Page 41 of The Human Element (The Human Element Collection #1)
Lorelei
Lorelei hesitated. Hearing the title “Child of the Prophecy” felt more disconcerting even though she knew it was technically true.
The words spoken aloud felt foreboding, and far too great a title than she deserved.
She was the one destined to either stop or start Armageddon; but that didn’t mean she could.
She thought she might get sick right there on those beautiful marble steps at the feet of an ArchAngel.
“Headline, read all about it: Chosen One pukes all over mighty being’s shoes!”
She didn’t feel like she could respond; what do you even say to a Celestial being?
Although she’d met Raphael, nothing compared to Metatron.
He was powerful and cunning, at its highest level.
His power seeped from him, making the energy in Lorelei zing in response; it was strong .
Whoever this was, mortal turned angel, was different from what it felt like to be in Daemon or Raphael’s presence.
Lorelei was frozen in place, but a comforting squeeze of her hand brought her back.
Daemon stood beside her boldly, and he too, looked immensely powerful in this place.
When she thought the silence between them all might go on forever, Metatron spoke again.
“I know why you have come, but I am not sure you will find what you seek. You should know, the Council of ArchAngels has made a ruling against your cause. There will be no protection for you from their wrath.”
Daemon stepped closer to Metatron, his voice lowering to match the tone of authority of the formidable ArchAngel.
“If you’d allow us, we’d like to discover that for ourselves. You know what we face, Metatron. You know this is our best and only option to find answers. Would you not allow us to enter to do so?”
Lorelei’s heart jumped when Metatron’s piercing gaze made her uneasy as he pondered Daemon's words.
“What say you, child? Do you wish to find the answers to who you truly are? Do you believe yourself capable enough to handle the answers that come?”
She hadn’t thought how what they came looking for would be so defying in the basic knowledge of who she was as a person, but perhaps, she was naive to believe this.
She was the girl who was proclaimed to be the only solution to ending the Great War.
Lorelei was way farther out on a cosmic limb here to truly believe what she would be facing wouldn’t be redefining.
They were here to find out how to stop the war, or at the very least, where to go next. What more would she find out?
A trickling fear began to encase her heart: the fear of what she couldn't face, the fear of what was to come when she stepped through the giant marble archway at the top of the stairs.
The archway resembled the buildings and columns often found in Greece and Rome, and although they brought a sense of security, having often studied the structures with her father as a child, and having visited similar in her adult years; she feared to step beneath it.
For a moment, the longer she stared at the entryway, the more she felt her eyes were tricking her.
Cracks began forming along the beams, and could even hear the sound of fracturing stone.
As the cracks descended, bluish light peeked out from within at the top, but lower down the columns, dark red light fought for a way out.
The sounds intensified, forcing Lorelei to close her eyes in pain.
All at once, the sound stopped. When she opened her eyes, there was nothing more than pure, polished marble columns. No cracks. No light.
Was that a sign of what I am to find out once I enter?
Lorelei mustered up what strength she had left, finally looking to Metatron.
Willing herself to temporarily put aside the image she just saw—seeing as no one else reacted to it—she knew only her eyes experienced the phenomenon.
Looking to Daemon, his green eyes eased her and she blew out a calming breath, facing Metatron like a warrior ready for battle.
“I’m ready. Humanity needs somebody who will face their fears, even when it becomes hard; someone who can see the light through the darkness in the face of the end of it all.
I don’t know if I will ever be the hero people need; but I know that there’s not a chance in this world that I would ever give up on them.
Humanity deserves to live on. We are gravely flawed, but we are also resilient.
We can find beauty in the depths of despair, and shake hands with it if need be.
I watched my father do it, and even strangers have had the power to keep me from falling into a darker place with nothing more than a heartfelt smile.
We may have the capacity for great evil, but equally, we have such a capacity for love and understanding.
We could be better, yes. But we have much to offer still.
