Paradox Love: Paradox Love Book 1 (23 page)

“Each world, including ours, is home to one million souls.  Each soul is advancing at its own pace, yet we all ascend as one people.  It is true that in some ways, we are as strong as our strongest soul or the one with the most advanced élan vital.  At the same time, we are as weak as the one among us with the least advanced élan vital. 

You and Gabe as a couple, were an anomaly of sorts.  You should have been at the top, among the strongest.  But you often were of the mind that being at the top and among the most advanced was not as important as other things.”

“What other things?”

“Adventures, entertainment, testing boundaries.”

“In other words, we did things that we knew would cause our own regressions?”

“Yes.  You should know that in most instances, it was you who would beg Gabriel to defy the rules for the sake of pleasure.  And he would not deny you.  He could never say no.  This way of going about things kept you both at the bottom echelon of the élan vitals of our world.  If not for your follies, you would both likely be on the Council of Five.  Gabriel would be Senior Chancellor.”

Grace was trembling noticeably, the implications of all that she’d done being placed squarely at her feet.

“I told you to drink the tea, Grace.  It will help you.”

Pietra waited to continue until Grace had swallowed some of it down.  Only then did the explanations begin again.

“Because Castellans is an advanced world, the results of your regressions were significant only in appearances.  There were two schools of thought among our citizens.  One which frowned upon your lack of ambition – a perception that you were not serious about advancing.  Others were rather unconcerned.  Some even admired you.  Your activities were generally not enough to have a significant effect on the rest of us.  Until now, that is.”

Grace’s heart thudded in her chest, summoning the familiar pain that had for a brief time been numbed.  Pietra was immediately aware.  She left her seat and took a place next to Grace.  She pulled Grace’s hand into hers and cupped it with both of her own hands.  The contact resulted once again in a relegation of the pain to a distant throb, rather than an all-encompassing agony.  Pietra returned to her seat.

“In a world’s early times, there is utter chaos, Grace.  The maturation of our world was not accomplished in swift fashion by any means. The collective experience of the souls on our world is a powerful force, but in the beginning, new souls have a lot to learn.  In those times, it was not uncommon for a soul to take actions so severely against supreme law that they regressed themselves right out of Castellans.”

Grace choked on her tea, which brought on a coughing fit.  Internally, the words played in her mind. 
What have I done?  What have I done?

“Our youth was a time of war in many ways.  We had not advanced sufficiently to secure the shield around our world.  We were vulnerable to attack from others, other souls on dark paths.  And yet, we progressed.  Each time we went to school on Earth, we earned a grain of sand to fill our beach, our paradise.  Through much suffering, we advanced to become a powerful world. 

Some retained streaks of complacency.  Some could not move past the thrill of risking advancement for what they perceived to be more exciting ventures.  And all of that was manageable, because of our collective experience and strength.  Your childish ways could be absorbed by the rest.  And Castellans continued its advancement. 

During your last time on Earth as Grace, a human being, the Council of Five was aware of the pending ascension of our world.  Although official announcements are never made until an ascension is upon us, there were some that were aware.  When it was known that you had returned, the chatter began to spread.  Every soul on Castellans had earned the ascension, for all had collectively contributed.  All were waiting for you. 

In the beginning, Gabriel was unaware.  Because it was time for you to return, he secluded himself, preparing to be reunited with you.  It was such an important time for him.  And then everything changed.  To protect Gabriel and you and the rest of us, Abigail informed him of the pending ascension. 

That was when it all changed.  Most immediately, Abigail faced regression herself, for she had now provided Gabriel with information that would influence his free will.  It also placed a much heavier burden upon him, for now he had to weigh his love for you against the rights of our entire world.  In sending you back to Earth again, with full knowledge that doing so would literally prevent the advancement of our world, Gabriel would be taking on a burden so egregious as to regress him from Castellans.”

Questions were filling Grace’s head, but she knew she could not yet ask them.  Pietra had more to say.

“When Gabriel had in essence, banished himself from our world, it resulted in a vacancy – the vacancy of a single soul.  His absence made room for another.  This soul would come from another world.  The world would be similar to Castellans in its advancement, but ever so slightly behind.  If the topmost member of their world were to ascend beyond the rest on his world by a sufficient degree, that soul would advance to the next highest world, if and only if, there were a vacancy.  Such occurrences are a rarity for worlds such as ours.  It strains my memory to think of the last time it’s happened.  But I do believe Luke has filled the vacancy left by Gabriel.”

Grace was struggling to process it all.  And she felt within her a rising, foreboding tide.  This was all leading to something.

