Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 5
Chapter 26: The Miasmic Vision
(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.)
Aelfric was dreaming as he was reliving the same dream over and over again. It was all the same as he was on his way home after a tour of duty, only to see death in front of him. The terrible sight of his family being slaughtered by Darbus' Master Race was too much for him as he woke up in his quarters in a cold sweat. It had been two weeks since his house arrest as he wanted out of the main barracks of the Alecrian Army in order to steal me from my sanctuary. With the war reaching a fever pitch with the mixed alliance butting heads with loyalists for the Executive Division, Aelfric was literally screwed as he couldn't take the same recurring nightmare all over again anymore. When he got out of his bed, he was on his way to the bathroom as he was doing his business in there. By the time he finished relieving himself and flushing the toilet, he went to the sink and washed his hands as he was staring in front of the mirror. He was a disheveled mess as he wanted to see this nightmare come to an end, but it wasn't easy. After he finished washing his hands, he turned off the hot water as he left the cold water running in order to splash it on his face. Turning off the cold water and leaving the bathroom, he was on his way back to bed until he noticed Miriam standing in front of him.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled.
"I'm here to give you guidance, Aelfric," said Miriam.
"The last time you were here, Timothy used a banishing sigil to disintegrate you with. Why the hell are you here now?"
"I didn't disintegrate, but an angel-banishing sigil won't keep me from offering you a way towards Essos without the use of a spaceship."
"Then I'll snatch up Sam and his group so they won't leave Alecrast again. Too much has occurred already, but every night, I have the same nightmare over and over again and it won't stop."
"You saw your family being murdered in front of you after your tour of duty, didn't you?"
"Yes…, and it still haunts me ever since… I can't get the images of my family's death out of my head and I can't just sugarcoat it, either."
"And you'll soon get your chance when the fall hits on Essos. Even though the higher-ups in both the Order and the Alecrian Army hid Sam and his family for the greater good, they're adding more harm to their blunder in which the widespread carnage of war is everywhere on Alecrast. Sam Winchester must return or else chaos will tear this planet asunder."
"And I will make him stay on this planet the moment I haul him and his family back to where they need to be. Very soon, the nightmares will end and I will be free of the pain that I have endured the moment Sam is put on a pedestal to lead against this war on this planet. No one shall have to endure what I went through and I will bring my plan to fruition soon enough."
Aelfric made his point clear as he was ready to get going after being under house arrest for two weeks. As for his plans to steal me from my sanctuary, it was in full swing as he was ready to make his next move after that. It wasn't long until Miriam grabbed him and whisked him off before a soldier arrived into his room, only to see it empty. Even though it was empty, there was proof that Aelfric flew the coop as his plans were going topside with mixed results…
I was hard at work in the backyard of Chateau de le Mer as I was busy hanging clothes out to dry on the clothesline. The two weeks of being here was blissful as I was safe from harm in this time of war on Alecrast. The sea air I smelled was a huge relief as I was happy to be here instead of being on Alecrast in the time of the Second Galvanic Uprising, for it was pleasant for me in such a long time so far. By the time I was finished hanging the clothes on the line, I gathered up the laundry basket and remaining clothespins and went back inside where I was seeing Reiko chowing down on some of the fruit that was given to us by neighbors since our stay. The sight of tigerfruit and pink peaches were a feast for the eyes, but they were going quick as I had a feeling that my wife's voracious appetite would take over, but she couldn't help it. She was carrying the new addition to our family as numerous signs of her pregnancy had a great hold over her, for she would soon have a checkup from the local clinic here in the long run.
"It's strange that you go through tigerfruit and pink peaches as if they're water," I said.
"I'm sorry…," said Reiko as she was blushing.
"Don't be… Besides, you're eating for three right now."
"What if this is a single birth?"
"Then we're gonna have to go towards the clinic here next to the shore in which the one known as Kotori Midorikawa is also a doctor here."
"Does she specialize in obstetrics?"
"We'll find out when we walk there."
