Chapter 5: Lost History

Amber learns more of the world around her.

                                           Chapter 5

                                                 Lost History

    

       The day began like any other; Amber got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Joel had prepared the bathroom with new soap and towels for her to use. She thanked him and took care of business.

           

            After the shower Amber got dressed in the same clothes she had worn the day before and it made her feel gross, but it could not be helped right now. They had a short breakfast before they sat down on the couch to watch T.V. It was still early in the day and she has yet to see Jack. Amber hoped he was okay and Joel assured her that he was probably just really tired from everything that happened.

 

            Joel and Amber did not say much other than the regular pleasantries. "Hi, how are you?" and then, "Oh I'm fine. Thanks. You?" Nothing really to get excited about, but she guessed he would let her talk when she was ready and would not push anything. She appreciated that.

 

            Amber heard a door behind her open and close and the two looked back to see Jack with his eyes on us and so Amber greeted him with the best welcome smile she could muster.

 

            "How you feeling Jack?" Joel asked concerned.

 

            "Fine." He replied.

 

            He nodded and turned back to the T.V. Amber stood up and went over to him and stopped in front of him to look Jack over.

 

            "You were the one at my mom's grave with the flowers weren't you?" She asked bluntly.

 

            "Yes."

 

            Her smile was very light and subtle.

 

            "Thank you." She said.

 

            He nodded to her response and she did not know how to react to his silent nod and walked past him to the kitchen. Jack went towards the door after she passed him and Joel noticed him trying to leave and turned his head away from the T.V.

 

            "Hey, what needs to be done?" He asked.

 

            "I need to speak with Erdois." Jack answered.

 

            "Okay. I'll be here."

 

            Jack turned to Amber in the kitchen and she looked at him as he did.

 

            "Can I trust you to stay here?" He asked.

 

            "Yes."

 

            He put his hand on the doorknob and began to twist when she spoke up.

 

            "Jack, wait a second."

 

            He released his hand and turned towards her as she came over to him. Amber’s eyes went directly to his as she stopped.

 

            "I've decided to give you a chance and try to believe everything that's going on." Her voice was quiet and a little unsure of exactly how she was going to say that.

 

            "Glad you decided what kind of person you are." He said.

 

            She felt good about that and it was almost as if she wanted his approval.

 

            "What happened to your cheek?" His tone stayed the same as it had every time they spoke. In other words it did not sound like he was too concerned.

 

            "Oh, it happened yesterday."

 

            "The werewolf?"

 

            "No." She said.

 

            "When?"

 

            Amber did not reply and then tensed up a bit as she thought about it.

 

            "Tell me." Jack said.

 

            "I was at the university. A girl appeared out of nowhere and attacked me in one of the bathrooms." Amber responded quickly to say it and get it over with, to try and forget about it.

 

            "What do you think?" Joel asked.

 

            She looked at him then back to Jack confused.

 

            "I'll look into it." Jack said.

 

            Amber could see Joel look at Jack with a confused look on his face as well when he said that.

 

            "So who was it?" Amber asked as her interest in the topic began to rise.

 

            "There are spirits in this world, both good and bad, that sometimes can't move onto the other side. Most people can feel the presence of a spirit. Their sixth sense if you will; however since you can see her she can affect you more than most people that don't believe in such things and if she attacked you then most likely she is either some kind of tortured soul or an innocent spirit that wants revenge for something bad that happened to her in her past life or any other number of spiritual being." Joel explained quite well to Amber and she understood almost immediately.

 

            "But, why me?" She asked.

 

            "Could be that she is just angry and wants to hurt whoever she can in order to feel better." Joel tried to be careful with how he said it. "Wrong place at the wrong time."

 

            "What are you going to do?" Amber said to Jack.

 

            "Depends."

 

            "Depends on what?" She asked.

 

            Her patience began to wear thin at his short answers.

 

            "It will depend on what kind of spirit she is." Joel answered for him again.

 

            Amber looked at the ground and started to think about it. Jack turned back towards the door to leave.

