Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7
Chapter 26: A Ruler's Restoration, Part 2
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was in a room of the Hunter Corps ship as I was facing Dean on the spot. He was concerned and angry about the events that took place earlier as he wanted to tear a new one in Sawney for his actions. I didn't blame him as I also feared the worse that was coming. Even though I averted the werewolf threat on the train coming towards Evenstar, I wasn't off the hook yet as there was trouble brewing the moment I saw a tablet showing images of what took place in the royal palace. To my curiosity, I spotted the image of the perpetrator who showed up before taking off as he was a dangerous threat with what was going on so far, for there was no end to the war that went off without warning.
"We've got a problem, Sammy," said Dean.
"You can't be on this mission with me," I said. "You have duties to your unit on Shiganshina of all places, don't you?"
"After what I saw and with Sawney Masbath riding shotgun, I'm pretty much pissed at him for putting you in this situation with bringing Roderick to the throne of Minas Tirith!"
"I had to deal with werewolves who were immune to silver, only to find that they had angel grace in them." I showed Dean a small vial of the glowing substance as he had a gut feeling about the situation going sideways. "This was in one of the werewolves who attacked the train. As for our so-called 'good samaritan' and resident blackmailer, this is getting complicated even worse."
"Well, I had to deal with a couple of vampires who were immune to Dead Man's Blood, only to see that they were pumped with the same grace of what you saw on the train. As for Sawney Masbath, the bastard's still at large and in cahoots with Michael. Still, we can't let this crap slide, nor let our guard down 'cause our petty blackmailer—"
Without warning, I saw myself being flung into a cell with no windows in which I spotted Sawney standing in front of me. The sight of him in all his grotesque glory was something that I shouldn't take very lightly. His thirst for vengeance was nigh as he was more than likely to be torturing me out of spite. The sight of him unnerved me as I was either at his mercy or form of torture, for this was something that I could never avert.
"Hello, Sam," he said to me as he was decked out with a glowing aura. "I've been waiting for this moment to strike you down for such a humiliating experience!"
"That's a new look for you," I said. "Therefore, I saw the image on the thumbdrive during my mission in the Sprawl. You changed drastically, for your face stays the same."
"I've been waiting two years for this shit to end, Sam!" I noticed an evil aura glowing all over him as he was ready to strike. "I was tortured to the point that I was losing my hair! Oh, how I loathed you every step of the way since you had the gall to put me there in Belbe Citadel on Gehenna!"
Without warning, I was being engulfed by the aura until I was being dragged away from my predicament. I returned to reality back on Minas Tirith as I noticed Dean with a shocked look on his face. He had a gut feeling that I would be dragged further as he refused to leave my side in this ongoing predicament. What he never expected was that our adversary was not about to let us restore Roderick to the throne lightly, for the presence of an enemy that was memory long put into the appendices of the Elder Days. He bore a grudge against Sawney Masbath as he considered him to be a thorn in our sides. We had a fourth player in the war as we also had to watch our backs in this fight, for we were dealing with a very dangerous opponent.
"You got dragged with that prick, didn't you?" I heard Dean say to me.
"Sawney has a grudge against me for his failed attempt to blackmail me," I said. "This time, he's broken out of prison and is out for blood. He'll even go to great lengths to kill Roderick and Tori so they won't ascend to the throne in Evenstar on this planet."
"That's comforting to hear..."
"You went to Evenstar, didn't you?"
"Selina and her posse have went there and cleared out the Clerics, but the rest of our motley group have our hands full with Alt-Mike, who is still at large."
"Sammy!" yelled Shigeru as he entered into the room with the unused hex bag in his hand. "It looks like this thing is a dud. As for the Rin-Tin-Tin rejects, their influence under the grace that your perp must've shorted out the witching magic."
