Promise of a Lifetime (Revised)

by DoctorChurchie

A story that follows the journey of Jonah Turner. A young girl whose entire life is changed the night that she meets two interesting priests. As new opportunities present themselves before her, she need only remember that not everything is what it seems.

17. Honesty

Chapter 17: Honesty

From within the darkness, muted lights flitted in front of my closed eyelids, and I could hear the quiet chatter of birds drifting in through a window that had been left partially cracked open. A gentle breeze, which smelled of the ocean, swept across the back of my hand. Wherever I was, the subtle scent of flowers filled the air. The salty and floral fragrances intermingled and lovingly enveloped me inside of their welcoming comforts. I could feel the soft texture of sheets that had been used to cover my body, and resting under my head was a plush, downy pillow. As I slowly became more alert, I started to hear hushed whispers. A conversation that was going back and forth rapidly between the people who were speaking, yet I couldn't hear the details of what it was that they were discussing. But as I attempted to move my hand up to my eyes, I was forced to stop. All through my limbs a shooting pain radiated, leaving no part of my body untouched. From the shock of the pain, I cried out but even doing that much was more than just a little excruciating.

Next to me, one of the hushed whispers became crystal clear. "Don't move! Or, at least, if you feel as though you do have to...then try and keep your movements to just the bare minimum, okay?" The tone that the person used was caring, however I couldn't help but to feel as though the one who had just spoken was still incredibly young. "But I do have to admit, back there, you were acting kind of carelessly. After all, when was the last time that you fed?" The more that I listened to the person's voice, the more I realized that I had heard it before. And when I didn't answer their question, they sighed and gave another attempt to rouse a response out of me. "Hello? Are you even alive over there? Oh! Let me take a guess...being with him has truly made you blind to everything else that's around you?" They giggled gleefully.

Finally I decided to open my eyes and glancing around, I saw the smoothed surface of a white ceiling up above me. Then forcing the wary muscles in my neck to work, I turned my head carefully to the right. Sitting fervently in a chair I saw a young girl. Her outward appearance suggested that she might have possibly been around the age of twelve. Short black hair, that had been styled so that it spiked out to look both messy and orderly at the same time, framed her pale face. Her large, youthful eyes, which were the exact color of jades, watched over me. The smile that she wore, seemed to be so very familiar in my mind, yet I couldn't immediately place where I had seen it before.

The size of her smile increased as she saw me turn to face her. "Oh! So you are awake! That's good to know...I would just hate to have to be the one to tell him that you had suddenly died while he was in another room. But thankfully you've just spared me of that horrible, horrible experience. I really appreciate it."

I blinked my eyes a few times before I quietly asked. "Who-" As I spoke, my voice came out as a hoarse rasp, and it was only then that I became alarmingly aware of just how parched my throat had grown.

Getting up from her seat, I noticed that the girl was wearing a light orange dress that came down above her knees, on her feet she wore a pair of tan boots and she began to move, I watched as she practically skipped over to a small decorative cupboard that hung on the wall across from where I had been lain. As she opened one of the cupboard's doors, I saw a neat array of bottles that stood in a line all along a shelf inside. With a single lithe motion, she retrieved one of the bottles and held it tenderly in her hand. Aiming a wink in my direction, she took agile steps back over to the side of the bed. The instant that she stood by the chair that had been her seat, she set the bottle down carefully on top of a bedside table. When she had done that, she turned back around and I heard the sound of water as it was being poured into a glass. Facing away from me, she shook her head and said. "I told him that he really was being too devil-may-care in regards to you, so hopefully this will serve as a lesson that had to be learned the hard way for him. But to be honest with you though, I'm thoroughly impressed! It turns out that you're pretty strong-willed. Usually by now the bacillus would have gone absolutely haywire." The girl reached out and gripped the bottle in between two of her slender fingers, and removing the lid, she allowed a part of the bottle's contents to spill out into the palm of her hand. As she set the bottle back on the table, she twirled around. A glass of water held in one hand, while a small crimson tablet rested in the other. "Don't worry about it, though. I'm here to make sure that I fix everything that he's done wrong." I watched as she dropped the tablet into the water, and it was a second before I saw anything happen. At first it was slow, but with time the tablet dissolved and it made the once clear water become a dull ruby red. "I know that it might not look the best, but you'll feel a million times better once you drink it!" At this, she carefully passed the glass over to me.

In my hands, I could see that small bubbles were floating up to the surface of the liquid, giving it the illusion that the drink had been carbonated. Yet the effervescence of the beverage wasn't like anything I had ever seen before. Looking over at the young girl, I saw that she was eagerly motioning for me to go ahead and drink and after taking in a deep calming breath, that's what I did. Lifting the rim of the glass to my lips, I slowly allowed the liquid to flow into my mouth. The taste somehow managed to land somewhere between sweet and bitter, which was confusing to my brain. But as I took another drink, all of the pain and exhaustion that I had felt up until then, began to fade away. Shocked, I peered over at the girl and asked. "What is this stuff?"

