Chapter Forty-Eight

A Blazing Wall of Water

A person who has faced injustice or abuse, will never wish, let alone inflict, it on another person

Aden

6L 1/1/1/6

"Mother, this is Jennifer."

An hour after arriving in Agar, Shaun took Jennifer inside a tent and introduced her to an old lady. Claudia, who was in the early years of her third cycle, greeted Jennifer with a gracious smile. "Shaun tells me that you are the one who has taken Moses's place. I will tell you an interesting story. You know Moses and Shaun weren't expected to be born on that fateful day. I kept praying to God that I don't deliver on that day."

"But why?" Jennifer asked.

"Because I knew that the Transitioner must be born on the first day of the twenty-first cycle and I wished my child wasn't that. My husband and I had spent all our lives in fear because of the amulet. Hiding from enemies. Shifting from one place to another. I didn't want to pass that misery on to my children. But destiny has its ways. Moses was born prematurely and we knew what he was destined to become. But the Almighty surprised us with a blessing. We got twins. We thought God has given us another son so that one could live a normal life while the other can fulfill the destiny of these worlds."

"So you decided to separate them?"

"Yes, we kept Shaun near his aunt, so that Moses's fate doesn't affect Shaun's future. Their father was banished when they were seven. Moses got captured and banished before I could even explain to him what his destiny was. The Lords of Nature had sent Shaun to help his brother and take his place if required but we messed up that plan by splitting up our two kids. Thankfully they had another backup in you."

Claudia got up from her chair and kissed Jennifer over her glowing forehead. "My child you have to finish this for Moses. To be honest, if I could go back in time, I would have corrected my mistake. Mother's love clouded my thoughts back then, but today I can happily sacrifice all my children for the future of these worlds."

It is not just Elisians who have lost their peace, these people have suffered a lot too.

Jennifer's eyes became moist. "Although Jennifer may never experience the bliss of motherhood, she can surely relate to the grief of losing loved ones to these demons. And Jennifer promises you, very soon we will put an end to this cycle of traumas and miseries."

"And for doing that you have the support of this whole world," John said entering the tent. "For the last few cycles, people of this world have yearned for the rightful heir of Solomon to return to power. Shaun, although not a Transitioner, is an heir of Solomon. Some people even say that he is a copy of him. My father earmarked him as a beacon for this revolution. Adeners have their faith in him and he believes in you."

Claudia held Shaun's hand and looked at Jennifer. "My son inspires confidence in Adeners and they look up to him to bring the change. He will make these people rally behind you. He will stand by you, fight for you, and if required, die by your side."

"We must stop talking about dying. It is time our enemies start worrying about death." Jennifer said snapping her fingers.

If carrying the burden of Elisium wasn't enough, now hopes of two worlds rest on you. Way to go, Jennifer.

"I think it's time for our people to meet their new leader. The Savior, who will lead them out of this dark night into a new dawn," Shaun said leading Jennifer out of the tent.

Shaun took her to the town square and then climbed a raised platform. The weather was unrelenting. There was a steady downpour and people's feet were submerged in water up to their ankles. Nevertheless, thousands of Adeners braved the weather and assembled there to listen to him.

"The turn of the loop has arrived and the Transition is inevitable. But this time there won't be a Transition where one world ascends the heights of prosperity whereas the other descends the depths of doom. In this Transition, both these worlds will go hand in hand and look after each other.

'Our gluttonous Kings and their corrupt Councils have not only destroyed the other world but have also pushed our world to the brink. We feared that the next Transition might send Aden into a tailspin, but that deterioration came much earlier than expected. The Transition didn't bring us down, but our rulers did. The only way left for us now is to go up. We gave up our fears a long time ago and are now ready to embrace the Transition and the Transitioner. Today we have Jennifer the Reborn, the chosen one, amongst us, and it's time we pledge to fight our biggest war alongside her."