It wasn't long until Reiko and I were outside as we were going towards the clinic near the beach. It was a homely place, but it was also like a stacked up trailer park as it even had stairs to go upwards on the second story on the sly. When we got to the main entrance of it, we stepped inside as we noticed the interior of the doctor's office to be orderly and clean. It was also a far cry from what is considered to be "trailer trash" on the outside of it. When we sat down on a sofa, we were waiting for the doctor who ran this clinic as she emerged from her office to see us. The doctor herself was an Elf like Thaddeus told us as she had pastel green hair and blue eyes while wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on her face. Dressed in a white labcoat and beige tunic and pants complete with sandals, she even sported a black armband on her right arm as she was more of the serious type when it came to medical advice.
"So, you're the new inhabitants of Chateau de le Mer, aren't you?" she said in an Australian accent.
"We've only been here for two weeks," said Reiko.
"Looks like the baby of the Mitani Clan has finally grown up and netted herself a husband. I bet that Shizuo would be impressed to see you happy."
"She's more than happy, for she's blessed," I said.
"I know so much about you, Sam, but it seems that you're only here temporarily while the new war on Alecrast is going on so far."
"It's the Second Galvanic Uprising… The leader of the Executive Division, General Tobias Wetzel, was the one responsible for starting it in hopes to steal me to become a weapon for Project Apollo."
"Did you say Wetzel?" I nodded sincerely. "After all those years, he still doing his dirty work in which he's doing more than just playing with fire."
"We all know what he did in which he sent his grunts to bend me to their brand of scare tactics."
"General Wetzel did more than just scare tactics. He has used, abused, manipulated, humiliated, killed, and even violated people just to get what he wants." Kotori points at the black armband on her labcoat. "Do you see this? It's an armband of shame in which is worn by those in the Order that have been disgraced in their career, including the Medical Corps, where I once served from. As for what General Wetzel did, the scars won't heal quick."
"Did he do something to you?" asked Reiko.
"General Wetzel was the one who raped me as a teenager back then in which he was after something, but my clan had nothing there. When they told him the truth, he didn't listen, so he violated and took away my virginity, only to be cast out by my own clan after that. It wasn't long until Kazuo Mitani took pity on me and took me into his care in time to heal instead of leaving me to bleed. After that, I enlisted in the Medical Corps and was taught under my mentor's gaze in which I learned from what was taught to me. I loved my work until General Wetzel jeopardized my career by telling a false story to the former Medic General, Yoichi Yano, only to be stripped from my line of duty and forced to live in some backwater dumping ground, but not without wearing this armband. The black armband of shame is to be worn at all times to remind those who weren't towing the line and I paid for it with both my life and my duty as a member of the Medical Corps."
I never expected to hear Kotori be candid about what she endured as I was harboring more angry feelings towards General Wetzel and his cronies in the Executive Division. Still, I would soon see him be put in his place in the near future as I was safe from the warzone on Alecrast for the time being. As for Kotori's predicament, I felt pity and sorrow for her as began to feel a vision take hold into my mind. The image of it was vague as the sight of it caused me to roll out of the sofa unconscious. Reiko was concerned as she felt my forehead burning up after enduring something like that, but why did it have to happen…?
I was dreaming as I found myself to be a rambunctious three-year-old in something unknown to me so far. The place I was in was on Essos, but the terrain in this region was hot and humid the moment I saw an Elf girl running for her life when she hid in the same area I was in. I never saw her before, but when I tried to know more about her, I woke up in a sick room as I found myself resting on a cot with nothing but an i.v. drip inserted into my arm. Whatever vision that I had, I needed to know more about what I experienced in my lost childhood as I got up and grabbed the stick that had the i.v. drip with the bag of saline solution in it. Leaving the sick room, I went into Kotori's lab as it was a vast collection of many medical things, including a sonogram that was used to scan for pregnancies. It wasn't long until I noticed Reiko laying on the examination table as she had her dress lifted up with only her bloomers shown while Kotori spread the cold gel on her stomach. It wasn't long until she felt the scanning part touch near the lower part as Kotori saw the screen next to the sonogram appear to show what was inside of her. Even I noticed as I had a gut feeling that Reiko was truly eating for three this time again.
