Chapter Twelve
"You have fulfilled my request, and sacrificed yourself to me. Your soul, however, shall remain in the mortal world. The powers of the High Priest have saved you, causing you to be bound to the power. You are now immortal. Your physical state is now frozen in time. You will no longer age, or get sick. As the embodiment of the magic, however, the power is greater. You cannot be killed by any mortal wound. The power naturally protects itself, meaning that it will keep your body alive in the face of any challenge. Every bone in your body could shatter, every organ could fail, but you will never be permanently injured. You will never die. Your bravery has earned you the blessing of the gods. Your willingness to give your life for those you love is very noble. In your time of need, we will be there to help you. Use your unimaginable power with good will and fairness. You will be tempted by the power of darkness, but remain steadfast. Your life will be a blessed one if you so choose. Go now, and rejoin the mortal world. Do not provoke the gods. Use your power for good, and you will never fail."
The heart is a very interesting organ. Easily the most important. A body is not truly dead until one's heart stops. Every other organ could stop working, but until the heart gives up, you are not truly dead. I have been truly dead. My heart has stopped. But just as quickly, it starts again. Slowly at first, one beat every five minutes. It is unsure of its new, immortal state, which is understandable. The organs in my body still serve their purpose, but now they will never stop serving it. I will never die. My heart beat quickens now, to one beat per minute. My organs start themselves once more, my lungs take in their first real breath of air. The pharaoh beside me bursts into tears immediately, overjoyed. He stands immediately, fetching his parents, my uncle, and my cousin to witness. My heart strengthens itself again, one beat every thirty seconds. Those I died for crowd around me, waiting for my eyes to open themselves. The pharaoh grabs my hand tightly, but my nerves aren't awake yet. I can't feel it. My lungs inhale another gulp of air as my brain awakens itself. It has awakened anew, with a brand new portion. A portion of it my mortal body had been adjusting to previously. But it is not time for that part of my brain to awaken yet. The heart within me quickens itself once more, one beat every second, which is just about a normal heart rate. My organs are now functioning normally. My fingers are able to curl around the pharaoh's, causing his tears to fall more rapidly. His mother strokes his hair as she smiles down at him. My uncle and cousin have also begun to cry. For them, this is a miracle. But I know better. My heart beat finally levels itself at a normal human heart rate. Now that my mortal body is fully functioning once more, it is time for the new portion of my brain to become introduced to the rest of me. It slowly sparks to life, rolling several jolts of electricity down my body. The pharaoh lets go of my hand abruptly, shaking the lightning from his fingertips. I am now aware of things humans would not be aware of. I can feel the blood rushing in my veins, and the air surrounding me. The dress I am clothed in is made of fine Egyptian cotton, harvested from a field in lower Egypt, based on the feeling of the fibers. My reach extends farther than that, though. I can feel each person's thoughts and emotions. Most are very frazzled: relief, love, terror. I don't care much for what they are thinking at this time, though. I can feel the vibrations of each person's breath over my head. I can feel the thrum of each person's heart beat. I can feel every particle of every object in this room, down to each individual grain of sand in the bank forty seven and five sixteenths inches away from me. I can feel the build of the museum around me, and the walls that are more stable than others. I can hear the traffic outside. Someone is being mugged two blocks away from here, north west. It is seven o' clock in the evening. Seven hours, four minutes, thirty seven seconds, six milliseconds, twenty nine microseconds, fifty two nanoseconds, to be exact. According to Webster's Dictionary, time is a non spatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future. I read that once in fourth grade, on March fifteenth, at eleven hours and thirteen minutes in the morning. This new brain can access memories my mortal self couldn't remember. I can see my adoptive father and mother, halfway around the world in Oregon. I can see them through their own eyes. My mother is painting, my father is writing up a proposal for his company. If I really wanted to, I could influence what he was typing, but that would be rude. If I really really wanted to, I could leave right now and show up in Oregon in a matter of two seconds. But that would probably scare him. I can change my appearance at will, all it would take is a simple thought and I could give myself blue skin, purple hair, and white eyes. I can speak every language known to man since the beginning of time. I could easily translate any number of documents, restore any artifact, find any treasure. There is currently two hundred and seventy trillion, seven hundred and sixty one billion, one hundred and thirteen million, four hundred and twenty five thousand, nine hundred and thirty eight dollars and seventy two cents worth of buried treasure in the world, on land and in the sea. At my word, the entire world will live in peace. Or I could start a world war. At the flick of my hand, I could shatter the entire North American tectonic plate. I could cause another Ice Age. I could reverse gravity. I could cause the Earth to fall out of rotation and become lost in space. I could stop time.
