One of the reasons I run this blog is not only to practice my writing, but interact with people who may enjoy my writing. It is something I do now, and will most certainly continue to do into the future. After the post before this of a similar title (Located here!) a friend asked me for more information on their existence and how they came into being and who, if any, controlled them. For me, writing prompts are fun… but questions about my world from an outside perspective is like giving my muse a red bull. *Cracks Knuckles* Let’s do this!
The story around the existence of Leapers differs depending on the circles you travel in. Humans tell all sorts of crazy tales from abandoned demon babies to pacts with the demons themselves. The most common story is a vague one of forbidden lust between a demon and a human, thus driving the fear that Leapers are human realm descendants of the demons who once waged war in the world of men. The Inquisition believes this to be true and is hellbent on ridding all demonic ties so that the demons have little to no influence over human life. Their belief is that the union of demon and human gave the resulting child or children the soul of the demon and the body of a human. The soul of a demon is supposedly what is needed to pass into the demon realm, and the human body to exist in the world of humans. If only everything were so simple.
The problem with popular theory among humans is that the Watchers or Angelic Beings of the world can pass freely between the heavens, the world and the demon realm. Due to the constant presence of the Watchers and their guardian like presence over humans, sometimes these bonds get too close and Watchers forget their laws. Through the union of Watcher and human it is very likely the same abilities could be passed down to the spawn of both. Due to their holy nature, Watchers are considered pure, and incapable of such acts which leads people to believe the demonic story first.
Other tales from older races tell stories of large amounts of Leapers, virtually a race of them much like humans simply with the ability to leap, that were the first line of defence against the demonic threats. As their race mingled with others, Leapers became few and far between until eventually demons pushed nearly into the realm of humans, forcing the intervention of the Watchers. They erected the Gates to Tartarus (the demon realm) and left many powerful Watchers to guard the gates as the army of Leapers that once charged into battle, was no more.
Which one is right? Who knows. Well I do, but for the reader… it all depends on what side they agree with and makes the most sense to them. None are explicitly wrong. Leapers are capable of doing terrible things, but they are also capable of doing amazing things at great personal risk. Hopefully this book will see the light of day and everyone will be able to make up their own mind as to who is right and wrong!
As for who controls the Leapers, well… no one really controls them. In the current story they are a sparse group of people who are being hunted by the Inquisition. The fear by the King and the people is that Leapers can infiltrate any fortress and any room and are capable of pulling others into the demon realm. Stories circulate of people going missing and being sacrificed to the demons in exchange for the power to leap between the realms, all perpetuated by the disappearance of the homeless and jobless. Many who ran with thieves and assassins have taken into hiding or starting a new life for themselves. However the magical leader of the Inquisition has a suspicious knack for hunting down leapers, even those in hiding.
The best part of this whole back story? It’s all simply for a supporting character who plays a big role and takes quite a few risks for the main protagonist. That being said, I could write a whole story about Leapers and their actual origins, and I really hope to publish that story one day!
Well, that was fun! Please ladies and gents beyond the LCD Glass, if you do have any questions yourself please feel free to leave a comment, email me or ‘Leap’ on over to Facebook and like my Author Page! Anyway back to actually working on said story… I’m really excited about the quality of writing and how all the stories twist, turn, and intertwine! It feels like a real world where there are all these normal everyday threats as well as the impending world ending ones. The characters feel so alive (expect for the dead ones)! Thanks for reading!