“None of what I have told you yet is as important as what I will tell you now, Grace.  In the early days of our world, occurrences such as this were common, unavoidable.  In the beginning, we were learning the laws, observing what our actions wrought.  We lost souls to other worlds and gained souls from other worlds.  But not since our collective youth have we faced what we face now.”

Cool, calm, collective Pietra reached for her own cup of tea containing the soothing elements of this special brew, for even her own hand was shaking as she spoke the words.

“How is our citizenship determined, Grace?  Who are the rightful souls of Castellans?  The rightful souls of Castellans are those who have earned their place amongst us.  Our world remains on the verge of ascension.  Castellans waits only for two souls.  It waits for two souls to receive their assessments and claim citizenship.  You and Luke could be those two souls. 

If you both proceed with your assessments, Castellans will ascend, our borders ever more secure, our world fulfilling its ever-present voyage of progression.  You will have what you have wanted from the beginning.  You will have eternity with this soul you risked everything to be with. 

But in doing so, you will seal our world from all possibility that Gabe might ever return.  One million souls for every world, Grace.  And not a single soul more.  Once you and Luke move out of this corridor and become citizens of Castellans, Gabriel will forever be locked out, lost to another world.”

As Grace focused her thoughts on Gabe, the pain surfaced in her chest with an intensity she’d yet not yet felt.  She moved her hands to cover her heart, but did not have the strength to raise them completely.  The color left her face.  Pietra was even quicker to the rescue this time.  Once again, her hands were around Grace’s.

“I won’t leave you until you feel better.  The longer I hold you, the more relief you’ll receive.”

Grace did not speak.  Could not speak.  Once again, she accepted the gift of healing.  And even when she was well enough to speak, Pietra had Grace’s hand cradled in hers.

“Pietra, Luke has a pain even worse than my own.  Have I stolen him from a world in which his true soul mate now mourns his loss?”

“His pain tell us that is so.”

Tears began, as Grace tried to capture them with her free hand.  Then with a gentled tug, Pietra pulled her into an embrace, partially cradling Grace in her arms.  The sobs went on unchecked as the full breadth of understanding was crystallizing.  Grace spoke into Pietra’s ear.

“What can be done?  What do I do?”

Pietra pulled back and looked directly in her eyes.

“You must decide.  Will you choose the soul mate you have claimed by free will or the soul mate chosen for you by birth?”

Grace’s eyes widened.  How could she choose?  There had to be other options.

She’d been in physical contact with Pietra for quite some time now.  And as she felt the pain peel back, felt herself rejoice at the precious gift of relief, clarity came with it.  The longer the contact went on, the more wisdom was imparted from one soul, Pietra, to Grace, its beneficiary.

Maybe in a sense, she had only the wisdom and experience of seventeen years.  But the truth communicated to her in this moment told her that she was an ancient, powerful soul, capable of powerful things.  She’d found a way before.  She could find away again. 

“There has to be a way to fix this.”

“Yes, there has to be,” Pietra agreed.  “You’ve already proven what you're capable of.”

“I’ve really only got one tool at my disposal.  I’ve got my free will.”

“True.  But you have even more than that.  You’ve got help.”

That was everything.  It meant everything that she would not be alone.

“Thank you.”

“It’s all about taking the first step.”

“Yes, and I know what that is.”

“Good!  I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.  That means a lot to me.”

“My door will
always
be open for you.”

Grace smiled before they stood and embraced once again.  Then Grace walked back toward the door.  As she approached it, Grace stopped for a moment and closed her eyes.  When her intention was released to the universe, she opened the door and stepped into her corridor. 

Pietra watched her with pride.  For a soul in limbo, Grace had the bravery of a warrior, the tenacity of a seasoned fighter.  Pietra lifted a tear as it spilled from her eye.  The tear was for Gabriel.  How proud he would be of his Grace at just this moment.

Grace glanced down the long hallway to the transference room.  Her hand rose to her chest.  It made her heart hurt, Luke’s love.  Then she turned to use that hand to open the door to Gabe’s office.  And there seated in his chair was Abigail, just as she had intended.  This manifesting skill was going to come in handy.

Abigail was adorned in one of her magnificent dresses.  But the grandeur of the garment was nothing in comparison to the beauty of that smile.  And it was in this moment that Grace declared to herself that Abigail was by far the most beautiful soul she’d ever known.  She took her customary seat on her side of the desk before speaking.               

“Abigail, I have to go back.”

                                                                                                                              – The End (not quite)