A Journey Like No Other

Shock, disbelief, and finally anger, I experienced them all in the space of about three seconds.

How the hell does she know my name?

“Listen lady, I don’t know who the hell you think I am, but I’m done fucking around.”

I closed the gap as quickly as I could, with the intention of taking her down and getting the cuffs on her when the front door opened. My mom’s voice echoed down the hall.

“Danny? I got off early so I figured we’d go to the park, get you outta here for a bi-“She rounded the corner and caught sight of the position I was in, my gun trained on our uninvited guest.

“Danny, what the fuck is going on?” Mom asked

I jerked my head towards the door, without looking away from the woman. “ I found her in here after I came back from having a smoke and I think she may be delusional. I’m just gonna cuff her real quick and get some backup to take her to the station, wait in the kitchen while I get this under control okay?”

Mom backed out of the room, keeping her eyes on “Celestia” the whole time, “I’ll wait for your word Danny, just be careful”

It was about then that “Celestia” began to cry in earnest, low sobs echoing from her corner of the room, and for some reason I couldn’t begin to pinpoint I had an almost uncontrollable urge to gather her up in my arms and hold her until that horrible sound stopped. She gathered herself after a moment and spoke.

“Will you give me no chance to speak? Am I to be imprisoned because of what you do not understand?”

I shake my head “Once I’m sure you’re not a thre-“it was at this point that I realized the idiocy of that argument, she could have rushed me a hundred times over, and if she really is nuts the best thing to do would be to indulge her, at least until I could take her peacefully; she might become violent otherwise. Sighing, I raised my eyes to hers, and indicated the couch.

“Sit. I’m going to give you the opportunity to explain yourself then I’m afraid I have to take you to jail”

Instead of losing her mind, her eyes closed and a sigh of relief escaped her beautiful lips, “Thank you Daniel, hopefully when I finish my tale, detaining me will be the last idea you would entertain”

I don’t even try and hide the eye roll that follows, “Yeah, okay. My patience is wearing thin, say what you have to say”

I heard movement behind me and saw Mom step back around the corner a questioning look on her face, “Celestia’s” eyes flicked to her then back to me as she took a deep breath and began telling her story.

“I would venture a guess that you do not feel as though you belong? That you are slightly out of step with the world around you?” When I didn’t answer, she continued “There is a very good reason for that, put simply, you are not of this world. You are something else entirely.

My shock must have been visible at the accuracy of her words; a small smile appeared on her tear streaked face. “You have felt it then? It is as though you are the gear that does not quite mesh with the rest of the machine. I have the answers Daniel. You were once known as Eiric, and you were my...friend” she stumbled over the word, her voice cracking, enough that I caught it amongst her otherwise regal speech. “You were a soldier of mine, one of my Royal Guards, as well as my agent. I trusted you above all others, and for a time the world we called home was as safe and secure as it has ever been, until one day there was a cataclysmic event the likes of which I had not witnessed before nor do I ever hope to witness again overtook the Royal City and…and you were taken from m-” Her voice cracked again, and I decided right then that no matter what kind of disorder this woman had, I really did not like hearing her cry. “From me and until today I had given up hope of ever seeing you again”

I raised my hand to silence her for a moment “ That’s a great story, but you have to understand ma’am, that sounds fucking insane, everybody feels out of place sometimes, that doesn’t mean anything. The question I need answered is why are you here and more importantly how in the hell do you know my name if we “haven’t seen each other for a thousand years”.”

She flinched at my words like I’d slapped her, before reaching up to the windowsill and producing my wallet, “I detected a thaumatic field that had the slightest hint of you, I found this and I was compelled to investigate.”

Wait what? “Thaumatics? You mean magic? That’s impossible” I scoffed.

Celestia didn’t miss a beat “Daniel there are a great many things you either do not understand or have forgotten, allow me to show you rather than continue to convince you with mere words”  she said, closing her eyes.

I chuckled “Sure, knock yourself ou-” her eyes snapped open and Jesus I was not ready for the blazing white orbs that inhabited her sockets, when she spoke I almost pissed myself; she still sounded the same, that beautiful wind chimey sound, but there was a power behind her speech, a hum that terrified me on every level.

“Your hand please Daniel” after a moments hesitation I offered her my hand, which was crisscrossed with scars from a gunshot wound I had sustained some years back, leaving three fingers numb.  Her hand closed the gap and hovered over mine, and a not unpleasant sensation almost like being immersed in a warm tub flooded my body. I wasn’t ready for the flash of light that followed, and it took me a good few seconds to recover, my whole body was shaking. I chanced a look down to see a hand, my hand….

Oh my God…

In perfect working order, no deep scars and missing muscle tissue, I wiggled my fingers and discovered that I could feel them. I looked back at Celestia, her eyes were soft as she gazed into mine, I looked over my shoulder to see mom staring at Celestia in shock. Celestia merely had a small smile on her face.

“As I said Daniel, I have been looking for you for a very long time, and I have a great many things to show you”