 

            "Wait." She said. He stopped again turned to look at her.

 

            "If she needs help, can you help her?" The fear that originally held her emotions on the topic turned to concern. If she was just some poor girl that needs help Amber wanted to do what she could. Her mom told her that Amber’s father was the type of person that would help anyone that needed it no matter who it was.

           

            He took a deep breath and quickly glanced at Joel before they made eye contact again.

 

            "I'll try."

 

            "Can I come?" She asked.

 

            He looked at Amber differently for a moment as if he remembered something then shook his head.

 

            "Why not?"

 

            "Because it would be safer to keep you away from anyone that would want to take or hurt you." Joel said.

 

            "Who would want me besides the Shadows? In fact, why was the werewolf guy after me?" Amber asked just as her mind exploded with a whole bunch of new questions she wanted to ask.

 

            "The werewolf probably worked for a higher authority, a mage or even a vampire." Joel answered.

 

            "Vampires are real too?" She asked and felt the fear slowly creep up her spine.

 

            "Yes." Jack said.

 

            "Well, as long as I've got you two to protect me I'll be fine." Amber said as she tried to reason with both of them.

 

            Jack's stance slackened for a second before he returned to his soldier-at-attention stance. There was something strange about Jack that started to get on her nerves; like he knew a lot more than he was willing to tell.

 

            "The answer is still no." Jack said.

 

            "Hey!" She raised her voice.

 

            Jack seemed un-phased by her change in attitude, but Joel was taken back in surprise.

 

            "I've been through a lot the past week and I am trying to cooperate with you and believe you. That is my step of faith. Now, if you expect me to be a part of this world I need to see and learn all that I can about everything if I'm going to be any help." Amber inhaled as she finished that all in one breath.

 

            Joel sat there silent. Jack just looked at her and she could see his eyes were focused at hers.

 

            "Fine." Jack said. “Later."

 

            He turned and left.

 

            Amber exhaled in a sigh of relief. She had held her breath in anticipation as she found herself afraid that he would have said no. She looked over at Joel who did not move.

 

            "Tell me about Jack." She said.

 

            Joel was caught off guard by this and stuttered a little bit. He turned off the T.V. and went to the kitchen and she joined him after he gestured to her to come.

 

            "What do you want to know?" He asked.

 

            "I don't know exactly. Why is he like that?"

 

            "Like what?"

 

            "So, closed off."

 

            Joel paused a moment.

 

            "Well, he used to be a talkative guy; very out-going, funny, friendly, and warm. That was a long time ago though."

 

            "What happened?" Amber asked.

 

            "I can't tell you."

 

            "Why not?" She asked irritated.

 

            "It's not my business."

 

            She understood what he meant by that and continued with her questions.

 

            "Okay. How come you and Jack have normal names but that Erdois guy doesn't? And who is he anyway?" Amber asked and started to get more and more curious about everything. It was as if whenever he answered one question 5 more popped into her head.

 

            "Well, he is a Council member. His realm being that of Life, he has great healing powers. As a Council member he is one of the most powerful mages in the world within his respective realm. Erdois is his Real name. He, Jack and I believe, is at the very least somewhat trustworthy. There are a lot of political problems even in a secret underground government just as there are in the United States and other countries." Joel laughed a little.

 

            "Oh." She said.

 

            "It's just harder to trust those in power." He said.

 

            "I understand. Power corrupts."

 

            "Exactly."

 

            "Okay. Uh, what did you mean when you said, Erdois was his "Real" name?" She asked a little confused.

 

            "Well, if you complete the journey through the astral planes to your realm you discover your Real name. Not the one that was given to you by your parents which is called your, "Fallen" name." He explained.

 

            "Oh okay." Amber said.

 

            "It's kind of a spiritual name. It's a rite of passage in a way. Something that helps you become more aware of yourself and who you are. The name of your soul, if you will."

 

            "And Jack?"

 

            "Jack preferred to go by his Fallen name. He believes that if you tell someone your Real name that you are giving them power over you. Others agree and others don’t so they go by their Real name or create a nickname for themselves instead."

