A Revelation of Power

A few minutes later Luke opened the door to his dorm room and Lila floated in quietly, looking around at the sparsely decorated space. Luke didn't share this dorm with anyone else, so he wouldn't have to worry about anyone barging in. 

"This is where you live?" Lila asked quietly.

"Yeah, why, is there something wrong with it?" Luke replied.

Lila shook her head slowly, "No, there's nothing wrong with it, per se," she muttered. "I'm just used to larger quarters."

Luke chuckled, "Well, it's not like you live here, so that shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"What do you mean?" Lila asked. "Of course I live here."

Luke stared at Lila, unsure if she was just trying to make some weird joke or if she really believed she lived with him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

Luke was at a loss for words momentarily, but soon his mouth caught up with his brain and he said, "I'm confused."

Lila tapped her chin with her index finger for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any idea what's going on right now?"

Luke shook his head, "No, not really."

"Did you not see the vision?" she asked.

"The vision?" Luke thought for a moment, then remembered what had happened at the party. "Oh, yeah, of course. I saw a powerful King on a beautiful throne. He tapped me on the forehead," Luke explained, touching his head where the King had.

"That wasn't just a tap, Luke. That was the Covenant Seal," Lila said.

"The Covenant Seal? What's that?" 

"The Covenant Seal is the door to great power. It is the sign of Heaven's Knights, the King's guardians," she explained. She watched Luke's expression and it was clear that he had no idea what she was talking about. "How far is this backwater planet removed from the rest of the universe that you don't know these things? Do you really not know who I am?"

Luke shook his head once more, "I have no idea who you are, why you're floating there as if I shouldn't be freaking out about that, why you have glowing lines all over you, or about anything else you're saying." Luke finished with a huff, wanting an explanation, from the beginning, more than anything in that moment.

"Okay," Lila said, rubbing her temples. "I'm Lila."

"I know that much," Luke said, cutting her off.

"Will you let me speak please?" she asked, frustration clear in her tone. Luke remained silent, crossing his arms. "I am a Celestial." 

She could see Luke start to ask another question, so she put her hand up and said, "Hold on. Just let me explain, and if you have questions after I'm done, ask them then." 

Luke nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"Celestials are unique among the cosmos. We, like everyone else, were created by the King for a purpose, that being to guide and assist Heaven's Knights in their defense of their worlds," Lila explained. "The best way I know how to describe us, is that we are a perfect blend of Heavenly technology and divine spiritual essence. We are bound to the King by the Covenant, which is the Law and Will of the King. According to that Covenant, my duty and purpose is to help you, Luke Hale."

Luke stayed quiet, pondering what Lila said. Eventually, Lila cleared her throat, bringing him back to the present moment. 

"Okay," he said, "That's great and all, it really is, but why would I need help from a Celestial? I'm just a regular college kid from Nowhere, USA. I'm not special."

Lila giggled at that, "You're not special?" she asked. "Of course you are, Luke. If you weren't then I wouldn't be here right now."

"Why, though?" he asked. 

"Why are you special? I don't know the answer to that," Lila said. "What I do know is that I've been given a job, one which I've been waiting on for a very long time, and which I take extremely seriously. And I plan on doing it to the best of my abilities."

"But what are you supposed to be helping me with?" Luke replied, still not fully understanding.

"Oh, that's easy," she said, giggling softly again. "I am here to help you defend Earth."

Luke felt his stomach drop. "Defend Earth?" He almost laughed, but the weight in Lila's voice kept the humor at bay. "You're joking."

"Would that make it easier?" she asked, tilting her head.

"A lot."

She didn't smile.

Luke ran a hand through his hair. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. Defend Earth. He was just a college student. He barely made it through midterms. And now some cosmic force expected him to—what? Fight monsters?

"I think you have the wrong guy," he muttered.

Lila's expression softened, but her words didn't. "The King doesn't make mistakes."

Lila sighed and looked toward Heaven, muttering to herself too quietly for Luke to hear her. When she looked back at him, she had a soft smile on her face. "Luke, you and I have been chosen to defend this world at this point in time because Earth is about to face challenges unlike any it has faced before. In fact, the changes have already begun."

