• “Blaise,” Selwyn said softly, touching his shoulder. He opened his pale green eyes to see the face of his older sister gazing at him sternly. Her veil of light blonde hair nearly covered her serious face as she spoke to him. “It has finally happened. The Awakened…she’s been found.” Taking his hand, Selwyn closed her shimmering jade eyes and teleported him to the Portal of Summoning.

    Standing on the edge of the circle, Blaise noticed two sentinels, Varian, the tall, dark and stoic guard, and Beryl, the light-brown haired, grinning boy. Selwyn stood next to the oracles, Axelia and Astra. Everyone was silent. The High Priest was gazing gravely at the two girls who were holding hands. Their eyes were closed and their lips were moving as if whispering a silent chant that only they could hear.

    “They’ve found the Awakened. It’s a girl, seventeen years old, who’s just been released from her human shell,” he informed Blaise. The blonde boy looked puzzled for a moment. Why did it concern him? Blaise had assumed that they would send their best scouts to find and capture the Awakened. Why had they summoned him here?

    Selwyn, still holding his hand, led him to where Axelia and Astra stood. They opened their eyes simultaneously and smirked at him. Axelia brushed her blonde curls from her face and gave Blaise a wolfish grin.

    “We have located the Awakened. And the High Priest has formed a team to capture and persuade her to join our side. You, Blaise Lambert, will be leading the team,” she notified him and then turned to Varian and Beryl. “Your teammates, Varian and Beryl of the Dusk Watchers, will be accompanying you as you collect the Awakened.”

    “You mean to tell me that I—we have to bring the Awakened here?”

    “Are you mad?” Astra cut in. “Of course not. You’ll take her to a secluded place we have already decided, and will be protecting her.”

    “Why do you need me then? There are much more—”

    “Because, Blaise,” Axelia smirked. “You are her guardian.”

    ~*~


    One. Two. Three. Four…

    How long had it been? She couldn’t seem to get past the number six every time she began to count the soft explosion of hot air from her mouth. She couldn’t remember anything other than breathing. It was like all she had ever done her entire life; just breathing. Unable to see her body, all she could do was count.

    White. Everything was pure white. Not a blinding white, but enough to cover everything in sight. It was like floating in space, except space was emptier and blank. There was nothing. And it was driving her crazy. Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest and there was a slight ringing in her ears. She felt like crying, but she didn’t know if she even could. Her mouth was dry and her throat felt raw. Every breath she took just made it much worse. The rest of her body was numb; unable to move.

    “Help me…” she was finally able to whisper, though it felt as if her throat were so dry the slightest of words would make it crumble like old pottery.

    ‘Alyssa?’ A new voice whispered; it was soft but deep, silken and beautiful. It belonged to a male, a young man perhaps, fresh from his teen years. It resonated around her, surrounding her. The voice was everywhere, but seemed to be focused on one point at the same time. ‘Alyssa, you have to listen to me. You’ve died.’

    Well, that was unpleasant. Alyssa Summerlin didn’t know what to think. Died? No, that didn’t seem possible. It just sounded…insane. But, she was surrounded by voices and an abyss of nothingness, so she had no choice but to believe it.

    “I have not,” she replied, defiantly. It couldn’t be true. “Who are you?”

    ‘I’m your guardian angel. Would I lie to you? Now, listen to me very closely,’ the voice requested. ‘I’m going to bring you back.’

    “Back to what?”

    ‘Life. But you won’t be yourself anymore. You’ll be someone new.’
    "How did I die?" She asked.

    ‘I can’t tell you that. You have to find it out on your own. I’m going to give you a new body. Trust me, Alyssa, I’ll keep you safe.’

    Alyssa didn’t know how to reply. She wanted to trust this voice, but she didn’t know who, or what, it belonged to. Her heart had stopped racing and she felt calm, calmer than she had while she was counting. Her gut feeling told her that she could trust him. Sighing, Alyssa relaxed and waited…waited…waited for him to speak again.

    “Angel?” She asked quietly after a while.

    ‘I’m right here. I’m almost done, be patient,’ the voice requested softly. It was gentle and loving. And most of all patient. It soothed Alyssa, her panic residing. She felt she could trust this angel completely.

    A bright flash of purple light temporarily blinded her. It felt as if she was being pulled away from her body. Whatever was holding her down; she was being released from it. It was surprising and took her breath away, thought it didn’t hurt at all. And suddenly, she could see everything again.

