Adonai:
*Cough*
Jesus... this guy is sure packing a punch, or more I should say...
While picking myself from the ground, my legs shaking, my hands trembling I got a curious thought.
*Sigh*
"Hey, if I can ask, is Jesus or God even real? I always thought the Angels leader would be him/them/they whatever."
The Angel's voice broke on the sigh, his eyes refusing to meet mine.
"Jesus was real. But he was never born to lead—only to challenge. He was a walking danger to Adam. He had a good heart, a pure soul, and a lot of people were sustaining his movement to stop the upcoming war."
... He tried to stop the war? He failed… of course he did.
"You would be right, he failed... and I... claimed the last hit... that was not so long after a big incident where an agreement was reached to put an end to one of the biggest terrors known in the Universe... one created by Dragons, by that time I was already doubting Adam's judgement."
...
Created? What does that mean? But I had no time to think about it as the scene before me voluntarily changed and what I saw is ... his last road... his last pilgrim
"Pay attention to this... you're no saint and you will not become one either but you'll learn something."
Walking with a decent sized army behind him, confidently, a few minutes and he was standing in the front of a big blue-white castle with gigantic wings as the crown of the castle, and mirrors all over the place... the whole castle radiating what can be described as a holy aura even through the recollection.
Jesus looks exactly as described in the bible huh, appearance wise, also carrying a big cross on his back.
In front of the gate, there was Adam standing, on his right side the Angel showing me this and on the left an unknown angel.
"Be aware of Michael, the one on the left, if you ever encounter him you'll most likely die."
He said it dead serious while watching the reminiscence of this memory with me.
"Why are you doing this? You have one of the biggest potentials, just like how Satan pledged loyalty to Lilith you could do the same to me and become one of the Archangels. Why not join me in this war?" Adam exclaimed, closing his fist and raising it up above in the air.
"I must become what you call wrong... because we're not here by choice. WHERE'S OUR FREEDOM?" He exclaimed while taking a look at the whole audience present, angels but not only, turning to each one of them and then back to Adam.
Jesus took a deep breath and his eyes fixated on Adam which broke no sweat, stared back at him with intent and coldness, waiting for a conclusion to be reached I assume.
Six wings breaking out of Jesus' back and the halo standing up ahead was the symbol of his true status... Six wings... even when this memory is played the angel only has the bones, which means he already made his choice... then why is he still here? Also finally maybe I can hear his name.
"You won't, if you were to hear my name and become aware of my true identity then they will be able to track your location easily and they will come for you... to kill me for good. Also yes I was almost there, this just brought me one more step closer to the betrayal... but my soul already made the decision, long time ago.
"Who's they? What decision?"
"...Adam's lap dogs.... and to become a knight that protects."
Thinking about it he never told me why he's a former angel. Why did he do it, why leave such a prestigious position of power next to a god.
"You never learn, and this is not the time for you to hear about my story, I brought you to this memory so you can see one of the greatest sacrifices made by my people... one that ended up being in vain."
Moving my attention back to the main scene, not much seems to have changed.
"It is my fate to be the flame... that burns through lies..." Jesus said sighting. "All I ever wanted was for us to be free, not to shed innocent blood. But if my dream must come at someone's end I'll rise as a villain or break and bend..." He exclaimed, his intent clearly visible... the intent to kill if necessary.
"Freedom from Sin and its Curse
Freedom from Guilt and Death
The Truth, The Love
A life of Sanctification and Eternal Life
Oath of Jesus"
The cross he was carrying suddenly transformed, chains breaking free, lances showing up from the back, 5 on each side, the cross holding itself with a gold radiance and a black outerline.
Jesus' eyes were fixated on Adam, now more than ever, ready to strike.
Adam was visibly irritated as he turned his back on the enemy that is his kin, prepared to walk through the gates but not before saying a few last words "You're just a shadow born of hands once kind, now washing yourself in self-righteousness... You're too blinded to see the willingness to kill for your dream of peace... [□□□] Kill him and put an end to this pilgrimage of madness. Make a show out of this fool."
I took a moment, stopped and looked at the angel beside me who looked visibly agitated, sad even, by the recall of this event.
"As you wish my lord."
One single line, one single sentence was all it took. He turned and bowed to Adam who didn't even bother to turn back, yet he didn't completely leave either.
And with his back on Jesus one arm extended out of the cape of the royal attire he chanted...
"A vow once pure, now cast to flame,
To break the chains that bind and maim.
Not wrath, but choice - my curse, my name
No halo, no wings - just embered flame.
My soul, the blade; my truth, the seal
...Caldabolg, rise, and cleave through me -
For I am you... and you are free"
"Is that Caldabolg's completed chant? Is that your decision?" Adam said with intent, seemingly knowing exactly what he wants to hear from his retainer.
But there was no response, just a glorious greatsword manifesting.
A black handle, at the end of it a small crown, while the blade was of pure white with an outer-layer of gray. Six wings extended from the handle of the blade, two of which were going shortly upwards alongside the blade, and the other four were staying at the base of the blade. The blade had inscribed runes of it, the same one the angel has on his hands, and there were two hands, clasping together, praying right above the wings at the bottom of the hill, extending to the middle of the blade.
Launching into the air he half turned, focusing his eyes on the enemy, and plunged right into the Oath, no war cry, no screaming, nothing, just pure force.
But the spears plunged, stopping the greatsword midair. Upholding the guy still hiding his name in the air while a golden blast was shot from the hands of Jesus.
"He's an elementalist... then that weapon is..."
"It is his conviction, his life's work." The angel said.
But the beam didn't meet the destined target, instead making a dent in the castle, barely.
By the time he realized that it hit nothing, the Angel was already in front of him.
Jesus struggled, pulled back, called the chains to bind him, fought with magic all he could, and tried to resist, to flee even... but it was futile, the sheer strength was out of the world.
A beast, an animal, some whispered when witnessing the display of power of my companion.
"Incomplete are your chains and I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." My companion exclaimed, breaking the Oath with his greatsword, and grabbing his enemy by the neck, holding him up.
The dying eyes of his enemy locked onto his and for a moment the time came to a halt.
"You know what you are doing is wrong, yet you still follow that ... *Cough*... Maniac. I'm the one who's sorry, my child, you found your freedom but like a scary cat won't make the first step."
His hand reached the Angel Face and with his dying breath he whispered.
"May peace be upon you."
As he heard the words, the Angel sweat was visible, a tear hanging from his eye, but he couldn't cry, not in front of Adam... not yet.
He drove the gratesword through the torso, thus putting an end to the pilgrimage of madness... the pilgrimage of misery.
Adam now, visibly satisfied on one hand and visibly irritated on the started to leave.
Looking around, in the crowd, the reaction was... far from expectations.
Cheers and laughter erupted from everyone, calling Jesus a heretic, one who tried to stop the inevitable, one who tried to achieve the freedom they already had.
The Angel took his leave, head down... crying
"They were all fools, he was right, mad as he might've become at the end of his journey, nothing good would've come out of Adam's plans, yet I still walked with him for a while longer... despite already knowing that it is wrong."
I took a moment without saying anything but then I realized something, or well more accurately I remembered
"Right and Wrong are arbitrary, there's no objective good or bad in the world, and you know it. The decision you made back then, I'm pretty sure the road you took ahead atoned for them..."
...
"Never have I expected to be consoled by a human... but more or less you're right... Let's resume your training and let this be a lesson that even if you fight like hell for your destiny... you might still lose."
The memory stopped playing, everything returned to normal, but this time he took out his greatsword, without a chant, ready to face me head on.