Alive bond

The meeting

-Anthony,i know you are upset and i understand better than anyone your dislike at being kept in the dark. But i am asking you to trust me. I know i kept a secret from you and im deeply sorry for but i rarely kept anything from you and if i did,i did it because i thought you weren't ready to hear it. Please,my friend,said Raphael with a plead

The way Raphael said "my friend" had put warmth inside Anthony's heart and had melted away the anger

-Okay,but im an doing this for you and only you,said Anthony with a stern but also gentle voice.

-Thank you dear. Now i believe Anna wants to say some things to us.

Anna took the book from Raphael and handed it over to Angelica. She read some pages and suddenly her face became pale.

-This...isn't...possible,said with trembling voice

-What isn't possible girl? Start talking and dont start me on "later explanations",said Anthony with impatience

-Sorry to interrupt but i think it would be best if we were to continue this conversation somewhere else,i just gave Angelica the book because strictly speaking it belongs to her . We should leave now,we might be watched.

Anna was clearly worried

-Good idea we can go to my hotel ,agreed Raphael.

-Fine. Come on. I haven't parked far.

The road to the hotel was awkward,to say the least. Raphael sat in the co-driver's seat and angelica sat with Anna in the passengers' seats. Well,to be more precise,Angelica had fainted after reading two pages from the book. After that,anthony decided to enjoy the peace and quiet. That is,until they arrived at the hotel and Angelica still hadn't regained consciousness.

Raphael looked at him with an apologetic look:"Anthony,be a dear and carry her,will you?".

Anthony was about to protest but then he realised he would lose the fight in the end. So he sighed and said:"Yeah,sure. No problem"

The hotel staff was very polite. When they saw anthony walking in with a fainted lady in his arms they immediately asked if she required medical attention. They declined. Luckily a few minutes after they had arrived at Raphael's room Angelica woke up but she was still pale and in a disoriented state. Anthony didnt want to admit it but he was slightly concerned about her. As were all at that time. Raphael seemed the most worried. Everyone'concern was raised when Angelica started mumbling:"This is simply not possible. I was supposed to be the first. How a book like this exists?". Anthony and Raphael didnt understand much but Anna seemed more in control.

She sat behind her on the bed and started braiding Angelica's hair while telling a story:" You know, our human species is actually the second race of humans. The first humans were created billions of years ago. They were happy and peaceful. As their society evolved beings like yourself were born. They were many,so many in fact that they had to be separated into classes and all of them were girls. Everything was perfect until one day shadows emerged from deep within the universe made from cosmic energy. They were vicious and hungry. They hunted your ancestors like they were animals.They had built a shield of energy around the planet so powerful that no one could penetrate it. Humans tried to protect the girls but they were destroyed as well. Humanity was recreated but it was alone this time. You are the first to be created since before the creation of this universe. This book is the last one to survive from those times.

A few minutes of silence followed and Anthony was the first to break it:"If what you say is true then no one should know of this story. How a human like yourself has knowledge and items from that forgotten time?"

Anna explained tiredly:" Long ago a human woman was gifted with this truth through a vision . She became the first Priestess. Technically she had nothing to do except training her children,only the girls, to be Priestesses and so forth. I am the first Priestess to ever be assigned actual duties. And i will make my mother proud by honouring our family's duties and history and conducting my duties to the best of my abilities. Only then will her soul and my sister's rest in peace"

Anthony quickly asked:"What are your duties exactly?"

Anna answered with a calm face looking at Angelica:Protecting,guiding her and making sure she reaches maturity"

Angelica was confused:"I thought protecting and guarding was my job"

Anna,still sitting behind Angelica despite having finished with her hair, whispered in her ear:"With how you act right now you wouldn't be able to handle a broken tea cup argument,let alone support a bond on your own. Don't fool yourself. You are still a baby. And dont forget a bond needs thirty days to stabilise inside your body and only 10 days have passed since your merging. So keep quiet and let me do my job"

Anthony was starting to get annoyed:"What's wrong ladies? Are we interupting something? You want some tea to go along with your private conversations?"

Anna was used to his irony by now and so she answered with the same playful tone:"Oh you were just going through some technicalities. But tea would sure be nice"

Raphael had no desire in participating and decided to be the practical one:"So what do we do now? They will come searching for her and we cant stay here for long or else we are risking innocent human lives."

Anna seemed content that the subject of conversation returned to her most urgent matter and so she said:"I agree. We cant keep her in this universe at all. We need to leave here and go speak to the Queen."

Anthony opened his mouth to ask questions,again, but Anna interupted him with a wave of her hand and continued:"Yes,anthony,they are indeed other universes. Thousands of them in fact.What I described earlier happened only to our universe. But there is one that rules them all. The Queen. We must go to her. She is the only one that can help us."

Anthony was still not convinced and he pointed out:"How do we know we can trust her? And if she is the ultimate ruler,as you say, we cant exactly waltz into her palace can we?"

Anna answered with the certainty of an expert:"First of all,the Shadows are also her enemies so i believe she will want to help us. Also,as a Priestess i have free access to the palace. The book has a spell that will open a portal leading directly to the palace.

-Yeah but have you tried it before?

-No

Anthony wanted to protest yet again but Raphael put a calming hand to his shoulder and said:I know you are worried dear,we all are,but right now we have to trust her because from the rest of us she seems to know what to do. Come,you need rest,we all do.

"Luckily" the only rooms available when Raphael phoned to book a room had four beds. So,a few minutes later they were all laying in their beds. Anthony to the one next to Raphael and Anna to the one next to Angelica

Suddenly Angelica whispered to Anna:"I know you didnt tell us everything. There is more, isn't there?"

Anna was too tired to have a conversation in the middle of the night so she said'"Tomorrow,Angie,now sleep"

Angie? She liked that nickname

Soon enough everyone was asleep gathering energy for the next day which will certainly be filled with adventure