Gargoyles Part I
/Curious about the animals from the celestial realm, Sebastian sets off to find and see one in person.
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Floating dust particles shine through the sun rays breaching the window. A loud snore fills the air. Sebastian tries to tune it out, nose buried in Isaiah’s books. There’s hundreds of them. They’re everywhere. On chairs. On couches. On the dinner table. The man’s only activity appears to be studying. Not common for someone so rude and obnoxious.
‘Gargoyles’ written in big golden letters on the spine of the book Sebastian’s holding. He stares with wonder and intrigue, fascinated at the creatures hand drawn onto the pages. Tiny cliff notes fill the corners of each page pointing out the different parts of the creatures. Weaknesses. How they attack. And he reads every word.
“I could definitely beat that one,” he says to himself poking the monster on the page. “The gargoyle. A bird with stone armor. Capable of flight,” he reads, “it can either stand up-right or run on its arms and legs. Like a gorilla that can fly.”
“That’s amazing!” Sebastian yelps as he springs to his feet.
Isaiah moans. Opens his eyes. Turns to the kid. Then says, “Goodnight mom,” and falls back out of consciousness.
Sebastian, shrunk nearly waking Isaiah and sits back down. Nose back in the book. “Only ever found at churches. A type of animal from the celestial realm.”
The gears in the kid’s head begin to spin. He’s remembering a church he investigated on a recon mission with Isaiah as part of his training. “That place has a huge gargoyle statue on the roof. There has to be a real one inside,” he tells himself. “I can use the gate to build a bridge through the void right to the church. If I leave when Isaiah goes on his mission tonight I can be back before morning.”
And so, Sebastian’s mind is made up. Make it to the following night and head off to see a real gargoyle.
“Nothing’ll go wrong. I already know those woods too well. I’ll have the advantage,” Sebastian’s arrogance can easily be confused for confidence. “And I can definitely beat a Gargoyle if it's just an animal.”
The day goes by and Sebastian is increasingly impatient for the night to arrive. He wastes the day staring at clocks and asking people around New York City the time.
Meanwhile, Isaiah is off with Sarah preparing to cross to the celestial realm when night comes.
Every minute closer Sebastian is more eager, until the moment finally arrived.
“Do nothing you little brat,” Isaiah tells Sebastian who’s sitting on the couch. “You always fucking do something. Listen. DO NOTHING!” He repeats. “Do you understand?”
Sebastian nods yes.
“Okay, good. I. Am. Out.” And Isaiah is gone through the front door.
“One hour,” Sebastian says, “that’s how long I’ll wait before I go. Just to be safe.” And so he does. Sebastian grabs his small blue backpack and puts two books inside, zips it up, and sits to wait in silence.
Five minutes go by while he’s motionless.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
Fifty nine minutes go by.
Sebastian is visibly sweating while he counts down the seconds to an exact hour. No one is forcing him to wait, but the discipline he’s learned from Isaiah has proven useful time, and time again.
“Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Zero.”
Sebastian springs right up. He darts to the front door flicking the light switch off on his way out. Down the stairs and out the building. An abandoned warehouse is the destination.
Fifteen minutes, he’s there.
Sebastian goes to the empty center of the warehouse. On the floor he draws a fractal transmutation circle. Sits in the center in meditation pose. Eyes closed. As the seconds move forward the volume in the room drops to a dead silence.
The transmutation circle begins to glow gold. The walls of the warehouse phase away like smoke. Into complete darkness everything goes. And a ring of fire appears around Sebastian.
The evil rumble of tortured prisoners floods the air like an echo caught in a feedback loop. Sebastian open’s his eyes in an empty fire ring, and vacant prison cell. He takes a book from the bag and shuffles through the pages looking for a specific one.
“Here we go,” he says.
Sebastian gets the second book out. He flips through the pages and finds a transmutation triangle. Lays the book on the floor and hovering his finger in the air draws a floating Fractalization circle in glowing light.
Back at the first book, Sebastian begins to read.
1. Meditate before the Fractalization Transmute.
2. Picture the location you desire. Attempt to imagine the most detail possible.
3. Hold in your thoughts the Fractalization Transmute.
4. Insert the location’s image into the second inner ring of the transmute.
5. Now expand the ring in your mind over the outer most ring.
6. And you’re there.
“Got it,” Sebastian says. He flips two pages through the book resting on the floor and sits hovering in front of the circle.
Sebastian closes his eyes. He pictures the church. He pictures the circle. He puts the church in the second largest inner ring. And he begins to slowly expand it over the larger outer ring.
Around Sebastian the fire and darkness swirl together. Smoke caught in a bubble. Sebastian’s body becomes part of the mix, puffing around inside an invisible sphere. The black and gray smoke turn red, then green and take the shape of trees and grass and the night sky. A large church off in the distance near the woods. Sebastian’s body reforms from the remaining smoke and it solidifies into reality.
The smaller ring overtakes the larger ring and Sebastian opens his eyes to the church.
“I did it,” he says. “I’m here.”
…
Entire Fallen Series