Walking Among the Shadows: Awakening: Revised Edition (28 page)

“Who said we aren’t?”

“Are you saying that even the
Baraqu are addicted to their power source?”

“That is a simple question
that has a complicated answer.. How do you feel right now?”

“I feel great! I feel like I
can do anything. Like nothing can touch me and I have no worries or burdens
tying me down; preventing me from doing anything my mind and heart desires.”

“Now tell me, Aiden, when was
the last time you’ve felt this way?”

“Never! I’ve never felt this
great in my life!”

“Now tell me, would you like
this to be the last time you feel this way?”

“No! Of course not. If I could
I would feel this way all the time.”

“Would you be willing to do
anything to keep having this feeling?”

The question of what I was
willing to do for this power made me pause and think. What would I do, what was
I capable of doing for this power and feeling? I couldn’t deny my excitement
and connection to this energy that flowed through my body and how it affected
my physical, mental, and emotional state of being. I was like a boy
experiencing sex for the first time; the world seemed different now. Everything
seemed enhanced and I now had something else to pursue that made me feel
incredible.

But what was I willing to do
to keep this feeling alive? Would I lie, deceive, murder, and betray? The same
things people today are willing to do for sex, money, fame, or other carnal
desires. I could say no I wouldn’t but in reality would I be lying to myself
and Jaffrey? The sound of Jaffrey calling my name awoke me from my deep thought
concerning his last question.

“Relax Aiden, the fact that
the question made you think is a good thing. If this same question was asked of
a Shadow they would respond almost instantaneously that they would be willing
to do anything. As Baraqu we cannot be willing to do anything. We must have a
code of honor and ethics. What helps us to reign in our unbridled desires of
power and conquest at all costs is the source of our power. Positive energy,
whether it’s emotional or natural, the source that feeds our powers engulfs us
in an aura of peace and positive thought. It keeps us grounded and focused on
what’s important. It helps us shed selfish intentions and aggressive actions.
We want to protect and heal, not destroy. Sometimes to do so we must become a
force of power but only to protect those who can’t protect themselves from
forces far more powerful. Are we immune to selfishness and abuse of our powers?
No, but we are more suited to fight those desires because of the source of our
powers.”

“But I just noticed you made a
difference between emotional positive energy and natural—what’s the
difference?”

“Emotional positive energy is
the positive output that living things exude when they are experiencing
euphoria or guiltless satisfaction.”

“Guiltless satisfaction?”

“Yes, you see, even though
having sex with a beautiful woman may give you a good feeling, if that
beautiful woman is someone else’s wife then that energy cannot be used or
harnessed by a Baraqu. We can’t use the feelings of satisfaction that derive
from an act of negativity. If we could then that wouldn’t make us any different
from the Shadows. Natural positive energy is what scientists refer to as the
building blocks of creation. The energy that creates the perfect scenario for
life to begin. The energy that allows things to grow, the energy that creates
tropical paradises and perfect weather. It’s the energy of creation itself and
it allows the birds to fly, the seasons to change, and the trees to produce the
oxygen we breathe. It is the energy of order.”

“So that would make natural
negative energy the opposite?”

“No, natural negative energy
is not destructive in nature; you have to look at it as the other side of the
same coin. You can’t have a coin without two sides. Natural negative energy
causes the change from night till day. It causes the coldness of winter and for
the trees to lay dormant. It causes volcanoes to erupt and it causes the
thunderstorms and severe weather we experience every day. Is natural negative
energy evil? No, it is not, but how it’s used can be. It is an aggressive
energy, full of passion and force and can cause the person that harnesses this
power to mimic its energy. Before the great fall and divide when the Immaru
were whole and complete, they  would use cosmic negative energy on the field of
battle and would use positive energy to heal the wounded and for protection. We
were never meant to be divided and to solely use one kind of natural energy.”

“But what’s so special about
natural negative energy? I mean like you said before positive energy is more
powerful, right?”

“Yes, but when it comes to
matters of war, the power of a singularity or a black hole is more useful than
sunshine, don’t you think?”

