The Paragon Antaris - a secret World of magic #2
Chapter 9

The journey into my mother's dream only lasted a second, and when we arrived, I was surprised. We stood in the back garden of a small house adorned with flowers. It was nighttime, but I could see a cozy white house with a swing in the garden. Elyon pointed towards the house, and I saw my mother in the kitchen, squeezing a fruit. We tiptoed to the window, and I watched as Mom poured the squeezed juice into two glasses.

"Thanks mommy," I heard a little boy say as he reached for the glass with his tiny hands.

My eyes widened, and Elyon covered my mouth when I wanted to express my shock aloud. I looked at him with wide-open eyes, realizing that I had a brother. The boy appeared to be younger than Nyllis is now, maybe three years old or even younger.

"After you finish your drink, Jacob, it's time to brush your teeth. It's time to sleep, my darling," Mom said as she turned to him, and I caught a glimpse of her baby bump through the window.

I watched as the two of them went through their nighttime routine, observing my mother. She was young and beautiful, completely different from what I had seen in Portus Mali a few minutes ago.

The love she had for my brother was evident, and when she put him to bed, he gave her a warm hug.

"Goodnight, baby," the little boy said, kissing mom's belly, and she smiled lovingly at him.

As I listened to her sing him to sleep, tears filled my eyes, and Elyon held me in his arms. Devas and Vaell stood beside us, keeping watch for any signs of danger.

Once Jacob had fallen asleep, my mother tucked him in, kissed him goodnight, and left his room. She sat in the armchair in the living room, picking up her knitting. She hummed a song and knitted a small blanket, occasionally stroking her stomach.

On the small table next to her, I saw a picture of Mom and a man in uniform holding a newborn child. That must be my father, I thought. But when I noticed the folded flag next to the picture, I knew he was no longer alive. I had seen enough in the dreams of others to know that when a soldier dies, the flag is given to the family.

"Something is here," Devas said quietly, grabbing our attention as he pointed into the house. A creature suddenly appeared next to my mom, surrounded by a bright aura. When I saw its wings, I knew it was the angel that had appeared to her.

The angel was tall and strong, with a graceful face and short blonde hair. His white wings were enormous and radiant. He wore black metallic armor and had a sword hanging from his waist.

Mom stared at him in shock, and he smiled at her before his gaze shifted to me through the window. He raised his hand, and my mother suddenly fell unconscious, floating in the air before crashing back into the chair. The angel manipulated her body with his hand, gently placing her back in the chair, then turned his attention back to me. In the blink of an eye, he stood beside me, startling my companions. Devas and Vaell took a step back, showing respect for the powerful angel, while Elyon stood protectively behind me.

"Prophet," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on me. I stared at him, unable to speak, and before I could utter a word, he placed his hand on my forehead. I felt immense power emanating from him as his eyes flickered. When he removed his hand, a sadness clouded his face.

"I'm sorry, Innia, everything has gone wrong," the angel said sadly. "Abbadon will take you before you are born, and I will not be able to protect you. As a high-ranking angel, I have direct communication with the Father and a deep connection to him. If you were saved, Abbadon would have the opportunity to use me to bring darkness directly to the Father. With the gift I have given you, he would have the chance, and we would all be lost. It has been decided that I am solely responsible for you, and I acknowledge that I have failed. Without support, I could not fight them alone... I'm sorry, Prophet, I have seen it all now," he explained sadly.

"Abbadon's plan was to use you to lure me to Portus Mali and overpower me there. He had time to build his army of darkness, knowing that the Father would not tolerate any more angel losses. Only a few of us remain. He tormented you because of that, expecting me to appear because I could empathize with your pain," the angel added, a tear streaming down his cheek.

"What should I do now?" I asked the angel, looking at him helplessly.

"He knows," the angel replied, gesturing towards Elyon. We all turned towards Elyon, expecting an answer, but he looked at us with confusion.

"Complete the soulmate bond and allow Innia to enter your dreams. There, you will replace the answers," the angel explained before motioning towards my mother.

Mother stood in the room, her eyes blackened by the demon that had possessed her. Before we could react, she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

"It's my fault. I could have saved her," I shouted as I stormed into the house, Elyon following closely behind.

"No, Innia, this happened after I left. We cannot change the past. But the future is still open, so you must complete the soulmate bond," the angel explained.

"What about the child? Her brother?" Devas asked, pointing towards the room where my brother was still sleeping.

"I will take care of him until you replace him again. I will leave something in his room that you will replace in the present. It will guide you to him... It's the least I can do," the angel said, looking at me sadly. "You should go now. Time is running out," he added before disappearing before our eyes.

Once the angel vanished, I opened the door to Jacob's room. The little boy was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to what had transpired with our mother and the fact that he would never see her again. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt Elyon's hand on my shoulder.

I looked at him, and he whispered, "We have to go back, Innia."

I glanced at Jacob once more before closing his room's door and standing beside Devas, Vaell, and Elyon. We clasped hands and jumped into another dream after I spoke the necessary words, leaving our mother's dream to land in Jade's. When we arrived in Jade's dream, she was sitting on a meadow with her mate, Noah, kissing.

"Seriously?" Vaell exclaimed as he observed Jade and Noah.

Jade turned her head towards us, and Noah faded away as I called out to her.

"Jade, come to us. It's safe," I said, echoing the words she had once spoken to me. She repeated my world that would let her enter her Body in the dream.

She came to us in her dream, looking worried.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked anxiously.

"More or less... please take us home," Elyon requested, holding me in his arms. Jade opened a portal, and we walked through, arriving back in Antaris.

The entire army of Antaris was waiting for us, and as per King Avery's orders, they laid down their weapons. Elyon's mother ran through the crowd of soldiers and embraced us both.

"You're safe! Thank you, Father, for bringing my children back unharmed," she exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face.

As she hugged and kissed us, her red aura enveloped us, fueled by her intense emotions. The warmth and love she radiated felt comforting, and her love for us was pure and genuine.

Everyone stood there, waiting as promised by King Avery. He approached us, joining in the celebration of our return. All the friends of the royal couple and Elyon's friends were there, filled with joy, especially Devas and Vaell's mates.

The jumps through the dreams had drained my energy, and I clung to Elyon's hand as I swayed beside him. The voices of the others began to fade, and dizziness washed over me.

"Get the healers!" King Avery shouted, and he and Elyon caught me before I collapsed to the ground.

Elyon reassured me as the healers gathered around, and I closed my eyes, losing consciousness. The last thing I heard was Elyon's words, promising me, "I'm here, my angel. Everything will be alright."