Waking Other Lives

Seth's POV

I looked at the heart of Rawonia, the sacred heart which kept Rawonia standing. This was so unbelievable, so impossible that I blinked a few times to wake up. Here it was facing us, yet again. Sierra had been right all along, and I felt shame for not believing in her all along.

“Hi Sierra, Seth. I’ve been waiting for you,” the heart said. “Hi,” Sierra said. “I’m glad to hear that you were expecting us. I’ve been looking for you, too. I need some instant answers. I was told you’d help.”

“Yes, I will. I surely will. Ask me, child. What do you want to know?”

“What is my mission?”

“Oh, dear... you just cut to the heart of the matter, don’t you?” she said, laughing.

“Well, I don’t have time to lose,” she said, apologetically.

“It’s all going to be all right now that you are here,” she said. “Of course, if only you are willing to do what needs to be done.”

“Yes, I will, of course, I will,” she assured her. “Well, as long as that does not require killing Seth,” she added hastily. “That, I won’t do, she said, her eyes averting mine. She was too sweet.

“No child, I would never ask you to kill Seth, and that would serve no purpose, none whatsoever.”

“Then we are in agreement. Just tell me, please,” Sierra insisted.

“Let me start from the beginning, so you can understand what I will ask of you. I believe you have met my sister on the way here?”

“No, not really,” Sierra said, confused.

“The rain that kept you away from here?”

“Yes?” Sierra said, hesitantly.

“That was her, my sister, known otherwise as the witch. You see, we are complete opposites of each other, fire and air are my essences, but water is hers.”

“What? Are you talking about Abby? Is she your sister?” Sierra said, bursting into the conversation. “The lake, oh my God, it all makes sense now. You mean that’s why she could summon me through water?” she asked. “And then you are the Fire Goddess? She referred to you as such,” I said remembering Abby’s words.

“Yes, child. Abby can control water. She is my flesh and blood. You see, it would be an understatement to say that we don’t get along very well. She’s been trying to destroy the world I created, ever since I’ve known her.”

“Destroy it, you mean Rawonia, how?” I asked.

“No, not Rawonia, dear Seth. Rawonia is only a reflection of reality, let’s say a different version of reality, a reality manifested in a sort of different way. It’s like the central theme, and the characters are the same, yet there are variations in the way things happen. Do you understand?”

What in the blazes was going on? “No, not really,” I admitted.

“Rawonia is an alternative universe. And, unfortunately, it is not the only one. There is one more. The real world is closed to you, for the time being, unfortunately.”

“She is talking about my world. The world I came from. How does Abby want to destroy it?” Sierra asked.

The world she came from was real, and mine wasn’t? What the hell! Too much was going on in here, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“The world was built on a delicate harmony, and all Abby wants is to reshape or mold it according to her preferences. It will eventually destroy everyone and everything on it. You see, the harmony I’m talking about is the union between humans and Drakons. Humans hold the light of Drakons, a significant source for the dragons to live, provide their sustenance and become Uruloki. It is because of the light humans carry that the Drakons can sense their presence from a distance. When the light appeals to one’s dragon, then this means the Drakon has found his or her mate.”

“Are you telling us that the Drakon human mating is normal?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing.

“Normal? Seth, my dear, not only is it normal, but it is expected. What is abnormal is to deny one’s mate, which runs against one’s nature. When the Drakon can’t get its light for a long time, then the dragon inside him goes mad. You’ve been looking for the cure for the Drakon madness, but it’s been in front of you, all along, staring at you right in the face. Humans are the cure, the humans you’ve been hunting all along. You’ve killed so many humans, kept so many mates apart that you have sped up the madness in this war.”

I was speechless. Thankfully Sierra wasn’t.

“So what does Abby want, and what did she want with me? What’s my role in all of this, why am I here?”

“Sierra, you are the key to all of this,” the heart said.

“That’s what Abby had said.”

“Indeed! That part is correct. You are the light.”

“The light?” Sierra repeated.

“By now, you must have discovered some unique abilities.”

“Yes, she can kill dragons, turning Drakons into humans within mere seconds. But, she can also cure them. She healed my dragon,” I said, boasting about my mate’s powers.

