The Odyssey Of The Devil

22. The dream

"Avery, there are things in this world that are out of human comprehension, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."

I sat on my father's lap as he closed the book in his hand when I criticised that there was nothing in this world like a wizard. I was old enough to know that magical, celestial beings were not real. There was no one coming to help you, no wizard was going to make your problems go away. I knew that all too well. All the real-life problems had to be faced by yourself. Just like dad did. Just like mom did. Just like everyone I know has been doing.

So when he started lecturing me about these beings existing, it didn't make sense. Why was he persisting? When he knew the truth.

"I am old enough to know the truth dad," I pouted to which he gave me a hearty laugh making me happy inside— knowing I had made him laugh. He ruffled my hair before putting the book aside on an ivory side table— just in front of our family picture.

"Just listen to dad, Avery." He smiled, his eyes shrinking from the smile, "When you grow up, you will encounter things that will be beyond human capabilities to understand. Don't ignore them." He made me sit beside him, "and when that happens just remember what I told you. And everything will be alright."

I opened my mouth to retort but he made me shut up with a strict noise from the back of his mouth which told me to shut up,

"I can smell the cake baking," he looked down at me and took my hands in his, "mumma's cooking, want to go and see?"

I was ecstatic, the sweet smell of sugar was in the air as I held his hand and with short steps walked with him towards the kitchen. The line separating the kitchen and the living room was just about to be crossed when I felt his hands becoming fluid.

"Dad?" I looked disgustingly towards my hands and noticed how his hands were melting away into my hands. What is happening? I snapped my head to look up at him and found his whole body slipping away into a slime. His whole body, while his clothes cling to the slime— folding in all the places.

"DAD?" I yelled trying to get hold of him more than ever. But the only thing I could hold onto was that of a slime. The stingy, sticky slime.

What is happening? I don't remember this part of my memory. I don't remember it being this ugly. What is happening to my dad?

I watched his eyeballs move in the slime and his mouth barely holding themselves up as he tried to utter, "This might be your destiny but there are always ways to get what you want. Whether it be people from other realms, Avery, dad wants you to know that when the time comes," his voice drowned down with his body disappearing, he was mumbling, " you will triumph all of them and prove that I didn't die for nothing."

Tears rolled down my cheeks even faster than any raindrop followed by another. I was losing him. He was curling onto the floor, in front of me and I didn't know what to do.

NO! Please, don't leave me just yet. I trust you. I know there are clever beings all around us— so just return to me. Please! PLEASE!

I woke up wide awake with sweat rolling down my temple. I don't know what kind of a dream that was. If it was even a dream. It was a memory of my life that just turned ugly.

I gulped— feeling the dryness in my throat.

"Took you a while to get up," I looked to the side and found Elrod sitting beside me. His hands on the steering wheel but his eyes on my face, "Do humans need to rest for that long?"

I ignored him and stretched my legs in front of me— restricted by the confined place of the car.

I had almost forgotten that I was with Elrod in the car when I had dozed off to sleep. Kevin and Lorra were in another car, probably just near us.

I still couldn't shake the nervous feeling of that dream while I sat there frozen with the air conditioner blasting the air on my face. A shiver ran down my spine as I turned its face away from me.

"Bad dream?" He asked.

I hummed in response, "Weird, to be precise." I burried my thumb into the flesh of my other hand, "I saw my dad."

He was silent. I didn't expect him to say anything either but when he uttered the next words— it made me snap my head to look at him in surprise,

"Isn't it good?" He watched me from the corner of his eyes, "seeing your dad I mean. You lost him when you were fifteen, didn't you?"

I felt a lump in my throat as I tried to gulp it down but it wouldn't go down no matter how hard I tried, "h-how" I tried hard to speak, "how do you know?"

His jaw clenched tight and it seemed he avoided the question but then he let out a breath through his nose, "I have been here for almost a hundred years, Avery.  I know everything that is to be known about you."

I stared at him with my eyes wide open. I don't know how was that supposed to make me feel, but I didn't take it as a compliment— that was for sure.

"Are you a stalker?" I uttered without any second thoughts.

His head snapped to me and he shook his head almost horrified with my deduction, "Of course not. It was just a matter of knowing everything about my subject."

I felt a pang in my chest when I heard him say that. Heard him call me just a 'subject', a subject for his mission who needed to be kept safe.

"A subject," I repeated his words.

"A subject." There was affirmation in his voice— making me want to face away from him. But I don't care about him so why should I face away? It's not something to feel hurt about. He is a devil and that is how he is supposed to be.

I let my thoughts wander off when his voice made me come back to the present again, "You never told me,"

"What?"

"What was the dream about?"

I shrugged my shoulders before letting them sink. I crossed my legs on the seat and dipped my head just enough to not see anything in the front, "I watched him turn into slime while I tried to grab onto him," I took in a deep breath— with determination I looked ahead, "I don't want to think about it, it was ugly."

Deandre nodded his head in understanding before focusing his attention back on the car. He stopped at a red light. I watched him as his arms massaged his shoulders lightly as he cracked his neck in all directions— trying to release the stress.

"Are you okay?" I furrowed my brows at him.

He closed his eyes momentarily and there was a small smile pasted on his face, enough to scare away a child, "Of course, thanks to your mom I was able to sleep on the couch." He opened his eyes and glared at me, "I have never slept on a couch. I thought I was going to lose my spine."

My face faltered and contorted into an awkward face as I patted his shoulder lightly, "You should have just teleported like you always did, that's what you get for crossing paths with us." While I patted him on his shoulder I couldn't help but feel how stiff his shoulders were. Even beneath the suit, he was wearing—the damn suit he always wears— I could feel the hard body beneath it.

I cleared my throat and quickly retrieved my hands, "how long till we reach?"

Good thing, he didn't notice the red rushing to my cheeks because he answered me straight away, "half an hour,"

My mouth gaped open, "we have been driving for two hours already,"

"You know we need that portion if we need to catch the fallen angel."

I knew it. I knew and remembered all too well what Poggy had told us about Elrod's mission.

A fallen angel from heaven was wandering around the Earth. The place where they have to keep themselves in secrecy— he entered without any permission. Elrod has to capture him and return him to heaven where they could decide his punishment.

Or that's what we had been told up till now.

Even for a devil, it's not easy to lay hands on a being who is from heaven. To catch him, to have him in control we need this portion Poggy told us about. And we were going to get that portion today.

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