I examined the hex bag carefully as I noticed the sigils from it gone in which I noticed a faint glow that shorted it out in the first place. There was a residue of grace on it as I sensed that Michael was doing Sawney's dirty work. I also had a gut feeling that Sawney will stop at nothing to bait me in the worst way, for he was waiting in the wings…
Sawney was in his hideout as he was not too thrilled with his failed attempt to kill me and my entourage on the train. Even though he was reeling from his mind lock earlier, he was still aching to take me down as his seething hatred showed. By the time he saw Michael appearing out of nowhere, he went towards him and pushed him to the ground as he wasn't too happy with my constant meddling and his constant failures. With the magic trinkets and tools in his possession, he also had a flaw when it came to stealing witching items, only to be bested by the ones he stole from.
"It should've worked when the train careened to the bridge!" he yelled.
"The new savior's raw power shorted it out, jackass!" cried Michael as he got up on his feet.
Sawney rushed over to his stash of magic trinkets that he pilfered as he saw them glowing the moment he noticed an inverted pentagram flashing in blue light. To his dismay, he saw a sigil of the Vesper Guild appear as it was in the form of a rose surrounded by thistles glowing in its stead. He hated the Vesper Guild as he viewed them to be nuisances to his plans as he wanted to get rid of them, for they were meddling in his plans to destroy me in this ongoing war.
"Well, well, well," said a familiar voice as it permeated into Sawney's head. "Your little excursion into stopping Sam with pumped-up werewolves was a bust as planned."
"Damn you!" he yelled. "Get the hell out of my head, Odette!"
"You and your angelic cohort have caused enough havoc already! You think that you have eluded the Order of Letters and the guild that you steal from, but you've got another thing coming! Your constant thefts of our guild and Rowena MacLeod have been numbered, for you will be targeted if you go against our wishes and kill the savior that will lead us into a golden age!"
Blood trickled down Sawney's nose as he saw the Vesper Guild sigil vanish. Anger flooded him as he was ready to go ballistic until Michael stopped him. Both criminal and apocalyptic archangel were backed in the corner as they had no other choice but to bend the knee to the Vesper Guild altogether. Still, they were no match for Odette as she had the upper hand into putting her enemies in their place so far.
"Odette…," said Sawney. "I swear that I'll make you pay by tearing off your head and shit down your neck!"
"You were warned," said Michael cautiously. "I may have collaborated with you into turning the head Cleric into ashes, but I never expected the Hunter Corps to have assistance until I foresaw the presence of Dean Winchester, whose past self I once possessed before in the Elder Days."
"Why can't you possess him now?"
"Anyone that is touched by the Savior is protected from angelic and demonic possession. I know that now and the Red Inquisition are in for a shock to find that the one with raw power is off limits to resurrect Lucifer."
"Doesn't matter! When this shebang of this war is over…" Sawney reaches into a box for another hex bag. "Sam Winchester is a dead man! I will not be sitting on the sidelines just to see that oversized Rapunzel run amok! He'll know the way of pain and he'll know the way of losing hope, for I will get my revenge against him, mark my words!"
"Be careful what you do," said Michael. "The savior will end up surpassing us all, for our plans will end up backfiring."
"I siphoned your grace into those werewolves so they can attack Sam and his entourage, but it all failed in the end because of his raw power! This isn't over, Sam!"
Sawney noticed the hex bag in his hand catch on fire as he let out a piercing scream. He was extremely angry as he was out for blood, for he wasn't about to let up anytime soon…
The Hunter Corps ship landed in Evenstar as it was in a clearing near the palace. When I got out of there, I had Roderick and Tori with me as they were escorted out of the ship and towards their new home as Emperor and Empress of Minas Tirith. It wasn't long until Dean and Desna came along as they were on guard duty. Even though I loathed the motive, but it was of good use after battling werewolves on a train and almost falling off a broken bridge. By the time we entered into the main entrance, I noticed Selina standing in front of me as she was requesting an audience with me. Even with the rest of the Hunter Corps cooperating with the rebel Clerics who were growing weary of the former masters who once occupied Minas Tirith, there was so much work to do as the restoration of the Tirithian royal family was underway as planned.
"Sam Winchester," she said to me. "We meet again and you brought the young Emperor and Empress with you."
"Selina," I said. "From what I gathered, you had a mess to clean."