"A girl? We thought your brother was the chosen one." Someone shouted from the crowd.

"He didn't live long enough to take us through."

"Never in history, has a Transitioner been a girl," an old man voiced his concerns.

Here you go. Same old questions, same old doubts.

However, Shaun gave the answers. "Many things have happened in this loop that has never happened before."

"But how can you expect a girl to lead us in a war? She can't win it for us."

"She won it for them in Elisium. Her troops defeated an army of more than twenty thousand men in that world. That should be enough to convince us of her capabilities."

A woman came forward with tears streaming down her face. "My son was in that army. Her troops killed him. And you want me to embrace his murderers."

Jennifer got down from the platform and walked towards the woman. "Your son was no enemy of ours. I know most of those soldiers didn't voluntarily join this mission but they were forced to do so. And if we don't stop this vicious cycle, then many more soldiers will be dumped into this raging furnace of war. Many more mothers, in both our worlds, will lose their sons. We all know that the real murderers are those who sit in the Council in Aurae. They turn us against each other, make us fight and kill, while they relax inside their palaces and enjoy the spectacle. We, the common people, have suffered heavy losses in both worlds. It is time to make the real culprits pay for their crimes and put an end to this."

Jennifer took the woman's hand in hers. "And there is a good chance that your son might not be dead. Most of Aden's soldiers surrendered and weren't killed. They will be brought back to this world as soon as the war is over."

There was a buzz in the crowd. Many people had their relatives in the troops that were sent to Elisium. A wave of relief swept amongst the crowd when people realized that there was still hope of seeing their loved ones alive.

Another old man in the crowd expressed his doubts. "You talk about going hand in hand, but the moment you overthrow the regime, you will turn us into your slaves. Our forces have tormented your people and you might not be able to stop your soldiers from returning the favor."

See, the way you don't trust them, they don't trust you. This is never going to work out.

Before Jennifer could say anything, David decided to reply on behalf of his sister. "A person who has faced injustice or abuse, will never wish, let alone inflict, it on another person. We have endured this oppression for so long that none of us will ever wish it even on our worst enemies. Besides that, we now know that the masses of Aden had nothing to do with what happened to us. And we don't punish one for the crimes of another."

David then climbed the raised platform. "I, David George Orlando, chief of David's army and brother of Jennifer the Reborn, make a sacred promise to the people of Aden, that when we win this war we will not subject Adeners to any atrocities. No harm will be done to them. They will not face any humiliations. They will not be asked to evacuate their towns or leave their lands or abandon their homes. Aden will be a free world. They will have a compassionate ruler and a trustworthy council. Rest assured, we have not come here to destroy this world and enslave its people, but we have come here to liberate both our worlds. I name the Almighty Creator and the Lords of Nature as witnesses to my sacred vow. May their wrath fall upon me if I turn back on my words. May they bless us all and guide us all the way."

Jennifer gave her brother an incredulous look.

What the hell is he doing here. Earlier in the day, he was reluctant to make any commitments and now he has taken a sacred vow.

"She doesn't seem to agree with you." Someone in the crowd noticed her expressions.

Time to show some family love and back your brother.

Jennifer got on the platform and stood beside her brother. "The Creator made our two worlds replicas of each other. From landscapes to rivers, to mountains, everything is exactly the same. Our towns and cities, our clothes and food, our cycles and loops, even our people, everything are identical. But then we started interfering in nature's plans and the symmetry started to disappear.

'Seven cycles ago each person in this world had his duplicate in that world, but that is no longer the case because thousands of our people were killed. Many family lines ceased to exist. The Ruins, despite the catastrophe, was a buzzing place like Aurae, but your armies forced us to abandon it and flee towards Refuge. The Creator and nature didn't discriminate between our worlds, but it was us humans, who messed up the balance. They wanted the two worlds to live side by side, hand in hand, helping each other, looking after each other, and that is why they provided us the whirlpools to travel from one world to another. However, the greed of a few people botched up those plans. But Jennifer thinks this is the right time to undo the wrong and bring back the balance."