    Fire was the first thing she saw, the first thing she longed for. Glancing down, she understood why: Alyssa was completely naked. Her pale, porcelain skin contrasted greatly with the shiny dark wooden floors. There wasn’t a scratch or bruise on her body. Long and straight charcoal colored hair cascaded down past her shoulders, covering most of her breasts. Goosebumps rippled across her flesh as shivers began to rack her body. She had never been so cold in her life.

    She began to crawl towards the fire when she realized she was not alone. Standing in the far corner, not staring at her nakedness but watching her carefully, was a tall, good-looking man with short, spiky black hair and piercing auburn eyes. His muscled arms were crossed over his chest. Next to him was a short, but still good-looking boy who looked a few years younger than the tall man. He hair pale brown hair and smiling gray eyes. He leaned against the wall, grinning at her with a friendly smile.

    “Alyssa?” a voice—the voice—sounded from behind her. She slowly turned her head to look at him. Her breath was taken away. Standing before her was a guy, who didn’t look much older than nineteen, with silken blonde hair falling over his face. His glacier green eyes locked with hers. Reaching out to her, he knelt down and brushed a strand of black hair from her face, not breaking eye contact.

    “An…angel,” she whispered, unable to think clearly. The boy smiled.

    “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he beamed, helping her to her feet. She was inches shorter than he was. She was at least 5’6. “Close your eyes,” he whispered, pulling her close but not touching her body. She did as she was told, and received a kiss on the top of her head.

    Alyssa opened her eyes again. She was clothed, wrapped in an elegant, yet simple, white dress that brushed against the floor. It hugged every curve in her body. She smiled as she looked down at her dress, and then looked back up at her angel. He chuckled softly and took her hand, turning her around.

    “I’d like to introduce you to everyone. My name is Blaise Lambert.” He told her, and then pointed to the dark haired man. “That is Varian,” he explained, then gestured to the brunette. “And that is Beryl. They’re part of the Dusk Watchers. It’s an organization back on Kyrios. They protect all the angels.”

    “Kyrios?” Her thin eyebrows knitted together and a look of confusion spread across her face. “I’ve never heard of it.”

    “Of course not,” Varian spoke up. His voice was deep and grave, though it gave Alyssa no sense of danger. He sounded like a stern, strict man; someone straight out of the marines. He and Beryl took a few steps forward, sitting down on the crimson couches near the fire place. Beryl gestured for them to take a seat as well. Blaise and Alyssa took their places on the opposite couch. “You were human before you died. Most humans don’t know of Kyrios.”

    Beryl nodded and crossed his arms behind his head. “Do you remember anything?” His silver eyes were aglow with curiosity. He reminded Alyssa of a small, eccentric puppy. “I mean, anything about your old life? Or anything while you were in Argos?”

    “What’s Ar—”

    “The in-between world. It’s not like Kyrios, Kairos, or Daimos. It’s like…oh, you humans call it Limbo, or something like that. I’ve heard it’s just an abyss. Do you remember what it’s like?” Alyssa smiled at his excitement.

    “Uh, it’s white…and boring…and white. Very white.” She said, not sure of what kind of answer he was looking for. His puzzled and disappointed look told her that her answer was the wrong one. “I didn’t have a body there. But something was holding me down. And when Blaise gave me this body, whatever was holding me down went away.”

    She paused. They were all staring at her, intently. A slow grin spread across Beryl’s face. His eyes lit up with excitement as he shook Varian’s arm roughly.

    “Do you know what this means? She really is the Awakened!” He cheered.

    “Well of course she is. You know the oracles are never wrong.” Varian spoke up, boredom thick in his voice. “But, now we have to figure out what to do with her until the oracles tell us where to take her.”

    “Whoa, whoa, whoa…what are you talking about?” Alyssa finally spoke up.

    It wasn’t making any sense to her. She knew nothing about oracles, other worlds, and angels. She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. Though she couldn’t remember anything before Argos, she knew that she was new to this world.

    “Guys, calm down,” Blaise said smoothly. His gentle eyes were on Alyssa. His fingers were intertwined with hers. He gave her hand a small squeeze to let her know it was okay. He was going to explain everything to her in no time. “You’re just going to confuse her. I’m sure this is a lot for her to take in. Especially since she did die this morning. Go find her something to eat for lunch and I’ll explain everything to her.”

