Chapter 08

ZION

Our house was located in a very secluded area of town. From the outside it had a scary appearance due to the black and grey exterior. Large black gates stood firm at the entrance of the cobblestone driveway to stop unwanted guests from trespassing. There were tall trees all over the yard that had a lack of leaves on them since it was autumn.

The back yard was basically a huge field with dry, brownish grass. There was no way anyone could see anything that happened in our massive backyard because of how high the stone fencing was. It was why my father bought this particular house in the first place.

The more secluded the better. That way we could practice magic without the possibility of being seen. Every house I had ever lived in had the same dark, mystic demeanor as this house. It almost looked as if it was haunted and with the black storm clouds that were rolling in, the house looked gloomy and petrifying.

There was a loud crack and a thunderbolt lit up the greyish black sky as it hit the ground just an inch from where I stood. I didn't flinch or jolt back. I was rather fascinated when another electrifying bolt zapped the ground a few inches behind me. The same thing happened another three times leaving me standing in the middle of five points.

Another lightening bolt hit the ground but this time my father whispered something under his breath as he guided the bolt to join the five points. He was careful not to touch me with the bolt, manoeuvring very slowly around me. He manoeuvred the electric bolt without even touching it which amazed me. His mind moved the bolt in the direction his hand guided it. This was the first time I saw my father actually use magic and it proved exactly what my mother had taught me about the mind being your strongest weapon.

I noticed that my father's eyes had turned a complete shade of black. There wasn't even a spec of white left and his irises completely vanished. He was still in his mortal form and yet the dark magic he oozed was so concentrated. His broad shoulders and tall physic held a firm ground.

I remember my mother telling me that I needed to hold my ground and find my centre so that magic, be it light or dark,  could flow through me effortlessly. Finding my centre would make me powerful and indestructible. Looking at the way energy moved through my dad, I could finally see what my mother meant by that.

Slowly but gradually I turned around and took in the sight around me. I was standing directly in the middle of a five pointed star. The five points of the star also joined into a circle. I felt a bizarre feeling flowing through my body before a lightening bolt struck me dead centre of my chest.

The monstrous scream that escaped the depths of my lungs was masked by the roaring sound of thunder that erupted in the dark sky. I felt a serge of power flow through me. It pained so much as I felt dark magic course through my veins, awakening every fibre of my being.

But it was a pleasurable pain that I couldn't get enough of. I could feel the light energy and dark energy in me fighting. They couldn't coexist in harmony for either one wanted to rule over it's wielder.

I felt myself being raised into the air. The battled within me only growing more unbearable. I had to find a balance between dark and light energy. I knew I could because of the creature I was but I didn't know how too and it wasn't something my parent's could teach me. It was unfortunate for me that figuring out how to balance the two didn't come naturally.

I shut my eyes and just let all the power serge through me, letting the pain consume me and clearing my mind. An idea came to me. I didn't know if it would work but it was worth trying. If I was any lucky my idea would work just the way my bright idea from last night did.

"I can do this," I whispered under my breath. Clenching my fists and jaw, I took a deep breath in and concentrated on what exactly I was feeling. I closed my eyes and instead of seeing darkness I could see a vivid vision of me. Two glowing cords where tugging at my heart. One, a bright yellowish gold and the other a purplish black.

Immediately, I could distinguish wish cord belonged to which magic. It didn't take a genius to figure out. In some strange way, the vision felt so real as if it were an out of body experience. I could feel my heart rate increase as beads of sweat began to coat my skin.

How could I get those strings to stop trying to control me?

Releasing a breath, I inhaled deeply as I brought my hands to my chest. The vivid image in my vision did the same, fists wrapping around each cord as I yanked them out of me with has much force as I could. A gut-wrenching scream tumbled out of me as white, hot pain captured my body. The purplish black cord twirled around my right arm whilst the yellowish gold cord formed a spiral, settling on my left bicep.

A sudden warmth came over me. The moment I opened my eyes all I saw was white. My eyes didn't take to long to adjust to its new setting as I noticed that a harsh golden glow exude from me and the an explosion of a mixture of purple and yellow lit up the sky as I plummeted to the ground.

I landed steadily on my two feet, feeling more powerful than I had ever felt before. Picking my head up to the sky, I watched as the mixture of purple and yellow faded away leaving a dull grey sky overhead once more. It was a beautiful sight, watching the purple and yellow light disperse across the small town and then fade away as if it never happened.

My mother ran up to me but slowed down when she reached the engraving of the five point star on the dry ground. Her eyes flickered to me and then back to the ground, "You silly boy, I can't cross this point. Dark magic doesn't flow through me like it does you." A ghost smile played on her lips as she looked at both my arms.

