Table of Contents |
---|
Chapter 17 l Chapter 18 l Chapter 19 l Chapter 20 l Chapter 21 l Chapter 22 l Chapter 23 |
Chapter 24 l Chapter 25 l Chapter 26 l Chapter 27 l Chapter 28 l Chapter 29 l Chapter 30 l Chapter 31 |
Chapter 32 |
Tasha
I heard gunshots, followed by the crazed shouting of John Brown: âIn the name of God, Glory Glory, HALLELUJAH!â
The mad man who had apparently dove into the fray of demons, his pistols glowing with holy fire, began to spin around wildly, firing in all directions!
Demond jumped to me and shouted, âGet Down!â
I gasped as he tackled me into the mud.
Rasper grabbed St. George and pulled him down along with him.
When the bullet-storm finished, I peeked my head up only to see a glowing barrel pointed at my face.
âI missed one little succubus, I see,â The man glowered at me, a rage in his eyes as he pulled the hammer back on his pistol.
Demond was quick to grab John Brownâs wrist, narrowing his eyes on Brownâs as they glowed yellow, âDo not shoot my wife, Saint.â
Brown looked up to Demond, and without a second of hesitation, holstered his pistol, âMy sincerest apologies, Avatar of Ariel. I had assumed you had tackled the demoness in aggression, not to protect her from friendly fire.â
Demond glared, âAnd on that subject, please donât perform another Death Blossom with friendlies so close.â
âNoted,â John Brown chuckled. Brownâs wild eyes fixed on me for a moment. I thought he was about to draw his pistol until I saw his vision flinch, âWell Iâll be damned twelve ways to Sunday⊠An Avatar Succubus. Now Iâve seen just âbout everythinâ!â He said as he offered his hand to me.
I took his hand as he helped me up to my hooves, âWell⊠Thank you?â
John Brown gave me a polite nod before turning and pulling his pistols out, âNow, if I were to understand, there is far more good work to be done.â
Demond nodded, âYeah. By the way, Iâm Major Demond Winter, US Army.â
John Brown paused for a moment and smiled , âWell, Damn, Son! An officer? Praise His name and praise the United States of America!â Johnâs grin grew, âOlâ Leeâs rollinâ in his grave, thatâs for damn sure.â
âLee?â Demond asked.
John Henryâs hammer made a loud clunk as he set it over his broad shoulders, âWell, Brown,â He chuckled in a low voice, âYouâre a mighty nasty fella when youâre off the leash.â
âSays the man smackinâ everything with that beastly hammer,â Brownâs eyes narrowed for a moment upon the hulking dark skinned Henry before he burst out laughing, âEverythingâs a nail to this man!â
Henry gave a heavy scoff, glancing out to the battlefield, âThis is a bigger mess than I thought weâd have, to be honest.â
Brown turned to Demond, âWell, Major, whatâs your attack plan?â
âWeâve been trying to hold the fort down. Right now, we need to repel the invading force. Focus on the officers,â Demond looked to Henry and Brown, âSo, while you boys handle the grunts, Iâll see if I canât take out their commanders.â
âThink we took one down already, Boss,â Henry said, motioning the pile of smoldering corpses that was once a mighty beast roaring before us as he hefted his hammer onto his shoulder.
âThereâs no shortage of them,â Demond reminded.
âGood,â Brown said as he took two pistols in his hands, âThen, thereâs not an ounce of Godâs retribution that will go unused. Letâs cleanse these filthy monsters in a hail of holy wrath!â
Without much more explanation, I watched as John Brown ran directly to the front-lines, guns literally blazing as he continued his mad dash forward.
John Henry heaved a heavy sigh and started to slowly follow him, âWelp, break time is over, it seems. Time to get back to swinginâ,â he remarked as he took the hammer off his shoulders, carrying it in both hands as he made his way after John Brown.
I got a sickening, sinking feeling in my gut just then. I clutched my staff tightly, glancing around in concern, âWhere is Xei?â I asked. I wasnât sure where she could be.
Demond turned back to me, âSheâs going to be fine, come on Tash!â
I tried to give a nod, running forward, only for a bright white flash to blind me.
I staggered back, sinking down onto my hooves and steadying myself with my staff.
The scents all around me had changed and I felt my heart hammering in my chest.