    Varian and Beryl nodded. They stood up and exited the room. Alyssa and Blaise were left alone in the dark, warm room. The walls were a deep purple, making it seem even darker than it already was. The only source of light in the room was coming from crackling fire place. Blaise sighed and leaned forward, giving Alyssa a tired smile.

    “I guess I should explain why you’re here first.” He began, turning his body to face her. “I am and angel of Kyrios, a guardian angel. A few thousand years ago, an angel got into some serious trouble. He stole from the oracles—that’s our sight seers, they know the future—and would not admit to it. He was banished from Kyrios and sent to Kairos, the land of the demons. Angry that he was expelled, the fallen angel teamed up with Lucien, the soul collector of Kairos, and plotted the downfall of the angels.”

    He paused. Alyssa was listening closely. Blaise assumed she was finding it hard to believe the world of angels and demons existed. Especially so close to the human’s world. But he had to tell her. Otherwise, if any demon found her, they could easily persuade her. Demons were the master of seduction and trickery.

    “The demons are very bad, Alyssa. They’re all murderers and pure evil. The demons we’re dealing with won’t stop until every last civilization in Kyrios is burned to the ground. And after that…they’ll start in the human world.” He told her. His high-spirited grin was gone, replaced with a grave look. “It will mean the end of the world as we know it.”

    “And…what does that have to do with me?” She asked slowly, searching his light green eyes for a sign that she was here by accident. There was none. Alyssa feared the worse.

    “You’re the Awakened, the soul we’ve been looking for. Only you have the power to stop the demons from overtaking the worlds.” He explained carefully. Alyssa only shook her head in disbelief. There was no way she was going to save the world, especially since she knew nothing about the worlds she was saving.

    “I can’t…I can’t be…” she whispered, staring straight at the floor.

    “You are. I know it’s hard to believe,” Blaise whispered back, brushing her cheek and turning her to look at him. “You do trust me, right?”

    Everything he did was so gentle it was hard to believe that he was saying something so dire. His languid movements and confidence was overwhelming. Alyssa tried not to look at him for too long. His warm, loving eyes still scorched her though.

    “Yes, of course I do…but…” There was nothing she could say. “I don’t even know what I have to do as the Awakened. I just…I can’t save anyone.”

    “Your powers will unfold soon enough. We just have to break the seal that is binding your powers inside of you.” He told her.

    “And…how is that done?”

    Uncertainty overrode his confidence. “Uh, well I’m not exactly sure. But we’ll find out soon enough. I’m going to go speak with Varian and Beryl for a moment. I’ll be right back.” He told her, unraveling his hand from hers as he stood up.

    As he approached the door, he turned back to her and gave her a tender smile. Alyssa couldn’t help but grin at him before he left. She buried her face into her hands once she was gone, sighing.

    The Awakened … she thought.

    ~*~

    “Stryker!” Lucien roared. His anger overwhelmed the demons skittering around his gold and crimson, elegant throne. Fire hissed and flared, touching the ceiling and scorching the room around him. Rage and hatred spilled from him. “Stryker! Show yourself,” he growled his commands.

    Kneeling before his master, Kaden Stryker bowed his head and stared downwards. His black hair hung down into his piercing blue eyes as he glared at the floor. Wearing nothing but faded blue jeans and three crimson studs in his ear, Kaden waited for a command. He had become so accustomed to waiting hand and foot on Lucien the past thousand years that he didn’t flinch when his master summoned him.

    “Yes, master,” he spoke softly, careful not to upset his lord any more.

    “I have spoken with the oracles of Kairos. They have told me that the Awakened has been found!” His voice had quieted down, but was still powerful and strong. His searing green eyes narrowed as he spoke to Kaden. “But the angels of Kyrios have already made contact with the Awakened. Seek out the Awakened and kill all of the angels surrounding. It will be hard but I know you can do it.”

    “Right away, master,” Kaden spoke. He cried out in pain as his black leathery wings erupted from his back, spraying the surrounding area with blood. He leapt up, taking flight as he soared to the Portal of Summoning. His beaten blue eyes narrowed though he grinned wickedly. Kaden licked his lips hungrily.

    Finally, he could take revenge on the angels that had done him wrong.