Beyond The Dead

The New Light

Salina's POV 1 hour ago

We landed a few minutes ago, and my warriors got to work clearing the landing strip, so we had a clear takeoff later. Adkin had just returned to announce the clearing while I finished loading the vehicles with all our supplies for the trip. The sun will be setting in 2 hours. I sent a text to Rosi letting her know we would be there soon when a warrior came bursting in. "The underground is swarmed! We.. we lost Jonathan.. We will have to leave during the day tomorrow and lock things up tightly before we leave," he said in a single breath, then gasped for air. I was shaking now and beyond pissed off that we lost a warrior already. I shook my head, taking a deep breath, "Is his body recoverable?" The warrior nodded, and two more warriors came holding his lifeless body under a sheet. I nodded again and said, "Put him down below in the freeze storage until we get back. I will inform his wife and children." My heart aches for our pack and his family. Any loss hurts us all.

"Alright, let's head out! I need you to all be on high alert when we go under a few tree canopies," I said as I turned to grab my gun. They all scattered to do their jobs and finally we were leaving. Under the first tree canopy, we had our lights on prepared to have a battle just in case. However, the entire ride was oddly smooth. I started to get an uneasy feeling as we set up in the clearing by the lake. "Something feels off," Adkin voiced my exact feelings. "Yeah, I feel it too," I sighed and continued louder, "let's make sure we have all the lights aiming into the woods away from the center! She needs to be bathed in the moonlight," I shouted as we continued. At that moment, Rosi showed up with a truck full of Lycans, and that instantly put us on edge. However, as soon as she stepped out, my breath caught. She looked like a goddess with her mother's dress on. Then she was running to me.

Rosi's POV

I told my mate and his friends to wait, and I ran to hug my friend. She was still as stunning as I remembered with her short emerald hair and honey golden eyes. "Oh, I missed you," I said, letting her go and standing back, "The lycans I brought are friends, and I have to tell you the best news!" She raised an eyebrow, and then her eyes went wide as she saw the sparkle in my eyes. "Him?!" She asked, pointing at Z sitting in the driver's seat. I nodded my head frantically, and she squealed with me and hugged me again. "Oh, careful, this dress is quite old," I said, standing back again. Celestials live the longest in the world.

My mother was 18 when she got her powers, of course, but she was 132 when she had me. I said a bit about my mom, but she was really incredible! Curing mental diseases like p********a and psychosis in murderers. She made the world a much more peaceful place when she was alive. My heart aches slightly, remembering all she had done for this world, only to be taken out by a monster.

"Let's get to work, boys," I shouted to the Lycans waiting for me. Z immediately came to my side and awaited directions for his men. "I need the smallest crystal to the north and the other three from the south, east, and west," I said as his men carried giant crystals out from the truck. I pulled a smaller crystal from my bag that represented Spirit for the middle of the circle and placed it in a bowl of moon water. The men placed each crystal where I directed. Aquamarine for water to the west, Pyrite for fire to the south, Tourmaline for air to the east, and Peridot for earth to the north. With each crystal taking place, I felt power swelling inside me. My body buzzed with energy as I leaned into Z. He kissed my head softly and wrapped a protective arm around me.

Seeing Lycans and Werewolves working together was a sight I welcomed. They all laughed and made merry while assisting me in setting the circle. The sun started to set, and we turned on all the large UV lights covering the forest around the circle. Everyone moved to stand outside the circle in the UV light with protective gear to prevent burns. Lycans can withstand high amounts of UV, and so they need no protective wear.

As the moon rises higher in the sky, I begin to tremble with anticipation. It took us one and a half hours to finish set up. I begin to light a candle placed in front of each crystal. First, the northern one with a green earth candle. Next, East with the white candle for air. Then, south with a red candle for fire. Next, the blue water candle for the south. Finally, I stood in the middle, with about 30 minutes left until midnight, I lit the purple spirit candle. and set it gently in the moon water next to the spirit clear quartz crystal. I began to dance around the large circle, a dance of old times we were taught growing up, and mom left a video for me and my sister.

