A Church is a place of sanctuary, a haven for those who need a bed, a bowl of stew, prayer, and healing. An excluded island of learning and divinity away from the outside world and from those who wish to do them harm. That is what a church is supposed to be. That is what Havana Lym, Priestess-In-Training of the Trinity had always believed.
And now she watches as everything she knows burns, as her authoritative figures are butchered and friends slaughtered. She was in no better position, being dragged by her golden lock of hair as she kicked and screamed, away from the burning sanctuary during the night.
“NO, PLEASE NO! STOP!” she screamed, praying, no, begging her Gods to do anything to save her.
The figure dragging her, a knight of the Tripartite Confederation, donned in a set of black, ebony armor glanced down at her without stopping, before continuing his task. Despite the closed helmet he wore, it was obvious that there was no pleasure in what he was doing.
“HOW CAN YOU DO THIS, WE… WE ARE NON COMBATANTS! HEALERS! PLEA-” A swift punch to her nose, shattering it, from an identical knight to the one dragging her, put a stop to her yelling.
Finally, the knight dragging her let go of her hair, allowing her face to fall face-first into the dirt as they approached a large tree in the middle of a clearing. Its trunk was so wide that two men couldn't wrap their arms around it, covered in green moss and clover from the bottom of the trunk up into the branches themselves. This tree was known by the local priests and priestesses to be a Spirit Tree; a living organism that contains a benevolent spirit aligned with the Trinity, a being said to give aid to those in times of need. However, no actions were taken by the tree as she was pushed against it and tied to the trunk.
The knight that dragged her stepped back away from the tree, as the one that punched her retrieved an unlit torch and ignited it, an orange tint casting itself onto their surroundings. The torch-bearing knight approached, as he set the torch down beside the tree.
Havana could do nothing as she watched the torch flicker against the tree bark and moss, stinging the bark as it fluttered in the wind. And then it caught the green moss, bearing its flame onto the tree itself.
Havana kicked and struggled against her bondages, trying to wiggle her way out of the hemp rope she found herself tied with. There was no budging for the frail priestess, as she soon came to realize as the knights just looked at her, one with down casted eyes, and another that looked all too excited to see her burn.
If she hadn’t been tied down, she would have collapsed in despair. This is the end. Truly. It would be only a matter of time before the children were found, and what then? Would they be tossed into the flames of the burning once-sanctuary? Be subjected to a fate worse than death by these... scum?
The fire danced around her boots, threatening to get caught on her long, flowing white garbs of the Trinity. At this moment, and not a moment before, she cried. Nonsensical pleading erupted, begging for them to let her go, for someone to release her. Nothing came to save her, and she would be burnt alive for something she had no part in doing.
‘Please… Someone… anyone… help me’.
Flutoon!
A bright, white light impacted the land in between the distanced knights and herself, illuminating the surrounding area in a light as prevalent as the sun and as intoxicating as wine. As the stream of light slowly dissipated, a figure emerged. Levitating off of the ground, their presence was all the more enticing. A glowing Chestplate, Gauntlets, and Boots adorned with various hieroglyphs covered his body, and white robes covered the places where unprotected skin lay. A stagnant hood covers the face, leaving a shadow where the face should be. White, feathered wings and a Halo make it clear to those just what this figure is.
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An Angel.
-- Two Minutes After Arriving in the New World | Gabriel POV --
It took Gabriel a minute to realize just what was happening; a freefall from the clouds during the dark of night. It took another minute to decide what to do; nothing, as he crash landed ungracefully into the unforgiving ground at Mach ten.
‘Damn… How long was I stuck in there? It all mushed together after so long…’. Gabriel unconsciously began levitating, wings outstretching on its own accord.
‘What exactly… happened?’. Gabriel had been trapped for the better part of a century, if he had to imagine, in a white room with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. While he was surprised to not be brain dead by this time, it appears to not have helped him with his mentality, causing him to ignore his surroundings to the detriment of all parties involved.
"An a- ANGEL! The Priestess summoned an Angel! Warn the oth-” a yell began.
“[Righteous Halo]” Gabriel immediately said, throwing his Halo like a frisbee as it sliced, and then went through the helmet of a knight in black armor.
‘Oh shit… I just reacted on instinct. I think I just murdered that guy'. Oddly enough, he wasn’t too concerned about that. Maybe about the unwarranted murder, but the demise of the knight itself did nothing to him.
“Fu- FUCK. YOU FUCKING BASTARD. [Three Stab Combo]!” screamed the other knight who pulled his sword out, only to be parried by the hands of Gabriel. Each stab was just swatted by Gabriel as he began to evaluate the situation he found himself in.
‘Weird… All of his movement is so slow. Maybe he’s trying to take me alive?’ Gabriel mused as he backhanded the knight with his gauntlet, crumpling the helmet as the knight was thrown into the dirt.
‘Ah… I might be a little too powerful for these guys'. He was completely lost at this point, though the only emotion being shown was a deadpan expression as he looked at the impact crater, before glancing at the blazing tree before him. Tied to it was a small female in white robes, likely a priestess by the getup she was wearing, scrutinizing him with an expression he could only explain as terrified and hopeful.
‘Good Job, James, you left her to burn. I'm sure she doesn't mind ’, Gabriel mentally told off on himself, walking up to her as the flames caught onto her long robes. Immediately, he pulled the rope apart, allowing her to collapse into his chest plate. While it was not exactly an exact soft landing, Gabriel didn’t think she cared much at that point for comfort.
“Please… help those still around the church… There are more of them. I beg of you, Angel of the Gods, help them” The girl begged, a combination of blood, tears, soil, and mucus covering her face. Her eyes pierced his soul, and he replied without thinking with logic or reason.
“Of course, child of the flock. Wait here, I will return shortly”.
‘What? Why did I say it like that? That sounded so… eugh. Whatever, I need to test myself out on some people anyways, even if they are nothing but ants to me’. A grin crept onto Gabriel's already smiling face, though the motive behind such an expression, he did not know.
-- Havana POV --
In a blur, the angel was gone. Screams rose and fell as she looked into the grounds surrounding the still-burning church, her home of the past two years. Havana could only watch as her tormentors were flung from one side of a chaotic field to another, rays of light piercing knights and common soldiers of the Tripartite that tried to get away, and a mix of golden streaks of white lights ripping apart those in close quarters.
A faint smile forced its way onto her lips, though if there was some reasoning behind it, she did not know.