Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 10
Chapter 40: The Path of Water Lilies
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was in a different hotel room as I was busy writing in my journal after spending my night in the last one that was cramped. With the transition of civil life returning to govern Kolinahr, everything was getting back to normal as I looked out the window to see some of the people welcoming some of the disabled patients in their circles. When I put my journal away, I left my room as I was making my way towards the hotel lobby to see Gonzalo checking in some guests that were here at a family gathering. I never noticed the people here before as I saw some of them to be members of the LaPointe Clan while others were part of the Trujillo Clan. I also noticed Florian entering into the hotel as he was impressed at how Gonzalo stood his ground while defending it from the Overseer and the orderlies who were ousted from the city earlier.
The bustle of the gathering was something that we never expected to see before as this was also an opportunity to have Gonzalo host it in his hotel. I was glad that there wasn't a speck of orderlies anywhere as I decided to go outside for a bit of air. Even though I never saw the rest of Kolinahr before, I decided to take a look at the waterways surrounding the hotel the moment I spotted Shayla near a guardrail staring at the waterfalls below while knitting. What I didn't expect was that Sona was there as she was mainly looking for me, for she wasn't afraid of what she saw there.
"Hey, you know how to knit just like Sam does," she said as Shayla didn't say a word. "Don't worry; I won't be long because I have to catch up with Carly and Kanna, who are at the bazaar picking up some spices to take back to El Anillo del Fuego on the next ferry." Shayla struggles to speak as she stares at Sona with curiosity. "I heard from one of those guys in the Medical Corps about how you were in that halfway house for most of your life. Didn't those people in that place teach you any basic life skills when you were put there other than have to be clean and fed?"
Shayla still struggles to speak as she puts down her yarn and knitting needles.
"I take it that your caretakers weren't nice to you, were they? From what I heard, Reiko told how you were crippled and not move in that wheelchair that much." Sona digs into her satchel as she fishes out her Batgirl doll to show off to Shayla. "You never played with dolls before, have you? Well, this doll that I have had overcome a lot of things. She even spent her days in a wheelchair after that cruel man with green hair shot her to the point of not using her legs. She learned to walk again, but she knew how to use a lot more than just acrobatics and strength, but knowledge that helped Batman out many times when he was at his lowest. Maybe you can learn to walk someday, but don't take it too quickly."
I continued to see Sona interact with Shayla as I noticed the latter struggling to speak in which she was still processing what was heard earlier. I also noticed the Elf from yesterday arriving as she was dressed in a Medical Corps outfit while wheeling Shayla towards the hotel. She was there for a reason as she also wanted to protect her from harm, for she had the same conviction that Gonzalo had when it came to defending the disabled.
"Papi's been busy having the staff cater to the familia gathering here in which it's the first time that it's held here in Kolinahr," she said.
"Ofeliana, we need assistance!"
I watched the Elf wheel Shayla away as I later noticed Sona sitting on the bench while holding her Batgirl doll. I never expected her to be interacting with the crippled Half-Elf before as I noticed a flicker of hope that dawned earlier. Still, I had to observe the situation in Kolinahr as I later followed Sona upwards to the front of the hotel where we noticed the local law enforcement and members of the Medical Corps caring for everyone. At a standpoint, we knew for a fact that the entire public had grown weary of the rule of the Overseer and the rest of the orderlies who ruled Kolinahr with a latex-gloved fist. It was a breath of fresh air for all of us as we later noticed Carly and Kanna coming towards us with a few bags of goodies in their hands, for they were ready to call it a day before getting onto the ferry bound for El Anillo del Fuego.
"Where were you?" asked Kanna as she was worried about Sona.
"I was at the waterway earlier," she said.
"We got some spices for Reiko's yummy cooking, but we have to get back to the ferry," said Carly.
"What kind of spices? We all know that Granny Lyra has plenty in her homestead in the mountain."
"Kolinahr has its prized cinnamon," said Kanna. "At least we got enough to make some overnight French toast for breakfast."
"Kolinahr has been known to trade their spices, but are now open for everyone coming far and wide," I said. "Still, the three of you should also get back home before Reiko worries about you."