How so? The sun is so hot it
can burn entire planets!”

“That is true, but a black
hole can consume entire galaxies, including your sun.”

“Oh yeah, you got me there. So
it’s like rock, paper, and scissors, huh?”

“I guess you can say that. You
use the energy that best suits the situation and in war natural negative energy
is perfection.”

“So if the Immaru use both
energies, why is what the Shadows are doing so evil?”

“Because they are not using
natural negative energy but negative emotional energy created by the pain and
suffering of mankind. They are purposefully causing humans and this planet pain
so that they can harness the negative emotional energy. It’s not natural nor is
it an energy that should have ever been introduced in this realm to be
harnessed for power.”

“But Jaffrey, people suffer
every day, that has been human history from the beginning. Pain and suffering,
death and war.”

“Yes, as humans they are one
of the most violent species ever created but only because like sheep they’ve
been led to relate pain to reality by men of power who are puppets of the
Shadows.”

“They? Are we not humans as
well?”

“No, Baraqu or those blessed
with the bloodline of the Immaru are not human. We are something more.”

“But how can we save a race of
people we refuse to relate to? We have human blood running through our veins as
well, Jaffrey. Don’t you think it’s kind of arrogant to believe we are more?”

“How is it arrogant to state
facts about our lineage? We are not human nor are we from this realm.”

“So are you saying that your
goal is to go back to where the Immaru are from?”

“If the Creator wills it…yes!
We will attempt to return to our place of origin.”

I was very confused because on
one hand I was being given the keys to save humanity, but at the same time I
was being torn from it. I felt human; even with all this power within my
control I still felt in essence human. I could tell Jaffrey was worried about
how I was taking everything so he called it a day and said we could continue
training tomorrow.

Another sleepless night trying
to make sense of everything I was taught today. What was even more amazing to
me was that I was able to comprehend all this madness. Most would have been
driven crazy by now and honestly I could relate because it was definitely an
information overload. But the vast amount of information didn’t worry me. Not
even the fact that I was now able to manipulate time and space. What disturbed
me the most was Jaffrey’s outlook on the human race. Even though he said we
were given the responsibility to protect humans, I could still sense resentment
from him. As if he was sworn to protect us but didn’t like the idea of serving
an inferior species. That is the very thing that causes so much division and
death in the World today. Racism being one of the worse by products of that
kind of thinking. My best friend is African American and I have sat through
many angry rants from him concerning how the color of his skin creates fear and
resentment in others who have no idea the type of person he is. And here I was
in the company of probably one of the oldest and knowledgeable men on the
planet; but he seemed to still have some hang-ups about the charter of the
Baraqu bloodline. And to make matters worse he possessed a power that could lay
waste to the entire planet and he felt like this planet was beneath him.

I already had reservations
about joining their cause and his attitude towards the human race didn’t make
it any better. His outlook on his responsibility was similar to a police
officer from a bad neighborhood who now patrols that very neighborhood. It’s
his job to “serve and protect,” so he does it but he hates and resents the
people and area he’s protecting. It’s not a good combination and we’re reminded
of this in the news about cops abusing their powers. I hope his comments were
another test and he would come clean and say it was to see how I would respond;
because if he was for real I feared that if the oldest of the Baraqu felt like
this, I could only imagine what was in the minds of those who looked up to him
or shared his views.

Even if we were the
descendants of a superior alien race, we were still part human and I kind of
doubted that if there were any Immaru left that they would welcome half- breeds
like us. But what did I know? I was only seventeen and a few days into my
revelation of who and what I was. Over the next few days my training with
Jaffrey became more intense and he continuously pushed me beyond my physical,
emotional, and mental limits. I went from boxes to relocating an entire
battalion of tanks from a military depot in Russia to the Alps and back; all
within the same time-and-space bracket. Instantaneous teleportation is what he
called it. I learned how to not only teleport things but myself as well. It
didn’t matter if the object was alive or inanimate. If it was made up of time
and space, I could manipulate it.

