Читать книгу Immortal - Tina Bright - Страница 7

Heavenly Palace. Olympus.

The room was filled with light. It seemed that it was made of sunlight, but it was not. The air was filled with the incomparable, fresh, sweet, and exquisite aroma. The spacious hall with white floor, carved columns and crystal sofas was a worthy abode of the Gods. There was a pedestal with a throne in the center, where a bearded, completely naked man was sitting. He was glowing; showing no interest to anything that was happening. He was barely listening to the dispute of a beautiful black-haired goddess, the patroness of marriage, and his offspring, the god of war and bloodshed.

"We need to intervene! We need to put everything into place before it's too late!" Ares insisted, wanting to quench his thirst for blood.

"We have no right to do this. The Source is well protected. The Balance is under the supervision of the Guardians, so we can't stick our beaks into their business. That's not our problem," Hera retorted, as the thought of descending from the cozy Olympus sickened her.

"We have been idle for thousands of years, allowing these creatures to do what they wanted. Look where it's gotten us! We're one step away from a terrible tragedy! I can awaken my army, and everything will be solved in a few minutes!"

"Your soldiers bring the Earth more devastation than all the restless souls together," Demeter said, worrying about her kingdom.

A languid sigh echoed through the spacious hall, creating a semblance of noise, similar to the rustle of leaves in a windy weather. This barely audible sound was more eloquent than any words. It meant that the Thunderer was tired, and when he was in such a mood, everyone around could get in trouble. The gods quieted down, cutting their dispute short.

"We'll intervene as soon as necessary. Until then, let them deal with the issue without us!" Zeus waved his hand, signaling that the discussion was over.

There was absolute silence, so characteristic to the Heavenly Palace. But suddenly the golden Gate swung open under the impact of hundreds of thousands of souls. They screamed, raged, hovered around confused and surprised Olympians.

I woke up suddenly, like from a nightmare. Actually, I did not know what was that dream. It seemed so real because I still felt the coolness of the Heavenly Palace on my skin and the smell in the air of the hall.

However, I was not in the Heavenly Palace but in my room… hovering in the air. I was lucky that Jackson was not in the room, and he did not see me soaring under the ceiling.

"How will I get down?" I asked myself. But the interesting thing was that it did not scare me, though I got into this world just a day ago. I was getting used to this life, but it was not clear whether it was good or bad.

Little by little, I was getting down to the floor, though it wasn't easy. Now, the gravity was different for me than for others. This was very unusual and fun, and I started enjoying this.

I heard voices in the kitchen. Hasn't Jackson gone to work? I hurried to the noise, but slowed down in the hallway. That was the last thing I needed. My friends came over. They surrounded my boyfriend and were laughing at his barely witty jokes. The sense of humor was not his strong suit. Everybody knew this, but my friends stubbornly pretended that he was devastatingly funny. Mickey and Rosy never change; they could not resist a handsome guy, even if he dated their best friend. The most important was that there was not even a slightest hint of sulking for ruined plans of last night. They probably did not remember anything, like every time they have a drink.

"Good morning!" I greeted, and only then they paid attention to me.

"Darsy, baby, you're up!" Jackson was glad to escape from the grip of those pushy ladies.

"Hi, girls! What are you doing here? And why aren't you at work?"

"It's Saturday, babe!" Jackson reminded me, trying to be considerate.

"And what are you doing here?" I repeated my question to my friends.

"What? Come on! Classes start on Monday. We have to throw a party and celebrate the start of the semester!" Mickey said.

"I even know where we'll go and what we'll wear!" Rosy echoed.

"Not a chance. After last night, I'd never go anywhere with you again! I thought I'd die after how much alcohol you poured into my booze. I don't know how long it'll take me to recover after that party…" I mumbled the last sentence to myself.

"Darsy, what are you talking about? We didn't!" Mickey pretended to pout. "And even if we did, we had a lot of fun. Come on, Darsy. Don't be stubborn. Let's go to the party. When will we have another chance to party? Later on we'll have classes, work, and everything else."

"No, don't even coax me into that! By the way, have you found some job?" I sat at the table and made a sip of hot coffee.

"Oh! Just thinking about work makes me feel tired!" my friend overacted with her comic grimace, put the back of her hand to the forehead, and closed her eyes. The only thing left to be done was to roll my eyes in affirmation of her poor acting. "And how was your interview?"

"I'm still waiting for the results. They promised to call next week. There's another interview today. I told you about it…"

"Is that the cashier's position at the supermarket?" Rosy asked.

"Yes," I nodded, putting pancakes into my mouth, a specialty of Jackson's. He prepared them every Saturday for six years in a row.

Mickey snorted. It was no surprise; she was from a very wealthy family and didn't have to work for life, and their maid always went for groceries for them. So she did not need to go to places where I was supposed to work. Once Mickey had to go to the supermarket herself… After this, she was visiting a psychoanalyst for three months because of the shock. The only shopping she did not faint from and even enjoyed was exploring the clothing boutiques. But even there she behaved like a real princess, ignoring and humiliating the sellers as if they were plague-stricken. Rosy was absolutely obsessed with Mickey. They were inseparable since the age of five, and even their houses were nearby. That's why they behaved almost the same way as if they were not friends but sisters.

