A New Day

Chapter 16

Athens stormed over and took her mother by the arm, forcing her farther away from the group.

"How long have you been talking to him?", she demanded.

A'launa didn't know how to respond. She knew that he was monster, but there was some part of her that felt a weird connection to him. Now that she knew that there was some relation between them. the pull had only grown stronger. She felt the need to protect him. She also knew it was her duty to protect Athens too. So she did the only thing that a mother could do. She told Athens everything. About the connection to Aramis. About Revos killing her family. About the darkness within her. Then she watched Athens begin to retch, and quickly turn her head and throw up into the dirt beneath her.

"I thought my life sucked before,"Athens gasped as she tried composing herself, "but this rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper. Not only do I have both Light and Darkness inside of me, but Mr. Darkness himself has a special interest in me because he got put out of the Deity's presence for having a thing for your ancestor! And NOW, we are at her home, or the ashes where her home used to be, looking for any clues, and I find out my mom has a crush on the darkest man in the entire galaxy! It's not like dad just died, or something, right", she said with hurtful sarcasm in her voice.

A'launa pulled her hand back, and slammed, open palmed, across Athens' face. The impact staggered Athens, who began to glow in a fiery light. Her mother glared back at her. It was clear that Athens had crossed a line, but in the moment, she was not prepared to reconcile. Athens channeled her light down her arms, into her hands, moving off of pure instinct since she still had not undergone any sort of training. When the light hit her hands, it manifested itself first in discs the size of her palms, but then shaped them into a broadsword that took two hands to hold. Athens was breathing hard. Sweat was pouring down her face as she struggled, clearly, to hold it the projection steady. The sword gleamed unlike anything A'launa had ever seen before. Hearing the ruckus, her Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin had come running out of the house, and upon seeing Athens there with there with a light sword in her hand, staring with murderous eyes at her mother, her uncle jumped between them, and with eyes wide screamed,

"Athens, how did you make that sword?"

Her eyes never left her mother. Her muscles twitched, and the sword in her hands hummed with energy and power. It threw vibrations in every direction, and her mother could feel the Ligth within it, but what really disturbed her was the shiver created by the darkness that was shimmering imperceptible up the handle toward the blade. Athens' Uncle saw it as well, and spoke again in a calm voice,

"Ladies, let's just calm down. I'm sure there is a misunderstanding here that can be easily rectified with some true and honest conversation. Athens, you don't want to hurt your mother, do you?"

Athens eyes cleared momentarily and she regarded him for the first time since this exchange began. She looked at her hands and the blade that was once pure light, suddenly being filled with darkness flowing out of her. She pulled her hands apart, and the projection immediately ceased to exist. She looked down at her hands in fear, and they began to shake. Tears came to her eyes as she looked at her mother, then over to her uncle, and finally back to her hands. Almost to herself, she whispered,

"Uncle, ask your sister why she is keeping secrets from us."

Then she phased away.

A'launa looked around at the eyes focused now on her, and then she opened her mouth to confess everything.