《The Arbiters》 Prologue They say there is a well-established border between good and evil. If that is true, then how is it defined? Who is said to have separated these two opposites? What do they even mean by the words ¡°good¡± and ¡°evil¡±? To do good deeds? To help people in need? To shelter a weary traveler, or a soaked and freezing animal from the rain? To help an old man cross the road? To give 50 cents to a beggar?... Then why do they define us as wicked beings? Why are humans such hypocrites? Ever since ancient times, in the stories that are conveyed past generations, the inhabitants of the night are portrayed as evil. They present us as vampires, werewolves, banshees, undead, in other words - repulsive. There is a human saying: ¡°Don¡¯t judge a book by it¡¯s cover¡±, which they repeat often. Then why was I sent to rot in this dungeon? Humans possess great intellect, they invent so many things, study nature, but they can¡¯t be faithful to their own logic. And the night is ever so beautiful ¨C the countless stars settled on the night sky, the song of the crickets, the silhouette of the moon on the water¡¯s surface, the gentle murmuring of the cool night wind, the elegant woodland nymphs, dancing to their magical music until sunrise.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. But the humans don¡¯t respect that. They are afraid of the dark. The old folk say to their grandchildren: ¡°Don¡¯t go out after sunset, if you don¡¯t want to get eaten!¡±. Such a pity. Because of the fear from the unknown they reject and isolate us, calling us ¡°demons¡±, but at the same time they worship the beings of the light ¨C the so-called ¡°angels¡±. Yes, according to them we are the lowest creatures, born by the sins of mankind. Some humans run as fast as they can at the sight of us, as if they had seen death. Others possess divine energy, given to them by the angels with which they kill us.Because of that, humans love the creatures of light. They build them monuments, organize feasts, offer them treasures. And all of them think that this is natural. As if our opinion doesn¡¯t even matter. According to them we don¡¯t have conscience. We are bloodthirsty entities, guided by our instinct for bloodshed¡­ How ironic, when from two million we were reduced to two hundred thousand in the last hundred years. Our kind has been constantly hunted. Nobody exhibited even the slightest form of sympathy towards my brethren. It didn¡¯t matter how brutally we were murdered. Our indifference to mankind became hatred. We can no more stand the mortals inhabiting this planet and their guardians ¨C the beings of the light. The real monsters are them and they don¡¯t even realize it. Suffering is everyday life for us now. We became used to being hunted, tortured and killed. And I ask myself once more. Which are the borders that define good and evil? Only the beings that know the answer possess the right to judge me and my kind. It is indeed them that will guide this false world in the right direction¡­ Chapter I - Streiff Saturday, 8:00 o¡¯clock, 4th of May, year 208 of the modern calendar. The deafening ring of an alarm clock could be heard in the Streiff household. A medium-wide, reddish (most likely from too much sunbathing) hand showed itself from inside a ball-like lump, which appeared to be a mashed quilt, settled comfortably on the bed. A bulky palm, clearly belonging to a man, delivered a soft slap on the ¡°off¡± button of the clock. It didn¡¯t work. Slight muttering of a drowsy person resonated from under the blanket. -Ugh, this piece of junk! I¡¯ll show you! -Bang- The hand, squeezed tight in a fist, collapsed over the small clock. At last, the annoying ringing stopped. After about five minutes of swirling in place, the pure white blanket moved aside and the figure of a young man, just recently turned 21 showed itself. His name was Killian. His curly auburn hair was ruffled up from the long sleep, which was ended not so long ago. Under his half-closed eyelids, as if two emeralds have been situated there, the morning light coming from the window reflected in a captivating green glow. His cheekbones, along with his sharp nose were extremely sunburnt. There was an easily noticeable and moderately big scar on his right cheekbone, which Killian had received about a month earlier, when he was working part-time at the construction site two blocks away. He had a dimple on his chin, which gave him a strong manly charm. Killian was a tall and upstanding young man. He possessed strength, accumulated from all of the rough jobs, on which he was assigned until now. He didn¡¯t have a permanent profession. He was employed at three places as a part-time worker. In the morning he worked as a carrier for a big market chain, in the afternoon he had a job in a brick factory and in the evening, from 9 to when they finish (they didn¡¯t have a set hour) ¨C as an assistant at a construction site. This tight schedule had left him with little to no free time. He wasn¡¯t particularly muscular ¨C in fact, he was relatively skinny. He seemed exhausted, even though he just woke up. He wanted to lay down and sleep carelessly for at least the next two days. His room was extremely messy. There were bottles of coke, beer, juice and many other drinks from at least two months ago on the floor. On the right of his bed there was a professionally carved wooden chair with a couple of shirts thrown over it. They were already used, but there wasn¡®t anyone who could wash them. In the left corner of the room, there was a big shelf full with all kinds of books which had accumulated a thick layer of dust. The walls were painted in sky blue, although there were many white spots on them, which hinted that nobody payed attention to the plaster, and in general ¨C to the aesthetics of the room.