With their love finally out in the open, sealing their commitment to one another, they could finally talk about a shared future. Lately, those talks had focused entirely on life after the war. Avril had a strange optimism, explaining that the Essenes believed everything was working toward the betterment of the world. Jimmy found himself a bit baffled by it. Did these Essenes actually possess the ability to tell the future? Regardless of his confusion, he took comfort in her certainty that Earth's future didn't involve a Russian dictatorship taking over.
Jimmy stroked Avril's hair as she rested her head against his chest. "I would like for that to be true," he said. They reclined together in her room after dinner, enjoying a rare moment of peace. Merc and Samson had taken the night patrol, while Lynn and Griff talked strategy—debating the Denver Militia Recovery Company objectives now that Merc was on board. To Jimmy, their endless talk of expansions and contract negotiations was just tedious noise. He was quite happy to be excluded, content to hold the love of his life and whisper about their future.
"Well, if everything is going to be all happy go lucky in our future," he said, twirling her auburn locks with his fingers. "We should start our family right after the war ends."
"And if war is here when we grow old?" Avril asked. She knew the fighting would eventually cease, and she clung to the hope that humanity would prevail—she just had no idea when. She had pressed her teachers for a timeline, but a definitive answer never came. They offered the same recycled refrain: "The right time will come, and you will know all that is important for you to know." A seemingly cut and dry answer for all future related questions.
"Okay..." he said as he took a moment to think, "we know this war will end, and we know that it will work out for everyone's benefit...so, maybe we just let the chips fall where they may. If we do have children while the war is going on, we'll just hike on over to Brazil with our family and raise them there. When the war ends, then we'll get back to normal living."
"That not very good, this world not to be normal again," Avril sighed. "We fight with war. We not to have children. Not responsible to do."
"Quoting you just now," he said, raising his head to look at her face, "nothing in this world is ever going to be normal again. What if being responsible isn't normal any more?"
"I cannot say," she answered. His logic made sense, but it didn't change the reality of her commitment to the war effort until she turned fifty. If the war did end before her childbearing years passed, they would be fortunate indeed. She smiled to herself, holding tight to a secret intuition: she was going to babies with him—someday. She often pictured a house full of children, specifically two boys and two girls. "If we have blessing of children," she murmured, "I...we to have four."
"Not all at once, right?" He asked, a little concerned. "I have to tell you that twins run on my side of the family and hit every other generation. I, uh, am in that generational field."
"Twins!" Avril propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him squarely. "We to not have two with diapers at same time. Space between for me, please."
"I can't promise that," Jimmy grinned. "Consider yourself warned."
"Maybe war not bad thing," she mumbled. And continued in Hebrew under her breath. "Oli, HaMetanah Tovah." Meaning, maybe waiting is good.
"So, four, huh?" He put his head back down and one arm under his head and thought about the prospect of four kids. All boys he hoped. They would have their own basketball team. He might even be lucky enough to have his boys tall like his father, six foot-five. Jimmy was a little over six foot himself, but still considered the shortest male in his family.
"We only have girls after the war," he insisted.
"You no make rules," Avril fussed. "What comes, comes. We be happy for boy or girl."
"I'd rather have more boys than girls," he chuckled. But when he looked into the face of his mate, he knew he would love a daughter. One who looked just like her mother. He pulled his arm free to hold Avril tightly. Goddamn this war, he thought. He would give anything to start his family right then and there. "At least one girl, we gotta have one girl." He whispered into the silence of the room.
"We to have two," Avril said firmly. "Two boy, two girl."
"Do you have any names picked out?" he asked.
"I have big family," she said without thinking, "we have many names to choose."
"One boy has to have my father's name," said Jimmy. "Mathias. The firstborn will have my name, Elijah James Westphal...of course he'll be a junior."
"Your name Elijah?" she asked, curious why he never told her that earlier. "This is very good name. I like my son name Elijah."
"Good," he said, thinking about his little squad of short people that would fill his life. "But we will just call him Junior."
"Why?"
"It's either that or shorty.'"
"That not to happen," she said flatly. "We call my son Elijah."
"He's my son too, you know," he interjected harshly. "We're going to call him Junior."
"Then I have only girls," she countered.
"Women do not determine the sex of a child," Jimmy said hotly. "I will determine my children's sex."
"My body," Avril said as she sat up and looked at him with angry eyes. "I make only girls."
"You're crazy," Jimmy said as he tried not to smile. They were having their first argument over imaginary children. "No, we're both crazy. We should just wait until the kids come, and then argue over names." Both of them laughed when the impact of the conversation settled into their minds.
