Chapter One: The Event Horizon

Chris

      ‘The infection rates of the new strain of swine flu in Venezuela continue to grow, our correspondents there report. All roads to and from Caracas and Maracay have been closed in the hope of limiting contact with contaminated persons as much as possible. The lab technicians are not finished with their work yet. Stay tuned…’
       The man's voice faded, interrupted by static. It lasted only a few seconds, because Xander immediately began searching for another station, turning the knob on the old-fashioned radio, muttering something in German under his breath. I tore my eyes from Rose's pale face, lost in a restless sleep, undoubtedly filled with nightmares, and turned them to my best friend. His face was not the embodiment of health either: the unpleasant gray tint and the pale violet circles under his eyes showed how worried and weak he really was, although he hadn't said a word about the matter since we came to Bad Reichenhall. He was tormented by thoughts of Antoinette, I could bet. We hadn't heard from anyone from the group since Astaroth's release.
      There was something else, too - none of us had hunted since. For old vampires like Alexsander, that might not pose much of a problem, but I was also extremely weak. The scent of vampires in the house often made the edges of my vision turn red, a sure sign that I needed to get my blood as soon as possible.
        ‘...and according to the Disaster Management Agency, it's not going to stop anytime soon,’ said another gloomy voice, this time female, as Xander finally found a working station. ‘Sea levels will continue to rise, and people in coastal cities have been advised to evacuate immediately. So far, similar actions have been initiated in southern Spain, some cities on the island of Sicily, as well as along the coasts of Greece, Turkey, and Libya. Cyprus is expected to be…’
        The signal broke again. This made one of Xander's eyes twitch before he slammed his huge fist down on the table and growled like a wild animal. Rosie jumped slightly in her sleep, but did not open her eyes, unlike Leo, who raised himself slightly on one elbow to look at us sleepily before rolling back into his covers, wrapped tightly as if in a cocoon. Alexsander, who was standing by the window, didn’t even look away; he was probably so lost in thought that not even a nuclear explosion could shake him.
       ‘Why are you even trying?’ I asked Xander, standing up to go closer to him. I leaned against the table, my gaze darting between his face and his hands. "Why don't you just stop? This thing isn't going to help us, it's only making you nervous..."
       ‘Chris, please shut up!’ he growled again, a little more restrained this time. His bleary eyes scanned my face for just a moment before returning to the radio. "This thing is our only connection to the world right now. We need to... We need to be on the lookout for any information, and it's not particularly plentiful right now, as you can hear."
       His words were interrupted by the newly discovered station, from which a man's voice came in. Xander motioned for me to be quiet and turned up the volume because the connection was not very good. 
      ‘…not certain. Electrical storms, hail, and flooding continue today across most of Louisiana. The government is urging residents to stay home, at least until things quiet down…’
      The signal breakdown this time wasn't caused by poor reception, but by the house's power going out. The radio went silent abruptly, making Xander's hand tremble. For a moment, I thought he was going to go completely crazy, looking at his pursed lips in the dim light, but the boy just balled his hands into fists and exhaled slowly. Our eyes met for the last time, and neither of us said anything. No words were needed; everything was written on our faces.
        ‘It is happening all over the world at the same time…’ Alexsander suddenly called from the window. ‘I really do not think staying at home will help people.’
       I looked at him: his eyes were still looking up at the sky. He was so focused, as if he were searching for something. Curious about what could be going on outside, I went over to him and also peered into the darkness.
Nothing much had changed since the last time we had been there, which was nearly four days ago. Just as it was then, the sky was blacker than black; there were no stars, no moon, and no sun. Just endless blackness wherever one looked. And it was like that now, and yet the King kept staring up more and more insistently. Yes, the sky was still dark, but in the distance, just over the horizon, you could see a thin, pale strip of orange light. This could only be due to one of two things: either there was a huge forest fire not far from us, which was unlikely, because we would all have smelled the smoke, or…
        ‘The sky is getting lighter in the West,’ I said in a hoarse whisper, and lightly brought my palm to the glass.