"The remainder of the Clerics have been detained, but scared after their leader was killed. They say that he was turned to ashes by the archangel, Michael, whose vessel is that of an Atreidian man who was suffering from colon cancer. Therefore, this version of the archangel is from the apocalyptic time pocket in which it once possessed the Dean Winchester of old back in the Elder Days."
"He left in a hurry, didn't he?"
"From what I heard from our angelic allies, Michael was in cahoots with Sawney Masbath and doing his bidding. Even though Evenstar had the Clerics flushed out, the bridge is out after the debacle with the pumped-up werewolves on the train."
"Evenstar hasn't changed at all, but the Emperor and Empress will take their place on the throne eventually."
And so, we followed Selina into the palace as we noticed several members of the Hunter Corps and the Tirithian Army restoring what was once lost over the years. I was also glad that I got Roderick and Tori to safety as I led the way inside. What I never expected was that Jack was watching in the distance as he was grateful that I brought the future Emperor and Empress to safety and to take the throne of Minas Tirith. He was aware of the apocalyptic version of Michael coming to life as he had to do his best to protect me from harm, especially from the likes of Sawney Masbath. He had his reasons as he spotted me leading the way in which I was the one who would bring down Project Amaterasu and Project Helios, for he also loathed the machinations of the Executive Division like the rest of us…
Two Thousand Years in the Past…
Sam was exhausted from his latest hunt after the funeral of Missouri Mosely a week ago. The signs of depression were weighing down as he wanted to just stay in bed all day. What he didn't expect was that Jack was slowly walking into his room as he was concerned for his health. With Dean on a solo hunt earlier, Sam wasn't about to leave his room as he was also feeling the sting of the past events. Losing both Castiel and Crowley was more than enough to send him into a depressive state as he refused to get out of bed, but Jack was eager to bring him up soon enough.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asked. "You've been in bed since yesterday and I have a bad feeling that I contributed to what you're suffering from since Dean blamed me for Castiel's death."
"I don't wanna come out of my room," answered Sam as he covered himself in blankets.
"I've been looking all over the bunker and I found a room with some peeling wallpaper in it. What I also saw is that there is somehing painted on the wall in there."
"Fine, I'll go and look…"
At that moment, Sam got up as he followed Jack into the hall and directly into the spare empty room that was found. Going inside, they entered into a room with only a military-grade cot and blanket complete with a pillow with feathers stuffed into it. The room itself was old and collecting dust as they noticed the mural that was beneath the peeling wallpaper. Jack was astonished to see the image of divinity painted there as he noticed Sam pausing at what he once discovered. The mural itself was a find for the ages as it was put there for a while, for it was a sign of the future in the making.
"This mural is a painting of you and an Elf," said Jack as he saw the image clearly.
"It was once discovered by someone of the future," answered Sam. "I ended up walking in here to see what was going on until I saw someone who looked like me and the one who came here unnoticed."
"They're the ones in the mural, aren't they?"
"The Elf in the mural, Reiko, came here while I had some furnishings put in my room. From what I noticed that she was the one who made some cookies in which Dean wanted to get the recipe to make them with. As for my other predicament, I was suffering from the side effect of the demon trials after I killed a hellhound and bathed in its blood. I… was coughing up blood and was under the ringer at the time and when I saw the guy who looked like me appear to collect Reiko and return home to his time. He even wrote a note about my health in which Dean forced me to come clean about what I was suffering from."
"You suffered a lot, didn't you?"
"More than you know…"
Sam found the note that was there as he read it carefully. It had been four years since he moved into the bunker as he felt a tear roll down his cheek. Jack never saw him cry before as he snatched the note from his hands and began to look at it. He noticed that the note was old, but he was curious about what it meant as he noticed a hint of raw power on the piece of paper. It wasn't long until he saw the images of the future as he even noticed the divine signs that were coming into motion, but not yet. Returning to reality, he saw Sam on his knees as he was feeling more distraught than normal in which he had to comfort him soon enough.
"This note is from the one who looked like you, wasn't it?" he said.
"Yeah," answered Sam as he sniffled. "Dean found it and was dogging me about the illness I had."
