The Awakening Ch. 21-30

Caliope gasped when she returned back to herself. Pronab had a hand in his chest and was breathing heavy.

"Thank you... thank you so much...! Are you... ok?"

"It just... hurts a little still..."

"What hurts?"

"The scar your father gave me with his spear... each time a certain power is used, it makes it hurt..."

"Powers? My powers?"

"No... Amra's... he must be close and using his powers again..."

"They need to know Pronab... you must tell them..."

"I was not supposed to remember that... I was supposed to forget my past and make a new life..."

The doors broke open and Amra walked into the room with a worried face, he stopped after watching Caliope leaning towards Pronab with tears in her eyes. She could not help but to smile at him and ran to his arms.

"I need you to see this with me!"

Amra held her, looking at Pronab as he got up and watched Elaine arrive behind Amra, a little breathless. When Caliope saw Elaine's face, she got serious and questioned Amra.

"What happened? why are you both like this?"

"We were reviewing the new location they are building when Amra started to run back here, I have no idea..."

"Amra?"

"Are you ok?"

"I am... I am overwhelmingly happy!"

He nodded, then looked again at Pronab who was still serious and quiet. Elaine walked into the room and exchanged looks between both before finally speaking "What is happening Amra?"

"I felt she was under a great deal of... something different... she was crying..."

"You sensed me?"

He simply nodded.

"And you assumed I was in danger?"

"...are you?"

Caliope followed his eyes and saw he was staring at Pronab. She pulled his arm and made him look back at her."

"I am not in any danger, and in fact, I am happy you both are here... Pronab has discovered something... will you share it with them? please..."

Pronab nodded slowly, he was not happy about this but he was beginning to think that the sooner they got over it, the better "I have realized that I met her mother a long time ago..."

"Caliope's mother? how?"

"Wouldn't be better if you all saw it for yourselves?"

"He showed it to me, in his memories... Elaine, I can enter people's memories!"

"If Amra can do what he did back in Greece... you could all see what she saw..."

Amra nodded and took Caliope's hand, squeezing it gently. She smiled at him and then took Elaine's hand as well "We should all hold each other's hands... right? like you made us do back then?" Amra nodded.

Pronab was obviously uncomfortable but he was playing along with them as he knew that sooner or later he would have to reveal his past to them. When they all held each other's hands, a strong drop on the atmospheric density and the clouded vision started. Elaine was disturbed but continued in silence waiting for some guidance, when Amra explained "We are all going to see now what she saw in his memories... relax, my Asteria..."

Caliope nodded and smiled, trying to calm down even though watching her mother again was something she greedily wanted. After the darkness around them disappeared, they were trapped inside her vision, and just as she was before, without control of the person itself. This time she could notice more details. Her mother was not only young and beautiful; she also had a birthmark on her shoulder. Her clothes were not the best quality, she came from a humble origin, and she probably chose to walk over those lands because they were desolated. Her father was strong, he had a strong will as well. They both were something else completely when they were standing in front of each other. She was shier than usual, yet attracted to them both; he was a power to behold, so strong and determined, yet completely humbled and powerless in front of her.

The vision of his father was more clear now, she was focused on her mother more than her father before but now she could see he was a man with darkness around him. At the distance, he had more winged man waiting, all of them eager to come closer. They looked at her mother with a sort of hunger or excitement; which made Caliope gasp, afraid of her. Then something changed, when he saw her and spoke to her, they all turned their heads and looked disappointed. He found his Asteria, and they knew it. She was safe.

After everyone opened their eyes, Caliope was smiling bright. She turned to look at Amra who smiled at her softly.

"Did you see her? did you see my mother? she was so beautiful!"

Amra nodded "She was indeed, a kind soul, my love... you have inherited from her quite a lot."

"So this was what happened? Pronab..."

Pronab frowned but nodded, he watched Caliope smile and Amra hug her, yet he avoided to look at him. Elaine was serious but kept quiet thinking over what it meant. It was only when Caliope saw Pronab and Elaine exchange serious looks that she finally burst her bubble.

"What is wrong Elaine?"