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Killian finally decided to get up and made two big steps across the room so that he can get over the rubbish left on the floor ¨C the bottles, a couple of scattered pants and shirts, half-read books, a phone, bags filled with random stuff, notebooks from his school years, an open bag of chips and a crusty slice of bread, which was missing a bite. He then opened the door to his room and entered the corridor on the second floor. In front of him was situated a run-down door, leading to the bathroom. As he was about to knock on it, the door opened and a little ten-year-old girl popped out of the bath. She had long, wavy, fiery red hair which rested on her shoulders. Killian always thought that if he tried to touch her hair, he would burn himself. Nevertheless, he couldn¡®t help but stroke it. Her little face was very gentle. She had wide brown eyes and a small nose. Her blushing cheeks and broad smile made her very cute. He had noticed that every time she looked at him, she was smiling. That look could soften even the toughest man on earth. Her skin was as white as a snowflake. Maybe if you hug her too tight, she would melt in your grip. Her name was Catherine, for short ¨C Cathie. -Good morning, Cathie ¨C said Killian and pat her on her blazing hair. -Good morning, Kil ¨C the girl replied and smiled even wider. ¨C Breakfast is ready, Annie said we should go downstairs. ¡°Every morning I wake up with the thought of quitting my jobs, but as always, Cathy reminds me why I even started them in the first place¡± ¨C he thought to himself as he went in the bathroom. Killian is an intelligent and smart young man. On first glance, when you talk with him, you would think he was a lettered student in some prestigious university. And maybe he would be, if he wasn¡®t in this situation. He knows a lot of stuff and could give advice to anyone about everything. Sadly, after the incident two years ago, everything changed... Chapter II - A normal day As I was leaving the bathroom, I heard a loud clatter coming from the first floor. -God damn it! ¨C an annoyed woman said. That was probably Annie. She often comes here to help, since she was my sister¡®s best friend. I quickly put on some black pants and my favorite light blue shirt, and started heading towards the kitchen. Our house was neither big nor pretty, but it was everything we had. There was only a kitchen and a living room on the first floor, which weren¡¯t divided by anything. The kitchen was only a round table with four chairs, an old refrigerator in the right corner of the room near which we had a stove and an oven, working with divine energy. On the left side, near the border with the living room, we had a plot for preparing food, over which a couple of cupboards were placed. In the living room we had a small couch, in front of which stood an old TV. On the wall located on the left side of the couch, there was a door leading to the main entrance and a staircase towards the second floor. The second floor was also pretty modest. My room, Cathie¡®s room and the bathroom were located there. We had a small courtyard outside the house. It was almost empty, aside from a single wooden bench, looking towards the street. My sister bought the house eleven years ago. Until then we lived in a rented apartment on the other side of the city. She had already finished school and soon started working in a tailoring company. While she was gathering funds from her job, we were living with the money, left for us from our parents. I don¡®t really want to remember them... I was ten when she got together with Charlie. He was a holy knight and five months later we found out he died in action. Holy knights are warriors, gifted with divine energy by our guardians ¨C the angels, which fight against the dark forces. My sister never really told me anything about him... I don¡®t even know how or where they met. It was at that time when we relocated here. At that moment she was already pregnant with Cathie. Cathie was the sun that shined upon this household. When she was born, even if it wasn¡®t for long, we had a fantastic life... -Annie, what happened? ¨C I said loudly, as I was opening the living room door. When I got in, I saw small bits of glass and hot water on the floor. -I¡®m sorry Kil. I was carrying the teapot when it¡®s handle broke. I¡®ll clean right away ¨C answered Annie with a hoarse voice. -Don¡®t worry, it happens. Let me help you. I started gathering the bits of porcelain on the