We had practice every single day, and I will continue to do so until her coming of age. The dance is elegant and mesmerizing when done correctly. Absolutely made more stunning by the waves of the flowing dress. As I continue to dance, I hear a noise from somewhere far off that sent a chill down my spine. I continue to dance, never missing a step, and begin to glow under the moon's light. The noise, however, sounded again and much closer than before. I heard Z yell, "It's okay, we got this!" Comforting me immensely as I slowly began to dance into the air.

Z's POV

She looked absolutely stunning. The single most graceful and beautiful creature I have ever seen. We heard the noise again, and I snapped back to my surroundings, and my eyes almost popped out of my head. We were totally surrounded by the rotters, something my people referred to them as. Yet they did not move to attack. They stood just out of reach of the UV lights in every direction for miles. We all stood on guard, but snuck glances at each other to be sure we weren't going crazy. I look back to Rosi and see that she is almost done when all of a sudden, the creatures all scream at the top of their lungs and begin to fall to the ground. Some fell into the UV light range, and yet they didn't burn like usual.

I turned and looked to see a light coming from Rosi. I shield my eyes as she began to grow brighter than I could handle when there was a loud boom, making me cover my ears. Everything around was lit up with a blinding white like, and my head was spinning in pain. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then the world was dark, and I sunk deep into unconscious.

Rosi's POV

BOOM! Finally, I have broken the glass wall and embraced the goddess on the other side. She pat my head gently and then lifted my chin to look at her. I didn't even realize I was crying until she wiped my eyes. "My child, it is time, you know," her voice rang melodically in my hears. "I am your true mother, goddess of healing, Lilia. Your earth mother was a guardian sent to keep you safe. Now, you must know that you have a long journey ahead of you and you will meet many surprises when you leave here," she tells me and pauses so I nodded my head to assure her I'm listening. She continues, "First, your friends and mate are all safe. You are in the spirit realm where you were born, and you may not return here until you have reached 100 years old after tonight. Also, I have loved and been with you every single night, so you would keep strong. I will continue to visit you as well."

I sat down trying to absorb everything she told me, but the landscape was trying so hard to distract me. There are rows upon rows of fruits of all kinds growing around a rather large house made of white granite with golden accents. The fountain we sat by reflected everything with its clear blue color. Fish of different colors swam around inside, making the water almost glow. "So you are my mother, a goddess. Am I in danger?"

"Only if you are not careful, my child," she responded. "You can't tell me by chance can you," I asked, and she shook her head lightly. "All I can say is you will have many new powers, and you have very little time to master them. Healing will absolutely come more naturally as you have inherited your goddess power tonight. You will heal the world as we know it, but new dangers await," she spoke softly. "I am ready," I say as I give her one last big hug. "Will you return to the other side of the wall?" I question. "Yes, my child, but now you will hear me," she spoke smiling, then waved her hand as I was ripped back into my body.

When I opened my eyes, I sat up slowly from where I laid and stood to search my surroundings. All the lights had burst, and we had no UV protection, which terrified me. That's when I saw all of my friends and mate passed out. I ran to Z's side and saw he was indeed still breathing and almost seemed peacefully asleep. I let out a sigh of relief until I realized I was surrounded by bodies that I didn't recognize. One of them stood up, and I saw glowing pink eyes before it stepped closer to me. I immediately recognized her and ran as fast as I could. She held her arms out, and I gladly jumped into them.

"You did it, baby, you did it," she cooed softly as I cried. I stayed like that for a few minutes before finally pulling back to look at her. As I did, I also noticed others awakening around us. She had her perfect skin back and her beautiful golden hair. she looked like her again, but her eyes glowed an odd pink color. "I feel like I should be worried. Your eyes are pink," I said softly with a sniffle. "I feel different. Like I have new powers built up inside me," she said, looking at her hands and back at me. People were getting up left and right to return to their families and homes. All of them were confused and asking each other where they were. Thousands had gathered here, and now it saddened me to know some had to kill their loved ones before tonight. They were finally able to go home, and yet not everyone would. Some were scared that their loved ones would still be afraid.

