Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 12:55:36 -0800 (PST) From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com> Subject: Trials of a Real Dark Knight 40 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. This story has taken on a life of its own. From its inception a year ago, I had only thought it would last ten chapters maximum. As you can see, it has grown tremendously. Mostly due to readers emailing me and telling me they've enjoyed it or have received help due to certain issues addressed. I've enjoyed writing this story but it would not have been written without men and women reading it and telling me they've enjoyed it. I do hope that you continue to enjoy each new chapter as our hero lives and grows. I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services, one of which is this yahoo email address. Some of you know them; however, in the recent weeks I've changed my screen name. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. Chapter 40 A New Day Has Come Kai-El, Huntress and Justin left to take care of whatever they had to deal with. Kai-El had her own things to attend to. And with the knowledge gained from my encounter with the Sith Lord, I wouldn't be any help. It would be too dangerous for me to be out there fighting, too easy for me to slip and fall from the good standing I had at the moment. I had a problem that I needed to rectify. Ever since the battle with Macai, I had something dark in me. I became a victim to a force that I always felt I had power over. At one time I was a victim of rape, and it was rough to get over. I let my anger give me strength, but it nearly took me over. The Huntress had to call me on it to get me to see what I was doing. Thankfully I was pulled back from the destructive road I was on. But what happened with Macai was different. I had always been a strong force in fighting dark forces. I could pray for people and they would get help. I prayed over water blessing it and making it holy water. That is how I first dealt with Turic. But since Macai, I lost my touch with the side of light and love. God was with me and strengthened me to regain my memory. And I took on God's strength to face Macai. But when the final battle actually came, something happened. I walked around the cluttered hotel room and looked at the items on the walls and tables, at the decorations, and then looking out the window. "Um, hi, God. How are things going with you? I'm sure things are going okay. You always have a way of working things out when it gets rough. You're God. "I, uh, I've gotten into some trouble." I couldn't help the tear forming in my right eye, the tear that was ready to burst forth and pour down my cheek. "I don't know what happened. I don't know what went wrong. But something did. I did. Something is dark inside me and I am afraid of what it could turn into. And I don't have any control over it. I'm scared. I don't want to turn evil. I don't want to be bad. The anger is getting too easy to give in to. "What happened, God? What happened to me? Please, tell me so I can fix it. I want to make it right." The door opened and a dark-skinned eight-year-old boy came in. "Can I help you?" I asked. "I think you have it the other way around," the boy said. "I'm here to help you." Kai-El, Huntress and Justin made their way to the beach near Kai-El's crash. "What are we looking for?" Justin asked as the three entered the heavily foliaged area. "There should be a shuttle somewhere, or signs of a shuttle landing." "They couldn't risk landing here," Huntress replied. "It would be too easily noticed." "I do not think they care whether they are discreet," Kai-El answered. "The Sith have a job to do. If they need to be sneaky, they will. But if it suits their purposes to be aggressive, aggression will be their tool." "What are your plans?" "I would like to get on board their ship. I need it to get home since my last ship was destroyed by them." After looking for a little while, no space-faring devices could be found. "What do you propose to do?" Justin asked. "I will wait until dark and radio their ship. I can mask my voice and order them to send a shuttle to pick up Darth Malice. Using the Jedi mind trick, I can get aboard the shuttle. If it is equipped with a hyper-drive, I can use it to head home." "What if it isn't?" "Then I will need to get onboard the larger ship." "I would be happy to help you," Huntress replied. "Thank you. I would appreciate all you can do." "Who are you?" I asked. "What do you want?" "I'm an answer to prayer," the boy answered. "I'm here to explain what happened." "I find it hard to believe that you know what is going on. You don't look like an angel." "It's the age appearance," the boy replied with a smile. His smile seemed to light up the room. "I look really young. But I'm not. I'm very old. But I still retain my innocence. I'm a cherub." I couldn't believe what I heard. Did cherubs truly exist? If this boy could answer my questions, he would prove his angelic nature. "Where am I from?" I asked. "Canton, Ohio." "When is my birthday?" "July thirty-first." "Who am I married to?" "Lance Bass. You realize this is all information I could have grabbed from anywhere." "Then tell me some information that can't be grabbed from anywhere." "You are also Batman. Your first adventure out you stopped a robber at a fast food restaurant that Darren and Daniel from Savage Garden happened to be patronizing. Too bad the group broke up. "You are a mutant who can manipulate molecules and your powers are accessed much easier when your emotions are running high. Need I go on?" I looked upon him narrowly. How could anyone know this information about me? "I also know about the angelic visits you've received in the past, especially during the beginning of this summer when the messenger told you about your trials. This one is the most important of them all." "I believe you," I replied. "I've been through a lot." "Yes, you have. And you still have a bit more to go through." "Will it be easy?" "It is never easy. The question is, will you have the strength to endure? And that will only be answered by how much you yield to God's love." "That's what I need so much of now. I haven't felt God's love or God's power in so long." "You were the one who did that," the cherub said matter-of-factly. "You were the one who chose not to yield to the love. It was lying on the table for you to take and consume. But you gave over to your anger. You let what Macai