"Aren't you coming back with us, Mr. Sam?" asked Carly.
"I can't until I finish assissing everything here, fusspot. Still, I have to assess a lot more here, so there's no need to worry."
And so, the girls decided to leave for the ferry as I was left at the hotel still overseeing everything all over it. Still, I had to know more about Shayla and her plight as I later noticed her being wheeled by Ofeliana while they went inside. It was a calming that was there at the hotel as I would soon see more of what was yet to come, for I would soon observe what would happen next in the long run…
Guido was outside as he was looking at the structure that made the waterways great to begin with. It was something that he never saw before as he was observing what he saw. The pathways that were surrounding the hotel had been a network of connecting corridors and stairs as they had been a tourist attraction for a long time. Guido was eager to navigate one of the pathways as he later noticed a large treasure box near the top of the next stairs. He noticed it to be different than the others as it looked more organic than normal. Just as he was about to examine it, he was stopped by Castiel as he unsheathed his sword while stepping back, for the box itself was ominous to look at.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Guido.
"Watched and learn, for that treasure box isn't normal," answered Castiel as he picked up a pebble.
Guido noticed Castiel throw the pebble at the treasure box as it began to reveal sharp teeth while it grew a pair of legs before it was ready to attack. The creature in the form of a treasure box was frenzied to the point of hunger as it was targeting Castiel and Guido the moment they stepped back. Guido never saw anything like it before as he was literally screwed because of the fact that he didn't have a weapon to kill monstrous threats on his person. He was also fearing the worst as he saw the walking treasure box getting ready to lunge until Castiel stepped in and while displaying his angelic aura. He knew of walking treasure boxes before as he used his powers to incapacitate the one in front of him while he finished it off with his sword the moment it turned into ashes. Guido never saw anything like it before as he swore to not look another treasure box the same way again.
"What the fuck was that?!" he yelled.
"The creature is known as a mimic," said Castiel as he sheathed his sword.
"You're talking about that walking treasure box with legs, aren't you?"
"Mimics are fickle creatures in which they've been a nuisance throughout Valinor, but their origins in the lore have been lost to time."
"You just iced a walking treasure box with teeth just now, but you also took it out with your sword just now."
"Mimics are weak against silver like vampires and werewolves, but the only way to kill it is when it is ready to attack once provoked."
"Does Sam know about this?" Castiel shakes his head. "Does anyone else know? If not, then we have to get to the root of it before one of those treasure boxes gets up and attacks its next meal if we don't act quickly. I bet that their former masters above ground never knew about the surprise that was there until now…"
It wasn't long until Cletus burst downward where to where the dead mimic laid as he had a gut feeling that this threat wasn't over. When he examined the ashen remains, he fished out a sifter as he sifted them gingerly the moment he spotted some pearls and gold pebbles that were hidden in which he knew for a fact that there would be more of what was found earlier, for he had a gut feeling that this wasn't over so far.
"You're digging for treasure in ashes as if you're sifting a cat box," said Guido.
"These aren't just treasure," said Cletus as he displayed what he found. "They're part of a luring effect in which every mimic generates treasure in their bodies for any victim that they can chow down on. Mimics are dangerous and they're not just out of some tabletop game or other things. The lore that came from it originally came from Earth in which the first incarnation of those things originated from the Elder Days complete with a tulpa generating them during an incident in Salinas, California, back in the day."
"What's a tulpa?"
"A tulpa is a thought glyph that's dangerous in which the first incident about it was recorded in the Elder Days all because a pair of shlubs spun a ghost story out of control. That was also when a couple of college kids pulled a prank and spun a bogus tale that nearly got the Winchesters of Old killed at the time. They burnt the house down, but they knew now of what the tulpa can do if one thinks too loud."
"They really let their imagination get out of control, don't they?"
"A tulpa is a dangerous glyph that shouldn't be trifled with," said Castiel cautiously. "I learned the hard way once when I saw how the imagination of bringing a treasure box to life as a monster got out of control to begin with back then."
