The Seed of Hope

Chapter 3: The Calling

Kate was afraid to let go of this man's hand. The light swirled around them as they ascended to the sky. Kate couldn't believe this was happening to her. Why her, just when Kate thought her life was getting better when she found someone interesting. The day was filled with rollercoasters of feelings.
-"Why me?"- Kate broke the silence. The man looked down at her with a blank stare. -"You are special, young one."-
Kate scoffed. -"Pfft, so cliché..."-

The swirling light ceased to reveal a meadow with a stone platform and a walkway lined with arches. The sky was dark, adorned with hundreds of thousands of stars, close and far, big and small. They landed and Kate noticed that her body was a lot lighter here.
-"I feel like I'm floating."- She said trying to land firmly on her feet. The man turned to Kate.
-"Normally, an ordinary human would perish here, their body and soul would disintegrate and cease to exist."-
Kate gulped and started to visibly shake. -"But, I'm an ordinary uh...human..."- Kate hesitated.
The man shook his head. -"You are very much alive, aren't you?"-
Kate stood there, trying to process everything.
-"So, you really are a Celestian, aren't you?"- she asked.
-"Took you that long to notice?"- The man chuckled with his husky voice. -"You thought we didn't exist?"-
Kate opened her mouth to speak but hesitated for a second.
-"With so many unanswered prayers, who would believe in you?"- Kate looked down, feeling betrayed by their absence for all these years.
-"Your people never really needed us, and besides, we don't answer measly prayers."- The man said firmly.
Kate flinched at his rough words as they started to walk through the arches.
The arches looked like they could go on forever but on the horizon, Kate could see a giant city, glistening in the light of the stars. -"This has to be one of my crazy dreams..."- Kate whispered and looked up at the giant man.
-"And what is your name?"- she continued. -"You'll find out when we get there."-

They finally arrived at the Great Silver Gates of Kandubia.
-"In this city, there's a portal inside the main Capitol Building, It's the only way to get to Kolob."-
The man explained as he walked a bit faster.
-"What is in K-Kolob?"- Kate asked nervously. -"Father..."- the man answered almost in a whisper. Kate's eyes widened as she began to get nervous. -"You mean, God himself?"- Kate asked in awe. The man looked at her and gave her a warm smile in reaffirmation.

They made their way quickly around the city that was filled with Celestians who looked like regular, normal people or so Kate thought. They were tall and all had bright-colored eyes. No brown, no black. Just bright yellows, greens, reds, purples, and blues, even grays and silvers. Kate would have never imagined their beauty and it left her breathless. The Celestian people stared at Kate, some looked shocked and others found it curious since it was extremely rare to see a human up in the Holy Cities of the Celestians. Kate and the man arrived at the Capitol Building where two giant guards stood. As the man and Kate approached them, the guards flinched at their presence and stood aside to let them in.
Kate looked back at them, observing them. Curious about their armor, weapons, and features.
Deeper into the building, passing corridors and lifts, they made it to the main room. Giant golden doors opened slowly and they walked in. The room was decorated with gold and silver with white marble. It looked like a throne room fit for the King of Kings. But where the throne is supposed to be, stood a portal, emitting the same warm light as the man that stood next to Kate.
The man walked up to it and motioned his hand.
-"After you."- Kate was still shaking, she still didn't know what was going on but still stepped forward. Kate's heavy breathing was more audible as she stopped right in front of the portal.
-"I...I'm sorry...I'm just so confused."- Kate looked up at the man with tears swelling up in her eyes. The man placed his hand on Kate's back, reassuring her that she will be okay.
-"It has to be done, but I can assure you that you will be okay."-  Giving her a little push, Kate stepped through the portal.
Kate closed her eyes and she felt her body veiled in light.
-"You finally arrived..."- A voice thundered around Kate, making her flinch. The voice sounded strong and gentle at the same time, like a loving father to his daughter.

Kate opened her eyes wide to see a giant, bearded man sitting on a golden throne. There were pillars and walls made out of gold and marble and the ceiling was glass. Planets and galaxies could be seen moving swiftly across. Kate held her breath and felt a bit sick and fell to her knees. Not knowing how to behave in front of God himself. It was God, creator of all. And Kate was called by him. It was a lot to take in but something in Kate didn't allow her to pass out.
-"Thank you for bringing her to me, Yenziel."- God said proudly.
Yenziel bowed to Him. -"Of course, Father Elohim."-
Kate looked at the man next to her in shock. -"The...Yenziel? The God Yenziel?"- Yenziel looked at Kate and winked at her with a smile.

-"Now, Katerina"- Elohim started and Kate shook in the potency of His presence.
-"You must know why you are here, correct?"- Elohim asked standing up.
Kate opened her mouth but couldn't speak, tears were running down her face.
-"She doesn't know, Father."- Yenziel said.
-"Well, it has been so long since we have had a Descendant of Hope in our throne chamber now have we?"- Elohim said as he kindly smiled at Kate. Yenziel nodded. -"Legend probably has vanished from the face of the planet. It's a shame humans have forgotten so much."- Elohim continued. His brilliant crystal crown caught the light from the throne room and amplified it, making Him glow brighter than anyone there.