I glanced up to see the white lights of the Guardian Temple, only they were grander, brighter than I could imagine.
Did I die? No! That couldnât be!
âThunderation!â I heard Brown shout, âWhat is this devilry?!â
âThink itâs the opposite there, boss,â I heard Henry say.
Demondâs hand reached out to me, âTash, you okay?â
I looked up to him, my vision clearing from the sudden flash of light, âMonty?â
âWho dares rob me of my vengeance?!â A Slavic womanâs voice cried out.
I turned and saw our entire forces now held within the Guardian Templeâs foyer, though it was far larger than I had ever recalled.
I glanced upwards to see my Aunt Ragna soaring high into the air, and as I set my eye on her, she paused, locking her gaze upon me.
âNo,â I whispered, clutching my staff, âNo this isnât how it should beâŠâ
âBut it is, little one⊠Itâs Exactly as it should be!â A womanâs cold voice called out to me.
I turned to see a vision of Bella standing behind me, towering in front of St. Dinahâs statue. Coiling around her were mighty black serpents, hissing and spitting at me.
âItâs all going perfectly to planâŠâ
âŠ
I woke in a cold sweat, the dream of the battle haunting me.
The nightmares kept waking me in the dead of the night, I couldnât get a wink of decent sleep.
Demond woke next to me, sitting up and turning to me, âTash? You okay?
âNo,â I admitted, hugging him and laying my head on his shoulder.
He held me close as I listened to his strong heartbeat to settle my racing heart and mind.
âIs it the battle?â Demond asked me softly, his hand running through my hair.
I just nodded against him, pulling my legs up and clinging to him tightly, âSo many horrible things⊠And we ran away!â
Demond sighed, a knock coming from the door. âNot now!â Demond shouted.
Xeiâs voice was on the other side, âYeah, now Demond! Sorry but this isnât a time to sleep!â
Demond growled, âWait here,â He consoled as he got out of bed. He wore nothing but his sweatpants as he moved to the door, opening it and glancing down at Xei, âNot everyone handles stress the same way, Xei.â
âMy sisterâs sentimental nature is what it is,â Xei whispered, as if I could not hear her. âThat doesnât mean you need to tie yourself downâŠâ Xei trailed off for a moment.
âIâm up here, Xei,â Demond growled.
Xei cleared her throat, âYes, and the view is-â
âXei!â I shouted from our bed, rushing to my hooves and wrapping the sheets around myself as I moved towards the door, âPlease stop flirting with my husband!â
I opened the door to see Xei standing there, still in the same clothing from the day before.
Xei cleared her throat, âI am not-â
âIt sure sounds like you were!â I shouted at Xei.
Her constant flirting and coming on to Demond was something I thought would have gone past after her relationship with Elon. But now that enough time had passed, she seemed right back to her old ways.
âListen, Timothy asked me to get you, thatâs all!â Xei snapped, changing the subject, âThey need someone to officiate a funeral.â
I paused, âWhoâs funeral?â
Xeiâs demeanor shifted from agitated to solemn, âRachelâs.â
âŠ
Timothy
I had to approach Ragna, the closest thing I had to a mother, with a great deal of trepidation.
On one hand, I had plenty of reasons to be cross with her.
She initiated a withdrawal without speaking to any of us, outside of Vael. Even then, she seemed less asking for permission and more demanding that Vael go along with her plot.
Vael had no choice, of course. If Vael didnât prepare the Guardian Temple properly, the armies of Heaven wouldnât fit.
The time dilation gave us a few short days to work, thatâs true. But still, it didnât improve our spirits to be forcibly withdrawn from the field.
I decided to ask Vael where Ragna was.
In a strange way, I felt like Vael was the Guardian Templeâs AI. Her behavior was very stiff, rigid and direct. Everything she did and said was precise, and to the point.
That seemed to be the military training of Sofia within Vael. It was how Sofia acted whenever we were in the presence of superior officers.
I wondered if that could be changed, if I spoke to Vael more? I had known Vael for only hours, yet I felt a deeper connection to them.
Whether that was genuine or coping, I was unsure.
âVael,â I called out. Somehow I knew they could hear me anywhere within the Guardian Temple.
