Jewel couldn't believe her ears.
She listened to each and every little detail her mother spoke of, and not once did it ever occur to her that her mother was the type to become hysterical during Death. She always was upbeat and happy.
Now that I think about it, it makes a lot more sense that she'd go crazy if someone close died in her arms, Jewel thought with a strange calmness.
"Wait, wait, wait. Mom, none of what you said makes any sense. A Priestess?"
"Yes," She nodded. "I know it's hard to believe, so I'll just be blunt. We come from a very long line of women with the ability to use the power of God's Grace. It's a special ability, like Magic if you want to call it that."
"And, what does it do?" Jewel kept her voice low, and tried to keep an open mind just in case her mother did something stupid.
"Purify, simply put. To combat the devilish creatures that may one day plague our world." She inhaled deeply. "We're not the only ones in the world, but we're one of the last groups in America. After the Witch Trials, things became progressively more difficult for us to move around and protect in secret. Thankfully we haven't had the need to step out of hiding." She looked down at Takabi's face. "Not until now."
Jewel bit her thumbnail, crossing her legs and replying with, "Okay. Say you're not crazy. How come I've never heard of this before from you? Or shown any sort of power like that."
"It only makes itself present in the face of great danger, Jewel. You've been living normally until now." She stood up and moved towards the back doors. Opening one, air swiftly entered the back of the Ambulance.
"What's going on back there," One of the paramedics screamed from the front.
"The door wasn't closed tightly! I got it!"
Before shutting it, she looked Jewel directly in the air. Raising her palm towards the clouds, a ball of pinkish purple light gathered in her palm before shooting off into the sky. There was a pause, before the sound of an explosion filled their ears. Rose closed the back doors and sat back in her previous spot, studying Jewel's expression.
"I… What…"
"That was God's Grace. Do you believe me now?"
Jewel bit her lip and looked at her own hands. "Can I… Do that too?"
"Yes. We can go over the fundamentals now if you want. I'd rather not think about how I got Takabi killed."
Jewel felt something in her twist. Nodding, she eyed her mother as she began speaking.
-------------------------------------------
His eyes opened quickly.
His body lay in the dark void, stiff and unable to move. He would flick his vision all around, surveying where he was and what was going on. All that met his gaze was the endless black that stretched on for an eternity.
There was no heat, there was no cold.
No pressure that held him in place, yet something kept him from even turning his head. The muscles in his body argued against the inputs of his brain. He could feel the electrical impulse rush through his muscle, yet all he could do was sit impatiently.
Not even his mouth could open, and his throat remained closed and tight.
No air came into his lungs, yet he felt no suffocation.
His mind began to race, thoughts running through his head a million miles a second.
Where was Nana? Was she okay? What about Rose, did he save her? Where was he, and what happened to his evil twin? Why was he stuck in a void of infinite nothingness and why couldn't move?
"Most would go insane by now."
A voice.
A single, womanly and heavenly voice greeted his ears.
Slowly, his body began to move forward, to what he assumed to be upwards, and he stopped in place. Something touched his feet, and he hoped it was the floor and not the inside of some monster's stomach.
His wishes were answered when a bright light began to emit in the distance, growing in size until it overtook him. His body was freed of whatever chains had him locked in place, and he shielded his eyes from the brightness.
When Takabi lowered his hand, he was standing in a vast green field. Above him was a clouded sky, filled with a blanket of vibrant stars that shone even amongst the light. All darkness had retreated into the shadow that stretched into the distance behind him, dark as tar.
Barefoot, confused and unsure of what was going on, he took a step forward, the grass crunching under his soles.
"It is truly amazing," His ears picked up moments later, "That you haven't gone insane. That's what I expect of my blood after all."
"Blood," Takabi repeated.
He stopped walking, turning around. A woman was sitting behind him at a wooden table. Her face was young, but it was very obvious that she was much older than she looked, given by her victorian clothing and old style bonnet on her head. Her clothes were all black and purple, which matched her eyes. White locks of hair dropped down at her sides and reached towards her back. Her skin was a lighter shade than Takabi's, and she held a small mug in her hands with steam rising from the center.
"Who are you? Where am I," He asked, looking all around.
"This place is Limbo. It's where dead souls come to remain if they have no true place to go." She took a sip of her drink, ignoring Takabi's shocked expression.
"I-I'm dead?" He asked, stuttering in disbelief.
"Yes, unfortunately. You mustn't worry yourself about it though, as it is only temporary." She placed her mug down, looking him in the eye.
"The hell do you mean don't worry?! I can't be dead, I have things I have to do!"
"Like what," She asked. "What is happening in your life right now, Young Man?"
He paused a minute, sticking his hands in his pockets. His attitude changed suddenly, as if he was extremely angry. "Why should I tell an old Hag like you? You're stuck in this damn place, so you must be dead too."
"Maybe, maybe not." She mused, smiling at him. "However, my situation is very different from yours. Just by looking at your eyes, I can tell you're still an incomplete person." She tapped her finger against one of her temples. "You lost your memory, correct?"
He didn't answer her, but his face confirmed her theory.
The woman stood from her place and walked towards him. She was a bit taller than he was, and he could tell that under her Victorian dress she had some muscles. Her appearance didn't match the side of herself she was hiding.
