The Other Side -- The Beginning

In the beginning, Immortals roamed the world of Earline. Braydon Storm was the first and they followed in order, Riva Wisdom, Derek Day, Kalaina Prosperity, Erik Night, Yvonne Moon, Issac Life, Tiffany Air, Lee Sun, Avril Water, Quinton Land, and Monna Underworld. They did not know their origins or how they came to be.

When men and women started to measure time, the immortals became more interested in the habits and routines of mortals. As time went by all immortals, with the exception of Monna, started caring deeply about mortals and their welfare.

Mortals repelled Monna, who knew the fragility of the mortal life. One day she approached Braydon and declared her love to him. Braydon refused to accept Monna’s love, as she rejected his love of mortals.

One day while walking in the Unicorn Forest, Braydon saw the most beautiful creature ever. Her hair was the colour golden copper, and she sat next to a bush of crimson roses. Braydon approached this vision of beauty with care, for he wanted to engrave this memory flawlessly for all time.

When the woman finally looked up at Braydon, her kind blue eyes burned through his soul, he knew from that moment that he would do anything to make her his.

“I am Braydon Storm. May I ask what you are called?”

“I am known as Jessabel Strength, sir. Is there something I can do for you?” her voice floated like a flute whispering in the air.

“If it is not inconvenient for you, I would like to have a meal by the lake in your company,” Braydon stammered.

Jessabel blushed as she looked into Braydon’s eyes, “I would be delighted to keep company with you once I get a chaperone.”

“Tomorrow, then? When the suns are high? We can meet at the bay closest to this forest and Pegasus Mountains,” Braydon blurted.

“That would be lovely,” Jessabel sang. “What should I bring?”

“Nothing, I’ll take care of everything for tomorrow.”

“Alright then. Tomorrow. I must go now, my father is waiting for these,” Jessabel gently lifted the basket of leaves, fruit and flowers.

As Jessabel turned to leave, Braydon felt his heart jump. She moved with the grace and elegance that even an elf could not.

“Tomorrow, Jessabel, I promise you a beautiful day,” He barely whispered.

Jessabel turned and smiled with the innocence that a young child has.

As promised, the next day was beautiful and every day after that when Braydon promised to see Jessabel. The time seemed to fly when they were together and nothing could ruin the joy they shared.

However there was a dark cloud hanging over them. As time passed, Monna grew angry and jealous. She knew that to make a direct attack on Jessabel would mean facing Braydon’s fury. Slowly a plan formed, Monna knew that it would take time and she hoped that if it worked Braydon would come to her and spend their immortal lives together. If it failed, well Monna decided that it wouldn’t fail so the consequences were irrelevant.

Two years passed in the courtship between Braydon and Jessabel, when Braydon announced to everyone they met and knew that he and Jessabel would soon be married.

Monna couldn’t believe it. Her plan had just been put in place and now that they were to be married, she wouldn’t have a chance of getting Braydon, let alone break them up. Monna had to resort to a more drastic approach, but still, she had to take care so as not to raise Braydon’s suspicions.

On the day of the wedding Monna gave Jessabel the gift of a rose beyond description in beauty and said, it was to help her remember her roots for her wedding gift. Upon touching the rose, it wilted and died in Jessabel’s hand. Braydon upon seeing the stricken look on Jessabel’s face smiled.

“Fear not my love, a rose will fade and die. Your beauty is beyond that of a rose and grows every day within you. It can never fade or die.”

Eleven months after their wedding, Jessabel and Braydon were blessed with a son, which they named Mechal Strength after Jessabel’s father.

As time passed the other immortals married mortals and all were happy. Monna, however started to become careless in her actions and forced to answer for some of them against mortals. She had become despondent with the birth of Mechal and although she hid her true feelings, she was not as cautious as she needed to be. With every spell and subtle attack on Jessabel’s mind, Monna would leave a trace of magic which occurred more often.

One day, the sky was clear, the sun shone brightly through the window to where Jessabel and Mechal were baking a peach pie. The day had started beautifully and Jessabel could not understand why she felt a dark cloud hanging over her. This day was no different from other days when Braydon was out, with the exception that felt much darker. With each passing moment, Jessabel’s heart grew heavier.

Mechal sensing the approach of his father coming toward the house; turned to race over and open the door. Suddenly, Jessabel turned towards Mechal and lifted a slender knife no wider than the pinkie finger of her three-year-old son. Just as Mechal started to open the door, Jessabel lunged cutting Mechal’s face from the corner of his right eye down to just below the jaw line.

As Jessabel raised her hand to bring down the knife upon Mechal again, Braydon pushed the door wide and caught her wrist with a large powerful hand while scooping Mechal up and out of harms way. As Braydon set Mechal down and turned to grab hold of Jessabel, the cloud that had seemed to shroud Jessabel’s sight faded. Shaking, realization dawned upon her as to the awful deed she had just committed. Braydon guided Jessabel to a chair as she stared dumbfounded at him. Braydon turned to Mechal and waved his hand over Mechal’s face to stop the bleeding and start the healing process. Then Braydon turned back to Jessabel.

