Bizarreness

To die one day, never to be born again

Necessity!

Malicious prohibition!

No. Controlled release

Lies!

Premeditated murder!

No. Just healing

Inversion of black and white!

Really?

Are you sure?

Betrayal!

No.

Devotion.

Discord, The Book of Lies and Truths

***

The little band left behind old Miss Yaya, who still hadn't regained consciousness. But none of this was unkind, for Eheil knew her. His chatty friend would soon come to her senses, although he was sure she certainly had already.

Lilith fled as soon as she and her companions landed in front of Adonaï's office door, for she knew that nothing good was going to come of this discussion. Eheil, as usual, had also left, but Caleb and Samaël had no idea that he was watching them, and more particularly his Shä'ol. Due to his angelic nature, he didn't feel that this was a strange way of doing things; it was almost written into his constitution.

- Do you mind if I...

The demon general, who wanted to flee like his comrade, couldn't finish his sentence when the door opened on a stern-looking Adonaï, who ordered them to enter his office. It hadn't been tidied up, and Caleb realized that this room would never be properly arranged by anyone, least of all his very messy Divinity.

- Tell me about your research, what did it turn up?" he ordered.

The two looked at each other, Samaël sighed, dejected, turned to the God and described what they had seen and heard. He even mentioned Caleb's wound.

Caleb remained silent, not narrating any of the things that had happened in the cave. When it was his turn, he decided to recount his (false) confusion. As for what had happened to him after his separation from the two demons. As usual, the trust and respect he must have had for the all-powerful deity before him was not extremely strong. He was very wary of nobles, having many bad memories with them, especially with the former king of Hor and his Constitution of Separation of Beings. However, when it came time to reveal the ditty given by old Yaya to His Attentive Deity, the ease with which he sang it was surprising.

- A dark creature..." he began. Adonai turned, made of darkness and light... he continued, once...

- Enough!" roared the God, who had frozen until then.

Flabbergasted by His Most Furious Deity's sudden outburst, Caleb gasped and then fell silent. Samael, who had been aware that this was about to become dangerous, hadn't had time to silence the unconscious. Unfortunately, nothing had gone according to plan, especially the god creator's decision, which had surprised him more than anything else. Above all, he'd had a guilty pleasure in the fallout from Adonai's reaction to Caleb. He knew it was wrong, but as a demon general, well, he didn't care. If the human hadn't woken up here, in this place, he could have rested a bit more. Unfortunately, time had decided otherwise. Caleb didn't understand what was going on. But at least he wasn't the only one who had reacted strangely to the nursery rhyme. It took a weight off his shoulders.

Panting, the azure-haired deity tried as best he could to regain his composure. He knew it wasn't Caleb's fault, this poor soul on a journey. He'd asked him for the lyrics to the song and, unsurprisingly, it was about this creature. The Nemëkè had returned, as had the three primordial goddesses. Teeth clenched, he ordered, begging Caleb with difficulty:

- Don't sing that cursed nursery rhyme anymore.

He wanted to talk, to ask a thousand questions - about the refrain, about the Nemëkè's existence, about why he had come to this world of changing people. But from the start, all these questions remained unanswered. He walked blindly among these angels and demons, with no one to offer him a hand. Except for a few people, his little inner voice whispered, but Caleb didn't want to know, he wanted explanations. So he remained mute before the gaze of this God who didn't seem powerful to him. He'll wait," he promised without much conviction. Wait? Yes, indeed, he thought, but no, he didn't want to. He'd waited too long.

So he left without looking back, leaving Adonaï and Samaël behind. A few moments later, it was Samael's turn to abandon the deity in his office.

Right now, Adonaï was feeling more than a little lost: how could he explain without ruining everything? And especially when he had all but two or three answers. His jaw loosened, his shoulders relaxed and he slumped into one of the available armchairs with his eyes closed, little black pockets of fatigue marked on his face, which had become whitish for some time now. Then he decided to call Mâra, who could surely give him back hope. But not just yet, he mused before drifting off to sleep.

***

In his room, Caleb thought back to the refrain given by old Yaya, wondering the reason for Adonaï's sudden outburst of anger, it couldn't be that important, could it? Of course it does!" he snarled, exasperated by his idiotic thought. In any case, there had to be a link between the Nemëkè, the scenes he'd had on the trip to Argeneone and the investigation with the demons. Plus the question of the Clan of Tears and that madman Alew, of whom he still had no news. Even if the stories weren't linked together, which by the way was highly suspect, it at least had to do with his arrival and Han's mysterious past. He didn't want to think about anything right now, but his desire for answers was stronger than anything else. His gaze was drawn to the little book of Sheol lying on his bedside table. The last time he'd opened it, nothing had appeared except a note from the author, which perhaps had changed, so he opened it, but still nothing. He was about to close it when suddenly a line appeared on the blank page:

All is destruction...