"I never asked," he said as he sat up, looking at the mother of his future children. "Do you even know how to cook?"
"I make Challah by hand," she said proudly. "I prepare with mother all festival foods for holy days. I am good cook"
"Good," he said as he leaned over to kiss her. "At least we won't starve."
"You to stay tonight?" she asked.
"I've got the early shift tomorrow," he answered. "I can stay but I have to get up very early." He slowly rose from the bed and bent to kiss his love passionately.
"Yes, I know," she answered. "I love you."
She reached for him, pulling him close until the space between them vanished and he lay atop her. A sudden, stray thought struck her—whenever they did have kids they would be welcome. But there was one non-negotiable: no child of hers was going to be named Junior. She'd have to set Jimmy straight on that long before she became pregnant. Looking into his dark eyes, she let out a soft sigh. Then again, if it made him truly happy, maybe she could learn to live with a silly name. She smiled against his lips as his arms wrapped around her, erasing all the future thoughts and leaving only the heat of his mouth against hers as passion replaced idea with emotion.
Jimmy stared at the ceiling in the quiet, dark room, listening to Avril's steady breathing beside him. They weren't even parents yet, but he already loved the thought of it—four kids. He smiled, imagining walking through the front door to a bustling house, Avril waiting for him, and a gaggle of children racing to greet him. In his mind, they were all the same size: knee-high, rambunctious, and ideally, two sets of twins. Avril would get her two boys and two girls, and she'd just have to accept the chaotic diaper situation. Holding onto that vision of Avril as mommy and himself as daddy, he drifted off into a deep, happy sleep.
Waking early to an empty bed, Avril rushed to the cafeteria to surprise Jimmy before he left on patrol. She prepared crispy latkes and soft strawberry crepes—the exact breakfast he usually ordered from the line cooks. Though she'd secretly begged those same cooks for a bit of guidance, she was determined to prove she could hold her own in the kitchen. When Jimmy arrived in the dining area, freshly showered and uniform-crisp, his eyes widened. Avril was already waiting at a beautifully set table, his coffee steaming in front of an empty chair. Sitting down, he flashed his sweetheart a brilliant smile, easily losing himself in the moment. The warmth of last night's dreams bled into the morning, and as he looked at her, he couldn't help but fantasize about the day they'd be sharing a breakfast table in a home of their own.
"This is a wonderful breakfast," Jimmy said sweetly and sipped his coffee. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
"I know," she said, returning his sweet smile. They sat in contented silence until Sampson trotted into the dining room and barked. Jimmy checked his watch, gasped at the time, and jumped up to kiss Avril goodbye—a hurried routine that would one day play out exactly the same way at a kitchen table in their future. As Jimmy and Sampson disappeared out the door, Avril gathered the dishes. She scraped the scraps into the trash and stacked the plates in the washbin before turning to start her own day. At least she knew he would be back by the time she and her outfit returned with supplies after dinner. A skip found its way into her step as she walked back to her room; she loved practicing this future life with Jimmy, especially the part where they would start a family.
Sitting quietly at the table in her quarters, her mind drifting to the years she spent learning from the Essenes. Unlike the civilians who were raised in the tribal community, her training began well into adulthood. She had grown up entirely in the secular world of Judaism before serving her mandatory time in the Israeli military. The Essenes had been nothing more than a myth to her—until her initial troop was sent into the Jordan underground to retrieve the descendants of the Magi. Now, she was the only one of that military squad left alive, holding proof that the rumors were real with only the people now at the underground base. And the Russian government bent on kidnapping them.
For five years, Avril traveled with them, learning their ways and how they manipulated the energy of the universe. She had been told of the ancient prophecy predicting the Essenes' return to mainstream civilization, bringing teachings for the world to understand. Though she hadn't yet mastered most of their physical practices, her extraordinary empathic powers deeply impressed the tribal leaders. Learning to read vibrations hadn't been easy at first, but she grew proficient in a remarkably short time. Now, she could read them with clarity—as long as she didn't let doubt or negative emotions cloud her mind. However, her new ability to hear thoughts made her uneasy, especially because it separated her from normal people. At least when everyone else reclaimed these gifts, they would all be equal again, just as they were in the first civilization. Experiencing this isolation firsthand, she finally understood why the ancient Essenes had chosen to hide.
Walking around her room, she sighed and caught sight of her memory box. She opened it on the table, watching an array of holographic photos pop up one by one. When Lynn's face appeared, she paused the 3D image. Everything about her relationship with the Holy Trio had fallen into place so effortlessly—it felt as though fate had taken the wheel, leading her along for the ride. And what a ride it was. Lost in thought, she flicked her favorite glowing images through the air and synced them directly to her phone to keep them close at hand.