      ‘Nibiru is leaving the solar system,’ Alexsander announced, his eyebrows furrowing. He was thinking again. Not that he’d been doing anything else since we got here, but none of us would have thought to scold him for it. The group needed some kind of plan of action, and if the ancient vampire could come up with one, we had no particular desire to stop him. ‘There was a prophecy many centuries ago that the sunrise coming from the West would be the last one this world saw. I did not understand what "sunrise from the West" meant then exactly, but I do now.’
       ‘We need a plan!’ Leo suddenly called out, as if he had read my thoughts. I thought he was asleep, but when I turned to him, I saw that he had risen to a sitting position and was following the conversation. ‘Let's try to make contact with the others, find out where they are and what the situation is with them... Let's get together!’
       ‘I fear that the situation with them is just as gloomy and unclear,’ Alexsander replied and stepped back from the window, heading slowly towards the other side of the room. Looking around, as if by chance, he turned to me suddenly. ‘Don't you think so, Chris?’
     ‘What are you talking about?’ Xander asked, but the look the King had given me clearly answered his question. I also knew perfectly well what he was hinting at with that, but I didn't answer right away, maybe because I didn't know either.
       Alexsander was referencing the night we escaped from the Academy. The moments I thought would be my last ones on Earth turned out to be my last in the castle. The next thing I knew, we found ourselves in Xander’s mansion, trembling and frozen with fear. We had teleported, but I could bet none of us had taken teleporter prior to that happening. And the reason we ended up here was that the mansion flashed through my mind just before the darkness of Astaroth’s prison swallowed us. Not on purpose, of course, the brain just does strange things under pressure.
      On the second day after our arrival, I tried to teleport several times again, succeeding only once - from the room I’d occupied earlier in the year for my meditations with Xander to the family crypt in the basement. But I definitely didn’t make it to Cortland, as I’d hoped. Maybe the distance was too great for me to cover, or maybe I only had one chance at a longer distance, and it would never work again.
      ‘Has this ever happened before?’ I finally asked out loud, asking the question mostly to myself. ‘Someone teleporting without any aids?’
      ‘The potion itself is a relatively new invention, the work of witches and alchemists,’ Alexsander replied, folding his arms over his chest. ‘The first teleportation in with it was performed about a thousand years ago; before that, it was believed that the ability to be in many places at once belonged only to God, although the exact definition of teleportation is not exactly that.’
      ‘And Death,’ Leo added from the sofa, drawing attention to himself for a moment. The fire that crackled in the hearth cast strange bright spots on his sad face and made the shadows on it play their enchanting dance. ‘Death and God are the only ones who can be everywhere at the same time, in the full sense of the word. At least that's what Enyus told me. It turns out that he also had a similar ability, but it was suppressed by Vavylus after Enyus told the witches about it. Maybe that's what prompted them to invent the teleporter later?
       ‘Who are they?’ Xander asked.
      ‘Enyus is the Archangel of Fate... Generally speaking, he intervenes indirectly when there is a possibility that someone will deviate from the path that was planned for them. These people seldom end well. The bad thing about Ennius is that humans can choose whether or not to listen to the things he whispers to them. The whole divine drama of free will…’
       ‘And Vavylus?’
      Here, Leo and I exchanged a glance, from which it became clear to both of us that the same memories were running through our heads. That tragic deed in the Heavenly Host a few months ago would haunt me until my last breath, and maybe even beyond. Leo's sentence - the nightmarish Purification, as the angels called it - the battle that broke out between us, Gabi's screams... Everything began to come alive before my eyes, not to mention that most of my nightmares were also filled with scenes from that time. Lately, I've accumulated a lot of material for such things; hopefully, I will someday get used to it.
      ‘Vavilus is the Archangel of Chaos.’ Leo's voice seemed to be trying to disappear, so the boy cleared his throat before continuing. ‘No one is aware of his purpose. I've asked many angels, but I was always told that it was not my place to ask questions. Maybe that's why they took my wings so easily... Because I was inconvenient for them…’
     The silence after Leo's last sentence didn't last long, because Xander was clearly determined to absorb whatever information we could give him. And it was just about to pour out from us.
        ‘Why would Vavylus suppress Enyus' abilities? That doesn't seem right to me.’
      ‘Many of the things that go on in the Heavenly Host are not right, but that was the order. God explicitly ordered the Three to monitor everyone else’s compliance, with one single rule being put above the rest - that angels and archangels should not interfere directly in the affairs of mortals. Never and under any circumstances.’