She giggled enthusiastically. "Oh that? It's called Aqua Vitae. But we usually just refer to it as Methuselah Life Water."

Forgetting that I was no longer in the Outer World, my eyes grew wide and I quietly whispered. "You mean you're not...you're not afraid of what I am?"

"Afraid?" She rolled her eyes and gently blew a raspberry with her mouth. "As if! You have to remember that this is the Empire! All you really have to do is simply walk out of your front door and you can sometimes see a dozen Methuselah at once."

Whoever this girl was, I couldn't deny the fact that she was a little bizarre and with the glass still being held gently in between my hands, I looked her in the eyes and made a simple request. "Who are you?"

Using a finger, she tapped it softly against her upper chest. "Who? Me? Well..." Her playful voice dragged on as she considered what information she should tell me. A minute passed by and then she sat down on the edge of the bed. The palms of her hands pressing into the plush surface of the mattress. "I'll tell you who I am, but only on one condition. You have to make me the promise that you'll keep it a secret forever."

I was confused by her intriguing desire. "I have to keep your identity...a secret...forever?"

Nodding her head, she turned her jade eyes to look at me. "That's right. Oh, and better yet, let's make that promise a pinkie promise!" She smiled brightly and raised her hand that was closest to me. Making it into an incomplete fist, she kept her little finger extended out for me so that I could fulfill my end of the vow.

My gaze was focused on her delicate appendage as she offered it to me. Then as I smiled in return and removed one of my hands from the side of the glass, I slowly raised it so that it would be on level with the young girl's, I carefully wrapped my pinkie around hers.

With the lifelong promise officially made, the girl exhaled and looked up towards the ceiling, her words eventually coming out as soft as a feather. "My name is Seth."

Hearing her say her name out loud, my eyes grew wide in disbelief and I gasped. "Did...did you just say that your name was Seth?"

She didn't look at me, yet she acknowledged the existence of my question by gently inclining her head.

From my memories, I suddenly remembered something that Father Nightroad had once said to me. It had been the one and only time that he had talked about his family as a whole. "There I lived with my brother Cain, my sister Seth and the woman that I saw as my mother, Lilith Sahl."

Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady myself before I began to speak again. "You're Father Nightroad's younger sister, aren't you?"

Immediately Seth raised both of her hands up off the bed and with her palms aimed towards the roof, she passively shrugged her small shoulders. "Oh, you've got me." Out of the corner of her vivid green eyes, she peeked down at me, a mischievous grin spreading across her young face. "So I see that he's already gotten around to telling you about me? That was really sweet of him."

Looking away, I whispered. "Yeah, it was." As I spoke, I casually glanced around the room and noticed that something—or rather someone very important was missing. "Speaking of Father Nightroad...Would it be okay if I were to ask you where he is, Seth?"

She pointed over towards a shut door and I assumed that it had to lead out into the rest of the house. "He's changing his bandage right now, and if I know my brother as well as I feel like I do, he'll probably end up falling asleep." Graceful as a cat, she leapt to her feet and facing away from me, she continued to speak. Her tone becoming compassionate, reminding me so much of a mother who was worried about her precious child. "But if you want my advice, then you should finish drinking your Life Water and rest up as well. You really did put a lot of unnecessary strain on your body today."

With a gentle shake of my head, I smiled. "No, I had to push myself...I couldn't just stand by and let those monsters hurt Father Nightroad. So...no matter what Hell I have to walk through on my own, I will do whatever it is that I have to in order to protect him." As I spoke, I could feel my cheeks burn as they began to flush brightly.

Seth turned around to look at me, a frolicsome expression worn well within her dainty features. "You really do care a lot about him, don't you?"

Exhaling, I silently bobbed my head down once.

Without warning, she leaned in closer to me and quietly whispered in my ear. "That's so good to know, because truth be told, I can tell that he really cares a great deal about you too."

Surprised, I gazed hopefully at her. Then as I spoke, I held my hands together as though I were praying. "Do you really think so?"

As she shot me another wink, she replied. "Oh yeah, since he is my older brother, you can trust my judgment one hundred percent! For as long as I've been alive, I've really only ever seen him care this much about another person just once before. So take some time and chew on that juicy tidbit for a little while." She pulled away from me, her large, round eyes sparkling with happiness. "Now I've got to go and pick up some more medical supplies. Leave it up to Abel to go and get himself hurt. I'll try to be back as soon as I possibly can, but in the meantime, do as I suggested. Okay? Finish your drink, and then rest up." With an enthusiastic wave of her hand, she sped off and made her exit from the room.

