Marching through the forest-like dimension, Desmond and I are trying to find that shadow cliff, but surveying the area all we could see are nothing but tall trees. However, minutes have passed and we soon come across a swampy field. I notice Desmond walking across, while I actually stop. Desmond already walking to the center of the swampy land, but he realizes I’m not following him. He turns around to see me still not even crossing a single part of the murky, watery surface.

“What’s wrong?” Desmond ponders.

I still stand near the edge not making one move. When he tries to speak to me, I keep on ignoring him and surveying the swampy land. I remembered Desmond said that these dimensions play on what is real and what is not.

“Caden?” He keeps getting my attention.

I can hear Desmond, but something inside me is trying not to respond. Believing my demonic side has something to do with this, I try to see I can find a way to end this block and talk to Desmond. I think I been frozen because of the landscape in front of me. The swampy field reminds me so much of my home state known for having swamps. Desmond told me I half to pay attention and do not let this world fool me into thinking this is the real one.

“Don’t believe in this world, Caden!” Demsond yells out.

It seems he understands my situation. I can see Desmond realizing the problem it is because of the landscape. What I need to do is what he just said; do not believe in this world. Since I’m half-human, it is going to be hard.

I start to think about what Mal told me that I’m in control. If I can believe that I’m in control of this situation just like I was doing when I had to control my demonic abilities, I can do this. I have to be in control. I have to believe that this is not the real world I’m in; that this is the dimension playing tricks on my mind. I need to pay attention. I observe the swampy field and I need to visualize what does a typical Louisiana swamp looks like. As I think about the bayou near Ascension Parish, I realize there is a fundamental difference.

And then when I close my eyes to fully visualize the bayou, a few seconds later I open back up my eyes where I then see the image of the swampy field is fading away. It is changing to a murky, forest field. It was just an illusion.

“I told you that these dimensions play tricks on you.” Desmond says.

“Why didn't you get fooled?” I question confused.

“Because I charm myself before I came to see you.” He responds.

I react stunned because of what he said, and I can see it in his eyes that he forgot about putting a charm on me.

“Sorry Caden.” He continues reacting very depressed and shell-shocked, “I was stupid to forget casting a protection charm on you.”

“That’s okay.” I reply back trying to make sure it was not entirely his fault.

“You don’t understand, you are a hybrid and a half-human by that.” He continues, “I should’ve cast that protection charm on you because I knew mortal minds will easily be suck into this world’s deception.”

“Well the thing about me is that I’m half-human.” I continue to say, “And there’s this demonic side in me that probably protected me fully.”

“What you mean?”He questions.

“I mean you said a mortal’s mind will easily be mislead by this dimension, so since I’m this demon hybrid, I was actually protected by my demonic side.” I respond.

“Can that be possible?” He asks.

I nod my head down a bit to think about exactly what I said. Was it possible that my demonic side was protecting me from the dimension’s full effects. I knew being half-human and not having Desmond’s protection charm I was capable of getting affected partially; however, not entirely. I think the reason was because of my demonic side. I guess just once I had to thank my genetics for saving me from being crazy.

I look back at Desmond to respond to his question. “Yeah I think so.”

“Well there is a huge possibility that you can get affected again, but knowing now that your demonic side is actually protecting you from the full effects, I think you can manage until we get to the Vessel.” He states.

“Well what are we waiting for, we need to find that Vessel.” I say.

He nods back and so we continue our trek to find the Vessel more specifically finding that shadow cliff and that ‘hole in the world’. We venture off bypassing the murky land that was once looked like a swamp, but it majority due to the dimension. Minutes pass by and it seems like hours end walking across a tough forest-dense terrain. Not seeing any creatures besides those gremlins, guess it is just those gremlins that are living here.

I check back to Desmond to wonder how he knew about this shadow cliff and the hole and stuff. “Hey, Des!” I yell getting his attention. He turns his head almost around, but continues to walk straight not stopping. “Yeah?!”

“Did you found out about the info about the cliff from Oxley?”

“Somewhat.” He responds. “Oxley sort of translated this info from an old Hectic diagram created by an angel.”

“Angel?!” I pause as he mentions them; now angels exist too. “What sort of angel?”

“I don’t know the full story, but all I can gather is that this angel Zachariel scripted a message after traveling to this dimension and mentioned  that the Vessel of Nexum is somewhere over the shadow cliff in the hole of the world.”

Listening to what Desmond said about how he got the info, I continue to think about the shadow cliff, I start to put the pieces together as I look up in the grayish sky to check to see the two suns. I suddenly hear Desmond screaming.

