Title: Learning to Love, Chapter 19, The Past, part 2
Author: Tevrah
Email: writergirl852@yahoo.com
Enjoy!
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The Past, part 2
Hitomi blinked her eyes furiously. The dancing dots in front of her eyes slowly began to disappear. She looked around at her surroundings and found herself on a grassy slope. The moon shone brightly and the stars twinkled in an everlasting light that stood out in the black blanket draped above her.
"Where am I?" she whispered to herself.
"You are nowhere," came a deep voice from behind her. She turned around quickly and gasped in surprise. Talik came into the moonlight. "And you are everywhere," he added.
"What—what are you doing here?" she asked faintly.
He smirked. "Not to worry, little one. I cannot hurt you here. And even if I could, it is not time."
"Then why am I here?" she demanded. "What do you want?"
"Is that any way to talk to your father?" Talik said smoothly.
"My father died many years ago," Hitomi retorted. "You are not my father."
Talik laughed. It sounded like a demon from hell's laugh. "You simple child," he reprimanded. "You don't know the half of it. But I am not here to reminisce. I am here to help you."
Hitomi looked at him skeptically. "Help me?" she scoffed. "You want me dead, remember?"
"Oh, I haven't forgotten," he said, "I've just come to offer some assistance before I do end your life."
"What is it?" Hitomi asked haughtily. "Come to tell me not to squeal when I die?"
"Well, yes, that would be nice," Talik said. "I prefer quiet deaths myself. But what I've truly come to talk to you about is…you."
Her eyebrows rose. "Me?"
Talik walked toward her and she had to force herself to keep from running in the other direction. He smiled and stopped only two feet in front of her. "I can feel what you feel," he said. "I can see what you see. I know everything about you."
"I doubt that," Hitomi said.
"Do you still have dreams, Hitomi?" he asked. "Dreams about flying angels? Dreams that you are flying with them in the great sky, with no worries or fears?"
Hitomi's eyes widened, but she remained quiet.
"But then one of the angels fall, and you catch him," he stepped up until he was only an inch away from her. "Give me your gift, little one."
Hitomi jerked away as if he had touched her. "Never!"
Talik laughed. "Do not fight it, Hitomi. I will have the gift one way or another. I know that you are confused and afraid of your destiny. You feel as if the whole world is balancing upon your shoulders. Well, let me show you something, my dear." He turned toward the meadow stretched out before them and waved his hand.
Images began to appear. Children with beautiful white wings ran through the tall flowers and grasses, laughing in mirth and playing. Adults soon followed. They all had white wings flowing from their backs. "Draconians," Hitomi whispered.
"Very good," Talik said. "But these draconians are different from your husband's kind. Look very closely at them."
Hitomi looked at each one of them and gasped. Each man, woman, and child had a pink teardrop pendant hanging around their necks. Her hand flew to her own pendant hidden under her shirt.
"Exactly," Talik said. "Each carries a pendant. These draconians are known as Eternian Draconians. They were the most powerful draconians that had ever lived."
"Were?" Hitomi whispered still watching the images in the meadow.
"Yes. Their pendants gave them enormous power. The fallen god's power, to be exact. When he fell from power, the other gods split his power into little pink teardrop stones and entrusted it to one special draconian."
"Who?" Hitomi asked.
"The Wing Goddess," Talik answered. "She was the very first Eternian. She kept the stones very safe, but she wanted companions. So she made more Eternians, enough for each and every stone."
"What happened to them all?" Hitomi questioned softly.
"There was a war. The Eternians became jealous of one another." The images changed to those of a battle. Blood was everywhere. Children's bodies were littering the ground. "They each wanted more power, and whoever got all of the stones together could have the power of a god. But only the Wing Goddess could harness it. When all of her people were dead, the Wing Goddess took the stones and hid for many, many years. During that time she slaved day and night until she had gotten all of the power into one pendant: hers. Then she entrusted the pendant to a royal family for them to guard it until she returned for it. After that, she disappeared."
"Where did she go?" Hitomi wanted to know. A tear had left a wet trail on her cheek from the gruesome sight below.
"Some say she went to join the other gods, to bide her time. Others say she never left, that her soul was merely waiting and watching until the right child was born."
"Right child?"
"Yes. When the child was born, the Wing Goddess's soul inhabited the body, knowing that one day the pendant would come back to her so that she could finally find a way to stop the power within it."