- Great, that's very helpful," he breathed wryly.

It's a warning, watch out...

- I don't doubt it, but I'm not that far along. Don't you have something more important? Especially since I'm talking to a book, I can't think of a weirder experience... it's very strange, downright weird! Who are you?" questioned Caleb curiously, not entirely sure if the book was really answering him...

... Careful, entourage, betrayal? No, help. Will you help?

- Souls, yes, I know. But who are you?

Page 28 go, go!

- I won't have any more answers, but okay. Let's go, page 28...

Following the instructions diligently, he flipped through the pages until he reached the twenty-eighth. On the blank sheet was a stone door topped by a pediment carved with Sh'äti berries. Caleb knew them well, for in Maailm, his world, there were tons and tons of pink fruit orchards. Although the shape resembled one, the round spot on the miniature fruits set them apart from those he knew. Perhaps another variety?

Beneath the sketch was the name Akaë, with a legend written in lower case. The Gateway to the Worlds lies to the far east, where the giants sleep, in the land of the Sun that rises twice. (an obvious fact).

- Obvious?" wondered Caleb. As if!" he burst out. Either I'm not thinking things through, or she's making fun of me. Why giants? And a double Sun? he thought aloud. In the Ho'fäa, it would make more sense, but I have a feeling it's a trap. The Entre Deux? No, those are two moons. Maybe somewhere else? And then a door. A door to what? What does it do? And here are more questions. Again and again, I'm fed up with this!

He slammed the book shut and put it back where he'd found it. After a hot shower, he slipped into the comforter and fell asleep. In the middle of the night, he was startled awake by a strange noise coming from the ceiling, as if claws or a knife were scraping the wood. Caleb climbed out of bed and headed for the door.

Someone had taken possession of his body, he thought horrified, but who would? He had no enemies in this universe. And in fact, almost everyone knew him neither from Eve nor from Adam. But who would want to do something to make him look guilty, it didn't make sense. Maybe Alew. However, he had guided him to the Hö'fäa and explained a few things. Unfortunately, between this kindness and the nastiness he'd shown during his Tears monologue, he wasn't quite sure... And why, since he'd arrived, had the fanatic's voice or soul been in his body, what reason would he have to use it as he saw fit?

Mechanical step after mechanical step, he found himself in front of the door, and as his hand gently approached the handle, a seven-pointed star appeared and pushed him back a few meters. The grip on his being loosened and he soon regained his senses. Cold and shivering, he struggled to his feet, the scraping having fallen silent during his trance. His first thought was to say nothing, but he decided to do so before it got any worse. If it hadn't already. But who could he tell? Aloÿs and his brothers, but they still had too many problems. Adonaï or the demons or even the archangels, but for the most part he'd either only seen them once or twice or didn't trust them at all. Eheil, but he never knew where he was. That left his friend the oracle Han. Yes, that's the best choice, he reflected, and Caleb hurried down the corridors, forgetting to wrap himself in a tartan or his scarf.

- Han!" he exclaimed, opening the door and slamming it shut.

Then he froze: Han was accompanied by Eheil, chatting over a cup of tea and a snack.

- Sorry to disturb you, but it's urgent," he explained, tremolos in his voice.

Han turned his face in Caleb's direction, then softly asked:

- Yes?

- Even if it's imperative, put a blanket on first," cut in Eheil when he saw that Caleb wasn't dressed and was shivering from cold or fear, he wasn't sure. He covered him with a quilt, which Caleb hastily wrapped around him. Then, with a wave of his hand, Han, who had apologized, invited him to sit down and passed him a cup of tea.

- What's going on that's got you in such a hurry at midnight?

- I..." he began, not quite sure where to begin. He tightened his grip on the cup and took a sip before continuing. I woke up with a start, and my body began to move on its own as if I were being controlled by someone. I... I haven't heard Alew's voice for a while...

- How..." interrupted Han, startling Caleb, who had never seen the man in front of him like this.

