NOVEL NEXT Interlude Hallowed Grounds.
Pov ??? Garden of Healing
As I guided the soul of the young human, Leon, through the Garden of Healing, I showed him various versions of himself being returned to their proper timelines and reuniting with their families. Leon looked up at me, his eyes filled with a mix of hope and apprehension.
"Is my family here as well?" he asked softly.
"No, young one," I replied, "they are not dead yet." With a wave of my hand over a nearby pond, an image appeared showing his mother and father being held captive in a base. "Do not worry, they will not die, as it is not their time yet. And since the devils and demons of this realm have been cheating and using loopholes in the rules, we can do the same for good people."
I waved my hand again, and the scene in the pond shifted to a team of soldiers taking down guards at the base, preparing to rescue the captives. Leon's eyes welled with tears, and he fell to his knees.
I placed my hand on Leon's shoulder, smiling to myself until I remembered that the helmet I wore blocked others from seeing my face. Sighing, I instead ruffled his hair and spoke in a cheerful tone. "Looking at their destiny now, I can see that your family will mourn you for the rest of their lives. However, they will ensure that your sister has a happy and safe life. They will suffer from your loss, but they will make the world a better place because of it. And once they pass on and join heaven, they will become as you have for their great service in helping and saving others."
Leon looked at me, tears still streaming down his cheeks, and asked, "Can I speak with them one last time? Let them know I am not suffering anymore and that they shouldn't suffer either?"
Resting my hand on his head, I gently told him the truth. "Sorry, kid, but no. They won't be able to hear you since they are not sensitive to spiritual beings like we are unless we manifest a corporeal body in the material plane. However, your sister will be able to see you when she is born, at least until she gets too old to see you anymore. Then again, you were able to see a demon from a different universe, so she may be able to see you for her whole life. I can't say for certain since I'm not like the other angels—I am more of a warrior."
"But, since we have four months until your mother gives birth to your sister, I have dispatched an angel to watch over them. During that time, we will undergo another rebirth, similar to the one the demon gave you. This will cleanse your soul of any remnants of hellish essence and replace it with holy essence, allowing you to become an angel. Not a high-ranking one like me, as I have to hide pairs of my wings to limit the power I use around others. Pride would get mad if I blinded him again. Well, not the Pride you saw—that's not the real Pride. How to explain... Pride is a different being depending on which universe you're in." I said crossing my arms and cocking my head to the side a little. "In our universe, he is the ruler of hell and the betrayer, the one who fell. In that other universe, he—or rather, she—is a red dragon who killed the old Pride and became the new Pride. With dragons being very prideful and arrogant, it made sense that one of them would embody Pride. When the version of you that fell became part of the system to guide you, it was meant to help you avoid their downfall. It's strange; I didn't create the system there, nor do I know the rules behind it. The one we have is easier to use and better." I paused, realizing I had gone on a bit of a rant, and looked at Leon to make sure he was following.
Leon's confused expression greeted me as I looked down at him again, but he was still trying to listen and understand everything I was saying.
"What you saw was the version of you that fell to Pride," I continued. "I saw him and the one behind him—the one I blinded after she almost broke into our universe. Since she was a sin of Pride, unleashing my full power in front of her blinded her. Ever since then, she sends a few messengers now and then, challenging me to fight. But I won't do that since I have no reason to fight her." I said sighing remembering the 91434252 messages she sent. "But enough of that," I said, shifting the focus. "Now it is time to begin the cleansing, and after that, your training inside the time-dilated arena where we train all new angels who take up roles as protectors or similar classes. Don't worry too much; the class and race part of our system isn't much different, so you won't have to make a big adjustment." Leon looked relieved that he would not have to have to relearn how the class and race worked. I might as well throw in a few drops of my blood since his affinity to blood is so high he may be able to have a new and unique race and class offered for him during his cleansing. He will be the first angel with a blood affinity I know of, another smile spreading, I am just so happy today. I couldn't help but feel a surge of eagerness. Finally, I had a new trainee who could become my disciple. Smiling, I ruffled Leon's hair once more. "Let's get started. You've got a lot ahead of you, but I know you'll do great."
Leon looked up at me, hope in his voice. "Do I have to do anything during the cleansing, or will everything be handled by the angels? And do you think I'll make it back in time for the birth so I can see my sister and protect them?"
I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The cleansing will be handled entirely by the angels. All you need to do is relax and let the process happen. As for your sister's birth, the time dilation in the arena will ensure that your training is thorough and efficient. You'll be able to see her and protect them when the time comes. Trust me, Leon, everything will work out. Just pray the other you doesn't send that damned book too soon. It is hard to see the future because of that thing."
Leon looked even more confused than earlier when I mentioned the book. "Book, Pray? What book are you talking about and why is it damned?"
Waving away the question I responded. "He will send a Book that will break the Rule that God made allowing us to finally wipe out the evil that infests the world and the hells themselves. And no we won't kill the other you since he is doing us a favor and doing this. When he does this the world won't be destroyed and remade, and the system will give the humans on earth a chance to see the evil in its many forms. Some shall fall to the evil, yes but most will see the light and join together. This was one of the reasons we were not allowed to interfere with the demon taking you to another Universe and damning a version of yourself. Now come let's go see the priests' angels who will be cleansing you of the remnant taint on you."