 

            Amber thought about that and it made sense. She would want to keep her name to herself and not let anyone know who she truly was if it gave someone power over her.

 

            "What about you?" She asked.

 

            He slumped in the seat as he seemed to get really depressed by her question.

 

            "No. I... uh. I never got one." He said.

 

            "What do you mean?"

           

            "Well, when you awaken something really traumatic is usually what triggers it. There are few that have been able to awaken on their own without being forced since the Fall. I was too attached to the reality of the Fallen World and wasn't able to fully complete my astral journey to my realm." He sounded almost ashamed of himself.

 

            "What happened?"

 

            Amber was curious and intrigued by everything that he told her. It was all like some fantastic story that just happened to be real, but at the same time felt sorry for him by the way his presence changed. He talked as if it was a great thing to awaken and that he was a disgrace.

 

            "I was here in New York a few years ago as a chaperon on my little cousin's choir trip.

I went out one night and I got attacked by a vampire..." He said.

 

            "And?"

 

            "Well, my spirit left my body to begin the journey, but like I said, I was too attached to

The Fallen World; I returned to my body without a name and without a realm or powers. I can't use magic like Jack. I'm normal like most people except that I can see what they cannot. That's all."

 

            "If a vampire attacked you why aren't you one of them or dead or something?" She asked.

 

            "Jack saved me."

 

            "Really?"

 

            "Yeah. Since I could see all these things I decided to stay with him and Keith and leave my old life behind. I promised to stay with Jack and repay him for saving me however I could."

 

            "Will you ever wake up?"

 

            "No."

 

            "How come?"

 

            "Because I failed. Ever since the beginning anyone that failed was never able to awaken."

 

            "Well, that's just stupid." Amber said angrily.

 

            Joel chuckled.

 

            "Yes it is." He said.

 

            She realized how sad Joel had gotten so she decided to change the topic.

 

            "What about the realms?" She asked.

 

            "There are five realms; each one of them representing not only the former Five Guilds of Atlantis and the Kings, but the main Realms of Existence that govern all threads of existence, Life, Death, Nature, Spirit, and Chaos. Every Chosen belongs to only one realm based upon their own beliefs and thoughts and to limit the power that anyone can have in the Fallen World."

 

            As she got him to talk about something else he started to cheer up a bit.

 

            "Each comes with different powers and magic that can be transmitted through the Rift from that specific realm. Everyone has their own Aura which can be used to identify not only which realm they belong to, but that individual. It's like a spiritual fingerprint. However, a Keeper can create magic from any and all realms. That is why they are so powerful and sought after. They have the ability to teach others to channel more than one realm as well." Joel said.

 

            "So I can use all realms?" She asked amazed.

 

            "Yes. That's partly why so many people want you. Vampires, werewolves, demons, and other Chosen are all after you for either to learn or to be cured.”

 

            She sat there dumbfounded.

 

            "What?" Joel asked.

 

            "I just never would've thought I could be so important."

 

            "Your dad thought so."

 

            Amber looked at Joel and he gave her a warm smile and it felt good to hear him say that. She was so important to her dad and her whole life thought he did not care.

 

            "What was he like?" She asked.

 

            "He was a good man. Always did whatever he could to help whoever needed it. He believed in justice; honor, respect, and to do the right thing. Every time."

 

            "What else? I already knew that. My mom told me that much about him."

 

            "Oh. Well, he enjoyed watching T.V. He loved to read. Always tried to lift someone up when they were down. Um, he had this funny habit of always eating most of his food cold." Joel once again started to seem a little depressed by the topic. He seemed to really care about her father.

 

            Joel took a deep breath and laughed a little.

 

            "I'm sorry." He said.

 

            "For what?"

 

            "I realize I get sad easy." He laughed again.

 

            She laughed a little with him.

 

            "It's okay. It just happened a little while ago. It takes time to grieve."

