Chapter 14: Knowledge
Xin-ta felt extremely bad for what she had done. As soon as she had stopped and thought about it, she did not even know where the anger had come from. It seemed as if someone had caused her to become angry for no reason, and it was triggered by just a name for something she hated already. She decided afterward that she herself would tend to the weird monster's injuries.
After making sure that the E’lain was ok, she stood up and looked around the night into the forest. She knew that there were things out there that could even be worse than the magic demon, she had heard tales from other hunters, seekers, and gatherers about monsters that could cause the very essence of a person to be ripped from their bodies. She thought she knew a few tricks that might help them. The elders of the clan had made sure that everyone knew a bit about warding magic after all.
She took a deep breath and breathed it out. Each breath pulled in the ambient elemental mana that floated in the air. With each breath, she pushed it through her body. Her veins started to glow once again as the natural mana circuits came to life. She did this for a few more moments, feeling that she herself was about to combust from the amount that she had gathered. With a last breath, she placed her hands together and envisioned a clear image of a sphere around her. It didn’t need to be large, but it did need to ward off anything that thought it wanted to come and investigate. She imagined the sphere with a light, warm glow that would mask their scents, essence, and visage. That if something did tamper with the outside of the sphere it would alert by flashing brightly.
Magic was taught that all one needed was a clear image of the effects and the understanding of the concepts that the image ensued. She was confident in this, her training had not been for naught. That is why she was a seeker after all.
She felt the magical essence leave her body in an outward wave, her breath released as she stretched her arms wide, palms outward, and head back. The feeling of receiving mana from the body was always intense. Many people chased after this feeling and constantly used mana any chance they could, though the elders of the clan warned many to do things that they could without the aid of magic. Telling them stories of the past and the downfall of their greatest clan, one that was supposed to be almost as big as the forest itself.
That touched on her role in the clan… to seek the histories of their people and find the artifacts that remained hidden over time. Though when the light had appeared she was tasked to go out and discover what it was, thinking that it could be some long relic coming to life. She was only supposed to observe the object and if it was safe to retrieve it, else she was tasked to return back to the clan and bring hunters to force collect the object in question.
Who would have thought… it was a weird clan-looking monster? She mused as she knelt back down to the odd creature. She hadn’t been watching it for long, the only time that she was able to track it down was near the time she was running from the magic demon. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms as she opened the med kit that the shaman had given her for emergency usage. She looked over her supplies and then gave a satisfactory nod and began.
She had to first remove the clothing that the E’lain was wearing. She had never seen such soft and stretchy material before; she could tell thought that it would keep one warm. She removed them, trying not to disturb the monster's sleep. The more she could do while it was unconscious, the better. That’s when she noticed that it had a wound on its shoulder. She peered down at it and noticed the poor attempt at knitting the skin. It was even starting to become infected, the one horns were known to be bottom feeders and usually had nasty claw attacks. With her knife, she reopened the wound and applied some medicine directly to the wound before taking out dried sinew and restitching the wound. With a sigh, she rolled the E’lain over to see her back and gasped slightly. All the wounds on her back were infected, and the back stitching was far worse.
With an internal curse, she went to work using almost the whole med kit on the backside and stitching the worst of the lacerations. She applied clean linens on the wounds and used a sappy-like substance to keep them attached to the skin. Then, she started to work on her side where the magic demon had clawed at her. Those were not too deep, so she instead, just field-dressed them and moved on to check the E’lain all over. She had removed almost all her clothing, marveling at the weird undergarments that it wore. She knew what the purpose was for, but they were really soft and silky to the touch. She wondered if the E’lain could make her some.
With a nod of approval at her own work, she sat on the ground and closed her eyes. Taking a small nap, trusting the ward would alert her if anything approached.
----------------------------------------
Elaine didn’t have a dream this time. Instead, she found herself enveloped in a bright, white space that felt both strange and oddly comforting. It was as if she was suspended in a gentle embrace of nothingness. This sensation reminded her of a previous encounter with a six-winged angel who had touched her forehead and sent her spiraling into darkness. But this experience was different; the whiteness around her felt warm, inviting, and not at all lonely.
As she opened her eyes, she instinctively swung her hand at the figure hovering above her. Her grasp connected easily with someone else's hand.
“Seriously? The first thing you do when you wake up is take a swing at someone?” chuckled Seraphion, her laughter light and soothing as she released Elaine’s hand and began to tenderly stroke her hair.