"It says here: 'To Dean Winchester or any who are in the Men of Letters, I noticed that Sam hasn't feeling well, but he refuses to tell anyone about his suffering so far. I'm telling you to look after him and tell the truth, even when he denies it briefly. The trials are taking a toll on him and he can't do this alone, for this is what will happen to him in which it goes beyond my control. Even though there will be failure, there will be both courage and opportunity to do what is put in front of them and to always keep fighting, a concerned friend from the future."
"That was what the guy wrote. His hair was longer than mine, but he had a jewelled sigil on his forehead. At that time, I felt guilty for abandoning Dean and Castiel in Purgatory and I could never forgive myself for not looking for them. The guy in front of me told me that everyone should forgive themselves, even me and him. He read about my past mistakes as if he was a like a god, but he also told me that I couldn't keep my condition hidden forever, but Dean knew anyway when he found that note."
"You seem sadder than normal…"
"My sins have defined me since I let out your father and started the Apocalypse. I went around soulless after battling him in the cage, only to have my soul back in. After that, I abandoned Dean and Cass while they were in Purgatory, and that was the worst sin that I got saddled with. When I completed the first two demon trials, I got weaker and weaker, only to attempt to cure a demon in which Dean stopped me at the last minute. He didn't want to lose me, but after he allowed Gadreel to heal me and use me as his vessel, Metatron manipulated him into killing Kevin by using my body to do so, only to be flushed out. Everything went sideways with the Mark of Cain on Dean's arm, the Darkness wreaking havoc, your birth, and everything else put with it."
"You should follow the man from the future's example, Sam. His wisdom isn't something that can be taken lightly in which I know of it to be beneficial to you. You should also have the courage to forgive yourself for your past sins. I bear no animosity to you, but I see the mural in the room to be a boon. It's what the future wants for you, isn't it?"
Sam walked towards the mural as he saw the future image clearly. The encounter from four years ago was something that couldn't be ignored as he was grateful that he saw what was there, for it was a bigger destiny that was waiting in the wings…
Meanwhile, back in the present…
Jack was hiding in one of the palace rooms as he looked through the door to the hall. When he spotted me escorting Roderick and Tori towards the throne room, he noticed me to be glowing with more raw power, but he was also concerned about the presence of Sawney Masbath, who still bears a grudge against me for his imprisonment. Just as he was about to follow me, he stopped before leaving the room as he spotted Totsuka entering in as he was facing him for the first time in forever. Both Nephilim and Shinigami were known to be allies in the past two thousand years as they were no stranger into dealing with the threat that was causing havoc all over the Ashizoka System, for they also had to deal with the Second Galvanic Uprising as well.
"Long time, no see, Totsuka," said Jack.
"Jack Kline… or perhaps the Terran God that replaced Chuckie-Boy," he said.
"The last time we met, you were resurrected and gave Grandfather his powers back, but placed limits on them for his meddling."
"Chuckie-Boy wanted to keep the story going, but I once warned him not to make it into a soap opera. After that, he ignored my warning and began to abuse his power in which he made people disappear, only for me and Pendragon to intervene by bringing them back the moment you acquired the position as King of Heaven. After that, the Winchesters made their final adventure in which not only Dean, died, but Sam lived and married Eileen Leahy, which I brought back to him. Their son, Dean II, took up the reins to establish what is now known as the Order of Letters after Sam's passing from natural causes."
"I know, for Castiel and I saw him dressed in the clothes that he was in when he reunited with Dean during one of their cases."
"I remembered that. I read the books in the Universal Library on Essos and the words that I knew were, 'Dad's on a hunting trip.'"
It wasn't long until Jack and Totsuka heard the fanfare coming from the throne room as they left towards it. When they saw me in the audience with the future Emperor and Empress of Minas Tirith, I gave them my blessing as I was there to bear witness to new hope in front of the various nobles and members of the Order respectively. Both Totsuka and Jack spotted me with members of the Hunter Corps as they even noticed Dean and Shigeru in the crowd, for they were aware of me being overprotected round the clock. With the coronation of Roderick and Tori as Emperor and Empress of Minas Tirith, everyone was celebrating their ascension as the reign of the Clerics was over at last.
