Faru gave a slow shake of his head as I feared he would. “It makes no difference I’m afraid. Whether or not you join us, you still had your Awakening. It is not something you have any control over.”
I wiped a fresh layer of sweat from my hands and let out a long sigh. “Fine, then tell me who this us you keep referring to is.”
Faru gave a nod. “As I mentioned, when the creatures of Pandemonia first came through the Veil, they dominated. Umbra massacred, Vampires fed without consequence, Luminar took humans as pets and treated them like slaves. The list goes on. It was a dark time for humanity. Those who were Chosen did not understand what was happening to them, or why they were suddenly bestowed with these fantastic abilities. They were confused and alone, unaware that others such as themselves existed all over the world. All they knew was that they could sense these foreign creatures and they had an overwhelming urge to fight against them. So they fought…and died alone.”
The souls around us lifted into the air. Ghostly forms materialised around them. The glowing orbs lodged into the centres of what became hundreds of men and women. I could just about make out the armour they wore. The various designs and styles alluded to countless countries and time periods. They all seemed to be locked in their own personal battles. Some swung weapons at invisible enemies or defended themselves from attacks that weren’t happening. Others fired shimmering arrows at non-existent targets. They roared silent cries of victory and whimpers of defeat. They circled around, trapped in their looping conflicts. At one point, a ghostly sword swept right through my arm. I didn’t even feel a chill. As I watched the epic scene with awe, Faru continued to speak.
“However, their bravery was spoken of for decades to come. New Chosen learned of the stories and realised that those who had come before were the same as themselves. They began to seek out each other. With all of them searching, they located each other swiftly. An alliance was set up between them. United, they stood against the darker creatures of Pandemonia and prevailed.”
The figures around us for the first time acknowledged each other. As they formed a line, their uniforms shifted into black suits of armour with swirling capes that depicted a grand sword, dividing a horned skull in two.
“The scale tipped the other way. In a time known as the Purge, the Chosen hunted down and killed every single Pandemonian they could find without mercy. Entire families of peaceful Luminar were dragged into the streets and murdered. Kind Succubi and Incubi who lived good lives, and only ever took just enough life force to stay alive were chained up and starved of energy until they turned to dust. Witches and Shamans — the offspring of unions between humans and Umbra, were burned at the stake, even though they were half human and completely innocent. Even non carnivorous Fera were hunted down. If it wasn’t from Earth it was killed.”
“That’s awful,” I said, shuddering at the thought of all the mindless violence.
Faru made an agreeing sound. “It was only about two hundred years ago that the Chosen accepted that not all Pandemonians were evil. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, certain species were permitted to aid them in their quest to rid Earth of evil. This allowed for mediation in determining if a Pandemonian was malevolent or not. Over time that assistance became an alliance. As with everything, the alliance evolved and has now become the powerful organisation known as the HASEA.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It stands for the Human and Supernatural Entity Alliance. The HASEA is essentially a supernatural police force made from a mixture of Chosen and Pandemonians known as Guardians. We govern all supernatural activity and are committed to ensuring the safety of both humans and peaceful Pandemonians. Furthermore, it is the HASEA’s responsibility to protect the Veil. When the HASEA’s ancestors first took control of each segment, they hid them from view and destroyed all written records of the Veil’s existence, to keep it a secret. It was and still is guarded around the clock by Guardians.
“In the past, any new travellers into your world had to join the HASEA, or were sent back through the Veil. Nowadays the Alliance has adopted a slightly different view. Pandemonians do not have to join us; they can live their lives freely in the human world. However, there are two strict overarching rules. One: they must never intentionally reveal their true identities to a human unless that person is connected to the HASEA, and two: they must never harm a human or Chosen, except in an act of self-defence. If either of these two rules are broken, depending on the severity of the crime, the offender will be hunted down and killed, or permanently deported back to Pandemonia.”
“Seems fair.”
“It is. And of course, there are benefits to joining the Alliance. The Pandemonian receives accommodation, a job and by extension an income, as well as support for any of their…desires.” I frowned. “Desires?” “Blood for Vampires, life force energy donors for Incubi and Succubi, Imprint loans for shifters-” I put up a hand. “Okay I get the gist.” “They can even progress through the ranks.” Faru gestured towards himself. “Of which I am living proof.” “So what does the HASEA get in return?”
“More manpower for one. In addition, the benefit of Pandemonians’ unique abilities. For example, Fae are required to regularly donate blood, which is put to good use. In addition, our single most important alliance has been between ourselves and the various Covens. Witches are able to tap into the ether and receive premonitions of attacks before they happen. That way we can have a team there before anyone gets hurt.” Faru stopped speaking and stared at me with his glowing eyes. “Have you understood everything so far?” I ran over everything he told me. “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s move on to our final stop.” Faru clicked his fingers and the world around us began to change once again. The knights disappeared one by one in quick succession, like bubbles bursting. The white space around us began to fill itself in. It started with lines, which grew denser with shape and then filled with colour, coming to life as real objects. The same was true with people, who were sketched into life and then started walking around and speaking with one another.
Once the scene was finished, I saw that we were in the lobby of a vast mansion. A huge staircase with plush red carpet swept up to a gigantic painting of Faru, before splitting off to the left and right. The twin stairs led to parallel balconies with countless doors and archways. A grand chandelier hung at least 10 metres above my head. Around us, dozens of people moved in all directions like frenzied ants. Some went up the stairs, others filtered through various openings and doors. None of them were paying us the slightest bit of attention. In this reality, or whatever it was, we were invisible. “This is a HASEA base I’m guessing.” I said. “It is. In fact, it’s the very one you came to earlier and the one which your body is still in right now.” The Seelian chuckled at my expression. “Don’t worry you will be going back to it shortly.”
He gestured towards the bustling scene. “The Warren is the main headquarters for the HASEA in the London area. I’m proud to say it’s one of the most powerful in the world. It was built — as all Alliance headquarters are — around a remaining section of the Veil.”
“It’s so…nice looking,” I remarked.
“Indeed. The beauty of the HASEA in this day and age is that it receives full support from the government. We keep the planet safe, they aid with financing and support. Plus many Pandemonians have forged very successful careers in the human world. We receive regular financial donations.” He stopped talking and pointed towards the floor. My stomach clenched when I realised the marble had vanished. Instead we were hovering in mid-air. Far below us, a maze of metal tubes twisted around one another. Some led to boxed in areas deep underground. Others stretched out in countless directions as far as the eye could see. I tracked one of them back up and saw that it led to a set of elevator doors nearby.
“Below you is the Nexus,” Faru explained. “A subterranean network of elevators that travel at speeds in excess of three hundred miles per hour. It allows us to reach most areas of London in a matter of minutes.”
A few of the tubes shuddered slightly, probably caused by elevators racing through them. Staring at the web of metal tunnels, I had to admit it was pretty impressive. Although my earlier experience of riding inside one had been nausea mixed with terror rather than awe.
Faru’s voice snatched me out of my daydream. “Okay, to finish the explanation.” He straightened upright and drew in a large breath. “Everything was going well on this side. The HASEA was flourishing and we were keeping most of the supernaturals in check. The ones that fought against us, well…” he gave a slow shrug and opened out both hands. “Then it all started to go wrong.”
I placed a hand against a wall near me, my brain still struggling to accept that it was okay to be standing several hundred metres in the air. “I’m listening.”