 

            We sat there for a moment in silence. Amber liked what she heard about her dad, but did not want to start to cry and bring Joel down more so she changed the subject again.

 

            "What realm does Jack belong to?" She asked.

 

            Joel once again picked himself up and continued to answer my questions.

 

            "When he was first Chosen Jack went to the Realm of Life because of the certain

thoughts and beliefs he had."

 

            "And now?"

 

            "Your father decided to take Jack as his disciple and teach him to channel the other realms. Jack can create magic from Life, Chaos, Nature, and Spirit."

 

            "So Jack is really strong then, but why not Death?"

 

            "Yes he's strong, but there is always someone stronger, smarter, and better than

you. That's a rule of life. Anyway, since Life and Death are polar opposites, but require each other to exist it takes a master to be able to control the energies that come from both of them."     

 

            "Oh okay. That makes sense to me." Not really.

 

            "So what kind of beliefs and thoughts made him part of the Life Realm?" She was curious about what kind of people belonged to each realm.

 

            "That life is precious, to put others before yourself and be a good example in a corrupt world. Things like that. Another part of it ties into religion."

 

            "In what way?"

 

            "There are not a lot of Chosen that belong to the Life Realm; they are very spiritual and or religious. Because of the symbolism of that the powers of Life were given to them."

 

            As she thought about it kind of made sense so Amber assumed that someone with the Nature realm was in-tune with the plants and trees; they loved to be outdoors and cared about animals too.

 

            "However when someone religious awakes they begin to learn the history and past of our Fallen World they lose faith in the existence of God. People believe what they see and our world is nothing like that in the Bible or in religious groups."

           

            "That's so sad." She felt sorry for those that lose faith in something that can give hope

and values and guidance to people that need it.

 

            "Yes it is. Most of them grouped together and created a political group known as, the

Order of Light. Jack being as well-known as he is for being your fathers disciple doesn't belong to the group and to my knowledge is the only one that still believes in God."

 

            Amber dropped my mouth slightly in surprise. Jack would have never seemed like the type that would be religious.

 

            "Jack is different compared to everyone else." Joel said with a smirk.

 

            "I could have told you that and I’ve barely spoken with the guy." She said.

 

            Joel broke out in laughter.

 

            "That's one reason why your father liked Jack. He was himself and didn't let anyone

tell him otherwise." Joel got control of his laughter and leaned back in his chair and looked at Amber with a smile.

 

            "What?" She asked.

 

            "I know Jack may seem cold and distant. But give him a chance. He may surprise you."

 

            "Maybe." She did not think he could surprise her. Amber knew Jack was a mystery, but question was if he was one she wanted to solve.

 

            "Okay so tell me about this Council thing." She said to push the conversation forward.

 

            "The Council is a group of the 5 most powerful mages from the Fallen World that each

belong to a different realm plus the leaders of the Werewolf Clans and the Vampire Families that govern the rules and laws of society of mages, werewolves, and vampires."

 

            "Why werewolves and vampires? Aren't they evil or something?" Amber got upset to hear that those monsters that attacked her are a part of the government thing.

 

            "Not all werewolves and vampires are evil. They are the ones that were able to hold onto

their humanity after they were Forsaken or turned into what they are. But yes, a lot of them are out there hurting and killing people." Joel tried to calm me down and it worked a little.

 

            "So, how did werewolves and vampires become what they are?"

 

            "Good question." Joel leaned forward and put his elbows on the table.

           

            "There was a necromancer which is basically a mage that dwells in magic that involves

darkness and death. He sought power and he learned all he could from the Fallen World so he looked elsewhere. He discovered the power of the Rift and got very greedy. He was consumed by its power and was transformed into a vampire." Joel told me as his voice went a little lower.

 

            "Was that Dracula?" She started to get pulled into Joel's little story world.

 

            "Yes or so we believe, Dracula, The First and with him the rest of what you know about vampires. The thirst for blood came from his cannibalistic tendencies and whenever you lose blood you become weaker. So they have to constantly feed on blood to get stronger. The curse of everlasting life which he strove for ever since he was Chosen was given to him consequently turning him undead." He said.

