Legends of Amacia Return of the Beowulf

Hannibal woke in his quarters lying Rachel’s bed as dawn broke over the Red Tower. The previous night remained vague in his mind, though he did feel a bit refreshed and centered. A yawn escaped his lips as he suddenly looked over at the weapon’s rack, seeing Grimm’s Bane sitting there with the other weapons. Just seeing the Bane reassured him. His vision wandered to the main bed. Selina and Rachel lay asleep there with the blankets covering them up to the waist. Feeling that he missed something important, Hannibal pushed the blankets on his bed away while sitting up; hanging his legs off the edge of the bed. Rubbing his face, he noticed his attire: sweat pants and a t-shirt. “Ugh, what a weird night,” Hannibal moaned. “I feel so strange. What’s going on? The last thing I remember is going for a walk with the Bane. How did I get back here? I’m missing something very important. I know it.”

Rising from the bed, Hannibal stretched and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. When he came back, he heard terrified whimpers from Rachel. Walking to the bed, Hannibal saw Rachel still asleep, but shaking and writhing, trying to pull away from Selina. He sighed deeply and sat down on the bed beside Selina. Reaching over Selina, Hannibal touched Rachel gently on the head, seeing her reliving her torments in her dreams telepathically. Rachel jerked away from Hannibal’s hand with a cry of panic that woke Selina as she broke out of Selina’s grasp.

Seeing Rachel pushing away with a wild-eyed panic in her eyes, Selina purred, “What’s wrong, Rachel? You’re okay. No one is going to hurt you.”

“No, don’t touch me!” Rachel cried in panic, wide awake but thinking she was still in the Black Fortress. “Don’t hurt me!”

“Calm down, little one,” Hannibal cooed. “It’s okay. You’re not in the dungeons any more. You’re with us. Remember us; it’s Hannibal and Selina. We’d never hurt you, ever.”

“No, you’re lying,” Rachel cried in panic. “You just want to put that thing in me again. Please, don’t put that thing in me again. Don’t make me do it again.”

“No one is going to rape you,” Selina insisted. “I promise. Please calm down.”

A violent chill raced down Hannibal’s spine at Rachel’s panic-stricken words. He quickly moved around the other side of the bed to cut off Rachel’s escape and sat down cross-legged on the bed. Tears dripped down Hannibal’s cheeks as he looked at her with great sympathy. “No one is going to put their thing in you ever again,” he declared softly. “The people who did that to you are dead and cannot hurt you anymore. Please, wake up, Rachel.”

When Rachel saw Hannibal move to intercept her, she wiggled to the head of the bed and sat up, cowering. Looking at Selina and Hannibal with terror in her eyes, she pleaded, “Please, don’t hurt me.”

Selina pushed up into a sitting position and pulled herself towards Rachel. “Don’t you recognize us, sweetie?” she asked. “It’s me, Selina...your mother. Don’t you remember me? Just yesterday, we had all kinds of fun down in the pool.”

“No, I’m dreaming,” Rachel insisted. “That was just a dream. It has to be. No way would anyone want me. I’m just a piece of meat to be used as always.”

“You are no piece of meat,” Hannibal scolded softly, suddenly moving to sit beside Rachel, putting his arms around her. “You are a strong brave little girl. You’re our little girl. There’s nothing we’d wouldn’t do for you. I literally fought the Emperor to make sure you escaped from him. Please, wake up out of this nightmare.”

“No, don’t!” Rachel shrieked in panic when Hannibal wrapped his arms around her maimed form, thinking the worst was coming.

Selina moved up opposite of Hannibal and embraced Rachel from the other side, purring loud and deep for the little girl. It became obvious to both Hannibal and Selina at this point that Rachel was stuck in her nightmare even though she was awake. “Please, sweetie, wake up,” she pleaded while purring. “You’re not aware of where you are. We want to help you. Please, remember how we helped you when you came to our attention.”

“I know you think we’re the bad men who tortured you,” Hannibal said, sobbing softly. “But we’re not. You’re caught in a memory loop. Please wake and see us for who we are. We want to help you be free of this terror.” As he spoke, Hannibal used his telepathic prowess to gently nudged Rachel’s traumatized mind to break through to her. “We’re just going to sit here with you like this, and won’t do a thing until you see through the haze of fear in your mind and heart,” he cooed. “When you see we’re not going to hurt you, you’ll wake from this nightmare that torments you. Trust me; I know what you’re going through.” Hannibal gently stroked Rachel’s handless right arm with his free arm, weeping softly. Selina held Rachel firmly as well, purring deeply to calm her roiling emotions.