"You were in a bit of a shock, but you'll live," said Kotori. "As for Reiko's predicament, she's carrying a set of twins in her body."
"It's true, Sammy," I heard her say. "I have a gut feeling that they will be a handful the moment that they're born."
"It's not all… The sonogram picks up a balance of both the XY and Double X chromosomes in the two that are in there."
"Looks like we're having a girl after all," I said. "I bet that Carly will be pleased to see it when it's born soon."
"I'm gonna be having a little girl…," said Reiko.
"Don't forget her brother," said Kotori. "Looks like that the genes on both sides are potent again, but the images of the fetuses have a jeweled sigil on both of them."
"Looks like we'll be doing more than just diaper duty," I said. "As for the first set of twins, they'll be on the cusp of both full-fledged toilet training and the terrible twos next year."
"It seems that you have your hands full, Sam. It's also a blessing that you and Reiko are safe here for now. Lillium is a community that will always have your back and we're no stranger to dealing with such otherworldly things that come and go."
"I hope that nothing bad happens because we're not going back home on Alecrast yet due to the war that's been going on over there. It's also a godsend that the government here banned the Executive Division from ever setting foot here, which is a relief for now."
I was grateful that I was here in Lillium on Essos as I was most likely to be safe here from the danger that was close to home. As for what was yet to come, I was ready to make the best of it as I was most likely to be here in such a safer environment than what is there on Alecrast in the long run, for it won't be the end of it in this time of war…
Dean was in the castle as he was busy overseeing some of the mixed soldiers being ushered into the infirmary wing. Two weeks into the Second Galvanic Uprising took a toll on the combined alliance between the Order and the Alecrian Army as the Medical Corps were there all over the castle tending to the wounded on a daily basis. Still, it was empty here without me or my family as Dean walked into my office to see what was in my mail files. Boredom was the worst for him as he decided to look into my junk box to see the arrival of letters from other high society groups, only to put them back after opening them up. By the time he left my office, he heard footsteps approaching as he noticed Reuben arriving in order to observe the wounded who were carted here in this castle. It was hell, but both of them had no other choice but to make due of their situation on the sly.
"Looks like you've arrived late," said Dean.
"With the local clinics and hospitals piling up in the surrounding areas in the dirt roads, it never ceases to end," said Reuben.
"The Order's main headquarters has a hospital area for them, but I bet that it's full, too."
"The men and women who came here were fighting some of the loyalists to the Executive Division in the upward area of the Winterlands, but the closest that can house the wounded is here in this castle in Kanto Village."
"It's been two weeks since Sam and his family hightailed it, but he's not alone when it comes to Kevin and Irylla watching their backs."
"Don't forget about Deejatra. She's not only part of the Hunter Corps, but she's also an expert sniper when it comes to shooting dangerous threats that pose possible risks."
"As long as she's there to protect Sam and his family, it's smooth sailing from their hiding place on Essos."
"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but Aelfric Gunderson escaped house arrest last night. According to what was found in his quarters, the ginger-haired hothead kept a diary of how he was suffering from the same recurring nightmare over and over." Reuben fishes out a leather journal from his labcoat as he hands it over to Dean. "The guys a head case, but according to his commanding officer, Aelfric must follow tradition to obey his duty as a soldier, regardless of both the physical or mental condition he has, no thanks to his family's religious and cultural beliefs."
"That's some family there by not allowing him the psychiatric care that he needs."
"According to the beliefs in the Gunderson family tree and such, duty to the army is a mandatory job and if one leaves due to the impairing condition one has, he or she will be ostracized and banished from their home if they turned away from their service. As for Aelfric's predicament, he was wanting to be discharged from the Alecrian Army, but his relatives refused to let him out of there in which they feel that it is a form of both desertion and dishonor upon the family."
"Well, the ginger-haired idiot is a loose cannon after all."