But, I'm smart enough to know that this is not good. This is too much power. It is not safe for any person to have this much magic at their fingertips. The priest was the only person on this Earth to have access to such blessed powers, before myself. Osiris was very serious in his wish for me to use this power for good. I can see now that the darkness could be very tempting to me. At the simple will of my mind, I could make Ahkmenrah rip out his parents' hearts and crush them in his fists. But, I won't. I will never use magic on Ahk or his family, unless it is to save them. No searching through their thoughts, and no controlling their actions. Except for Kahmunrah. I would totally make Kahmunrah jump off of a cliff if the opportunity presented itself.
Suddenly, I become aware of another dull hum. This one, from inside of me. It is unmistakably the hum of life. And yet, it isn't mine. Suddenly, it clicks. I am merely a vessel. This power is not mine, nor will it ever be. Surely it operates through my body; and yet, it has a mind of its own. Osiris' warning takes a new meaning. I cannot provoke the gods, or the power. If I do, it could take control of me. I have no way of ensuring that doesn't happen. The idea terrifies me. What if I'm not good enough for the power? Will it decide that I am useless? That I cannot make decisions for myself? If this power takes over, if it runs free, there is no telling who will die. It is too much. I'm a prisoner in my own body. I have succumbed my free will to this magic. It is now my job to care for and utilize this power, like the priest before me. And who knows? Maybe one day, it will engulf me.
I can survive with this, once I learn to control it. I'm sure Merenkahre will be willing to help me, if he doesn't run screaming from me first. Any person in their right mind would. I would run from myself. It isn't healthy for a human to go around and shatter the laws of physics. I wipe my memory of the terrifying revelations I have made. If I ever resort to those spells, it will be because I have burned through even my last resort. I wish I could get rid of it. This is not good power. Not in the slightest. I open my eyes.
"Alex." Ahk's choked voice murmurs.
His arms are around me in an instant. I find myself inhaling his scent; he smells like sunshine, with a muskier scent beneath. I like it. I like him. I feel a little giddy as the feeling hits me. I really like him. A lot. And he likes me. But, I cannot have him. My duty is to the magic within me. I already know that if I let myself love him, I'll always put him before my duty to the magic. And it won't like that. I shiver, imagining what the power would do to me if it decided I was unworthy of it. I can already feel it reining in the parts of my rebellious thoughts it dislikes.
Ahkmenrah pulls back and smiles, wiping tears from his eyes. It's sweet that he would cry over me. I know that some guys are touchy about what they cry for. But, both Larry and Nick have also deemed me a worthy cause. Nick hugs me first, followed by Larry. Merenkahre and Shepseheret also give me a hug, which surprises me. Every breath sends tons if information flooding into my brain. It takes me a second of concentration to turn it off. But once I do, I'm left with nothing but a headache. I'm starting to hate these powers even more. I've been robbed of my freedom to do as I please. Now, I am a slave. If I'm careful, it won't end too badly for me.
"Alex? Are you okay?"
The sound of Nick's voice jars my thoughts. I don't feel like myself. I feel like a robot. Slowly, I sit up. Ahk pulls away, his smile fading. He can tell that something is wrong. It feels as if a part of me is missing. My old self cannot connect to this new form. Suddenly, a thought that is most certainly not my own rushes into my head.
I must protect the power.
Where did that come from? That was not my voice. And yet, I heard it clear as day. I blink, trying to get it out of my head, but it is relentless.
I must protect the power.
I must protect the power. What? No. I am allowed to think of my own accord. The power will not take over my mind. My thoughts are my own.
I must protect the power.
I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. What are these words? Why are they in my head? This isn't me. I struggle to stand up from the chaise, wobbling on my feet as I stumble to the sand bar on the side of the room. I grip the cold stone, forcing myself to keep my thoughts together.
I must protect the power.
I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. I am responsible for caring for the power. I will use it to the best of my abilities, and let nothing stand in my way. These mortals do not stand a chance against me. All those who oppose will die.
No.
Stop!
This isn't me. This is something else. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to have magic at my fingertips, not the other way around. The power does not control me. I control it. Whatever voice that is in my head isn't mine.
I must protect the power.
I must protect the power. My duty is to the power. It is my job as the vessel to ensure its glory. I am responsible for caring for the power. I will use it to the best of my abilities, and let nothing stand in my way. These mortals do not stand a chance against me. All those who oppose will die. I must finish what the High Priest started. When the journey is made, all questions will be answered. The search for the truth will be complete.
