A Division of Souls - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe (64 page)

I see a galaxy,
she said, her heart
beating fast.

The One of All Sacred nodded.
You see
Lightbodies, dear. This is their true ancestral home.

Sheila frowned in confusion.
Trisanda?

The One smiled, amused.
That is but one
of a myriad of planets. As is Gharra — Earth. As is Meraladh, as is
Mannaka. Trisanda is just the birthplace of a Lightbody within a
human form. Right now you are seeing just the cluster of
Lightbodies that originated from Trisanda. There is so much more,
however…so much more than just what you see!
She pointed
towards the galaxy of Lightbodies proudly, as if they were her own
creation. The intensity of emotion swirled within the One and
within the spiritual galaxy. Sheila began to absorb this energy
drunkenly.

There is Love,
The One said.
There
has always been love; there will always be love, no question.
What
we
all decide to do with it is completely up to us.
She took Sheila’s face in her hands again, looking her in the
eyes.

Therein lies our fate,
she continued.
Do we continue to keep the nuhm’ndah and the kiralla at bay, or
do we reach out with compassion and lead them on the path to
rebirth?

I…
Sheila bowed again.
I want to
believe in compassion, Dearest One.

The One smiled at her, and together they
began to float again, away from one galaxy and towards another. The
celestial spheres around her shifted in place and time, some
flashing out of existence, others born in a spectacular billowing
forth of gases, radiation and Light.

Compassion you shall have,
she said.
She moved close, kissed her on the forehead, and nodded.
You
know who I am and who my counterpart is. I spoke truth earlier…you
are chosen as a protector and as a witness, but I ask one more
thing: that you help Dearest Karinna with your life in guarding
Denysia.

Sheila frowned.
What do you mean?

Surely you understand,
she said.
I
am the One of All Sacred.

You’re Denni as well…aren’t you?

The One nodded.
I am she and she is
me…dehndarra Né hra nyhndah, Sheila. I cannot exist without her,
and she cannot exist without me.

They paused before another galaxy, this one
much larger in size and shining so brilliantly she could hear its
energy singing. Its luminescence nearly blinded her. The
Lightbodies here were the strongest she had seen, so strong she
felt the energy pulsating from its center and rushing towards her.
She felt herself drawn to this energy, pulled ever so gently with
both her heart and her spirit. Her entire being sensed a feeling of
warmth, of
home
within this galaxy. It was...?

That is your galaxy,
The One said.
They are the Chosen, the Awakened.

Sheila caught her breath.
This...this
isn’t...now, is it?

This is approximately twenty-five years
on, Sheila,
The One smiled.

She gazed her, fascinated and terrified at
the same time.
Why are you telling me this?

The One waved a hand at the galaxy. As if in
response, the Lightbodies reflected her gesture in a sparkling
display of multihued excitement.
They are yours, Sheila,
she
continued.
Help to lead them. Help guide the nuhm’ndah and the
kiralla towards rebirth. I offer my love to you, Dearest child; it
is the Light you see before you. But above all else…watch over
Denni…watch over me. And watch over Karinna. Be sure she stays true
to her spirit, Sheila.

Sheila shivered.
I shall…I shall.

They looked at each other once again and
embraced. So warm, so calm…it felt so wonderful! To be here, to be
at peace. With a slight wave of the One’s hand, Sheila suddenly
felt herself losing sensory consciousness as the One of All Sacred
faded from view. She was returning to the Moulding Warehouse, back
to her real, mortal body. For a brief second, she wanted to cry
out, to ask her all the questions in her head, yet she knew there
was no need.

She still had Denni.

Sa’im taftika,
she called out to the
One of All Sacred.
Bless you.

Back to Gharra, back to life.

*

The beacon of Light blinked out of
existence, leaving such an ominous quiet in the air it screamed in
Poe’s ears. Ten different thoughts immediately surged through his
mind in a maddening blur; questions about the safety of the
Warriors, about the Protectors…and most of all, questions about
Denni.

Denysia,
he called out, hoping to get
a response. He did not get one.

Denni?

Nothing.