“Of course she can. Sierra, you can do all of this, because you can channel the light through the birthmark at your chest. This means you can receive the light of a dying dragon, and can easily transmit that to another for healing purposes. You were born as a light conduit, my dear. You also happen to hold the unique light of Seth, which makes you his mate. More importantly, you and Seth are the first Drakon-human mate couple on earth.”

“What do you mean original?” I asked.

“It means you are the first couple on earth who have mated. It also means, since then you have been born over and over again. You were always supposed to find each other.”

To be born again? How was that even possible?

“Why?” asked Sierra, by far, acting as the calmer of the two of us.

“You two were, and have always been my insurance against my sister. You were meant to restore the harmony and balance in the world whenever it was shaken, and it has been, thanks to my sister,” explained the heart.

Not cool, this was way too much! Sierra was surely taking it much better than I did. I was having a hard time digesting the information the heart had supplied so far.

“Abby said the Drakons annihilated millions of humans in the past, and that people like me were required to keep the light away from the Drakons so they could remain harmless. She said, the fire in them had to be kept dormant for the good of humankind,” said Sierra

“Of course she did, it’s nothing but lies. It is all part of my sister’s great story telling. First of all, there is no other like you which is why my dear sister befriended you herself and surrounded you with all her loyal comrades. As I said, you and Seth are the key to reversing everything back to normal. And she knew that well. And second, the Drakons and humans coexisted and mated for very extended periods, until Abby’s spell made all the dragons dormant, and kept them away from their mates, the only ones who could awaken the fire in them once more. After the magic, the Drakons forgot their identity as dragon shifters, as well as their special bond with their mates. I was wise enough to provide another insurance, though, I created a prophecy, which required the fulfillment of three steps to awaken the mate bond. Persuasion, a touch, and a great sacrifice between mates. It was meant to be strong enough to work despite the magic and, if fulfilled by the two of you, the original couple, it would annul the magic in all couples. You two satisfied the three criteria, but then were killed by the neutralizers, unfortunately. You see, the job of the neutralizers was to make sure things never got that far between the two of you.”

“Who are the damn neutralizers?” I asked, impatiently.

“Who are the neutralizers? That’s a good question. They are the warrior army Abby has built from scratch. The neutralizers carry an element of water, an essence of my sister, to neutralize my children, the creatures of fire. Water against Fire, get it?”

“And the protectors like grandma?” Sierra asked. “Abby said, they were protecting the light from the Drakons.”

“I’m sure she did. The truth is, when Abby created her neutralizers, I had to do something. I established a group of protectors so that they could find the mates of the Drakons, to bring their light back, and help restore the harmony of the world. But Abby shifted their allegiance with magic. They, too have forgotten their purpose, all they know is that they need to protect the light, but they believe it to be against the Drakons. Your grandma was the chair of the Council of Protectors and was given the task of protecting you. Nothing was supposed to happen to you when she was alive. Her energy shielded you from any harm. She was also given a pendant to hide your light from the neutralizers, but she ended up hiding it from Seth, instead. Everything got messed up, you see”.

“But if grandma does not remember, how come she asked me to find you?” Sierra asked.

“She is the most ancient protector, the strongest of them all, the only one who can if at all, resist the magic. Her unconscious state may have diminished the impact of the magic,” she explained. “Though, I doubt she remembers it all, or else she would have warned you against Abby.” ”

“But, why? I don’t understand. What does Abby gain by all this?” she asked.

“Besides irritating the hell out of me, and boosting her own ego? For the time being, she gets to rule the world I’ve created by imprisoning my own children and denying them their happiness. But, most importantly, unless the world is restored to its balance soon, all the lights will explode, the source of power my sister has been after all along. Once the explosion happens, she will be able to amass all the light in the world, which provides the source of her magic. And then she will be unstoppable.”

“Explode? Meaning what exactly?” I asked, not liking the word at all. I had no clue what was going on in here, but I was able to gauge that Sierra carried my light, and the word explosion did not sit well with me. How would her light explode?

“It means all the carriers of dragon light will die, which includes first and foremost Sierra.”

“What the hell?” I cried out. “No way, we have to stop it, right now. Tell me how.”

“Seth, child...it’s not that easy. We have enormous tasks ahead of us, all of us. We’ll have to carry them out one by one. So far, only one has been accomplished.”

“Which is what?” I asked.

