Free Web NovelChapter 9: Chapter 9: Clarification
The pits of hell would always gnaw and spark fear in the hearts of men and women. They say the eternal fire will purge through the soul and give you eternal pain, your cries will soak and nourish hell, nourish its residents, so why not, why not will they torture you?
The residents will gnaw at you and delight at your despair, as they are fond of you, fond of your cries.
Amon had always said such words in his stories, and now Nyima saw it herself, as she was surrounded by them. Their dark and reddish eyes, she could feel the malice in them, with the stench of sulfur pungent in her nose.
"Ureil..." she called. "What is the meaning of this? You said there would be a blood sacrifice, to call the mightiest angel within me, and be useful."
Ureil said nothing, recoiling her wings, her white hair shining and keeping the demons at bay. She looked above, whispering, her words not mingling with the air. Like a soft, tonic whisper.
Thunder!
The sky crackled with a whisper of its own, the demons recoiling back. "Angel!" One of the demons screamed. "Honor your deal and give us the womb." It said.
Ureil, still hearing the whisper from the thunder, looked at the demon with disgust, but still she held Nyima, who looked at her with confused eyes.
"I’m sorry, Nyima. The creator sacrificed his favorite son for a better world. And so should Amon." She said.
Nyima turned confused. She had just had her period a couple of days ago. What did she mean? What did any of this mean?
"Wait, what do you mea..."
"You carry it, Nyima. You don’t feel it, but the world did, the heavens did, and so did hell, breaking whatever weak balance it contained."
Nyima placed her hand on her stomach. She was sure of it. She had tried, she had tried so hard to bear him a child, but failed all the same. But here, an angel of heaven had said it herself.
"But, I was blee..."
"A mere side effect, but you do bear his child."
Something welled up inside her. Happiness? Warmth? She didn’t know it well, but it was something. Then she recalled her words, the word sacrifice, and the hordes of demons around her.
She gripped her stomach tight. "Ureil. If Amon knows what you just said, you know what will happen?" She muttered.
"The deal is done. We need Amon, and hell needs her." She said, pointing at Nyima’s belly.
"No!" She screamed, and ran, or tried to, but the demons blocked her anyway, their slithering tongues rolling all about, almost reaching her arms, but the light withheld, pushing them away.
"You lied. Amon told us angels were good, better than himself, but you..." She said, her scrutinizing eyes digging deep into her.
"You are not even half as good as him." She voiced.
And it cut deep. Ureil was not able to match those eyes. Her head weighed down, but she forced her chest to puff up high, and so did her head. "It was nice meeting you, Nyima." She said, dimming her own light, letting the cold shroud of darkness take cover.
"He will understand your sacrifice eventually. He is a creation of the creator, and he will continue to be so." Ureil said, her body gradually vanishing.
"Wait!" Nyima screamed. "You can’t do th..."
Nyima blinked and just like that, she was gone. "...Ureil?" She called, but no answer. The demons smiled, laughed even, watching her.
She gripped her stomach. "Amon..." she said, backing away, as the demons came closer and closer.
Cheering stared at the sky, sitting near the fire, his eyes lost in the dark clouds. Thunder clapping as if a storm was brewing.
Sis...
He was worried, his instincts saying something was amiss. But he knew, with those firm eyes of Nyima, he knew he shouldn’t be worried.
It’s just the storm. I’m just overthinking it again.
He felt a palm on his shoulder, the grip firm. He knew then and there who it was.
"You are worried about sis?" Cheering asked.
"Yeah, you said she was coming here, but she is..."
"She’s fine, Amon, trust me." Cheering said, cutting him off. But Amon could see it, the worry in his eyes.
"Okay, Cheering, okay. I will wait." He replied, as he walked back, walking to the alley as he threw away his jacket, walking beyond his home, walking beyond the village. His steps going from roads to rocks to snow.
He had thought something was wrong. Now, he definitely knew something was indeed wrong. Very wrong.
"Status." He voiced.
His status opened right away, his finger sliding on the unlock button on his agility.
[999,999+ AGI unlocked]
He could feel it, his legs shaking as he stepped on the snow. The step felt different, his body felt different, his vision felt different. The world around him felt different.
The snow bunny at the side, frozen. The noise and ambience of the village slowing down, borderline stopping altogether. He didn’t like this feeling. It felt too inhuman. His metabolism boiled, burning away his drunkenness, forcing him back to reality, pushing him back to who he truly was.
"Nyima..." he whispered.
But for her, he would do anything. So it was okay. He only wanted one thing and one thing only, to have her back. So he took another step. The sound barrier lost its meaning, as he was beyond mere sound, leaving sparks of gold. He was beyond anything and everything.
The Himalayas lay bare and golden, Amon speeding through everything, leaving his spark, leaving his light. But not a single whiff of his wife. From every cave to another far away village, his suspicion grew uncomfortable.
When finally, he caught her scent, all the way toward the very top. Everest.
"Finally..." he said, his steps pacing to climb. When the sky thundered, a blazing fire roared before him, blowing him away. Amon quickly stood up, surprised by the sheer heat of the fire, as this was no normal fire.
"...Pure flame?" He voiced, the fire turning white, already surrounding him. It didn’t even take a millisecond for it to spread, burning even snow, even air, anything it touched.
And from the fire, a sword pierced through. A flaming sword which Amon knew all about, and the holder of that sword.
"Ureil... no, you are her copy." He called. "Did you lose your mind, or has heaven turned deaf?"
Like words turning to miracles, from the fire, holding the sword, she appeared. Fully armored, with molten plates glowing, her warrior armor. Her golden eyes burning, with her helm tight on her head. Her halo burning bright.
"I am following orders, Amon. That’s it."
"And that being?" Amon asked, his worry and suspicion finally coming true.
"Stalling for time."