        ‘So that's why Vavylus did what he did... Because Enyus made contact with the witches!’ Xander's lightbulb came on.
        ‘Exactly,’ Leo nodded.
        ‘And who are the Three?’ another question from the other boy.
      ‘I think that is obvious,’ by the tone of Alexsander’s voice, who had returned to the window, I could tell that he was rolling his eyes in annoyance. ‘Everything in the Heavenly Host is a hierarchy. At the bottom are the angels. They have the seven Archangels, whom we already know almost personally, after the incessant stories from Chris and Leo. But above them there is another layer… Well, two, if we count God himself. Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel.’
      ‘Gabriel is one of the Three? Death?!’ I exclaimed in surprise, and it took me a few seconds to realize that, after all, it made a lot of sense that the Archangel of Death was one of the main ones. ‘How do you know all this?’ I asked in turn, slightly turning my gaze to him.
       ‘Have a little critical thought in your head, boy,' Alexsander scolded me, his tone barely hinting at insult. ‘Besides being older than the Bible that describes these people, they also helped the witches build Astaroth's prison. I was there for that, needless to mention.’
        ‘To... build it?’ I frowned.
      ‘Do you think the prison was just a hole into which Astaroth was pushed?’ Alexsander turned his head slightly, and I managed to see his raised eyebrow. This question made me feel so stupid that I blushed and looked down.
        ‘Well, no…’
      ‘It had some of the most powerful spells and magical barriers ever made around it. The only protection in the world stronger than the one around Astaroth is yours. Before Mark messed everything up, there might have been some basis for comparison, but I'm sure your shield would have won even then.’
        ‘Why do you think so?’
      ‘Because now it is here, still intact and impenetrable. And where is the barrier that was intended to protect us all from the greatest evil?’
      None of us answered; we all silently lowered our eyes to the floor, pondering Alexsander's words. For me, they were crystal clear - I had to help deal with Astaroth. But what could I do against such an ancient and powerful being? Hell, it had once taken seven witches and even archangels to manage to chain him, and now all this burden fell on me - a seventeen-year-old kid. My shield, my great impenetrable shield that left me to die like an animal last year, would save us. How? I didn't even know what exactly I could do with it, except protect (somewhat) or attack (at its own volition). Chris from the future never found the time to explain to me exactly how I could make my barrier shoot sparks as he did against Xander. Just the memory of the red light from the shield, the electricity that could be felt in the air, how with just a single beam he managed to neutralize Xander for a considerable period of time, made the hairs on my arms stand on end.
       ‘We must return to the Academy.’
       Alexsander's words reached me through the fog of memories that hovered in my mind and brought me abruptly back to reality. The look I gave him was clearly reflected on the others’ faces. High eyebrows raised, furrowed foreheads, and half-open mouths.
     ‘You want us to go... To Astaroth?’ Xander uncertainly examined the King's face, as if trying to see at least a shred of sanity left somewhere in him. ‘To surrender?’
     ‘Don't be stupid, Xander, please!’ the other one snapped, turning to us sharply. There was a flame in his wine-colored eyes that made me both fear and admire him. Alexsander could be many, many things, but he was still the oldest and most powerful vampire on Earth. If we were to be led by someone, he would be the perfect candidate. ‘Stop thinking that my only goal is to lead you all to your death. This is the moment when Astaroth is at his weakest. Figuratively speaking. We have a few more hours before Nibiru leaves the solar system for good. By the time that happens, Astaroth will be almost powerless; we must take advantage. If we don't succeed now, our next chance won't be until twelve thousand years from now, and I do not believe it likely that any of us will survive until then."
     ‘What do you mean, powerless?’ Leo asked, slightly raising his hand in a questioning gesture. ‘Didn't you hear what's going on in the world, all these anomalies... Do you think they're random?’
      ‘I think I know much better than you what all this is due to, Leo.’ The King did not remain indebted to him and leaned his back against the glass. ‘It's not Astaroth himself who causes this, but his presence in this world. As I hope you know, there is magic all around us; it's even older than me. It was left over after the Creation, a kind of charge from God, witches once drew their strength from it.’