That was my queue to vacate the area of ground the symbol had been burnt into, "Remind me again why you can't wield dark magic mom?"

"Because Zion, I'd have to give up on wielding one kind of magic for the other. My body won't be able to handle the continuous fight between light and dark energy within me because..."

"Because unlike me you aren't half demon half angel," I completed for her. Noticing her continuous glare on my arms I decided to investigate what she was looking at. On my right arm was what looked to be a tattoo of a viper twirling itself around it. Its fangs on display as its head laid on the crook of my elbow and its scaly tale laying in my palm.

On my left bicep was a tattoo of what I could only describe as a rope or lasso. It was curled into a spiral, almost looking like a sleeping serpent. Underneath it was a saying in Latin that roughly translated to 'Thread of love, light, and truth'.

"Yes and I would never find a balance which means I would probably fall prey to the darkness if I tried," my mother's voice broke my reverie. She offered my father a sympathetic look, knowing that he did fall prey to the darkness and she didn't want the burden of dark magic within her, "You, my handsome son, was born to be able to wield both light and dark magic. You were born to be the most powerful being in the entire universe."

I thought for a bit. Something was troubling me for a long time which I had to ask my parent's eventually, "Mom, dad?"

My father slung his hand around my mother's shoulder. His eyes returned back to normalcy. My mother settled into his touch as she let out a shaky breath. It was unbelievable the effect my father had on my mother even after all these years.

"If the creator created every being then he must have created me too. Then how is it that you say he doesn't know of my existence?" I asked, clearly confused.

"You are made of forces of dark and light. You were not made by the creator. Even we have the power of creation," My mother smiled as she and my dad shared a knowing look.

"There are many things you have yet to learn," my dad placed a hand on my shoulder in a reassuring manner. "You might also want to know how we've kept you hidden all these years without them coming to know. You see, you mother uses her abilities to blanket yours. No Angel, if you come across one would be able to sense your energy. Its also why we prefer you to stay around us at all times. Its like a shield that protects you and us."

"I can't say I understand how it all works," I admitted with a ghost smile, "but in a way it makes sense and I 'm not about to argue about it. Plus, you guys never allowed me to get tattoos but seems like I've managed to get them naturally. Not exactly what I would have went for but its something," I shrugged, looking at my tattoos once again.

"They aren't ordinary tattoos, they represent good versus evil," my mother's face turned sour when she muttered the last word, "Now,  Phoenix darling, clean up this mess and cover that dreadful thing because if the neighbours do see it we don't want rumors around tone that we are satinic when that's simply not true." The appalled expression on her face caused not only myself but my father to snicker as well.

"As you wish my beautiful wife," he kissed her on her lips before continuing, "still as beautiful as the day I met you. Young too!"

"We don't age silly, part of being immortal and all that."

That's when I decided to intecede once again, "If you guys don't age, how come I do?" It was a good question to ask. My mother and father looked to be in their early thirties. They just barely passed to be my parents but in a couple of years we all would probably look to be the same age.

Freaky as fuck right?

"My son, we were just formed from a ball of light to be fully fledged adults. We started of as babies and worked our way up, learning as we went. We stop aging when we are mature enough to handle our duties so around the age of twenty-five to thirty-five." Mom clarified, "You too will stop aging. Your father was unlucky, he already began sprouting salt and pepper hair before he could stop."

"Ciana," my father playfully warned, "I'm going down to the shop right now to buy a box of dye. Let's see how you taunt me about my salt and pepper hair then."

Before he could stomp away, she grabbed him by the collar of his black tee, "And who's going to clean this up mister? Get to work, chop chop."

My father grumbled under his breath, "Fine, fine. But once I'm done I'm going to the nearest shop to get that dye and no once can stop me."

"Drama Queen," my mother chimed, leaving a chaste kiss on dad's cheek.

The cold wind whipped around me and I could feel droplets of rain fall on my bare skin. I had almost forgotten that the lightening bolt that hit me burned of my favorite shit. I turned to my dad, "Dad, next time you try that on me, give me a heads up because shirts don't grow on a tree in my backyard."

His tongue darted out of his mouth, his teeth biting onto the pink flesh, "Sorry."

I shook my head with a smile on my face. Not because of his sheepish response but because of his actions. The way he bit his tongue was the same way I bit mine whenever I got caught doing something I wasn't suppose to do.

"You," my mother hissed, pointing her finger in my face, "Now that this is over, get to your room and don't come out till your homework is done."

With that, I marched inside the house, my final destination being my room.