We became friends five years ago when I joined the team of cheerleaders. In order to fit in at a prestigious college, I had to pretend to be another person for a long time, imitate all these glamorous ladies and act as if I was rolling in money when in fact I was not. In the end, everything was revealed, but Mickey and Rosy forgave me, and we continued to be friends, despite the fact that I was not from their circle. I admired these two daredevils like crazy, but oftentimes I was the one to get backfired by their tricks, just like it happened the last time.

I quickly finished the first cup of coffee, and I needed an extra one of the invigorating drink. Thank god there was enough coffee in the coffee maker for another cup. But before reaching it, all of a sudden the world froze again. I got surprised and dropped the cup. The image of a teenager emerged before my eyes and then I felt the lingering pain in my arm. The guy committed suicide, but the strange thing was that it was not the pain in his arm but in his heart. I felt it as if it was mine. He was betrayed. For a brief moment, I myself wanted to end the life.

It was not a mere betrayal of a girlfriend. His parents abandoned him because of one strange incident with the joint. It was not even his weed. They recklessly accused their son and left to serve the punishment instead of trying to figure things out and help him to get out of prison. The only thing they bothered to do was to pay the judge to keep it all a secret. His father was a well-known lawyer in Boston, and publicity could damage his reputation. His mother was comforted in the arms of a young lover. It was shocking how cynical people could be and how pure was the guy with his soul and spirits, even having such parents.

He was translucent. But this time I didn't get scared, nor I thought it was a joke of my friends. I knew it was a soul to be guided and that it would not rest until the Balance was restored and the Force was returned to the new Carrier.

Looking at the guy, who desperately was in need of peace, I realized how important this job was.

I used to think there was nothing after death. There was only emptiness. But it turned out that everything was just starting after death. The soul was eternal, as well as its suffering. Only Charon could stop the aimless wandering. This guy needed Charon this very moment, but, unfortunately, Charon did not bother much about this.

"Hi!" he spoke sadly. "I knew I'd be met. Are you taking me somewhere now?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I'd love to, though it's impossible any time soon. But as soon as there is a chance, I'll come back for you and take you to the other side. I promise!" I thought that a promise that would be kept was important to the guy right now.

"All right," he shrugged. "Do I have to wander the Earth until then?"

"Yes. I'll find you."

He smiled sadly and disappeared. Everything unfroze again. I heard the cheerful chatter of my friends and Jackson's witty answers. But all I could feel was bitterness and awkwardness. I was worried that I could not help every soul appearing in front of me. I had no answers and no suitable words because I knew nothing and could not convince them that soon everything would be fine and they would find peace. It was not my fault but only my duty, all other thoughts and desires were secondary. Perhaps, Eugene was wrong about my role. I did not feel myself the way I used to. I was changing, and it was faster than I expected. My priorities and feelings were changing. I felt the Force inside me better and better with every hour, as if it was becoming a part of me, not just a guest. This world was becoming less real than the one I was in just a few hours ago.

"Hey! Are you ok?" Jackson put his hand on my shoulder. I listened to my feelings and sighed with relief. His touch, as usually, seemed warm, dear, and delicate.

"Yeah! I'm still sleepy," I smiled and bent down to gather the shards of the broken cup. "Ow!" one of the fragments was too sharp and cut my palm until it bled. A few crimson drops fell on the tile.

"You need to wash it immediately!" Jackson began to fuss.

"It's okay! Leave it! It's just a little scratch!", but Jackson ignored me and stubbornly held my hand under the flowing water.

"I'll bring bandages!" Jackson said and rushed to the bedroom.

"No, it's all right!" I shouted, but nobody was listening.

As soon as I pulled my hand out of the water, I saw that there was no trace of a cut on it. In fact, that's what I expected, and that's why I convinced Jackson that everything was fine. But now I had to explain this miraculous healing, given the fact that the cut was bleeding just a few seconds ago, and now there's no trace of the incident.

I could not think of anything else but cutting my hand once again right before Jackson took the antiseptic to disinfect the wound. But the new cut healed right in front of my eyes, my hands were shaking, and my disturbed boyfriend was even more worried and did not notice anything until the bandage was applied.

By that time, Rosy was lying in a subconscious state because she could not stand the sight and smell of blood. It seemed to me completely illogical that she went to the medical faculty having such a phobia. Mickey vigorously fanned her friend with the booklet. The scene was worthy of the London Theatre stage. I just rolled my eyes and went to the bedroom. I had plans for today and needed to get ready.

"And who's interviewing on Saturdays?" Jackson murmured since he would love to spend the day otherwise rather than to drive across half of the city for a five-minute interview at the local supermarket.

