny?! What are you two doing here?"
"We came to see you. Or more specifically, we need your help."
"Well, hurry up and come on in! It gets extremely cold at this time of night."
Lenny and Johnny did as Roger commanded, and although Roger showed them to some chairs, Johnny was unable to sit down. He had to look at what was inside Roger's home—cutting edge technology and books. For Johnny, it was the books that stood out the most—they were all tattered and worn.
"Johnny," Roger began, "aren't you going to sit down?"
"Oh, sorry, I was just staring at your books…"
"When did you get interested in books, Master?"
"Since the end of my journey. I visited some pretty cool places, and since then I thought it was interesting to read about them." Johnny took a chair, as Roger directed. "But your books, Roger, are they a hundred years old?"
Roger chuckled. "More like five to seven hundred years old, Johnny."
"W-what?! Wouldn't books that old be in a museum somewhere?"
"I, myself, practically am a living museum, Johnny."
"How so?"
"I have walked the Earth for over 700 years."
Johnny laughed.
But Roger merely smiled. "So, I understand that you two need my help. What's going on?"
"Master," Lenny began with a gesture, "why don't you explain what's going on."
"I want to help Shania."
"Shania? Oh! You mean that young Native American girl, right?"
Johnny nodded.
"What's wrong with her?"
"During our journey together, she received the kiss of malice from Lady…or Grace…Eventually the malice inside her overtook her…I couldn't save her."
"And you want to save her now, do you, Johnny?"
Johnny nodded. "With all the power in my body!"
"And I want to help him," added Lenny.
Roger placed his chin between his thumb and first finger. "There's malice inside of all of us, Johnny. But at the same time, there's love inside all of us too, and they say that love conquers all."
"It didn't in this case."
"But it has in other cases."
"I can't worry about other cases, Roger. I can only worry about my own."
"The point I'm trying to make, Johnny, is that there is a way to remove the malice in Shania."
Johnny's eyes grew wide. "How?"
"How did you counter the red light of malice during your journey?"
"With the blue light of the Earth."
"Correct. And such a light can free Shania—along with one other thing."
"One other thing?"
Roger nodded, and stood from his chair. Gesturing for Johnny and Lenny he added, "Please follow me."
Roger directed the two men to an adjacent room. Inside was a small chapel, with statues of Christ and the Virgin next to the altar. The statues looked to be centuries old and were beginning to chip. But on the chapel's small altar, inside a monstrance, was a piece of the consecrated Host. Roger genuflected, and so did Lenny. Johnny genuflected as well, although it was a moment after Roger and Lenny had genuflected—it had been a while since Johnny had been to mass.
"You know what that is, do you not?" Roger asked, returning to his feet—and looking at Johnny.
"Of course, I do. I was raised an Episcopalian. It's a piece of the consecrated Host—the Eucharist."
"Correct. Things that are truly holy, such as the Body and Blood of Christ, can remove the malice that is found in a person."
"How so?"
"How do you receive a piece of Communion, Johnny?"
"You eat it."
"Correct."
"So what you're saying is, if a person infested with malice receives Holy Communion that malice inside will disappear?"
"In some cases, yes. Certainly other factors are involved."
"Like what?"
"How strong and how long the malice inside a person has affected their senses."
"Wait a minute! Are you saying that you knew this, when we fought my sister?"
Roger nodded.
"Then why the hell didn't you tell us?!"
"Master, please calm down," Lenny said, trying to gesture to Johnny to lower his voice. "You're inside a church."
"It's all right, Lenny," Roger replied with a gesture indicating that he understood Johnny's anger. "I blame myself a little on that one, Johnny, because I honestly didn't think of it. You released the blue light of Earth, yet Grace, your sister, did not seem to react at all to it. Certainly it's possible that Communion could have worked, but you would have had to calm her to the point where she would have received it. And in trying to do so, she could have very easily killed you. I think I was thinking more about your safety at the time, than I was the Eucharist. And perhaps I failed you, but somehow I highly doubt it. I think that if you would have tried the Eucharist, all of you would have been killed in the process."
"So the same thing can happen with Shania?"
"I don't really know. If the light of the Earth can affect Shania, then I would say that the Eucharist will be effective. But if not, then I would say that the answer is 'no.'" Roger placed his arms behind his back and began to pace. "Needless to say, there is a place I want to take you to."
"A place?"
Roger nodded. "Domremy, France."
"Domremy?!" replied Lenny.
Again, Roger nodded. "Yes, there are some people there who know quite a bit about malice."
"I just hope none of the villagers recognize me," Lenny said. "I'm sure it's doubtful. It's been almost 15 years, and I've changed a lot in those last 15 years."