After two minutes of being bracketed by Hannibal and Selina, Rachel stopped trying to get away. Her emotions steadied as the terror subsided when she saw neither Hannibal nor Selina meant her any harm. Suddenly, her demeanor changed. Her whimpers ceased as she suddenly closed her eyes, shaking her head as if waking from a nightmare. “Mom, dad; what’s going on? Why are you holding me like this?” she asked in a puzzled manner. “Any why are you crying, dad? I didn’t think guys were supposed to cry.”

“I’m crying because I want to,” Hannibal whimpered, wiping his nose with his hand. “It’s okay to cry when someone close to you is hurting, and you were hurting big time.”

“What do you mean?” Rachel asked as both Selina and Hannibal relaxed their grip on her.

“You had a very bad dream about what those bad people did to you,” Selina purred. “You woke us, but apparently you didn’t wake up yourself until just now. It took both Hannibal and I to wake you. The nightmare must have been very bad. You thought we were those bad people.”

Rachel paled and her fear blossomed as she remembered the dream. She cuddled close to Selina, who wrapped her arms around the little maimed girl. “It’s okay, Rachel,” Selina cooed in her ear. “But you need to face it, otherwise it will destroy you.”

Hannibal sighed deeply, showing a deeply concerned face as he looked Rachel in the eye. “Selina is right,” he stated. “I know that from deep, bitter experience. You must face this demon, but you don’t have to face it alone. We’re with you.”

“But how?” Rachel whimpered. “You weren’t tormented like I was.”

“On the contrary, I was,” Hannibal insisted. “Remember, when you first came to us, I was Hanna, and I’d taken far worse than you on the torture floors of the Black Fortress. I was raped, beaten, even turned into one of the Emperor’s dolls. But I’ll not belittle your pain, Rachel. I’m sure your pain was just as horrendous, particularly since you didn’t know why they did that to you.”

“I remember,” Rachel replied, still incredibly fearful. “I remember you being a girl like me when we first met, and then you got Josephine to turn you back into a boy. But it makes no difference. Every time I close my eyes, I relive what those beasts did to me. I see no way to break free of it. It haunts me continuously. I wish it would just end.”

“I see,” Hannibal said softly in an understanding tone. “I’ve been in your position many times, but there is a way out, if you will trust me. You can find your way out of the Darkness as I did. Do you trust me?”

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Rachel admitted, her fear ticking up threefold with the question.

“At least you’re honest,” Hannibal said with a soft, sober smile. “That’s good. It means you haven’t been totally consumed by the Darkness. The first thing I must ask is do you truly want to be free of this pain and fear? Only if you truly want to be free of this can we do something about it.”

Rachel started shaking as her fear rose again to an almost intolerable level for her. Her heart started racing and sweat beaded on her forehead. “I...I don’t...think I can,” she stammered. “Fear is all I’ve ever known. Please, don’t make me chose. I want to be free, but don’t believe I can.”

“Ah,” Hannibal chimed, finally seeing the root cause through his plethora of gifts. “I see what’s going on here and I think we can deal with it now.”

“What do you mean?” Rachel asked in almost a panic. “It’s not going to hurt, is it?”

“Far from it,” Hannibal cooed, “We’d never knowingly hurt you, but you must understand that fear comes from many sources, including evil spirits. I believe that those men who tormented you instilled an evil spirit of fear on you to keep you in bondage to them. We must break the hold of this spirit if you wish to be free of it.”

Horror covered Rachel’s face. “You mean I have an evil spirit? How can you be so sure?” she demanded in a full panic.

“Relax, Rachel,” Hannibal said softly, “You’re not possessed. If that were the case, the spirit within you would be trying to kill me. You must understand, Rachel. The powers of the Darkness include evil spirits who are trying to overthrow the Almighty Ancient of Days. In my youth, I worked for the Darkness, doing incredibly evil things that to this day I’m trying to atone for. In any case, the Almighty saved me out of that Darkness and as a result, the dark spirits see me as a traitor and try to kill me every chance they get. Selina and I have been attacked repeatedly by the spirit that infests the Emperor, so it is real.”

Shock came over Rachel’s face. Looking into Selina’s face, she asked, “Is this true, momma?”