floor, while Annie was wiping the spilt water. When we finished, we sat on the table. Annie had made scrambled eggs and there was sliced ham near the dish. I took a slice of bread and started eating. After around five minutes Cathie came running from the second floor, sat beside me and started talking. -What are you gonna do today, Kil? -I¡®m called to the warehouse at 9:30 ¨C I answered and clenched my teeth. -Aww... ¨C Cathie moaned and looked at me with a sad face ¨C And I thought you were on a break today! You promised you would take me to that new amusement park! My heart broke when I saw Cathie with teary eyes. She didn¡¯t deserve to be unhappy. It¡®s true I haven¡®t spent a lot of time with her recently... -I know, Cathie... I¡®m sorry. Let¡®s go some other time. This time I promise for real! ¨C I said, but even I didn¡®t believe it. They call me at work too often lately... -You said that last time! ¨C she said and gazed at her plate for five minutes. Then she grabbed the fork and started eating. After about fifteen minutes I finished my breakfast and went to my room. I brushed my hair and sprayed myself with my favorite perfume ¨C with lime and mint fragrance. Cathie loves that smell, maybe that¡®s why it became my favorite. I took a black leather bag, which contains a couple of documents, mostly for my sister. I will need them later on... At the last moment I saw that I have a stain on my sleeve. Damn it! When did this happen? Well, whatever... I took the shirt off and put on another one, this time white. I have to look good today. I took my phone, wallet and keys and went to the front door.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Annie came to see me off. -I¡®ll visit the hospital on my way to work... How is she? Is there any news? ¨C I asked. -No... There¡®s still no change... ¨C she answered and looked aside. She didn¡¯t have it easy either... -Okay Annie, thanks. I was about to leave when Cathie popped out from behind Annie and threw herself at me. I almost fell over. -Bye, Kil! I love you! And¡­ I¡¯ll forgive you about the park! But this is the last time ¨C she said while pouting, but that just made her cute instead of angry. -I love you too Cathie. Take care of yourself and listen to Annie ¨C I smiled and left. I was already on the street when someone called me. -Kil! Wait! I turned around and saw Annie running towards me. When she arrived, she gave me some kind of lotion. -Put this on. It¡¯s imbued with divine energy and will relieve your sunburn until the end of the day. I was touched by her action. She is very considerate. She notices even the smallest things. She could easily leave us by ourselves, but instead insists to help us with everything she can do. Some day I will repay my debt to her. Annie stayed behind to care for the girl and I set off for the hospital. The building was approximately 20 minutes from home. The day was nice. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of clouds and the sun was shining brightly. I guess the angels are in a good mood today. I was deep in thoughts and before I knew it, I was already there. I entered from the front and went to the registration desk. -I¡¯m here for Irina Streiff. -Just a moment, sir ¨C answered the nurse from the other side of the desk. She checked the name in the database and continued right after. ¨C Welcome to the third floor, room 322. -Yes, thank you ¨C I said. I walked up the stairs to the third floor and stopped right in front of room number 322 to gather up some strength. Even though two years have passed since that day, I still can¡¯t get used to this. Every time I come here I hope and pray to the almighty angels that when I open the door I¡¯ll see her sitting on the hospital bed, waiting for us to come pick her up. But, alas, it was the usual scene. My sister was laying on the bed with no signs of vigor. The systems and the device for heart rate measurement were hooked to her body. She had become very pale and feeble. The doctors said that she could survive a year more, at most. But I still believe she will wake up. They also say that from time to time she has complex brain activity. For me this means there is still chance. I don¡®t intend to leave her to die. She and Cathie are my only family. Unfortunately, I haven¡®t found a solution yet. In my free time I read books for people, or relatives of people, which have woken up from a coma, doctors¡® articles, I call different hospitals, but haven¡®t found anything valuable yet. I found out that my case is different from the others¡®. My sister doesn¡®t have any brain trauma. It shows healthy in every examination. She just can¡®t wake up and nobody knows why. There¡®s not even one case similar to hers... I stood there, looking at her lifeless face for some time, when I stood up, kissed her on her forehead and said ¡°I will find a way to wake you up, sis... Don¡®t worry.