Chapter 8. Origins.

"What are you talking about?" Candice asked Feyona. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Feyona replied. "I would, if it's the truth." Candice said insistingly. "There's no place for lies in my house." Candice could sense the atmosphere getting serious. "Then there's no reason for me to not believe you."

"Okay then. This story begins a couple thousand years ago when Mykal's father came across the kingdom of Armesia. It was a time of chaos in Armesia as it was fighting of an invasion….." "Wait a minute, are you telling me the story of how Armesia won the unwinnable battle of Nebrines?" Candice interrupted her Feyona. "Yes." "And you're saying that Mykal's father was alive at that time."

"Yes."

"What do you think is going on around you? Three people have gone missing for crying out loud. You think this is a joke?"

"I told you, there is no place for lies in this house." Feyona said, in an eerily calm tone.

"Oh yeah? And why should I believe you?" Candice countered, her patience now running out.

"Because I can prove it to you. I will ask you a basic question, to which I already know the answer, but you must lie to me. And when you fail to do so, you'd have all the reasons to believe me." Candice could feel the confidence in Feyona's voice and was subconsciously starting to believe.

"Alright, sounds fair, ask away."

"What is your name young lady?" Feyona asked with a smile.

"Candice Garrison" She muttered in an instant. But she could swear she almost just said "Mykal Darke" but she said her real name. Candice was in disbelief and was trying to make sense what had just happened and then Feyona asked again, "What is it that you were going to say your name was?" She smiled again. "I was going to say Mykal Darke, but I couldn't. I can say his name now though, I don't understand. How is it possible?"

"This house is hexed so that no one can lie while standing inside it. Not even me." Feyona could see the look of confusion on Candice's face.

"So, you're what? A Witch?" Candice said, still trying to process how the situation turned out.

"Yes, you can say that, but we like to call ourselves humans, like you."

"We? There's more of you?" There was obvious concern in Candice's voice when she asked. "Of course! Why would there only be me? It's not like I'm the chosen one or something sent here to restore peace" Feyona chuckled.

"Wait… Sent here? You're not from Earth?" The confusion in Candice's mind turned into fright. "Well, technically, I am from earth, just not from this one." Feyona replied. "Huh?" Candice couldn't understand if she was confused or was in disbelief. "Come on now Candice, you didn't think this planet was the only one sustaining life? There are more planets that sustain life in this universe itself, let alone other universes."

Candice ran out of words to say, she just had a look of bewilderment. "I can't lie, you know that now." Feyona said reassuringly. "Yeah, right. It's just a lot to comprehend." Candice said rubbing her forehead. "It's alright, I don't blame you, you're actually taking it way better than the others before you, but that's probably just because they were different times." Candice couldn't dare ask anything regarding that statement.

Feyona sensed that and smiled, "Right, so where were we? Yes, the invasion. Our nation was being attacked by the kingdom of Amada, led by its King Jervois. We were greatly outnumbered and there seemed no way that we would survive unless we surrendered…"

There was a very small pause before Feyona spoke again and Candice took the opportunity, "Let me guess, there's a 'but,' right?" Feyona smiled again. "Indeed. But, we had Mykal's father on our side. Before I tell you any further, you should know where we come from and what we are capable of doing." Candice said nothing, just nodded, so Feyona continued.

"We come from Earth and hence are humans, but our Earth is situated in another universe." Candice sat there listening to her patiently. "On our Earth everyone has, let's say, abilities, for lack of a better word." Candice started to get more into Feyona's words.

"Our abilities are blessings from elemental beings of nature." "By elements you mean like fire and water?" Candice asked unable to resist her curiosity. "Very much so and more. There are people who can conjure, control, and absorb the qualities of elements such as Fire, Water, Air, Sand, Electricity, Light and the Shadows…" "Wait what? Light and Shadows? What kind of elements are they?" Candice interrupted.

"They are the rarest kind and also among the most if not the most powerful kind." Feyona finished, expecting questions from Candice. "What exactly do they do? These wielders of Light and Shadows?" Feyona smiled and replied, "Well, I am an example of a wielder of Light, I can conjure light, force fields, shields, I can also heal wounds and I can't die." "Can't die? As in you're immortal?" Candice was surprised. "Yes." Feyona could not have been more subtle.

"Wow! Guess I think I shouldn't be surprised by anything I hear at this point." Feyona laughed a little. "As I am a Light-bearer, Mykal's father was a Shadow-bearer, an immensely powerful one at that. He came as a visitor of Armesia while it was being invaded by King Jervois and his huge army. He offered King Timaeus assistance against the invading nation and promised him victory. Timaeus was obviously not one to believe the words of any stranger he's just met and asked him to seek shelter or leave the nation if he wished to survive. But, Draven being a proud man, couldn't leave an opportunity to show what he was capable of. So, he convinced Timaeus to let him show his prowess by letting him clear an area already occupied by the enemy and if he was successful Timaeus would let him lead his army to victory. Timaeus agreed and let him do as planned."