My favorite lessons were those
using the elements of the periodic table for aggressive combat. From fire to
actually creating a safe made of titanium out of thin air and then changing
that safe’s make up from titanium to water. I also learned how to change
landscapes and shatter entire mountain ranges. Most of the time I was terrified
of the power I displayed and I would either hesitate or hold back; which made
Jaffrey pretty angry. I had to keep reminding him that not less than a few
weeks ago I thought I was turning into a serial killer and today I was a real
live action figure with powers included. Kung Fu grip sold separately.
Sometimes I would do things beyond what Jaffrey would expect or ask. I would
ask him, “Isn’t that badass?” He would just roll his eyes and warn me to stay
focused and humble and continue as he instructed. Before long I became very
comfortable tapping into the positive energy that surrounded me and using my
powers. I began to lose the concept of time and had no idea how long I’d been
training with Jaffrey. It could have been weeks, or months. I had no thoughts
of the outside world, my school, friends, or even my family; just training and
all the knowledge that Jaffrey was sharing with me about the history of our
bloodline.

A
fter a
while I could feel Jaffrey warming up to me and our training sessions became
more personal and we both began to relax more. One day after going through battle
training that involved fire and teleportation against conventional weapons; we
were sitting having a meal when I reflected on all the power and skill I
displayed during my training. I didn’t mean to be boastful but I was absolutely
badass and couldn’t see anyone or anything stopping me. I mean it was like I
could conjure up whatever I could imagine. How could anyone stop that? So it
was confusing as to how the Baraqu, who centuries ago numbered in the thousands
allowed the weaker order of the Shadows to take control of this realm?

I didn’t want to ask because
Jaffrey could be extremely long-winded when he spoke. I would think I was
asking a simple question that should take a few seconds or minutes to answer
and before I knew it I was being lectured for hours. I chalked it up to him
being thousands of years old filled with so much knowledge that it was
impossible for him to give an answer that wasn’t detailed. But the question
plagued me and I decided it was worth the long answer. So I asked him and his
answer sent a chill up my spine and removed all thoughts of invincible
“badassness” from me instantly.

The story went that after the
great divide and the discovery of the effects of negative emotional energy, the
Shadows went on a campaign to destroy humanity. Destroying entire civilizations
just for that quick hit of negative energy, which pain, suffering, and death
produced. The Shadows were driven mad with power and were well on their way to
eradicating all human life in this realm. But a secret order from within the human
ranks rose up. The Kashaptu or the Order of the Wiccan—witches and warlocks
gifted with the knowledge to fight back against the Shadow demons. To this day
no one knew where they received the knowledge of “binding,” but this spell was
like a blocker or inhibitor for Shadows and Baraqu. If this spell was cast, we
couldn’t use our powers and would be vulnerable and easily dispatched.

The Kashaptu didn’t
differentiate between the Baraqu and the Shadows and they declared war on both
factions. Eventually a truce between the Baraqu and the Kashaptu was reached
once they realized the purpose of the Baraqu was to protect mankind, not
destroy it. But then along came Alal, half Shadow, half Warlock. Soon the
legend of his power spread over the entire planet and he created his own order
of Kashaptu and they waged war against mankind and the Baraqu. With some Wiccan
still on the Baraqu’s side they were able to combat any binding spells that the
opposing side would cast, but then things changed when the hybrid Anshargal was
murdered. After the massacre of several thousand Baraqu at the hands of the 
Shadows while being binded by the Kashaptu, the order of the Baraqu decided to
wage war against all Kashaptu regardless of allegiances. Soon witches and
warlocks were being burned at the stake and tortured to admit they worshipped
the devil. This caused great numbers of the Wiccan to side with the Shadows and
their skills of binding were used to hunt down every Baraqu on the planet. The
Baraqu were powerless to stop the onslaught and the reign of the Shadows began.
The Dark Ages wasn’t named because of the black plague but because of the
Shadows coming into power. Eventually the number of Baraqu Warriors being born
became less over the centuries until none were born at all. With the planet
being controlled by negative energy nature’s natural selection kicked in and
only produced more Shadows. Soon only people who possessed powers within the
realm of reality were born, but none with the ability to control time and space
like Jaffrey and me. Men and women that were born with special physical or
psychic abilities were the norm nowadays for Baraqu. Jaffrey referred to them
simply as Baraq and not Baraqu. The Baraq were those blessed with the bloodline
but not the full ability of the Baraqu. He explained that it was in error that
people called them Baraqu. They were not Baraqu but a watered-down and weaker
version of the Baraqu. They were effective in their own way but were nowhere
near as powerful as he and I.

