THE DELIVERER'S DESTINY

Chapter 7, Part 2 - Todd

Lundama Jungle, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

Todd had never been in a jungle before. The trees were thick and tall, the sky hardly visible through the canopy of green above them. So it confused him — weren't dreams made up of things the mind had already seen? Maybe this stranger was right, maybe he wasn't dreaming. The attacking dragon had felt so real, as did the girl, but he wasn't about to rule out the possibility of this being a dream. He wasn't ready to accept this as reality.

The girl ahead of him was silent. He studied her from behind, trying to read her. She was almost as tall as him, and she was fit, like he didn't want to get on her bad side kind of fit. Her hair was curly and dark, more of a red than a brown, woven into a long braid down her back. She was attractive, he wasn't going to lie, but her rude and superior attitude was a turnoff. He wasn't sure how to feel about her.

Since this was probably just a dream, Todd decided to be bold. "So, Anna, was it? You said you'd tell me what's going on." It'd be interesting to see what his subconscious came up with.

"Annabella," she corrected firmly. "Not Anna, not Bella, it's Annabella and if you call me Anna or Bella I will make your death look like an accident."

Empty threats. If he was this so-called 'Deliverer', he seemed to be rather important. She wouldn't kill him. "What if I think Anna suits you better?"

She glared at him over her shoulder. "That's not for you to decide, Smartie."

"If you're gonna call me Smartie, I'm calling you Anna."

"Fine, I'll stop."

Todd rolled his eyes as he stepped over a fallen log. Who knew his subconscious was so sassy? He must have picked it up from Mikayla at some point.

His heart throbbed at the thought of Mikayla, and he shoved her out of his mind. "You said you'd explain what's going on."

Annabella took a deep breath; it was as if his mere existence was a burden on her. "Okay. History lesson. A long time ago, Desmond was the only world in existence. Everyone lived here in peace and harmony under the rule of our Creator, the Immortal One."

"The Immortal One?"

"Don't interrupt me. Yes, the Immortal One. He's the Creator, the One who made everything you see. Trees, ground, sky, people, so on."

"Uh-huh." He'd never heard the theory of a creator before. In truth, he hadn't really thought about how life had come to be. It had just always been there, hadn't it?

"Anyw- don't step in that." Annabella steered him around a mysterious-looking patch of sand on the jungle floor. "Anyway, years and years ago, people rebelled. They thought they knew better than the Creator. A war started, one that lasted a long, long time. In the end, the rebels were banished to another world. Your world, in fact. Amissah. There, in their ignorance and stupidity, they forgot about their Creator, which is why I must now explain history to you."

"Mhm." Todd made faces at Annabella's back. She had, inadvertently, just called him ignorant and stupid. Or maybe it had been purposeful. Yes, it had definitely been purposeful. He sighed.

"Here in Desmond, we thrived. For many years, peace ruled. Then, again, people started getting restless and rebellious. Hoping to bring Himself closer to His people, the Immortal One took a wife for Himself. They called her Lucille the Pure. Only a pure heart could commune with a perfect heart. She bore His children, the firstborn being a son they named Terrence. Their second and last child was a daughter, Saryn. Lucille died giving birth to Saryn."

She paused, disquieted it seemed, and Todd spoke up. "Okay wait. This Immortal guy. He was the Creator? So... why did His wife die? Couldn't He have, you know, stopped that, being the giver of life and all, as you say?"