I grabbed a mega phone from one of the supply trucks and announced our location and where to get resources for their journey ahead. Soon, the crowd had dwindled down to just a few hundred who were banded together to sleep until morning when they would head out as well. Z sat up, and I ran to him, "Are you hurt?" He shook his head, "the boom hurt, but other than that, I feel like I slept for a week." His stomach growled, and I laughed while getting up and pulling a sandwich from a bag I had in the car. "I brought food just in case," I said, handing the food and a water bottle to him. He ate like he hadn't eaten in days while I smiled softly.

Mom came to stand closer, and Z's fur bristled up on his arms. "It's okay. Mom with is Z, my mate. Z, this is my amazing mom," I smiled. Z's eyes went huge when he took in my mother, "Wasn't she a rotter?" I scrunched my nose at the word he used, "I prefer the word turned since most were loved ones," I said, "but yes, she was, and I cured her.. or at least I think I did." Mom nodded her head and stretched her hand out to Z, " I'm Belliana. You can call me mom, though." Z shakes her hand, "Zale, but I prefer Z. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Finally, the others began to awaken, and I used the megaphone to announce what had happened. Almost everyone erupted into cheers, but some cried for their loss again. We all began to pack up everything, and mom turned to me and said, "Let's go home." I was so excited to show Serenity mom and Jinx, her father. Her father lived far away and called her after he was bitten to say goodbye. He must be very excited to be alive and well again. We rushed to Jinx's house, and Serenity immediately ran into our mother's arms. "I was so scared when all of them started screaming. I thought they were all dying when they collapsed," she said through tears. "Mommy, I missed you so much, "she said, shaking. "Let's go home, baby," mom said as they climbed into the truck with my sister, not once letting go. "Jinx, try to contact your father," I said, and she beamed with excitement. "I am going to fly out there right now!" She screamed as she pulled me in for a hug and then ran to get her stuff. "See you later," I shouted after her.

As we returned home completely exhausted at this point, I collapsed onto my bed with Z snuggling me. Mom and my sister went to her old room and cleaned it before also going to sleep. It's nowing 4am and later I will start training and discovering all my new powers. I can feel we are not yet done here, and something would go wrong soon. I also plan to study mom and do as many tests on her that she'll allow. I suddenly had to go to the bathroom and almost screamed when I saw my reflection. My hair turned a silver/blue, making my emerald green eyes stand out even more. My eyes now have a slight glowing ring around the middle. I look like a true goddess now. Z walked up behind me and put his arms around my waist while bending to kiss my neck. I could smell his arousal and turned to meet his lips with mine. We spent the whole morning making love to cement our bond as mates. When we finally fell asleep, it was almost noon. Thankfully, my mom's room is upstairs and on the other side of the house.

When we woke up, it was 5 pm, and I was still exhausted, but I was starving as well. We wandered into the kitchen after sharing a sweet kiss and getting dressed. Now that we have made love, our mate bond was complete, and I felt every emotion he felt. This is why my mood this evening was fantastic. I bounced around cooking breakfast for dinner when my mom popped into the kitchen. She looked wired and somewhat uneasy. "Mom, what's wrong," I ask concern in my voice. "Oh, I can't stop hearing this buzzing noise in my ear," she said, rubbing her temples. My brow scrunched up, and Z followed. He stood across from the island while mom stood next to me, holding my gaze. "Did you get any rest," I ask. "Actually, I slept heavily and well, but when I woke, there was this damned buzzing," she said, shaking her head. "Hmm.. I would like to run some basic tests on you and maybe try some things. Can I see your head, please? " I ask. She bends a little, and I press my palm to her head softly. My hand begins to glow, and her face melts into one of pure bliss. "Better?" I ask. "Much," she responds. "Interesting, seems whatever it is my powers helped it," I spoke while flipping a pancake.

"Mmmmm, I smell food," Serenity said, skipping down the stairs. "Polish sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and fresh OJ," I said while flipping the last pancake. Lycans need a ton of food for all the energy they burn since they have high metabolisms.

