The Nephilim

Chapter 1 "Genesis"

"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown."
- Book of Genesis 6:4

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The rain gathered in pools like liquid oblivion readying for judgement day. The weather had taken a turn for the worse in the past few hours, the storm beating and howling against the structures of mankind unfettered. It was the kind of storm that frightened children and animals, that drove people to worry about the safety of their loved ones.

Marcus Nefritti sighed and absentmindedly nudged his thick, black hair from his field of view. He couldn't bring himself to care. His life was perpetually boring and of no particular interest to himself or to anyone else, for that matter. He half wished a tornado would rip his surroundings and himself away from this place, this home. At least then something would actually happen, he told himself.

"Is it ever going to stop?" A quiet, shaken voice asked from right beside him. Startled, he turned to gaze upon one of the few things in life that gave him real joy - his sister, Sera. The innocence and wonderment that reflected from those pale blue eyes was nearly enough to make him forget to breathe. He silently scolded himself for his earlier "wish". If a tornado or some other natural phenomena rips me away from my surroundings, Sera would be hurt or potentially much worse. Never mind the fact that I'd be taken away from my family. He lamented. In a moment of reflection as he stared into those pale blue eyes, he wondered if he had ever been so innocent, so full of awe. He couldn't remember. Probably not, he thought. 

As a child, Marcus hadn't been like the other children. Almost always serious and brooding, he tried to construct his playtime into meaningful tasks. When the other children had played cops and robbers, Marcus had been busy making props for the other children and scenarios for them to act out. When his mother had asked him why he didn't join the other children he stated simply "I wouldn't want to play a cop or a robber."

This was not to say he was joyless. It was simply that he wasn't into things children his age should be interested in. He barely played with toys, wanted to read more than play at a very young age. His grandparents often called him "an old soul in a young body."

"No." he mumbled unwittingly under his breath. I was never a normal child, he mused and certainly never like Sera.

"You think it'll go on forever?" Sera whispered, half astonishment, half worry. Marcus couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Of course not, my little koroleva." He hugged her tightly. There was no moment in life that compared to the warmth he felt in his heart than hugging his beloved sister. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked in a hushed tone. "If the guards catch you running around at night, the king and queen will lock you in a tower until you're an old lady" he said conspiratorially. They both giggled as he whisked her into her room and tucked her in for the night. 

She looked up at him, those same wondering eyes he had cherished in his sister for the past six years. He remembered the day she was born, he was young then and made a polite attempt at caring for the little bean that stayed wrapped in a blanket and cried off and on again. He wasn't her biggest fan until he found the knack for making her laugh. It didn't take long after that for him to love his sister as any brother could. 

"The storm feels funny." She said in a quiet voice. He tilted his head instinctively, puzzled at her tone.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously. 

"It's like I can... feel something is going to happen, maybe something bad..." Marcus could tell she was struggling for words. 

"You're just frightened, the wind is loud and the rain is heavy. But there's no reason to be scared. The wind and rain can't hurt you while you're in a house." Even as he spoke the storm seemed to die down a little, as if heeding his whim. 

"That's not what I meant." Sera said in as serious a voice she could muster. "I mean like I know... I feel something will happen... but I don't know what it is. Like when I watch Spot play with Gwynnth, I... feel like magic will happen and..." She trailed off, as if even she could tell how strange her words sounded. He laughed quietly.

"I would not be surprised if they were magical cats." They both laughed, and he caressed her hair. "I won't let anything hurt you, sis." He said. 

"I know. But I don't know if I can sleep with the wind." She stated flatly. Marcus chuckled at her attitude towards the predicament, then leaned back a little.

"How about I make you strawberry pancakes in the morning. Then you can think of those and dream of them, and when you wake up hungry you'll eat them right away." Sera turned her nose up and made a disgusted face. 

"You can't cook very well." They laughed, and Marcus looked around, worrying that they had laughed a little too loudly. 

"You're right, of course." He sat in thought for a moment. "Tell you what, how about I work my charm on mother and have her make them for you?" He looked down as she smiled, rocking her blonde hair back and forth. She hugged a nearby teddy bear tightly. "If I fail in my quest," he used a mock British accent "you'll use those puppy dog eyes and mother will be only quite obliged to make them."

Sera giggled. "What does oblibed mean?" she asked. Marcus laughed. 

"Obliged means to have to do as you're asked." He smiled. 

"Like when daddy tells you to cut the lawn?" she giggled. Marcus laughed again.

"Something like that." He said, kissing her on her forehead. "Get some sleep, little koroleva."

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Marcus tossed and turned. He had never been one for rest. He could feel his soul reflect this thought. He couldn't remember the last good nights sleep he had managed. Has it always been a choice? he thought. Or am I simply an insomniac of epic proportion? A victim of circumstance? His thought trailed off. He not only hadn't been one to get much sleep. It seemed he had never been one to require much sleep. Perhaps it was more of a blessing than a curse. Still, he thought some rest would be welcomed at this hour. The storm had all but ceased what had seemed like ages ago. His internal clock told him that the sun would be coming up soon, and a quick glance at his alarm clock a scant few feet away, their digits beaming through the absolute of the darkness like demons eyes gazing upon the unsuspecting souls, affirmed these fears. He took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. His mind wandered, and as he drifted off to sleep, he saw innocent pale blue eyes staring back at him.

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The horrendous, bone-chilling shriek of a scream woke him. It sounded as of one tortured soul given a thousand voices. Jumping and shaking himself into alertness, he took note of his surroundings. It was still dark, strangely dark, as Marcus' heart raced faster than he thought imaginable. The screaming stopped briefly, only to follow again in a lower, moaning tone. As Marcus came to a realization, his heart sank beneath his feet. He felt as his soul was apart and he was witnessing himself realize something outside of his own body. It was coming from Sera's room.

Quickly, he darted as fast as the corridor between their rooms would allow, and as he reached her doorway he stopped in pure shock. Before him, bathed in a deep red light was a woman atop an altar made of bones. Atop the altar was a crucifix-turned torture device. Spikes continued from the feet of the woman all throughout her body. Her ragged clothes offered her no protection from the spikes, which glowed red as if heated by the furnace of the Hell he witnessed before him. The woman sobbed, her head bent over. 

His shock subsided a little. He tried to calm himself. It's a dream, of course. He thought. What else would it be? But if it's a dream, he ruminated, how does everything feel so real? The woman suddenly looked up, and the pale blue of her eyes against the abysmal, hellish red and black surroundings were surreal beyond any dream or waking experience he had ever encountered in his short life. He was shook to his core. Every fiber of his soul screamed out to him. Her eyes... it was unmistakable. As if to affirm his greatest fears, the woman spoke up. "My name is Sera Nefritti." she sobbed and grimaced. As her tears abated, she barely whispered. "This seems as a dream, but it is not. Listen to me, dear brother. I have been trying to reach you in the past, for a very long time." she barely managed to utter the last of her statement, tears returning to her eyes. 

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