âVeil? What the fuck is a veil-â Zepherina asked before Vaelâs form appeared out of one of the walls, âHoly shit what the hell?!â
Vaelâs eyes looked at me with golden and emerald irisâs, their porcelain body shimmering as they ignored Zepherinaâs reaction, âYes, Metatron Crestfall?â
I paused.
âYou are displeased with this moniker?â Vael questioned.
âI just⊠I preferred if you-â I was cut off.
âOf course, Iâm sorry,â Vael stated, their eyes turning up, almost as if smiling. Hard to tell, when one has only eyes and no face to speak of. âYou prefer I call you Tim, yes?â
âUh, No one calls him Tim but Sofia!â Zepherina shouted, âTimothy, who, or what, is this?â
I smiled, âSorry, you werenât introduced. Zepherina, this is Vael. The⊠Newest Sword of Samael.â
âI am actually considered Godâs Wrath, but these titles meet,â Vael added, glancing at Zepherina, âSo recall that is what I am, before admonishing me further, Zepherina.â
âYes. So⊠Thereâs some of my Captain inside you after all?â I asked with a grin.
Vael paused now, âI wish to remind you, I hold memories of both the Sword of Samael Sofia Vazquez and the Venom of God Samael. While I retain their memories, and perhaps echoes of their personalities in vague manners, I am not either one. I am my own entity.â
I gave a nod, âI understand. But, you can call me Tim. Youâre the only one who can.â
Vael bowed their head, their eyes closing, âI consider this an honor.â
âVael,â I began, moving on to why I called them, âWhere is Ragna?â
Vael lifted their head, their crowns rotating around it, all eyes opening, âRagna sits in the Fountain, tending to the Sanctified Blade of the Guardians. Likely attuning herself.â
âThe what?â Zepherina asked.
âSt. Michaelâs injuries were near fatal. His soul was in danger. As a last ditch effort, St. Michael allowed Asmodai to forge his spirit into a weapon to be used against Xyphiel, under the request that Ragna be the one to wield him, as atonement for her sins,â Vael informed.
Zepherina scoffed, âYeah, my momâs got a shitload more sin than just killing Xyphiel can make-up for.â
âBaby steps,â Vael joked.
I smiled, sensing a bit of Sofiaâs humor leaking through, but I couldnât help but feel my stomach sink, âSo⊠St. Michael is gone?â
âOnly in the sense that Avatar of Samael Sofia is gone,â Vael continued, âIn essence, he is gone, but still part of the battlefield. Merely in an alternate manner.â
âThank you, Vael,â I said, smiling, âWhen this is all over, I owe you dinner.â
Vael paused again, âI once again must remind-â
âSo I can get to know you better, being the Metatron and you being the Sword of Samael,â I interrupted.
Vaelâs eyes seemed to widen and I swear the pure porcelain cheeks of their faceless head grew pink, âI⊠Shall accept then, Tim. Thank you.â A few awkward moments passed before Vael vanished once more into the wall.
Zepherina turned to me, ââŠSo, Iâm out of the loop, but figured out the gist. Can I ask: Why is Sofia gone and what the fuck is that?â
I sighed, âSofiaâs halo, that Halo of the Sun? It was one of the seals needed to open the Gates of Heaven. But to crack it open, she had to sacrifice herself, as did Samael. The result was both of them forming Vael.â
Zepherina frowned, âTimothy, Iâm sorry.â
âItâs fine. She told me, I knew,â I heaved a sigh, âIn all honesty, this isnât the same as losing her. Part of her is still there.â
âTimothy, I donât want to remind you butâŠâ Zepherina paused, âNevermind. Come on, letâs find mom.â
âŠ
I found Ragna sitting by the Fountain, moving the edge of a large glowing blade over a whetstone as she checked the edge occasionally. She paused to dip the blade into the fountain, which caused the blade to glow an icy blue.
âHey Mom,â I announced as I approached.
Ragnaâs violet eyes moved to me and her stern face cracked a smile as she saw me and Zepherina, âTimothy, Zepherina!â She got to her feet, the shimmering silvery armor glinting in the soft white light near the Fountain.
âThatâs some⊠interesting armor,â I noted.
âIt was supposed to go to Zeph butâŠâ Ragna paused, âWell, I needed something to make up for my⊠loss of focus.â
âStill not at one hundred percent then?â Zepherina said flatly.