¡° As I was leaving the room, I saw the doctor assigned to our case. He was just about to come in for examination from the corridor on the right. He noticed me and stopped in front of me. -Good morning,Mr. Streiff! ¨C he said. -Good morning, doctor. Is there something new? Did you find out what the cause is? ¨C I asked him. -I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Streiff, but we haven¡¯t yet¡­ We are doing everything possible to find out why your sister isn¡¯t in a condition to wake up. Her brain is functional and her divine energy is positive. If we find something, we will notify you immediately. -Right¡­ Thank you anyways, doctor ¨C I answered and started heading towards the exit. Weren¡¯t the angels supposed to be omnipotent? Weren¡¯t they able to cure every illness? Then why isn¡¯t my sister waking up? I am gradually starting to lose my faith in the beings of the light¡­ They showed up on our planet 208 years ago. They introduced themselves as our gods and it didn¡¯t take us much to recognize them as such, considering their powers. They seem to not age. When their newborns grow to a certain age, they remain like that forever. They all look in their twenties. Their bodies emit a faint gleam. The divine energy with which they gift us contains extraordinary properties. It could be used as fuel, it has a healing effect, it shines in the dark, gives some people unusual strength and intelligence and many more. But even the divine energy couldn¡¯t save my sister¡­ After I left the hospital, I went to work. My day went on as usual. At the morning I carried merchandise to some stores in my neighborhood, in the afternoon I went to the brick factory and in the evening I was assisting the construction of the new apartment building near my house. I got lucky today, since I got released earlier. At 10 pm I finished and left. ¡°Today I can spend some time with Cathie. We can have a night walk, or maybe play on the playstation. I can help her with her homework. I¡¯ll ask her how her day went.¡± ¨C I thought to myself. I could do these things and many more¡­ Yes, I could¡­ Chapter III - A not-so-normal evening After about ten minutes I arrived home. I was puzzled, since the front door was open and it was dark inside. I went in and said loudly: -Cathie! Annie! I¡¯m home! Silence. My heart started beating loudly. I started shaking and worrying. They couldn¡¯t be anywhere else. It''s Saturday, Annie was on a break and told me she would stay until I return home. If they were to go outside, they would call me. -CATHIE! ANNIE! ¨C I shouted, but nobody answered. So many things passed through my mind. They could have gone to the store. But then why is the front door open? They could be joking with me, but that wasn¡¯t their style. It would be too cruel. I need to prepare for the worst¡­ I rushed towards Cathie¡¯s room with all my strength. The door was half-open and I saw a silhouette standing near the window. I ran towards it, but it was too late. The silhouette jumped through the window, after which I heard a loud scream from our backyard. My body trembled¡­ It was Cathie¡¯s voice! She was horror-stricken. I need to do something. At that moment, I got a deja-vu. This has happened before¡­ Yes, two years ago, when the incident involving my sister happened. Back then everyone thought I was crazy when I told them. The police said that my sister tried to kill herself. They are all idiots! Like my sister would do such a thing. I know my sister the best and I know how much she loved me and little Cathie. Even after our parents left us and Charlie didn¡¯t come back, she didn¡¯t give up. She continued to do everything she could to provide us with a better life. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t ask anyone for help now. I will save them with my own strength, even if that costs my life. I breathe in deeply to try and calm myself, then turned around and spurt fast towards the backyard. -CATHIE! ¨C I screamed again ¨C No¡­ No¡­ NO, NO, NO! No, this can¡¯t be happening¡­ Why? Why me and my family? Cathie deserves this the least ¨C what could a little, innocent girl do to deserve to be kidnapped? Why didn¡¯t they take me instead of her? I saw the silhouette jumping over the fence towards the neighboring house and I ran against it. I didn¡¯t really care about the neighbors and the trouble I could get in at that moment. I was thinking only about Cathie and Annie. The strange figure started running faster. It probably noticed me. Who or what that is¡­ If I get my hands on this¡­ thing¡­ it won¡¯t get away unharmed. It will pay for all the misery we¡¯ve been put up with because of it! The figure went past the house and continued running on the main street. After it saw that I won¡¯t leave it alone, it tried to lose me between some high apartment buildings. I followed it in the narrow spaces between the buildings, but I couldn¡¯t see it anywhere. -God damn it! ¨C I punched the wall to my right with my fist ¨C Where are you?... WHERE ARE YOU, BASTARD! I WON¡¯T LEAVE YOU, DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU WON¡¯T TAKE THE LAST BIT OF MY HAPPINESS! After I said all those things, I blacked out for a moment and started losing balance. Was that because of all the fury that I felt at the time? I don¡¯t know what happened, but in the next moment I found myself in a totally different place. I could¡¯ve sworn that a second ago I was in a narrow passage between