"My dear, nothing is wrong..."

"I can see that it isn't true..."

"It is just, I would have prefered to know about this first, and not "seen" it like we just did..."

"He did nothing wrong, he buried his past as he was told to and as he should have, but the reason he remembered it was because of me..."

"What do you mean my dear?"

Amra was now paying close attention to Caliope, and both Elaine and Pronab sat down to listen at her speak. She took a deep breath and tried to line up her thoughts. When Amra squeezed her hand before he sat on the edge of the bed near her, she nodded and started to talk "One of my deepest fears when I found out about Amra's real nature, was how long you all live, and how little my life is in comparison to all of yours... and it hurt me, because I feel such a deep connection to him, it sadden me to think about how little I would share before nature itself or something else could take me away..."

Amra tried to talk but she pleaded him with her eyes and a hand on his shoulder. He nodded and kept quiet.

"I might not know well about how or why many things happen in this new world I am discovering with you, but when Pronab shared his memories, he told me this was over 3 millenniums ago... to me it is a big deal! that means my mother survived all this long... and he said it was because my father claimed her as Amra wants to claim me... So you see, I am not only happy because I could see my mother, and father... but because I feel like a big relief knowing "time" itself won't be a problem... I do not have to worry anymore and it does make me quite happy, I feel like I really can enjoy myself with him..."

A little pause made Amra stand up and hold her, he lifted her chin up and smiled at her. A soft kiss made her blush and all her body was filled with goosebumps as he pressed his forehead on hers "Time will not take you away from me, I will claim you, and if you let me, make you mine for the rest of eternity... and beyond..."

She smiled wide, and Elaine chuckled a little before getting up and pulling Pronab from his hand towards the outside of the room. He quietly followed and Caliope turned around to look at them both.

"You are leaving?"

"It is time for Amra to do things properly, and so we need to leave you two alone."

And as Elaine winked at both of them, she and Pronab left, closing the doors behind them. Caliope smiled and turned around to look at Amra with questions on her mind. He was pensive but he took her hands and both sat on the bed "I am not sure of the proper procedure for this, but I really want you to be happy and to have all you wished for."

"I am happy, and for the first time I feel like I have nothing to fear..."

He closed his eyes and smiled, then took her hand towards his chest and held it tight. Slowly, a thin glow started to appear; her hand that was almost a fist, slowly gave up and started to open. She could feel something different, material, forcing her to open it.

Amra whispered "What I know of this world and mine, is that there is no point living if you do not have someone to live for... A mission is something to keep you focused, a partner of life, is something to keep you alive."

And with those words, she looked at her hand and saw something strange, it was like a piece of thin and soft silk that had a soft gold translucent color. She touched it and rubbed her fingers on it, lifting her chin up a little confused but smiling widely at him; there was something on that fabric that made her shiver. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"This is a part of me, an important one... a piece of my wings..."

Caliope gasped and blushed, the memories of his ethereal wings flashed on her head. She looked down at the piece of fabric and remembered how it looked like for her, and now she was touching it.

"It is a symbolic gesture, one I hope you accept... if you would marry me..."

-

CHAPTER 24

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Caliope was holding the thin translucent fabric between her fingers and smiling, her cheeks were red. Amra cup her chin up and held it as he leaned close to kiss her lips. Her heart pounded fast and hard, and she tasted his kiss with a new found meaning "Now I want to hear your answer... I need to hear it from your own lips, my Asteria..."

She blushed even more and nodded; realizing her mouth was dry she gasped and finally whispered a firm "Yes..." and he kissed her with passion. He moved a finger over her hand and dragged the thin fabric as magnet towards her finger, he moved it in a circle and the fabric found its way to wrap around and it formed a knot. As simple as that, the fabric glowed and she felt her heart beat faster "You are all I want, you make me complete..."

The magic ring was as thin and soft as a water , but it was firm and the knot seemed impossible to break, it had a low glow but it was a true beauty beyond any mortal jewel. Caliope could not stop looking at it. He smiled watching at her oblivious self enchanted by the new present "Now my love, rest... our trip still holds necessary meetings and arrangements to make for the future."