Jennifer gestured towards David. "Jennifer firmly stands by her brother's holy vow. She promises that no city in Aden will turn into the Ruins and Adeners won't need a Refuge. The days of darkness will end in both the worlds and our future generation will not have to face any adversities."

There was a hushed silence in the crowd as everyone listened to the Transitioner.

You have talked yourself into a corner. Your promise has made this a win-win situation for Adeners. They anyhow wanted Marcus's regime to be toppled, and now your army is going to do it for them. And with this sacred vow, they are assured of a secured future after the war.

And then a young man from the crowd asked Jennifer the burning question. "Everything you said is fair. We believe in your noble intentions but how do we trust in your abilities? Your powers? How do we know that you are the real Transitioner, the chosen one?"

Jennifer looked at the guy who asked the question and flinched. That triggered something in her mind.

You have seen this before. You have been here before. Look around. Think. Get your brain running.

It dawned on her when she saw the clogged water near people's feet. A layer of dark liquid was floating over the water. Many people in the crowd noticed that as well. A chill went down her spine when she made the connection.

There was a loud explosion on the northern side of the square. Seconds later, there was another blast on the eastern side. Flames spread on the liquid above the water and rushed towards the center. The liquid fuel, which Adeners had stopped using cycles ago, was highly inflammable. The thick layer floating above the water surface was enough to burn them alive. There were loud shrieks, desperate cries of help, and a sense of dejection as people saw death charging towards them.

You know what to do. Your visions have given you ample time to plan for such scenarios. Stay calm and focused.

Jennifer closed her eyes, mustered all her strengths, and joined her palms in front of her chest. Then she slowly started to part her hands.

Amidst the pandemonium, many eyes were fixed at Jennifer, their last hope of survival. Some of them squealed when they saw a miracle unfold in front of their eyes.

With Jennifer's parting hands, the water which was logged in the town square started to retreat. Some invisible force pushed the water back. A large wave flowed from the center and spread outwards in all directions. It completely drained the water out of the town square and stopped the flames from reaching the center.

Thousands of awestruck people watched the flames form a ring of fire around them. A five-foot-high wall of water encircled them. No law of physics could explain how water, in its liquid form, was holding up like a solid wall and not gushing back. A fire was raging on the layer of fuel above the wall of water, but everyone within that ring of fire was unscathed. It was hard to believe that they were standing on dry grounds surrounded by a dam of blazing water ready to burst.

Jennifer stood like a statue. Or more like a meditating monk. Her eyes were firmly shut and her fingers were snapping. People watched her and the burning wall of water, which like a chained beast, wanted to pounce on its prey, but was unable to break the shackles.

Eventually, the fuel burnt away and the fire fizzled out. And with that, any doubts about her powers dissipated as well. Jennifer heard David whispering in her ear, "the fire is out."

Jennifer let out an audible sigh of relief and opened her eyes. The invisible barrier disappeared and the wall of water caved in. She almost collapsed but James was there to get hold of her.

The old man, who had raised doubts over Jennifer's capabilities, came forward and bowed his head. "Human race is obsessed with miracles, and they can't believe in a savior till they see one. We doubted you but you still saved thousands of us from getting burnt alive."

"Jennifer did what she should and she will keep doing it till her last breath."

The old man placed his hand on her head. "God bless you, my child. May he always give you the courage and strength to fight for the people. Every one of us is now on your side. With our hearts and with our strengths."

Someone from the crowd cried. "Hail Jennifer, the Reborn."

Chants of "Hail Jennifer" echoed around the town. All the Adeners and Elisians joined in the chant. It was the first time that the people of the two worlds had come together for a single cause. It was the first time that they had rallied behind a single person. It was the first time that their voices echoed the same sentiments.

It was just the beginning.

The beginning of a new era.

And the beginning of an end.