Left alone in the cozy room, I quietly laughed to myself and with a slow, content sigh, I whispered. "What an interesting girl Father Nightroad's sister has ended up being. She's got such a boundless supply of energy...I'm feeling tired just from watching her." The reality that I had actually met someone that Abel was related to, started to settle down within the confines of my mind. Seth probably knew him better than all of the A.X. operatives combined...myself included. As I peered down at the remnants of the crimson elixir, I silently considered everything that had happened just since we had arrived in the Empire. My thoughts began to surge as I recounted every single event, one by one. "First, we encountered the Death Hunters. I wonder what it is that they're doing here...could it be possible that they followed us? Or was it all purely just a coincidence?" Lost deep in my contemplations, I brought the rim of the glass back up to my lips and swallowed more of the liquid. Feeling the beverage rush down my throat, I began to regain even more of the energy that I had expended earlier during my hasty escape. Through slightly narrowed eyes, I wondered about how Abel was. "Despite my best efforts, he still got hurt. I hope that he wasn't wounded too severely...Maybe I should go and see how he's doing?" I rapidly finished what was left of the Life Water and gently set the now empty glass on the bedside table. Then with a firm grip on the sheets, I attempted to pull them back. Only when I went to move, I found that my body was still racked with an incredible amount of pain. Almost as soon as I had adopted the idea of going to see Father Nightroad, I gave up on the prospect. Sighing, I sank back down into the mattress, my voice came out as sounding defeated when I spoke. "I guess that the Life Water's not an actual instantaneous cure all in the end...but I'd still like to see him again before the day is over." A gentle smile wormed its way upon my lips and closing my eyes, I dreamily whispered. "At least we can say that we've made it this far, Father."

My sentiment finally spoken, I fell into a light sleep.

Time flew by a lot quicker than I had expected it to and while I continued to lay beneath the bed's covers, I heard the door to my room open and shut. Quiet footsteps started to approach me, yet I didn't look to see who it was that had just entered. It was a minute before I heard the person sigh, which was proceeded by the sound of a chair being repositioned somewhere nearby.

For a while, nothing but silence filled the room and I even began to consider opening my eyes. Not only so that I could appease my own mounting curiosity, but it also so that I could let the other person know that it was okay if they were to speak to me. As I began to open my eyes, I paused as I finally heard words being spoken. "Jonah, I hope that while you're asleep you can still hear me..." It was Father Nightroad, and just from the sound of his voice, I could tell that he was blaming himself for something that he felt he was at fault for. "She was right...and I'm sure that you've met her by now. By her, I mean my sister, Seth...but she told me that I've been too careless with you. Which hasn't been entirely untrue..." He sighed deeply again, and I listened intently to his words. "I've done horrible things in my life. Unforgivable things. Yet you've never once questioned me about my past. You've never doubted any of my motives. All that you've ever really shown me has been nothing been nothing less than true kindness. And personally, I still don't understand it at all." I could hear it as he took a deep breath, then as he continued to speak, his voice gently shook. "I realize that it's a lot to take in...but I just wanted you to know that I-"

At that moment, the door opened up for a second time, but it was Seth who was now walking into the room. She chuckled quietly as she saw Abel, her words being used to goad him on. "How cute! I leave for just a little while and I come back only to find you watching over her like a guardian angel." I heard the sound of paper bags crumpling as they were being set down on a hard surface. Then with a more serious tone, Abel's sister cheerfully addressed him. "You know what, Abel? I'm really glad that you've finally learned how to forgive yourself. As your sister, that alone is enough to make me feel so very proud of you."

Abel exhaled, and without looking up at Seth's youthful face, he shook his head. "What on Earth are you talking about now?"

Annoyed, she quietly exclaimed. "Oh, come on! You know full well what it is that I'm saying! Quit acting so coy, you dolt!"

Again, he shook his head. "Seth, I swear to you...that I really don't know what you're talking about."

She groaned, and I heard the sound of fabric rustling against fabric. "Okay, then let me spell it out for you. Her, Abel! Over there! That girl!"

As he looked over in my direction, Father Nightroad confusedly asked. "Jonah? I don't understand, Seth. What about her?"

"You've made her your lover, haven't you? So not only have you finally wised up and forgiven yourself, but you've also decided to make a Methuselah into your new ladylove. Yet again, I must emphasize just how proud I am of you!" Seth sighed, her tone softening as she continued speaking. "You know that Lilith would be proud of you too, right? Albeit, she would probably have preferred it if you had chosen to be with a Terran, but still...She would be furious with you if she knew just how long you've been by yourself. After all, my dear brother, nine hundred years is a rather excessive amount of time to be spent in mourning."

With a gasp, he dropped his gaze down towards the hardwood flooring beneath of his feet. The words he said coming out as nothing but broken whispers. "Seth, please...don't start."