"That 'loose cannon' is not to be trifled with in which the tragedy that befell his family caused him to go over the edge by wanting Sam to stay firm here. He is more than just obsessed to pluck him out of hiding, for he'll be driven to isolate our brother in order to keep him like a caged bird. No one knows where he went, but from an eyewitness, he was last seen with an angel that he saw at the Henhouse two weeks ago. After that, their whereabouts are unknown, but that doesn't mean that Sam is safe from harm forever. He'll find his cover blown by Aelfric and his cohort and if they even bring him back here, then he's fair game to the Executive Division and their dangerous scare tactics."
Without warning, Dean heard his vidphone ringing from his hip holster as he took it out of there and saw the familiar words on it. He had a feeling that Julilla would call to find me as he answered it anyway in order to give her a taste of her own medicine. He never forgot about how she destroyed my hotel room in Trainfell as her tactics weren't over just yet.
"Okay, spill it," he said as he answered his vidphone.
"You know that you can't hide your brother forever, Dean," said Julilla over the phone. "Therefore, you're holding classified information from me that can lead me to him. Oh, his presence here make my nethers quiver like you'd not believe because I ache for him to shove his cock into me the moment he is found and brought to the Executive Division. It would also make General Wetzel very happy when he comes to claim his prize here."
"You're not gonna do a frickin' thing to my brother, you conniving bitch! I know all about you and your escape plan from Shark Island, but you won't get your hands on Sam here."
"I know that you opted to keep him hidden from me, Dean, but where is he?"
"You're not finding him because he's beyond your reach. Even your handler can't set foot over there."
"You just blew your brother's cover, for he is on Essos where the Universal Library is."
"And you had to find out, didn't you? Anyway, Sam's in a private location where you won't be able to find him there on Essos, for I won't give away his location there on that planet."
"You'll give it away, for it will be the ultimate betrayal of his trust after all. You see, your past self got gypped so many times in which he landed up in Purgatory of all places. As for your brother's case, he isn't like the usual savior material that he is made out to be. He's still a broken man in which he cares for most of his family, friends, and even the people who live in this galaxy, but the one person he despises the most of all is a secret."
"Don't toy with me, you bitch! Sam doesn't have a hateful bone in his body and you know it! He would never hate anyone in his inner circle."
"No, the person he despises and hates the most is himself. That's the grand reason why he is made to be manipulated by us to be what we desire in this war. His broken psyche will be the ultimate gain into making him one of us against his wishes, for he will be on greater terms with us."
"Sam may be broken, but that doesn't mean that he can't be fixed. He's got flaws, but he's gonna have to figure them out himself in the end. As for what you will do to him, it won't come to pass because he's a lot better than what is anticipated…, end of story!"
With that, Dean hung up on Julilla as he put his vidphone back into his hip holster, As for his coup de grace on saying his say against the ice queen, he was also beginning to make sure that I didn't fall through the cracks in this fight. As for the words that he heard earlier, he was eager to bring me closer into loving myself more as he wasn't about to bow down to the likes of the Executive Division anytime soon.
"Don't worry, little brother, you'll learn to love yourself to the fullest just as much as the rest of us," he said. "In the end, no one actually stays broken forever."
"What's going on here?" asked Reuben suspiciously.
"Julilla gave us a word of insight on how to make Sam more open than what he is now. She spilled the beans on that one, but it gives us an advantage just to turn the tables on the Executive Division altogether."
"What did she say about Sam, exactly, other than her attempts at stalking him?"
"Okay, I'll come clean on this one. Sam may love and care about the people and others around him, but the only person that he hates truly the most… is himself in particular."
"Are you serious?"
"Even though he tries to climb up that ladder of hopefulness, he gets dragged down by the usual depression that yanks him down like a tentacle from an octopus. You did diagnose him with clinical depression, didn't you?"
"I bet that Kazuo's gonna have a field day with this..."