Ragna sighed, âIâm trying.â
âWe donât have time to try,â Zepherina snapped.
Ragnaâs smile faded and her face grew stern, âI may have made the mistake of not coordinating my steps with you, but I think we can all agree I saved our asses back there.â Ragna defended, âZepherina, I grasp you are cross with me. Your power is great but you cannot just rush into battle and hope that Glory will win the day,â she lifted the sword before her, âWe managed to save St. Michael as best we could. We may have a chance, now! If I hadnât done what I did, weâd not have time to regroup and strike back at Xyphiel.â
Zepherinaâs face didnât soften, âAnd I just wish youâd get it through your head that you donât always have the only answer!â Zepherina marched up to Ragna, looking her dead in the eye, âYouâre brilliant, we get it. But sometimes you need to hear from someone outside of your head before you go and do something that affects everyone around you!â
Ragnaâs stern face turned up to a smirk, âI see you learned more than just fighting techniques from Forcas.â
Zepherina nodded.
Ragnaâs smirk turned to a full smile, âZepherina, Timothy,â she turned to me, âWe need to come together then. Between the three of us, we can take down Xyphiel.â
âNot just us,â I reminded, âThe Archangels and the Saints need to be included as well. Our numbers have grown considerably.â
âThen Iâll assume youâll bring a meeting of the minds soon?â Ragna questioned as she approached me.
âBefore that,â Zepherina said, placing a hand on Ragnaâs chest plate to halt her, âWe have to attend to another matter.â
âAnd that is?â Ragna asked.
âA funeral,â I announced.
Ragna turned to Zepherina, perplexed.
âMotherâs funeral,â Zepherina clarified.
Ragnaâs brow furrowed.
âWhere is Rachelâs body?â I questioned.
Ragnaâs expression moved from worry to panic, âHer⊠Body? OhâŠâ
Zepherinaâs lip lifted up into a sneer, âMom⊠What did you do?â
Ragna set the sword on her belt and took a long and controlled breath, âIt is perfectly safe, on Rage.â
âGood, we wanted to lay her to rest in The Guardian Temple,â I informed.
Ragna sighed, âYes⊠That should be doable. Allow me to head to Rage and Iâll go fetch her.â A portal opened behind Ragna, but Zepherina grabbed her arm firmly.
âWhat are you hiding?â Zepherina asked, scowling.
Ragna smiled, eyes closed, doing her best to brush off the concern, âJust⊠It was in such grizzly shape I had to resolve to fix her and, well you know my incessant desire to fix everything. I just tried to see if there was some way to revive her and-â Ragna cut herself off, blinking, ââŠOh shit, Iâm incapable of lying anymore. Thatâs rightâŠâ
Now I fixed her with an accusatory glare, âMom, what did you do?â
Ragna sighed, motioning to the portal, âJust⊠letâs just say I need to evict the current tenant.â
âŠ
Rasper
Being transported to a realm filled with Angels, Saints and Nephilim wasnât what Iâd call âPleasant Companyâ to say the least.
So, of course, the second I found myself there I hopped out and went to Rage.
Thank the Gods for portals.
Rage was in better spirits these days, thanks to Conny. I swear he enjoys his computational companions a bit too much.
I never thought a computer could be depressed until Serenity left. Robots? Sure. Douglas Adams confirmed that much.
Joking aside, having Conny around seemed to cheer Rage up considerably.
âOy, Rage!â I shouted once I had gotten inside, âThe bloody hell happened?â
âMistress Ragna initiated the Protocol: Exodus. Where-in I teleported all friendly targets to the Guardian Temple via a drop device Ragna had placed there while she was within its confines. The task has caused considerable drain on my power banks, however. I am currently working with Conny to keep critical systems online,â Rage reported.
âOh, great. Yer not unstable, are yah?â I asked, looking around. The lights were on, the air was breathable and the halls werenât filled with water. So that was good.
âI am not,â Rage informed, âBut we are on the swift path to restoration of critical systems. In the meantime, living spaces are restricted to known safe areas within the inner rings of my structure.â
âGrand,â I frowned, âThe booze still âere?â
âI am afraid all food and beverage generation processes are currently offline,â Rage informed.