“It is,” Selina admitted, keeping her purr going to regulate Rachel’s fear and emotions. “Both of us were seriously injured by a psychic attack. We had broken bones and bruised organs from that savage assault; however, we survived and became stronger. What Hannibal is saying is that you don’t have an evil spirit possessing you, but one attached to you weighing you down with this fear. Tell me, sweetie; you want to be free of this fear, don’t you?”

“Yes, momma,” Rachel replied, her emotions now becoming confused. “But how can dad do this? How can he make it so I’m not afraid to go to sleep anymore?”

“I can’t do anything,” Hannibal admitted, “But our God...the Ancient of Days can help you overcome this fear. He’s how I overcame my fears.” Then to add extra emphasis, he said telepathically to Rachel, And He can do the same for you. I’m sure of it.

Rachel’s face exploded with surprise as she heard Hannibal in her mind without him ever opening his mouth. That’s right, sweetie, Hannibal said telepathically, the same God who gave me the power to speak without speaking can save you from your fear. He wants to save you from your fear because you are one of His little ones...one of those who will cause Him to punish the Emperor for all his evil. Do you believe this?

Rachel shook her head, admitting, “I just don’t know. How can I believe anything after what those beasts did to me? All I have is nightmares that don’t ever go away.”

Hannibal reached out and touched her right stump where her hand had been severed. “The Almighty knows what they did to you. You were not to blame for it. He also knows that because of it, you don’t believe in Him. How could a good God let something bad like that happen to you? He knows this. He knows you blame Him for everything, from the torments you took to the loss of you family to the loss of your limbs. He knows your heart, Rachel. He knows that you hate Him for that, but He doesn’t hate you. He chose you out of all those people in the infirmary, sending me to you personally. You are one of His little ones, one of those who are going to cause Him to rage in his fury against the evils of those men. He loves you, Rachel, as do we all.” As he spoke, there was a knock at the door. Without hesitation and without taking his eyes off Rachel, Hannibal called out, “Come in. The door is open.”

The door opened and Amelia, Kida, Arabella, and Electra came in. Each of them wore blouses, trousers, and sandals. They saw Rachel in the arms of Selina on the bed with Hannibal sitting beside them. “We come to check on you and the little lady, Hannibal,” Arabella announced. “We also heard what happened last night from Nemesis. How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

Hannibal briefly turned his attention from Rachel to Arabella, Amelia, Kida, and Electra. “What did Nemesis tell you?” he asked.

“Well, he said that you were outside when that storm and quake took place,” Arabella stated. “You were hit by something unexplained from that storm. It apparently caused you some serious trouble, doing some moderate damage to your internal organs, including your brain. Although, it seems the Healer had no trouble repairing the damage, for which I’m glad. But I insisted on checking you out myself. I just don’t trust these machines.”

Hannibal chuckled. “So do I,” he admitted. “As much good as they do, they’re only machines and can malfunction. I appreciate you taking the time to see me. When I woke up, I was feeling a bit disjointed, as if I was missing something important. Other than that, I’m feeling pretty good. What does concern me is that Rachel hasn’t completely processed and dealt with her imprisonment. The trauma is still haunting her.”

“What happened? Is she okay?” Amelia asked as the four women stood beside the bed. Kida sat down on the bed at Selina’s feet.

“We’re not sure,” Selina replied plainly. “She woke this morning thinking she was still in the dungeons. She believed that Hannibal and I were guards, just like when we first met her in the infirmary. We are going to try to root out this terror. It’s holding her back, both physically and mentally. We both can see it.”

Amelia sighed as she stood there, asking, “Is there anything we can do? I know what it’s like to be haunted by past torments caused by the Emperor. If there’s anything I can do, just name it. My little sister deserves to be free of the evil that plagues her dreams and memories.”

“That she does,” Hannibal agreed. “She cannot properly heal if she’s still in bondage to her tormentors through that fear.”

Seeing and sensing the horrendous fear plaguing Rachel, Electra smiled warmly at her, saying, “It’s okay, little one. Relax; we’re here to help you cope with the tragedy that’s befallen you. We helped Hannibal deal with what happened to him when he was Hanna. If we could help him, we certainly can help you overcome this demon of fear that haunts you.”

“So true, Electra,” Hannibal declared emphatically. “It’s no accident you came now. You four could have easily waited until breakfast to check on my condition, but you didn’t. Something drove you in here, didn’t it?”

“I must admit, it did,” Electra answered truthfully. “I felt compelled to come because I thought you needed my help. I just didn’t know what for.”