It wasn't long until Dean and Reuben noticed Kazuo arriving as he was surrounded by bodyguards from the Cross Corps. The conversation about my mental state was about to turn into a rude awakening as the Medic General of the Medical Corps wasn't a stranger to dealing with those who had fractured mental states in times of war. It was also the time to discuss my future of what is yet to come as the factor of the Executive Division and their devious scare tactics weren't going away anytime soon.
"I see that you two are up to something under my nose," he said.
"We're not ready to talk right now, Kazuo," said Dean. "Recently, the queen bitch of the Executive Division just butt-dialed me earlier just to pony up some phone sex not too long ago."
"She didn't butt-dial you, Dean. She was telling you about how her handlers can manipulate your brother into caving to their group just to become their weapon."
"She told Dean the bitter truth about Sam's mental state," said Reuben. "And he literally hates himself for it..."
"Self-loathing and self-hatred can damage the body just as much as the mind and it doesn't end there with self-mutilation or doubt. It can nail one with depression and other ailments and that includes causing stress all over the body."
"Are you telling us that Sam's going down that dark path?" asked Dean.
"Getting him to make peace with himself is a difficult task, but we can't just give up on him forever and we can't just throw him into some mental asylum just to rot, either. He needs to feel more gratitude towards himself just as much as he feels it for others around him."
"Well, he used to explore all over the place before our dad got killed until we got shipped all the way to Gehenna for the rest of our years. I was left alone without any further abuse, but Sam got the short end of the stick every time as if he feels ashamed of how he was born and made for a purpose in life. And do you know what Sylvanus kept doing to him? He dogged him all the time just to keep him in line with the rest of the people in the fort on that frozen wasteland, only to retreat to a cold room with a fireplace without firewood in it. Hell, I even put some wood in that thing just to light it off so that Sam wouldn't be huddling in bed all the time."
"There is a way to get him forward, but it's not about to be easy. He must face his innermost feelings that were left behind when he was shipped off to Gehenna all those years ago. As for the missing pieces of the childhood that was lost to him, he will absorb them in order to bring himself to full light once again, for it will help to bolster his efforts into overcoming his worst fears in the end."
"You know that it's not as simple as it gets," said Reuben gravely. "Sam had it rough over the years, but he can't just say that he's fine after what he went through. His clinical depression isn't something that can be overlooked or swept under the rug, either. It sucks that he gets shoved back down in the well of misery, but he'll soon climb back up without heavy chains keeping him from achieving his true goals."
"Let's hope that he pulls through..."
The factor of my mental state was something that will never be swept under the rug as it was also something that would be a huge victory for the Executive Division if all of us weren't careful in this war. As for what was about to occur next, it wouldn't be pretty as the time to heal what was within me was just the beginning of what was yet to come in the near future…
Reiko and I were home as we were in the courtyard of Chateau de le Mer after the trip to the clinic earlier. The both of us were most likely to see the children wheeling the twins in a wagon as they were enjoying the time and stay here on Essos away from the war on Alecrast. We were happy here as we were also here to enjoy the scenery here in this place near the ocean. The burst of sea air was exhilirating as we were also most likely to be going for the best of what we had so far. By the time we all were ready to go to the beach, I noticed Kevin arriving as he was decked out shirtless, but not without a wagon filled with plenty of strange shellfish that he collected from the ocean earlier. It was a huge catch, but we weren't about to go hungry anytime soon here.
"Looks like that the tide caught our dinner after all," I said.
"Essos is a lot of things, but the selection of its seafood puts the stuff on Atreides to shame," said Kevin. "As for the homefront, I just hope that Dean and the other members of the Hunter Corps are alright on Alecrast."
"Dean is no stranger of being a soldier, for he will be a brave one on the battlefield. As for our dinner, we'll bring some of what you caught to be put up in the freezer for future dinners here in Chateau de le Mer. It's the most that we can do for now, but the war that's still going on Alecrast won't end quietly. Even though I should've stayed put back home, but the higher-ups of both the Order and the Alecrian Army made a huge judgment call in order to keep me safe here on this planet."
