Two Sides of The Moon - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

-Oliver-
I had a fun day with the werewolves, so when it was getting dark, and Natalie and I had to leave, I felt sad and miserable again. I let myself dream of moving in with Natalie and having all three of my wolves stay the nights at our place. That thought cheered me up right until I remembered the damn meeting on Monday.
To distract myself from it, I asked Natalie about the poor people who had been possessed, and how they were doing. Apparently, the infestations were almost defeated, and the carriers would only need a treatment or two to get rid of it completely. That made me feel so, so much better.
I spent the rest of the evening helping around the group home, mostly playing with the kids until they went to bed. Natalie stayed there too for a while, but she eventually had to leave.
"I'll come visit you tomorrow," she promised, hugging me tightly at the entrance.
"You don't have to – it's your day off," I chuckled, but I was still glad she offered to come.
I mean, now that I knew I had a possibility to move in with her and Mike, it had gotten a lot more unbearable to have to stay at the orphanage while she went home. I really wanted it to be my home too...
"There is no other place I'd rather be than here with you," she whispered in my ear.
"You're making me cry," I noted, and she chuckled.
"It won't take long until you can come home with me," she promised me, pushing me an arms-length away to see me.
I really, really hoped so. Just one evaluation. Only one tiny little evaluation... I only had to prove I wasn't insane. Piece of cake.
I just couldn't let my hopes up, no matter what. After all this time... I just couldn't. I'd gotten my hopes up so many times before.
"You know what? I'll teach you how to make a protective talisman tomorrow," she said. "It's kind of like the wards, but smaller. I'll bring enough ingredients so the kids can make them for themselves too."
"Sounds awesome," I said truthfully. "We need all the protection we can get."
"My thoughts exactly. And we can have a fun craftsmanship today together!"
I smiled at her. "I'd like that."
She returned my smile and hugged me again. "Try to get some rest, will you? And call me if you need anything, all right?"
"I will," I promised, and soon, she left.
I hung out with the night shift caretakers for a bit, but I was getting tired after spending the entire day outside, so I climbed upstairs. While I was brushing my teeth, trying to be as quiet as I could so I wouldn't wake up the kids, I felt the peacekeeper somewhere in the city.
That dude sure had a strong spirit. I quickly put my toothbrush away and washed my mouth before hurrying to the window as if I could somehow see him.
'I really want to meet him,' Cedric sighed.
"So do I, just to see what the fuss is all about," I chuckled super quietly.
'You can feel his spirit, right? That's what the fuss is about,' he said.
"Sure," I chuckled, but then felt something else. "Is that another one?" I gasped.
'OH MY GOD! There's now two of them!'
I didn't even have to focus to feel the second peacekeeper. I was sure I could've felt their presence even in my sleep – it was so strong. The second one vanished shortly later, but the first one stayed.
"He's staying longer than before," I noted.
'Yeah.'
"Almost as if they needed to give our enemy a stronger reminder this time," I spoke, suddenly feeling a bit nervous again.
'Yeah... That really doesn't sound good,' Cedric muttered.
"Sometimes I wish I could just go find that person who is behind all of this and just..." I trailed off, feeling the dark side of the Echo tickling me again.
'Please don't,' Cedric pleaded. 'Whoever it is, he is much stronger than you, even with the Echo.'
"I wonder if the gods have figured out who it is," I said.
"We have not."
The voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes in irritation. "Could you please stop appearing behind me out of the blue?" I asked, turning to face Selene.
"It's the last bit of fun we have left in this world," Selene said with a gentle smile on her face. She waved her hand, pulling me with her into the spirit realm. "Let's talk here so we don't wake up the children. You wanted to see me?"
"Huh? Did I?" I frowned at her, sitting down on my bed.
"You did," she said, sitting on the opposite bed, while Cedric appeared next to me.
"I wanted to ask you about Tilly and Ben, yeah, but that was hours ago," I said.
"I'm sorry – I was a bit preoccupied until now," she said.
"Doing what?"
"Trying to figure out what our enemy did."
"So... Did you?"
"We think we know what happened, but we have no solid proof yet," she nodded.
"And...?"
"Let's have the conversation about your friends first," she smiled at me.
"All right," I nodded. "So are they mates? Tilly and Ben?"
"I have connected them, yes, and their bond has more potential than any other bond they share with other people, yes," Selene said.
"So does that mean everything will be all right with them?" I asked.
