Chapter 1
"We are the Keepers of Secrets, withes born into power by our ancestors who were once Gods. We have protected mankind for centuries from Evil."
I stared up at my great uncle, Thomas, or Uncle Tom for short as if he was crazy. We were having a normal family talk until Uncle Tom started talking crazy. "Are you okay...Mentally? Uncle?"
Uncle Tom beamed kindly at me, from a distance it would have been perceived as a friendly gesture. But if it wasn't for the fact that while we are casually talking, I wouldn't have such an eerie feelings. It didn't make me comforted. It gave me the creeps... It felt wrong to be smiling and laughing back.
He cleared his throat awkwardly before proceeding with, "Everyone has been holding secrets from you, your entire life. With your parents--gone--Now is a better time than ever."
I slowly nodded my head unsure of what he meant. "What do you mean by 'We are the keepers of Secrets'? Is this some kind of prank?" I asked, still trying to keep any hint of fear or anger out of my voice.
It had to have been a joke of his. Uncle Tom has also been more of a serious strict type of person, so it was odd for him to make a joke. Maybe he discovered what humor was while I was away at college.
My uncle sighed heavily before answering. His eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke, "No, child. This isn't a joke. Our ancestors and to now meet regularly to discuss certain topics and issues. One such topic involves protecting something dubbed 'A liber destinarant exitium et otium vitale quoddam affert ponds or Voluptatis' which you might know more commonly referred to as the Grimoire of Eden."
A chill ran through me at the mention of the name. I'd heard the last part whispered around town occasionally when people presumed I couldn't hear them. Everyone seemed scared to talk openly about it in front of me. This is why, I would eavesdrop but it wasn't like I could understand when they started pronouncing words in a different language.
Now that I'm really thinking about, I remember seeing it once myself: hidden away deep within one of the bookshelves in my cousin's bedroom. The reason I can remember this so specifically was that it was the only one on the empty bookshelf. I had thought it to be weird, even for my odd cousins, which is why I took immediate notice of the book.
"You're telling me my family spends time protecting a book that is probably collecting dust as we speak?" I said slowly, feeling slightly numb inside.
"Yes, dear, I'm afraid so and it doesn't collect dust! Its contents remain unknown to most, it somehow exists today. Our job is simply to protect it until the right person can take possession of it. Then it will pass onto them permanently."
I took a few breaths, trying hard to get my mind working properly. There was no way I believed everything my uncle was saying. He must be delusional, but even so, I was more curious about what he was talking about.
"So--how come everyone knows about it?" I asked nervously playing along for the time being.
Uncle Thomas shrugged. "That's another part of the story. When your grandfather passed away suddenly, he left instructions for us regarding the Grimoire. But he didn't leave any information behind on where exactly it should go next. We decided to hide and protect it here in case anyone in the family showed interest or worst of all some evil being attempts to get there hands on the book.
Your grandfather, my father, was a powerful and well respected witch. The greatest seen in the last century.
Once he passed away, many sought out the Grimoire. Hence, why may know of it existence. It is in effort to be aware and to help protect it. And over the years we've kept watch over it carefully."
"....And you think I am supposed to become the new Keeper of this Grimoire of Eden?" I inquired, dreading the answer to the delusional he had made up.
"Well, yes. If you wish to continue living, that is."
"What do you mean?! 'If I wish to continue living, that is'?" I shouted angrily, beginning to lose my insanity. Is he planning my death?! "I don't want anything to do with this! It is absurd! You are acting crazy!"
"But you are a witch. A true descendant of the bloodline and the Gods. Don't you realize the responsibility you have?"
"I am not a witch or whatever! Responsibility? I have responsibilities at home and school. I have friends. I have a life. Why would I need to deal with some made-up delusional of yours? You seriously don't think I'm going to use this 'Grimorie of Eden' to cast spells?!"
"Magic spells?" Uncle Thomas raised an eyebrow at what I had to say. "Do you believe that nonsense?"
I blinked. He is insane.
Uncle Thomas frowned. "All right, let's start simple. Those who possess the blood of witches all possess a unique ability to them. Spells and incantations are only possible with a Grimoire."
"What the hell? Do I have wings or horns or claws or what!?" I sarcastically responded, snapping a bit at him. I am pissed and couldn't contain it.
"No, you do not. We call these abilities by different names; however, they all serve the same purpose. You may refer to my power as telekinesis. Or your Aunt is pyrokinesis."
"Why do I even listen to you?" I muttered under my breath. I knew I shouldn't have come back here to live with my uncle.
Why did parents have to die? Now I've gotten myself stuck with a literal lunatic.
My uncle ignored me, though. Instead, he continued speaking in earnest and with clear passion. "In short, each of our abilities works differently depending upon the nature of the object we manipulate. Some examples include electricity, gravity, magnetism, and light. These are just a few.
In addition to manipulating physical objects, some witches can also affect others mentally.
For instance, someone using telepathy can send thoughts directly into a target's head without having to speak aloud. This is done through the use of words, pictures, or emotions.