“Same here,” Amelia agreed. “It may have been worry for little Rachel here, because I’ve noticed she hasn’t vented the pain of her experience as she should. I could see it as she went through her physical therapy at the pool.”

“Me too,” Kida purred. “Rachel kept tugging at my consciousness, even while I was asleep. I too felt compelled to come here now.”

“So did I,” Arabella stated. “I woke up this morning with a start, thinking about Rachel. I wanted to be sure that she was okay. After all, she’s my best patient.” She flashed a warm smile at Rachel, who responded with a trembling smile.

Hannibal shook his head and smiled soberly. “The Lord moves wonderfully,” he chimed, touching Rachel gently on her head. “He knew we were going to need help, so he sent three of the most powerful telepaths plus a doctor just to be safe. Ladies; just before you arrived, Selina and I discovered the root of Rachel’s terror.”

“What is it?” Arabella asked with great concern.

“Those guards who tortured Rachel without mercy instilled in her a spirit of fear to keep her submissive to them,” Hannibal stated categorically. “She’s not possessed by this spirit of fear, but is being heavily oppressed by it. If we don’t relieve her of this fear, it will possess her eventually. I cannot let that happen. We have to help her now.”

“Oh, dear,” Electra replied with concern. “Is it even possible for that to happen? Can spirits cause fear like this, and eventually possess someone?”

“They most certainly can,” Hannibal declared. “Dark spirits can cause all manner of fears, even oppress, and eventually possess people. I’ve seen it too many times in my dealings with the spiritual dimension. I myself have dealt many times with these impish spirits within myself and within others. We have to help Rachel drive away this spirit of fear that’s oppressing her. It’s a particularly powerful spirit too, but it hasn’t had the power to physically take her yet. We must break its hold on her before it has the power to take her.”

“I believe you,” Kida purred. “What do you want us to do? Just name it. We must give our little sister the peace she deserves.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Arabella stated. “Though, I’m not sure how I could be of help. I’m not telepathic like the rest of you.”

“You don’t need to be telepathic for this,” Hannibal replied. “Your faith is what’s needed here. You have great faith and compassion for those you treat. It’s a wonderful combination that allows you to be a great doctor and healer, Arabella. This is not a physical fight, but a spiritual one. Remember what Paul said in the Bible. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but principalities and powers, with great powers sitting in heavenly places. I may not have quoted it exactly, but it does give you the gist of what he said. There’s a dark spirit of fear tormenting our little Rachel. We cannot beat it out of her physically because it’s a spirit. We must let the Lord our God, the Almighty Ancient of Days fight for her.”

“You have such tremendous faith, Hannibal,” Electra commented. “It’s a wonder, isn’t it, Rachel?”

“I just don’t know,” Rachel answered, her voice trembling with fear. “All I’ve ever experienced is the bad things. And this thing you’re talking about is making me even more scared. How can I have a bad spirit making me afraid?”

“You acquired it in the dungeons at the hands of those bad men who tortured you,” Hannibal stated softly, looking into her eyes seeing the spirit of fear becoming more pronounced by the minute. “It isn’t your fault. The spirit jumped on you because of where you were and what they did to you.” He paused as his spirit vision opened for a moment, allowing him to see the vile reptilian spirit clinging to her like a tick. It had its claws stuck in her head and its talons clamped around her spine. The tail of this demon wrapped around her neck, trying to throttle her. The moment it realized Hannibal saw it, the demon raged, digging in its claws even deeper. Hannibal’s expression fell in dismay.

Rachel suddenly trembled, becoming irrationally afraid of everyone except for Selina, who held her firmly. “No, don’t touch me,” Rachel cried in panicked terror. “You said you’d never hurt me.”

“And we won’t,” Hannibal reassured softly. “But you must fight the beast, Rachel. Fight the fear; face it. You can do it. You faced your fear of Nemesis. You can do this too.”

“I can’t!” Rachel wailed, tears flowing. “You promised not to hurt me! You promised!”

Hannibal’s eyes blazed with intensity as he stared into Rachel’s eyes. “We shall not hurt you, Rachel,” he said boldly. “You have my word on it. Have I ever welched on a promise?”

“Not that I can remember,” Rachel replied, shaking in terror. “But I’m so scared, dad. Nothing seems real.”