"Citizens, nobles, and members of the Order," said Roderick as he was sitting on his throne. "I am grateful that the worst is finally over and the Clerics will not darken this planet ever again. I am also glad that Sam Winchester is with us in this darkest hour in which his guidance allowed the Hunter Corps to intervene at the last minute. Long life to Sam Winchester and his quest for ascension, for his guidance will lead us to a golden age as planned. Tori and I will serve you and all the chieftains who govern this planet. I was saved by the raw power that the new god in which the monsters were much more dangerous than normal. We can't ignore the signs of what is going on in which those who are against Sam will stop at nothing to claim him as the ultimate prize. I won't let that happen after what I witnessed, for I am forever in his debt that he helped to restore this planet from the brink of despair."
"And I will be eternally grateful that you and Tori are safe from harm," I said.
I meant what I said as I was glad to see the young couple emerge from their humble beginnings on Lannister to being royalty on Minas Tirith. Turning around, I spotted Jack and Totsuka in the back row as they were staring back at me. I never expected them to turn up here of all places as they were also on full alert due to what was witnessed earlier. With the festivities running smoothly, everyone was happy to have an emperor on the Tirithian throne as there was plenty of food and drink to go around. Even though I was guarded round the clock, I was starting to feel overwhelmed by the security until I had no other choice but to leave the throne room and rush straight to the bathroom. By the time I got there, I went towards the men's room as I stood in front of one of the urinals and did my business. After holding it for so long, I finished relieving myself as I flushed the urinal and went towards the sink to wash my hands. Just as I was about to leave the bathroom, I was stunned as I spotted a hex bag near one of the stalls. It was a trap that Sawney planted for me as I noticed an inverted pentagram appear the moment I had a gut feeling that my nemesis would put me there without warning.
"Hello, Sam," I heard him say through the hex bag. "Like my little trick?"
"You never learn, do you?" I said as I was struggling to break free.
"You may have averted a tragedy and avoided a disaster coming from the pumped-up monsters that I sicced on the train to Evenstar, but I won't let you get away after what you did to me! The Executive Division will soon have your raw power, blood and bone and all, in which they will obliterate the Order of Letters!"
"I am a lot of things, but I will never be the Executive Division's tool!"
"It's a shame, but you're gonna die anyway, Sam!"
I felt my skin starting to sting from the trap that the hex bag made until I heard the door to the men's room open up. To my shock, I saw Jack rush in as he used his powers to burn the hex bag that was in one of the stalls the moment it turned to ashes. With the trap gone, I was free as I was grateful that my rescuer would be there in which he had suspicions and a grudge against my old nemesis. What I didn't expect was that Totsuka was there as he saw the evidence that was on the floor due to the hex bag being burnt. He was highly suspicious of the attempt on my life as he was aware that Sawney was targeting me just like those who would abuse the raw power that I had.
"Dude, you just dodged a bullet just now," he said.
"Sawney planned it as his personal vendetta against me has gotten from bad to worse," I said.
"I know of Sawney all too well, Sam," said Jack. "His vendetta against you goes a lot further than you know."
"From what I know is that he had a primal lust for my mother, only to turn to a primal rage when she married my father."
"Sawney had an unhealthy obsession with the Mary Winchester of this future, only to see her dead. He viewed your father as a threat to his plans in which he was also the bastard son of Emperor Sarno XII of Kaijirin. Sawney was even violent towards your mother in which he beat her up to the point of John attacking him after what he saw earlier."
"I know of what he did because he had it coming when Dad beat him up after what he did to Mom."