“Oh Goddess, no…” Caren gasped, a trembling
hand covering her mouth. She reached out with her other hand and
grabbed Poe’s jacket sleeve, pulling it tight within her fist.
Those bastards,
she growled within.
Those fucking
bastards! They did it!

“No, Caren,” he whispered in the silence.
“You don’t know that.”

They did it…
she repeated. He could
feel the walls of her psyche crumbling all around her, the
protective walls of her own soul, falling away like weak twigs in a
strong wind, and she did not have the strength or the heart to
defend herself. He reached out and put a hand over hers; her grip
had already slackened enough that it was on the verge of falling
dead away in defeat. He tried to send his own comforting energy
over to her, and failed pathetically. He truly had no idea if he
had actually done it, only relying on instinct and a nearly
forgotten healing sequence. She halfheartedly tried to pull away,
but it was too late. Her head dropped. She had given in.

“Don’t you
dare
give up that easily,”
Poe said quietly but sternly into her ear, doubling it with the
same inner voice he’d used earlier. “You’re not weak, Karinna.
Don’t believe you’ve lost her until you know for sure.”

Poe heard her throw a weak curse at him, and
ignored it. He kept it up until she returned to her true self
again. Anando was useless right now; he continued to stare
slackjawed at the empty sky above the warehouse. He couldn’t
believe what he’d just witnessed, had not expected it, and had no
idea what would happen next. Poe sensed an overwhelming fear within
him, and understood completely. Those within the warehouse were
indeed safe, but spiritually…

…spiritually, he truly did not know if the
One of All Sacred had survived.

“You come back to me, Karinna,” he said,
raising his voice, but still close. “You give up now…?” He exhaled
unevenly and closed his eyes. He knew she was going to despise him
deeply after what he was about to say. He wouldn’t blame her if she
never talked to him again, professionally or otherwise. He hated
himself for having to take this step. But there was no other way
now. He took another breath and opened his eyes again. He took
Caren’s tear-stained face in his hands and pulled it towards him
until they were eye to eye. They connected fully and completely,
spirit to spirit, on equal grounds.

Forgive me, Karinna
.

“Caren? Listen to me,” he said. “You give up
now, Karinna, and you’ve given up on your entire family.
Aram…Celine…and especially Denni. You can’t do this.”

Caren stared at him, wide eyed.
“A-Alec…”

It killed him to say that, and he would
never forgive himself. But he did not dare look away. He was the
anchor now, the only one left.

Alec…
she cried from within.

Finally he felt something stir in Caren’s
spirit. Something harsh…something buried deep within, so hidden
they had never known it was there before now. Something dark and
sinister, something so black in devoid of Light that it terrified
both of them. A solitary tear fell from her eye. Her lips started
to quiver.

“Karinna —” he started.

In one quick move, she pulled out of his
grasp and punched him in the face, sending him flailing backwards.
She had not held back; in fact, she had used the strength of both
her Mendaihu and Shenaihu power and had nearly knocked him
senseless. The side of his face instantly went numb and he tasted
blood. It took all his energy not to pass out.

“
Go to hell!
” she screamed, and let
out a primal wail. She jumped out of her chair and headed towards
the metal railing at the edge of the roof. She moved incredibly
fast, determined to get past that barrier at any cost, even if she
had to force her way through it. Instead she purposely crashed into
it and doubled over, the metal bar hitting her squarely in the
stomach. She let out a strangled gasp of pain. As if she hadn’t
been satisfied enough, she backed up and did it again, hitting
railing even harder this time. She let out a primal howl of
physical and emotional pain.

Heartbroken, Poe ran dizzily to her,
instantly at her side. He reached out a hand to touch her, only to
have it violently swatted away. She was choking tears as she pushed
herself against the railing, as if she were intent on breaking her
ribs. He reached out again, this time with the threads of his
spirit…and felt
fire
. A deep-seated, raging hatred that had
never been released before, it consumed Caren’s spirit whole. It
tore her apart viciously and relentlessly, and it horrified him. He
backed away to a safe distance again. He glanced over at Christine,
who only stared back at him with a vague, unreadable expression.
She had lit a cigarette, and now took a very slow, long drag from
it. He turned back to Caren, only to find her inching away from
him, sliding further down the railing.