-"Well, my dear."- Elohim began as Kate was still kneeling and looking up at him.
-"You come from a bloodline longer than anyone else down on Prymeria. A bloodline chose by Me to abolish the diabolical reign of Bassilisk."-
Kate lifted her head, she couldn't believe what God was telling her. Bloodlines? Chosen? Bassilisk? It was too much information and Kate couldn't process it. It was too much for her mortal body to comprehend.
-"Bassilisk disobeyed me, so I vanished him down to the depths of Prymeria for all eternity. He has been trying to rise against me for control and power."- Elohim lowered his stare. -"I sent a powerful warrior with my blessing to end him once and for all. Her name...was Hope."-
Kate tried to stand up but her knees were weak, even then she still tried.
-"She managed to deal a great amount of damage, both to Bassilisk and his army. But Hope fell to Bassilisk and he captured her inside a crystal and now uses her as an amplifier for his powers. Hope has long perished but her body is still emitting strong holy energy. Ironically, the fallen fear that energy, so they use it for their benefit, against the Celestians, against humans."- Elohim stood quiet for a couple of seconds.
-"What does that have to do with me?"- Kate managed to speak. Elohim glanced at her.
-"Bassilisk placed a curse on Hope and all her descendants that might come and finish the job for her. It is their calling after all. Called by Me."-
Kate finally stood up straight and strong.
-"The curse is that every single descendant from Hope, or "Seed" as they call it, would be terminated, Fallen Assassins would find these "seeds" and kill them, and have been doing so for many, many eons."- Elohim frowned.

Kate thought of what Elohim was saying, she thought of the tsunami, the eyes, the evil voices, and the light that protected them in Kirya.
-"But that means..."- Kate grunted. Elohim turned to Kate.
-"You are a Seed of Hope, Katerina..."- Elohim said firmly.

Kate took a second to think, her skin had a sheet of goosebumps over it, and whimpers building up in her throat. Looking at the floor, Kate shook uncontrollably. She turned to Yenziel and asked.
-"I was going to die back there, wasn't I?"- Kate asked in almost a whisper as she held back her tears and Yenziel nodded slowly.
-"Killed by those...things..."- Kate stopped herself and covered her mouth with her hand. Kate's mind flooded with thoughts about her family and what would happen to them. Then, she remembered Ivee. Kate remembered how her mother found Ivee in a drenched box on the shore, Ivee was so small, an infant with horns emitting from her small head. Ivee wasn't human, she was a fallen, or so they thought. Ivee is from a branch of the fallen who have repented of their sins and slowly became less demonic. This race was extremely rare considering how proud Fallen are and how attached they are to their sins.
Kate needed to know if Ivee was safe.
-"God...uh, Father...If I may? My sister, she...is a Vasuni. Does this make her evil or our enemy?"-
Kate asked in a worried tone.
Elohim shook his head. -"Little Ivee is innocent, she is not responsible for the Fallen's evil ways."-
Kate sighed in relief. -"Also..."- she turned back at Yenziel. -"When you said that you were "On Time" this time, you meant in saving...a seed?"- Yenziel leaned on the pillar next to the throne.
-"It's rather embarrassing really, how can a God like me fail so miserably for countless millennia?"-
-"Yes, makes me wonder if you were the right one for the job, Yenziel."- Elohim didn't face him and Yenziel lowered his head in shame.
-"So, what now?"- Kate asked stepping forward slowly. -"You can't expect me to just suddenly fight this powerful Fallen King and come out victorious just because I am a descendant of someone who failed at it."-
Yenziel's eyes bolted toward Kate as she spoke. Kate was getting angry and confused and she had so many questions.
-"Why did you have to send Hope instead of just doing it yourself? You are an All-Powerful being and yet you let a mortal handle your dirty work?"- Kate raged.

-"That's enough disrespect!"- Yenziel shouted at Kate.
-"My life is on the line because of Him!"- Kate yelled at Yenziel.
-"Enough!!"- Elohim's voice roared throughout the throne room. It could have even reached the galaxies millions of light years away.
Kate stood her ground and at that moment she felt part of her spirit exit her body in a blue fog in the form of a beautiful woman. The woman kneeled next to Kate as a sign of respect to Elohim. Kate stared at her and somehow, she knew who the woman was.
-"Hope..."- Kate whispered raising her arm to touch her. Then, Kate heard her speak.
-"My Holy Father, God of Gods, Elohim, I devout myself to You. I will not ask why, I will simply do as you command and I will obey. For my faith, trust and life are entirely in your hands. If sacrifice is what you need, so be it."-

The room became quiet as Kate thought about Hope's oath to Elohim. She simply obeyed, without a second thought. What was it like to have so much faith? Especially on someone who doesn't answer your prayers, to begin with.
Kate's knees start to bend into the knighting position.
-"If the world is filled with so much evil that even God has called to me to help vanquish it...it has to be for a reason. Don't do it for God or yourself. Do it for your family and friends, for freedom, for peace..."-

Kate kneeled beside the figure of Hope, ready to do whatever Elohim called for her to do.
-"You will know what to do from now on, Katerina."- Elohim said, almost in a whisper.
At that moment, Katerina's body began levitating and glowing.

-"No more death...no more destruction. I will end this cycle of death Bassilisk has created. I swear it..."- Kate pledged.