It wasn't long until Cletus rushed further downstairs to the latter part of the waterways as he saw a row of treasure boxes in front of a waterfall. He knew of them carefully as he threw a small coin at them the moment one of them got up and bore its teeth. He was aware of what he saw as he had a loathing for mimics in which he fished out an incantation ward with silver ink. He was ready to destroy the monster as he later noticed the other treasure boxes bearing their sharp teeth like a pack of piranhas. It was a daunting task, but he had to get rid of them before things got ugly, for mimics were a very invasive species on another level.
"You just had to show up here under Kolinahr's doorstep, didn't you?" he said as he threw the incantation at the mimics. "You're not like the usual creepy-crawlies that fly under the radar while passing as Terran, but you're also an invasive species that must be dealt with!"
Cletus activated the incantation as it incinerated the mimics that were in front of him. With the threat averted for now, he grabbed a sifter as he sifted the ashes to reveal several more gold rocks and pebbles in which they were mainly used as a lure for their potential victims. To his shock, he noticed a Kobold approaching as he was dressed in armor while carrying his own weapons. He knew of him very well as he was also a freelanced hunter, for he also didn't care for mimics that much.
"You're late, Joaquin," he said as he put his sifter away.
"Crumbs," said the Kobold as he was looking at the ashen remains of the mimics. "That ain't all of them in which the rest of them are spawning somewhere here."
"You got a sharp nose for finding monsters from the lore that was in the Elder Days, but the mimics are too much."
"Mimics were mainly an effort to entice any greedy victim just to chew 'em up and spit 'em out, but we all know that they're weak against silver and aetherial metal in which if they ate an ingot of one of them, it'll burn 'em quick into ashes. As for the one who had tabs on 'em, he's no mere Terran in which his career as a so-called 'ghostfacer' hit rock bottom, but cursed with immortality."
"Ed Zedmore… From what I heard, he's got his own reality series about finding creepy-crawlies that he missed. As for the mimic situation, we're gonna have to nip it in the bud before more shit ends up hitting the fan. As for the gathering at Gonzalo's hotel, they're gonna have to stay away from the lower waterways for now."
Cletus made his point clear as he wasn't about to let the mimic infestation get out of hand while a gathering was hosted topside. As for what was about to happen next, this wasn't over as the threat below was something that wasn't about to be taken lightly, for mimics weren't as fickle as they seem when it came to enticing their victims. By the time Castiel and Guido caught up to them, they were starting to see a lot more of what was going on as the mimics were a threat that became dangerous for a long time, for they were also the most fickle of them all.
"I take it that you busted up another Cracker Jack box," said Guido.
"You can't take the mimic threat too lightly, amigo," said Joaquin cautiously as he gives him a knife made from silver and aetherial metal. "Those things are known for tricking the most foolhardy at their best when it comes to 'getting rich quick.'"
"The source is at a lower level," said Castiel as he saw another mimic at the top of some downward stairs. "Mimics are often generated to entice their victims, but we can't let them go topside."
"I take it that this ain't your first rodeo with those boxes, is it?"
"I've encountered them once in Salinas when they were generated through a tulpa to bring them to life. They're immune to everything, but weak against silver and aetherial metal in which they are afraid of them."
"And we're about to see a lot more of what's going on," said Cletus as he saw a mimic chowing down on the body of an orderly. "We're not about to let those thing topside. If they surfaced, then everyone will be in trouble if we don't nip it in the bud."
And so, the group pressed onward as they had to stop the mimic threat before it got too intense topside. Still, there was a job to do as Kolinahr had to be saved from the threat in the form of treasure boxes with teeth, for it was about to get ugly if not prevented right away...
I was in the cafeteria as I saw everyone in the banquet hall gathering for the festivities. The sight of members of both the Trujillo and LaPointe Clans were a breath of fresh air as I saw them being seated at the large rectangular table that took up the whole hall. The sight of food that consisted of the dishes that both clans preferred as I saw the menu stemming from a Cajun seafood boil to lomo saltado being dished out to everyone. When I noticed Shayla being seated at the table near the window, she was alone as she was waiting for her food like everyone else. Everything was going smoothly until I noticed a Mirkwood Elf coming towards her with a metal dog food bowl in his hands with the word, "puppy." etched in black letters complete with some kibble that was often made to feed some of the dogs outside. I never expected Shayla to be treated with such cruelty as she was staring at the dog food bowl that was filled with the brim of freshly made kibble, for she was also on the verge of crying right now.
