Chapter Thirty-Eight

The Proposals

Love is a strength and not a weakness

Elisium

5L 21/19/6/2

"In the last month, we have lost around four hundred soldiers in the enemy attacks. We know the morale of our forces is shattered by these attacks, but we must inspire our troops to stay strong and be ready to fight back."

Commander Alfred was addressing his fellow commanders in a review meeting. Commander Simon diverted their attention towards another issue. "That is not the most important concern. The main problem is that our soldiers have witnessed what that girl can do. They saw her pull down a hill, fire thunderbolts out of her hand and they have now guessed what made our armored trucks fly or brought a sandstorm out of nowhere. They are not scared of the enemy troops but you can't expect them to fight the forces of nature."

Christopher quietly shook his head. "We have to find a way to fight her because we don't have another option. We are trapped here and can't leave until the next Crossing. The only choice we have is to try and stay alive till then. All we can do is fortify our defenses and hold onto it until the reinforcements arrive about two years from now."

Simon however, was concerned about another problem. "You anticipated that they will attack the storehouse. We were ready for them but we were still routed. To be frank sir, our soldiers are shaking in their pants. Four years ago, they attacked us in open fields, so we confined ourselves inside our secured perimeter. Now they are attacking us right inside our territory. Our soldiers feel trapped. They fear that the next attack will be anytime soon and this time that girl is going to fry them all."

Alfred raised another query. "You just mentioned the reinforcements but how are we going to receive them? For making the necessary arrangements for the incoming troops we will have to move out of these walls and face our enemies in the open field. Do you have a plan for that?"

Christopher chinned up a little. He had to show confidence to boost the morale of others. "I have a plan to evade our enemies who might be waiting for us outside our gates. And that might also keep our troops busy and divert their minds from the recent fiascos."

Christopher explained his proposal to his Commanders. "I know this is a very rough plan, but we can develop it into something workable. I think this is the only way to receive our incoming troops."

The idea was a little far-fetched, but that was their only plan and they had to make it work.

***

When Jennifer opened her eyes her mother was at her bedside. Cynthia took her hand in hers. "The only time you feel warm is when you are having a fever. Since the day of your resurrection, your body feels like it is made up of ice."

Jennifer smiled. "Maybe after Jennifer dropped dead, her soul wasn't pleased to be pushed back into the same body. It has not warmed up to it again. By the way how long was Jennifer knocked out?"

"A couple of weeks. You kept coming and going. But it is the first time you have fully opened your eyes and said something. Hopefully, you will be staying longer this time."

"Yes, feeling a little better now." Jennifer looked at the back of her hand. She found a few new wrinkles there.

"I will get you some soup."

"Can you get Jennifer a mirror as well?"

"That is a bad idea. You don't look great. Quite understandably, you have grown weak and pale due to your illness. First, get well, and then you can admire yourself in the mirror." Cynthia left the room to fetch her some food.

You over-exerted yourself while shooting the thunderbolts and pulling down that hill. You had been warned about the subsequent consequences of overusing your powers. Thankfully you fell unconscious inside the truck during the return journey and not on the battlefield.

Jennifer remembered how Adam had explained to her, in detail, how the amulet worked. It is designed to harness the immense energy released during the turn of the loop. It traps that massive power within itself. The Transitioner can unleash those powers when he needs them, but for doing that he has to exert himself. That huge effort takes a toll on his body. The greater the powers unleashed, the higher the toll.

However, during the turn of loops, enormous amounts of energy are already present in the atmosphere. There are lightning strikes, thunderstorms, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. At that time the amulet just has to control all this energy and divert these cosmic powers in a specific direction. Be it Noah's floods or Solomon's Star-Rock shower, they were results of channelizing this energy towards a particular target. During that period, the Transitioner doesn't need to overly exert himself. All he needs to do is to use the full potential of this amulet and utilize the energy present around him.

The powers of the amulet made the Transitioner a master of all the natural elements. He could divert water to create floods, shake the earth to cause earthquakes, rain fire in form of lightning, and whip up the air to conjure tornadoes. All the forces of nature are at his disposal and during those days there is no limit to his powers.

All the Transitioners before Jennifer faced several obstacles after they jumped into the whirlpool and arrived in the other world. To overcome these problems they had to use these powers and suffer the consequences. Solomon had to show many miracles and extensively use his powers to unite the largely fragmented society of Aden. It took such a toll on his body that no one was able to even recognize him when he came back to Elisium. He looked almost two cycles old on his twenty-first birthday.

Jennifer noticed few more strands of grey hair. She had grown pale, her body felt weak and there were definite signs of aging. Jennifer the Damsel again took up arms against Jennifer the Reborn.

Grandpa Solomon, again and again, told you to avoid using these powers till the turn of the loop.

Jennifer had to keep the ever-dwindling hopes of her people alive. She had to bring rains to end draughts. Divert floods, stop tornadoes. People look at their Savior to help them. She can't just turn her back on them.

What good will you do to them if you are spent before the turn of the loop? Saving people is alright but what do you have to say about two back-to-back faceoffs with the enemies. That is what did this to you. Firing lightning bolts, pulling down a hill, you love being a hero. Isn't it?

The first battle was a sudden situation. And in second Jennifer couldn't have left her soldiers to die.

The two Jennifer's paused their battle when Cynthia entered the room with a tray of food in her hand. James was behind her. "He has been coming to see you every day. I think he would be happy to see you awake, so I called him."

Jennifer's face lit up. Butterflies fluttered inside her tummy.

Control yourself. You are Jennifer the Reborn, not some silly teenage girl.

James gave her a peck on her cheek. "You look great."

"Making fun of an ill person used to be counted in bad etiquettes in our world. Although Jennifer is not allowed a mirror, she can imagine how horrible she looks."

