The Unseen (ONC 2023)

Seven (Nina)

My head is spinning from everything I've learned.

In the back of my mind, I always believed I was cursed. No normal person could ever have this atrocious of bad luck. Now that I knew it was actually the case, the desire to break this curse burned strongly in my veins. Desmond remains quiet his skin is warmer now than it had been when I touched him on the bus. Elijah clears his throat, bringing my attention back to him.

"I am certain by now that you have noticed the Roman Numeral that has appeared on your wrist." Elijah gestures to my and Desmond's joined hands. I honestly didn't notice it until now.

"What does this mean?" I ask, keeping my journal out.

"I will allow Desmond that honor." He stands up, the scythe appearing in his hands. "Duty calls."

He walks out of the room leaving a trail of icicles in his wake. I shiver moving instinctively closer to the fire. I notice Desmond keeps his distance; of that I can't blame him. He sighs heavily running a hand through his hair. He clears his throat.

"I believe formal introductions are in order." He gives me a smile, one that makes my heart skip a beat. "My name is Desmond Hecat."

"It's nice to meet you Desmond." I smile back. "Is there anyway we can speak somewhere that's not Limbo?"

"Sadly, no." He bites his lip. "Until Elijah returns you and I are stuck here. I can assure you time passes differently here. He will not be gone long and there is much to discuss."

"Such as?" I raise an eyebrow.

"First, I pose the question of, do you believe in the supernatural?"

"What? Like vampires and werewolves? Ghosts and Ghouls? Angels and Demons?" I list off the most common ones. "I do love my paranormal romances and harbor a secret wish for them to exist."

"Then your wish is about to come true." His eyes go red, his canines extend to razor sharp points. I gasp standing up quickly, for one heart-stopping second, I'm afraid I'm going to launch myself into the fire. He raises his hand, conveying that he is completely harmless.

"I am a hybrid; my lineage is vampire and demon." He states.

My body breaks out in a cold sweat. I'd been perfectly okay with telling the story of my ancestors. I'd even be cool with hearing about my cursed existence. Confessional time, I was not sure I could be okay with vampires existing, or demons, or a mixture of both. The symbol on my wrist stares up at me, its silent mystery is what keeps me here. My desire to learn more is what leads me to sit back down, although I push myself a safe distance away from Desmond to calm my rapidly beating heart.

"It does not matter how far away you move from me, I will always be able to hear your heartbeat." Desmond stands up slowly.

"That's totally not creepy." I rub the back of my neck.

"My apologies, we do have quite a bit of ground to cover. I ask that you hear my tale first before you truly cast your judgment upon me." He goes to stand in front of the fire. The flames dance across his fingertips in a series of twirls and flips. My eyes widen in shock.

"My father is one of the alphas of the vampire race, descended from the King himself. My mother is one of the daughters of Lilith the Mother of Demons and mate to the fallen angel Lucifer." His voice takes on a hypnotic cadence, even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"My father received a vision during his transition of a beautiful woman standing in front of a castle made of brimstone. Her eyes pure darkness, her hair blue, the color of hottest burning flame. My mother received the same vision during her conversion, hers was of a man with chestnut brown hair, his eyes the color of freshly spilt blood, he sat upon a throne of skulls, the bones of his predecessors. A symbol appeared on their wrists the number seven in Roman Numerals their souls called out for one another from the deepest circles of Hell."

I write down in his words in my journal, I make quick notes of his parent's descriptions wanting to create a drawing of them for him. It's clear that he misses them and I want to give him something to remember him by. I set my pen down, waiting to hear more of the story.

"My mother, per permission from her Master ventured to the human world. She followed the call of her soul to a village in Europe. She spoke to the locals, asking them if they had ever come across a man matching my father's description. Their answers were all the same, he lived in a castle deep in the mountains. They could hear the screams of his victims at night, avoiding that path at all costs. This did not deter her. She purchased enough supplies to begin the trek. The road itself was treacherous, nature had claimed it from disuse. She did not waiver, she made it to the castle in four days. The roman numeral on her wrist counted down each day, a sense of urgency began to enter her body the closer it got to zero."

"What happened next?" I blurt out. He smiles, chuckling at my enthusiasm. He moves closer, kneeling down in front of me. He tucks my hair behind my ear resting his forehead against mine.

"The door to the castle opened, as if some unseen force could sense the one my father saw in his vision. She stepped inside following the call of her soul to the throne room where my father was feasting on the blood of the village's offerings. His eyes locked with hers, he spoke her name. She ran into his arms, kissing him deeply. The symbols on her wrist were replaced by the symbol of a blackbird."

"This symbol, does it mean the same thing for us?" I look down at it.

"If only we were as lucky as them." He goes to stand in front of the fire again. "My parents were mated in the presence of the King and the Fallen. They had me not long after, the King and the Fallen found peace. My mother received a vision upon my birth, I would be the Peacekeeper, the one to unite not just the demons and vampires but the other races as well. This is when tragedy struck."

I tense up, there's pain in his eyes now. I can feel his emotions, his fury and anger cause my blood to boil. I distract myself by writing out what I've learned into my journal. I set my pen down once more, he takes it as a sign to continue.

"The King of the Wolves heard the King of Vampires had laid down his sword. He entered his eternal rest at last. My father took up his mantle in a unanimous vote. The Archangels heard the Fallen had relinquished his position to my mother, feeling peace and contentment for the first time in ages. This did not sit well with either of them, they waged war upon my parents wiping out the vampire race and leaving the demon race on the brink of extinction. To give my kind hope for the future, my mother entrusted me into the care of Elijah."

"Oh my God, Desmond I'm so sorry!" I whisper, setting my journal on Elijah's desk. I approach him hesitantly, wrapping my arms around him. He tenses up for only a second, he embraces me resting his chin on the top of my head.

"The Archangels failed to realize that by killing the demons they would leave Hell without stability. The Wolves did not factor into account my King still rests and can be awakened. This symbol on our wrists states that we must be mated or Hell will cease to exist. The damned souls will wander the human world, the creatures that guard the circles will wreak havoc upon the mortal realm. The King will awaken when this devastation begins, learn of his kinds extinction, and go on a rampage. No one will be left standing."

I take a step back, my body trembling. I had seven days to fall in love with someone. Seven days to become a hybrid just like him. If I didn't, my whole world would be destroyed.

"I can't do this." I shake my head.

"Nina, we must." Desmond reaches for me. I back up tripping over my own feet crashing to the ground.

"Stay the Hell away from me!" I scream. "This is too much, I'm cursed, there's no way in Hell I can be this world's savior."

"You are my mate, Nina Winters. You are the one my soul has been calling for." He attempts to help me up. I push him away again.

"I'm not a hero Desmond. I just want to survive high school." I grab my things, rushing to the door. I need to leave; I have to leave.

"Blackbird..." His voice breaks. "I need you."

"I'm sorry, Desmond." I whisper with tears in my eyes. I open the door my eyes meeting Elijah's. He nods, a door appearing behind him. I walk straight towards it. I may have wished for a world where the supernatural exist. With my luck I wouldn't be this world's savior. I would be its destruction.

*Word Count 8646*