She chuckled and perked a brow amused, looking at him "You expect me to sleep after such a present? I wont be able to sleep in days!"

He smiled at her gently, and caressed her face slowly, making her blush and lean her head on his hand "I need you resting, is the only way I can rest... I worry, you know..."

She sighed and smiled, shaking her head as she chuckled one more time before leaning on the bed next to him. Surprisingly, she yawned, finally giving up and falling asleep.

Elaine was pacing and when Amra walked in, she finally stopped. Pronab was leaning against the wall and he broke his pose as well. Amra walked straight to Pronab and once he stood in front of him, he embraced him. Pronab stood still, the action itself took him by surprise and he did not know how to react. After a few seconds, he finally let him go "I can't judge you for your past, but only for your present. I trust in you. Our father has his trust in you. Now it is time for you to let your pass go."

"I wish it was that easy..."

"Nothing is ever easy for those of your nature... you tend to think too much on consequences, and that in part is how we have you as an important part in our ranks, you think as we don't... and that is unvaluable..."

"I do not like uncertainties, and it was predicted much more for me... I don't want more, I want this war to be over, I want peace and routine..."

"No one wants this war... I wish Michael was here to help, he has experience in the three wars... but we want you to feel we trust in you, so at least, trust in us."

He nodded and finally smiled slightly, making Elaine hug him tight.

Hours later, Caliope woke up and found Amra sitting on a chair near her. He had his eyes closed and seemed resting. She slowly laid her head back on the pillow and smiled watching him and her magical ring over and over. After a while, he opened his eyes and smiled at her "You look beautiful."

She chuckled "You are biased."

"Let me remember what that means, then I will reply to you."

Caliope laughed "It means you love me, so you will always say I am beautiful even if I am not... you are inclined to be always on my side."

"Ok then..."

"Ok?"

"Yes, I am biased."

Caliope laughed and sat on the bed as he got up and walked next to her. He offered her his hand "Lets go to meet the General, he has mourned enough the loss of his second in command already."

Caliope took a shower first, and after that she put new clothes on, when she finally got together with the group, Amra looked immutable, she would have to still get used to seen him like that; as force on its own. They reunited all in the same building yet a different room, and before anyone spoke, Amra took Caliope's chair and pulled it closer to him.

Basil started the meeting "Thank you all for joining Us today. And thank you Elaine for giving me a day off."

"My pleasure Basil, it was a memorable event after all."

Caliope frowned, and then heard Amra in her mind 'Yes, you slept many hours, and over all, nothing much happened... dont worry...' She sighed and nodded, she leaned her head against his arm and continued to listen Basil talk.

"So I got in touch with the other Generals and we are aware of the meeting in a couple of weeks. As of now there is only one big question to answer. Are we preparing for a possible battle war?"

"Yes... we can not pretend the circumstances are not that important. Because they are... and we have to be ready for the worst outcome."

"I was afraid you would say that... I am not like my fellow Generals, I would prefer peace over war, but if it must happen, I will fight for our cause until I cease to exist."

"My dear General, it won't come to that... my friend."

"I really hope it doesn't, Elaine."

Amra interrupted them "It will not..."

Basil smiled and looked at him "Hearing you say that makes me more confident about it Amrafel, and I know you do not want war just as me..."

Amra nodded as he put an arm around Caliope's shoulder, making her smile and lean closer. After a few more words, the meeting was over. They programed another trip around the facilities and then a day off for them to spend as they wished.

When Caliope looked up in the big sky dome, she tried to figure out if it was really afternoon or night. She was aware that a couple of hours had passed, but she was not really sure what time of day was below all that fake sky.

"I find it fascinating how they created a village here and everyone seems to live happy." Elaine was admiring the dome.

Pronab shook his head "Angels were not meant to hide in order to live."

"If we want humans to survive and live without our interference, that is what we should do... they seem happy here."

The woman nodded "They are all happy, and they enjoy taking some time away from war. Outside nothing is certain... Basil wanted to create a haven below earth as sanctuary for our kind."