James chuckled. "I am serious. If you would have seen yourself when we brought you here two weeks ago you would have got the shock of your life."

"Is that supposed to cheer Jennifer up? James Matthews, you were attracted to a beautiful young girl four years ago. That girl is neither beautiful nor looks young anymore. So what is your heart's view about this not-so-pretty Jennifer? Do you feel the same way as before?" Jennifer managed a feeble smile and her attempt at making this sound humorous fell on its face. Her heart was racing like a wild horse as she waited for James's answer.

Cynthia audibly cleared her throat. "I have a few chores in the kitchen. I must get going. James, make sure she finishes the food."

James brought his face near Jennifer's and looked into her eyes. "You still don't get it. It was never about your beauty or looks. I broke up with a girl who people thought was much more attractive than you. There is an invisible connection, an attachment, between you and me. I can't explain what it is, but that is what made me not care for my life and lunge before you that day. For me, you are and will always remain the most beautiful girl in Elisium."

"You still haven't answered Jennifer's question."

"Yes, my feelings for you have changed. If anything, I am now much more in love with you than ever before. And today I have come to ask you the most important question of my life." James paused for a moment and then blurted out. "Will you marry me?"

Tears welled up in Jennifer's eyes. "James... Jennifer... wants... but... You .. know... she ..can't... she won't" Jennifer mumbled as she tried to figure out how to tell him the truth.

"I know you won't be able to bear me any children if that is what you want to tell. Your father told me that years ago. But that doesn't stop me from loving you. Others can continue my family lineage, but for me to continue living, I need you in my life."

Jennifer lunged at James and hugged him tightly. "Jennifer loves you, James. She loves you more than her life."

Jennifer the Damsel badly needed this. Finally, you have someone who looks at you as a vulnerable young girl and not the iron-willed chosen one. Someone who can see through your strong façade at your tender heart. Someone who can lend you a shoulder to cry. Someone who loves Jennifer, the naive girl, and not Jennifer, the Savior.

Melting away in James's warm embrace, she immediately started to feel better. As the bliss of love filled her heart, strength returned to her body.

Love is indeed a strength and not a weakness.

James looked as if he was over Turion, Elisium's largest moon. It was written all over his face what that meant to him. His biggest dream had come true.

***

Elisium

5L 21/21/19/18

Jennifer woke up, shivering in fear, screaming at the top of her voice. "He is shot in the back. Help him, he has been shot."

James shook her. "Wake up dear, wake up. This is just a dream."

Jennifer tightly hugged her husband. She was hysterical. "Oh my God, that shot came from behind Jennifer's back. James, Jennifer can't lose the person she loves the most."

"These are mere nightmares. You must stop thinking about them."

"These are not just bad dreams. These are some sort of signs. Jennifer sees the same scenes again and again." She tried to convince her husband for the umpteenth time.

A series of visions had plagued Jennifer's mind in the last few months. What began as some abrupt flashes, these nightmares got more and more vivid with every passing day. Different scenarios played out in these visions, but this one particular scene always shook her to the core. She always saw her loved one getting shot, but couldn't see the person who shot him. However, she knew one thing for sure, that the person who shot him was amongst them. This traitor was going to betray them and she had to find him before he could carry out this heinous act.

In the beginning, she thought that these visions were some sort of mind game from Adam. Jennifer confronted him in one of the conferences. "Stop messing up with Jennifer's mind. She doesn't like these gory scenes."

Adam frowned. "I am not a fool to mess up your mind. Tell me what do I gain by doing this?"

"Your actions and intentions are always beyond our understanding."

"Trust me I have nothing to do with your visions. Even if I want to play with someone's mind, I can only show them scenes from the past. And none of your visions are from the past."

"You mean they are from the future?"

This was a rare occasion when Adam wasn't sure about something. "I think so. Although none of the Transitioners before you have been blessed with the powers to see the future, however in your case, there have been many firsts. Therefore, I never rule out anything when it comes to you."

"If not you then who is showing Jennifer these scenes?"

Adam gave his why-does-she-keep-forgetting look. "I have told you this many times before that Lords of Nature want to maintain the balance in these worlds. Maybe they want you to delve into these scenes and see what lies ahead of you."

"What do you reckon is the purpose of all this?"

"Just try and remember the details of these visions, as best as you can. There may be some hints in these visions that they want you to see and then formulate your strategies accordingly. Knowing what is going to happen before it happens is not always a blessing, but in your case, this could be a massive advantage. In the coming war, this might help you put your enemies' best-laid plans to waste."

"How can someone show Jennifer the future. Show something that hasn't even happened?"

Abraham, the most learned of the Transitioners, felt this question was in his territory. "Time and space are constraints imposed on our body. When we rise above them, there are other dimensions and a whole new world of possibilities. By following the trails of past and present one can project the possible course of future."

"You mean to say that these are future projections. Some possibilities. It may happen and it may not."

"Knowing the powers who have made these projections, I can safely say that these are not possibilities, but realities. What you see will surely happen."

Jennifer sighed. "If what Jennifer sees is anyhow going to happen, then what good these visions will do to her?"

"I can understand your disappointment and I know what you want to change, but you can't. These visions are not there for you to change something, but they are for you to observe, learn and chalk out your strategies. Don't get occupied by that one scene. These visions may help you avoid your enemies' traps and save hundreds, or even thousands, of lives. All you need is to just concentrate on them."

Jennifer understood that logic, but it was hard to shrug off the effects of that particular vision. Despite this mental torture, she heeded the advice of Adam and Abraham. She delved into her dreams, remembered the situations, the surroundings, and picked up some vital clues.

She still couldn't understand how this all worked, but very soon these visions were about to come to her aid.