Finally Seth took a couple of steps closer to Abel, and quietly she pleaded with him. "Abel, please just admit it! You know that it's the truth! I will never expect for you to ever stop loving Lilith, but you need to accept the fact that she's gone now! The way that you've been living your life...tell me, how exactly do you think that she would react, huh? You need to just move forward! Stop dwelling in a past that you can no longer change! Let it all go, and find someone that can give you the strength that you need so that you can live for the future!"

Sighing, he closed his frozen blue eyes. "How can I? Or have you simply forgotten the things that I've done? All of the things that we've done!" Slowly he slumped down in his chair and sounding more defeated than ever, said. "You may think that it's time that I move forward, but how do you honestly expect anyone to fall in love a monster? Especially one that has been as damned in life as I have? Trust me, it just won't ever be possible, Seth..."

Releasing a huff of air, the young girl crossed her arms over top of her chest. "Oh, come on, Abel! Okay, I'll tell you what. If you're not going to make her your lover, then I'll simply have to make her mine. There we go, problem instantly solved."

He let out a loud, disapproving sigh and slowly he began to shake his head.

"I'm just kidding. Lighten up." She allowed her arms to fall to her sides and turning serious once more, she calmly explained. "Trust me, my brother. That girl, Jonah, she loves you. You might not be able to see it for yourself. But guess what? I can. I have seen it. The way that she talked about you. The look that she gets on her face when she thinks about you. It's very much the same as it was for Lilith. I can tell."

The words that Seth had said, they were enough to make Abel sit back up straight in his seat. And with his eyes opened wide, he looked at his sister. "What did you just say?" As a brief silence fell, I could tell that he had switched his gaze and was now looking over in my direction. "But Seth, even for a Methuselah...Jonah is still so young. I-" He broke off from what he was going to say and shook his head, clearing away some unwanted thoughts. Yet when a moment had passed, he started to speak again. "I couldn't live with myself if she ever got dragged into any of my own personal problems."

Listening to Father Nightroad, I struggled to resist against the urge to run over to him. To tell him that I didn't care about what he dragged me into. So long as we were together, nothing else in the world could ever possibly matter to me. But as a tear escaped from between my closed eyelids, I felt it glide down the side of my face. My inner most thoughts being the only thing that offered me any form of comfort. "Even if everything came down to that, then you would be well worth it, Father!"

Yet, with a weak laugh, he softly tried to deny his sister's every word. "Besides, Seth...I'm sure that you're mistaken. There is no chance that she feels that way about me. So this entire conversation...none of it actually matters."

At her breaking point, Seth sighed in exasperation. "And thus it was with the creation of Abel Knightlord, that the Lord said, 'Make this one an idiot.' Seriously, are you actually that stupid Sometimes you make me wonder if we really are related..." I heard the sound of footsteps and before Abel could leave the room, the young girl innocently asked. "Hey, where are you going?" He didn't respond to her inquiry and without so much as a parting glance in her direction, he left the room. The moment that the room's door had been shut behind her brother, Seth scurried over to stand by the side of the bed. Her sing-song voice calling out my name. "Jonah! Were you able to catch all of that?"

Too afraid to let her know that I had heard every word that had been said, I remained still. Hoping that my facade would be enough to trick her.

However, it wasn't. And as she sighed, she gently began to poke the side of my face with a slender finger. "You know, your acting skills might be good enough to fool my gullible brother. But you will have to try just a little harder to convince me that you're actually sleeping." As she pulled her finger away from my cheek, she giggled.

Slowly I opened my eyes and sat up in the bed, I nervously looked over at Seth. "How long have you known?"

Waving away my question, she rushed on to say. "We don't have the time for that right now." Gently leaning in closer to me, she whispered in my ear. Her voice full of eagerness. "I've got the stage all set up for you. We're going to give him a little bit more time to blow off some steam, but that way when you express your fondness for him, it'll be all that much more heartwarming." I looked away from her briefly, but as she placed her hands on her hips, she scowled. "Oh, come on. Not you too!"

I shook my head, a light blush working its way across both of my cheeks. "No, Seth, you were right."

A tiny smirk replaced her scowl. "I was right about what, Jonah?"

The blush burned brighter, but I forced myself to say the words that I knew that she wanted to hear. "About...about me having feelings for Abel."

She giggled, the sound full of mischievousness. "I knew exactly what you meant, but I just had to hear you say it at least once for myself." Standing up straight as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. The enthusiasm that she felt obviously reaching beyond the point of where it would soon begin to overflow. "You should be well enough rested by now, and your body's had more than an ample amount of time to recover. So if you were interested in doing this tonight, then you'll need to go ahead and get up. I've got quite a few things that I'll need to do to you before you're even remotely ready."

As I set my feet against the cold hardwood floor and stood up, I curiously whispered. "Before I'm ready?"