“I know that feeling well,” Hannibal said softly, holding Rachel’s cheeks in his hands. “Many times I’ve been scared like that, but I’ve overcome it. You can too, but you must trust me. Don’t doubt; believe in the Ancient of Days and He will rescue you from the demon that even now rages to keep you in bondage. We freed you of the bad men when we rescued you from the Black Fortress. Now, we shall rescue your mind and heart from the Darkness that contaminates you through no fault of your own. Tell me and don’t think about it. What does your heart truly want? Do you want to be free of this nightmare?”

“Yes, dad,” Rachel replied instantly, not thinking about it. “I don’t want to be afraid to go to sleep again.”

“Then the Lord our God shall help you,” Hannibal stated. “Come, my friends; there’s only one thing to do. Let’s pray for her. Come closer and lay hands on this precious little one. Let’s pray that the Lord God Ancient of Days will give her freedom from the fear that grips her spirit.”

Rachel was stunned and when he said lay hands on her, the fear rose dramatically. She squirmed and backed into Selina’s arms. “No. Don’t touch me!” she protested. “Don’t let them touch me, momma!” she begged Selina. “They’ll hurt me!” They stopped as they saw her reaction.

Hannibal once again grabbed her gently by the right arm, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. They are not going to hurt you. I promise. They’re your friends, and have touched and carried you around many times before. They won’t hurt you. They’re your friends.” Selina purred and cooed in her ear the same thing, trying to keep her calm. “Don’t be afraid,” Hannibal said softly. “Just believe and you will see the power of the God you blame for your predicament; ladies.” He motioned for them to come forward.

Kida slipped up next to Selina, sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked Selina in the eye for a moment, and then looked Rachel in the eye saying, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. I’m not going to hurt such a precious little girl like you. You remind me of myself when I was your age.” Kida touched Selina on the arm with one hand and touched the left stump of Rachel’s arm with the other without fear or disgust.

Rachel had no place to go. Selina held her gently but firmly as she whimpered, terrified as to what was going to happen next. Kida rubbed Rachel’s left arm gently with her fingers as Amelia moved around beside Hannibal on his right and Electra on his left. Amelia gently touched Rachel on the shoulder saying, “Do not be afraid, little one. I know well the ravages of the guards. I too was once a prisoner of the dungeons and ravished repeatedly.” Rachel shuddered as Amelia touched her. She looked at Amelia and saw the conviction of her statements in her eyes. It stirred her courage.

Electra reached out and touched her leg, what was left of it. She looked Rachel in the eye, not saying a word but touching her telepathically to let her know that she was in no danger. Electra immediately noticed Hannibal was still in contact with her telepathically, trying to keep her calm. Electra immediately helped.

Arabella crawled on the bed between Hannibal and Selina, touching Rachel on the stump of her left leg. “It’s okay, Rachel,” she cooed. “Don’t be afraid. Praying has never hurt anyone.”

Hannibal kept hold of her right stump as he looked Rachel in the eye, saying softly “See. No one here is going to hurt you. We’re going to pray for you now.”

Rachel began to squirm, crying, “Don’t! You’re going to hurt me!”

Hannibal let go of her right arm and reached out with both hands, holding her head still, saying, “Trust me. This isn’t going to hurt.” At that, he began to pray and the others prayed with him. “Oh, Father in heaven; we ask that you free this precious little girl from the torments of the spirit that has her in its thrall. Touch her mind and body and free her of the pain of her torments. Free her of the fear that binds her,” he prayed. Rachel began to squirm and cry as they prayed. Selina, however, kept her from breaking free. They prayed for ten minutes, and then the Holy Spirit fell on Hannibal and Selina along with the others. Hannibal and Selina suddenly began praying in tongues. Electra, Kida, Amelia, and Arabella began to cry and beg for the little girl’s well-being to the Almighty. Suddenly, Hannibal opened his eyes and looked into Rachel’s eyes, saying, “Come out of her, foul spirit of fear, in the name of Jesus, the son of the living God, the most holy and Almighty Ancient of Days, and never enter her again.” Hannibal’s eyes turned white as a white aura swirled around both him and Rachel. Rachel shook and cried out as the spirit of fear fled her mind and body. A dark cloud spewed from her mouth as the spirit fled, forming into a ghostly reptilian form that resembled a smaller version of Gorogoth, the Lord of Fear.

“This is not over, Beowulf,” the demon hissed, “I’ll be back. That little bitch is mine.”

