Chapter 206: What Is She?
The memory of Aliana lying bloodied on the road after the accident involving Cillian’s car the night he had first met her struck Gavriel differently now.
On that fateful night, she had been nothing more than a passing stranger, a fragile human woman he had pulled from the jaws of death against his very nature.
He had operated on a rare, unexplainable impulse at that time.
But looking at her now, he could no longer bear the thought of her experiencing a single moment of pain.
He did not know precisely when she had crossed the threshold from a stranger into the only person who mattered in his long, solitary existence. He didn’t understand why... but he saw no way to undo it.
The shift had occurred, and he was forever changed, bound by a fierce concern for her safety.
Ivan, who had been observing the man carefully, noticed the subtle softening in his demeanor as he spoke of his woman.
A quiet understanding settled within Ivan, because he knew exactly where that road led once a man realized he had found someone he would do absolutely anything to protect.
Yet, he could also see that Gavriel himself had not fully processed the depth of his own feelings yet.
Steering the conversation back to the mystery, Ivan asked, "Since what night? What happened that brought about such a change in her?"
Gavriel met Ivan’s gaze and briefly told them how Aliana had been involved in a car accident, and how he had happened to save her. He then explained how she had begun to be haunted by spirits, only for fate to eventually bring her to his doorstep, seeking his help.
The tale fascinated the couple as they listened to Gavriel speak.
Once he finished, Ivan and Evelyn exchanged a knowing look, a silent communication that did not escape Gavriel’s notice.
"What?" Gavriel demanded, his eyes narrowing to slits as he shifted his gaze between the two of them.
Evelyn spoke this time. "Have you ever wondered why it was only after her accident that all these things began happening to her?"
Gavriel’s brows knit together in silent question, prompting Evelyn to continue. "I believe the reason is directly attached to you."
"How so?" Gavriel demanded.
Evelyn gave him a slow nod and explained.
"My powers were once suppressed until the day I met Ivan. Physical touch is one way to establish a connection with another person, but innate powers work differently.
Whether you are a celestial being or a demon, the same principle applies throughout the universe. Our powers originate from the very core of a person’s life essence... or, you could simply call it the soul."
When Gavriel remained silent, she continued.
"What I’m trying to say is that when you decided to save her that night, she came into contact with your powers, and I believe they awakened something that had been lying dormant within her for reasons... I still don’t know. What I do believe is that your powers acted as a catalyst, allowing her own powers to finally emerge."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes holding his.
"Think of it as forcing open a door that had been locked for a very long time. A lock that had already begun to weaken with the passage of time."
Evelyn paused for a moment before asking, "You mentioned that she witnessed an evil spirit just moments before the collision, correct?"
When Gavriel gave her a sharp nod, Evelyn found her confirmation.
"Then that means her powers were already beginning to surface on their own. The lock placed upon her soul was already fracturing. When your immense power collided with hers, it caused that weakened lock to shatter. Every terrifying experience she has endured since then is simply what she was destined to face sooner or later. You merely accelerated the timeline."
A heavy silence settled over the room as Eve finished speaking.
Gavriel fell into deep thought, carefully piecing together everything he had heard until now.
What Evelyn had just told him cast a new light on a thought that had once crossed his mind. One he had dismissed far too quickly without giving it the consideration it deserved.
Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet Evelyn’s gaze, his voice a low, calculated hum. "So are you saying she is not human, but belongs to the underworld?"
"No," Eve answered with a small shake of her head. "I don’t think she falls into the demon category, but her powers are undeniably similar to yours, which is why she cannot simply be classified as either human or demon."
Ivan chimed in, leaning forward. "Her body is undeniably that of a human, but the nature of her powers are similar to your own. Right now, that combination puts her in a half-and-half category."
Gavriel’s brows knit together at the assessment.
Seizing the moment, Ivan asked, "What about her parents? Have you looked into her family history to see if anyone else possessed similar abilities?"
"I did. All of them are humans, including her parents, and none possess any kind of power, dormant or otherwise," Gavriel replied confidently. It had been the very first thing he investigated after meeting her.
Ivan and Evelyn pressed their lips together in deep thought before Evelyn spoke. "Then that can only mean one thing."
Meeting Gavriel’s intense gaze, she continued, "It is her soul. True power stems from the soul of a person. If her body is undeniably human, then it is her soul that is not."
Gavriel’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the revelation.
All this while, he had studied ancient texts and researched every known anomaly regarding unique humans, yet he had never considered the nature of Aliana’s soul. To his knowledge, humans born into the mortal realm were simply human at their core.
A soul of demons or celestial beings are never known to be born in a different realm other than their own.
Evelyn and Ivan were the only exception he knew of because their souls had been created by the Gods for a far greater purpose.
Never before had Gavriel heard of a demon being granted the same privilege of being born into the human realm. It was something forbidden... something that had never been permitted in order to preserve the balance of the world.
Then what did that make Aliana?
Who was she truly?
If she possessed the soul of a demon to begin with, then what could possibly be the purpose of her existence in the realm of the living rather than... underworld?
Questions relentlessly battered Gavriel’s mind, leaving him more unsettled with every passing second.
Ivan and Eve quietly watched the man sitting before them as he tried to make sense of everything they had just told him.
But they were not done yet. There was still another matter, one holding equal importance, that they needed to reveal to him.