She shrugged lightly, giving me an apologetic look. "As you once said, I am the Goddess of the Moon, not the Goddess of the Future. Arch has our ability to sense the future now – well, once my brother has repaired it."
"And how is that going?"
"He needs more time – only time can mend it."
"Okay, but what should I tell Tilly? That it's all right for her to accept him?"
"It is up to her and Ben," Selene said shortly, and I nearly started feeling frustrated, but then she continued, "It is up to them to form the bond. On some level, they already have connected – or clicked, as your mate puts it – but they are not feeding the bond. There is nothing any of us can do about it, and I understand Tilly's point of view. She is afraid to let it grow, and I feel that young mister Ben is feeling the same."
"You know that?" I asked, and she nodded. "So then you know more about Ben, right?"
"I have watched him, yes, and he is a sweet young man. I am sure Tilly would find great happiness with him, but again, I understand why she refuses to let the bond grow now. Pulling him into this war could mean his death, and that would haunt her for the rest of her life."
I stayed silent after she stopped speaking, thinking about her words. She did have a point. "So I shouldn't say anything?"
"If we lived normal times, I wouldn't be against a little help from outsiders, but grief is a powerful weapon to our enemy. They can take her grief and turn her against us all. Grief breaks the spirit, and she would be easier to possess."
'So we shouldn't let the bond happen because that could jeopardize the rest of us,' Cedric mumbled. 'Great...'
"I say we let her decide, and stand by her decision, whatever it will be," Selene said. "She will know what to do."
We all fell silent for a while. This stupid war was ruining everything for everyone.
"Do you still want to hear what we have learned about our enemy?" Selene asked after a while.
"Yes, of course," I nodded.
"Like I said, we have no solid proof, but we are sure we know what they did while we weren't looking," Selene said, her expression turning sour and worried. "Has anyone told you about our Sons and Daughters?"
'Oh, god no...' Cedric muttered in frustration and misery.
"I'm not sure if I want to know anymore," I said peering at Cedric's defeated expression.
"They are one of the oldest," Selene said. "Almost as old as us gods. They were our first champions, our most trusted ones. They hold power no one else ever has."
"Don't say one of them just escaped the Shadow Realm," I sighed.
"One of them just escaped the Shadow Realm," Selene said quietly.
"I asked you not to," I muttered. "So we're screwed in a new way today?"
'In a very, very bad way,' Cedric muttered.
"The good thing is most of these spirits are on our side, but some of them were swallowed by the evil of the world. We have no proof, but the way the Shadow Realm got disturbed tells us that something big and powerful got out," Selene explained.
"So now what? How can we fight them?" I asked.
"The gods on our side are already waking up their Sons and Daughters – some of them have been awake for quite some time now, like the Son of Lucifer and the Daughter of Lilith. The gods all around the world are coming for our aid as we speak," Selene said, giving me some reassurance.
'Do you know who it is that escaped the shadow realm?' Cedric asked quietly.
Selene turned to look at him. "You knew one, didn't you?" she asked.
To my surprise, Cedric nodded slowly. 'The Son of Ra. But he was a good man. He would never submit to the darkness.'
"Ah, Ra, our Egyptian cousin," Selene said quietly. "We don't know who the shadow could be, but I'm sure we will find out eventually."
"I'd rather not," I sighed. "So, why has no one told me about these Sons and Daughters before?"
'To be fair, we've had a lot to tell you,' Cedric said with a chuckle. 'We are trying, okay?'
I lifted my hands up as a sign of truce. "Now what?"
"Now you let us worry about them, and focus on your future home and school," Selene said sternly. "I'm only telling you about these things because you deserve to know what's going on, but your job right now is to rest and learn and grow."
I sighed in frustration, though I was grateful and honored that she wanted to share these things with me.
"How am I supposed to just be in school while all this is going on?" I asked.
"Well, I'm afraid there isn't much you can do right now. All we can do is try to look for clues and keep up with the enemy while building our army and prepare for the worst," Selene said.
I sighed again, but I suppose she was right.
"You should go to sleep now," Selene said. "Unless you had something else you wanted to ask?"
I quickly came up with something. "I spotted two peacekeepers just before you appeared."
"Yes, they are keeping a very close eye on this town right now. I'm sure more will keep visiting us as the enemy grows stronger," Selene said, waving her hand to return us to the living world. "I am glad Arlona is giving us a hand – they are a remarkable force, even with such small numbers."
The peacekeeper wasn't there anymore, or at least I couldn't feel him.
"Arlona?" I asked.