"I didn't have a chance to choose, because my classes start on Monday, and yesterday I had the interview in the INC company. I had no choice but agree for an interview on Saturday," I shrugged and hugged Jackson.

After a small incident in the morning, my friends vanished hastily, and we were left alone. The silence of the bedroom and Jackson's soothing embrace were just what I needed. It seemed so right to stand like this as if everything that had happened this moment was a bad dream, and I went back to my normal routine, to my boring human life without the Murky Shadows, Nefarious, and other creatures. I was sure that I would always enjoy this, and the dear smell of Jackson would always make me want him, and his hands would calm and excite me at the same time. This was constant for my life, and no immortality would change that.

"I love you!" I whispered in his ear. "I will always love you no matter what happens."

"Babe, I love you too!" he soothingly was caressing my back. I suppose he thought that my words were caused by the nerves before the interview and the start of the classes. But this was not the case. I was really scared, but not of the trifles that he thought about.

"Can I call You Darsy?"

"Sure, that's my name!" I laughed nervously. There was no pint in worrying about this meeting until I saw my boss-to-be. It was an African-American fellow of almost 6 feet and 7 inches high and of about 440 pounds. He grinned from ear to ear, and his entire appearance made me feel creepy.

"Darsy, I get that you need a job to cover your tuition. But why should we hire somebody with zero experience for the money-related position?"

"I graduated high school with A in math," I blurted out. Given the circumstances, it was quite a silly thing to say. "In fact, it means that I'm a fast learner and take responsibility for everything that's important to me. And this job is important to me!"

"The next year you'll be able to apply for a position in a law firm. You should wait and try in a year. Since we can't afford to hire a person for a year, and then to look for a replacement," that bullshit was meant for silly schoolgirls, and I was the one for him.

"Listen, Mr…" I paused, remembering the name of that man. I would not remember it even if I wanted to because I was impressed by his appearance.

"Robert Litt," the manager reminded me.

"Mr. Litt, I get that you have candidates lining up for this position at the beginning of the semester, and you have no reason to hire an inexperienced freshman. But I can guarantee that You won't find a more hardworking and reliable employee than me. Why is that? It's because I have no other options, and I'm very interested in this position. It'll give me a chance to pay my bills. That's why I'll value this job more than those who are hired for the practice or spending this money on entertainment and parties."

For a moment, it seemed that Mr. Litt believed my words. He began to ask questions typical for the interested employer during the interview. Our conversation lasted about another half an hour, and we seemed to come to a positive conclusion. Mr. Litt shook my hand and told me that he needed to meet with a couple more candidates, after which he would make a decision.

"We'll contact you anyway."

"Thank you a lot! I'll wait for your call."

Coming out into the street, I quickly got into the car – Jackson looked worried.

"What took you so long? Did they interview you for the position of the director?"

"No. They take hiring personnel seriously. The last employee was fired because of the tidy sum of money missing from the cash desk. They don't want to make the same mistake, and given the fact that I have no experience and just graduated from school, their considerations have grounds."

"If you say so… What're your chances?"

"Better than in the INC company, but I'll keep searching for other options, just in case."

"Your mother called. She worries. You couldn't call them last night though you'd promised…"

"My God, Mary!" I bit my lip in annoyance. Most likely, the baby girl was upset when I did not call and made a hell of a scene for our Mom.

I quickly dialed the number and, after some beeps, I heard my Mom's voice.

"Darsy, thank God it's you! We were worried. Jackson said you got lost. He was looking for you, but I suggested him to wait for you at home. Do you remember when you were little and ran away from me in the store, and then you came home by yourself?"

"You said back then that I have a kind of a built-in compass!"

"Exactly!" we laughed. Back then, my Mom punished me severely, because she was really scared.

"Is Mary mad at me?"

"At first, she was a bit sulky, but we talked this out and she realized that you can't always call her for a bedtime story because there are things that don't depend on you. Tell me, how are you?" I did not know what my Mom meant by that, but I replied,

"I'm okay. I got scared when I couldn't find my way back home. And I left my cellphone in my handbag in Jackson's car. But in the morning, I found my way, or I was rather suggested one. Boston is not as dangerous at night as the news shows," I reassured my mother. "I've just had an interview and I think I'll get the answer soon. I'm sorry I won't make it this weekend, so much is going on. It turns out that independent life is much more difficult than it seems."

"You'll make it, child! You're the most independent girl in the world. If you need a piece of advice or to lecture Jackson, I'm always at your service!"

Then I talked to my father for a while. I could not wait to hear how he was feeling, but he, as always, was overly optimistic. Such behavior was a disguise and I could not tell how he truly felt. We said good-bye until tonight. I did not want to let Mary down again.

"What're the plans for the rest of the day?" I asked Jackson.

"I have a great idea," he smiled.

The Boston Public Garden was crowded on Saturday afternoon. But it only made it look more charming than in quiet hours when only ducks inhabited it. Couples were sitting under the trees, enjoying the company of each other and the sounds of the Garden, embracing the last summer heat. Mothers with children were playing away from kissing couples. There were even older couples who had nowhere to rush.

