Gehenna: An Awakening

Chapter 8

 Will walked into an old, seemingly abandoned hut at the edge of town. It looked like it belonged in the 18th century, hand-built and in the middle of a forest off a dirt path. The wood was old and dark, and certain parts of the structure seemed to be failing. Did Erendor build this himself? That would be impressive for just one person to make, regardless of its ragged state.

Will and Erendor had walked the whole way there. It actually wasn't too far away. Off to the side of a nearby street was a small, hard-to-see path that curved through a forest, and led to the shack before Will.

Inside, it looked no different than any other apartment. The floor was wooden, but there were carpets spread around. There were only three rooms: A living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Will guessed that Erendor slept on the couch.

In the living room was said couch (which had a blanket and pillow on it), and an armchair, with a coffee table in between them, and end tables at one end of each piece of furniture.

It felt comforting, surprisingly. Part of it was the simpleness of it, and another was the isolation. Here, there was no one nearby. He was away from everything in a way that he couldn't have been before.

"So is this where you live?" Will asked as he stepped in. Erendor gestured for him to sit on the sofa, which Will accepted, and slowly sat on the end of the couch.

"No." Erendor chuckled. "This isn't the most... grandiose of places. That said, it serves its purpose. No one comes here. I can make this a safe haven for myself, while I stay in a city within which I don't belong." Erendor took a seat on the armchair.

"So where do you belong?" Will asked, almost a kiddish sense of curiosity in his voice.

"All in good time." Erendor replied. "I think right now we should focus on you."

"Me?"

"Yes. See, you my boy, are incredibly special." He sighed, seemingly taking time to ponder what he was going to say next. "You're an Embodiment. What that means, nobody truly knows. All we know is that you have some sort of power locked inside of you. It's... not a power that you can necessarily use. What's inside you is extraordinary to say the least. But more than that, it's flexible. It can bend and be used for an infinite number of purposes. This power can be extracted from you, and others like you through blood collection. The best part is its renewable. I've seen it used to cure cancerous cells, give sight to the blind, function to the paralyzed, and tranquility to the insane."

Wait, what? There was a power within that could cure cancer, reverse irreversible afflictions? "I don't understand," Will admitted.

Erendor chuckled. "It's ok, I barely understand it myself. All I know is that it's extractable. But even the power that can be extracted, it's not the essence that lays within you, but just a byproduct. It's said that the power inside you is connected to something FAR bigger. Bigger than this whole world, and mine. What it is, no one knows, but you're part of something incredibly important."

Wait, his world? There was another world? Like, another dimension or something? Before Will could ask about it, Erendor continued. "But, due to its flexibility, it can be easily weaponized, and turned destructive. My people... my former people, they... they hurt innocents." He looked away, grimacing. Will didn't push it, there was no reason to, he would probably find out sooner or later anyway. "They tried making super-powered demons about twenty years ago. It ended in the deaths of thirty test subjects, and the overruling council covered it up in its entirety. Very few people know about it."

"So... I have this power...?" Will asked, still trying to wrap his head around what he was saying. "And that's why that demon person wanted me?"

Erendor nodded. "My goal is to keep you as far away from that as possible. If I believed they were obtaining you for good reason, for the good of their people, then I would urge you to help them. But I think you should do anything but that. I... I promised your parents that I would keep you far away from that—"