NEPHALEM : DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN AND HELL

SIX

Khaos helped Anakia and Laila up from the floor as both women nursed either their heads or waist.

Florence was still staring at the child like she was an abomination.

Laila moved past her and gathered the child into her arms.

"We need to do something" Florence said, physically quivering.

"Is it that bad?" Anakia asked, genuinely concerned for the child.

Florence whirled round and stood in her face.

"She is the fusion of an angel,a cambion and a human,of course it's that bad Anakia,it's really that bad!"

Anakia recoiled,glancing briefly at Khaos who held his head in his hands, frustrated with how the day had turned out.

"We're doing nothing to her" Laila primed,softly cooing to the girl.

"Oh yes we are. You don't know what she is" Florence argued and Khaos yelled at her.

"So tell us!"

"Don't just rave like a mad woman about how dangerous she is. Tell us exactly how dangerous she is. Its already a terrible day Florence. I don't need..." He stopped to gesture grandly around the room,taking in the disarray of it all.

"...all of this"

"She's an arch nephalem" Florence snapped right back and Anakia sighed.

"You've said that"

"Listen,there have been centuries of prophecy about her kind but none of them have survived their births. Drak gave her what she needed to live. If she'd been born in heaven,she would have had an angellic birth and a chance to be a good one but Drak gave her all his darkness"

"So she's bad from birth?" Laila asked.

"It can still choose to join either side. If it sides with heaven,then it's declared an enemy of hell but if it's on our side,then angels will try to hunt it down and kill it"

"Can't her powers stop them?" Khaos was curious and disturbed at the same time.

He certainly didn't sign up for this.

"Her powers will surpass that of an arch angel. Being born of a highly regarded angel, she'll be able to access her full angellic powers same as her dark powers. That's why she's a threat"

"To who?" Khaos yelled.

"To us!" Florence yelled back.

"What makes you think she'll choose hell when she can side with heaven and take her mother's place? Huh?
She's a nephalem,they can't be trusted."

Khaos advanced menacingly towards her and wagged a finger in her face.

"She's my daughter and you'll stay the fuck away from this family with your crazy prophecies and beliefs"

"Fine!"

"Just don't come back to me when her personality disorders start"

Florence made to leave when Khaos grabbed her arm,jerking her back.

"What personality disorders?"

"Not all nephalems have those" a new voice pierced the room and they all turned to look.

"Karrone!" Khaos gasped,his heart thudding with a dull familiar pain.

"She's full of grace,she's just a child" she continued.

"Exactly why we can curb her now" Florence persisted and Karrone turned to her,her face impassive.

"And how do you suggest we curb her?"

"We remove her heart"

                        *     *     *    *

Khaos couldn't keep his eyes of Karrone who was kneeling by Drak's belongings,missing him greatly.

"Did he?" She suddenly asked and Khaos quirked his brow,wondering what she was talking about.

"Did he ever go to the world between for humans?"

"He isn't me Karrone" Khaos snapped,hurt by her words.

"I didn't say that" she defended and he scoffed.

"Khaos the human lover can't possibly raise a fairly responsible young cam"

"I did not say that!" Karrone raised her voice and Khaos yelled at her

"It wasn't my fault!"

Silence fell for a moment and she turned away to hide her tears.

"For years I lived among these same ones you used to prefer and I must say,I see what you see in them."

"You're not going to come here,Karrone and judge me for my past mistakes"

She sighed and kept looking through Drak's belongings.

"I forgave myself" He lied and Karrone stopped.

"What about me?" Her voice was full of tears and Khaos unable to take all of this,stalked out of the room.

He walked in frustrated strides to the rocky valley not far from home; Inka's favorite spot.

There,he let go and cried out his heart.

Hating himself for not protecting Inka like he'd promised, regretting the impulse that made him give Drak the assurance that she'd have a safe birth.

Karrone's presence was killing him as well. He'd hoped she'd forgiven him all these years but the pain in her voice had proven him wrong.

She'd stayed years with the species he'd glorified over her. It was like living with one's partner's mistress under thesame roof. His heart ached with some much emotions and he cried aloud for hours.

His whole being was racked with guilt,regret and deep hatred for heaven.

They were supposed to be the good guys but they rejected imperfection just as soon as it appeared.

His Drak would still be alive if Inka hadn't been banished and she would her baby in heaven under good care and superior power.

Enraged by the mere thought of the unfairness,Drak started back to the house.

In there,he observed the sisters asleep in the other cot so he grabbed the new child and took her in his arms.

With one last look at the women and not sure if he'd make it back,he left.

                     *    *    *   *
On his journey to heaven,Khaos thought about the huge arguement he and Florence had had when she made that terrible suggestion.

The other women had been appalled by it.

"If her heart is ripped out,she won't die until the heart is destroyed. Her body in it's true visage is made of ether, she'll survive"

"ETHER!?" Karrone had gasped,her utmost surprise evident on her face.

Ether...the same pure element that flows throughout existence

"Yes" Florence confirmed.

"She can control that"

"Removing her heart will decrease her grace and cause her three components to fight against each other,the only way she can survive that is through drinking the blood of other powerful demons,angels or humans with a lot of spirituality but she's a baby and can't have access to that so if we remove her heart,her grace will reduce and we'll be able to destroy her heart, successfully killing this thing"
Florence had campaigned and at that point,Laila had done something Khaos appreciated her for.

She walked right up to Florence,grabbed her by the scruff of her dress and dragged her out of the house with Anakia protesting about the wrong treatment of an elder.

His thoughts were cut short as he neared Oblivion. Thesame place Drak had met and fallen in love with Inka.

He got right in the middle and stared up at heaven.

With utmost determination and resolve,he flapped this wings and began his ascension to heaven.