"Who was the child?" Hitomi whispered. She already had an idea, but she wanted to hear him say it.
"You are," Talik answered. "You are the Wing Goddess, the first and last Eternian. You are the holder of the fallen god's power. You can control it, and you can destroy it, but only you. Until now."
Hitomi turned toward him. "What do you mean?"
"I am stronger than you ever will be," he sneered. "I will have the powers of eternity. It is my right, my destiny."
Hitomi listened to his speech, then laughed at him. "You think you can withstand this power? You are nothing," she taunted. "You merely take, but a true Eternian gives. Do not confuse the two." Then she stopped. Where had that come from?
Talik smiled, if one could call it that. "I see the Wing Goddess is making herself know to you now."
Hitomi was about to retort a comment to him, but found that she couldn't speak. She couldn't move. Suddenly, images began running through her head. Images of people with wings. Then she began getting feelings so strong that she doubled over. She felt pride and joy of not being alone just as the Wing Goddess did when she first met her people. Then she felt pain and anguish when the people began to betray her and started fighting for the power.
An image stopped in her mind, and Hitomi watched as the Wing Goddess, a mere white aura, hid in a dark cave and transferred the powers of eternity into her single pendant. "You can be trusted with no one," she said softly to the pendant. Hitomi felt the words and feelings in her mind. The Wing Goddess was sad and determined. "I will trust your great power to no one again, save myself. You will be protected, and one day I will return for you. When I do, I will destroy you."
Suddenly, the image faded away and Hitomi stood up, panting. She finally understood what she had been waiting for all of her life. This was her destiny. She was the holder of the powers of eternity. She was the Wing Goddess.
Understanding filled her with power. When she looked up at Talik, her eyes flashed. "You will never get the power," she declared.
Talik sneered. "Even though you have become the Wing Goddess once again, you are still a simple child. You don't even understand that I brought you here just so that you could remember everything."
"I know it," Hitomi said. "You want the power, but you also want me at my best, do you not? So then you will know for certain that if you beat me, then you are the true owner of the powers of eternity."
"Very good," Talik said.
"You will never beat me," Hitomi said. "Never will I watch as the world destroys itself for this power. I will die first."
"Oh, but you will," Talik said. "You will. And you will come to me, I'll not come to you."
"How do you plan on getting me to do that?" Hitomi wanted to know.
Talik waved his hand over the meadow once again. The images that came up this time were of Welku. It was under attack. She saw soldiers filing in through the opening and attacking everything in its path. Welku was being slaughtered.
Talik leaned down by Hitomi's ear. "Save them," he ordered. "Come to me."
"Yes," Hitomi said. "I will come. And I will kill you when I get there."
Talik smiled and mock bowed. He began to disappear. "I look forward to it, Wing Goddess." Then he was gone.
A shock went through Hitomi and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was back in Welku again. She knew what she had to do. She rushed back to her quarters and found Van still asleep where she had left him. She hurriedly undressed and then redressed into a tight dark green suit that she had brought from Ronise. She fastened her daggers at her hips. She looked ready to do battle.
Going over to Van, she leaned over him and gently kissed him on the lips. "I will love you forever. No matter what happens today. You will always have my heart." Giving him one last look, she left the hut and didn't turn back.
She walked to the entrance. She didn't trust Talik. It saddened her to know that this humble village would experience a battle because of a war that started long ago. Stepping outside of the cave that led to Welku, she turned back and placed her hands on the side of the mountain rock. "Hold," she ordered. The mountain didn't make a sound, but Hitomi knew that it would obey her and not let anyone into the village.
Turning to the open spaced sky that was slowly allowing the sun to rise, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her pendant, now in plain view to everyone, began to glow. A wind began to blow around her, making her loose hair fly in every direction. A light surrounded her, and she felt the pure power from the pendant. Her whole body felt empowered and stronger. When the light reached its brightest, it stopped and disappeared.
Hitomi opened her eyes and found herself in front of a blackened run-down castle. She could feel that Talik was inside. She took a deep breath and stared at the castle. Suddenly, her eyes flashed.
Let the final battle begin.
I know it was kind of short, but the next chapter should be the last chapter of this story! Can you believe it? My first baby is almost finished! I could cry, but I won't! I know that there wasn't a lot in this chapter, but the next chapter should finish everything. It will even have a mini-epilogue at the end of it!
Well, I still hope you enjoyed it!! Love you guys!
Tevrah