Page 39 of The Human Element (The Human Element Collection #1)

“Samuel, I need you to stand outside of the circle’s perimeter.

Do not, I repeat, do not let any person or thing enter it until we are out of the Akasha.

You got that? Once we are there, there will be no way for us to return to our bodies quickly.

Until I finish the meditation ritual, our souls will be trapped there.

It isn’t an evil place, but it is tricky.

It’s not like we can just waltz in and get what we need; we will have to earn it, and that takes time. So give us all the time you can.”

With that, Samuel began walking out of the circle, his hands balled into fists by his sides, shivering from fright.

But he took a position beyond the circle of candles and stood, steadfast and strong.

Lorelei’s heart went out to him; he was being so brave.

Glancing up, she turned to look at the stones towering above them.

She remembered visiting them when she first moved to London for school several years ago, and the effect was still the same—pure awe.

Stonehenge, along with structures like the pyramids, were some of the most theorized structures in the world.

Nobody knew exactly how they were constructed, or what their true purpose was.

It was said the stones themselves are a type of rock that were brought from over 15 miles away from the site; and during 2500 BC, that is a feat of ingenuity experts still couldn't figure out how it was accomplished.

It fascinated her to no end. Her little history buff heart did a flip in excitement.

They are like the silent guardians of this place…but what exactly are they guarding?

Lorelei was surprised by the thought, not believing she ever considered that question before.

She looked into Daemon's eyes; he was seated a couple inches in front of her, and they faced each other, continuing to hold each other's hands.

This comforted her greatly, making the tension in her shoulders release a bit.

Daemon cleared his voice, which was barely audible over the wind that had started to pick up.

The firelight from the candles flickered wildly, casting strange shadows over the stones surrounding them.

Lorelei wondered if she could see figures dancing in those shadows, swaying and moving to music she couldn’t hear.

“Close your eyes, relax your body. I need you to try and clear your mind; focus only on my voice. You won’t understand the words, as it will be in Celestial speak, but I need you to let whatever feelings and emotions, that rise up inside of you upon hearing them come forward, I need you to feel them completely.

Let them overtake your body. Likewise, any images you see—let them come.

You may not understand them but that isn’t what matters.

It only matters that you don’t force them away or overthink on them too much, okay?

That is how we get to the Akasha; we ride the waves of your thoughts and emotions there.

Because I am sort of the conduit for the ceremony, I will be able to travel with you as long as we touch.

It may seem….scary, at first. But don’t be frightened.

When you feel scared, just tune back into my voice, the feel of my hand holding yours.

The fear will pass quickly and it will be over. Do you understand?”

She could feel that fear creeping up inside of her, but she pushed it down and squeezed his hands, “Yes.” With her acknowledgement, Daemon closed his eyes, and began to speak.

His words felt like a warm hug, surrounding them in their embrace.

As the words flowed from him, a prickling sensation rushed through Lorelei’s body, similar to the masking effect Daemon had when he was putting a sort of film surrounding them from others.

But this was stronger. The air around them hummed along with the melody of his voice, the words almost echoing around in her head.

They were striking, demanding, yet beautiful.

Suddenly, she became overwhelmed with a feeling of elation.

She could feel herself smiling, an instant rush of happiness filling her up from within.

But a moment later, anxiety rose to meet it—anxiety that made it feel as though her heart might burst out of her chest. Sweat was starting to pour down her forehead, pooling at her temples.

Lorelei knew she was tightening her grip on Daemon’s hands, the urge to run all-too-consuming.

She tried to remember his advice: to ride the feelings but not take too much stock in them. This was easier said than done.

As Daemon’s voice grew, so did the visions.

Dark figures lulling out of a long slumber, coming out from the shadows in the corners of her mind.

Hulking, lurking things making noises Lorelei thought she would not soon forget.

But as soon as they arrived, they vanished.

And suddenly, she saw the face of her mother, staring down at a sleeping baby.

Singing and rocking the baby to sleep in her arms, she was smiling, joy radiating from her face as she looked upon the child.

That same joy transmitted to Lorelei. She could feel it working its way from her toes to the top of her head. This feeling of lightness, of sunshine.

She had to assume the child was her, but she never even imagined seeing her mother this way. Seeing her— happy.

Lorelei wasn’t sure from what direction she was looking in at the scene happening before her.

Was she all around? Was she seeing her mother’s face from the child’s perspective?

Was she above it all? She wondered if this is what people described as having an outer body experience.

She was all of it. In every instance she could recount, she was seeing the scene from every angle, reliving it as a pure moment of time like it was yesterday, and seeing it happen from all around. But the mood shifted all too suddenly.

Lorelei’s mother abruptly stopped singing, and looked directly at Lorelei herself, not the baby. But the smile that a moment ago illuminated her face was gone. Lorelei’s heartbeat felt like it was sputtering out of control as her mother spoke, her voice haunting.

“It’s time.”

Lorelei shook her head.

“Time? Time for what?”

Her mother gravely responded.

“ The truth.”

Before Lorelei could ask for further explanation, Lorelei’s voice was drowned out by screams, her mother vanishing into smoke in front of her eyes. At last, Lorelei heard Daemon’s voice above the screams she hadn’t realized were her own.

“Lorelei! It’s okay! Don’t let the images scare you! I am still here! Lorelei? Lorelei! ”

But it didn’t feel like Daemon was there at all.

Lorelei felt lost in her mind. More visions kept coming, seeming endless as a black sea.

Some good. Some grotesque. Angels falling.

Demons with ghastly features. Her father’s face the last time she saw him, sipping a cup of coffee contentedly as his glasses fell to the brim of his nose.

Her friends from college, who clinked their glasses together, having a drink to celebrate at the pub.

Her childhood dog, Buddy, ran happily in the backyard behind her home.

Daemon standing with a bloodied sword at his side, looking at her menacingly.

A throng of people scurrying in a bustling city; but the people looked off.

Distorted. Like the ones she saw in her dream.

It was beginning to make her feel sick, like she might be physically affected by the torment of images.

She could hear Daemon still calling for her, and she realized she was in a long, dark hallway.

Dozens of doors lined either wall, and all the voices from the images she was hearing were coming from behind them, banging on the doors to be let out, but they were muffled now.

She was safe. From the first time since the meditation started, Lorelei felt like she could breathe.

The hallway was fairly bare; everything was vintage and there was a tinge of dust upon the paintings on the walls.

The paintings looked like depictions of moments throughout history.

As she walked along the corridor, she saw cavemen off on a hunt, Native tribes in ceremonial garb, the Battle of the Bulge, the first plane flight, the building of many worldly monuments, various treaties signed, the beginnings of religions, wars, and many things she couldn’t even recognize.

She arrived tentatively at the final door at the very end of the hallway.

There was a white glow escaping the edges of the doorway.

Slowly making her way up to it, she could tell the door was incredibly old.

There were strange markings carved into the wood that Lorelei couldn’t make out.

They didn’t seem like any signs that she had seen before, and the same glow that framed the door also lit up these markings.

The doorknob had a large, golden knocker, with the face of a lion.

Its mouth open wide, teeth bared, and its eyes glowed with a sense of knowing, like they were looking into Lorelei and could see everything about her that she couldn’t even see herself.

At last she pushed open the door, and walked into a bright, white open space.

Blinking several times at the intensity of light, once her eyes adjusted she looked around.

The area was vast, and felt endless. It wasn’t a room, but just continuous white space that had no beginning and no end.