Entropy

LA| Chapter VIII: The Multi-Realms

I wake up emotionlessly to a place that's not a hospital, home, or Earth. I stand on an invisible platform surrounded by stars. I put my hands against my chest.

Am I dead? I ponder.

My skin is still burnt from the fire. The bloody wounds from my wings are still there, yet I feel nothing. I look down and see myself dressed in a hospital gown. Maybe I am in the hospital, but I am not in my physical body?

My feet start walking on the invisible platform. A few minutes later, a familiar figure appears, Terri. He looks happier than usual like I did something right for once. I stare at him blankly, waiting for what he wants to say.

"Markus has been severely weakened, but it's not over yet," he informs, "Another battle will come soon and you won't be alone. You will have special figures that will help you."

I don't react. He vanishes into thin air and I begin walking again.

Next, another familiar face appears. It's mom. Her aura is brighter than usual. She is normally nervous but tamed. Is this the real her? Am I becoming hysterical? I am not sainted enough for Heaven.

"It's not your time to go, Naomi," she says softly, "I apologise for bringing Markus to you and what he has done."

My brows raise."It was never your fault, mom. Don't blame yourself for a tragedy that you were too young to understand and I am sorry for the misery you suffered." I smile gently, "You'll never have to suffer again and this time, I will get rid of your fear once and for all."

An encouraging dream goal or a plastic promise is unknown from what I said. I can't feel either of them.

A wider smile grows on her face, along with tears going down her cheek. Her aura sparkles for the first time in ages. "Naomi, you are always a great daughter to me," she praises. She begins to fade, "Remember that."

Whether my real mother or not, gratitude and faith has been restored within me. I walk again. Every passing second, the background changes. The stars disappear, replaced with portals that look like wavy pools of colour. One is red, another is blue, while the other is black goo. Still, I am in awe that they all look beautiful regardless. I keep walking, ignoring them, feeling they are not for me to go in them.

The round of portals disappear and another figure emerges again. It's dad. My panic rises in my throat like bile. His eyes are shut and he stands there motionless as if he's dead. His skin is grey and his cheeks caving in. He's deteriorating very fast. I walk towards his body. I frown and my brain fills up with regret, remembering what happened between Markus and Dad.

I need to help him. I need to help dad.

"Father, I'm sorry," I apologise with tears threatening to come out, "You still have many years left that you are blessed with. I want you to use them."

I raise my finger up and light shines at the tip of it. Thinking it's not enough, the light spreads to my whole hand. I gently press it against his chest, concentrating to heal him.

My eyes close. Vision after vision. I see dad in a coma in the ICU beside me, hanging on by the thread. For God knows how long we are in the hospital, his heart stopped several times in a coma, but keeps getting resuscitated. I also see myself. I am at the brink of death, but it's my turn for my heart to stop. Doctors try to revive me. My vision goes from pitch black to here many times. Doctors are being persistent with the defibrillator.

Trying to speed up the process, I concentrate more healing energy into my father. The visions are lessening, hinting that I am staying dead for periods of time. I push more energy into dad, groaning in intensity. The light is so bright that my sight is completely white.

"You deserve to live! It's not your time to go, father!" I shriek at the top of my lungs as the light goes beyond me and I can feel the platform shaking.

I don't feel exhausted, but I feel that I've run out of energy. My mana has been depleted. I pant heavily as my ears hear a constant flatline sound, letting the doctors know that I am not coming back. A vision tells me that my dad has woken up from his coma while seeing his only daughter dead.

"I'm sorry, dad," I tearfully say, despite not being there with him.

My dad's figure is gone. The portals beside me appear again, but one of them is in front of me. It's a blank pool. I stick my hand into the portal before going right through it.

Disorientation and frustration as I only see a white void. I spin around, trying to find any colour. Wherever I am needs some decoration. Why am I here? What is this? Heaven? I chuckle to myself as I thought Heaven is lagging like an online game. God must have too many people on the server or he needs to update the game.

In contrast to the realm, a hideous creature emerges from the darkness. The darkness wipes every blank space in the realm. I can hear growls and snarls. Who the heck is this creature? A vision hits me. What is this? Lorraine Warren's psychic powers? I see a corroded and unrecognisable Markus becoming doused with power, turning into the monster that he is today. The dark angel is the same high choir angel that God kicked out. It's not Lucifer Morningstar. My family associates Lucifer with red skin, goat legs, a malevolent face, and horns.

"Well, hello there," I greet casually, "I apologise for entering your domain, but you were the dead-end portal, so I thought I needed to go here."

The angel doesn't move. He dead-stares at me. I am expecting him to kill me at this point. Shockingly, he doesn't.

"What?" I raise my brow at his awkward silence, "Why are you looking at me like that? Haven't heard someone speak in quite a long time, I see."

"Visitors always bow before me, but you're the first that talks," he explains.

His voice sounds...soft and sweet. Seemingly unfit for his nature and appearance. The snarling noises lower down when his voice rises on occasion.

"You turned Markus, didn't you?"

"Yes," he confesses, "And I summoned you here too. I was the one that speaks through you during the last battle with him."

"So he is pissing you off too, aye?" I smirk.

"Not just myself," he answers, "God is angry, Satan is angry, I am angry as well."

"Why did you give Markus his ability then?" I ask without trying to offend him.

"He passed his trials. I can not foresight the future. He wanted power to bring revenge, thus, I gave him the power. He abused it and killed many innocent souls. I admit that my trials demonised him further and showed his strength in his sadistic ways. He was already never treated like a human to begin with."

"Comes from his side of my family," I deadpan, "You're not the only one involved in his crimes against humanity."

"You're the only human I can possess without dying; you can get me close enough to revoke his abilities. God, Satan, and I both agree to punish him. If you are willing to help us out, we are likely to offer you a reward," he bargains.

"Uhhhh, about that..." I pause, remembering that I am in the hospital dead.

"You were already knocking on death's door when I was possessing you," he explains, "You will be revived shortly after this meeting. Do you agree with the deal?"

"Yes, I agree." I don't need to think because I am sick of Markus too. I just want this to end. I don't even want to be associated with him as my uncle. I want to live my life normally because hot damn, these powers stink.

"Very well," the angel nods.

A black swirling cloud engulfs him, gradually increasing in size until it covers the whole dimension. Once again, the silence, the darkness, and I meet. I know the moment my eyes open, I will be revived.