"You were in swaddling clothes back then," said Totsuka. "From what I heard, Sawney's sick obsession over Mary was basically the last straw in which her father, Emperor Sarno XII, decided to have her marry your dad, who was a veteran of the First Galvanic Uprising. Basically, Mary had a rivalry with Cynthia MacVicker, who also vied for John's affections, but things went sideways after Sawney attacked the former on the week before Halloween, which was a dick move. We all knew how the story goes in both past and present in which Mary died at the hands of a demon, but the past self of the latter ended up getting resurrected for a brief while until Jack killed her the second time without his soul present. In Heaven, he found her again after he ran into me in which she and John saw and later forgave him without hesitation. He even told them of Pendragon's prophecy in which they would be reborn in and end up dying in this future. The best part is that we spotted Chuckie-Boy prowling around the moment I separated Amara from him, which was great when I saw her kick him in the balls."
I started laughing at that notion as the sight of Chuck getting kicked in the privates was more than enough to jumpstart the raw power that I had. To my shock, the surge of raw power began to shine brighter than ever as I began to change into my ultimate form without warning. Jack and Totsuka were astonished to see me in this form as they escorted me out of the bathroom and into the courtyard where we noticed a patch of bluebells growing like weeds. It was a strange sight for me as my raw power even cleared the grey sky once and for all. What I never expected was that I had a memory unlocking as I saw myself as a young boy coming to the courtyard with a pouch of seeds that were later planted into the earth. The memory was something that I never noticed before in a long time as it was absorbed into me like a sponge. My raw power was on full display as it was starting to overwhelm me to the point of me collapsing, but I wasn't feeling sad at all after seeing the bluebells in full display. It wasn't long until Roderick and Tori rushed outside as they saw more bluebells growing like wildfire, for this was a miracle coming from what was put in front of them.
"Look at this!" yelled Tori as she saw more bluebells growing all over the courtyard. "These flowers are beautiful."
"The bluebells…," said Roderick. "It's been years since they bloomed all over Minas Tirith…"
"This is a great day after all!"
"May the gods bless us in full on this day…"
The display of my raw power stopped as I returned to my super-charged form, but I was starting to feel exhausted from it. With Jack and Totsuka catching me, they noticed me feeling more tired than normal as they had to get me to an infirmary wing as soon as possible. They were concerned for my safety as they dragged me out of the courtyard in which my life was on the line, for it was the usual song and dance for me…
I woke up in a room as I found myself in a hospital bed complete with an intravenous drip inserted into my arm, along with a catheter between my legs. My exhaustion ended up derailing me as I sat up and heard the door open, only to see Mick enter with a plate of cake in his hands. He never expected me to be incapacitated as he was aware of the raw power that I possessed. Still, he never left the room as he noticed me laying back down in my bed the moment I yawned due to the fatigue that I had. I always hated being in hospital beds as they reminded me of how Kazuo kept me in them, but I had no other choice but to rest up until I recovered to full.
"You're finally awake, My Lord," said Mick as he took a bite of his cake. "The Hunter Corps captain was frantic when he spotted those two blokes carrying you off to the infirmary wing."
"How long was I out?" I asked as I felt the exhaustion nailing me.
"You were out for two days and Lord Shigeru was concerned about your health."
"Two days?! Damn it!" I was struggling to get up out of bed as my body was too weak to move from my spot. "I have to get up… I have to—"
I felt my body being wracked with pain as was being pinned by the exhaustion that I had. Whatever I did was more than enough to send me into a coma after that surge of raw power as I felt achy all over. Just as I was about to sit back up, I heard the door open as I noticed a familiar headache bursting into the room with his medical kit in his hands. It was Kazuo as he noticed me in my bed suffering from the intense pain that I had in which I noticed him break out his stethoscope in order to listen to my heart. He was aware of my condition as he even got out a thermometer and shoved it into my mouth the moment he saw me flushed with a lingering fever. I dreaded his presence the moment he restricted my movements as he refused to let me off the hook after what was found in the men's room during my weekly coma, for he was ready to let me have it.
"You overdid it again, Sam," I heard him say as I saw him place his fingers onto my neck where the carotid artery was. "From what I noticed was that the new emperor was concerned for your health in which he was afraid that you wouldn't make the week out, but you slept for a good two days worth."
"Oi! Don't chastise him right now," said Mick.
"You shouldn't be in the room eating cake! If I were you, I suggest that you eat in the cafeteria."
"I just got here and Lord Shigeru told me to stay with him until the captain arrives."