“Found it!”

I run by his side as we can see a few miles away a sharp-edged cliff with the end of the cliff point somewhat upwards nearby the skies, but facing straight to the suns. The suns are facing its somewhat façade. Of course. The words screaming in my head as I thinking where is the shadow cliff, and I do not think it is the name but the direction.

“Desmond, wait!”

I can see Desmond waiting to head to the cliff amping up his legs to run, but I need to tell him that there is something else about what Zachariel meant. If Oxley did not have time to truly dissect the meaning of the shadow cliff and the hole in the world, I might have.

“Caden, we found the shadow cliff!”

“But not the hole.”

“Well it has to be there!”

“I think it is, but look where the suns are facing.”

Desmond turns to spot the light from the suns, which are shading its light to the façade of the cliff.

“I see the light facing this way.”

“But not to the back.”

He then says a sort of hmm expression to his face as he looks back to the cliff and then back to me. “But not to the backside.”

“Precisely. I think Zachariel meant the shadow cliff is actually the cliff’s backside.”

“And the hole in the world…”

Thinking it must be around that area. “It’s behind the cliff!”

Demsond looks back at me and agrees with me. Not saying anything else, we both venture forward to the cliff’s backside.

 A half hour later, we finally reach near the front side of the cliff. As I look above it is like seeing the Grand Canyon from the ground level. We reach near to see the pointed-edge slant side of the front with a narrow, tall rock-like column is holding it in balance. It has the colors of a cold grey, slate rock. The sides are all jagged. We both climb on top of a flat layer of the rock; as we sidle around the large mountain-like rock to get to the cliff’s backside.

We soon get to the backside, or what Zachariel means by ‘shadow cliff. And then I point to a darken area to the east of us. “Over there!” I yell out as I run to the east side with Desmond following suite and then the darken spot I just noticed is actually an opening to a cave.

“That has to be the ‘hole in the world’.” I say.

“Huh, a cave natural.” Desmond states.

“We’re one step closer.” I say as I move forward.

“Caden, I might be careful usually caves are not entirely empty.” He says.

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning we have to thred carefully.”

“The Vessel has to be inside.” I venture near the rock, arch-shaped entrance until I pause to see Desmond not by my side. “Are you coming or what?”

He looks depressed a bit even hesitant to respond, but Desmond ignores it I sense; and he starts to come near the entrance. He seems doubtlessly to rejoin the quest, so I guess it is a go officially. We head into the dark, hollow interior not seeing no light, and I wonder if Desmond has a light charm with him. And as soon as I think about it, I start to see a glow-like light right by the cave wall. I turn to see Desmond holding up his wand where I see a glow near the endpoint.

“Nice flashlight.”

“Oh thanks, I made it myself.”

I giggle a little after amusing ourselves, but then I hear what seems to be a loud sizzling growl.

“You heard that?”

“Heard what, Caden?”

And then that noise reappears again. “I swore I heard something.” I soon walk not seeing anything forward; Desmond hurries up to follow me to share some light along the path just in case I trip myself. As we continue move in a much faster pace, I soon hear the noises a bit louder. And this time it almost sounds like a loud growl from a lion.

“Wait, you heard that?”

“Sorry, I didn't.”

“Wait you didn't you hear that growl-like noise.”

“No.”

I look baffled wondering are the effects of the dimension getting to me again. It fooled me with the swamp and now it seems I hearing an imaginary animal.

“Wait, I see something.”

“The thing that is making the noise.”

“No, but I thought I saw something sparkle over there.” We walk to the left side of the cave wall to see a sparkling light of something. As I see Desmond’s wand, it did not came from there, but it seems it is coming from what I think is inside the wall.

“You believe in me.” I say.

“Yeah, why?” He replies.

“Just watch.” I state.

I pull out my right hand and feeling the surge coming through my arm; I summon a fireball. “Stand back.” I stand back as Desmond stands back as well. Looking that we are safe, I start to throw the fireball at the exact the spot we saw that sparkling in the wall. The fireball hits the wall exploding and thinking it may not be enough; I summon another fireball and throw it at the exact same spot. It does the same. I summon two more fireballs and target the same spot. As I continue to blast the wall with my fireballs, the impact of the hit causes the cave to shake.

“You’re almost done.” Desmond says. As I finish throwing my eighth fireball, I look back to Desmond; “I think so.” I reply back. The rumbling stops as the smoke from the implosion vanishes in the air.