Pronab frowned "I would not be happy for a long time here, I need fresh air from time to time."

The woman chuckled "Everyone here is welcome to go outside whenever they want to..."

Pronab nodded and smiled, then continued to look around as the women showed them the side gardens, replica of the main one they saw at the entrance. Amra walked besides them, in silence most of the time.

"What time of the day is it? it feels like it is never late here..." Caliope finally asked, her curiosity was too strong.

"It is only ten past seven, but we enjoy our sky more like this, as a soft afternoon." the woman replied to her kindly.

"I am still half human, I am used to see the night and darkness to show me is late and I should sleep..." Caliope admitted smiling.

"Are you tired? do you want to go back to sleep?" Amra was now concerned. He would never stop feeling as if he was not protecting her enough.

"I was just curious, so I asked... but soon I will need the bed." she chuckled and squeezed his hand. Amra smiled at her and quickly lifted her up in his arms, she gasped and blushed, and all the others laughed.

Elained stepped aside as she started to laugh at Caliope's reaction "You should remember who you say those things my dear."

"I am going to take her to rest, we will see you all tomorrow."

Everyone said their good night wishes at them both as Amra walked to the house; they crossed paths with a couple of Angels who looked at them and smiled. Caliope felt a bit embarrassed and blushed more, trying to hide her face on his neck. Once inside the house, he laid her on the bed and smiled at her. She squealed "Quit spoiling me already!" chuckling non stop.

Amra smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. He then started to walk outside the room and she erased that smile from her face "You are leaving?"

"I don't want you distracted, I prefer you sleeping and resting..."

"Distracted? I want to lay next to you."

"and... I..." he hesitated and seemed to have a hard time finding the words to express himself and she sat on the bed quickly, looking at him now worried "You are doing a good job scaring me. What is happening?"

"Nothing really."

"Can you please come sit with me?"

He nodded and slowly walked back next to her, and moving a bit sideways he sat in front of her. She quickly took his hands in hers and smiled "Talk to me, please?"

"I don't want to interfere in your sleep, my love."

"I thought you already learned to control that, is all ok?"

He seemed hesitant and she found that a bit strange. She squeezed his hands and he smiled at her "You promised to be honest with me, always..."

He sighed "I want to do more than sleep when I am near you..."

She blushed deeply at his confession, and giggled softly. He lowered his head and she smiled widely, feeling breathless at such simple human reactions coming from him "Let me tell you something... you don't need to ask permission for it... you don't need to schedule anything... I really... I really want to be with you too... it is just that, we women are better at hiding it."

He chuckled and leaned to kiss her softly. She returned the kiss with a bigger intensity and he quickly pushed away any self control he was practicing. He pulled her towards him firmly with an arm, as his lips locked around hers. She gasped and digged her fingers on his back tangling her tongue with his. It was more than just desire, it was need for the other. When they both laid naked on the bed, he felt her reply in every single form of love it was known to him. She closed her eyes and left herself go; her hands touched every part of him, exploring his shape and form, caressing his most sensitive spots. He found new ways of pleasure in her and she broke down in tears of joy when he took the time to touch her as he wanted to touch her from so long ago. He growled lowly, biting her shoulder as he sank into her, and she whimpered breathlessly when she felt his manhood throb and arouse her even more from inside. Briefly, she wondered why she held back from enjoying his touched more often. When they both collapsed gasping for air, he whispered to her "every time... it just gets more intense... and I am getting too addicted to you, my Asteria... I just want you more and more..." She smiled, snuggled in his arms and kissed him, closing her eyes to give in, worn out and tired.

When Caliope started to open her eyes, she found Amra standing naked in front of the bathroom door. He turned around to smile at her and walked back to bed "I am very proud of us..."

"You are? why?" she smiled at him while she stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes.

"It is morning, we did not slept more than just enough." She chuckled and pulled him closer to her in a hug. He caressed her face and leaned more to kiss her lips softly. Once they finally got up, Elaine and Pronab were both waiting for them at the door. Pronab chuckled as both walked out, and winked at Caliope with a smirk "What happened?" she asked curiously.