A quiet knock preceded the opening of the door, and Emaniel slipped into Avril's room unnoticed. He strolled over to where she sat and stood quietly behind her, holding a large glass jar draped with a towel. From her very first days with this private sect, he had marvelled at how effortlessly she absorbed their ways. What the Essene families of the Telatah Chokmah—the Beginning Wisdom—had studied for lifetimes came to her like second nature; she understood instinctively the primordial powers and the laws fueling them. In return, she had trained twelve of their young adults in the art of war. Though their peaceful culture had no need for conflict, this shared strategic mind allowed Emaniel to connect with the Israeli soldier. He felt, as he had from the start, that she was the mother of the new world, destined to gather the Essenes from the four corners of the earth. Setting the covered jar onto the table beside her, he broke the silence. Avril looked up from her device, her thumb freezing over the images she was scrolling through. Her eyes were distant, weighed down by a deep, heavy melancholy.
"What is this consuming interest you have with Ms. Lynn?" Emaniel asked as he hovered over Avril's shoulder. He spoke with a voice only she could hear. "The boy that you share a life with, I understand, he is the father of the chosen one." Emaniel continued to muse.
"He has a child?" Avril said aloud as she stood, dropping her phone onto the floor, it was she who had the desire to be the mother of his children. In an instant she heard her teacher's gentle response that refined her thoughts. "Oh...our child." She stood stunned and then slowly picked up her phone, not taking her eyes off Emaniel. His vibrations soothed her concerns and in an instant she saw an image of her little son standing before her, smiling.
"This world is not the reality that has been created from the past," Emaniel said, a faint smile touching his lips. "Earth will be quite different when this boy guides mankind into a truer reality—one that does not impede the journey of anyone else."
"Yes." Avril closed her eyes, focusing on the vision of her son standing at her side. He possessed the dark eyes she shared with Jimmy, and deep auburn, curly hair that held his father's kinky texture In her mind's eye, she held his laughing gaze, his joy contagious, he was beautiful in every way.
She looked up at her teacher and sighed in absolute contentment. Sitting in quiet repose, she let his words dance through her mind, the memory of her unborn son seared into her thoughts.
"It will not be a Utopia before its time," Emaniel's voice echoed directly in her mind. "There will always be a balance of good and evil. However, in this new reality, we will be able to instantly shape our experiences to match our hearts' deepest desires."
Avril turned to him. "That, teacher, will be Utopia for those who learn to apply the laws of the universe."
Emaniel placed a grounding hand on her shoulder. "You have learned well. But until that time comes, you must enlighten your mate. He must understand that his firstborn son is not a child of this current reality. He must be nurtured for what he is destined to become. He will belong to Earth, and to all that is in it."
"When?" Avril asked aloud, her voice suddenly thick with concern. The warmth of the vision vanished, replaced by the cold truth of the Writings—the ancient stories of the chosen being torn from their parents' arms to train with the priest-teachers in the Temple.
"At the time of the blood moon in his first year." His face remained a blank mask as the words left his lips.
That is soon. Avril looked at him, a heavy weight settling into her chest as she let out a long sigh.
"The time will be of no consequence," he said, leaning in. "You and Elijah James will be reunited with your son in no time after his initial training."
Avril's breath caught. He used his name. The shadow of her melancholy vanished, and a genuine smile warmed her face.
"You are ready," he continued. "You will achieve all that you are trained to use. Walk in peace now, for you will experience the powers of your own manifestation when the time is right. Please do not let your desires get the best of you. Your heart must remain pure."
"And this ability to hear thoughts?" She asked, remembering that she was told the 'gift' would end.
"It will cease when the child is born," he responded.
She hesitated, the truth sinking in. Pregnant? "Does that mean...?" Well, it would certainly explain the out-of-control cravings.
She was trapped between joy and dread. A baby meant trading the front lines for a desk job—something she couldn't stomach. And while she bore the burden of carrying humanity's future savior, it was a cruel honor; she would only be allowed to hold him until he was weaned.
Watching her hand drift to her stomach, Emaniel spoke. "Your son is the chosen one for this timeline."
"How is that possible?" she asked, looking to her teacher for answers. "Jimmy knows nothing of the ways of the Essene."
"He carries the bloodline of the Magi," Emaniel explained.
The revelation unlocked something deep inside her. "The dreams," she murmured, engrossed in the sudden clarity. "I saw him among the Persians, and simultaneously in Egypt. His father was Kambujiya."
"The son of Cyrus the Great," Emaniel interjected. "You are correct. His mother was a Nubian princess. Though they never made their family public, the woman was the most beautiful he had ever seen. He did not wish to share her, so he kept her in hiding with their son."