"Well, I hope to God that he pulls through after what those asshats from the Executive Division pulled and they all want the whole pie."
"As for the catch that you brought up, we'll prepare it for tonight's dinner. This place itself has a huge kitchen that rivals that in the castle on Alecrast. As for what we bring at the table, there's a hint of accompaniment that brings us to some of the local flavors here." I notice Carly trying to get into the wagon of fresh shellfish as I stopped her at the last minute. "Speaking of the catch, we're gonna have to prepare it before a certain fusspot tries to steal it."
I scooped Carly up as I was on my way into the back entrance. With everyone else following me inside, I was most likely to be in the kitchen as my life here in Chateau de le Mer was the most grateful that I've ever had so far. Life here was good as we were also safe from the Executive Division's machinations and off their radar for now, but there would always be a downside that could come here without warning, for this war won't end anytime soon…
Aelfric and Miriam were in Kabir on Essos as they were on their way towards the Universal Library for further references. When they went inside, they were looking for further information on how to bring me back to Alecrast as they walked towards the shelf where the famous Supernatural books were kept in hardback. For Aelfric, it was the first time that he has been here as he was looking at the many volumes and stories that is considered to be a rarity here. He even noticed some of the Chronicles of the Order stories stacked on the shelf as he wanted to read more about what was going on so far, for he was determined to get me back home against the wishes of my friends and family on the sly.
"So, this is the collection of the Supernatural stories," he said as he grabbed one of them off from the shelf. "It seems that these books are like a fine wine." He looks at the title on the book in his hands as it is embossed in gold lettering. "Appointment in Samarra… This must be one of the Nathan Hofstra ones, isn't it?"
"Our Father, who is known by both his human name, Chuck Shurley, and his pen name, Carver Edlund, was the writer of the ones that ended with Swan Song," said Miriam. "After He vanished, Nathan Hofstra, the scribe that was chosen by Him, took over and continued his legacy until his untimely death at the age of thirty-eight in the Elder Days."
"I bet that Chuck Shurley or Carver Edlund did a great job into selecting him to continue this trend of Supernatural stories."
"Many centuries had passed and the one who is currently writing about the Supernatural crux is an Elf named Glen Barnett. Unfortunately, he is more like you in a sense in which he had to flee his home in Vanizia on Alecrast after Darbus Toller caused havoc over there."
"Then we should get going and search this place. I know for a fact that Sam and his family are here on this planet, but I won't rest until I bring him back to Alecrast where he belongs. Even though the higher-ups in both the Order and the Alecrian Army disagree about the savior's return, I'm not convinced that Sam Winchester is better off in hiding after all that has happened. We all know that the universe needs him with all his raw power that he has and I won't allow another innocent soul to be butchered at the hands of those who don't value life."
"And the Executive Division will fall underneath our feet for their vanity and scare tactics. Sam may be known as the ultimate prize in the Executive Division's struggle for power, but he'll soon turn the tide in his favor."
"That's all I wanna hear… Besides, enough is enough already after enduring the yoke and tyranny of the Toller scum that made his mark. I can't go through that again after what happened to my family last year. No one else should go through that, either."
"And I will make sure that Sam gets the message that he is needed in this war in order to topple Tobias Wetzel and his cronies who are playing with fire. Everyone else knows that the savior can't be hidden in this time of crisis due to the fact that this war is treading in dangerous waters on the horizon."
"And I'll tread on those waters just to see things my way..."
Aelfric was filled with the brim of optimism as he was happy to get results on the endeavor at the Universal Library. He was more than ready to reach my whereabouts as he wasn't alone on retrieving me from my hiding place. It was his huge chance to bring me into this war against my wishes as he wasn't about to give up on his quest for my whereabouts just yet, for he was adamant into seeing the Second Galvanic Uprising come to an end before it escalated even worse. By the time he was about to leave the Universal Library, he was going towards the audio/video area as he saw Metatron in his machine with only his head in a special liquid. He never saw the disgraced angel with only a head before, but he was curious to see the former Scribe of God until Miriam intervened at the last minute.