       The sudden burst of white light that came in through the window blinded me for a moment, and I had to close my eyes. The ensuing rumble interrupted Alexsander's words, but he simply waited for the thunder to pass before continuing to speak, and the large drops of rain that drummed on the glass behind him seemed to be chiming in with his voice.
     ‘A large part of this energy was used when the prison for Astaroth was built. The magic back then was completely different from the one we know today. It was divine, primordial. After the imprisonment of Astaroth, the rest of the magic was subjected to changes and evolutions that have been happening to this day. But modern magic has been separated from the primordial one for twelve millennia; it does not know Astaroth’s energy, because it has never been in contact with it. The mixing of the two leads to the things that are happening everywhere in the world - imbalance anomalies caused by the difference in energies.’
        ‘What would happen if no action was taken?’ Leo asked perhaps the most logical question of the evening.
       Alexsander's gaze swept across the floor once again, but this time, I could see concern in his eyes. He looked tired and somehow... confused. There was no way this wasn't getting to him. I tried to put myself in his shoes, to imagine at least what might be going through his head, but I couldn't. I don't think anyone could.
      ‘I do not know,’ the man finally admitted. ‘Nothing like this has ever happened before in this world. Over time, this imbalance may get out of control, and things will continue to get worse until eventually our entire galaxy gets torn apart and destroyed. It is also possible that everything might simply calm down when Astaroth regains his strength in full, but that should not be a comfort to anyone. The calm will be like before a storm.’
      ‘And this one is shaping up to be a really big one,’ Xander nodded thoughtfully. ‘Is there any way to defeat Astaroth once and for all? Not just imprison him?’
       ‘You need to understand something now, before you rush into a fight you cannot win. Astaroth is immortal. Understand that word however you want, but it defines him most accurately. He is indestructible for the simple reason that he does not know Death, he was created before Gabriel, and that gives him immunity to his powers. He cannot die, in any way, by anyone’s hand. Well, except perhaps by God’s hand, but I wish you luck in convincing Him to come and stop all of this. So, no, Xander - we cannot kill him. Our only hope is to imprison him again.’
      ‘But how?’ I frowned and looked at Alexsander. ‘There really are no witches anymore, Mark was the last of his kind. Is there any other way to build a prison strong enough to hold Astaroth?’
       ‘Not like the one from twelve thousand years ago. But your shield could be a much better prison.’
       ‘What?’ Xander and Leo asked in unison.
      ‘Chris, you have detached the shield from your body before, have you not?’ the King asked and approached me. ‘Are you able to make it protect another person or object?’
      ‘Yeah, I suppose,’ I answered uncertainly and frowned. ‘What exactly do you want me to do?’
     ‘The plan is this - we return to the Academy today. Astaroth should be weak right up until the first Sun rays appear from behind Nibiru, but there are at least a few hours until then. It is at this weakest moment that you, Chris, must detach the shield from yourself and... wrap Astaroth in it. The sad fact is that you will never be able to use it again after that, but I believe this is a small price to pay, considering what we want to achieve.’

      Silence once again enveloped us. We all clearly realized that Alexsander wasn’t joking - this was really the best he could give us. He expected us all to return to that thing, that monster, and then give up our only defense to try to imprison it.
I would never be able to use my shield again if everything went according to plan. On the other hand, the same thing would happen if nothing went according to plan - Astaroth would kill me, Rose, Leo, and Xander, then do whatever he wanted with the King, since he couldn’t die either… But if the plan worked, I would hardly need my shield for anything bigger and more important than this. I would give it up if what I would get in return was a certain victory. I tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling my gift stirred deep within me at the thought.
      If Astaroth killed us, the same fate would surely await the whole world. But if we just stood here, lost in thoughts and unfulfilled plans, we would all die anyway, so why not go out as heroes? But on the other hand, if Astaroth did decide to kill us, and then everyone else after that, there would be no one to remember us as heroes, so…
     ‘I’m in,’ I said finally, after nearly a minute of everyone staring patiently at me; once again, they were expecting me to make the final decision. I looked at them: there was so much fear and determination in their eyes. ‘How are we going to get back to the Academy? We barely have enough teleporter here.’
     ‘What kind of question is that?’ Alexsander asked and smiled, revealing his pearly teeth. ‘You will take us there, of course.’