Change of Heart

Chapter 44

Alex's body became engulfed in the red glow. I took a hold of his shoulder and tiptoed as high as I could. "Alex, your wound-"

He laid his hand onto of mine and interjected my words. "This is nothing. Now, you better get out of the way. I don't want you dragged into all this." My stomach fluttered, and all I did was nod. I stepped back a couple steps before turning around and running off in the distance.

"How about we make this more interesting, Alex?" Zander suddenly appeared in front of me causing me to scream and fall backwards.

"Dammit! Leave her out of this!" Alex came charging at Zander, but before he made contact knocking him into the wall, Zander poured a vile of liquid into my mouth causing my throat to throb. As I coughed, Alex picked me up and brought me close to the wall. He sat me up and I laid my head back. "Bastard! What the hell did you do?" I began coughing more, and blood started pouring out. Did he poison me again?

A dangerous laugh sounded in the distance. "I've just given us a time limit. A time limit of exactly three hours."

"What?" Alex gritted his teeth, his body strained.

"I just injected a deadly poison into that girl, though it doesn't start taking affect until three hours from now, Of course, in that time frame, it will spread causing her discomfort. And here I have the antidote for it." He held up a small round bottle, and waved it back and forth. "I'll leave it right here in the middle. Now, here's how this works. You and I will fight to the death. I don't care how long it takes, but, for you, you've got three hours to kill me if you really want to save your princess. A damsel in distress situation makes an interesting game don't you think?"

Without wasting another second, Alex raced toward the antidote. Just before he could reach it, Zander stepped in his way blocking his sword with another. "You can't just avoid the rules, Alex. If you want that antidote, you're going to have to kill me first!"

He sliced forward and Alex dodged.

"This isn't a damn game, Zander!" Alex attacked him head on, and their swords clashed again.

"Oh but it is a game, Alex! A game of life and death!" Zander shouted instantly appearing behind Alex. Bringing his sword back, he quickly thrusted it forward. Barely dodging, the sword cut through his side. "You haven't changed a bit since the first time we fought, Alex! You're still so desperate!"

It looked as if Zander was really trying to provoke him. Every time Alex would strike, Zander would counter with something to say. Just him saying a word makes Alex uneasy.

Damn...this pain is getting worse. It's beginning to become unbearable. I stared out into the middle of the room where the antidote was. If only it hadn't been so far away.

"Serine.." A small voice called out to me. Looking left and right, there was nothing in sight. Could it have been inside my head. "Serine." I heard it again, this time a little louder.

Groaning, my reply was staggered. "Who...where, are...you?" Both of my arms were lightly grabbed, and everything went bright. I closed my eyes from the sudden change in lighting.

As I slowly opened them, I noticed this was no longer the scene of hell...but it also wasn't anything I had ever seen before. Everything was beautiful, trees all around with such vibrant colors shining bright. A rainbow filled the sky hovering over. Rubbing my hand against the ground, I felt soft grass beneath me. "Where...am I?" As I stood to my feet, I realized that I no longer felt pain in my body.

"You're in heaven, my dear." This voice...it was the same one that called out to me. "I've brought you here to help you." Turning around, a woman stood tall, so radiant and beautiful. An elegant white dress covered her body, and her hair, also white reached a little past her shoulders. Her eyes gleamed, a beautiful shade of lavender.

I pushed my lips together. She said this was heaven. So, could she be..

"There's no need to be frightened." She offered a kind smile and approached me. Taking my hand, she held it tightly. "I'm an angel, given the name Juliana." Even her name is beautiful.

I nodded. "Um...Juliana. Why was I brought here?"

"I might as well tell you the whole story for you to understand." The look in her eyes changed, as if they were filled with sorrow. "I believe you know Alex, the one risking his very life for you, and his tragedy of becoming a demon."

"Of course, but what-"

Juliana held her finger up to my mouth. "Allow me to continue." She pulled her hand away and joined both her hands together. All I could do was nod again. "I was assigned to watch over both him and his brother. As a guardian angel, that was my job. But, because of a simple mistake on my part, they wound up getting involved, thus them becoming demons."

I widened my eyes. "What happened?" I couldn't help but ask.

She shook her head. "That's all I'm able to say about that incident. It was never supposed to happen. In any case, this is where you come in."

"Me?"

"Yes. You were always alone, were you not?"

"I was." For the most part. All I had was Caden. So, in a sense I wasn't completely alone.

Juliana's smile brightened a little. "I requested that I give you three a...special bond if you will." Special bond? Does she mean those images? "Unfortunately, I was only able to grant that connection to Alex. As a result, I had hoped that this bond would eventually lead you two to one another."

A small smile formed on my face. "Alex once told me I was the chosen one. Until now, I never understood what that meant."

"I see that it has brought you two closer." She took a hold of my hands and tightly gripped them. "I also see that it has brought you two such pain, and misery, and for that, there are no words to describe how sorry I am." After she said that, all those horrible memories began to flow back one after the other.

"This is all I'm able to say. I've actually said more than I should have. In any case, my soul purpose in bringing you here is to help the two of you properly as your guardian angel. I've failed as a guardian many times, but I hope that with this it will guide you to a path full of happiness and that it will make up for all the troubles I've put the two of you through."

Even though all those terrible things happened, I can't see any of it being blamed on her, none of it. Everything that happened was all Zander's doing.

"The only thing stronger than a demon's power is that of an angel's, and I'm going to pass my power on to you." Wings spread out from her back, so big and breathtaking. "This power will neutralize the poison inside your body for only a short while. Though the power is only temporary, it is strong nonetheless."

"May I ask you something?" Juliana nodded. I know it was out of context, but I had to know. Maybe she knew the answer. "Demon blood was forced inside me, and I was wondering-"

"You don't have to worry. That blood had left your body long ago." What? But how? I widened my eyes, and before I could speak, she continued. "When you were under Zander's control, I used a bit of my power to stall the chains long enough for you to regain control, hence the chains no longer affective. As for the demon blood, in a way that blood was used to make the power of those chains stronger. After all, it was the caster's blood, and with the chains out of commission, the blood was destroyed within."

"So the chains were the blood's, life source?"

Juliana nodded. "Exactly. Now, we can't waste anymore time." She placed her hand on my forehead, and began chanting something to herself. Slowly, my body began to emit a bright white light. My body felt so light, almost weightless. "I have passed my power onto you. The rest depends on how you are able to use it."

Flexing my fingers, I could feel the power surge throughout my body. I still had so many questions I wanted to ask. So many were still unanswered. I guess only time will tell if any of them will actually be answered. I smiled brightly. "Thank you, Juliana."

Juliana smiled and kissed me on the forehead, just like a mother would.