"Hello, Miriam," said Metatron. "I take it that you're still mad at me after I decided to start up a little war in the Elder Days."
"You've got some nerve to talk after Yashamaru chopped off your head after your rebirth, only to have your grace put into you while you're stewing in a jar," she said.
"If you're looking for Sam Winchester and his family, then you're in luck."
"Then you'll help us, won't you?" said Aelfric hopefully.
"Metatron can't be trusted after his treachery for causing the Angel Expulsion in the Elder Days. He was even cast into a void of nothingness by the Darkness for his crimes."
"Hey, I've been helpful, haven't I?" he said as he was getting a little testy.
"If you were helpful, then prove it!"
"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I know where Sam and his family are staying at."
"Then tell us!" cried Aelfric. "You used to be whole, didn't you?"
"Sam and his family are staying in the town of Lillium in which they're now taking up residence in a place that the Reformers lived at known as Chateau de le Mer. It's by the ocean in Lillium, but as soon as you find them, you guys are not gonna expect a warm welcome."
"That's all I wanted to hear..."
Aelfric and Miriam left the Universal Library as they were now aware of the location that I was staying at. Still, there was no stopping them as they were also being watched by a familiar Irish terrier in the distance. Chuck was not too happy with what was going on as he skittered towards the audio/video area where Metatron was at. The dog himself began to change from his familiar form into that of the human who disappeared after the Apocalypse in the Elder Days, for he had a true identity all to clear, but out of sight.
"Hello…, Dad," said Metatron.
"I'm not too happy with you," he said.
"What? I wanted to be useful for once instead of stewing in this glass jar all the live long."
"You just gave away Sam's location to Miriam and that ginger-haired firebrand and that will end up jeopardizing what everyone in the Order and the Alecrian Army were trying to do to keep him safe from the Executive Division."
"For starters, Padre, let me make it clear to you. Number one: the Executive Division is a nuisance, number two: the Destiny of Worlds needs to happen, and number three: Sam can't be shirking his duties after the Shiganshina affair last year and we all know how it turned out here after Darbus Toller made his mark to smear his ass all over the place."
"You have no idea what you've done, did you? You're letting in the chance of the Executive Division into getting their hands on Sam and use him as their weapon for their own lust and greed!"
"For starters, old man, I'm not gonna let this entire galaxy go down under the yoke of a group of terrorists who don't give a rat's ass about what You've etched all over. It's a total bitch, but You can't just let it fall and shatter like a wine glass. Hell, You even sat on the sidelines while everything ran amok on Earth like the Apocalypse and the Leviathan attacks from the Elder Days. I know all about it and I was trying my best to become more like You than You ever imagined, only to have my grace removed, get sucked into a black hole, get reborn, and have my head lopped off with my grace stuffed back into it. I had a very messed up life and I'm like those heads in a jar from Futurama."
"Well, that setting is a great on for you. As for what's going on so far, it looks like I'm gonna have to tell Sam the bad news..." Chuck reverts back into his dog form as he was ready to leave. "Still, I'm not gonna let Miriam or that ginger ruin Sam's chances into staying safe from the Executive Division anytime soon because he's not a puppet that can be toyed with for one's abuse and amusement. He's his own person and he's not gonna be Tobias Wetzel's weapon for Project Apollo or any other Project that is poised all over the entire Ashizoka System. And another thing, if you tell anyone else about Sam's hiding place, I'll have Yashamaru shatter that jar that keeps your head in, is that clear, Metatron?"
Metatron didn't say another word as he saw Chuck leave from the Universal Library altogether. As for the dire situation that was going on so far, it was going to get a lot worse as my hiding place was exposed in hindsight against the wishes of everyone in particular...