"Oh, look at the crippled mistake that Aunt Lyra made," I heard the Elf say as he smirked. "We have our own food while she gets what's in the bowl."
"How dare you?!" I yelled as I came to Shayla's defense.
"I know who you are because you're the guy who blew up MacDuff and made a purse out of him in Lake Haldir. As for me, my name is Philippe LaPointe and my uncle is named Jean-Claude LaPointe in which he is here on business in the city. As for the cripple, she can enjoy her dog chow because she isn't real family!" He leans forward towards Shayla as he smirked. "Well, mongrel? You gonna eat your food or do I have to rub your nose in it?"
"That's enough, Philippe!"
I spotted another Mirkwood Elf coming towards Philippe as he punched him in the face while he fell into a row of unused chairs that were stacked up. The Elf himself was related to the LaPointe Clan due to his clothing while sporting reddish orange hair and hazel eyes. To my surprise, he grabbed Philippe as he led him to another empty table and sat him down, for he was getting fed up with his antics altogether. I was grateful that he stepped in as he was more than likely to put Philippe in his place, for he refused to be trifled with at this time. What I also didn't expect was that Sona burst into the banquet hall as she saw the sight of Shayla sobbing over the cruelty in the form of a dog food bowl of kibble the moment she took it away and left. As for the situation that I witnessed, I had to console Shayla as she was still shedding tears the moment I had to calm her down, for I didn't want her to feel left out at this moment. Still, I saw the ginger-haired Mirkwood Elf standing in front of Philippe as he refused to back away, for he had to do the right thing and put him in his place for now.
"I bring you along and you decide to mock Lyra's bastard and give her a bowl of kibble in a dog food bowl?!" he yelled. "If your father saw you mocking her, he would roll in his grave. She's related to Lyra despite the fact that her scumbag father and aunt are on the run!"
"She's not part of any clan!" cried Philippe as he felt his pride being bruised. "She's nothing but a mongrel who hasn't had her shots!"
"She's disabled and not able to talk because of what she went through in that halfway house. If you were in her shoes, you would be stuck in nothing but a room that smells like disinfectant twenty-four hours a day."
"She's a lot of things, but she's not family after her father sired her against her wishes. Blood is thicker than water, you got that?"
I was angered by Philippe's words as I bent the blood in his body to the point of forcing him to punch himself the moment he fell on the floor. The Mirkwood Elf who chastised him earlier was stunned to see him like that as he was met with a black eye after he collided with a stack of chairs earlier. When he turned around and spotted me, he was stunned to see me there as I wasn't about to let his nephew belittle Shayla again, for he ended up getting the worst shiner imaginable after that.
"You better listen here!" I cried. "Your uncle has a point in which you had no right to bully an innocent who was dealt a cruel hand most of her life! You said that blood in thicker than water when it comes to family, but there are vipers hidden in the walls of comfort. Just to let you know, oil is a lot more thicker than blood when it comes to family!"
"Stop him, Uncle Jean-Claude!" yelled Philippe. "Punish him for what he did to me!"
"No," he said sternly. "It's high time that you got a taste of your own medicine in which your Aunt Lucia also hates those who belittle the disabled just for existing. If I were you, I suggest that you go to the bathhouse and clean yourself up before you suffer further embarrassment back at our home and your Uncle Laurent isn't the type to let anyone go away quietly."
We watched Philippe leave the banquet hall as he was bruised with the black eye on his face. Still, I was grateful that Jean-Claude stepped up and put the latter in his place as he was not having it the moment he later noticed Shayla wheeling herself out of the banquet hall. I sensed how distraught she was as I later saw her outside of the hotel the moment I later spotted Sona feeding Barca the kibble that was in the dog food bowl earlier, for she was a very adventurous one who stood firm in the drama. I also noticed the large platter of Peruvian tamales wrapped in banana leaves on a picnic table as there was a pot of lobsters and crabs with corn on the cob cooked with them, for it was a banquet fit for a noblewoman after all.
