The Living Death (Celestia Chronicles 5/ R.E.A.P. Arc Book 1)

Chapter 6: The Secrets Kept Hidden

This chapter in particular has a trigger warning about WWII: Keep in mind that this story is not set in our universe and the history between our reality and the story are not identical. In this alternative universe several events of human history have played out in similar but different fashion with this being one of the biggest instances of "similar but different". I assure you that this all feeds into a greater purpose of the message I am trying to present with this story about people exploiting hate for personal gain.

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As Chuck was rounding the corner to head to his last class before lunch when he saw his friend Jeffrey talking to some suspicious man.

"You Jeffrey Sayger are the next in the long line of the Resurrected Energy Assistant of Peacekeeping also known as the reaper and I need to get you to safety so you can learn about your power" The man said.

"You sound as crazy as Mr. Welk" Jeffrey said, Chuck stayed out of sight and continued to listen in to the conversation.

"Travis is wrong about a lot of things but the bigot is right about the existence of a world of magic" The man said. "Grab my hand and I will prove it!"

Chuck poked his head out from behind the corner as he saw Jeffrey grab the man's hand and vanish into thin air. He was about to scream but caught himself in time.

What the hell just happened He thought to himself.

He pulled out his cellphone and called his father.  After a ring his father picked up.

"What's wrong" his father asked, "You only call me for emergencies..."

"I need to see you right now" Chuck said.

"Son I am busy and my control of the company is at stake so without more details I can't-"

"Some man just showed up at school, told Jeffrey he was something called a reaper, and then disappeared into thin air " Chuck said, realizing how ridiculous this sounded.

After a moment of silence he heard his father let out a sigh.

"I'm calling your school to let you leave for the day, wait outside and I will get a chopper to you as soon as possible" Travis said, his voice carrying concern- a trait Chuck never heard in his father's voice. "If Jeffrey shows back up at school or tries to contact you I need you to call me immediately. Tell no one about this."

****

Rebecca Sayger walked to a park and sat on a bench and closed her eyes. She could feel the energy of the ley line giving her a strength she had not had in almost seventeen years. She saw a chopper in the sky and recognized it as it flew in the direction of Jeffrey's school.

"Damn" Peter called out, startling Rebecca with his presence.

"How long have you been sitting next to me" She asked.

"Just teleported in" Peter said. "Jeffrey is safe on campus."

"Go back to his side then" Rebecca said.

"What about you" Peter asked. "That helicopter was clearly one of Travis's and he's headed to the school..."

Rebecca turned to Peter looking puzzled. "How much were you able to tell him in the short time since I last saw you?"

"A little" Peter said, looking away.

"You just dumped him off at Zalkar's with no explanation whatsoever, didn't you" Rebecca interrogated.

"I brought him to the cafeteria with a minimal explanation" Peter said, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Get back to the school and do not leave our son again until he knows everything he needs to know" Rebecca said.

"What about me being his father" Peter asked.

Rebecca sighed. "I think that is best- it will allow him to open up easier for training but I also know how often you run from confronting your own emotions...."

"I'm sorry about what happened with Tr-"

"I don't want to discuss that now" Rebecca cut him off. "Go and tell our son what he needs to know."

****

Travis stood on the top of his company's building as he watched the helicopter land on the helipad. Chuck walked out of the chopper and to his father. After bringing him inside and getting his some tea and crackers he sat down across from his son in his office. The room was empty except for the two of them.

"What is going on" Chuck asked his father.

"How much do you know about Jeffrey's father" Travis asked his son.

"Jeffrey's father" Chuck asked.

"See I was once best friends with Jeffrey's father, Peter Cona" Travis explained. "We were best friends and I helped him the best I could with my technology. We both loved a woman named Rebecca, Jeffrey's mother. Rebecca and Peter were not like us. Rebecca had the ability to use magic- even if she was incapable of producing the energy needed to do so on her own. But Peter.... Peter was something else entirely....

"The Resurrected Energy Assistant of Peacekeeping, or reaper, was a being who would help keep the world in balance. I trusted him with my life but one day I learned a horrible truth. The worlds were separated ages ago as the magic world has been forced into hiding but they have continued to manipulate the world from the shadows. Have you heard about the Second World War?"

"Yeah, people the German government of the time considered sub-human were rounded up and killed in horrible fashion. Jewish people, Queer folks, and people who were neurodivergent were the most targeted."

"That's true" Travis said as he stood up and walked over to a mini bar to fix himself a drink. "Now the reason we were taught for this was because of a man who ruled over the country who exploited the hate of the people but a lesser known fact was his love of the occult. He managed to get his hands on a way to create an all powerful jewel and the primary ingredient was tortured souls in mass numbers. By exploiting the pain and misery of these people their souls- the energy that makes a person who they are- were extracted to create this weapon. A jewel that can manipulate the fabric of space itself to create miracles, the ultimate wish granter- The Philosopher's Stone! This was one of the many names this miracle stone went by but I heard of it under a different name- The Pecona Jewel! This abomination created from the tortured souls of the darkest part of recent history was a major driving force for the Second World War."

"What happened to it" Chuck asked his father.

"I don't know" Travis said as he walked back over to sit down with a glass of scotch in his hand. "But I do that that the man responsible for this monstrosity was none other than Jeffrey's father- Peter Cona!"

Travis downed the entire glass in one gulp as he set it down on his desk with so much force the glass cracked a bit.

"The world of magic is evil" Travis continued. "I have discovered that most of the problems with humanity stem from the existence of magic and the magful themselves. I have devoted my life to learning the secrets kept hidden from us all and a way to save us from their power."

"Jefrey's my friend" Chuck said. "I don't think he will be as bad as you make this out to be..."

Travis laughed to himself. "I was once naive like you" he said. "In time you will see what your best friend will become and then you will understand my point..."