The Myth of Misbelieving

Four

The kitchen door opened and an unseen voice cleared their throat. "Sorry if I'm interrupting something." The voice spoke. The warmth from Neo's face dissipated and I opened my eyes. Neo was sat back and blushing. I turned my head to look at the intruder and was startled to find a red-haired man standing in the doorway. He looked sickly and he used the counter to support himself as he walked to the fridge. I looked at Neo and he was staring at the male, with a look of disdain.

"Asher you really shouldn't be out of bed. If you need something you should have asked Jian or me..." Neo scolds. The male, now named as Asher, sighed and looked at me then Neo and raised his eyebrows in a mocking manner. "Right...." Neo rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hi, I'm Gwendolyn. You can call me Gwen." I introduced myself. He grunted and looked over. His green eyes seemed to peer into my deepest darkest secrets, and at the same time looking extremely familiar. Had I seen him before? Sirens wailed in my ears as I stared at him, before realizing that I may have been staring at him too long. I lowered my gaze and mumbled an apology.

Asher let out an annoyed grunt before grabbing what he needed and shuffling towards the door. I looked up to find him staring at me, a puzzled look on his face. When we made eye contact though, he looked away and made his way out of the room and I'm assuming back to whatever room he came from.

"I'm sorry about him. He's dying and being a stubborn bull about it." Neo apologized. "anyways..." he continued as he slid over the PBJ sandwich.

"Thanks" I smiled and took a bite before glancing at the door and then back at Neo. Orion meowed from the floor and Neo sighed.

"Guess I better feed him. Before he makes a big fuss." Neo chuckled and opened the pantry and pulled out a can of cat food. I ate my sandwich peacefully while my mind drifted to Asher. Why did I recognize him? Nobody that I knew resembled him... was it maybe one of my students? My mind raced with questions and I felt dizzy.

"Gwen?" I heard through the mass of voices in my head. "Gwendolyn?" the voice came again. I looked up and saw Neo's worried face above me. Had I fallen? When did I fall? I looked around and came face-to-face with Orion. "Are you okay?" Neo asked. I looked over at him again and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." I told him and sat up. My PBJ fell onto my lap in a jellified mess. I sighed and looked at it in disappointment. How dare you betray me, old friend. Neo chuckled and helped me up, throwing the remainder of my sandwich in the trash. Such a waste!

"Its alright Gwen, accidents happen." He helped me back onto the stool and started on another sandwich. I looked over at the door and my mind wandered. Why was Asher still dying if I was here to 'balance' him? Was I not who they thought I was? What was going to happen to me if they found out?

I was snapped out of my thoughts with the gentle 'tink' of the glass plate being sat in front of me. "You alright?" Neo asked me.

"Yeah, I'm just lost in my own head I guess... A lot to process." I responded taking a bite of the freshly made PBJ.

"Thats alright. I understand." Neo responded. "Everything happens for a reason. You're here for a reason." He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. Somehow that made me feel slightly better.

"Neo?" I started. "If i'm here and i'm supposed to be this... force of destruction... why does Asher look like he's about to keel over?" I ask, terrified of the answer.

"To be honest I don't know... This is the first replacement we've had to do. The old force of destruction went on a rampage and sent herself over the edge and died in a fit of rage." He explained. "So this is the first time we've had to do anything like this."

"Well, that makes me feel better." I say sarcastically. Neo removes his hand and bites his lip. He opens his mouth to say something but a large crash from above interrupts him. We stare at the ceiling for a moment before rushing out of the room and upstairs. We come to a door that is slightly cracked open and Neo motions for me to stay back. he gently opens the door and sheds light onto Asher who is collapsed on the floor.

"Oh my god..." I cover my mouth and step back before rushing in without even thinking. I scoop Asher up in my arms and hold him close. My heart was pounding in my ears as I felt for a pulse or any signs of life. Thankfully, I found a faint heartbeat in his carotid artery. Neo stared in stunned silence as footsteps approached from the hall.

Morana stepped into the room and looked down at me. "His condition is getting worse. And it doesn't appear that your presence is helping." Her tone of voice was like venom. Her words stung but I held a brave face.

"I'm here for a reason. Everything happens for a reason." I spit back. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me and my gaze held. Neither of us blinked until Asher spoke up below me.

"She's not destruction." He said. I looked down at him as he stared at me with soft eyes. "She's the force of Blessing. I can feel it."

"Impossible. You're blessing Asher. There can't be two of you." Morana scoffed.

"I know. Thats why she's replacing me. The moment I die she will gain everything I've had. And if a new balance isn't formed, she will begin to die as well." His voice was weak. He was telling the truth. There was no way he couldn't be. My heart ached for him. I felt his pain, his reluctance to leave me to the same fate he's facing now.

"Asher stop being ridiculous. She will be destruction. I'm not losing you." Morana's voice was cold. She was firm in her decision. "Gwendolyn is destruction and that is that. No. Questions." She turned and left the room after that. Neo stood in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside and sitting next to me.

"Asher, I believe you." He spoke quietly. "I feel it too. Gwen isn't evil. She's pure of heart. And its wrong to try and change that. I'll do everything I can to find a replacement destruction." Neo's words seemed to calm Asher down and he relaxed in my arms. I believe he fell asleep too, his entire body went limp and he looked peaceful. "I'll put him in bed Gwen."

"Do you think what he said is true? Really?" I asked before Neo took Asher in his arms.

"Yes. I can see into the intentions and wills of all human beings and out of every person I've looked into you're something special." Neo tells me. "You're not just blessing. You're life and death. You're sickness and health, blessing and destruction, courage and fear. You ARE balance." Neo states, setting Asher down on the bed. "I thought that, because you had so much good and evil inside you that you being here would help Asher get better. But the scales aren't balanced. They're tipped. You must feel it... Something isn't right here and I need to fix it soon or Asher..." Neo stopped short, looking down at our red-haired companion. "Asher might die."