"It's a godsend that Totsuka the the King of Heaven dragged Sam here, but from what was seen in the courtyard, there had been the blooming of bluebells all over."
"The last time bluebells bloomed was when the Tirithian royal family were ousted from power, only for the heir to return home and claim his birthright. After all this, the nobles here would be breaking out the Claritin with all the-"
"Where is he?!"
I heard footsteps the moment that the thermometer beeped as I saw Kazuo remove it from my mouth. It wasn't long until I saw Dean rush in as he was worried about me. The sight of me being in bed was familiar as I was no stranger in being incapacitated, which concerned my brother to full. This wasn't the first time or the last as I was under the chagrin of being examined by Kazuo the moment I felt the diaphragm part of his stethoscope touch at my chest. The sound of my heartbeat was alarming as it was more thready than normal, but I had no other choice but to bear with what was going on so far. With Mick leaving the room, I was alone with Dean and Kazuo as I was about to bear the full brunt of both scolds and insults along the way.
"You were reckless to use your raw power again, Sam," said Dean.
"Don't remind me," I said as in a weak, exhausted voice. "After all this, I want to go home with Reiko and the others who are there…"
"Your heartbeat is not normal," said Kazuo as he put away his stethoscope. "And on a side note, you have a temperature of 101.8."
"It's not as bad as getting up to 107…"
"You need to take your health seriously, Sam, both physically and mentally," said Dean. "You can't just put that crap on the back burner 'cause you had a reason to trigger a surge of raw power in your body."
"It was something that Totsuka told me. Before our past selves reunited in Heaven, he caught up to Chuck, who was abusing his powers and not allowing their story to end. After he separated him from the Darkness, she simply ended up kicking him in the balls for nearly destroying the existence of everything on Earth. I laughed at the notion, only to trigger a surge of raw power to make the bluebells bloom all over until I ended up exhausted again."
"Well, it wasn't a laughing matter when we found evidence of a hex bag in the men's room. And who else does this crap?! It's Sawney friggin' Masbath of all ass-clowns!"
"I noticed it when I had to use it. From what I never expected was that the King of Heaven came to my rescue and used his powers to reduce the hex bag to ash."
"You ran into Jack Kline, didn't you?" said Kazuo as I nodded. "Even though he is the bastard son of Lucifer and Kelly Kline, he steered away from his father's influence in which he sought guidance from the Winchesters of Old and Castiel of all people. He also saw the mural of the Destiny of Worlds that was painted in the Men of Letters bunker the moment he discovered it four years after your visit to the past."
"I remembered it when I had to get Reiko out of there and return to the present. At that time, my past self was suffering from the demon trials in which he was coughing up blood. He was in such a sorry state that I wrote a note to his brother to keep watch over him with the condition that he had during my last visit. I never expected Jack Kline to go into the room and discover the mural of me and Reiko in it, but he had a better influence than that of his father."
It wasn't long until I slowly got up out of bed as I held onto the pole where the intravenous drip was attached to. When I spotted a wheelchair, I sat in it as I gathered up the catheter bag and placed it into a compartment behind it. Much to my chagrin, I saw Dean get out a blanket as he covered my legs with it the moment I spotted Kazuo wheeling me out of my room. We were out into the hall as we saw Roderick dressed in imperial clothing that was fit for an emperor. He was glad that I was alive as he aware of the condition that I was bogged down under. With the worst over, life on Minas Tirith was returning to its former glory as the time of gloom was over. As for the ongoing war, it was far from over as we were in constant threat of the Executive Division in which they were waiting to activate Project Amaterasu against my wishes, for this wasn't the last that I have heard in the headache that we still had…
Jack was in the palace library as he was looking at some of the works and lore that was once part of the Elder Days. Looking at the shelves of books that were there, he saw them to be beneficial as they were also part of the Order's archives. What he didn't expect was that there were footsteps approaching as he turned around and spotted Totsuka coming into the library. Both of them were very concerned about the current events as they were also aware of what happened in the past two days, for there would be no end to this lingering war anytime soon.