"I see that every warg has his day," I said as I spotted Barca finishing off the kibble.
"That Mirkwood Elf who gave Shayla the kibble is a total jerk!" yelled Sona as she unwrapped one of the Peruvian tamales. "That ginger Elf wasn't about to let him off the hook when he burst in and caught him bullying Shayla like that." She gives her a tamale as she slowly unwraps it. "Granny Lyra makes the best tamales in which she wraps them up in banana leaves"
Shayla took a bite of the tamale as she was tasting the love that was made with it. The spices and meat covered by masa was something that she never tried before until now. By the time she finished it, she was given some seafood to eat as it was mainly part of a Cajun boil, which was a LaPointe Clan specialty. I also dug into the food as it was a feast from both the LaPointe and Trujillo Clans that stood out with gusto. Even though it was a meal that I shared, I was happy to share it with everyone until we finished it off while putting the platter towards one of the washing stations. Still, I never expected Sona to stay behind as I noticed her going after Shayla the moment they went towards one of the paths to the waterways that connected to the hotel. I had to follow them as we later found ourselves in a different pathway in which it led further downward towards unknown territory.
The bottom we were in revealed something that was buried under the hotel as I saw it to be another derelict Draaza ship that was abandoned for centuries. Even Sona and Shayla were amazed to see this find as we decided to go inside to take a look. The place itself was sterile, but filled with old Draaza technology as we saw the name, "DePatie," painted on the wall. What we didn't expect was that there was an old room that was unopened as I walked towards it the moment it turned on to scan me, for it knew that I would be there.
"Enter retinal scan," said a computer voice as it scanned me thoroughly. "Retinal scan approved. Greetings, Sam Winchester; you now have access to our codex laboratory."
The door opened as we went inside to find something a little more ominous that lurked in the vast room. I noticed something on the ceiling as it was spawning treasure boxes in which I found them to be mimics that were being generated, for this was a monstrous creature that needed to be stopped before things got out of hand. Even though I didn't have weapons, I had my silver hair that was useful as I also had to protect Sona and Shayla from what was there in the room in which it began to look everywhere in the room with its grotesque head. I also had to do my part in watching out for suspicious treasure boxes as they were mainly mimics that would entice their greedy victims before they kill them, for they were also the worst and the trickiest monsters in the lore indeed.
"So, we found a mimic queen in this room," I said as I used my silver hair to morph into blades.
"It looks like an anus," said Sona as she saw it what it was.
"You and Shayla need to get out of here, okay?" Sona nods as she wheels Shayla out of the room and away from the chaos. "It's fleeting that you've been hidden here…," I see a tulpa painted on the ceiling as I used my raw power to destroy it. "...but you can't be here forever!"
I saw the mimic queen beginning to churn out more treasure boxes as they opened up their jaws the moment they were ready to attack me. I had to stand my ground as I saw them coming towards me until I heard footsteps rapidly approaching. To my surprise, I noticed Castiel and Guido standing their ground as they killed some of the mimics that were coming towards me. With Cletus and Joaquin coming in last, they spotted the mimic queen on the ceiling as they had their weapons at the ready. It was at that moment when I spotted a weak point on the mimic queen as it was directly where it was churning out the infamous treasure boxes. I was ready to stop it as I later noticed Castiel radiating with more than just his angelic aura. The right arm imbued with raw power began to glow more intensely as he was more than likely to be assisting me with stopping the mimic queen once and for all.
"What are they doing?!" yelled Guido as he spotted us targeting the mimic queen's weak point.
"They're there to stop the mimic queen," said Joaquin.
"What are they gonna do to it? Give it a jumbo enema or something?"
"They're gonna do a hell of a lot more than just give it a jumbo enema," said Cletus as he saw several more mimics opening their mouths. "Okay, you walking Cracker Jack boxes, let's dance!"
