The Guardian's Protector: The Chamber of Souls (36 page)

Then, after feeling a strong, tingling sensation, a pearlescent soul inside its Omni-pod stretched its neck and loomed up at her. As she met the soul’s stunning, grey eyes, she slid into an S-shape, as though she had fell to her knees in shock. It was like looking in some bizarre mirror: they were her eyes!

‘That’s me!’ Amy yelled. If she had tear ducts she would’ve cried. Nevaeh lifted her wings to the top of her Omni-pod and, as she pressed them against the clear caisson, she smiled up at Amy.

In this moment—looking at herself, what she was before—she felt surreal. She remembered getting into that pod. She knew that part of her stayed in that pod, watching the life she was leading, remembering, while this part of her Voided into her mother’s womb and forgot. She knew as soon as she died that she’d be all Amy had been and Nevaeh in one but, looking at herself in this moment, she felt Nevaeh was wiser than her. She knew more. Remembered more. Amy couldn’t help but long for the same.

Amy peered up at the Decision Maker. ‘Will I forget who I am again?’

‘You will remember…but it will be like a distant memory.’ He slid down beside her and smiled down at Nevaeh. ‘You won’t remember every detail of your accomplishments in this place…because, while you are living the life you’re living, it would get too confusing.’

‘Of course,’ Amy said, feeling silly that she forgot.

Looking at the Omni-Pods this close, at all the billions of souls ready to ascend, it made her more determined to protect them. She had nurtured each one of them up to the day they were ready to start living however many lives it would take for them to reach this level Awake and wise. As though she were their mother, she felt proud of each of their achievements.

‘You’ll remember that you weren’t scared of the original decision you made. You will also remember the Dogod in true form, and everything he threatened, and hence why you agreed. And, of course, why we had to include Tom.’

Amy looked back at herself to see if she could imprint the image and memory further into her mind. As Nevaeh looked back proudly, Amy remembered wholeheartedly agreeing to the mission. Although she didn’t know back then how hard it was to live in body, she remembered how eager she was to be Tom’s mother. She even remembered agreeing to the Interference Squad being involved and knew it was all for the highest good.

Remember your power.
Nevaeh’s voice echoed inside Amy’s head as she smiled at her, and Amy felt a sad sense of separation. She knew she would eventually join back with Nevaeh and make her an expanded, more experienced being. She knew the life she’d lived, just like every experience she had, made her higher soul change its outlook, perspective and mind-set, but she missed being who she was before.

‘Just remember she loves you,’ he said. ‘And she’s behind you all the way.’

Amy smiled. She knew that Nevaeh realised, having watched Amy all along, how hard it was. She understood. She knew each step of her growth, including all her tantrums and stubbornness, that without a doubt Nevaeh loved her and, from this vantage point, knowing and understanding all that she used to be, she loved Nevaeh too.

Amy stretched down and placed her wing to the Omni-pod.
Keep being patient with me
, she thought.

Nevaeh nodded, her wings glowing pink to show her compassion. As the love transferred, Amy knew this fully awakened, peaceful, good, noble soul would never hurt Tom or want Tom to be hurt like she thought. This soul was kind, forgiving, and full of self-control, tolerance and dignity. This soul was to be admired and loved. Amy seemed to absorb the knowledge into her mind.

Amy loved her true self like she loved every compassionate and beautiful soul in Omnipion. She knew the Test and the innocent souls taking it would shortly be destroyed if the Dogod had his way. She knew if he gained that last power, he would be able to burn his way through billions of souls, escaping the lower levels of the Chamber. All the innocent souls who were trapped in this outer crust, unable to protect themselves. When she was last here she had agreed to do everything in her power to stop that from happening. She vowed she would do anything to help—including teaching Tom to fight.

Everything is so clear while I’m here, but I still don’t want Tom to be hurt. He didn’t ask for this. Instinctively I must have known.
Amy thought for the benefit of Nevaeh even though she was speaking to the Decision Maker.