 

            "Okay, so what about their weaknesses? A stake through their heart, a cross, garlic, and

those things?" Amber asked as she started to challenge his knowledge.

 

            "A stake or something with a sharp point really. The heart because it is the strongest

muscle in the body. The belief of that made it possible for vampires to be maimed or badly injured and still be able to function perfectly unless you get the heart. The cross because of the symbolism is has with Christ and the ultimate good he did by sacrificing his life for the sins of others. Dracula did not believe in God and was in fact quite opposed to him."

 

            Joel stood up and headed to the kitchen as he talked.

 

            "Garlic is a medicinal herb with many healing purposes and so things with healing properties became lethal to his everlasting life because he was technically dead. Now sunlight is a good one; it is the symbol for light and ultimate power so it can kill vampires within minutes. Not an instant death like you would think because we're naturally in the sun all the time."

 

            "Wow." She said. "So things that mean something or symbolize something really make up for things in this world. I understand."

 

            "Good." Joel opened up a cupboard and got out a cup. "Want something to drink?" He

asked from back in the kitchen.

 

            "Sure. Water's fine." She answered. Amber started to get edgy as she wanted to know more. She always did like mythology and topics like that and fantasy was always an interest of hers.

 

            "What next?" Joel asked as he came back with two cups of water.

 

            "Their powers." She said excitedly.

 

            Joel took a big gulp of water and swallowed.

 

            "Okay. First of all they a lot are stronger and faster than normal. Transforming into a bat or mist is not true. However, they can meld and blend with any darkness or shadows that are around them. The power of hypnotism is kind of there. They don't really hypnotize people. They use fear to manipulate their victim and some can use their looks because he was an extremely vain person that is why they are very beautiful people. But their fear does almost the same as the Shadows do except the Shadows paralyze you with fear not manipulate."

 

            "I don't want to see another one of those." She said.

 

            "Neither do I. " Joel agreed without hesitation.

 

            "And one more thing. They can use every sense at increased levels." Joel continued.

           

            "Okay." She said.

 

            "Depending on the amount of blood they drain from others; the more they have the more

powerful they are. They are able to use that extra blood to make themselves stronger but they are no longer a part of the 5 Realms, but of the Rift." He stopped.

 

            "Is that it?" She asked.

 

            "About vampires, yeah. That's pretty much it." He answered.

 

            "I'm afraid to hear about werewolves."

 

            Joel smiled.

 

            "Don't worry. They are scarier in person as I'm sure you found out personally."

 

            Amber gave Joel a look that told him to never go there again. Joel got it and his smiled faded.

 

            "Sorry."

 

            "It's okay." She lied.

 

            "Still want to know?" He asked.

 

            "Yes, but only because I'm curious." This was the truth.

 

            "Okay, there are mages known as, Druids. They are mages that dwell with the earth and nature. There was an evil druid who, like Dracula, experimented with the darkness that lies in the Rift and he was twisted into a menacing creature." He said.

 

            "Why a wolf and not some twisted monster?" She asked.

 

            "Well, the druid admired the wolf being a survivor. It was a noble and yet ferocious

beast that was strong and fast."

 

            "Oh. Why does the full moon change them into those beasts? Wait, how did that one werewolf turn into last night? It wasn't a full moon." She demanded an answer. "He cheated."

 

            Joel laughed a little "No, he didn't cheat. Both werewolves and vampires over the centuries have adapted and evolved to suit the requirements of this world, but also learned to control and develop their strengths. Werewolves can willingly change and have control of themselves except on the full moon. It releases the wild hungry beast inside them. That's more dangerous than when they change themselves. Why the full moon we don't know exactly. It could be that way because that's when the moon's gravity is the strongest, but that's only a theory."

 

            "I still don't like it." Amber said.

 

            "Well, that's how it is."

 

            "So why does a silver bullet kill them?" Amber wanted to keep the conversation going and continue to learn more so she can start to go out into the world instead of being trapped inside this apartment.

