Chapter 43 - Eternals
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Chapter 43 - Eternals
Micheal POV
Preset time -
The werewolves argue amongst themselves about what to do next. I'm partly bored but mostly amused that they're even trying to understand what they clearly cannot. I've seen this day unfold a hundred times and it always ends with the Eternal ending all of their lives. Dark matter stems from quantum chaos after all; the unpredictability of such a disorderly source makes the power problematic to control. I have no qualms with the werewolves meeting their end, but their deaths will be the catalyst that will start the war. I have no interest in starting that just yet.
The paradox I'm presented now is, her death will ensure the victory of the Light. I think about the ramifications of this. Such actions will surely mean excommunication or possibly my end. It will win the battle, but I won't be around to witness if the war will be won. Ultimately, her existence does not equate to an unbalance, so killing her isn't really an option.
The key to this conundrum is the Lycan prince. But first I have to be sure about the Eternal girl.
"Excuse me, Mr. Michael—" the Alpha called Dameon is approaching me.
"Whatever you are about to say; I already know even before you speak." Not minding him, I continue my observation of the Eternal. Her appealing human visage certainly masks her true parentage.
She notices me scrutinize her. She pretends not to care, even looks away. But clearly she is piqued, because ever since we arrived I catch her when she glances my way. "Why won't you talk with me, Eternal?"
“Alexandra,” she corrects me. “You’ve been going on calling me 'Eternal' ever since you showed up. My name is Alexandra. If that's too long for you, you can call me Alex or Lexie. But you have to ask for his permission if you want to use the latter." She tilts her head up to point to the second Alpha.
She's right, I should call her what she is known. Eventually. But not just yet. For now she remains as the Eternal. Certainly not the ridiculous name that the witches call her. The Egyptian name, Nephthys, surely has the desired effect. Those demon worshippers always fabricate different names for old gods, always to further their cause, to hold power over people in whatever region of the world they are in and in whatever time. And why is it always related to death?
"Uhm. I'm still here?" the one called Dameon is getting annoyed that I have not acknowledged his presence. He snaps his fingers to get my attention.
"I cannot presume to tell you what you should do next. Whatever actions you take will have the same results every time, anyway. By the time I finish this statement, you still won't believe me because you still do not trust me. Under the influence of dark matter, you will challenge the Lycan prince, which will upset the Eternal, causing her to manifest her powers, ending both your lives in the process. We cannot risk that this early, her use of dark matter will not go unnoticed by Lucifer. As soon as he learns of her location, he will come and take her. War will begin, and the age of man will come to its end." I shake my head.
The Alpha raises his palms up in mock surrender. “Jeez. And I thought Xavier was incapable of small talk. I'm sorry if we seem so insignificant in your eyes, you must be getting bored." He sinks into one of the seats.
I turn my attention to him. "Be grateful that your kind have not felt the wrath of the Light. You werewolves have forgotten your sacred charge, believe in false gods, and stopped learning about your ancients."
“Micheal,” Ah. The Eternal finally acknowledges me. “You have to forgive all of us. We don't mean to sound so dumb. You have to consider, it hasn't even been a week that we all have to come to grips with witches and demons."
“I understand, more than you know. Trust me, this would be far worse for humans to comprehend. I remember the time that I whispered in Vincent's ear. He thought he needed to cut off his ear to stop hearing my voice. Everybody thought he was hallucinating."
“Vincent—Van Gogh?” She stares at me with quizzing eyes.
“Yes, I thought you would catch the reference. What with your interest in the human arts. Why, is there another?"
She opens her mouth to say, "oh," but I follow up with a question.
"Doesn't any of this upset you? You only knew the existence of werewolves six months ago, yet you are here, quietly taking all of this very composed."
She shrugs her shoulders in naiveté.
"I've spent the first of this boring afternoon explaining what I was, and my purpose. What Lucifer was after," I point a finger at her. "And the war between the Light and the Darkness. I've also revealed to them the existence of nonpareils and the other worlds, although merely in passing—it's a new concept that because of your worldly limitations is difficult to swallow—especially since werewolves have always thought they were superior than humans. The realization that they are mundane to nonpareil eyes must be so unfamiliar."
"I suppose so." She wraps the blanket around her. I doubt she was feeling cold. The temperature has not changed. Nonpareils of the Light have always had effects on the environment that causes comfort for the mortals. Maybe that's why they like praying to us.
"Knowing what I am, you have probably deduced my purpose. So I will acknowledge what you're thinking: Whichever way our paths lead to, I must see to your death before the war begins. Are you not bothered by this?" the Eternal seems unfazed.