“You have woken up to the true state of things in Rawonia. That was Sierra’s mission, and she finally completed it. Now, you know it all. But, child, you need be alerted to the truth in all the existing alternative universes. You can only gain consciousness on earth when that happens, and only then our true battle can begin.”

“I don’t understand. If this is not real, how was Rawonia created, or the other universe you mentioned? And, if this is not real, what the hell am I doing in here, talking to you?”

The heart laughed boisterously. “You have a right to ask those questions. You exist in three worlds right now, in the real world, and also in the two reflections of that world, one of only which is Rawonia. Your consciousness is ripped apart into three pieces and needs to be merged. Rawonia was created when you and Sierra both died. But this is only the second alternative universe which has been set up.”

“Which one was the first?” Sierra asked, shocked.

“That one was created when Seth was killed. Alone. But, Seth woke up, eventually because he was not killed from his life sources. And the neutralizers had a huge mess in their hands. Not only did they fail in killing Seth, but they ended up creating an alternative universe, though it was through my sister that they were even aware of this alternative existence. You see none but my sister, and I have a merged consciousness in the worlds we travel. And, conditionally, Sierra. All others remain ignorant. So, they found themselves having created a universe for which they had no control. You can imagine my sister was furious.”

“Abby said similar things, though she didn’t mention you. But, why did I wake up in this one and not the other one? And, what do you mean when you say I have a limited awareness?” Sierra asked.

“The answer is easy, child. You do exist in both alternative worlds, don’t get me wrong. But you only have a merged consciousness in Rawonia because you traveled here after your death. So, your awareness is triggered by your death. The first time the alternative universe was created, it happened through Seth’s death and not yours. Seth was at another college, and he had not yet transferred to Northwestern University. The neutralizers thought they could eliminate the threat by killing him, rather than monitoring him. But, he woke up and continued his existence on earth as though nothing had happened. Though the deed was done, and a universe over which none had control was created. But, the second time, they killed both of you together, and that is why you were able to gain consciousness in Rawonia, Sierra.”

“If Seth woke up again after his death, then why didn’t we, this time? Why did we instead pass into a comatose state? Was it because it was the second time? ” Sierra asked.

“No, child, it has nothing to do with it. When both of you died, the heart of the earth also died, which shook the harmony of the balance yet again. That is why, you two were not able to come back from it, not like Seth did the first time he was killed. The best I could do for you was put you into a coma. And, I am unable to do more right now.”

What is the next step?” Sierra asked, sighing.

“The next step Sierra is to complete the mission in the first universe. The same mission. Then you two can wake up on earth, and because you two have fulfilled the prophecy already, the consciousness from all three universes will merge for everyone. That is, everyone will wake up from Abby’s magic.”

“Then what?” I asked.

“Then you have to save me.”

“Save you? What do you mean?” I asked, again.

“You see, children. My sister has me imprisoned by magic, which is why I cannot do more to fight her, prevent her from doing worse on earth. Even if we restore the balance on earth, there is no guarantee she will not do worse later on. She needs to be eliminated. I am the only one who can do it.”

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed. “How do we do that?”

“My heart has been ripped into three pieces, one is now on earth, one is just talking to you right here,” she said laughing. “And one is in the other universe. First, they need to be merged. This also means you need to find where I’m being held when you get back to earth. The only way you will free me, is if you find me. The prison can only be opened from outside.”

“Where is the cage?” Sierra asked.

“That is the problem. I don’t know. You will have to find it. And, then you need to merge my hearts.”

“So, let me see whether I get this right. We need to travel to the first universe, complete the mission and find your heart again, and then go to earth and save you from your prison, whose location is unknown, and then merge all your hearts?” Sierra asked.

“It pretty much sums it up, except for one thing.”

“Which is?” Sierra asked.

“The mission is yours and yours alone, Sierra. You need to travel to the first universe, not Seth. He can never gain awareness in an alternative universe, only you can. Your job is to find Seth in that universe and do exactly what you did here. Make him remember.”

“I don’t like this, not at all,” I declared.

“But, you said I could gain consciousness only conditionally,” Sierra said, ignoring my words.

“Yes,” the heart confirmed.

“Then, how can I travel to the first universe? I don’t get it?” Sierra said.

“It’s simple child. You’ll have to die.”