I can't stop the words from flowing into my head. They come in an endless cycle, engulfing my thoughts until mine are rather nonexistent in comparison. A hand on my arm zings through my nervous system. My head snaps in the direction of the intruder. How dare they? How dare they touch the magic without permission first? I must protect the power. I yank my arm away. Larry's eyes convey hurt and confusion.
"Don't touch me." I growl.
My voice doesn't sound like itself. This is not me. Warning bells are screaming in what little portion of my brain that still belongs to me. The magic is taking over. I must fight this. I have to fight this! My enhanced grip is so strong against the stone it cracks in a puff of white dust. Sand spills to the floor. Larry looks terrified, but he doesn't back away.
"Alex. This isn't you. Show me where you are. Please."
I must protect the power.
"Larry Daley, do not give me orders. I take them from nobody. Stand aside, or I-"
I cut the words off with a strangled gasp before I can hurt anyone. These words are not my own. I didn't say them, and yet they came from my mouth.
"Larry," I manage to choke out, "please, don't get in the way. It will kill-"
The force controlling my body halts my words. I can feel the command I have over my brain slipping even further away. This magic is going to take over my body. I can't do anything about it. Larry, much to my dismay, doesn't give up.
"Alex, please. I want to help you, okay? You need to fight against this. You're strong. You can do it."
"Larry… please… I can't…"
The power is cutting off my oxygen supply to prevent me from saying anything else. It demands submission from its vessel. Larry lays his hand on my arm again. Oh no. Against my will, my hand connects with his forearm in a dazzling display of sparks. My uncle cries out and jerks back. When my vision clears, what I see almost stops my heart. His forearm is so badly burned I expect it to smoke. His blackening flesh is curling back in layers, revealing bright red skin beneath. It looks horrible. Nick rushes to him as Larry buckles to the ground in shock. I burned him. I hurt him. I can feel big tears begin to drip down my cheeks. I'm a monster. My eyes flick up to Ahk, who is looking shocked. There is something else in his eyes. It's terror. He's terrified of me.
hi! I am so so sorry for how long it has been since I last updated. I actually have some super awesome news for you, I have been devoting my time to another AWESOME story (if I do say so myself wink wink). This one does not involve any magic or supernatural (except for fate and destiny, which I suppose are a bit supernatural... I digress.) and is all about theatre and the Phantom of the Opera and my husband (even though he doesn't actually know it yet) Ramin Karimloo! I actually started this story a rather long time ago, and then I left it alone to sit for a while, and now I've attacked it with renewed vigor and it's really very good. you don't have to be familiar with the Phantom of the Opera to understand the story (although it is HIGHLY recommended that you've seen it! the best thing to do would be to watch the twenty fifth anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall). the whole story is centered around the twenty fifth anniversary and the Christine that you didn't know about... ;) I'm really proud of it tbh and it's not a story about magic or stuff like that it's just about real people! (featuring: Ramin Karimloo (aka captain washboard abs), Sierra Boggess, Hadley Fraser, and Andrew Lloyd Webber!) if you're in to theatre in any way, this story is the one for you. just saying. please please comment if you're interested in it, i'm thinking about posting the prologue early so you guys can get a taste of it. it'll be posted under plays/musicals and phantom (where the TRUE phantom fans post. the 2004 movie pained me. don't post it under movies.) so, please give me as an author a follow if you're interested! it's called "In Sleep He Sang To Me". i promise there will be tons of drama, a super sweet love story, and a few steamy scenes... ;) okay, now back to this story. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! this chapter was kind of tough to write tbh haha. THANK YOU THANK YOU to LVOWL (don't worry, your questions will be answered soon), ridellemystere, Aqua79, cnyonghwa, PeterPan2425, Mizuki-the-dead, cupcake3112, WareTheVenom, TobiHeartsYou, oliviachuffer, twyla15507, Yuuki-Hime 2097, superfluffy78, ScrewballBRaine, Ice Jewel of eternal beauty, goromel, AysuOfTheMoonlitWater, YNoThinkBrain, .bibliophile, serenitylovegod (thank you so much for following me!), Jesserella16, and mrs. leonard mccoy for favoriting/following! you guys are the best and your support is absolutely magnificent. your reviews honestly brighten my mood x1000 every day I get one, please continue to leave them for me! I live off of reviews let's be real here. thank you for reading! sorry my note was so long. bye!