The smoke clears up as we realize it is safe to walk to see what it seems is a success. Blasting that same spot with multiple fireballs made just enough impression it cause a hole in the cave wall. Surveying the mini-rock pile in the hole, I notice that same sparkling effect. I think I may have found something. I reach both my hands into the hole to remove them out of the way so Desmond and I could see what is causing the glimmering.

Seconds later, the rocks are removed until we able to see what looks like a medium sized, wine vase. I use both my hands to grab hold of what could very well be the Vessel. Taking it out of the hole, Desmond very intrigue as well sort of increase the glowing light from his wand to increase more visibility.

I smile acknowledging what he did. I then look down to see the vessel again. The vessel does look like an ancient Chinese vessel I read upon back in school, but this one is very bronze-orientated with some curvature lines. The short s-curved shaped handles; and a top lid.

“Can’t believe it.” Desmond says. “It has to be the Vessel of Nexum.”

“We found it.” I say.

Then before we can actually celebrate, I can hear that loud roar-like noise returning. Not again. I murmur in my head already believing it was just a mere illusion, but when I see Desmond’s reaction; he seems nervous.

“What in the world was that?” He says.

I stand back because the way he heard the same noise I heard. So it was not an illusion. It was real all along. I’m keeping a tight hold on to the vessel when Desmond starts walking forward shining his glowing-lit wand pointing forward in the shallow dark of the inner cave.

I feel that since that noise is coming from some sort of creature, it must have a connection with the Vessel somehow. Or maybe this creature is just resting inside this cave just because it adapted to it for a long time. Desmond then turns his head back to look at me giving me a startling glare, but is puzzled on what made that sound.

“Do you know what is causing that noise?” I ask.

 He shrugs both his shoulders as then we can hear a very loud roaring noise coming from that direction. However, the volume unlike before is really getting louder. I could able to see small rocks rumble because of the noise. What is capable of doing that? A dragon?! Highly unlikely, but after encountering wild gremlins, nothing is by chance.

The noise reappears again much louder a few times and then I notice something striking. What in the world is that? As I wonder a strange object from the darkness in front of us, I walk forward with Desmond nearby. I could see Desmond’s face. He is probably thinking what I’m doing. I stumble a bit further not having the light source with me except the vessel in my hand, but then I notice a very bold feature.

I could see what looks like snake skin; then when I step one more step crackling the small rocks on the rocky ground, I could also see more of a head. Its head is like is from a lizard, but has a strange angled ears; its eyes are very much like snake eyes with the cold bold vertical stripe in the middle of the yellow eye.

The color of its skin seems a very grayish color, but due to the darkness I’m unable to know what color it really has. It lizard-like feet appears to come forward right to me. Seeing those sharp claws on that scaled foot, I look back up to see the lizard-like creature and its mouth opening up to hear that vexing roaring sound.

Desmond comes up right behind me and holds out his wand to give a much brighter perspective on this creature. His wand’s bright light illuminates the creature a bit clearly to see those features more vividly. As it sees the light, it roars again. Probably angry. I then see something from the back of the creature moving sporadically.

Being intrigued, I continue to see whatever that creature is doing is back is probably its tail. “Is that its tail?” I ponder. Desmond heard me and is probably looking at the same thing in the back of the creature, but due to the steep darkness within the caves, there is not a clear picture of what is that thing. Desmond raises his wand up in the air and when I look up to see what was he doing it seems he is increasing the intensity of the wand’s glowing light.

The light is getting wider, and the creature is reacting to the light somehow. And then we are able to see what is on the end of the creature. Desmond looks stun, “I don’t think that is a tail.” He states.

Looking closely, its tail is not a tail. It is another head. The back head turns to see us just as the front one is staring at us. I’m like a shivering clam wondering what to do next and then I hear something from Desmond.

“Run!” He yells.

Heeding that word, we both quickly turn around and bolt away from the creature. I’m holding dear tight with the vessel. Carrying the vessel over my left side with my left arm as a support and my chest side holding it for balance; and to make sure I reach my right arm over to hold it from the top. Thinking it was safer and that we are going to get out of this cave alive; I had to turn my head quickly around to spot the lizard-like creature chasing after us.

Unlike the gremlins, this creature is about the size of this cave and it is huge; bigger than a komodo dragon and a bit five feet taller than both of me and Demsond. It seems this thing is moving fast because it is about ten yards behind us. Desmond and I are doing our best to flee. Knowing we have precious cargo, we cannot let this thing get its way. I felt Desmond wanted to use that fog charm he used against the gremlins, but it seems he cannot because of him using the wand for light.