âWell ainât dat just a kick in the bollocks I needed,â I sighed, looking around, âThe babyâs here or in The Temple?â
âIf you are referring to Princess Lucilia, Conny is currently attending to her in the nursery,â Rage informed, âBut, I can confirm the princessâs vitals and spirits are good.â
âConny tell yah that?â I asked as I walked through the hallways.
âPrincess Lucilia informed me of her status,â Rage corrected.
âThe kid canât talk, Rage. Sheâs an infant,â I reminded.
âIndeed, however the basic nanites infused into her organic tissue report her health and emotional state very clearly,â Rage informed.
I closed my eyes, pursing my lips, âDo me a big favor and try not to tell that to Ragna. Sheâll have a bloody cow.â
âI do not think Ragna is capable of birthing nor devouring an entire steer,â Rage quipped.
âYah bloody well know what I meant!â I snapped.
âI am attempting humor,â Rage informed, âI see I have failed.â
I groaned, âNo you⊠Listen just⊠Itâs fine. Whereâs Conny and the bloody babe?â
âFollow the lighted pathway,â Rage announced.
As the floor illuminated I made my way through the halls, grumbling to myself about Conny, the baby and the stroke Ragna would have after discovering that Rachel put nanities in her bloody kid.
Conny was rocking Lucilia in a small nursery, giggling to her and cooing as the baby returned the favors.
âWell yah know you got a bit of an advantage with the kid, wearing Rachelâs face,â I interupted.
âEek!â Conny gasped, âOh uh⊠S-sorry. If I changed it too much, Ragna would be cross, right?â
I gave a nod, approaching the pair, looking down to Conny and Lucilia.
The infant seemed like a normal little baby, sans the little black wings she got from her Mom.
Oh, and the eyes. Her violet eyes were flickering with tiny lights as she giggled. As if her irises were filled with glitter.
âCan you ask those little buggers to hide better? You realize Ragnaâs going to have a fit if she finds out,â I whispered.
âUh⊠I donât know,â Conny paused, âMaybe? Iâll ask her if she can mimic organic eyes better. But her nanites are very primitive. Itâs strange, itâs almost like that was done on purpose.â
âRachel, youâre a piece of work,â I sighed.
âIâm not-â Conny tried to correct.
âI know yah not, yah blinky-bot!â I snapped. I was getting annoyed with being surrounded by AI.
Conny flinched and Lucillia started to cry.
âBloody hellâŠâ I sighed, grabbing a seat on the other side of the room.
Conny slowly managed to get the babyâs crying under control.
Once she did, I glanced at her, âSorry. Itâs been a rough day.â
Conny nodded, âRage had to exhaust all his power to transport a large number of people to a set teleportation point. He was not pleased with the request.â
âFuck, so even Rage is burned out,â I grumbled, âThis ainât lookinâ well,â I sighed, âWhereâs Fatima?â
âFatima was in the simulation room with Tufan but they had to seek shelter as the simulations cannot run due to Rage diverting all non-critical functions to the teleportation arrays,â Conny reported.
Rageâs voice then announced something, âWarning: Mistress Ragna is enroute to your location. Unit Conny, please power down your systems and prepare for full data transfer.â
âWhat, data transfer?!â Conny gasped.
âIn Kings, please?â I asked.
âI-I have to move all my functions out of this vessel,â Conny frowned, âBut, I like this vessel!â
âCasual reminder that itâs not actually yours, lass,â I added.
Conny got up and placed Lucilia down into her cradle, âOh uhm⊠Okay so⊠I guess Iâll justâŠâ
With that Conny collapsed on the floor. I got to my feet, looking up, âRage, is that normal?â
âYes,â Rage declared, âDo not be alarmed. Conny is being transferred to a blank vessel for the time being until a more suitable vessel can be found.â
I walked over to Connyâs body, or rather, Rachelâs body, and sighed, âWell, thatâs undignified.â I started to move her around a bit.
She had gone full rag doll. Limbs loose and splayed as she had crumbled to the floor. Like a marionette whoâs puppeteer had cut her strings. The only thing moving was her chest as the body breathed in and out.
I was picking up her ankles, moving her legs around when the door opened. I looked up, spotting Ragna, Timothy and my Mistress Zepherina, all staring at me in confusion.
I froze.
ââŠAinât none of yah thinkinâ Iâd be doninâ what it looks like, right?â I asked.