"Well, we know that Armesia won that war, so clearly Mr. Draven is incredibly powerful." Candice added in. "That, Ms., is an understatement. Not only he did he win Armesia that war, he did it in such a fashion that there were very few casualties on the defending army, whereas the attacking army was wiped out. After the war no country dared to challenge Armesia and King Timaeus instead offered alliance and trade treaties. Timaeus was indebted to Draven, but Draven took a liking to the King and wanted him to be friends with him. You see, Draven never made any friends since he never considered anyone worthy of being his friend, but when he saw how Timaeus refused to surrender in front of imminent defeat and was ready to lay down his life defending his people, he saw a man with honor and courage."

"That's interesting. How an insanely powerful alien would deem a normal human an equal."

"No matter how evil that man maybe, but he was always a man of honor and valued honor and loyalty more than anything. There was another quality of him that perhaps even Timaeus admired."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Candice asked.

"Draven never lied. He only ever said the truth, probably that's why nature favored him so much. Timaeus went on to become Draven's closest friend and helped him to conquer many nations with very little loss. Draven told Timaeus where came from and why he came." Feyona stopped talking.

"Why did he come?" Candice broke the silence.

"Like I said earlier, only Light-bearers are blessed with immortality, that's how nature wanted it to be, but it wasn't acceptable for Draven, he demanded immortality for himself and he tried everything he could to achieve it on our Earth, almost caused a war because of it. He finally understood that there was no way for him to become truly immortal, that he couldn't defy nature's ways."

"But he found a way, didn't he?" Candice was starting to understand what Feyona was trying to say.

"He drowned himself in ancient literature and scriptures, determined to find a way and one day, he finally did it. He found a way to create a living being that would be immortal in all manners, a being that just couldn't die, an eternal being. He thought that if could create such a being and transfer his consciousness into it, then he could achieve what he always wanted, but, he didn't know that it was not possible."

"Huh? Why?" Candice spoke out, curiosity building in her mind.

"You see, like us Light-bearers possess the blessing of immortality, Shadow-bearers have the ability to transfer their consciousness into other living beings, possessing them in a way, and then go on to live that being's life for as long as they did, technically making them immortal as well, because they are the only ones with an eternal consciousness."

"Then why was it not possible for him to do it?" Candice wasn't taking any notes anymore, she was so into the story that she lost track of time and the reason why she was there.

"Because, a Shadow-bearer can only possess someone with a soul.." Feyona answered.

"I'm sorry, but I still don't see why he couldn't do it."

"Before Draven met King Timaeus on this Earth, there was only one person that he cared about the most, the love of his life, his wife. She was a Light-bearer. They had a beautiful bond. They had a child, a girl, a Light-bearer. Draven loved her, but had wished for the child to have the abilities of both him and her, but that's not how it works on our Earth. There are no mixed breeds, the child usually gets the dominant abilities out of either of its parents."

"Wait? So, he was willing to possess his own child? Candice asked, somewhat disgusted of the idea.

"Yes, that is why she denied to be a part of his vision, but stayed with him, because she loved him. Draven still had no way of achieving his goal and that made him restless. Then one day it hit him, there had to be a reason why there were instructions to achieve what he wanted, it had to have been possible somehow, that's when he understood that there were other worlds like ours and that he could look for ways there."

"That's why he came here." Candice completed Feyona's sentence for her.

"Yes. He figured out a way to create a being that would have the abilities of both his and his wife's. But, he was so blinded by his goal that he couldn't understand why he would never be able to completely achieve it. In his pursuit he forgot the fact that, for a Shadow-bearer to possess someone, that person must have a soul and the way that Draven was about to create this being was going be born unnaturally. Anything that is not created by nature would never have a soul."

"Meaning he would never be able to possess it, oh my!" Candice got the entire picture. "Wait, was he successful? If yes, then how did he convince his wife to agree to it?"

"He did succeed, he created a being without a soul, a bearer of Light and Shadows, and no, he didn't convince his wife to agree, she had no idea until she saw it with her own eyes."

"Then how did he do it?

"He managed to get a strand of her hair and merged it with one of his and created a seed, he then convinced Timaeus to help him find a woman from your world who was ready to bear this child for him and give birth to it. And then he was born."

"Oh my god! So, Mykal… doesn't have a soul? And has been alive for over 1500 years?"

"Yes." Feyona replied, there was pain in her voice, she was no longer smiling.

"So then, Where's Draven and the rest of his family now? Did Draven possess someone?" Before Feyona could answer Candice's question, there was a loud noise outside the house, it sounded as if lightning had struck the house, and a few seconds later, the front door flew open and Mykal stormed inside with a man on his shoulder. He threw him onto the couch like he weighed nothing and came straight for Feyona. He then picked her up by her throat. Candice could see how menacingly angry he was, she tried to stop him but noticed that it was her brother that Mykal had just thrown onto the couch and went to check for him.

"Why?... Why did you let me go in there again? WHY?!!!!" Mykal screamed at Feyona with anger not realizing that he was almost choking her.

"It's nice… to see you… son…" Feyona said and blacked out.