I was in the bathroom as I was busy relaxing in the tub after enjoying dinner earlier. The night sky from outside showed me a great view as I saw the ocean waves crashing near the shore on a clear night so far. I was humbled to be here as I was safe from the turmoil that was going all over Alecrast. On a whim, I peeked out the window as I noticed Kotori approaching the house as she was most likely to be paying a visit to us after seeing her earlier. Getting out of the tub and draining out the water, I dried off with a towel as I placed it into the hamper while getting on my nightclothes. Rushing out of the bathroom, I went downstairs as I heard a knock on the door the moment I noticed Reiko answering it in my stead. To our surprise, we saw Kotori standing in front of the doorway as she was eager to check up on more than just Reiko's prengancy. She was also concerned for my own health as well in which she sensed that I wasn't doing too well after having a vision at her clinic earlier.
"Hello, there, Kotori," said Reiko.
"I just wanted to check up on how you two are doing," she answered as she stepped inside.
"You can come in if you want because the children are already cleaned up and sent to bed," I said.
"It's not just that. I've been thinking about how you guys were staying here until the war on Alecrast is over, but I can't shake the fact that a memory that I've buried over the years is resurfacing after all this time."
"What kind of memory?"
"Many years ago, I was outside my family's homestead in the town of New Ballarat in which I spotted a small child that wasn't from Essos. I never saw him before, but he had a rambunctious stockpile full of energy that was brimming with life. The child himself had a jeweled sigil on his forehead, but he also had a power that saved me from the brink of death once." Kotori unbuttons her tunic as she reveals an imprint of raw power on her chest. "This mark that I have was something that I had after I was thrown into the gorge. It was hell for me after I was branded a pariah in my own clan even after I was sexually assaulted by General Wetzel. I had no one to turn to, but the child that came towards me never saw blood coming down my legs before, but my body was unable to move.
"I was on the brink of death as I heard the child's cries yelling for me to not die until his raw power saved me from the fate of the Reapers who were ready to collect me. By the time I came to, I was saved from death in which I felt something protruding from my chest and it was like the one from the child's forehead. When I was up on my feet, I saw General Wetzel approaching me in which he was hell-bent on finishing what he started on me, but he was interested in something else. He was after the small child, but he was stopped by John Winchester and the Medical Corps, who were there to bring the little boy home. The small boy himself hid in a hiding spot in which I didn't want to give him over to that sick madman who wanted more than just power in his unquenchable lust. I wanted to protect him from the man who had a heart of ice until John Winchester intervened to bring the child out of his hiding place and take him to safety. Even the mentor I studied from had a disdain for General Wetzel in which he fears this current war altogether. He even saw the treachery that the infamous bastard did the moment he read the records on the career that he had. In the end, I left the Medical Corps, but I didn't want to be in the same room with the rapist who ruined my life after that."
I never expected Kotori to tell the matter to me altogether as I was beginning to realize what went on during my wild days of adventure. The image of me as a three-year-old crying out for help made me realize that the memory itself was coming back to me so soon. The vague memory was beginning to be more clearer than normal as I was most likely to be ready to soak in what was taken from me all those years ago. The image of the gorge made me think about what would happen next as I was itching to tell Kotori the truth about how she got that imprint of raw power and how she remembered her misery over the years, for this was the time to do so."
"Kotori…," I said. "I know who saved you from the brink of death all those years ago. I was the one who was in the gorge that day when you were thrown to the bottom. I was the one who saved you in which my raw power awakened while being there. You may not know it, but my father, John Winchester, and your former mentor, Kazuo Mitani, were there to get me away from General Wetzel. I'm beginning to see it now in which it was a memory that I buried, but I can't lose it forever again."
It wasn't long until I felt a glowing aura filling me up as I was soaking up the memory of what happened to me that day. I was the one who saved Kotori's life that day as I was beginning to remember more of the lost memories that I once had before going towards Gehenna all those years ago. Even Reiko was seeing the aura as she wanted me to be more faithful to what I had with me, including myself in the balance. By the time I absorbed the lost memory, I was more at peace with the vision that I had earlier as I had a feeling that there would be more that were lost from me. Still, I had a long way to go, but I was safe for the time being as the safety from the Second Galvanic Uprising was a huge reprieve for me after all…
To be continued...