Nodding her head, she playfully closed an eye. "Yup! I think that it's about time that you confessed your feelings to that idiotic brother of mine."

Just hearing her say this was enough to cause my heart to skip a couple of its beats. "T-tell Father Nightroad about h-how I feel about him?"

"Uh-huh!" Rushing over to me, Seth took hold of my hand and dragged me over to a closet door, which she immediate slid open. "Now let's see, I know that now-a-days he's a priest...but first and foremost he is still a man! So we're going to have to make sure that you're looking a little extra appealing...just for him."

Standing next to Abel's sister, I could feel my face as it began to burn red hot and watched as Seth dove into the small room, inside of which several outfits had been hung up on hangers all along a couple of metal rods.

Piece by piece, she keenly inspected articles of clothing. Occasionally she would toss aside random assortments of clothes. Then with her voice sounding agitated, she whined. "Oh! Where did I put it?"

Cautiously, I looked over Seth's shoulder and dared to ask. "What exactly are you looking fo-"

But before I could even get the rest of my question out, she emerged from the closet and remaining as quiet as possible, cried in triumph. "Found it! Trust me, Jonah! That brother of mine won't be able to resist you if you show up and he sees you wearing this!" As she held something close to her chest, Seth began to turn back around to look at me.

Baffled, all of the worries that I had only just began to feel were answered as soon as I saw what she was clutching onto. "Seth, you don't honestly expect me to wear that...do you?"

She offered the outfit to me and as she held it up, I finally got a clear view of what it looked like. There were two separate pieces to it, but the first thing that I could really see was that it was made from silk. Reaching out, I gently took hold of the shirt's thin fabric and began to run my fingers along its smooth texture. Watching as I carefully touched the ensemble, Seth smiled. "Do you like it?"

Nodding my head, I quietly whispered. "It's quite beautiful." What I had said was the truth. Though I had never really been the type to get caught up in the latest fashion trends, the undeniable fact remained that the clothing before me truly was some of the most beautiful that I had ever seen.

"Well what are you waiting for? Try it on!" With light-footed steps, the girl waltzed over and laid the clothes out on top of the bed. Then turning her jade eyes towards me, she happily beckoned with her hand for me to follow her. As I approached, she indicated that I should face away from her and as I began to feel her nimble fingers undoing the buttons along the back of my A.X. uniform, she whispered. "Can I just be honest with you, Jonah?"

Without a word, I bowed my head down once.

Quickly, she continued to undo the back of the dress, her voice a gentle breeze on my neck when she began to speak again. "You're the very person that Abel needs to have in his life. He would probably try to deny it if I were to be the one to ask him, but you really do remind me of her. And to tell you the truth, I think that he can see it too."

My voice came out as a low breath. "Lilith..."

As she undid the last of the buttons, Seth made a quiet noise in her throat. "So he's actualy talked about her around you? That alone should be enough proof of just how much he cares for you, since Lilith used to be his everything."

Pulling my arms free from the sleeves of my uniform, I allowed it to fall towards the floor and stepping out of the ring that it had formed, I knelt down and gathered it up within my arms. Listening to Father Nightroad's sister speak about Lilith, the woman who had actually ended up being more than just a mother figure to him. Then as I moved over to stand next to Seth, I set my dress on the bed and reaching forward, I took hold of the silk top that belonged with the outfit and began to put it on.

It was light, weighing close to absolutely nothing in my hands and as I gently slipped the shirt over top of my head, Seth filled the silence that had slowly fallen inside of the room. "But it's like I said, I think that you're exactly what he needs in his life. Now I know that I might be wrong about this, but I feel as though you're the one who can maybe mend his broken heart. Not to mention, be the one that will finally lead him out from the darkness that has unfortunately encased him."

Having put the top all of the way on, I stepped into the skirt that had been waiting for me on the bed. "I really do hope that you're right, Seth. Your brother, he's...he's done so much for me." Carefully positioning the skirt so that the ruching on it was facing where it was supposed to be, I smiled. "He saved me on the night that I thought I was going to be my last."

From her hand, Seth produced a long, thin strand of light pink silk and standing in front of me, she skillfully began to weave the fabric through eyelets, that I hadn't even taken any notice of up until that very moment."That sounds like him. Always showing up when you least expect him to. But you know, I think that for your case, it was probably a good thing. Right?" Her movements were fast and before I could answer her question, she started to tie up the loose ends of the pink strip together. Making a perfect bow that rested neatly over top of my chest. When she had finished that, she pulled out a second, wider strip from her pocket. This time, however, instead of being a light pink, it was white and standing up on the ends of her toes, she began to secure it around my neck.

Finally I nod my head, a light blush forming on my cheeks.

