Prologue

Prologue - 10,000 BC
“You must not bring Hollina back! You know as well as I one cannot impose their will over another.” Jenielle held her hand tightly around Sylor’s wrist. Her fingers pressed deep into the turquoise material of the robe he wore. Her other hand touched the sacred medallion that hung at his chest. “You are a High Priest. You know it is against the laws.”
Sylor’s grip tightened around the crystal he held in his hand; the crystal that would bring his beloved Hollina back to him. “I will bring her back. She belongs with me!”
“Then why did she choose death? Why did she choose to end her own life by way of the transition chamber?”
Sylor looked toward the ocean and watched a sea gull perched on a rock. A sudden gust blew his long golden locks away from his face, exposing his chiseled features. He closed his eyes and took a breath. He knew he could have stopped Hollina. He knew she had wanted him to stop her, but his pride would not allow it. Not until it was too late.
“Hollina erred. Her mind will change upon her return.”
“You selfish fool. The woman you summon will not be Hollina. You cannot reach your hand into the future and bring back the same woman. She will be different.”
“Yes, she will be different, a different face, a different name. Only her soul is the same. Her soul is my soul, fused in spirit, only to be separated by two embodiments. One day, when you find the other half of yourself, you will understand.”
“It may not work. She may not be able to return.”
“I know that is your wish. I know your true feelings toward your sister, and you should be ashamed. Hollina will return. Do you not remember she mastered teleportation? I recall you made every effort to deter her from that ability. Because you were not at her level, you proceeded to hold her back. And you will agree one has no control over Hollina.”
“Yes, one does not. Not even you.” Jenielle smirked and released her hold on his wrist. She looked into Sylor’s eyes. The threat that emanated from them did not compel her to look away.
She moved in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She kept her eyes locked with his, while her hands leisurely wandered up the sides of his neck. She moved in closer, and brushed herself against him. He swiftly removed her hands, dropping the crystal, and pushed her away. He felt she purposely fell to the ground and feigned injury. Sylor tried to stir up compassion for Hollina’s sister. That’s what Hollina would have wanted, but Jenielle’s drama left him cold. “I am losing patience. I know what it is you desire, and you will not have it. Not now, not ever! I belong to Hollina. Go now and begin preparing for Hollina’s return.”
“She may not desire to return. She may not even know who you are. Or she may, and wish she did not, remembering the pain you have inflicted upon her, remembering what you have become,” Jenielle said sharply, as she picked herself up while eyeing the crystal still lying in the sand.
“Do not!” Sylor reached down for the crystal. “Once this crystal is in her possession she will remember our love, and she will speak of this.”
“Ha! You may not like what she speaks of.”
“Long ago when our soul split in two, Hollina and I made a promise to always find each other if either of us were to become lost. It is the promise all twin souls make to each other. By becoming lost we must work through many experiences, and move toward becoming one soul with no embodiment to limit us. We must come together to blend, to merge, and be joined in unity with our one source. I will always keep my promise to her, as she would to me.”
“You speak of promise, you speak of love. But inside you hold much anger, and little forgiveness. It is not up to you to bring her back. She left for a reason, you know this! You must wait for a future incarnation to reunite. Until then, I can take her place.”
“No one will take her place! And I will not wait! She knows where she belongs. When she returns she will stay by my side, and live by my word.”
“You are losing your knowledge of the laws. What you do is wrong, and it will have repercussions. Hollina was correct regarding the ideas of the north. Their controlling ways have influenced you. You are not the same. You are a fool!”
“And are you not a fool? Are your desires not wrong? You, too, are forgetting the laws. Your sister loved you, but what you desire for yourself...”
Anxiety colored Jenielle’s face. “You will not reveal this upon her return?”
"For Hollina’s sake, I am grateful your intentions were shielded from her. No, I will not reveal your desire. Go now and prepare.”
Jenielle moved closer to him, keeping her eye on the hand that held the crystal. He held onto it tightly, knowing it was his lifeline to Hollina. “Do not fight me! My mind, my heart, and the crystal will bring her back. My eye sees it clearly, and my will is strong. Her feelings will surface, and the connection will be made. Her desire will be most powerful. Nothing will hold her back.”
Jenielle slowly circled him keeping eye contact. One side of Sylor’s mouth curled up slightly. She stopped, and again eyed the crystal. She mimicked his expression, and then quickly proceeded up the hill to the temple. Sylor watched her. He felt pity for her, but not as much as he knew he should.
He turned to the ocean, and for a moment watched the lone sea gull still sitting upon the rock. He closed his eyes and envisioned himself holding Hollina in his arms again. “This time she will not leave me,” he whispered into the wind. He walked toward the water and stood where there was a distinct line between the wet and dry earth. He moved a few steps forward. Water rushed through his sandals, though he paid no notice. He gazed up at the orange orb suspended perfectly in the blue that matched his eyes.
He majestically held the dome shaped crystal up to it. The crystal that had once brought joy now brought heartache. It was the crystal he had given Hollina when they were children. It was one half of a crystal ball that contained the essence of his love, his heart, his entire being. She had left it behind when she chose to end her life. Tucked away in his room at the temple was the other half, the one Hollina had given him which contained her essence. It was the only thing he had left of her. His eyes watered, the core of his pain clearly etched in his face. He would now give himself to her again.
He brought the crystal to his chest, and affirmed in the deepest part of his soul that it would bring her back. It must! He believed what we hold in our mind and heart, with clear intent, must come to pass if it is written. Everything fit! He took hold of the gold medallion he wore with pride. Was he still worthy of this precious gift?
He leaned back and eyed the horizon. “Come back to me Hollina!” he screamed as he thrust the crystal high into the air for it to plunge deep within the ocean where another of nature’s miracles would take over. Playing its part, the dolphin grasped the crystal in its snout, and vanished into the hole in time.