That is perfectly natural,
he responded, his thoughts clear in her own mind.
But remember, you love everyone, and it’s them you are saving. You have pure love for all souls and I understand you are scared he may get hurt, but without his power or without stopping the Dogod some other way, they definitely will be hurt—as will all of us.

I want to help save Omnipion. I’m just too afraid for Tom’s involvement. I know now that won’t change.

Fear is perceived defeat and you know how powerful thoughts are. Fear distorts vision. You need to think victoriously! You need to find a comfortable place in your mind, which will allow you to do so. You need to believe
you
can win to succeed.

Much of my higher knowledge will be lost, though, when I return to Earth
, she brought up.

That is normal too, but you now remember that if you believe in something, it will happen. You are a team. Tom can’t do this without you, but if you know you can do it yourself when you go back
…
then try. We’re behind you. We know you’ll find a way.

Thank you
, Amy said meaningfully. A healing energy ray shimmered down the dome, and many luminous souls, some close, some far away, walked up the Steps of Accession.

Amy looked back inside the Chamber and saw not far from her an Omni-pod gently opening and a mesmerised, amethystine soul rising out of it. A male soul that would remain male forever now it had passed the Test. Her heart filled with immense joy as she watched the luminous sight break free. With a beautiful smile spread across his face, a triumphant look in his aqua blue eyes, he attached to the shimmering light that ran down the dome, which gently lifted him to the bottom of the Steps of Ascension where he then began to ascend.

Amy’s eyes followed to the centre of the dome, where she knew he would attach to the speckles of light inside the Stream and travel down and be greeted by a Guardian who would congratulate and welcome him home. The Decision Maker’s wings were pink as she turned back to him and smiled.

‘Our time is up,’ he said sadly. ‘You have been here eight Earth hours already.’

Panic and a twinge of sadness struck her. She didn’t want to leave, but she bowed respectfully. ‘Thank you, Decision Maker,’ she said.

‘No, thank you, Amy,’ he said, bowing back. ‘And now, before you go, take a last look at your son.’ Amy looked down to the Omni-Pod beside Nevaeh, where Smiling proudly, Tom’s gold soul, as bright as it was, loomed up at her.

Before she could say anything else, she felt a sudden pulling sensation on her soul and a sharp wave of grief set in. She knew Omnipion and all the wonderful feelings she had were about to leave her, and she felt desperate to stay. The vision before her began to fade. She stretched her being forward to try and hold onto something tangible, but the Bright One, the Decision Maker, the dome, the phosphorescence and the deep starry backdrop slipped from her grasp.

Her soul groaned to remain where she had been. In peace. In joy. In a state of utter bliss, but her mind retracted back to the kaleidoscope of colours and she was sucked into the tunnel she knew would take her back to Earth.

We are with you always
, she heard the Decision Maker say, his voice soft and distant in her mind. Her body grew heavier and heavier and, as she passed back down through the colours, the wonderful, divine, healing music faded away.

She longed to stay, she tried to fight to get back, but her efforts were futile. Dread, angst and pain began to creep in; it was the most awful feeling to leave. The colours now seemed cruel. She could feel her old self coming back; her despair and torment. Her clouded, Earthly mind. Her old, heavy body, all of which she didn’t welcome. Abruptly and horridly, she was dropped back into the chair; her head now in Mark’s waiting hands.

Feeling like a lead weight had been attached to her, pulling her down, she slid to the floor with the heaviness and, after Mark caught her fall, she lay in his arms, unable to move.

A huge compression hit her. Like she was turning to concrete, she was paralysed with the density of her body. Feeling ten times the weight she’d ever been, she couldn’t breathe through the pressure of it. She made to tell Mark how she felt, but she was unable to even open her mouth. Her body was suffocating her.

Mark began pouring light into her but it wasn’t working. She couldn’t breathe. ‘Relax,’ he said soothingly as he laid her down on the padded floor. ‘Allow yourself to come back into your body,’ he instructed, moving his hands up and down her.