“I will take Mechal over to Riva’s until we get this sorted out. Please just sit and wait for me here. I shall not be long.”

The moment Braydon closed the door behind him, Jessabel broke down into tears.

“I nearly killed my son! Please, oh please forgive me! I cannot allow this to ever happen again! Please my darling husband, make our son understand that this is for the best!”
With the realization and guilt of what she had done Jessabel lifted the knife that she had used on Mechal, Jessabel drove it into her heart.

When Braydon returned home and found Jessabel, he swore to discover the cause behind Jessabel’s pain. Never had the thought crossed his mind as to anyone taking his or her own life, for it had never happened in the entire history of Earline.

As night set in and Braydon prepared the funeral tier, Riva returned with Mechal to say farewell to his mother. Carefully lighting the tier, Braydon lifted Mechal to him. Raising his right hand Braydon pointed to an empty spot in the night sky.

“Your mother’s soul will rest there, Mechal. Every night you may look upon it and know that she did love you and that I shall not rest until this evil deed has been uncovered. Every year when this day comes the star will burn brighter for three days, the day before, the day of and the day after as a reminder to all that we love your mother and she loved us. The star is to give hope that there is something better and that who is behind this shall not prevail.”




As the years passed Mechal and Braydon spent a great deal of time with Riva, her husband, Dominic and their daughter Sheanna. That time was quiet and uneventful as Mechal and Sheanna grew up.

It was a bright and clear day when Mechal asked Sheanna to walk along the forest path where Braydon had met Jessabel.

“She,” Mechal whispered. “I need to ask you something.”

“Yes?” Sheanna responded hesitantly.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes, oh yes! I’ll marry you!” Sheanna beamed through the tears streaming down her ivory face.

For many years after their marriage, Mechal and Sheanna were happy most of the time. The days when Mechal thought of his mother and the events that had transpired during his young life, he would withdraw and go deep into the forested mountains around their home. On those occasions Mechal would caress the slender scar that had been left from the attack and wonder why it had to happen, slowly that wondering turned to anger and confusion.

One day Mechal had just returned from one of his lonely excursions, when Sheanna nearly leapt into his arms.

“Oh, my darling! I’m so glad your home. I have wonderful news for you!”

“And just what would that be, dear? Our parents coming over for a visit?”

“No, silly,” Sheanna pouted. “We are going to have little ones running around soon. I’m pregnant!”

“That’s wonderful, love,” Mechal exclaimed as he swept her off her feet.

Late that night Mechal sat watching Sheanna sleeping and felt a pain from long ago resurface. Could he be a father, would he hurt his children as he had been hurt? Hundreds of questions and doubts burst forth as he sat there. For many days Mechal questioned the wisdom of having a child, slowly a new feeling started to emerge. As the days started to pass slower for Mechal in the hustle and bustle of events and preparations taking place anger started to surface and a hatred that he had never known.

Late one night before the birth of his child, Mechal got up and walked out the door, fear, anger and hatred moving him and separating him from the only sanity that was left to him.


“Come, now, we must hurry! The time is almost at hand,” Draydan Prophecy spoke.

Leara Love turned and rolled her lively blue eyes skyward, “Draydan, darling. Please calm yourself. We have done everything we can for now. All the children are sharing their knowledge and the barrier is still maintained. Jamie and I are doing what we can to ensure everyone is where we need them to be,” she drawled.

“But what of the children of direct descent? Without the understanding of the power they hold, isn’t everything lost?” Draydan demanded.

“As soon as they are ready we will approach them,” Isabel Sight sighed as she turned.

“Draydan, there is only one thing you can do right now, and that is to ensure that you have done your part and given out the prophecies, whether or not anyone understands them or misinterprets them,” Michelle Plants responded patiently. “Leara will seed the land, Jamie will protect and teach, Isabel will open their eyes and we will all do what we must.”

“Michelle is right, Draydan,” Jamie Courage quietly spoke from the window. “It may be difficult, but try to have patience. We must try and do everything we can, or Sheanna will be lost to all of us and Mechal will destroy the world we all love.”

Leara walked over to the window and took Jamie’s hand. Looking down upon the Garden of Prophecy, they watched Helen Towers, a descendant of Isabel and Draydan; wander up and down the paths trying to find a peace from the awakening powers within her.

“Isabel,” Leara barely whispered. “You must visit Helen soon. Jamie and I will attend to the young ones tomorrow. It is up to you to decide about Helen now, just remember that the powers that have lain dormant for so long are awakening now and that if you wait to long, Helen may not be able to deal with it.” Turning to look at Draydan, with the sun gleaming off her bright red hair Leara sternly reprimanded, “Have you made your choice yet?”

“I have chosen one, Leara. He is a young one and fears his own shadow,” Draydan responded repentantly. “It seems I still get ahead of myself.”

“We can all do our parts now,” Jamie glared at Draydan. “You are still young in comparison to some of us, Draydan. Many of us feel impatient as well. It is how we deal with that impatience that will determine the final outcome.”

“Indeed, but we must all work together. Rushing will get us nowhere fast. Let us get to the tasks set before us now,” Leara quietly vocalized as she faded before vanishing from the tower.