"Cyrus the Great was Essene?"
"Eons after civilization first dawned, he and a select few fractured from our peaceful ways," Emaniel answered her. "He hungered to rule, and reality bent to his will. Raised in the shadows by loyal servants, he mastered both the brutal art of the warrior and the arcane secrets of the Magi. He drew a line in the sand, determined to crush any nation that dared threaten the Essenes with extinction."
"I thought all Essenes were peaceful?"
"The powers he wielded gave him an edge to become the greatest ruler of his time, although he was prone to lesser human responses not compatible with our belief, he was a master when maneuvering the Law of Attraction."
"That won't happen with our son," Avril said, her voice tightening with a fierce resolve. "He will have the compassion of a leader, not a thirst for domination." She gripped her hands together, already planning to confront her mate the moment he returned.
"Now may not be the time to let him know of the child's expectations," Emaniel said, pausing at the door, "but you must tell him everything before you take him to meet your family."
He left, leaving her alone with a life she hadn't anticipated. Nor had she factored in her father's reaction to her marrying a Goy—a man entirely blind to Judaic traditions and profoundly non-religious. It was just one more hurdle she would have to clear.
The jar Emanuel brought in caught her attention. She pulled off the cloth covering it, revealing a handful of tiny scorpions. Mozel, she laughed, a brief release of tension, and brought up her phone to order a fifty-gallon tank to be brought to the common area outside the Essene residence. It was a welcome distraction. Without these new pets to anchor her focus, the upcoming conversation would have played on a loop in her mind. God knows, telling the love of her life that his world was about to fracture concerned her deeply. She debated whether to start with their future or his past, but the real impossibility was their son. How on earth could she tell Jimmy that his baby boy would never be his, conventionally? That he would never share a normal life with his firstborn? There was no gentle way to thread those particulars into the impending conversation. Everything she had to say would smash his reality to pieces. It wouldn't just "freak him out"—his favorite phrase. The task felt impossible at that moment.
Known as the Godesh Awakening, the realization of a scorching future under Global Warming was estimated to arrive within nineteen hundred years of the new cycle, lasting nearly a millennium. According to the Mayan calendar, the old era concluded at dusk on December 21, 2001. As the first three stars pierced the twilight, Earth's new cycle silently began, steering the globe toward the most punishing climate it would ever re-encounter. By 3876 CE, the Gregorian calendar would mark the exact midpoint of this planetary fever. This awakening would force humanity into a monumental transition: a mandatory global pilgrimage to Egypt to prepare for a life underground during that period. The planet's cycles continue to spiral upward in a perpetual continuum—much like the solar system's journey around the sun—cleansing the Earth's environment every cycle. Ultimately, no pollution will remain. No plant or animal will survive on the surface, as an absolute heat burns away all living matter, alongside the toxic refuse left behind by a forgotten world.
The cosmos and its closely knit solar systems had finally learned a great lesson. This time, as neighboring civilizations gathered to celebrate the physical purification of Earth, there would be no desperate hunt for gold on living worlds, nor a return to the destruction of planets stripped of their vast quantities of treasures. There would never be that which turned worlds barren as Martian colonies that had turned the Red Planet into a wasteland. That archaic error belonged to a past epoch—before the galaxies matured and taught intelligent life to harvest resources without disrupting fragile ecosystems. Having evolved into higher states of being, these cosmic citizens could now contribute to the beauty of the universe rather than devastate any planet again.
As the Universe grows, life expands from Earth to the furthest, undiscovered reaches of space. Each time humans and extraterrestrial beings shared the knowledge of Earth's cleansing cycles, a profound enlightenment rippled through the galaxies, setting a new precedent for a utopian era. Beyond the physical realm, the spiritual architects of this grand plan watched and expanded in unison, monitoring how different extraterrestrial races united to care for the Earth. This celebration marked a profound truth: life on Earth mirrored a universal connection linking all of creation to the spiritual plane. It was the ultimate definition of the circle of life—binding the tangible and intangible across all dimensions, known and unknown.
In the physical, where time exists, the great celebration of life would take place and the universe gave a united gratitude for the joy of the expansion that touched everything. On earth, twice during each complete cycle, comes the time of the utopian periods. A great celebration of the earth, man and beast, plants and air, fire and water, a festival that went on for nearly nine hundred earth years in the midst of each utopian interval.
And yet before the cleansing takes place in this generation, a great war boiled like a cauldron for all the world to partake. And the hope of a better future was found in the pockets of people that other humans over time had tried to eradicate. Proving once again that out of total chaos comes order.