"I've always felt there was something else, something more than this world. I don't know if it's because my abusive childhood has forced me to always hope for more, but now I guess I was right." She turns her gaze to me.
"And as for you killing me—is that sooner, or eventually? Whenever it is—let's just say you're not the first. I've always had someone who wanted to kill me. Death has always been at my doorstep. So many times I've tried to take my own life. So no, I'm not bothered."
"Ah..."
"Where you there?" She looks at me questioningly.
"Yes, I saw. But no, if you're suggesting that it was I who was bringing you closer to death." She looked dismayed with my answer.
"Then why are you intervening now? If it's not to kill me?"
"You're still very much alive, aren't you? The killing won't happen until much later." Both Alphas let out a low growl.
I raise my index finger to quiet them. "Let's just say I am intrigued by you. You see, I have only ever met an Eternal once, before."
"What are Eternals, exactly?"
"You will not understand."
"Try me?" She looks at me a slanted eyebrow.
"Very well."
I hold her hand in between my palms, and as I do the room turns dark, and we become observers to the birth of the Universe.
"Before the universe that you can perceive, only a single cosmos exists. Space and time do not have meaning because here, they are one and the same. The two prime elements; matter and dark matter existed in infinite amounts in a point of singularity.
"The density of the infinite expanded that single cosmos infinitely, creating multiple universes, and the resulting energy from the release of matter formed the subatomic particles, and later atoms. Energy from matter created the whole spectrum of light. Giant clouds of these primordial elements—hydrogen, helium and lithium—later coalesced through gravity, forming early stars, the galaxies and the planets.
"In that same release of energy, dark matter assured chaos and destruction. Dark matter deforms space and time with such gravity that no particles, not even light, can escape from it. These masses in space are what you have come to know as black holes.
"The God of Light emerged from creation. The Godess of Darkness from chaos. From their union emerged us, the nonpareils."
"As you can tell, your father takes after the Godess."
I let go of her hand and we're back in the room. She sucks in air, hyperventilating from our astral projection. "I'm sorry, I forget how your form needs Oxygen." She falls to her knees on the grass.
The Lycan prince and the Alpha werewolf runs to meet us. "Where the f**k did you take her?"
"Alex are you ok?" The Lycan prince goes by the eternal's side, "What did you do to her?"
"I merely showed her what she is. She wouldn't have comprehended if I only told her in words."
The Eternal lifts her hand. "I'm..." she takes another breath, "okay."
"Where did you go?" The Lycan prince asked.
"Space. Everywhere, nowhere. The beginning of time."
"What?" the Alpha blurts out.
"So .. what.. now?" She addresses me with her speech between breaths. She coughs with the effort of finally getting on her feet. "If you're not going to kill me, what now?
Surely whatever ward you placed to protect us here won't last forever?"
"No, it won't. You are correct."
"So I'll have to face Lucifer soon?"
"Yes."
"And when I face him, I kill them in the process?" She points to the Lycan Prince and the other Alpha.
"Eventually. You cannot control your powers. When you release dark matter, it will do his bidding, not yours."
"Can I learn to control it? Will it do what I tell it to do then?"
"Yes, you are Eternal, so you can. But you will have to unlearn what you know about control, because as you have seen, dark matter is a force of chaos."
"Teach me then."
How strange, I was not expecting that. "But I cannot intervene."
"You said it yourself, you are bound to kill me, which ever outcome happens, that's my end. So why not teach me how to control my powers, so I control the dark matter, not him. Maybe then this war will be prevented."
"I'll still have to kill you. Your existence may not be an unbalance, but allowing you to stay here with your powers realized is."
"Fine, I wont stop you when the time comes."
Both werewolves' stand with their jaw agape at our exchange.
Her consent to her death is another thing I didn't expect. Once she knows how to willfully use her powers, she can easily end my existence. If she allows me to kill her, the balance will be maintained.
"Why should I do it?" I ask her.
"Think of it as entertainment." She arches an eyebrow. "You've done nothing but have long conversations with yourself in your head the entire time I've known you. You're so bored that you can't even stand explaining things to us. You told me yourself that you intervene when absolutely necessary. Just like when you friended Van Gogh. Either way, you still get to end me."
I walk towards her slowly, ignoring the werewolves who are obviously upset about the whole interaction. I look down on her, and notice for the first time how she takes after the perfect symmetry of my brother. I think I'm beginning to appreciate beauty.
I brush her hair behind her ear, and put my arms around her back. "Okay. Let's begin."
With that, we launch together to the sky.
- Writer