Everyone in the room began to take out some of the mimic boxes as Castiel and I used our powers to destroy the mimic queen that was attached to the ceiling. The combined efforts that we had ended up puncturing the creature as it shrieked loudly the moment it exploded while turning to ashes. With the threat gone, we noticed the rest of the mimics turning into ashes as Cletus and the others finished off the rest in which the room was now safe to navigate in.
"Parece que hasta ahora todo lo que acaba bien esta bien," said Joaquin in Spanish as he put away his weapons. "Los imitadores son criaturas tan volubles a veces."
"They are fickle creatures, but they're also a nuisance," I said as I began to feel dizzy after I used my raw power earlier. "I never expected to find a mimic queen hiding in a codex lab of an old Draaza ship before until now. Still, we fought the threat, but there will be more than just a report on the horizon in which the Order's higher-ups will see this mess once we reach topside. As for this city's future, we should exercise caution before exploring more of the waterways."
"With the threat gone, there's gonna be a whole lot of butt jokes after this," said Guido as he put away his knife. "As for the monsters that lurked everywhere below…," He sees some leftover gold rocks and pearls scattered all over the floor as he picked a few of them up. "...They gave us a quick reward after dealing with those treasure boxes with teeth."
"That's a relief… This isn't the first time that a monster housed itself in a Draaza ship in which I stopped one in the Clampett. As for the mimic queen that we destroyed in the DePatie, it was generated by a tulpa that I erased from the wall earlier."
It wasn't long until Sona rushed towards me as she was accompanied by members of the Order coming into the DePatie while assessing what was going on. We never expected them to show up early as they noticed the evidence where the mimic queen was lurking earlier the moment they collected it. Even though the worst was over, I had to search for what was in that room, but I didn't have the energy the moment I felt my knees buckling, for this wasn't my day to be exhausted after what occurred.
"Dude, you okay?" asked Guido as he saw me on the floor.
"I'm fine," I said as I was struggling to maintain my balance
"No, you're not," said Castiel cautiously. "You need to return topside to your room and get some rest. It's best that you do after all."
"What about this room?"
"We've got this, amigo," said Joaquin. "Besides, you and your friend did help to give the mimic queen a jumbo enema earlier, didn't you?"
"He's right, Sam," said Cletus. "You and Castiel may have eliminated the threat of the mimic queen, you should also call it a night in which there would be further assessments in the city soon enough, for there are more hidden threats that are far more worse than the usual bread and butter most of us freelanced hunters are used to tracking down."
Both Castiel and I were escorted by everyone out of the room that was discovered in the DePatie as we were more than likely to be calling it a night. As for what was found after we vanquished the mimic queen, there would be more treasure coming as this was something that was hidden under Kolinahr for a long time, for we would soon explore it further once it was safe to do so…
Sona was waiting outside as she and Shayla were topside while sitting at a picnic table. Even though they were waiting for me, they never expected Carly and Kanna to spot them the moment Sona would end up getting scolded afterwards. When they saw Shayla there, they weren't afraid of her as they knew of what I went through while being in a wheelchair once. They knew of how I spent days in one after I destroyed Project Amaterasu during the war as they also had sympathy for Shayla, for she was simply an innocent who was dealt a bad hand in life.
"We were worried about you!" yelled Kanna as she was not too happy with Sona running off earlier.
"Sorry, but I was caught up with seeing the banquet at the hotel," she said.
"You're lucky that Sam didn't scold you for staying behind, but you should at least try to catch up with us!"
"There's an old Draaza ship buried beneath the hotel known as the DePatie. Inside of the codex room was a monster that looked like an anus that pooped out treasure boxes with teeth."
"Where's Mr. Sam?" asked Carly.
