As Trinity continued to stare out the window, her hand remained clutched over her heart. 'Zyxel, I can feel like something is wrong! Where are you?'
"You guys best get home. This rain is only going to get worse."
Everyone stared at Trinity.
"I know this sounds awkward, and I really wanted to spend more time with the both of you. But something isn't right about this storm. I can sense that something is wrong. You can either choose to bunker down in the church, or head home. But I sense that things are only about to get worse."
Her father wrapped her in his arms. "Sweetie, it's ok. It's just a little bit of unexpected rain, and you are jumpy and on edge from what happened to you. You are safe and back home now. We won't let anything happen to you from now on!"
Jessica piped up on the couch. "Besides, when Amara gets back, we can just ask her if this is anything we should be worried about!"
Trinity tensed up again at Amara's name, which didn't go unnoticed by her father.
"No, I think my daughter is right. Go ahead and go back home. She is still traumatized and adjusting, and while I know she appreciates seeing everyone again, this might all be a bit too much for her right now."
Trinity stared down at the floor, not sure what to say. She didn't want anyone to leave. But how could she get them to see the side of Zyxel she had seen, without them thinking that he had poisoned her mind?
Rachael jumped up and hugged Trinity. "I'll see you at school then?"
Father Kiran nodded. "A bit of normalcy would do her some good. It will help her to adjust. I'll just let the teachers know what to look out for, in case of any chances of bullying."
With that, Jessica got up and hugged Trinity as well. "It was really nice seeing you again, and I'm thankful that you are ok!" She turned around and faced Father Kiran. "We will also look after your daughter while at school! You can count on us, sir!"
Father Kiran nodded. "I appreciate that. Thank you!"
As everyone left, her father narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Explain yourself!"
Startled by his demand, Trinity scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Explain what?"
"This is the second time you have tensed up at the sound of Amara's name, and I'm almost certain that the 'friend' who you referred to earlier who gave you that staff, is the demon who kidnapped you! So I need to know exactly what he has polluted your mind with, so that we can correct the damage before it is too late!"
"Dad..."
"I would choose my words wisely before considering lying to me!"
Trinity stared down at the floor once more. "I don't think Zyxel is evil!"
Her father's eyebrows shot up and he took a step back in surprise. His hands flew up to forehead as he was mentally trying to process what she had just said. The tone in his voice shot up. "You speak of that demon by name, and you do not think he is evil! Are you out of your-"
"Dad, just hear me out! Zyxel saved me from those guys in the alley! If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead right now! You realize that, right?"
"Whether he protected you then or not, is besides the point! He must have had an ulterior motive for his actions! Surely you see that."
Trinity sighed. "Dad, he didn't just save me then, he also healed me, fed me, protected me. He..." Trinity shut up before she could say the rest.
"He what?" Her father spat out.
Trinity glared at her father through narrowed eyes. "He refused to let me die when I tried killing myself. Not just once, but TWICE! Does that sound like someone who is EVIL to you?"
Her father's eyes widened in shock. "You tried killing yourself? You know that suicide will mean eternal damnation for your soul!"
She walked closer to her father as he backed away. "Dad, I attempted to kill myself, because I thought it was the right thing at the time. I was wrong. Zyxel is my friend, and while I do strongly believe that he is misunderstood, I do NOT believe that he is evil! Before you cast judgement on him, how about you take a chance to get to know him! Because now, it's too late for me to get to know him any more." Her eyes were filled with sadness and regret as she spoke these last words.
Trinity flung her arm towards the direction of the church. "You follow Amara on what? Blind faith? Because what, the church tells you to? What if everything you know to be true, is a smokescreen cover-up? Are you just going to blindly follow, just because it's what you were taught?"
Her father glared back at her. "What is more disturbing is the fact that you are more willing to accept the word of a demon, over the word of an angel! Clearly he only did those things to twist your mind into believing he is something that he is not! Do not allow him permission to twist and warp your mind of everything you believe!"
Trinity shook her head slowly, as she stared down at the floor. "That's just it dad. I don't know what to believe anymore. But I refuse to follow on blind faith. I'll meet Amara, and I'll make my own decisions about her, just as I have made my own decisions about Zyxel. But do not expect me to put my faith into someone who may not even deserve it."
With that, she stormed off; slamming the door to her bedroom as she closed it behind her.
Shaking from his daughter's words, Father Kiran fell to his knees in the kitchen. "Dear God! Please look after my daughter! This demon has poisoned her mind. She needs to be shown the light! Please help me to let her see the light!"
As Trinity sat down on her bed in her room, she was too stunned by everything that she had just expressed to her father! She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, god! I can't even imagine what he must be thinking right now!"
~*~*~*~*~
Zyxel leaned against the stone wall of the bed that Trinity used to sleep in. His tail swished from side to side against the floor out of boredom, as he focused on carving into a small block of wood with his claws.
In his weakened state, he could sense how his divine energy was becoming more wild and erratic, but he didn't know what he could do to fix it. All he could think of doing was to wait until sunrise, and hope for the best. The process had been interrupted previously, but it was just a matter of time until the next morning.
As the hours went by, he could sense the weather fluctuations happening in the air. Rain always came first when it came to their energies becoming out of control. He was hoping that if he kept himself calm and focused, it would slow down the rate of his energies going haywire. So that's why he was here, carving away at wooden blocks; just waiting to pass the time until morning.
As sunrise neared, he stood up and walked to the cave entrance. Despite the heavy rain, the magic of the link wasn't affected by weather. The effects would still work regardless. He stood at the edge of the cliff, waiting.
But as the sun rose across the horizon, Zyxel continued to stand there waiting for the spell to take effect, which never came.
Eyes wide and hands shaking, he stumbled backwards against the wall. "No! This cannot be happening! If I cannot access it..." He clenched his teeth together and snarled. "No! I won't resort to doing that again! I refuse to do that ever again!" But deep down, he wasn't sure if that was a promise he would be able to keep.
In his current state of weakness, he felt that he would only be able to hold off for about two or three days before the hunger would eventually overtake him. He growled in anger, at the dilemma he was in.
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(Questions in the Author's Comments below!)
Books I am currently writing:
- The Forbidden Luna
- Divine Banishment