"Mom, I'm so glad you're back. I need someone to train me," I said while getting plates for the food. "Of course," she smiled, "you'll have lots of new powers, and it looks like you've already honed your healing powers." I nodded my head, piling food onto a plate for Z and then one for me. "I'm excited and nervous. especially since I also need time to research you mama." Z stepped out to take a quick phone call and came back excited, "all the rot.. I mean, turned, " he corrected, "that we trapped are now well and rejoining our clan!" I smile, and he places a kiss on my forehead. I reach on my tippy toes and get a quick kiss, soliciting an "ew" from my sister and "aw" from my mom. "I'm going to run to the lab and conduct a few tests of my own while you eat," mom said. "You're not hungry," I ask, looking curiously. She shook her head, "I don't feel it right now. Probably all the adrenaline from being brought back or something," she answered. I shrugged and gave her a small hug before she left. We ate in peace, and then I joined her in the lab.

"I've done some blood work and discovered the virus is still there, but dormant," she shared her findings with me. "Fascinating, and do you feel anything new," I ask. She nodded and turned to her left, aiming her hand at a pen. The pen on the table began to levitate and float to her. "You have telekinesis," I exclaimed excitedly. "Wait, now I wonder if others have new abilities too. This could be what she meant by more dangerous. it's like your cells bonded with the virus rather than being attacked and taken over," I said, studying her eyes again. "I'm curious about this pink pigment all of your eyes have turned," I stated. She shivered and looked me in the eye, "what if this was indeed a curse from one of the gods. That would explain why you could only modify and not eradicate it." Her statement rang in my ears, making my head spin slightly. A god or goddess so pissed off it tried to rid the entire world of its dominant creature was not one I wanted to meet. "Also, I have been meaning to tell you that I know you didn't have me normally," I brought up carefully. She gaped and knew it was time, "You were a gift from the goddess of healing herself. I was the only vessel strong enough to carry you." I knew it! So she did birth me, just didn't conceive me. "Well, I'll ask my other mother if any gods have been causing problems," I yawned as if remembering how good my bed sounded right now.

Mom handed me a sample of her tissue she had taken as a biopsy from her inner lip. "Here," she said as I excitedly rushed it to a machine. "It will be a few hours for the rest of these results to come through," mom spoke, "let's begin your training." I jumped up from my seat and made my way to the armory with my mother in tow. "First, we must practice to see if you can use elements to do your bidding," she said, placing a chunk of rock in the middle of the floor. I concentrated with all my might, and soon the whole floor beneath the rock shook and started to split. I stopped and said, "Maybe we should do this outside." My mother's eyes were wide, "Yes, that's a good idea."

We entered the backyard, and I once again tried to focus on the rock and the ground around it suddenly lifted it up into the sky. "Oh my, you have a lot of training needed for how strong you are. Let's try water next," she said, turning on the garden hose. I lowered the ground back a little too far down, leaving a big indent in the yard. This one came smoother, though, and I was able to manipulate water into various shapes and stretch it thin easily. "Very good," mom said, turning off the hose, and then she gave me a lighter. I lit it, and immediately, my hand was engulfed on flame, but it did not burn me. I tried to grow the flame and accidentally shot a tree. Quickly, I pulled water from the lake and put out the fire. "Well, so far water is your strong suit, but you are able to control every element this far. Try to summon a gust of air," she said next. A large breeze walked into us so hard we both went flying a bit backward. "I think wind might be the hardest so far," I spoke softly, checking on my mom. "Yeah, that will be our first lesson for today then," she laughed, gently pushing me off.

We practiced for a couple of hours, and before we knew it, it was 8 pm. "Okay, let's call it a night," she said, jumping up and down clapping excited. I had managed to control a mini tornado in the palm of my hand now. Wind was a lit easier when my mom was teaching me. Wind was her element specifically and that helped a lot. Earth and Fire would be much more challenging for us both. "I have never heard of a celestial that could control all elements, so you have rare gifts," she said moving into the house. "Well I am a goddess descendent," I reminded her. She nodded thoughtfully, "Still my baby though." She squished me into a hug and we laughed. For now things were going well. I knew soon I would face new troubles and I need to be ready.