We settled right on the bank of the pond under a huge willow tree. Jackson made snacks for a picnic, took a blanket where we sat down. He was joking a lot with his mouth full like he had not eaten in years, and I laughed at his look and his voice.

"Darsy? Did you get a tattoo?" Jackson suddenly asked.

"WHAT? What are you talking about?"

He gave me a cellphone so I could use it as a mirror and showed me a little spot behind my ear that I did not remember. It was noticeable only at close distance as it was hidden behind my hair. I tried to erase it but failed.

"I must have accidentally drawn it with a pen."

"That's some permanent pen…" Jackson frowned. He was extremely conservative and did not approve tattoos.

"I would remember if I got a tattoo. Let's play?"

Frisbee was our favorite game since junior school. That's how we actually met – a frisbee hit me on the head during my first lunch in the schoolyard. And it was Jackson who threw it. Since then, we mastered the art of this game and could participate in the Olympic games, if it was an Olympic sport.

As soon as we started playing, I was distracted by a familiar silhouette a hundred meters from us, and a frisbee hit me on the forehead, just like in our first meeting.

"Darsy, are you okay?" Jackson was worried.

"Yes. I'll be right back. I'll just go refresh myself…"

I clenched my fists in annoyance. It was my first normal day this week, and Eugene decided to ruin it with his presence.

"What're you doing here?" I hissed.

"Keeping an eye on you," Eugene answered calmly. He lazily leaned against the tree and looked around.

"It doesn't look like that. We've agreed to go hunting at night. There's plenty of time, and I'd like some privacy with my boyfriend with no supervision."

"I don't bother you. I keep a respectable distance not to make you nervous. I'm not going anywhere. I'm on a mission."

"I don't give a damn about your mission! Get lost! Don't you need to take a nap or something?"

"I don't waste time on sleeping."

I was getting furious. Eugene was not willing to compromise.

"We've agreed to meet in the evening and go hunting or whatever it's called. Right? How about midnight? If I got it right it's the time when the evil spirits get down to business…"

"Ironically, Nefarious, Murky Shadows, Demons and demigods are always among the people, regardless of the time of a day. And you can be attacked at any suitable moment. And this hasn't happened yet simply because they're afraid to be erased since you stay in public places all the time. So, whatever you say, I'm staying. If it makes you feel any better, I'm watching the perimeter but not you. Just relax."

"It's hard when I know there's a babysitter nearby," I muttered.

"I don't like this as well. But my duty is to protect you now, and only the Commander assigning this mission can call me off," Eugene pulled a face, making it clear that the debate was over. This fellow has not even looked at me for the entire conversation. This was rather annoying because it seemed like I was nothing. "By the way, it's too late to meet at midnight, so we'll meet as soon as it gets dark.* You still have to train."

"I can't make it earlier. I got things to do. No later than 11 p.m. I can't just disappear in the middle of the night with no explanation. People will start asking questions."

"Okay. Let it be at 11 p.m. and not a minute later. If I don't find you outside, I'll come and get you out of bed, even if you're naked."

"Dare to try, and I'll kill you."

I did not see his expression, but I heard him mumbling, which I understood nothing. I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I needed to deal fast with this debt that was imposed against my will and get back to normal life without Guardians, who watched my every step, and hovering around supernatural creature. I could only hope that the memories of the past and subsequent days would be erased after all these events.

I was no longer willing to go on playing frisbee, and I sadly threw pebbles into the pond, mumbling something to myself.

"Darsy, are you okay? Did anyone was rude to you?" my boyfriend was worried.

"No. Everything is fine! I'm just getting more nervous…"

There was nothing else to say. Jackson silently hugged me, and so we stayed until the gorgeous sunset. The sky was colored in red and purple, and the last rays reflected from the glass surface of skyscrapers, creating a colorful rainbow. You could even feel its smell in the air if this natural phenomenon had any smell.

"It's time to go home!" I said sadly when the sun was all the way down the horizon and colored the sky in dull grey.

I still felt like being tailed. It was like paranoia that had grounds. I could only hope that the watcher would not follow us to the apartment.

I called my Mom and waited for her to answer. My little sister picked up the phone. She was not offended, though she often liked to be a little weepy. Mother did a great job and persuaded Mary to get used to things the way they were and would be from now on.

After the bedtime story, I started to get nervous. Jackson often stayed up late working on the project. And I really needed him to go to bed earlier today. I did not have to puzzle over a certain plan for it because I had one option that worked perfectly. Ten minutes later, Jackson was already snoring and should have been sleeping until the morning. Usually, he was sound asleep after sex, and it was impossible to wake him up even with a shovel. So, not caring about noisy, I quickly got dressed and went downstairs, and only then I realized that Eugene and I did not discuss the meeting place.

Looking around and seeing absolutely nothing in the pitch darkness, I went to the only lighted street, so he could find me.