 

            "It's more lethal to them because the first druid was greedy. He craved after gold. He

stole, murdered, and raped for it. Gold corrupts the hearts of men. However, silver is believed

to be the pure metal in comparison. It doesn't corrupt like gold does. Any silver weapon can kill a werewolf or anything with silver; a bullet, a sword, an axe, a bracelet even. They can also be killed from constant injury; hit it many times with a sword or shoot it with lots of bullets and it will die eventually if you don’t give it the chase to rest and heal, but that's if you last long enough. And they are much faster and stronger than us and rival the vampires in that field depending on the individual." He said.

 

            Amber was amazed that all of these myths and legends actually had an explanation and

history to them and are in fact a part of reality and she could imagine what else there was

out there that was real.

 

            "Remember the other night when you were first telling me about everything?" She asked Joel.

 

            "Yes."

 

            "What was the last part? I wasn't really there when you were telling me." She said embarrassed.

 

            "Ah. I think I was telling you about the Dark Ages."

 

            "Yes. That was it."

 

            "Okay. Well, the Dark Ages had more misery then the history books say. A Shadow got hold of the Knowledge through one of the Keepers to enter the Heavens and it opened up a tunnel connecting the realms. At which point all hell broke loose. The Fallen World cannot handle the other realm yet because of the power of unreality that emits from the Rift. When people saw what they could not understand or believe, paradoxes were created causing mayhem and destruction." Joel spoke calmly even though Amber could feel her heart start to beat a little faster.

 

            "How did the Dark Ages end?" She asked in a slight whisper.

 

            "Do you know anything about King Arthur?" He asked me.

 

            "Yes. A little." She answered.

 

            "Well, the Keeper at that time had a son that was unknown to the Shadow. His name was Merlin." Joel stopped for a moment as she looked at him with disbelief. He smiled.

 

            "Merlin using the help of another Chosen, The Lady of the Lake, created Excalibur.

The sword possessed both of their powers and they needed someone that was normal, but able to see the higher world and could not cause paradoxes, someone like me. The person had to have a good heart and soul to wield Excalibur and so the powers of the Rift couldn't affect him as much. That's when they found Arthur who possessed those qualities. Excalibur even possessed some of the Rift's own essence causing magic to become useless in its presence. It was through Arthur with Merlin's help that they defeated the Shadow; closed the tunnel, and brought mankind out of the Dark Ages. Mankind wasn't ready to return to the way things were before and because of that it pushed back centuries of our work towards uniting the worlds." Joel said.

 

            "So if a Shadow got my dad then why hasn't that happened again?" She asked.

 

            "As I said, we don't know. No one really has any idea at this point. There are many theories that the Council has thought of, but none of which we can prove. All we can do is be thankful nothing happened." Joel said gladly.

 

            "What about you and Jack?" Amber asked as her curiosity turned a little towards Jack again.

 

            Joel was silent.

 

            "Where were you and Jack when my dad died?" She asked a little louder.

 

            "I was with Erdois. We were talking to other Council members."

 

            "And Jack?"

 

            "I don't know."

 

            "What do you mean you don't know?" She asked and started to get suspicious.

 

            "I don't know. Jack didn't say. He hasn't told anyone where he was, but Jack was the one to find him." Joel said it like he felt sorry for Jack.

 

            Amber sat back in the chair and folded her arms. She did not like that. If Jack could kill a Shadow and protect me why did he not do that for my dad? Her thoughts began to run and she started to think of a million different reasons about why or why not. She could feel herself start to get angry at Jack.

 

            "What are you thinking?" Joel asked concerned.

 

            "Nothing. I'm going to watch some T.V. to get my mind of things."

 

            Joel said nothing as she got up and went over to the couch; picked up the remote, and turned on the T.V. Amber just wanted to drown out her thoughts for a while and give her some time to cool down. It could not have been Jack's fault her dad died yet at the same time she could not help but feel like Jack had something to do with it. Amber would just have to ask him what happened and hope he tells her the truth.