As I responded silently, she took a step back. Inspecting her work and obviously feeling pleased with the final product, she beamed up at me. "With that, I do believe that you are ready to go."

With a look of surprise, I glanced down at my body and tried to see what I could of the outfit that I now wore. Straps of white silk held the top in place, a gap that was a few inches wide was in between the stra and the long sleeve of the shirt, which exposed my shoulders. Small synthetic light pink roses had been sewn onto both of the shoulder straps. The bottom hem of the shirt came up and joined together at my waist and at my hips, the skirt gently flared out behind me. As the ruched waistline dipped slightly, it partially revealed my belly button. On the side of the skirt, I noticed that there was another one of the small decorative light pink roses. "Seth, do you really think this will work?" Even as I felt so many doubts start to plague my consciousness, I turned my gaze over to her as she stood in front of me. The expression that she wore herself exuded complete confidence in the plan that she had schemed.

"Of course it will work! After all, you like my brother and my brother likes you. It's painfully obvious that the both of you are just way too shy for your own good and that you would never even try anything on your own. So it's all up to me to push the two of you in the right direction." She watched as I gave a small smile and walking a few steps so that she was behind me, she gave me a gentle push on my back. "But I've done all that I can do, which means that it's your turn to finally take the stage. His room is the very last one at the end of the hall to your left. Now go on, I bet he's waiting for you!" Looking over my shoulder, I caught her in the action of shooting me a wink and as she giggled, Seth whispered. "Oh and I promise that I won't listen."

Mortified, I felt my face begin to burn up. "Se-Seth!" As she giggled again, I turned away from her and slowly made my way over to the door that led out to the hallway. Gripping the door's handle within my hand, I exited the room in silence. A fear gradually began to consume my very being and looking to my left, I saw the door that would take me to Abel's room. Before my eyes, I was suddenly blind to everything—everything except for Father Nightroad. Walking down the hall, as I found myself standing outside of the wooden barrier, I traced my fingers along the face of the door knob. Its surface was smooth and cool to the touch. And as I took a deep breath, I grabbed hold of the thing that would take me to my beloved savior. With a gentle twist of my wrist, I stepped over the threshold.

Inside of the room, I immediately found Abel.

He was fast asleep, lying on his back on top of the bed that had been provided for him by his younger sister. On the outside, he looked as though he were at peace with the world but with each rise and fall of his chest, I began to wonder if he truly knew what peace actually felt like. While he continued to breath slowly, I made the decision to approach the side of the bed and careful, so that I wouldn't wake him up, I sat down by his side. My heart started to race the closer that I got to Abel. Yet as I gazed at his face, I noticed that there were a few strands of his silver-white hair that had gotten stuck to his forehead and with a slightly trembling, hand I reached over. Gently using the tip of my finger to brush the hairs away from his face.

The moment that I came into cantact with his skin, he began to stir.

Blushing, I found that it was easy to smile and resting the palm of my hand to his cheek, I quietly whispered. "Father Nightroad, I don't know where I would be right now if you hadn't shown up in my life when you did. Because believe me, I don't want to think about it. If only there were a way for you to know just how much you really mean to me. I hope that you trust me when I say that you truly mean more to me than anyone else that I've ever met. It was on that first night that I felt it. That I had a connection to you. At the time, I didn't understand it, but that's only because if I had understood everything all at once, then..." I smiled and shook my head softly. "What I guess I'm trying to say is that the process of understanding has only made this journey of ours all that much more special to me. You've shown me so much kindness. And then when I saw the Crusnik, though I know that I should, I've never been afraid of it. Even now that I know just what I am. Father, I-" As my cheeks flushed a bit brighter, I sighed and choosing not to think too much about my actions, I gently began to caress the side of his face with my thumb. "The truth is that I just can't help myself. I can't stop my heart from calling out to you anymore. Father Nightroad, I-"

Before I could say anything else, Abel slowly opened his winter blue eyes. Both of which immediately became filled with shock as he looked up and saw me. "Jonah?"

Unable to keep my focus on him, I shifted my gaze down to the tan sheets that were on the bed. And quickly pulling my hand away from his face, I quietly answered him. "Yes, Father?"

As he sat up on the mattress, he spoke. His voice sounding completely unsure of the response that he was going to receive. "Are you feeling ill again? If you would like, I can go and make you some more of the Methuselah Life Water."

I shook my head. "No, that's okay. I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me though."

With a kind smile, I heard him softly chuckle. "That's such a relief to hear. But, Jonah..." He knit his eyebrows together, his voice remaining as even as he could manage. "If you don't mind, might I ask what you were doing?"

Finally, I returned my gaze towards his direction. As I began to speak, my face flushed hot as a burning fire. "Father, I overheard the conversation that you had with Seth earlier."

It was now his turn to be the one to look away from me. But when he spoke, I could hear the underlying disheartened tone that was in his voice. "You...you did?"