“Get away from me,” she hissed.

“Damn it, Caren!” he pleaded, stepping close
again. “What the hell are you doing to yourself?”

“I’m not giving up, you damned D’haff
Sshalé!” she shouted, whirling around again and pushing him away,
nearly knocking him over again. “I’m not giving up! Are you fucking
happy now?” She gasped for air as she trembled, tears still
flowing. “I’m not giving up. I never said I was. Just…give me this,
Poe, damn it all. Give me this one thing
.
I know you have
faith in me. Please…let me have this. I need to…I need…”

Poe shuddered, the full force of her words
and the revelation hitting him deep. It was not healing she had
needed all these years…it was release! She’d held this energy for
so long, this white fire and black energy, and had refused to ever
let it escape. She had denied herself this one thing for five long
years, and she could no longer hold it all in anymore. He knew
exactly what was coming next. In the corner of his eye, he saw
Anando stand up and move towards them. Poe held out a hand and he
jerked to a stop.

“Sit down, you,” Poe barked. “This is
between me and Caren.”

“It’s bigger than that, Alec. It’s between
all of us,
” Anando said, standing his ground. “This is
Caren’s choice, and hers alone.”

“
Her
choice?” he frowned. “What
choice are we talking about, Anando?”

Faith
, he said from within.

Faith,
Caren repeated. She wiped at
her eyes and cheeks, and she was still in deep pain…but something
had changed. Poe felt it now; there was some new, even stronger
emotion that had hidden itself under all that intense anger and had
finally surfaced, radiating within Caren as brightly as a
supernova.

“I am Mendaihu,” she said to him, softly
this time. So calm. “But I am also cho-nyhndah. Which means I am
Shenaihu as well, Poe. Do you understand?”

“But…” he managed.

Faith in the Light,
Caren said from
within.

…
and faith in oneself,
Anando
said.

All at once, it made clear, disturbing sense
to Poe as well.

“Come,” Anando said, and took her hand.

“Where are —” Poe started. A flash of light
and a near-silent
whoosh
of displaced air formed in front of
him. He lifted up his arm by instinct, yet the flash had already
disappeared. He stared, eyes wide, at the spot where Anando had
once been, then where Caren had stood. They had stepped into the
Light, into the otherwhere. Into the unknown middle ground.

Caren…
he called out. He felt the
lump in his throat and tried to force it back down, yet he could
not. A tear formed in his left eye. He did not wipe it away.

Karinna…
he said again from within.
I am sorry. I should not have said—

No apologies,
he heard, and shivered.
Her inner voice, her True voice, was so clear, so calm and true to
her spirit. It sang to him.
You were right, Alec. I am the one
to apologize. All these years…I should have accepted this sooner. I
was just afraid…afraid to face who I was…who I am.

In spite of himself and his swelling cheek,
he laughed. His shame had been replaced by an intense pride for
her.
Where are you?

Within the Light,
she said.
Same
thing my dad did. Ironic, isn’t it? Anando and I went in to find
some answers. And maybe find Denni. I think I know where she is.
Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon enough.

How—
he bit at his lip and
frowned.

I’ll explain later. And hey — remember this:
you’re my sehnadha, Alec. Practically my spirit twin. I don’t know
what I’d have done all these years without you.

The furrows in his face eased. Slowly, a
smile crossed his face.

Peace, Love and Light to you, Karinna
Shalei,
he said.

…
and to you, my dearest friend,
she
answered, and was gone.

“…Goddess,” he exhaled, and rubbed at his
eyes. Fatigue tore at his body and his mind, but a tremendous
weight had been lifted. A hard-earned sense of relief washed over
him. The Awakening, the Cleansing, the corrupted Ascension…the case
itself! It was all over, at least for the time being. All he needed
to do now was go back to his apartment and wait for Caren and
Anando to return. There was nothing more for him to do. Nothing but
get some blessed rest.