She was strong. That was a fact.
"A lot has happened since I've been gone, Takabi." She hugged him tightly, the boy's eyes widening at the sudden contact. "I've missed too much of my children's life. You've already become such a strong man."
"Children…" He pulled away from her, looking her directly in her eyes. An image rushed through his head.
A woman. The spitting image of the woman before him, dressed in a see through black shirt and dark jeans. By her right side was a younger version of him, and to her left was obviously a younger Kairas, his back turned to the two but a smile still present. As that image faded, so much more began to rush through his brain.
His first cut and how she treated his wound before it healed completely. The endless sparring between him and Kairas under his mother's guidance, with their father and sister laughing in the background. All of his missing childhood came fast and hard like a truck, and at first it felt overwhelming. When it started to slow down, he found himself in a house.
He looked around quickly, the sounds of angry screaming coming from downstairs. He moved towards the steps, peeking over the railing and blinking.
His mother was on the floor, her stomach opened with a fresh wound and his father standing over her, wiping the blood from his fingertips. He couldn't hear much of what was said, so he began to count the faces of the other men in the room before they began dragging his mother away.
"That was the shortened version of this night."
Takabi snapped his head back quickly to his mother, her face serious. She walked next to him and leaned over the railing. "I wanted nothing but the best for us. I wanted to prepare for change, and for you three to be free and make your own choices. Your father didn't like the idea of Fallen Angels roaming around without supervision, in case they lost control of themselves."
"I don't blame him," Takabi said, looking down. "I have lost control before. I killed multiple people, sometimes unaware and aware."
"I saw. I have been watching you most of the time. You made mistakes because we weren't there to continue raising you." Her voice faltered a bit as she placed a hand on his back. "Growing up alone, unaware of who you are or anything. It must've been terrifying."
"I guess. I have met people who helped me through tough times but…" He touched his heart. "The darkness inside is what I'm afraid of."
His mother walked around him and down the steps. He followed after her, rounding the corner and peaking into a room. Little him was standing between his siblings and their father. His eyes were glowing, hair was long and skin was pitch black. A violet aura emitted from his body, an intense heat rushing through the home before it all lit up with white, and they were back in the grassy field.
He bit his lip, tightening his fist. "Shine.. Kairas." He touched his lip with his thumb and exhaled. "I hurt them. Badly, didn't I?"
"It was the first time you used such power. By that age, I don't believe Kairas discovered his Fallen Angel form." She walked back towards the table and sat down. "You're wondering why all of that happened. I'm sure you're aware of the gems I placed in you and your brother."
"Yeah," He answered dryly.
"I did it because I had a feeling that things were going to go bad. If they fell into the wrong hands, disaster would consume all of reality, and none would be able to stop it, not even God himself."
"What are they? The Gems I mean. How is it that these things have so much power that not even God could stop their use."
"The Gems are as they seem to be. A well-spring of boundless and infinite power, that if left untouched, would have been lost to time. From what I know, they were sealed away as a sort of peace treaty between heaven and hell, as these twelve gems were the cause for many wars." She tapped her finger against the table. "That is history for another time. Anyway, the gems were dubbed God Gems, for their immense and seemingly uncontrollable power. When I began my research on them, I discovered that there was but one way to control that power."
She summoned another mug and teapot, pouring some into the cup for Takabi. He sat down across from her and took the mug, blowing it gently before sipping and allowing her to continue.
"For that power to be controlled, it must be sealed in one with a strong enough will to wield it. Of the twelve, I found four and gave them to you and your brother. The four I chose were specifically, admittedly, because of your colors. A perfect hiding spot."
"What do you mean," He asked, placing the mug down.
She laughed a bit, clearly embarrassed but somewhat proud of her idea. "Well, I gave you the white and violet gems. Why do you think that is?"
It didn't take much to put it together.
"Wait, you gave us these powerful artifacts, SPECIFICALLY, because our hair and eye colors matched?! That's nuts!"
"But it worked! For the following months after, your father and none of the Angel Generals had any idea where they were. I only got courted away because your father went through my old notes and discovered that I had them in my position, but by that point it was already too late to separate them." She clasped her hands together. "Your soul and those gems are one. That power is yours to use, however you see fit." She paused, lowering her gaze. "I have one request though, if you're willing to listen."
Takabi raised an eyebrow.
"Be the man you think I want you to be. My soul is bound to limbo, and I cannot leave this realm as my punishment. I won't be able to see you turn into an adult, or see you get married or see my grandkids." She took his hands, a single tear running from her eye. "Make your mother proud, and change the world we know. Kairas has fallen into a dark place, but you can bring him back from it, now that you remember."
"Maybe, Mom," He closed his eyes. "Shine isn't in this place, meaning she's alive too?"
"Her and your bastard father. Whatever you do, if you see him, avoid him at all costs. Oh, one more piece of advice. If you see my body at all, destroy it. Remember, it isn't MY soul in that thing."
"How? I'm d..ead.." He paused, watching her closely. Takabi thought back a few moments, before asking, "What did you mean I was only here temporarily?"
Myra smiled at him, releasing his hands. "Be well, My Son."
"Mom?"
In that moment, it changed in seconds, and Takabi shot up in a hospital van, coughing madly at the sudden intake of thick, earthy air.