Gathering a breath of air deep into my lungs, I decided to leave the rest up to fate and without looking back, I took the plunge. "Yeah. But Father, the truth is...Seth was right."

Surprised, he let out an audible gasp and looked back over at me. A visible pinkness quickly spreading over the bridge of his nose.

I slowly started to move closer to Abel, my heart wildly pounding from within my chest cavity. "I...I have...feelings for you." Again, with a trembling hand, I attempted to reach out towards him.

Father Nightroad began to blush deeply as he became frozen in place. His eyes following my movements as I drew nearer to where he sat.

Carefully, I rested my hand on Abel's chest and feeling his racing heart beneath of my palm, I smiled. "Father..." Lifting my green-yellow eyes until they met with his, I could see him swallowing nervously. "What about you, Father? Would it be all right if I were to ask for you to answer this: how do you really feel about me?"

For a moment, he considered what he should say, all the while my hand continued to feel the rapid beats of his heart. The sensation of which reminded me of the fluttering of a butterfly's wings. "I-" His voice came out as an unsteady tremble. Then with a calming breath, he raised up one of his hands and placed it on top of mine. "I...think that should be enough to answer your question." He began to smile shyly.

Even though Seth had already told me about her brother's feelings for me, I was still shocked to find out that it were actually true. With a quiet gasp, I felt my body begin to gently shake and inching towards him, I whispered out his name. "Father Nightroad." As the seconds passed, my need to just be close to him grew stronger.

Abel blushed, then removed his hand from mine and reaching out, gently wrapped his arms around me. Pulling me in closer to him. Though it was what I had wanted, I realized that I was nearer to him than I'd ever been before. I blushed brightly and looked up towards his face. Gazing up at him, his arms began to tremble worse than my own, then with the shock of what he'd just done finally hitting him, he nervously asked. "Did I...did I really just do that?"

Silently, I nod my head.

Both of his cheeks burned a bright shade of red. "Oh...uh...well then." As he continued to tremble, he laughed anxiously.

With my ear nearly pressed against the left side of his chest, I listened closely. Hearing the sound of his heartbeat, I happily whispered. "I...I can hear your heart." Sighing, my emotions finally becoming content, I gently nuzzled my face into the fabric of the black and gray cassock that covered his chest.

Confused, I felt the gently rumble of Abel's words as he asked me. "I'm sorry?"

"I hear the sound of your heart beating. It's a truly wonderful sound." Leaning in a little closer, a smile took over my face and I quietly told him exactly what was on my mind. "I'm so thankful that you are alive, Father."

When he heard me say this, his heart began to beat even quicker, which made me giggle with joy. Then quietly clearing his throat, I heard Abel's voice in my ear. "May I...may I listen to the sound of your heart, Jonah?"

Slowly pulling myself away from him, I nod my head and using my knees, I steadied myself on the bed's soft surface.

Making sure to be gentle, Abel placed his hands on my back to help further prevent me from falling and leaning down towards me, he pressed his ear against my body, just a few inches below my collar bone. A vibrant blush becoming more apparent along his cheeks as he felt my chest rise and fall with every breath that I took, but I could tell that he could hear it. The sound of my heart. "It sounds...beautiful." He kept his ear exactly where it was for a little while longer. Though as he did finally begin to move away, it was only so that he could gaze with his calming eyes, he continued to hold his hands to my back.

My breathing slowed down as our eyes locked. And once again, I found myself instinctually leaning in closer to Father Nightroad. When the distance between the two of us was just an inch, I gently placed my hand back to the side of his face. As he slowly blinked, I could feel his long eyelashes as they playfully began to sweep against the tips of my fingers.

After a long moment had gone by and with my hand still to his cheek, Abel carefully leaned into it. Turning his head, he made slow motions, taking extra precautions just to be sure that his lips slid gently across the palm of my hand.

As I felt his breath soft and warm on my flesh, I found my entire body trembling. In my mind, I tried to remind myself that I was no longer living within a dream. That everything happening between Abel and me at that very moment in time, was all real life. At long last, I had finally awoken from the fantasies that had helped to guide me in realizing just how lucky I was to have met him. Overwhelmed with the sheer amount of happiness that was rapidly swelling up inside of me, I began to smile.

Seeing the smile appear on my face, he returned it and gently kissed my palm. His voice sounding low as he whispered to me. "Jonah, I hope that you know that there is no turning back from this point onward." Again, he kissed the skin beneath his lips. "After all..." Kissing my palm just one final time, he continued to speak. "After all, the well-being of my heart now lies within your hands." Turning to look in my direction, he gave me a shy smile. "So please take care of it for me."