Zepherina swallowed hard, âRasper⊠Drop my motherâs legs. Now.â
I did so, standing up straight, âYes, Mistress.â
Zepherina then turned to Ragna, âExplain.â
âI tried to restore your mother,â Ragna said softly, approaching the body, âI used nanites in an attempt to bring her back. To rebuild her. It didnât workâŠâ Ragna said as she trailed off, her hand caressing Rachelâs cheek.
Zepherina approached, looking Rachelâs body over, âShe looks way better than she did when I found her,â she spoke in a somber tone.
Ragna turned to me, âIs Conny out?â
I shrugged, âGotta ask Rage.â
âConny has been evicted,â Rage confirmed.
Lucilia cried out in the cradle nearby.
Zepherina moved to it quickly, âHey, itâs okay lilâ sis,â Zepherina smiled, reaching in and picking her up, âItâs okay.â Zepherina paused, her eyes locking on Luciliaâs
âShit. Shit, shit, shit!â I thought to myself as I stood firm and at attention.
Zepherinaâs eyes met mine with a knowing glance.
I couldnât lie or hide anything from her and I knew exactly what she saw. I just heaved a sigh and nodded.
Zepherina turned to Ragna and continued to rock Lucilia, her smile slowly returning, âI think itâs all making sense nowâŠâ Zepherina kissed Lucilliaâs forehead softly, âSomeday, when youâre older, youâre going to be a queen.â
Lucillia giggled.
âThatâs your title, Zepherina,â Ragna whispered, sniffling, âRage⊠Please prepare to have the nanites in Rachelâs body extracted and transferred to Connyâs new body.â
âUnderstood,â Rage confirmed.
Rachelâs body glowed for a moment and then seemed to relax completely. It gave out a single exhale and ceased moving entirely.
Ragna had tears leaking from her eyes and I watched her feathers start to bleach white once more.
âMom,â Zepherina said as she knelt by Ragna.
Ragna turned to Zepherina, her eyes moving to Lucilia.
âYou still have us,â Zepherina smiled warmly, âAnd⊠Lucilia has motherâs eyes.â
Ragna glanced at Lucilia, sniffled for a moment and embraced Zepherina, holding both her children in a warm embrace, crying softly into Zepherinaâs shoulder.
I glanced at Timothy, who was staring rather numbly at Rachelâs still form.
âAye, Timothy,â I called out.
Timothy turned to face me, solemn.
I got to my feet, walked over to him and gave him a firm hug, âNo point in puttinâ on a front, boy. Come on. Let it out.â
Timothy remained stiff for a moment before he hugged back, his head falling against my shoulder.
All this time, he was still a boy to me. Watching him grow up on Rage, showing him fire tricks and sleight of hand magic for fun.
Timothy wasnât a little boy now, far from it. But the loss of a mother, even an absent one, doesnât weigh lightly on a manâs heart.
After a few moments, Timothy composed himself enough, lifting his head, âThank you, Rasper.â
âAnytime, Timothy,â I patted his shoulders, turning to Rachel, âI assume the lot of yah are âere tah bury her?â I asked.
Timothy nodded.
âI assume you are going to have Tasha do the rites?â I asked.
âOh, good idea,â Timothy said, drying his eyes, now set on a task, âIâll see if I can find her, Iâm sure sheâll do it.â
I nodded as Timothy left. It might catch up to him later, but it always helps to keep someone busy instead of mournful. Even if itâs a grim task.
âŠ
Tasha
I closed my Bible. My final âAmenâ had been given.
I looked out to see Ragna sitting next to Zepherina and Timothy. Zepherina held little Lucillia in her arms.
Opposite the aisle of Ragna sat Demond, Rasper, Alexa and Zithero.
Xei was waiting by the entrance of the oversized chapel.
I pursed my lips, the services concluded, âAnd now if the pallbearers could approach, please?â
Demond rose, as did Zepherina, Ragna, Timothy, Rasper and Zithero.
Alexis remained seated as they approached.
Ragna walked to the casket, one hand on the cover, the other she placed on the side. Ragna steeled herself, leaned over the casket and whispered, âGood night, my Amaranth.â
Ragna then closed the lid and grabbed firmly onto the front handle of the casket, waiting for the others to do the same.
Timothy moved to the back end, behind Ragna, as Demond stood in front of him, holding the center on the left-hand side.