"And I was about to pick you up!" Eugene appeared from nowhere. He just emerged from the air.

"What? How did you?"

"Haven't I mentioned that I can become invisible if needed? It's the main gift of the Guardians. That's how we can guard the reliquiae and creatures while remaining unnoticed."

"So, in the park, you just wanted to piss me off?"

"You're smart!"

"For a principled and inhumane Guardian, you possess too many of our habits. Are you sure you're not a hybrid?"

I squinted and tried to calm down. Eugene certainly sought emotion from me but his motives remained unclear.

"Wait! This means you can spy upon me even in the shower???" I was horrified.

"I can but won't. I've already explained to you that I'm attracted to people neither in physical nor in any other sense, so to say. Besides, Tol explained to me that people extremely value their personal lives. Though I don't get it, I promised to respect this."

"You sound like you don't have any private life," I snorted.

"It's not like in your world. We can train now and then go hunting, or vice versa."

"Let's do the opposite way. I don't want to be exhausted before fighting a demon. How are we going to do this? How do we find someone we need to kill?"

"I believe it'll be even easier than you think. All supernatural creatures feel you, or rather the Force inside you, and want to obtain it, so they'll come after you. We can simply walk into a dark alley or a closed space and… By the way, the prohibition on leaving the underworld was set by a reason. The thing is that Charon is the only one able to take the Force of others. Everyone knows this but the soul or Charon himself can only pass through the gates. Even Hades has no right to cross the River. Charon was safe there until his first escape. He was aware of all the risks because his absence doesn't let souls find peace and ruins the Balance, and he also endangers the whole world, wandering without protection, where every Nefarious can take away his Force. It's not an easy task but the human form makes him vulnerable. If the Force is captured by someone with evil intent we are doomed."

"I can't get one thing. Charon is immortal, as well as some demons, but, nevertheless, they can be killed. Isn't that absurd?"

"Gods, as well as Charon, can't live on the Earth in their normal form. Therefore, they're forced to transform into a human, which makes them vulnerable. Demons are another kind of creatures. Demons originally didn't exist. When Hades was kicked out of Olympus he got furious with supreme Gods and dreamed of revenge, though he was weak and alone for that. Then he used the only option he had – souls that couldn't be transferred. These souls can't be exiled to Tartarus and brought to the Island of the Dead for one reason or another. They'll dwell in the river and suffer forever. And suffering demonizes them. And Hades used these souls. He gave them form, bestowed the abilities and released to the Earth. That's how demons appeared. All the other creatures have formed from demons mating humans, demigods, nymphs, Guardians, and others. Demons were becoming more and more powerful over time, and Gods made them immortal for special services. The weapon of Hades was often directed against him. These creatures were too greedy, so they failed to serve one master. Since they got a second chance, they craved to get it all. Not many manage to harm or kill the immortal. But Gods created a weapon for that. Every powerful demon must be afraid of death. Otherwise, it can get out of control and cause troubles. There are three ways to do this: The Sword of the Guardian," he grabbed the handle, focusing my attention on it, "erasing for mistakes, which will lead to unwanted attention to our world, and your Force. You can absorb immortality and then kill the vulnerable demon."

"Now I have a clearer picture. Can I get a couple of textbooks from your library to progress faster with my training?"

"No. It's forbidden to take the books outside the library. You can only study there."

"So, I can read the books only there but we can fight with swords here, right? And what if someone sees your magic sword?"

"You ask too many questions," Eugene shook his head. He was very restrained in answering a million of my questions earlier but now he looked me straight in the eye, probably, for the first time since we met, and I noticed his anxiety and fatigue. He liked all this no more than I did, and he was definitely hiding part of the story.

I could hardly imagine the consequences of the ruined Balance but some of the pictures in their textbooks describing the similar scenarios left no doubts about their large-scale and catastrophic nature. While this was not obvious in the human world, Eugene's look gave out that their world had been already under changes. He would be much more willing to help his comrades now, instead of babysitting a freshman who was unfortunate enough to be in the backyard of the night club when Charon was there in search of someone to pass on his curse. Could one blame him for waiting to get rid of this? I could not. Every meeting with the soul was unbearable: the feeling of the death pain and mental anguish were realistic as if mine. Having lived their feelings for a day, I could not wait to get rid of this punishment. It is possible to fight one's own demons but withstanding this for others, feeling physical pain for several hundred years without days off and holidays was incredibly hard. It was a change that I was already experiencing, and I could not even imagine how a person could change in a few hundred years…

We walked in silence, and I did not know the final destination. Eugene silently handed me a training sword. I liked its characteristics – the blade appeared only right before the fight, resting all the rest time; a magnificent handle which seemed some unnecessary accessory or case for glasses.

"We've been walking for an hour. What if today is not the day?"

"Every day is the day. Delays cost lives and destruction."

"What do you want us to do? You're the Guardian. There must be a way to track demons."

"Yes, you're right, but they'll sense us then."