did to you control your emotions." "But what he did...he took my life from me. He caused so much hurt in me. I normally face off with such things on a nightly basis and win. I faced off with those in spiritual battles and overcame." "But he won. He was victorious for a time. You should know that sometimes the bad guys win. Some battles are lost. You were beaten by the Firefly when you first faced off with him. You were beaten by Ra's Al Ghul when he had the center blown up. But what did you do when you were beaten." "I found a way to overcome. With the Firefly, I trained with someone to learn how to fight. With Ra's Al Ghul, I found a new place for the center." "That's right. But when you were raped and when Macai beat you, you didn't. You didn't find another way to overcome. You became angry." "I became a victim." "And you don't like that." "No one likes being a victim. No one likes to be helpless. How many people have overcome being a victim?" "Many have, including your husband." His words took me back. It was like something slapped me in the face. I looked around for a minute and the cherub continued. "Do you know what helped him not be a victim?" I turned to the young, wise boy. "Love saved him. He was scared and ashamed and beaten. His friends didn't even know what was going on until Chris saw him. Then he told them. But in his heart, he knew that he wasn't alone. He knew something would come and deliver him. And love carried him through the horror that was going on. He was a victim, but he didn't let the anger consume him. "I don't want you to think anger is a sin. Anger is not wrong. Anger can lead to many good things. It was anger that caused Rosa Parks to not move from her seat on the bus. It was anger that caused Civil Rights Movement to take form and change laws. Anger can be a very powerful motivator. But it is not okay to sin in your anger. Anger can be a tool to use for goodness." "But I didn't do that." "No, you didn't. You let anger take a hold of you and you sought out revenge. You let anger make decisions for you. When anger is in the driver's seat, God isn't. Anger will lead you down the path of evil. In anger, hatred will bloom and hatred will cause you to suffer because you will not look at the good, only the bad. The suffering will make you seek out release and the only way that is apparent to be free of the suffering is to lash out." The reality of his words sunk in. I was suffering. Inside I was suffering and hurting and crying out for release and I didn't see it. I didn't realize what would truly be my release. "What do I do?" I asked him. "How do I end the suffering?" "Let love heal you of your wounds. Let God's power, let the power of love cleanse you. Let love be your strength and driving force. Let love be your pilot." I looked over at a picture of Lance and in his eyes I saw the love I needed. I turned to the cherub and looked in his eyes and saw the love I needed. Collapsing to the floor I cried my eyes out. "It's okay to cry," the cherub whispered. "Let the tears wash all the hurt away." As I cried, I felt the presence of God come in the room like never before. It surrounded me and penetrated me to my very soul. A new day has come A new day has come Angelic music sounded all around me along with angelic voices. I joined in. I was waiting for so long For a miracle to come Everyone told me to be strong Hold on And don't shed a tear Through the darkness and good times I knew I'd make it through And the world thought I had it all But I was waiting for you A ball of light seemed to form in the ceiling and radiate love. The light poured down like a slow rain showering me, cleansing me of what I was feeling inside. Hush now I see a light in the sky Oh, it's almost blinding me I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love Let the rain come down and wash away my tears Let it fill my soul and drown my fears Let it shatter the walls for a new sun A new day has come A new day has come Where it was dark now there's light Where there was pain now there's joy Where there was weakness I found my strength All in the eyes of a boy Hush now I see a light in the sky Oh, it's almost blinding me I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love Let the rain come down and wash away my tears Let it fill my soul and drown my fears Let it shatter the walls for a new sun A new day has come A new day has come My body seemed to be charged with the energy of love, the power of love. I felt so at peace inside, a peace I hadn't felt in a long time. Let the rain come down and wash away my tears Let it fill my soul and drown my fears Let it shatter the walls for a new sun A new day has come A new day has come Hush now I see a light in your eyes All in the eyes of a boy I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love Hush now Let the rain come down The voices faded as did the light. When I opened my eyes, I saw the young cherub looking at me, his face glowing with the light of love. He walked up to me and wiped the tears off my face. "Congratulations, Eric. There are some who never yield to love and find the solution to their suffering. They go through life suffering and dying in a horrible condition. You've taken the first step." "I know what I have to do," I replied with a smile. "Thank you so much for all you've done." "It wasn't me, Eric. It was God. I was merely the messenger bringing you what you needed, the truth. You yielded to the truth and the truth set you free. Continue to be free." "I will." The cherub turned and left the room. I wanted to take him and hold him close to me. God brought me release in such a small package. I wanted to hold it tight with gratitude. I took a deep breath and stood. I did have some things to take care of. My preparation for dealing with Turic was not over yet. It was just beginning. I needed the power of God working in my life like never before. And if there was anything I learned in Bible College and in all my years of getting close to God, fasting was a great way of putting the natural down and yielding to the spiritual. I locked the door, poured myself a glass of water and headed to the center of the room where I knelt in prayer to commune with my God. To Be Continued... I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Email me and let me know what you think. There is more to come. Would the author of "The Wraith Warlord" please email me. My mind has been turned to mush and I can't remember who sent it to me. Sorry. :o(