On top of those basic skills, many more advanced techniques exist. You see, each individual possesses certain traits based on their heritage.
"All humans carry a small amount of mana within themselves. Mana is invisible energy that flows throughout every cell in our bodies. To put it bluntly, witches cannot live unless we feed off it.
Now, when two people meet and interact, they create a bond between them. They share mana between together and eventually absorb it from one another. Sometimes, this process takes place unconsciously, but sometimes it requires conscious effort to happen.
One must be aware of this process before attempting to tap into it. Now, while this might seem harmless enough, there is much danger involved. Too much sharing of mana between individuals can cause severe damage to both parties. Even though we witches feed off mana, we all have a unique limit on how much mana our bodies can contain. Too much can cause death
To prevent this, we developed ways to contain this dangerous force. The most common method is to store it in items called Grimoires. These magical artifacts were created during the times of the Crusades.
Containing the destructive forces of mana in these grimoires allowed us to wield greater amounts of power to vastly enhance our abilities as witches. It can hold secrets of how to harness the various forms of mana that exist around us. It provides detailed explanations of how to perform rituals to summon entities such as demons, angels, or gods."
I didn't understand what he was talking about. The only thing I could understand was him going on about how mystical beings are real. "Wait there are demons, angels, and gods!!!" I exclaimed, shocked that he has added to his delusions.
Uncle Thomas nodded solemnly. "Yes, Sam there are real creatures out there. Just because something doesn't appear physically does not make it any less real. Monsters are roaming the Earth that has existed for centuries. While many of us fear them, we should respect them too. Because if we did not, then everything we know could suddenly become meaningless."
I shook my head and roughly scoffed, "So what? Do you fight them or something, Uncle?"
"We try to avoid conflict whenever possible. But sometimes, some battles need to be fought. That being said, there is no shame in running away from battle. A coward never wins against a brave warrior. Besides, fighting isn't always the answer. Sometimes, there is nothing else left to do except to accept defeat. If you ever find yourself in that situation..."
He paused to look at me seriously. His dark eyes locked onto mine. "You will have to face the consequences. No matter how painful it may be."
I gulped hard. My throat felt dry. "Is... Is that supposed to scare me?"
He smiled softly. "Not exactly. Your aunt told me you would get scared easily. She didn't tell me you'd react like this. Are you alright?"
"Yeah," I replied after taking a deep breath in. What is wrong with my uncle? "I'm fine, Uncle. But you aren't."
He immediately raised his eyebrow, looking at me suspiciously. I could tell, he knew I didn't believe his nonsense. I shivered back into my chair avoiding eye contact with him. I knew better than to not say anything further, when he was going through his delusions and I don't obviously believe it.
I could hear him sigh deeply, before saying, "Samantha, I know you don't believe me. I can prove to you that magic does exist." He murmured softly.
"Sam, magic exists whether you believe it or not. I prove to you that magic exist."
Proves to me? What the hell! He's crazy!!!
I stood up angrily. How dare he think he knows better than anyone?! He has lost touch with reality completely! And why am I still living here anyway!?
Before I went anywhere, however, he stood up placing a hand gently on my shoulder. "Please don't go. I'll show you my magic."
My whole body froze again. This man is so weird today! As soon as his grip released its hold, my heart started racing wildly once more. "What? You want to see your 'magic' now?"
"Yes, my magic!" It was then that objects around us floated upwards the ceiling. It would be impossible. There was no way this was possible! It is not happening! What the hell!
His smile widened slightly. Then he turned toward the window again after putting away the floating objects. After a momentary pause, he spoke quietly. "For now, we will focus on your studies. We still have a lot to cover before you are able to take The book of Eden. Like you discover your ability and how to manipulate mana."
A chill ran down my spine. Was he going to start lecturing me? Did Uncle think I needed all this information! Moments ago, I think he was being delusional!
With an annoyed sigh, he looked back over at me. "What's wrong?"
My lips pressed tightly together. I hated this. I wanted to say more but nothing. I couldn't speak.
Aunt Tabitha walked up behind him carrying a tray full of tea. With her large frame blocking the sunlight streaming through the windows, she cast shadows across the walls. Her curly red hair framed her beautiful features perfectly. Although she was only ten years younger than my uncle, she gave off the impression of someone much wiser than him.
In fact, despite their age difference, I often found myself looking up to her. Both intellectually and emotionally.
She placed the teacups on the table beside the bed. Without saying anything, she took a seat near the footboard and poured herself some hot water from the kettle.
As soon as she sat down, I could feel the tension between them begin to fade. This usually happened when they started getting into one another's heads. They both had a knack for reading each other's thoughts.
After filling two cups with steaming hot black liquid, she handed one to my uncle while keeping the other for herself. Then she raised her cup high above her head and said gracefully, "May God watch over you and guide you, Sam."
"And may he protect us from evil," added my uncle.
We all touched our glasses before drinking.
Here we go....