"So, what's the problem? Is that bad? We're looking for them," it did not make any sense: Eugene had the opportunity to find a demon but we were idly wandering the streets of Boston instead.

"The thing is that it works like a locator in both directions. All creatures feel when I use the power of search. Once they know our location, we'll be in danger. We'll face tens of demons at a time. Do you get now why I'm not looking for such adventures? Maybe later."

Meanwhile, we reached an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The area was not illuminated by a single lantern and one could see the road only due to the full moon shining brightly in the night sky. There was not a single cloud in the sky, so we could view all the constellations. They seemed particularly bright and beautiful today, and the cool night air gently embraced the skin, fresh from walking long. Why hadn't I walked so late when almost the entire city fell asleep and I could get to such creepy but romantic places? It was a pity that the magic of the moment was overshadowed by a wrong company. More than anything, I would like to have Jackson by my side, hugging me from behind, looking up together at the night stars admiring their beauty.

The silence was broken by the explosion in a few meters away from us. I screamed and tried to find the culprit.

"Darsy, stand behind me." Eugene whispered. He took out his sword and stared off into the distance.

I strained my eyes trying to see anything in the darkness, a few moments later a bright spot, resembling a human, emerged on a black background.

"What happened? Who's this?"

"Stop asking questions and better hide somewhere nearby, so I could find you if the demon's not alone."

"Look, this's my hunt, and I need to pay my debt to restore the Balance, not hide behind your back. Or are you always going to mentor me whenever something else shows up at hunting? I'm not crazy about the idea. I'm scared to death, but the sooner we're done with this, the better," as I quickly chattered, the bright spot was approaching. One more step and we would be able to see our opponent. Apparently, we were in plain sight because the fireball exploded pretty close this time, and we had to hide behind the barrel so the next time it would not hit the bull's-eye.

"You don't get it! You need to have more skills to fight him. He's too strong for you. I expected to meet the Nefarious or Murky Shadows, but not the demigod. He's the son of Typhon."

"Oh… Wait… Isn't he supposed to have three heads and a lizard body or something?"

"Cerberus is a demigod. He can take several different forms, including the one you've mentioned."

"Is he immortal?"

"No, but he's very powerful. If you fight him you'll die, so we'd better get out of here."

"No. He started first. He tracked me down, so he won't stop until he kills me. I don't want him attacking me in a broad daylight, or while I'm taking shower or sleeping!"

I have never been particularly brave. On the contrary, I was a terrible coward and almost always avoided making important decisions that could lead to any changes. I often had panic attacks, insomnia, emotional breakdowns, so I always preferred to stay in the comfort zone. I had neither phobias nor passion for adventures. And now I had to fight the son of God, representing the fiery forces of the earth. Apparently, like father, like son. He skillfully threw fireballs, but I could throw something as well…

Leaving my hiding place, I shouted,

"What's taking you so long?" I winced. They say an angry opponent is not an opponent –he often makes mistakes. I was shaking all over, so this would hardly help me.

I heard a creepy laugh. It reminded a volcano erupting lava to the rhythm of laughter. The monster had come very close. He looked like the lava of different solidification degree in the human form of black and fiery colors. The liquid was dripping from him and instantly solidifying.

"I don't want to rush. Everyone's been waiting a long time for this, and I plan to enjoy the murder."

"How do you plan to get the Force? What if it vanishes into thin air when I die?"

"The Force will move to the one next to you after your death. That's how it works, the same way you absorb the abilities of those you kill."

"So, death is the only way to get rid of it, right?"

"Yes.

I needed all this talking to make the monster approach me, so I would grab him by the hands. And as soon as he got close enough, I tried to implement my plan, but instead of the predicted result I just burned myself. The pain was unbearably stinging even when I took my hands off the laughing creature. I was unconsciously screaming, and my hands were shaking from the insane burning sensation.

I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. Eugene was pulling out his sword trying to protect me. I burst into tears. Why on Earth did I think I would handle this? Who said I was fit for this mission? Why do I have to pay someone else's debt? Why do I have to suffer because of someone else's mistake?

"I'm Cerberus! Did you really think you could fool me so easily? I'm not some ordinary demon! These tricks don't work on me! So just relax, and we'll get it over with!"

I looked at Eugene and shook my head to keep him out of it. I guess I made the dumbest decision in the world at that moment – to get rid of the Force at all costs, to win or to die trying.

I figured out how to use the Force inside me – I simply needed to release the inner demon as the Guardian had advised. At that moment, I realized what could help me do this – pain or fear were the best things that made me fight.

The Cerberus's body was gradually getting covered by black smoke, coming from me, making a translucent cocoon. I was squeezing the black cloud until it extinguished the lava of Cerberus and he turned into a pile of ashes. He stared at me in surprise, as if this state was unusual to him.

"Second attempt?" I uttered.

I grabbed him by the hands and felt his power flowing into me, feeding my inner demon who enjoyed this.