My cheeks flushed a light pink and I nod my head. "I will always do my best to protect it as though it were my very own." Taking a deep breath, I leaned in and with my lips brushing against his ear, I quietly whispered. "But Father Nightroad, in order to make it an even exchange, will you then take mine?" Having said the words, I gently nuzzled up against the side of his face. The feeling of his cheek was smooth to the touch and as I nestled closer to him, he slowly began to wrap his arms around my waist.

Quietly chuckling, Abel finally allowed his heart to step out of the darkness and back into the light. He made me a brand new promise. One that was being created under completely different circumstances than the last vow I had heard him make...his promise to Lilith. "I will guard it with my very life." There was now a fresh hope within his tone and with a soft sigh, he tenderly strengthened the hold that he had on me.

Closing my eyes, I simply let time pause for a second and quietly, I said aloud the truest sentiment that my heart had ever felt in all of my short life. "Thank you, Father."

For a while, Abel and I just sat together in a peaceful quiet. His deceptively strong arms never once moving away from where they rested at my waist. As I looked up towards his face, I saw that he was already peering at me. Through the round lens of the glasses that he wore, his winter blue eyes were fixedly gazing at the spot where I sat. Then as he smiled serenely, I felt him place a hand on top of my head and as he gently stroked my hair, he finally asked me. "Jonah, I hope that it's okay if I bring this up, but how long?" Letting out a slow, content sigh, he went on to continue saying. "How long have you felt like this?"

Tilting my head back, I replied. "To be perfectly honest with you, I only really figured it out just a few days ago." Inhaling deeply, I decided to follow through with the agreement that I had made earlier with Sister Kate. "Father, there's one more thing that I need to be honest with you about."

With a slightly joking tone, Abel playfully teased. "You mean to say that there's actually more than just learning that you've got feelings for me?"

Smiling brightly at him, I whispered, letting him know the only other secret that I kept. "Sister Kate thinks that she knows exactly what my ability is."

Suddenly losing all signs of joking around, he became more serious. "You mean...you've discovered it?"

Slowly nodding my head, I felt Abel lean back so that he could get a clear look at me as I spoke. "Father Nightroad, I need for you to be honest with me. When I told you about the dream that I had yesterday, the reaction you gave me...you'd seen it, hadn't you? The very thing that I had described?" I closed my eyes and turning to face the priest as he continued to hold onto me tightly, I glanced up at him. "It was your dream that I wandered into, wasn't it?"

He was silent at first, then as he motioned with his head, he quietly asked. "What is it that you're trying to tell me?"

There was no use in trying to prolong that which was now inevitable. "On our way here to the Empire, Sister Kate and I did speak. But it wasn't so that she could remind me to take the time and look into my family's lineage. She actually wanted to discuss our relationship." I watched as his expression changed to that of confusion and with a gentle smile, I cleared up any misconceptions that he had. "She wanted to discuss the relationship that exists between you and me, Father Nightroad." By this time, he was intently paying attention to every word that I said. "She told me that she's surprised you trust me as much as you do. Of course I informed her that I'm glad you trust me. After all, we've been through so much just since we met." Taking in a calming breath, I whispered. "It was then that I asked her if she could keep a secret. I told her that...that I've been having dreams that seem to be revolving around you. There was the one that I told you about...although, I left out the fact that you were there and the part where you said, 'All you ever need to do is ask, and I promise that you shall receive'. That was after I had conveyed my feelings to you for the first time. And even if it was only in a dream, that doesn't mean it holds any less amount of the truth than it does right now." Shifting my gaze up towards his face, I saw that he was looking at me with wide eyes. As I saw the shock on his face, I turned away from him. "I guess that there's really no need for me to say anymore, am I right to assume this?"

The words that I heard him say next, came out as a soft whisper. "What are you, Jonah?" It was the same as it had been the day that he found me lying among the shattered ruins that had once been a mirror. He didn't sound frightened, nor disgusted...this time it wasn't even pity that I sensed. It was pure curiosity.

"Sister Kate called it dream walking. Apparently, not much is really known about it. So she couldn't tell me all that much about the ability itself, other than its name. However, she did say that it's theorized that the stronger the bond is between the dream walker, which in this case is me, and the person that's having the dream, which means you, the more often the dream walker will possibly appear within the dream." Finally looking Abel in the eyes, I said. "I saw you make your promise to Lilith, Father Nightroad." As he slowly began to frown, I reached up and placed my hand on his cheek. "In my eyes, you've already fulfilled the oath that you made to her. You have brought about a hope for a brighter tomorrow. Just take a look at everything that you've managed to do. Think about all of the people that you've saved. Including me, Father. Seth was right in saying that Lilith would be proud of you. I know that I am." I gently began to stroke his cheek with my thumb.

Smiling once more, he closed his eyes and spoke. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil...for you are with me." Gradually he placed a tender hand at the base of my neck and moving himself closer, it was then that our lips met for the very first time.