Zepherina moved to the front left, where Zithero held the middle, with Rasper at the left-rear, opposite Timothy.
I started walking out of the chapel, heading out of the tall doors.
Xei flanked me as I moved forward, âI got it.â
I frowned to her, âI didnât need-â
As the doors opened, my eye went wide in shock.
Standing alongside the entrance of the chapel doors were a number of Penthesilean soldiers.
When the doors opened, Madison Hill stood waiting, a flag over her arm. She approached Ragna and gave a salute.
Ragna gave Madison a nod as she moved to the casket and draped a large Penthesilean flag over the top.
When finished, Madison walked before us and gave another salute.
Ragna returned the salute with her free hand.
With that, Madison turned and walked a few steps out of the chapel, shouting, âPresent, Arms!â
The soldiers drew their blades and held them aloft for us to pass under.
I moved forward slowly, slightly nervous to be walking under so many swords and spears.
The soldiers had lined up, creating a massive corridor for us to follow.
To my surprise, there were more than enough soldiers to guide us from the entrance of the chapel all the way to the crypts.
There, the corridor finally ended at the massive doors and burning blue flames flanking either side of the door, held by ornate sconces.
We walked in, the entire walk was silent, but this leg of the journey was even moreso.
I stopped at the place we had prepared. A sarcophagus next to Saint Dinahâs memorial.
It was a heavy stone construction. Etched along its sides were murals of Rachelâs life. From her battles to her rule, to her final confrontation with Evangeline.
Over the opening were a pair of thick canvas rolls of cloth, which would lower the casket down into the sarcophagus when we were ready.
Though Saint Dinahâs actual body lay in Penthesil, here was the true place that the former Metatron should have been resting eternal.
When this war is over, I should make efforts to move her body.
I turned to Rachelâs pallbearers and they moved the casket slowly over the sarcophagus, placing it over the opening gently.
It balanced elegantly on the twin bands of canvas held taut over the lidless stone cavity.
The pallbearers stepped away and stood before the casket silently. I turned to see Alexis arrive next to Zepherina, holding little Lucillia.
I held my bible firmly to my chest as I looked out, placing my hand on Rachelâs casket.
âMay God give to you and all whom you love His comfort and His peace, His light and His
joy, in this world and the next; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit, be upon you, and remain with you this day and forever,â I spoke softly, turning to the group before me.
Only Timothy and Zepherina answered the prayer, âAmen.â
Ragna appeared confused and I sighed, lowering Rachelâs casket down. I spoke a final blessing, âThe Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance to you and give you His peace; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always,â which was followed by a far more unanimous âAmenâ from all behind me.
I stepped away, turning to Zepherina and Ragna, âIt is now we honor the former Queen, Rachel Hippolyte, with a final act. To protect and guard her earthly vessel and to show her spirit the honor it deserves, I ask her loving wife Empress Ragna Misho and her Daughter, Zepherina âHeraâ Hippolyte, to lay the lid upon her final resting place.â
Zepherina cracked a smile, âBecause you canât lift it yourself?â
Ragna cracked a smile, as did I.
The two moved to the right of the casket and lifted the several hundred kilogram lid up and over Rachelâs tomb effortlessly.
The lid secured, a soft blue light appeared over it, flickering like a flame.
I watched as a shadow moved over the sarcophagus and passed Demond.
Demond stumbled for a moment, looking confused before he glanced at the ceiling.
I looked up to see a pair of honey colored eyes looking warmly down to us, smiling.
I smiled back, my heart swelling as the dreary room appeared to grow slightly warmer and more welcoming.
âThe dead thank you,â I could hear Elonâs voice softly.
âAnd the living remember you,â I whispered softly, âAlways.â
u/Heaven-sent-me and I proudly present: Chapter 33 of Book 3! Laid To Rest!
This chapter is dedicated to u/KataraRThompson ! Thank you for all of your help!
Tasha recalls her last few moments of the battle, and confronts Xeiâs seemingly return to normalcy. Meanwhile Timothy and Zephrina track down Ragna, seeking out where Rachelâs body is⊠But Ragna has some mixed news on that front! Rasper, meanwhile, knows exactly where the body lies⊠Just like our Patreon Saints! Thank you for your support! We love all of you! Thanks to all of our amazing Supporters!