Chapter 3: Chapter Three: Storytime and More Secrets

Thousands of years ago, the planet Celeste was a sister planet to Earth. It was a paradise, just as Earth once was. Celestials were the protectors of Earth. Humans were in awe of them and treated them like gods. They based their religions on them. The humans welcomed them on Earth. But not all Celestials were good. Some of them craved power and glory. The king’s oldest son believed they were the superior species, and all other species should bow down to them. When the king found out about his son’s beliefs, he gave his throne to his youngest son instead, fearing his oldest would use his power to enslave the humans. The oldest son grew mad with hatred and envy. He began gathering his followers in secret, feeding them lies to gain their favor. When he had enough allies, he attacked the palace, killing his brother and father and taking the throne by force.

He ruled for several years during which he enslaved the human people. He was a cruel king who killed humans for sport. The humans grew to resent the Celestials, though fear prevented them from fighting back. During the mad king’s reign, a young Celestial who grew up as a mere farmer decided he could no longer stand the cruelty being done to the humans or his people. So, he began the Rebellion. As the mad king had done, the boy began to gather his forces in secret. But instead of attacking the palace, he brought his army to Earth as the defenders of the humans. Blinded by his greed and hatred, the king sent his forces to Earth to attack, but the humans became more confident with the Celestial defenders by their side. They stood up as one to fight back.

It was a bloodbath where both sides suffered tremendous losses. It became known as the Great War. The battle only ended when the young Celestial killed the king and declared himself the new king, immediately freeing the humans from their grasp. They signed a Peace Treaty with the humans, but the trust between the species would never be the same again. The humans no longer welcomed the Celestials as they once had. To keep the peace, the Celestials who fought on the mad king’s side were forced to return home to Celeste, while the Celestial defenders were given a hidden island where they had to remain for eternity.

Years passed and the Celestials became stories to the human people. They became legends, myths, a religion passed down from generation to generation. Only the human governments knew the truth.

A heavy silence falls after Arisen finishes his story. My mouth opens and closes as I think about what to say to that. My mind is blown. I glance at Jaime but find him frozen in his seat. My head swims with this new information. I shake my head to clear it.

“Why were you hurt?” I demand, fearing the answer.

Arisen hesitates before sighing softly. “A secret branch of the government was created many years ago, led by a scientist named Phil Crawley,” he explains. “He has been studying my people for many years, trying to figure out our genetics. Much like the mad king believed Celestials were the superior species and ruled over the humans, Crawley believes humans to be the superior species and wants my people under his control. There are no laws to protect us if we leave the island, but we’ve been running low on provisions. I suspect Crawley has been secretly intercepting the ships the government sends to bring us supplies. I left the island to figure out what was going on and they managed to capture me. I let my guard down.”

“How did you escape?” Jaime blurts. His knuckles are white with how tightly he’s gripping the chair’s armrests.

“Your people have not built cells strong enough to hold us,” he replies with a small shrug. “I waited until the guard shift changed where they would be distracted, and I fought my way out. They managed to damage my wing with their weapons, which is why I couldn’t fly home and instead crashed into your shed. I’m sorry about that.”

I snort at his apology, finding it ridiculous at the moment. My head begins pounding and I rub my temples with my fingers, letting out a small groan of pain. The couch shifts and a moment later I feel cool fingers on my wrists, pulling my hands away from my head. I blink up at Arisen, finding his blue eyes the most mesmerizing things I’ve ever seen. A flash of gold darts across them as he presses his fingers to my temples. A wave of soothing energy passes through my head, chasing the pain away. I let out a sigh of relief and glance up at him in surprise.

“How did you do that?” I whisper in awe.

He smiles gently. “All Celestials have healing powers,” he answers. “Some are stronger than others. I have the strongest out of everyone.” He doesn’t say that with bragging tones, only as if he’s stating a fact. He holds his palms out in front of him, facing upwards. His palms begin to glow, golden beams shooting from his skin and circling his body. My eyes widen as I watch the cuts and injuries on his body slowly disappear. It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen and I take a deep breath when he finishes, not realizing I was holding my breath the whole time.

“Why are you the strongest?” I question curiously.

Once again, he hesitates, glancing between me and Jaime. “Can I trust you?” he asks quietly, but he isn’t looking at me when he says that. I turn to Jaime, surprised. My best friend sits in his seat, back rigid and lips pursed so tightly they’re almost white.

“Jaime?” I ask.

He blinks once before turning to me. He releases his death grip on the chair and relaxes slightly, shooting me a tight smile. “Of course, you can trust me,” he says after a moment of awkward silence.

Arisen searches Jaime’s face for a moment before finally nodding shortly and turning back to me. He doesn’t ask me the same question. “This must remain a secret,” he says. “Crawley has no idea how important I am. He can’t know. If he does, he’ll come for me again and the next time I won’t be able to escape as easily.”

I rest a hand on his arm and try for a reassuring smile. “No one will know,” I say. “We won’t tell anyone, not even my family.” I’ve never kept secrets from my dad and brothers before, at least not one this huge. But as I stare into the angel’s eyes, I realize there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. And that’s a new feeling.

Arisen nods again. “All right. I know I can trust you because of what you are to me,” he says, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Before I can ask what he means by that, he continues. “I am the heir to the Celestial throne.”