"You prefer the library, don't you?" said Totsuka as he sat down in a chair next to a table.
"It's quiet, but not as big as the Universal Library on Essos," answered Jack.
"Yukiwa just went back to it after he bought extra books to add to his collection. He even added twenty more books to his already full bookbag before leaving." Totsuka fishes out a list of what Yukiwa purchased as he was ready to read it aloud. "It's the final Supernatural arc that he up and bought: Back to and From the Future, Raising Hell, The Rupture, Atomic Monsters, Proverbs 17:3, Golden Time, Last Call, Our Father Who Aren't in Heaven, The Trap, The Heroes' Journey, The Gamblers, Galaxy Brain, Destiny's Child, Last Holiday, Gimme Shelter, Drag Me Away (From You), Unity, Despair, Inherit the Earth, and Carry On. The guy loves his books, I can give you that."
"Your resident librarian knows how to collect and preserve, doesn't he?"
"He's been in this for a long time, but he'll soon find more evidence of the Winchester Gospel a lot more open than expected."
It wasn't long until Jack spotted me in the courtyard as I was observing the bluebells that were everywhere. He was grateful that I was recovering as he also had to do his part into protecting me from those who would use and abuse my raw power against my wishes. By the time he was leaving the library, he spotted a courier going to the courtyard as I was given a letter. Even Totsuka was astonished to see me starting to recover as he had a gut feeling that I would be called to the Universal Library on Essos soon enough. The look on my face was tantamount to my contemplating on going to the same place where I lost Ippei as it was also a place where knowledge was kept and preserved for many years to come…
I was wheeled into the courtyard as I was seeing the bluebells that were rampant like weeds. The sight of them was a soothing one as I remembered them clearly in which I picked one to show Reiko on my way back to the Cerulean Palace on Targaryen. After being cooped up in my room in the infirmary wing, I was glad to get some fresh air as the smell of the flowers became pleasant to me. I was more than glad to be in the courtyard instead of being cooped up as I was happy to be in a calmer setting than just be in the infirmary wing all the live long. Just as I was about to enjoy my day, I saw a courier with a letter in his hand as he handed it to me. Opening it up, I saw it to be a letter from Jeriba again as she was waiting for me to come to the Universal Library on Essos as planned, for I haven't forgotten that engagement yet. To my shock, I saw Selina coming towards me as she was concerned for my health, but she wasn't too thrilled to see Kazuo here due to his stricter stance on my movements during the Second Galvanic Uprising, for she wanted him to lift it, but to no avail.
"You never changed, did you, Kazuo?" she said.
"Selina Jacobsen, I presume?" he said.
"Once again, I heard from the higher-ups that you keep Sam on a shorter leash."
"It is necessary to do so after what has happened recently. There was even the hex bag that was found in the men's room."
"He's not a caged animal, Kazuo. He is the new god of the Ashizoka System, but your efforts to keep him guarded only hinders his growth."
"You're beginning to sound like Reuben."
"Enough, already!" I yelled as I slowly got up from my wheelchair. "Just stop already, okay?"
The exhaustion was taking a toll on me as I felt Dean's hands calmly setting me back down in my wheelchair. He was aware that I wasn't ready for the catfight between Kazuo and Selina as he also didn't want a confrontation right now. Wheeling me away from the courtyard, we went towards an outdoor cafe as we were safe from the storm that was brewing earlier. With the letter in my hands, I was looking at Jeriba's handwriting as I never forgot about her summons, for I was needed at the Universal Library once I was back on my feet.
"Man, it never gets old with Kazuo keeping you on a short leash," said Dean as he sat down in a chair. "It kind of sucks to be you right now, Sammy."
"I know," I said as I was feeling irritated. "Kazuo may be a pain in the ass, but he's afraid of losing me to the Executive Division. That's all I know…"
"As soon as you get better, then you'll get to the Universal Library on Essos to see what Jeriba wants 'cause it's rude to keep a girl waiting."
Dean made his point as he saw me staring at the letter in my hands. He was concerned for my health as I also had work to do, for I was just a simple Man of Letters after all…
To be continued...