"...and that's part of our world tonight." - Dan Rather, CBS News

A certain type of optical illusion appears to be a picture of one thing, but then, viewed from a slightly different angle, turns out to be something else entirely. Once the true image is seen, it's all but impossible to see it the original way again. My view of the world had shifted in a similar way.

Over the days that followed my outing with Raziel, I couldn't help but notice the apathy running rampant throughout society. Elders blamed it on the young, but the truth was, it was a cancer in every generation. We hoped someone else would clean up the mess. We searched for someone to accept the blame. We wanted to live in a happy oblivion of green golf courses, and endless creature comforts. Please don't talk to us about consequences.

I noticed, as well, the effects of the beautiful, colorful energy. We would enter a restaurant that seemed perfectly ordinary but, as a particularly happy waitress began her shift and moved about her section, the entire place brightened. Even those seated at tables far from her section would begin to laugh a little more.

The most disorienting thing was how many of the creatures of Legend walked among us. How had I never seen them before? How did others miss it now? They covered their eyes with dark glasses, and wore camouflaging clothes, but there was no hiding their unique nature. They were too graceful in their powerful bodies, and moved awkwardly, trying to hide their differences. Everything from the glowing luster of their hair, to the strange shapes of their fingers sought to give away their secret, yet no one other than me seemed to notice.

"It's a weakness of those battling apathy." Freyja explained. "When a person is so wrapped up in seeking the fulfillment of their own desires it's hard for them to see anything at all beyond themselves. Harder still to consider the bigger picture of the world. It's not that people don't see what you see. It's that they refuse to accept what their eyes are telling them, because it's easier to go on with the status quo. When the truth is thrust upon them they will adjust from necessity, perhaps, but not until it's a matter of personal survival."

The truth was thrust upon them only a few weeks after Freyja said that to me. On a sunny Thursday morning, the radio talk show we often listened to was making a big point of a press conference that the White House was hosting that evening. Mentions of "big news" began popping up on my social media feed, which was a bit out of the ordinary for my usually non-political circle of friends. The TV network even ran a banner across the bottom of the afternoon cartoon binge that my children loved. Whatever was going to be said, those saying it wanted to be certain that everyone was listening. The messages created a feeling of urgency. Or, perhaps, it was the voices that created that feeling, with their furious buzzing. Something was about to happen. The others were excited, distressed, jubilant, and terrified.

At 8:00 p.m. our time, we switched the television on just in time to hear a man at the podium say the familiar words, "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States."

The great man himself entered the room. Countless camera shutters clicked, bulbs flashed, reporters began scribbling furiously, though I couldn't imagine what they could be writing, since nothing had yet been said. The president was a man renowned as one of the best public speakers of the modern day. His voice was melodic. His charm was contagious. Even his most staunch opponents agreed he was a gifted orator. Yet even this man, known for his way with words, seemed to find himself at a loss at that moment. He stood there for a long time, hands gripping the sides of the podium, staring down at whatever was written on the papers before him. He took in a deep breath and looked into the camera.

"I come to you tonight, not as your president, but as a fellow man. This night the world will change forever. What I am about to tell you is not just of importance to American citizens, but to every man, woman, and child in every nation in the world.

As such, the leaders of all of the nations will be addressing their people in the ways that they feel most appropriate tonight and in the coming hours.

"You may find what I have to say difficult to accept. There's no doubt that many will cry out about lies and conspiracy but I assure you--I swear to you--upon all that is precious to me, not as president, but as a man, that what I speak is the full truth as I know it."

He wiped his hand across his face and took yet another deep breath.

"There is no way to ease into this, so I will tell you in the most straight forward way I know. Every child has heard a fairy tale. We all grew up knowing about trolls under bridges, and ghosts in attics, and we were all assured by our elders that such things were just the stuff of imagination. But the truth is, our childhood fantasies are rooted far more deeply in fact than we realized. Creatures of every ilk live among us. These creatures: vampires, werewolves, fairies, goblins, trolls and many more, nearly every mythological being you have heard of has existed at some point, in the flesh. Furthermore, many of them are still among us today. For far too long, these fellow inhabitants of Earth have been forced to hide from extremist religious zealots. They have been forced into the fringes of civilization by the fears of the ignorant.