“Go back to the Abyss in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, son of the most holy Ancient of Days,” Hannibal ordered, his eyes flashing angrily, “And if you ever come near Rachel again, I’ll send you where I sent Gorogoth personally. Now get out of here and never return.”

“You’ll pay for this, Beowulf,” the demon snarled as its cloud form dissipated.

“Put it on my tab, beast,” Hannibal growled menacingly as everyone looked on in amazement, particularly Rachel. “Now, let’s finish what we started here. Rachel, are you okay? Are you still scared?” His tone became much more loving when he spoke to Rachel.

“Some, but not like before,” Rachel replied in a drained tone. “Was that the thing making me afraid? Will it come back, dad? I don’t want it to come back.”

“Yes, it was,” Hannibal stated, taking her right arm in his hands. “But it won’t come back. Our God will make sure of that. Now, let’s see if we can’t get you to believe in Him.”

“Pull on her right arm,” the Holy Spirit whispered in Hannibal’s ear without warning.

“See the power of the Lord our God, the great and mighty Ancient of Days,” Hannibal declared. “Let there be no doubt that He is God of Gods, creator of all that is. Hold her, Selina.” Selina securely held Rachel as Hannibal held Rachel’s right arm firmly with the left hand and gently pulling on the stump with his right. A warm white aura briefly swirled around Hannibal and Rachel when he started pulling on her arm. In seconds, the aura concentrated around Rachel’s right arm and stump.

Rachel cried out as her arm felt like it was on fire up to her shoulder. “It burns!” she shrieked in pain as Hannibal pulled on her right arm. “It burns! Please stop, dad! It burns! My arm is on fire!”

Everyone gawked as Hannibal slowly drew a perfectly formed hand right out of the stump of her right arm. Rachel squirmed and bawled in pain as he did it, unable to escape Hannibal or Selina’s grip. The whole operation took less than twenty seconds. At the end of those twenty seconds, Hannibal held a perfectly formed right hand in his that was attached to Rachel’s right arm. He too was astonished at the miracle. He let go of the new hand and Rachel stopped crying, finding the pain gone and feeling in her new hand. “Look, Rachel. See the hand of the Lord our God whom you blamed for your misfortune,” he declared softly with great amazement.

Amelia covered her mouth in astonishment, as did Arabella, Electra and Kida. “It’s a true miracle!” Amelia breathed. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I had not seen it for myself. You are truly the Last Caverias.” Kida and Amelia looked at each other in awe as Hannibal sat there with a drained but happy look on his face. Arabella and Electra stared in wonder.

Rachel looked at her new hand with utter astonishment. She wiggled her fingers and used them to touch her face, and then to touch Selina’s arm. She felt the softness of her fur and was amazed as she turned back to Hannibal. He looked into her eyes and saw the fear totally gone and replaced with awe and love for him. The pain she’d endured during the regeneration of her hand vanished from her mind when she realized she had a hand again. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said in awe, “I have a hand, a hand!” She suddenly leapt from Selina’s arms into Hannibal’s, crying “I have a hand! You gave me a hand, dad!”

Hannibal embraced her as a daughter, saying, “Yes, you do. The Lord our God took your hand. Now, He gives it back. Do you believe in Him now?”

Rachel looked into his eyes and cried, “Yes, dad! I believe you and I love you!” She clamped down on him again and he hugged her.

“Look. You aren’t afraid anymore, either,” Hannibal told her and she looked at him in total wonder because he was right. The tormenting fear was no longer there.

“You’re right! I’m not scared anymore!” Rachel cried out jubilantly. “Thank you so much, dad!”

Hannibal kissed her on the cheek, saying, “You’re welcome, little one. We had to do something. You’re our little girl now. Now go and tell your mom.” He released her and she went back to Selina.

Rachel put her arms around her, saying in such a happy voice, “I’m not afraid anymore, momma.”

Selina took her into her arms, replying, “I know, sweetie. I love you.”

Rachel hugged her, saying, “I love you too, momma.” The words had special meaning for Selina as she held the child. Kida and Electra looked at each other with a smile, and then at Selina. They could tell that she was thrilled to be a mother.

Kida looked at her sister, saying, “Welcome to motherhood, sis.”

“Thanks, sis,” Selina chimed, “I really appreciate it. You and mom will help me out since I know so little about being a mom won’t you?”

“Of course, Selina,” Electra chimed in a subdued manner. “We’d be more than happy to help. Haven’t we already been helping out?”