It had been so long since
anyone had direct contact with an actual Baraqu that many believed they were a
myth or fairytale. That only the Shadows ever existed and the Baraqu were an
idea created to give those fighting against them inspiration to keep fighting a
losing battle. Jaffrey’s existence has been kept a secret from all besides a
select few and my grandfather was among them. Baraqu and Baraq were forbidden
from exposing their powers or practicing their powers in front of normal
humans. It is a rule that has no leniency and punishment was banishment from
the order. In the old days punishment was death, but with the odds stacking up
against the Baraqu they revised the punishment scale. Can’t keep killing off
your allies when their numbers are so few.

So in a nutshell, we were
completely and hopelessly outgunned, outmaneuvered, and outnumbered. Yeah, this
revelation made me even more enthused about joining their ranks. Not! Also with
positive energy being a rare commodity in today’s world I was even more limited
in my effectiveness. After listening to this side of things I suddenly felt
less omnipotent and all-powerful. I felt like a kid in a candy store with a
pocket full of money but no one working the register. I had all this potential
and no way of realizing it. It was a depressing revelation.

Hand-to-hand combat as well as
weapons training became an important part of my training after our talk.
Jaffrey wanted me to be able to defend myself effectively if I found myself in
the company of witches and warlocks. I thought I was well trained in martial
arts but after going a few rounds with Jaffrey he revealed to me something
totally different. What I had been taught was a watered-down version of what
martial arts originally was. Jaffrey was more effective and aggressive with his
training. He taught me how to overcome my adversary in three moves or less. I
was used to about seven moves or less so you can imagine my surprise when I
learned I was overextending a confrontation. A confrontation that could be
against a more powerful foe than your average mugger or schoolyard bully. When
I told him the story about my fight with the senior quarterback I thought he
would be proud of how quickly I ended it. But he wasn’t, he was alarmed that I
allowed it to continue past the first action of physical contact.

He said that the action of the
quarterback reaching out to push me should have been the first of a two-move
confrontation; it should have never progressed to me striking him in the throat
and stomach. He wanted me to learn how to keep a confrontation as brief and
deadly as possible. He kept repeating over and over again, “Let you be your
enemy’s last confrontation or one he’ll never forget.” Speed and precision were
paramount in my hand-to-hand combat training and learning every pressure point
on the human body was essential in successfully completing this training.

There were also other things I
learned about my abilities that I could use if I ever found myself being bound
by a spell casted by a witch. We possessed the ability to change the makeup and
density of our bodies. Give more density to your bones and muscles and you
possess superhuman strength. Add more density to your outer skin and you could
withstand gunfire and knife attacks. It took a lot of concentration to maintain
the changes I could do to my body but the benefits were incredible. I could run
faster than a speeding car, jump higher, lift an SUV with one arm, and
withstand a direct hit from a grenade launcher. One thing that kind of
sucked…you couldn’t do away with the pain. If you got hit by a bullet you
wouldn’t die but you’d wished you had. More density meant more nerves per
square inch; more nerves meant higher sensitivity to pain and boy was the
sensitivity turned up to the max. Jaffrey always reminded me that no matter
what you did there was always a response or reaction from the universe. Some
good, some bad, but there was a price for everything.