two buildings and not here. It was dark and there was no sign of civilization. There were billions of lights, colored in thousands of colors on the night sky. It wasn¡¯t the urban sky I¡¯m used to seeing. I was standing in the middle of a small meadow, surrounded by trees. There was a small lake near me. I looked around, but didn¡¯t find anything strange. I went near the lake and glanced at the water. I saw my reflection, but something was different. As if it wasn¡¯t me, but a completely different person. This ¡°Killian¡±, which I was seeing, was smiling, his eyes were glowing and his hair was upright while waving slowly left and right. I suddenly felt the urge to reach out my hand towards him. He copied that movement, just like a mirror image should. My hand almost touched the water¡¯s surface, when I heard a man¡¯s voice. -I wouldn¡¯t advise you to touch the water. The voice came from the front ¨C from the middle of the lake. I got startled and raised my head. I saw a man. He was standing on the water surface as if there was cement under his feet. I didn¡¯t get a better look at him, because my hand was already dipped in the water. Maybe I subconsciously put it in when I was startled a moment ago. I tried pulling it back but something suddenly grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the water. I looked below and saw my mirrored image holding my hand in a grip, trying to haul me down. It was giving me a really creepy stare with his glowing eyes, as if it were ready to swallow me alive. I gave myself some support with my other hand on the ground and tried to free myself from this ¡°Killian¡¯s¡± killer grip. -Argh¡­ Let me go! ¨C I shouted, but he just laughed menacingly. -Ha¡­ Hahaha! Relax yourself Killian. Dive in and you will forget about all suffering! As if I would want that¡­ Cathie and Annie are in trouble and while I¡¯m wasting my time here, that vile silhouette is getting farther away. I was already quite angry, but this thought irritated me even more. I screamed loudly and tried pulling myself out with all my strength. But that wasn¡¯t enough¡­ My mirror image had strongly restrained me and didn¡¯t budge an inch while I was already losing my power. I suddenly heard a wobbling voice from the middle of the lake. The man who stood there had lifted some kind of black sword in the air, and was uttering something which sounded like an incantation of some sort.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. -Qui affect protego, iubas, serpentibus, et¡­.. Was that Latin? I wasn¡¯t quite sure, but the grip of this eerie ¡°Killian¡± loosened up a bit. In the next moment, the man stopped talking and planted the tip of his sword in the water. A couple of waves formed from the place of impact and started heading toward us. When they arrived overmy evil twin, the waves distorted his image. His smile disappeared and he started screaming in pain. -AAAAAARGH! REIN! DON¡¯T SHOVE YOUR NOSE IN OTHER PEOPLES¡¯ BUSINESS! After that he turned to me. -I will leave you for now, Killian¡­ But don¡¯t think it¡¯s over yet. You will come back some day. Be careful not to die until then. These were his last words, after which my hand got freed. I lunged a couple of feet back and remained there for a couple of seconds to catch my breath. After I was done, I got up and started looking for that man. He was still standing in the middle of the lake. -I suppose you are Rein ¨C I said ¨C Where are we? Who are you? -Now, now. You are too impatient, Master Streiff. Settle down and come here ¨C he answered with a carefree tone. -I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t waste another second here. My family¡¯s in trouble and¡­ -¡­ you want me to get you out immediately? I shall do that, Master Streiff. But first, let us have a drink. It hasn¡¯t been even a second in the real world yet. We could stay here for all eternity and it won¡¯t make even the slightest difference. But honestly, that isn¡¯t a good idea. What just happened? Did he read my thoughts? Whatever¡­ If the situation is as he says, it won¡¯t hurt to stay here for a couple more minutes. I have a lot of questions anyways. I stepped on the water¡¯s surface and realized that I wasn¡¯t sinking. The feeling was a bit strange. As if you were stepping over a thick layer of silk. I started moving toward Rein carefully. I wasn¡¯t used to walking on water yet, and with every step I made I had the feeling I would fall in the lake. I arrived near him. I could examine him better now. He was at least 6¡¯4¡¯¡¯ and probably in his mid-forties. He had long, black hair which was waving to the side. Strange, since there wasn¡¯t any wind around. He had a very serious look. His eyes were pitch-black and he had a scar, starting from his forehead and ending at his chin. He was wearing big black plate armor with thin red stripes over it. That gave him a slight futuristic appearance. He had a black cloak on his back, which was slightly torn on the edge. The cloak was also waving. While I was watching him curiously, a table with two chairs had appeared out of nowhere in front of us. He gestured me to sit. When we made ourselves comfortable, he offered me