Not all humans are so bad that they deserve nothing but death.
I believe no matter what, I’d rather know the truth, to be able to give this my everything, give us a chance to continue to try, than to sit by and watch people I care for suffer for a war that isn’t even theirs. ”
Metatron crossed his arms, looking at Lorelei severely, until he sighed.
“Those, my dear, are the words of a savior. You face death, and you face the discoveries lying behind that archway that will make you question the fabric of who you are as a person. You face scrutiny and the fact you won’t know until the very end, if things will work out.
That is what a Chosen One does. They try. Until there is no other alternative.”
Lorelei turned to Daemon smiling, and he nodded reassuringly.
“See, Sunflower? I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Lorelei returned her attention to Metatron, and a sense of renewed hope flourished in her chest.
“Are you with us? Do you believe what we are trying to do is worth it?”
Metatron smiled, and Lorelei couldn’t help but find it comforting; like the way her father’s smile relayed a message that she was where she was meant to be.
“My dear, I was once human. I see no purpose in their destruction, which is what I told the Council earlier. There is a movement, hidden and silent within our ranks, who are against what is deemed to happen. Once we find a proper footing to assist, we will. You are not alone. Your path is a righteous one. But be wary, you may find yourself lost once you enter the Records. You, of all people, have a past riddled with conflict before your very conception. Take heed, but remember who you are. You know who and what you are better than anyone could ever write about.”
Daemon bowed to Metatron, Lorelei following suit. Metatron extended glorious, white, glistening wings, and flew upwards into the vast white of the Records, looking to become one with light itself.
Lorelei let out a sigh of relief; although Metatron was on their side, it felt odd and unreal to be in the presence of such a renowned, and powerful being.
He was the first human to ascend to the status of an ArchAngel; he followed his intuition to one of the grandest positions in the Universe; and he believed in her.
We’re not alone after all. We have a following. We have others who see that humans should live on. We have hope—hope in me! Perhaps…I could do this.
Daemon held her hand as they began making their way up the grand stairs. When they were about to pass through the arch, Lorelei’s heartbeat thudded louder in her ears. She touched the marble column to her left, felt a thrumming of energy zap her fingertips. But there were no cracks.
Stepping inside, everything remained white, but overhead the ceiling was glass, resembling the roof of a greenhouse, and although there didn’t seem to be a sun, rays of brighter light shone upon different areas around them like sun peeking through windows in playful arrangements.
Lorelei saw that the area was incredibly large, and resembled an old-fashioned library.
Rows and rows of bookshelves aligned either side of the room, while a large study-like area sat in the middle.
Long tables lined with chairs filled the space.
Large pedestals with books on display sat in various positions around the room.
It sort of reminded her of the library she had at university.
The Akashic Records were just a giant library of knowledge—but this was definitely not what she expected.
She asked Daemon if this was always how it looked.
“No, the Records look different to most people. In essence, it’s similar to how it is now, but it caters to each person who enters.
Whatever would make them most comfortable, represented in a way more familiar to the traveler.
Since this is your passageway, and I was the conduit, it looks like what feels more familiar to you.
Which seems to be a University library, perhaps like the one you had in school? ”
Nodding, Lorelei looked around, totally captivated by the place. It really did look similar to the library at journalism school. She found herself relaxing the longer they stood there.
But what truly caught her attention were small specks of light in ball shapes that bobbed and weaved around the room.
Although they were without hands, some could be seen pulling books off shelves and flying them back to a seat at a table.
Others were gathered around a large book at one of the pedestals, and Lorelei could hear a humming sound, like whispers, coming from them.
“What are those?” Lorelei asked as Daemon continued to hold her hand. It was comforting, and it eased her racing thoughts and confusion of what was to come.
“They are souls. When people come into the Akasha, they shed their human forms and return to their essence essentially. We look the same to them. Little balls of light.”
Lorelei looked at him confused.
“But I still see you as I always do. How does that work?”