“That you have,” Selina purred, kissing Rachel on the cheek. “But I never expected to see Hannibal perform such a miracle right here on Rachel. Now, she has a hand that she can use for herself. Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

“Yes, momma,” Rachel replied, bubbling with excitement. “I don’t feel so much like a lump now. How did you do that, dad? How did you pull a hand out of my arm?”

“To be honest, I have no idea,” Hannibal admitted, “All I know is the Lord told me to pull on your arm and I did. He’s the one who actually regenerated your hand, not me. Still, I noticed my elemental power kicked in when it happened. I felt a strange surge of energy flowing from me into you when I pulled on your arm, Rachel. It seems I’m still not sure exactly how far this power goes yet. However, I’m very delighted the Lord chose to restore your hand like this. It was apparently what you need to get you to believe in Him.”

“I believe in you and your God dad, though I’m still a bit confused about who He is,” Rachel stated. “But you’ll help me with that, won’t you?”

“Of course I will,” Hannibal stated. “Why don’t you show your new hand to Arabella? I’m sure she’s dying to examine it.”

“I am,” Arabella replied softly, still in shock at what she witnessed. “I’ve never seen a missing limb spontaneously regenerate like that before.”

“Neither have I,” Hannibal agreed. “Go on, Rachel; let her take a look.”

Rachel let Arabella study and manipulate her new hand. “It’s a marvel,” Arabella declared. “It’s a healthy, fully functional hand. How’s your grip, Rachel? Squeeze my hand.” Rachel shook Arabella’s hand with remarkable strength. “Oh, my goodness,” Arabella commented with delight, “You have remarkable strength in that new hand of yours, sweetie. You should have no trouble using it to do all manner of things, including eating. In fact, I think you should try it out at the breakfast table. You always told me how you wished you could feed yourself like you used to.”

“That is a great idea,” Hannibal crowed, smiling broadly. “Would you like to put that hand to good use at the breakfast table?”

“I certainly would,” Rachel replied enthusiastically. “Can I?”

“You most certainly can,” Selina chimed. “Kida, would you help get Rachel dressed and then take her to get some breakfast?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Kida purred. “Come on, little one; let’s get you dressed so you can put that hand to good use. Okay?”

“Okay, aunt Kida,” Rachel replied, crawling to Kida.

Kida stood up, picking up Rachel in the process. “What do you want to wear today?” she asked while walking to Rachel’s dresser.

“There’s a pretty blue dress in my dresser,” Rachel stated. “Can I wear that one?”

“Of course,” Kida stated, holding Rachel in one arm while grabbing the blue dress from Rachel’s dresser. “Let’s go in the bathroom to get dressed, okay?” Rachel nodded with a pleasant grunt as they went into the bath.

Silence reigned as everyone looked towards the bathroom. “She’s such a strong girl,” Arabella commented. “And she’s so lucky to have you and Selina, Hannibal. I’m not going even begin to comprehend what just happened here, so I won’t. I’ll just believe the Lord has a purpose for that little girl since He’s gone to such lengths to free her from that nightmare.”

“You’re right,” Hannibal agreed. “But what that purpose is remains to be seen. In any case, I see her becoming a beacon of Light in this darkness, an example of what the Lord can do. I do hope we can find some way to replace her missing limbs, even if it’s with prosthetics. The Nano Chamber where I had my mutation reversed may be the key to doing that, but no one has really checked into it yet. Rachel should be allowed to run and play as all children her age.”

Arabella patted Hannibal on the foot, saying, “I agree. You spontaneously regenerated a missing hand on that little girl. Finding the tech to replace her missing parts should be no problem for you. Until you find the means to do that, know you can count on me to help out.”

“Me too,” Amelia agreed. “Just ask if you need anything.”

Hannibal noticed Electra sitting beside him in silence, still processing the miracle. “What’s the matter, Electra?” Hannibal asked soberly, noticing her roiling mind and emotions.

“I...don’t know,” Electra said, hesitating. “I’m happy that Rachel got her hand back, but I’m having trouble comprehending it. How did you do that?”

“To be honest, I do not know how it happened,” Hannibal stated plainly. “Like I told Rachel, the Lord said to pull on her arm and that’s what I did. I didn’t perform that miracle, the Lord did. I’m frankly as surprised as you, especially when I felt my elemental power kick in when it happened. But it was what that little girl needed to get her to believe.”