"He went told us to get out of here when he went up against that thing. I hope that he gets rid of it before it poops out more treasure boxes with teeth…"
It wasn't long until everyone spotted me and Castiel being escorted by the hunting party as we would be taken somewhere. As for what happened afterwards, Sona was ready to go back downstairs to where the DePatie was, but was barred for now as she noticed the cleanup effort doing their work. It would take a few days to look into the old ship again, but for now, we had to follow protocol as the discovery of what was found had to be protected from the reach of the Zenith Vectors or anyone else who would go to great lengths to find and abuse what was there…
I was in a hospital room as I was laying in my bed after being examined and prodded earlier after destroying the mimic queen in the DePatie earlier. What I didn't expect was that Castiel was also there in the bed across from me as he was mainly eating his fair share of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were on a tray. After all that was said and done, we were no strangers into dealing with walking treasure boxes with teeth as we ended that was embedded in that room in the DePatie. As for my own predicament, I was mainly having my own breakfast as it consisted of the usual Peruvian tamales wrapped in banana leaves as I started to eat at one of them. What I didn't expect was that the food wasn't from the hotel or from Lyra's homestead as I later noticed Kanna enter into the room, for she was mainly stuck here in this city, but not without finding Sona first.
"The food's good," I said.
"It's a good thing that I found that cookbook at the villa just to make the tamales," said Kanna.
"I'm glad that you stuck around, but you could've given Castiel some…"
"I'm fine with the PB ," he said as he finished off what he had. "The one who made them toasted them on whole wheat bread in which they are unlike any other peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I ate."
"Sona made them," said Kanna. "She knows how to toast things in which during our way to this planetary system, my Aunt Sadritha left behind an old George Foreman grill in which Sona knew how to make toasted things, especially peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
It wasn't long until Reuben arrived on schedule as we saw Kanna leave the hospital room. He had mixed news for us as he was also not too happy with the conditions all over Kolinahr as a whole in which I knew of his expression very well. He was standing there with a file in his hands as he was shaking with both fear and rage the moment he was there to give us the news that was left on the back burner for far too long, for this was a dirty little secret that had to be solved at this time.
"You don't look too happy, do you?" said Castiel as he saw Reuben looking at the file.
"The conditions at those halfway houses are vile," he said as he stood firm. "Even though most of the Emperors from previous years have taken care of it, the Overseer made it difficult for the likes of the ones that followed to stand back by using coercion and fear to keep them away. The only one who stood up to them in the past was Emperor Todd, who burst here to whisk away the Dowager Empress Sayaka after being disowned by her family. Since then, the Overseer and her orderlies have made it clear to keep the Imperium away from Kolinahr because of the fact that they were doing more than just house the disabled in those deplorable hellholes."
"They did have power, but ended up crippled the moment that the Executive Division decided to invade the city," I said.
"For years, Kolinahr was a tourist attraction until the Overseer made it her own personal asylum when she moved in during the reign of Emperor Esteban during the war between the Oranges and the Blues. When Emperor Todd came here after his death to take Sayaka away, he made a promise to come here and topple the overlords who kept Kolinahr isolated."
"He may not have lived long to see it, but the current Emperor finally put his foot down in which no one would have to look over their shoulder to see an orderly watching them."
"I despise them for not having a shred of empathy in which they act like what your past self went through without a soul. As for the situation regarding the halfway houses that kept the disabled in their place, it wasn't about just giving them shelter, but they were subjected to much worse when it came to some of them being used as guinea pigs for their experiments. Shayla was one of the lucky ones in which Mauricio decided to come here and take her to his homestead in which he never gotten along with his uncle until he noticed how the orderlies operated when they came to attack him and steal Shayla for their twisted experiments. That was when Gonzalo caught them in the act the moment he protected the disabled Half-Elf from further degradation in which he's already made up for his past mistakes. He even told me about how the orderlies threatened to blackmail him into submission, but he didn't budge this time after the attack from the Executive Division at the time. He also told me how some of the orderlies were talking about how they wanted to violate crippled people like Shayla because they 'didn't have a voice' in which it disgusts me the most."
I saw Reuben give me the file as I read at what was found in which the conditions of those halfway houses were more like prisons than places that were meant to have the disabled thrive at their own pace. The places themselves were more like Helgaard Citadel on Efrafa as I saw the various reports that were filed to the brim. When I saw the report on Shayla, she was subjected to emotional torture when it came to her having her books and writing material taken away if she "didn't cooperate" with the orderlies who watched over her for years. Still, I was glad that Gonzalo stepped up to protect Shayla as he was someone who reached out instead of ignoring what was going on around him, for this was his true redemption after all.