She couldn’t relax any part of her body, not with how tight it felt. It was crushing her, pressing her down. She felt like she was sinking through the floor. He cradled her head with one hand and poured more light into her body with the other. She felt like her head must have weighed two tonnes.

‘Stop fighting me. Relax…let go,’ he said. More light emanated from all over his body, and she felt lighter. ‘Your soul has been thrown back into this weighty shell you were once adjusted to. You can slowly adjust again. Come back to me, Amy…you can do it.’

Amy understood she had been weightless for a while, but she didn’t realise how heavy her body would feel when she came back. Now knowing this was a natural adjustment, Amy relaxed. It took around ten minutes of his cradling and healing for Mark’s efforts to work, but then suddenly, as if someone had risen from sitting on her chest, her body snapped back into alignment and she could breathe easily again.

Moving her arms first, then her legs, then her whole body, she realised it didn’t feel like the body belonged to her any more. Mark sat her back down on the chair and knelt in front of her.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked, his beautiful eyes giving her the only source of comfort for her soul being back here.

‘Why do I feel so strange in this body?’ she said, waggling her arms and looking at them like they were foreign.

‘You didn’t weigh anything measurable for a while! You have to let your soul readjust itself inside this twenty-one year-old body. If you were overweight at all you would probably not have survived.’

‘Why?’

‘Because the soul adjusts to each body it lives in over time. It has to be done in stages. When you are first made you are put into the tiniest cells of an embryo. That’s hard enough for a delicate soul to adjust to. It’s lucky at that stage it doesn’t have to breathe either. It then has months to grow and learn to live with all its organs before the day comes it’s born and finally breathes. You’ve had to do that in one big hit. Being put straight back into this nine stone body is a shock for such a tiny, delicate, weightless soul.’

Amy looked at him as if clear for the first time. ‘I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you,’ she admitted shamefully. Knowing how beautiful he truly was made her want to cry for how badly she had treated him in the past.

‘Please…don’t treat me different…I beg you.’ His amazing eyes carried a deep sadness, a loneliness that jolted right through her; he truly wanted her to keep seeing him as her Mark.

‘Yes, but I know how pure and divine you are, and if I’m the Protector—’

He held up his hand to cut her short. ‘Exactly! You are
divine
yourself. One of the high-ranking gifted souls. You taught
me
before my Test. And you came here to
help
us! Please,’ he said, taking her hand, his eyes begging, ‘let
me
be in awe of
you
!’

She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled affectionately at him for his human and unique quality and, after knowing just how magnificent he was, she appreciated it now more than ever.

CHAPTER 25

THE HEALING LESSONS

‘I’m so proud of you, beautiful,’ Adaizi said the next morning when she entered Amy’s room.

Amy took one look at Adaizi, and a huge lump swelled up in her throat. ‘I’m so sorry,’ Amy began, stepping towards her and entering Adaizi’s ready arms.

‘There, there,’ Adaizi said, stroking Amy’s hair. ‘It’s the things we don’t understand that make us act irrationally. You don’t need to worry about that now.’

Amy felt a stronger pang of guilt in her heart for Adaizi’s understanding. ‘Adaizi I still can’t allow Tom—’

‘I know,’ Adaizi interrupted, stroking Amy’s cheek. ‘I said it wouldn’t change you.’

‘I can’t fight
this
mind or its instincts to protect, yet I know I never go back on my word.’

‘Even though you now accept
why
Tom has to be the one to do this?’

‘Yes. But there is no way I’ll ever start seeing him
just
as the Bright One. Even if I could, I now remember he didn’t really want to, which makes me want to protect him more.’

‘With a gifted soul governing each of the twelve inner fields of Omnipion since the beginning of time, you know there was no need for Tom to rise from the core Awake, apart from being the yang to the yin. It was obvious, as bright as he was, that he rose to be the Dogod’s nemesis.’