Electra looked at him with a subdued look saying, “She isn’t the only one believing because of that. You have truly become the hand of the Almighty here just as the writings have said. Some of us had reservations.”

Hannibal touched her on the hand saying, “You are right about that. Do you realize I have never had a miracle like that performed by my hand in that manner? Do you how humbling that is?”

“I think I do, son,” Electra replied, smiling, “Wait until the people hear about this.”

Hannibal became dismayed at the thought of the news of the miracle spreading among the people. “I’d rather keep it under wraps for now,” he said softly. “Rachel is not ready for such attention.”

Electra sighed, knowing he was right. The girl wasn’t ready for such exposure. “All right; we’ll keep it quiet for now. But don’t be surprised if it leaks out. You can’t keep such a miracle concealed forever,” she replied.

Hannibal looked at Amelia, who had a new sense of awe and respect for him. “Can you keep it quiet too?” he asked Amelia.

Amelia sat beside Hannibal on the bed, not having moved since the miracle had occurred. “If that’s what you want,” she returned as Electra rose and went to tell Kida about Hannibal’s wishes. “But Electra is right. You can’t keep it hid. At the very least, your immediate family should know.”

Hannibal smiled at Amelia, saying, “I know. We’ll tell them. But for now, we need to keep Rachel close and help her deal with what has happened to her. We can’t do it if everyone wants to see the miracle hand.”

Amelia then knew what Hannibal wanted. “All right; can I tell Xavier?” she asked.

Hannibal nodded, saying, “Yes, but let him know not to spread it around, not just yet.”

Amelia touched him on the shoulder as she got up saying, “Thank you, brother.” In seconds, Amelia left the room, closing the door behind her.

“I’ll keep it quiet too,” Arabella offered. “You are right about shielding her right now. You may have broken the fear she had, but those memories will still be a sore spot for a long time. She needs time to heal emotionally now that she’s free of the fear her tormentors caused.”

“Thank you, Arabella,” Hannibal stated as Arabella got off the bed. “We all appreciate that.”

“Well, let’s just say I have a soft spot for that little girl too,” Arabella chimed. “I’ll do a little checking about that Nano Chamber and what it can do. If it can replace missing limbs, it would be of great use to a doctor like me. Many of the wounded are maimed because of that monster.”

“You do that,” Hannibal said warmly. “I’ll come down after a while to the infirmary so you can make sure the Healer did a good job fixing me again.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Arabella replied, smiling, “Well, I see you guys later.” With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her. As she left, Kida carried Rachel out of the bathroom with Electra following close behind.

“Do you like my dress, dad?” Rachel called out.

“It’s perfect,” Hannibal chimed, “Makes you look like a princess, just like your mom.”

Rachel giggled as Selina said, “It’s a lovely dress, sweetie. You look very good in it. Now why don’t you go get something to eat? Hannibal and I will be along in a few minutes.”

“Okay, momma,” Rachel chimed. “Can we get some breakfast now, aunt Kida?”

“Yes, little one,” Kida purred. “I have just the thing for you. Come, mom; our little angel is hungry.”

“Lead the way, Kida,” Electra replied. “Hannibal, Selina; we’ll see you at the breakfast table. Don’t be too long or you may get the leftovers.”

Hannibal chuckled. “We’ll be there,” he insisted as Kida, Rachel, and Electra left with Electra closing the door behind her.

Hannibal and Selina looked at each other for a moment. “What are we going to do?” he asked her in a desperate tone. “This is way more than I counted on. When the people find out what happened, they are going to see me as a god. We can’t have that.”

Selina reached out and grabbed on to his arm, pulling him over to her. She wrapped her arms around him, saying, “You’ve trusted the Lord this far. Don’t faint now. He will make sure they don’t do that. You must believe in the Lord and the power He has given you. Don’t hesitate to use it for good.”

Hannibal sighed as he looked in her eyes, seeing the love and faith in the Almighty and in him. “Thank you. I needed that,” he said softly as they touched foreheads. “I must admit, I scared myself just now. I’ve heard of miracles like that, but never had seen one and have never actually been the conduit of such a miracle.”

Selina looked him deep in his eyes saying, “Don’t be afraid. Listen to your own advice. The Lord has kept you this far. He will keep you the rest of the way.” She kissed him gently to strengthen him. It worked.

Hannibal straightened up, saying, “Thank you again. Are you ready to get up now?” Selina nodded and Hannibal smiled, saying “Good. We have much to do today.”

“That we do,” Selina agreed.