"What changes do you mean?" Luke asked.

"I don't know the future," Lila replied, "but there are indications that something is wrong on Earth. People are dabbling where they ought not, and chances are it's going to end badly - for everyone," she finished solemnly.

"So what am I supposed to do about this?" Luke's head was spinning.

Lila's grin softened again, and she said, "You've been chosen, Luke. We've been chosen. There will be others here on Earth, so we aren't going to be alone, but we must protect Earth. If I was sent here, then this isn't a drill. Something world-shattering is about to happen."

"But you don't know what it is?" 

Lila shook her head and said, "Not exactly. Part of this whole thing is that, if you accept, you and I will be bonded through the Covenant Seal and we'll grow in knowledge and power together. I was given only the bare minimum details in order to accomplish that goal."

Luke closed his eyes, trying to get a grip on everything that was happening. "Do you know anything else?" he eventually asked.

"Well, I know this all has to do with something called the Arcadium Particle Accelerator," Lila replied.

"The APA?" Luke asked, sitting up straight.

"The APA, yes," she said, nodding.

Luke's mind started reeling all over again. What could the APA have to do with anything? He lived relatively close to it, so could he be in danger? Was his family and town in danger? He looked up at Lila and asked, "What do I have to do to find out more? We're not very far from the APA here, and I have to protect my family. They live here too."

Lila smiled broadly, "Well, if you accept, then I will awaken the Covenant Seal and you and I will be bonded. Then, we investigate."

Luke thought about it for a moment before coming to the conclusion that, even if he really didn't understand everything, he would do whatever he had to do to protect his loved ones. His parents and two younger siblings, Aiden and Ava, were all he truly had in this world, and he wouldn't abandon them simply because he was afraid. And he was afraid, wasn't he? The realization was oddly somewhat settling. Once he put a name to the strange feeling inside, he felt that he could move forward.

"Okay, let's do it," he said.

Lila nodded and her face grew serious. Without warning she drifted forward and placed the palm of her right hand onto Luke's forehead. A searing pain emerged from inside his head, settling onto the skin where her hand was. He gritted his teeth against the pain.

Lila pulled her hand away abruptly, staring at her palm. Her golden glow flickered, just for a second.

"That's… unexpected," she murmured.

"What?" Luke asked, chest still heaving from the burning sensation.

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she lifted her palm, showing him the shimmering mark. "The first stage of the Covenant Seal: Alef." Her voice was steady, but something unreadable lurked beneath her gaze.

Luke also noticed that her eyes themselves were no longer the pale red they'd been before. They were now a light golden color.

The burning pain was gone, but Luke could still feel a tingle on his forehead, so he turned and looked in a nearby mirror. A brightly shining symbol rested there on the skin right in the middle of his forehead where Lila's palm had been, and where the King had poked him.

"What is that?" he asked in wonder. 

Lila drifted closer to him, lifting her palm and showing him a symbol matching his. "I've never actually seen it before, but this is the first stage of the Covenant Seal: Alef. See how the symbol consists of a combination of strokes? The diagonal line that connects the two smaller strokes, one above and one below, that's the bridge, and the other two strokes represent Heaven and Earth, or the Divine and the mortal. This design makes Alef appear balanced and almost symmetrical. This does not mean the two are equal, of course, but that the Divine seeks relationship, a bridge, to the mortal, to lift the mortal up into divinity."

Luke's eyes glimmered in wonder as he watched the symbol shine and shimmer until, eventually, the light began to fade. Soon after the symbol faded completely, though Luke knew it was still there, somehow.

"We are bound, now?" Luke asked. 

Lila nodded in response, her eyes still wide. 

"Well then," he said, sticking out his hand, "It's nice to officially meet you, friend."

Lila grinned playfully, "And you, friend," she replied, taking his hand in hers and shaking it in greeting.

Luke extended his arms, bent his knees, and… jumped.

He landed with an unceremonious thud, stumbling slightly. "Nope. Still grounded."

Lila snorted, covering her mouth. "That was adorable."

"I was testing gravity."

"Gravity remains undefeated."

Luke rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Fine, I'll wait for the tutorial."

Lila grinned. "Patience, young Padawan."