"Their fortress," Selene explained shortly. "Now I must go – sleep well, our chosen one."
"I don't like the sound of that title," I told her, and she laughed.
"All right. Sleep well, Harbinger."
I didn't really sleep well, but at least I was allowed to stay in bed for as long as I wanted. I listened in silence while Cedric told me about the Sons and Daughters, and I had to admit, the world was even more fascinating than I thought.
'So, they're basically really, really old spirits, one of the very first ones. They always return to Earth after they die, but the true spirit usually stays dormant unless they are needed, and the gods wake them up.'
"You know, I thought I already knew all the major details about this world by now," I noted.
'Nah – I'm sure there's still tons of things we've forgotten to tell you.'
"Probably... So you knew one of them?"
Cedric was silent for a moment. 'I did, yeah...'
"You seem sad."
'Until death do us apart...' he simply said, and I knew not to push him. I could feel how much thinking about this Son of Ra hurt him.
And it was obvious what kind of relationship he had with him.
'He was a great man. A great warrior. I'm honored I got to spend so much time with him,' Cedric said after a while.
"What was his name?" I asked.
'Cameron.'
I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for whatever it was that happened between you two."
'So am I... Can we change the subject now?'
"Sure. I should probably get out of bed – it's getting really late already," I said and pushed the covers away.
The beginning of the day was uneventful, but around noon, Natalie came to visit us just like she promised, bringing a big box with her.
"Hey guys!" she greeted the kids who swarmed to see what she was bringing with her. "I thought we could do some necklaces today!"
The kids really loved the idea. Ms. Washington came to take the box from her and led the kids into the classroom we had. I stayed with Natalie while she took her jacket of, telling her the news Selene told me.
"Yeah, we had the feeling that was the case," Natalie muttered. "We didn't want to believe it, though. But I'm glad the gods are waking up their warriors."
"What should we do?" I asked her.
"Talismans," she said sternly, nudging my arm. "Today we are making talismans."
"Are they actually helpful?" I asked as I followed her.
"They are – not as good as the wards, but as long as you don't lose it, you are pretty well protected against shadows," she explained.
"That's a relief..." I muttered.
We joined the kids in the classroom, where Natalie started giving out feathers and stones and other shiny things the kids absolutely loved. Ms. Washington was clearly in on the plan, since she made sure all the kids got the right amount of stuff to make their own talismans.
"Okay, so we all have our feathers?" Natalie asked with an excited voice. The kids shouted yes very loudly. "And we all picked our very own stones? And you have the magic dust? Show me how much glue you have... Great, we're all set!"
I looked at the four ingredients, and realized they were not just regular stones or dust. The glue was definitely not glue. It smelled like... like... magic.
Then Natalie let us choose our own molds, all different sizes and shapes. I chose a small sphere because it reminded me of the moon. Natalie told us to pour the 'glue' in first, then press the stone on the bottom, then the feather. Lastly, we spread the dust on top of it, added a small key chain to hang it off from, and closed the mold. Pretty simple task, but it took the kids ages to get theirs done. It was fun to watch, though. They were all happy and excited to make something their very own.
"Now, hold the mold tightly in your hands," Natalie told us. "You need to make it nice and warm, or the glue won't turn hard!"
I raised an eyebrow at her in amusement, but then remembered we were dealing with actual magic. Human science didn't apply here.
And lo and behold! The glue actually started turning hot against my fingers only after a few moments. I watched in awe as the clear 'glue' started turning light blue, reminding me of the color of Jaden's Echo.
"Is it hot?" Natalie asked, and the kids nodded in excitement. "Great! That means it's ready very soon!"
I chuckled at the reactions all around the tables. This was a really nice way of making sure the kids were protected, and they were having fun while making their new trinkets.
My ball started cooling off shortly after, and once it had turned completely cold, Natalie gave us the permission to take them out of the mold.
I couldn't take my eyes off the sphere. It was light-blue, and the dust had spread all around it, and now it was sparkling. The feather and the white stone had risen upwards in the middle, looking like they were just floating inside it.
"And that is how we make talismans," Natalie smiled at the kids, and winked at me. "And the best thing is, you can never lose them!"
"Really?" Gecko asked with sparkling eyes.
"Really," Natalie told him. "It is now bound to your soul, and it will never leave you."
"That's impossible," one of the older kids said, and the others chuckled.
"Maybe you're right," Natalie said with a smirk.
I looked at my talisman with a smile, knowing she had told us the truth.