a drink. -What would you like, Master Steiff? We have bourbon, scotch, vodka¡­ Or maybe you would like a cup of black tea, or maybe some hot coffee? -I would like some orange juice ¨C I really didn¡¯t feel like drinking at that moment. -Just that? How unfortunate¡­ Oh, well! If that is what you would like! He poured me some orange juice and poured himself a cup of fine Irish whiskey. -Let¡¯s just cut to the chase ¨C I said impatiently. -Of course, Master Steiff. I thought about all the things I want him to tell me ¨C Who exactly is he? Where are we? How did I get here? Why am I here? Why is he here? Why can¡¯t we stay longer? What was that thing from earlier? Can Rein read my thoughts?... -Settle down¡­ Settle down, Master Streiff! I am deeply sorry, but I cannot give an answer to all of those questions. I will answer the most important ones. Firstly, we cannot stay here for much longer because of that being¡­ We call them Verto, because if they drag you into the lake, they feed on your soul and take your place. It is extremely rare to come across one of those in this age. The longer we stay here, the more powerful he becomes¡­ -Who are ¡°We¡±? ¨C I asked, but he magnificently avoided my question and continued. -We are deep in your subconscious. Here lie your deepest thoughts as well as some hidden capabilities¡­ You do not realize who you are Master Streiff¡­ Or more precisely, who you could be¡­ -Wh¡­ - I started saying, but Rein interrupted me. -I am truly sorry, but you must answer that question yourself. Suddenly we heard a loud roar beneath our feet. Even if he wasn¡¯t the most emotional person, I noticed Rein started panicking. -We do not have much time left. I will be going now. You can save them, Master Streiff, but only you know how. It would be best if you also depart soon¡­ I will give you two advices before I go: First off, do not let Verto come out of the lake. You can tame him with your willpower. He will tell you that, which you seek to know. Second, focus on the thought to save your family. The aura is affected by your intention. He got up, unsheathed his sword and extended it forth. He was most likely preparing to depart, but he remembered something crucial at the last moment. -Oh, I almost forgot! To get out of here, you need to imagine the last moment which happened before you entered. That was all from me, we will meet again¡­ -Wa¡­ - but before I finish, he was already gone. That jackass! He didn¡¯t even let me finish. Let¡¯s not talk about the fact that he left me with even more questions¡­ And here he presented himself as a polite, noble person with his pompous speech! But I don¡¯t have time for that now. I need to get out of here as soon as possible. The least I would want is to be replaced with my evil twin¡­ I closed my eyes and imagined the last moment before I entered my subconscious ¨C when I angrily punched the wall with my fist. After a couple of seconds, I opened my eyes and realized that I¡¯m between the two apartment buildings again. Now comes the hard part¡­ What does ¡°only I know how¡± mean? And what ability did Rein talk about? I¡¯ve never done anything extraordinary. There are hundreds of thousands of people that are stronger and more intelligent than me. How should I know what to do? But then again, I don¡¯t have any other options¡­ The shadow is already far ahead and the road in front of me splits in three. I have no chance of catching up, even if I choose the correct branch. Oh well¡­ Here goes nothing! I closed eyes and imagined Cathie and Annie. I saw the shadow taking them farther and farther away. I don¡¯t want to lose them! My tears started pouring from the thought of little Cathie, laying motionless on the hospital bed. I won¡¯t let this become reality! I clenched my fists so hard that one of my hands started bleeding. I focused on this image and the emotions I was feeling at that moment. Suddenly I got goosebumps. I felt a slight heat around me. My hair rose up. I opened my eyes and noticed a faint blue smoke rising up around me. Was that the aura Rein was talking about? The feeling was awesome! As if I had drunk ten cups of coffee. My eyes were fidgeting everywhere, my thoughts weren¡¯t stopping and my feet were wiggling uncontrollably as if they wanted to dash forward. I abruptly stopped and concentrated on one point. I could feel an aura ahead, on the right. That was probably the dark figure. It could be no one else. I squatted down in position, got ready and jumped ahead. I was so fast that the cement beneath my legs was breaking on impact. I reached the turn, but I was going too fast. I jumped in the air, turned my body to the side and smashed against the wall of the building in front of me. Then I bounced from the wall while a big chunk of the building got torn away by the force, sending me flying forward. I saw the dark shadow on the other end of the passage ¨C about 300 feet ahead. It was writing something on the wall, which caused the wall to emit a bright light. The shadow dove within the light and the shining started disappearing gradually. -NOOOOO! ¨C I screamed as I plunged myself into the light right before it disappeared entirely.