Faru attempted to pick up one of the newly transformed souls. It darted away and snapped it’s tendrils at him like little whips. He snatched his hand back and grinned.
“As a kind of natural defence against these strange intruders, some souls evolved to a higher state.”
I leaned forward, hanging off every word.
“Now because the soul controls the mind, which in turn controls the body, this evolution allowed the people who possessed these souls to become in effect…superhuman. These chosen humans are Earth’s natural defence against the darker creatures from my world. You see, the Chosen possess abilities that no other human could hope for. They have superhuman strength and speed, they can withstand attacks which would crush a normal man and heal faster than is naturally possible.” He waved his hand, “plus extra abilities which vary from individual to individual. To all intents and purposes, they are a biological weapon.”
He stopped speaking and stared at me.
The words sank in and all the pieces fell into place. My heart did a backflip. I shook my head from side to side. “No… you don’t mean? It can’t…I can’t!”
Faru glided towards me and gripped my shoulders. “Yes Alexander that is why you are here.”
His next words seemed to slip out in slow motion, each one hitting me with the force of a cannonball.
“You are a Chosen.”
13
No, you’ve got it wrong,” I insisted. “I can’t be a Chosen. I’m not special. God, I’m not even average!”
But I knew that the words spilling from my mouth carried no weight. After all, Faru had simply put a label on all the things I could already do.
“Alexander, you know what I am telling you is the truth. You are capable of feats that most humans can only dream of; and that is at this early stage — as you grow in confidence, so too will your abilities. You have been chosen by natural selection to be the defence against those who seek to do your species harm.”
I ran my hands through my hair, no longer feeling at peace with the souls which floated around me. My heart raced and I felt dizzy. “But I don’t even like people most of the time!” I said. “And they definitely don’t like me! Most of the people in my school only started speaking to me a few days ago!”
Faru steepled his fingers together. “Alexander, the reason you have always struggled to connect with humans is because you are not like them. You never really were.”
I let the Seelian’s words sink in. Is this why I could never make friends? Why everything I tried made people dislike me more? Because I’m different? “But what if I don’t want to be one of these…Chosen?” I asked.
Faru gave a slow shake of his head as I feared he would. “It makes no difference I’m afraid. Whether or not you join us, you still had your Awakening. It is not something you have any control over.”
I wiped a fresh layer of sweat from my hands and let out a long sigh. “Fine, then tell me who this us you keep referring to is.”
Faru gave a nod. “As I mentioned, when the creatures of Pandemonia first came through the Veil, they dominated. Umbra massacred, Vampires fed without consequence, Luminar took humans as pets and treated them like slaves. The list goes on. It was a dark time for humanity. Those who were Chosen did not understand what was happening to them, or why they were suddenly bestowed with these fantastic abilities. They were confused and alone, unaware that others such as themselves existed all over the world. All they knew was that they could sense these foreign creatures and they had an overwhelming urge to fight against them. So they fought…and died alone.”
The souls around us lifted into the air. Ghostly forms materialised around them. The glowing orbs lodged into the centres of what became hundreds of men and women. I could just about make out the armour they wore. The various designs and styles alluded to countless countries and time periods. They all seemed to be locked in their own personal battles. Some swung weapons at invisible enemies or defended themselves from attacks that weren’t happening. Others fired shimmering arrows at non-existent targets. They roared silent cries of victory and whimpers of defeat. They circled around, trapped in their looping conflicts. At one point, a ghostly sword swept right through my arm. I didn’t even feel a chill. As I watched the epic scene with awe, Faru continued to speak.
“However, their bravery was spoken of for decades to come. New Chosen learned of the stories and realised that those who had come before were the same as themselves. They began to seek out each other. With all of them searching, they located each other swiftly. An alliance was set up between them. United, they stood against the darker creatures of Pandemonia and prevailed.”
The figures around us for the first time acknowledged each other. As they formed a line, their uniforms shifted into black suits of armour with swirling capes that depicted a grand sword, dividing a horned skull in two.
“The scale tipped the other way. In a time known as the Purge, the Chosen hunted down and killed every single Pandemonian they could find without mercy. Entire families of peaceful Luminar were dragged into the streets and murdered. Kind Succubi and Incubi who lived good lives, and only ever took just enough life force to stay alive were chained up and starved of energy until they turned to dust. Witches and Shamans — the offspring of unions between humans and Umbra, were burned at the stake, even though they were half human and completely innocent. Even non carnivorous Fera were hunted down. If it wasn’t from Earth it was killed.”
“That’s awful,” I said, shuddering at the thought of all the mindless violence.
Faru made an agreeing sound. “It was only about two hundred years ago that the Chosen accepted that not all Pandemonians were evil. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, certain species were permitted to aid them in their quest to rid Earth of evil. This allowed for mediation in determining if a Pandemonian was malevolent or not. Over time that assistance became an alliance. As with everything, the alliance evolved and has now become the powerful organisation known as the HASEA.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It stands for the Human and Supernatural Entity Alliance. The HASEA is essentially a supernatural police force made from a mixture of Chosen and Pandemonians known as Guardians. We govern all supernatural activity and are committed to ensuring the safety of both humans and peaceful Pandemonians. Furthermore, it is the HASEA’s responsibility to protect the Veil. When the HASEA’s ancestors first took control of each segment, they hid them from view and destroyed all written records of the Veil’s existence, to keep it a secret. It was and still is guarded around the clock by Guardians.
“In the past, any new travellers into your world had to join the HASEA, or were sent back through the Veil. Nowadays the Alliance has adopted a slightly different view. Pandemonians do not have to join us; they can live their lives freely in the human world. However, there are two strict overarching rules. One: they must never intentionally reveal their true identities to a human unless that person is connected to the HASEA, and two: they must never harm a human or Chosen, except in an act of self-defence. If either of these two rules are broken, depending on the severity of the crime, the offender will be hunted down and killed, or permanently deported back to Pandemonia.”
“Seems fair.”