"Gonzalo already paid for his mistakes in the past, but it'll take more courage to protect Shayla from those who want her broken and dead," I said.
"There's also the factor of Iago and Desdemona to think about," said Castiel cautiously.
"From what was spotted, both of them have turned up in several locations," said Reuben. "It's been like this since Dean ascended to the throne after we flushed them out of power on Alecrast. They're biding their time while dealing with the hellhounds who still go after them since their father made that demon deal that sealed their fate until they go straight down below. As for the one that Iago sired through violent means, she's staying here with the real family that mattered and Gonzalo will be her guardian."
"Lyra and Mauricio won't be happy about this news," I said.
"I already told them when I called them. As for Gonzalo's reasons to have here at his place, he's also running for a position as this city's first mayor with Emperor Florian's approval."
I saw Reuben fish out a document as he handed it to me. It was a certification of approval as it was stamped with the Imperium seal at the bottom in which it was proof of the change that was needed. When I got up from my hospital bed, I looked out the window as I spotted Gonzalo outside helping some of the disabled who were trying new ways and means in which some of them were taking up knitting. And then, I saw the pieces falling into place as I knew who ended up teaching Shayla how to knit, for there was a hint of hope coming to Kolinahr after all. Just as I was about to get back into my bed, I saw Guido bursting into the room as he was holding a letter in his hands, for this was some bad news coming without warning.
"This came in for you," he said as he was exhausted from running while he gave me the letter.
"It's from Bruce," I said as I read it. "It's urgent, but the usual suspects have made landfall here on Valinor as we speak."
"They're persistent, but from what you told me, they display a very short fuse everywhere they go. According to some of the locals, they had close ties with the Beauchamps and Tremaynes, but those bridges have been burned because of the failed isolation attempt on their homeworld."
"Iago and Desdemona may have called the shots, but we can't let our guard down. We can't let them near where we are despite the fact that they have visited many parts of this planet, including Skald Island. For years, I never expected my family to be part of Alecrian royalty, but I never talked about it until now. With Dean being the new Alecrian Emperor, he'll probably have a way of dealing with problems both civil and scary. He was part of the Hunter Corps as the captain of the seventh squad, but he chose Desna as his successor the moment he took it up. Still, we have to be sharp if we're dealing with the quiet wrath of House Arkhelios after so many years of keeping the wool over the eyes of the public."
"And yet, they continue to keep tabs on you just to prevent you from bringing the stragglers from the Alecrian royal family back into power. This isn't over, but we can't just sit on the sidelines. They're afraid of the resurgence of the Alecrian royal family 'cause they've overstepped their boundaries for far too long. Everyone says that the path to total bliss is often the thorniest, but we went through a path of water lilies when it came to dealing with a bunch of walking treasure boxes with teeth like flesh-eating piranhas. As for the path of what's yet to come, there's gonna be one hell of—"
BOOM!
Without warning, we saw a bolt of lightning strike Guido as he was reeling from the shock of it while the effects of it shattered the windows of the hospital room. When he got up, he was noticing the hidden messages in Enochian embedded in the walls as he was translating them with what was given to him, for he was in for what was in store for him.
"'The silver dragons have awakened?'" he said as he translated what he saw. "'The usurpers are coming, for their retaliation is slow and swift in a white veil?' What the fuck is all this?"
"Are you alright?" asked Reuben as he saw Guido holding onto the bed while standing up.
"Yeah, but there's gonna be one hell of a shit show coming and not stopping. Iago and Desdemona aren't just playing possum, they want more power beyond their means in which they want a lot more than just Alecrast." Guido's eyes flash with lightning briefly as he was struggling to keep maintain his balance. "Those two batshit Karens aren't just staying in power in the veil of an eternal winter…, for they are the eternal winter!"
I was in shock as I had a gut feeling that this wasn't over. The battle against Iago and Desdemona was just the tipping point of what was yet to come as I had to prepare for the worst, for the true fight for freedom was already beginning as we speak…
To be continued...