"Today we are a more enlightened society. We are a race of science, No longer are we ruled by the runaway emotions and hair-trigger fears of superstition. We have become people of reason and logic. It is time to look past fears, and old notions, and see these beings for who they are... our neighbors. Tonight I have the opportunity to introduce to you a few representatives of these ancient races."

I closed my eyes and listened. The realms were tumultuous.

"No! They can't do this!"

"What have they done?"

"Yes! We are free!"

"I'm so hungry. Tonight I will feast!"

"Abomination!"

"Justice!"

"Freedom!"

The president went on. "In the coming days and weeks, there will be a series of press conferences and public service announcements. You will be introduced to new ideas. Your beliefs will be challenged, possibly in ways beyond anything you've ever experienced before. I implore you: keep an open mind. We all want to work together for the greatest good. America has long stood as a beacon of hope in the world. This is the land where people come to be free. Here we can choose our own path, express our own thoughts without fear of recrimination, and live knowing that our inalienable rights--the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--are protected at all times. We are extending these rights to all of those who have been dwelling in the shadows as creatures of myth. These are not animals, to be dominated or studied as creatures in a zoo. They are our neighbors. They are sentient, conscious, intelligent, creative beings just like us, and they deserve our respect. Many of them possess abilities beyond the scope of what is commonly accepted as normal. These new friends will be able to lift our society to new heights, heretofore undreamed of.

"As the coming weeks unfold, please remain peaceful and calm, respectful of all life, and be kind to one another. Please go on about your business as usual. Attend school or work as you normally would. This is essential to keeping the wheels of our society in motion. Don't live in fear. We're all friends and neighbors. We all want the same things: peace, prosperity, and the American dream."

I clicked the TV off. I had no desire to hear uninformed newscasters guessing at the meanings behind the words the president had spoken. I knew well enough what was coming. I was very aware that these "new neighbors" sought significantly more than a house in the suburbs. I couldn't think of a thing I could do about any of this. Raziel had told me that when it was time to act, the Power of That Which Is would be upon me as it was when I faced the beings in the park. I felt no Power in me, as I had before. I supposed that meant it was time to be still and wait.

I expected people would panic. Nothing sets off the masses more than being told to stay calm. I'd heard it said perfectly in a movie once:

"Why the big secret? People are smart. They can handle it."

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

I knew many smart individuals who would handle this news with wisdom and discretion. But people? People are dumb.

In the days that followed, the six o'clock news became TV's most-watched program. Each day brought a new revelation. The legends, each in turn, introduced their kind to the world through well-dressed liaisons. Sometimes they appeared on screen in a flash of light and a puff of smoke. One djinn popped out of a bottle, just like in Arabian Nights. A few skulked in, completely without fanfare, and spoke little. The newscasters always seemed a bit put out in the absence of a big magical display.

Every evening brought new stories of people being saved by angelic intervention, comforted at the deathbed of a loved one by angelic assurances, or held back from some form of self-destructive behavior by the firm hand of an angelic counselor. Whether or not those creatures were actually angels or some other being was always something of a question. People lacked the vocabulary to describe the new world being formed and populated before their very eyes.

Almost nightly, Freyja came and watched the news with us. I suspected she wanted to make sure I held myself together. The whole family was calmer, and quicker to laugh when she was around. She remarked often on these reports. "That's not an angel! It's a Dokkaei, for goodness sakes!" Or "That one has always loved the water. I hope she doesn't love it too much and become earthbound."

The Internet told a different tale than the television media. Accounts of people possessed by demons, gone missing in the night, or slaughtered in their own homes by forces obviously too powerful to have been human dominated the web. Stories were shared of human monsters, too. Many used the excuse or the cover of the unveiling to commit crimes ranging from petty theft to murder.

The shelves of the grocery stores were stripped bare and, no matter how much was ordered, supply couldn't match demand. People were stocking up, hoarding necessities. Buy 15 extra cans of coffee! You don't know what tomorrow will bring. The price of fuel tripled for reasons no one could explain. Of course, those already hanging on by a thread were hurt most by these developments, and news of riots and looting cropped up next. Fear ruled supreme, yet life, in its way, carried on.