Changing the natural makeup of
one’s body meant that you gained certain benefits but there was also a price to
pay and excessive pain was the currency of choice. So I had to endure another
course of training on how to withstand pain and function as normally as
possible. Training with Jaffrey was harsh and unapologetic. He knew what I was
up against and he wanted me prepared. The confrontation with Jason was pure
luck and had he known what and who I was before I did he would have killed me
quickly and there would have been nothing I could have done to stop him.

He trained me on how to fight
a Shadow and anticipate how they would come at me. They were masters of
deception and perception. They could change the entire scene of battle by a
thought. They could project negative energy and images all around you. They
could create an environment of despair and pain. These were their most powerful
and greatest weapons against the Baraqu. I had to become a master of my own
mind and emotions to not let them control how I thought or felt. If my mood and
thought patterns became negative and tainted with fear and hate my powers would
become ineffective and I would be defeated before the first blow was thrown.
The mind was the most important tool in battle and I needed to sharpen it to a
razor finish.

Sometimes during my training I
thought about my mom and Sarah, hoping they were all right. Jaffrey assured me
that they were being protected and their whereabouts were not known at the
moment by the Shadows. But he also warned me of my lack of focus during my
training. I wanted to listen but the teenager in me wasn’t having it. I would
constantly allow my consciousness to wander outside of this place and look in
on my family. Even though I wanted to trust Jaffrey, I couldn’t. I trusted
another man besides my father and that man tried to murder us. I vowed to never
make that mistake again and I aimed to keep it. So I never told Jaffrey of my
ability to travel outside these walls without my body. He never mentioned the
Baraqu possessed this ability in my training nor did I want to bring it up. I’m
sure he had his secrets and it was only fair that I had mine. I thought about
Manny too and how I was going to kick his ass for knocking me out like that. I
was still sore about the whole scene that played out that night and I wasn’t
planning on letting it go anytime soon. After so many days of training I became
comfortable in my daily routine and started to get a sense of normalcy back. As
if that was even possible in my situation. But then something happened that
removed that sense of routine once and for all and changed my life forever.

One night I decided to whisk
away again from Jaffrey’s basement abode and look in on my family. They were
eating dinner and the mood was much better than it had been in a while. Sarah
seemed more upbeat and my mom was completely healed from her encounter with
Jason. They were all laughing at the table, talking about the good ole times
when Manny, Sarah, and I were much younger. At this moment I felt a yearning to
rejoin with them. I realized just how much I missed them and needed them in my
life. I just remained there in the kitchen, listening and watching them. Then I
heard it. It was like a very low screech and then a murmuring. It was coming
from outside in the backyard of my grandparents’ home. As much as I wanted to
stay something compelled my consciousness to move outside to see what made that
noise. It was particularly cool on that night and much darker than usual. To an
untrained eye it just seemed like bad weather or a cold dark night. But
something felt off, something felt wrong. Like an evil presence was stalking
this house and soon when the time was right it would attack. I was moving
across the backyard looking for anything unusual but I didn’t find anything.
The murmuring had stopped as soon as my consciousness moved outside so I
couldn’t pinpoint where the sound came from.

After moving over the yard
several times I decided to head back inside and then I heard it again. This
time it was louder and seemed to be coming from outside the kitchen window on
the right side of the house. I quickly moved over in that direction to see what
it was before it disappeared again. As I got closer I made out what appeared to
be a cloaked shadowy figure peering in the window. The figure was pressed up
against the window, screeching and hissing and I knew exactly what it was. A
Shadow! They had found us and were here to finish the job Jason couldn’t. I
rushed over and tried to attack it but I wasn’t actually there so I had no
ability to attack the Shadow. It seemed unaware of my presence and continued to
watch my family eat dinner. It was just as hideous as Jason’s form but much
smaller but still a frightening sight regardless of its size. I just watched it
helplessly while it watched them, growling and scratching at the glass. The
Shadows were going to make their move soon to draw me out of hiding. I knew
Jaffrey would more than likely tell me I couldn’t leave, that it would jeopardize
everything we trained for, but there was no way I would leave my family
defenseless. Manny did leave security officers at the house but none of them
were any match for a Shadow. I had to do something and I had to do it now.