Suddenly, euphoria gave way to pain. But I crashed into the wall. It was hard to determine what caused the pain the most. As a child, I broke my arm, and I still remembered those feelings. They were similar, though now my entire body was in pain. I could feel the blood running down my cheek from the cut above my ear, my head was spinning, my ears were ringing, and everything was fuzzy. Bones were healing fast, wounds skinned over instantly, and by the time Cerberus got close to me, I already stood, swaying in uncertainty.

Soon I found out that my hand hadn't healed properly, and I was in terrible pain. It could be a dislocation that will ache until reduced. I had poor knowledge in medicine, but fighting the demigod with one hand was mission impossible.

I walked up to the wall and this reminded me of a scene from some action movie that Jackson liked to watch. Movie heroes usually reduced the dislocations with no effort. As a rule, they needed a wall for that, and I happened to have one. I hesitated for a few moments. My brain told me that it would be incredibly painful, much more than it was now. But when bones and joints are no more dislocated the pain would soon vanish.

I kept telling myself. With that in mind, I hit my shoulder against the wall at a run. With my luck, the bones were not reduced. The realization that I needed to repeat the intention again with a double effort paralyzed me. But I had no time for doubts. Cerberus almost recovered, and would soon try killing me.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes tight and headed straight to the wall. There was a loud crack from the blow, and my hand was pierced with terrible pain. But the necessary result was finally achieved. The pain was gone in a moment, and I could easily move my hand.

"Good girl, Darsy!" I complimented myself. And I thanked the previously killed Murky Shadow for such a great ability to regenerate.

Meanwhile, the smoldering demigod almost approached me.

He flared up again and got angry. Cerberus threw his fireballs at me, and I tried to run away. If it were not for my new ability, due to which I easily climbed onto the roof then I would have definitely turned into a crispy chicken. The fragile edge of the roof disappeared under my feet, and I flew down. Cerberus did not waste time, and threw another fireball at me. I tried to shun the blow, but was not fast enough, so the fireball burned my side in flight. I landed on asphalt. My clothes were burning, though I felt nothing of that. I was enveloped in fog, and was about to fall into darkness. However, if I allow myself to surrender it, then death would be inevitable. I used my last ounce of strength to open my eyes right when the new fireball was flying in my direction.

I put my hand out and formed a thick cloud that stopped the fireball. The cloud was so dense that I felt it with my hand. I could touch it as if it was in my hands, but not at a distance of several meters. The feelings were incredible. I pushed it forward with my hand. The fireball with the cloud hit the lava monster. And if the fireball did not hurt him, then the impact of my protection black matter caused him significant discomfort, if not pain.

I hardly rose to my feet, and began to throw more and more black clouds, and Cerberus backed down. My powers were on the wane, and I felt weaker and weaker with every new attack, barely standing. Having assessed the situation, it became clear that my actions caused inconveniences, but did not enough harm to destroy the opponent.

I wanted to pull out the sword attached to my belt, but it was not there. Most likely, I dropped it at the beginning of the fight. It was hard to find the sword in the dark, but I had no other option. I fell to my knees and began fumbling on the asphalt in an effort to find the sword, while Cerberus helplessly shook his head.

"Darsy!" Eugene called me.

I turned in the opposite direction and caught the flying object. This was the sword I was looking for in the wrong place.

Buildings began to explode. There was no doubt that firemen and policemen, who could get caught in the crossfire, would soon arrive. I could not let this happen. I headed straight for Cerberus. He got really angry. He stopped throwing fireballs. His look alone exploded hangars, and the ground melted and parted under his feet.* He embodied horror! But as scared as I was, I knew what to do.

Cerberus was getting closer. I stood still, praying to all the gods and mentally saying goodbye to my family. I could feel the monster's heat ten meters away. My clothes started to burn five meters away, and a second later, he grabbed me by the shoulders. I screamed in pain, but it was exactly the distance I wanted.

My sword easily pierced through his body. Cerberus stopped moving from the shock and blinked in surprise. A silly smile on my face made him frown. I pulled the sword up and cut his surprisingly soft body in half. Cerberus fell at my feet into a pile of ash. I defeated him not by the Force, but by cunning.

A moment later, his ability flew out of him and pierced my chest. The heat slowly spread through my body, and thick fiery lava filled my veins, burning me from inside. I felt terrible pain with every cell of my body, which struggled not to burn from the external fluid. I was paralyzed. I could not even breathe of pain. My legs buckled, and I collapsed to my knees. The flame within me grew more and more, lacking space and willing to break out. I felt the raging force was about to explode, and tear me into pieces. The skin burst from the high temperature, and the wounds did not bleed but exuded the fluid like Cerberus's one. My body was not adapted to such temperatures, and even the ability to heal did not help much. Wounds quickly healed and then reappeared. All the clothes turned into ashes, and now I was kneeling completely naked, but that was the least of my problems.

I rested my hands on the asphalt that almost instantly began to melt.

"I'm about to explode!" I heard my desperate cry, as if it belonged to someone else.