Thinking we could get an advantage outside, we have to hurry and get out of this cave. However, the creature is gaining speed and tries to swipe at me with his sharp claws. I could feel the motion of the swipe sliding by my backside, ripping my dark blue sweatshirt. I almost trip because of it while losing hold of the vessel; just in time, Desmond come to my aid to get me back up right before I almost trip to the hard ground. Regaining my balance, I continue to sprint just as Desmond. The creature still not losing its momentum continues the chase.

The creature almost about to strike again until we are able to get out of the cave; finally outside, we run fifteen more yards away from the cave’s entrance. We both stop. Catching my breath, I still see the vessel in my possession only just a tear in the back of sweatshirt was the only casualty.

I see Desmond turning out the light from his wand. I feel we are safe finally. But I just wonder what in the world that thing is.

“Have a fondest clue what that creature was?”

Desmond turns at me, “It resembles like an amphisbaena.”

“You lost me.”

“A snake creature with two heads at the end. Strange, it usually dwell in a desert environment.”

“So how it got here and inside living in a cave.”

“I don’t know.”

I then look back at the vessel, “At least we got what we needed, so we can go back home.”

However, without mention, the roaring noise appears again. I turn back to view the cave entrance and then coming out is that snake creature. Its front head looks around to find us as its back head does the same. I turn to myself wondering now that we are outside we can gain the advantage. But before there are any plans of attack, one of those heads spotted us.

“Get ready.” I say.

The creature instead of coming at us by walking; it rolls up like a centipede and comes charging right for us. I’m holding my breath a little realizing that thing can do that sort of movement. Needing to think fast what to do, I realize I can use my powers. I know there are more powers, but so far the one I can master is summoning fireballs.

As the snake creature continues to charge, Desmond over to my left maybe wondering if he has to cast a charm. However, I start to think about other powers I used besides fireballs. And then I reminisce about the first encounter I had against Mammon; when he threw fireballs at me, my demonic side took control and threw some sort of telekinetic shield blast blocking them. I sense that I could guess that creature is a cold-blooded creature, but then I realize about this telekinetic shield ability I had.

I put the vessel on top of the grassy, rocky ground and then glance at my hands feeling I have not practiced controlling it during my practice with Mal, but seeing time is not on our side. I know I need to control it now before we become the creature’s meal. I look to Desmond to give him some hope that we can get out of this situation.

“Demsond, don’t do nothing.” I continue, “I got this.” Desmond reacts somewhat confident, but looks wary about if I can stop the monster. “Be careful; I know you can do it.” He says bringing me some confidence where before I could not.

Remembering what Mal taught me that I’m in control. I need to be control more than ever. As the creature rolls its way about five feet away from us; I position myself in a defensive stance. I just using this confidence Desmond gave me and the confidence I know Mal has in me. I push both my arms out and feeling the urge coming through; I start to think about something I need to focus on; I then start to think about Liana once more, but this time instead of the kiss, I remember an intimate hug we both shared when we were twelve. That triggers something within me; I start to feel the urge coming through both my arms.

I glance swiftly to both my arms seeing those familiar black vine-like marks coming through to my hands where suddenly the snake creature rolls to right to us. I see Desmond about to hold on if something bad happens, but I know I got this. I then push forward my arms where a surge of energy, blasts from my hands. I see that it is the telekinetic shield but like a blast.

The energy blast impacts the creature still rolled up; the impact then pushes the creature back. The snake creature soon flies in mid-air backwards heading straight into the mountain-like rock. Then we can hear a rock explosion where we see smoke coming out near the mountains.

“Whoa!” Desmond states.

I exhale after that interesting experience. I take one more look at my hands to see that this was the first time I focused and controlled another power without Mal’s assistance. I was not in full control, but I felt indeed I was in control of my demonic side. Handling my powers so far and fending off creatures like that snake one I toss over to the mountainous area. Not wanting to think that thing is still alive, I reach back down to grab hold of the vessel.

Seeing the vessel in the same shape it was when Desmond and I first saw it, it is about time we head back home.  I look back at Desmond to where he smiles.

“How was that like?” He asks.

“Like I was in total control.” I respond.

“Good, well let’s go.” He continues, “If we don’t get back into the river before the two suns descend down, we could be trap here.”

Unexpectedly, this is one type of news I did not want to hear. And as I look above the sky, I notice time is definitely not on our side; because the two suns are beginning to descend.