Han was furious with the bastard and with himself. He'd forgotten all about that damn person. This animal who had lodged himself in Caleb's head, to the point of still neglecting the ego rotten to the bone and soul of this... He didn't dare call him an angel or even a man. The man was an örg* and a murderer! Trembling with rage, the oracle couldn't contain himself and the cup he was holding shattered to such an extent that some pieces remained embedded in his palms. Wheezing, he did his best to calm himself. But he couldn't - until that moment, his blind eyes glared at him as if a dagger had stabbed them. Panting, Han raised his wounded hands to his eyes as a hoarse cry broke through his now white lips. He fell to his knees, caught by Caleb, who had rushed after him when he saw the pythia fall.

Caleb had been watching everything unfold in slow motion, not at first understanding what was happening in front of him. It was this cry for help that brought him out of his torpor. Shocking as it may seem, it had been a long time since the man had seen such a scene. The last one was more than eight years ago, and he'd almost forgotten what had happened then, so much so that Caleb had thought it was just a dream, a nightmare even. So when he reached for Han, he embraced him, whispering words he hadn't believed in for a long time, words he'd put aside out of apprehension. In the human's embrace, Han calmed down with difficulty. It was by dint of patience and gentle words that he excluded this fracture spoken by Caleb's words alone when he had rushed here, to his home.

Eheil watched the scene with disconcerting impassivity. Completely different from the person he had been when Caleb and he first met. If it wasn't for the pursed lips and pained gaze that told a completely different story of the detachment he was showing. He wanted to move on, to comfort his Shä'ol and Mahar, but he couldn't do it. He had a role to play, and he would play it even if his heart told him otherwise. Even if he had to die for it.

A thin black line on Caleb's wrist immediately caught his attention. Brusquely, he grabbed it and in an urgent voice asked:

- What's that?

The cup in his hands clattered to the floor, shocked by the blond angel's harshness. Caleb's eyebrows furrowed as Eheil's grip tightened. Surprised, Han remained silent, his blind eyes looking out over the tumult caused by his guests.

- Eheil, you're hurting me," said Caleb, trying to escape Eheil's strong grip. What are you talking about?" he asked suspiciously when Eheil loosened his grip.

- This," he said, leading Caleb's wrist before his eyes.

Indeed, a black snake had appeared on Caleb's wrist. Its distinctive feature was that it was biting its own tail.

- A strange sign, thought Han from above. The snake had moved closer, stolen Caleb's arm and began to gently trace the tattoo on his skin. This made Caleb shiver. Uncomfortable with such a gentle touch, he began to fidget in his chair. Han, smiling slightly, let go of the man's limb. Do you have an idea?" continued the oracle to Eheil.

- I'm not too sure, there are too many meanings. Mark of a goddess, of Alew, of the snake... Anyway, the only strange thing is how and where it was drawn. Maybe we should ask Lilith, she'll know a lot more, given her nature and her relationship with snakes.

- In the meantime, better get some sleep now. Especially given your dark circles, Caleb," said Han, running his fingers under Caleb's eyes.

Caleb sighed:

- Of course. Can I sleep here? I don't really feel like sleeping in this room, considering what's happened. I hope you don't mind too much," he asked Han, who nodded in reply.

- I don't mind at all. On the other hand... he paused awkwardly, only to resume a few moments later. I... I hope you don't mind sleeping with me. Considering... I've only got one bed.

- No, I'm fine. Well, good night, Eheil. Hearing no reply, Caleb looked up, but couldn't find the angel's silhouette. He got up, picked up the shattered cup from the floor, headed for the kitchen and threw the crumbs into the garbage can. Hearing Caleb's comings and goings, Han smiled, all traces of fear and shyness removed. How he longed to see Caleb in his entirety, but unfortunately his eyes...

Damn that man! he thought angrily.

He headed for his room, fumbled for a second pillow and called out to Caleb, who then joined him.

- Thank you," Caleb whispered to Han as he settled under the covers. He didn't know why, but tonight he felt like talking, confiding. The bed sagged as the long-haired oracle settled next to Caleb. Unsure of what to say or do, Caleb remained silent, staring at his bedmate's back. Feeling Caleb's gaze, he turned and asked softly:

- Do you have something to say?

- Not really... I just...

- I'll wait as long as it takes," Han cut in, holding his hands. Now go to sleep," he finished, taking him in his arms.

Frozen, Caleb fidgeted for a moment, then closed his eyes. His suspicion dropped completely. He didn't know why, but that was how it was with Han. Perhaps his relationship with their eyes had brought them closer than he wanted. With a single breath, he let out a thank-you, then drifted off to sleep. Hearing the peaceful breath of the person in his arms, Han, his eyes still closed, said in a whisper:

- Don't make me wait too long either, Cassar.