The moment before my words came true, I felt someone touching me. Eugene pressed his chest to my bursting back close to the ground, clamped my feet with his feet and hugged me. In the place where he touched me, the tearing force was weak and therefore sought a way out in other areas.

"It's too much! My body can't take it anymore!" I cried with fiery tears. Tears dropped on the asphalt and burned through it. Eugene’s embrace kept my body from exploding into tiny pieces by the powerful bomb inside.

"Listen to me, Darsy! Focus on my voice and do as I say. Don't try to adapt to this ability. You won't be able to as your body really can't take it. Remember, you have a Vessel, which like a black hole can absorb any ability and all the abilities of the Universe, and there will be enough place left. Let the Force absorb this. Let it out. Let it consume this. Otherwise, this will consume you. Come on, Darsy! I can't hold it back long!"

"I can't! I can't!" I said honestly. To do what Eugene suggested, I needed to concentrate, calm down, tune out and trust the Force inside me. But I could not as all the other emotions were paralyzed by the pain of millions of wounds appearing every second, by the feeling of being torn to pieces, melting my body.

"You can, Darsy! I thought you'd die fighting Cerberus, because he's a thousand times stronger than you and has lived for a thousand and a half years, but you defeated him! Come on, Darsy! Do your best!"

I focused on the darkness inside. I felt it from the very beginning like an engulfing abyss. I had been able to ignore it all this time, but now I was going down it. Eugene was not lying. It was a real black hole, where one could disappear. It absorbed everything – both good and bad. It was insatiable. Today I had something to feed it.

The pain was gradually relieving, and Cerberus's ability stopped torturing me. I had no fever and could breathe. Cool night wind was blowing at my bare and hot skin. Eugene opened his arms, but I long remained in the same pose shameless of being naked, breathing in the cool air and calming down. I got back to normal a few minutes later, as if nothing happened during the last two hours: neither bloody fight nor absorbing the ability. But the witness of all this was lying in front of me in an unnatural pose resembling a failed sculpture broken by the artist in anger, and left in the midst of a burning hangar.

I heard police sirens in the distance. Did it take them surprisingly long to get to the place, or did everything happen fast? After all, I felt like every second lasted an eternity when, in fact, very little time had passed.

"Get up! We need to get out of here fast!" Eugene said.

I looked at him frightened. A bunch of emotions and thoughts raced through my body and head. He picked up his fancy jacket, which he apparently took off to keep it from burning, and threw upon my shoulders. It still kept his smell and warmth.

To say I was ashamed would be an understatement. Now I had to get through half of the city like this: barefoot and butt naked wearing nothing but a leather jacket. Eugene looked no better than I did. His T-shirt almost burned up, and I saw his muscular torso almost all tattooed. His jacket disguised his shape, and even having the best man in the world at my disposal I could not but marveled Eugene's divine body. He might be an arrogant bastard, but now I could not keep my eyes off his well-developed broad chest, muscled arms, where every muscle was outlined, and rare veins whirling up at the slightest movement. His six pack was perfect – clear contours ending with a thin strip of hair as if forming the down arrow to indicate the movement direction. The front part of his jeans at the hips and lower leg was partially burned, and was hanging on a single thread, exposing the slender legs of an athlete. He was lucky to have the most important element of his look unaffected – his manhood was proudly covered by Calvin Klein underwear.

I snorted. It was not typical of the superior race – they despised our habits and rules of etiquette, while wearing clothes by our designers.

"Don't you think it's time to stop staring at me and get out of here?" Eugene said ironically. It was classic Eugene. And I was about to temper justice with mercy – even if it was nothing more but a physical attraction.

I got up, zipped the jacket, and we wandered away from the abandoned warehouse, which would never find its owner after all the mess Cerberus did.

Eugene opened the portal, and we jumped in it right before police cars showed up around the corner. Every next trip via the portal was easier and easier, and I could get used to it.

Soon we were near my house.

"You'll have to walk me to the front door, so I'll give you back the jacket."

"Leave it for tomorrow."

"No. If Jackson sees another man's jacket, he'll start asking questions. And I don't want my boyfriend to be erased!"

Eugene shrugged and trudged after me. He was so tired like he was the one fighting the ancient monster. My keys melted, and I had to use the extra ones that we hid behind the plat band. Having sneaked into the hallway, I took off the jacket and, putting my arm out of the doorway, returned it to Eugene.

"Do you understand that you're a threat for your close ones? Especially now, when you have the ability you can't control," Eugene asked quietly.

"I get it, but they are in much greater danger without me. I'll master this ability soon," I said from behind the door.

"You can burn down the house while sleeping! Think about this! See you tomorrow at the same time and place."

And he disappeared in the portal.

Jackson was still sleeping in the same pose in the bedroom. I went to the bathroom and switched on the ice-cold water. Flowing down me, it turned into the boiling water with steam. I stood there for half an hour, fighting my inner contradictions. In the end, I decided to sleep on it. If I could not control these abilities, I would rest into the Guardians' Abode and would think of the excuse later.