For a moment, Elaine was speechless, taken completely by surprise as she gazed at the angel’s stunning face. Wow, she thought, you’re absolutely beautiful, and that’s saying something since I don’t usually think of girls this way! But this moment felt special—joy surged through her as she realized that, for once, her thoughts were entirely her own. A slow smile appeared on her face as warmth crept into her cheeks. Only then did she realize she was resting on the lap of the dark-haired angel.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Um… would it be okay if I sat up?” she asked, feeling a bit bashful.
Without fully understanding the situation, Sera shrugged and allowed Elaine to sit up beside her. Noticing Elaine’s flush cheeks, she was curious but chose to focus on the moment. “How are you feeling?” she inquired gently, placing her hands neatly in her lap beside her human.
“I’m okay, really… but where am I?” Elaine asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
“Oh, you’re in your own soul space,” Zeraphine said cheerfully as she positioned herself behind Elaine. “You almost died!” she added casually, stretching her arms above her head before playfully draping herself over Elaine’s shoulders. “Oh, hi by the way! It’s so nice to finally meet you here!”
Elaine sat there, trying to process everything as she gazed into the seemingly endless expanse of whiteness. What on earth…? “I almost died?” she whispered in disbelief, the shock creeping into her voice. “Why? What happened?”
An echo of silence filled the air as the archangels exchanged glances, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Zeraphine stepped up to explain.
“Well, you see… this one here,” she said, pointing at Seraphion playfully, “let her anger out, and the alien picked up on it and reacted to what you said.” With that, she scooted closer to Elaine, wrapping her arm affectionately around her shoulders.
“In my defense,” Seraphion interjected, turning to Elaine with an earnest expression, “I had no idea that I could even do that! Our God gave us bits of information about the situation, and knowing that the Kul'tecka were responsible for our world’s destruction made me… incredibly furious. All I wanted was to lash out, but in this space, there’s nothing to confront!” she said, pacing back and forth as her frustration grew. “I’m filled with this power, and I can’t use it—there’s nowhere to direct my anger. It’s maddening!” Her voice rose, and streaks of red motes began to shimmer around her wings, which fluttered with pent-up energy.
Elaine felt touched by an overwhelming wave of raw emotion emanating from Seraphion. This wasn’t just anger; it was something much deeper—compelling, fierce…
Wrath.
Her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. Suddenly, pieces began to fall into place. “Your… your Wrath,” she stammered, instinctively leaning back, wanting to put some distance between herself and the angel who radiated such intense feelings.
Sensing the tension, Zeraphine stepped in between them. “Seraphion… please calm down. You’re scaring our human,” she spoke with a blend of firmness and warmth. “It’s important to control your emotions and remember your virtues.”
Seraphion turned toward Zera, her eyes still ablaze with anger, but then she caught sight of Elaine. The fury within her began to dissipate as she softened. “I… I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling with regret when she noticed the fear in Elaine's eyes. She hadn’t realized how deeply her emotions could impact others. Slowly, she backed away, sinking to the ground, her earlier energy replaced by sorrow. “I truly didn’t mean to…”
Zee gently interrupted, “You really did know. You were aware she was here, and how much this would impact her. She’s only human, after all. It’s a heavy burden to carry the weight of one billion ninety-four million, five hundred and one thousand six hundred and forty-four souls. That’s an enormous amount of pressure!”
Elaine felt her heart race. Wait… that many souls? The realization left her speechless. Were they truly composed of souls? And human souls at that?
Overwhelmed by the magnitude of this revelation, Elaine fainted once again. It wasn’t just the weight of the anger she felt but also the staggering shock that everyone on Earth was still trapped, truly gone. Even more unsettling was the thought that each of those countless souls resided within her, interwoven into the very fabric of her being. That realization alone could unnerve the most stable of minds. In her case, she simply slipped away into unconsciousness within her own soul space, missing the chance to uncover the truth about why she was there at all.
Zee couldn’t help but sigh as she watched Elaine’s form gradually fade from the soul space. She hadn’t wished to be harsh, but it was important to help her fellow archangels understand their roles. Zee was acutely aware that she held within her the essence of more souls than Seraphion did. And with such a wealth of energy at her disposal, she had the opportunity to accomplish far more than Seraphion ever could. Sure, Seraphion had the ability to unleash destructive wrath, a Divine Right that could extinguish anything in its path, but Zee’s Divine Right of Creation was where the true power lay.
“Oh dear… this was her first time here, and you sent her spiraling into a faint with your overwhelming divinity…” she said, a hint of empathy in her voice. Zee approached her fellow archangel with kindness. “I have a feeling those who didn’t have to share a soul space are probably managing a little better than we are right now… but I want you to know that I’m here for you.” With that, she enveloped Seraphion in a wave of calm energy, her comforting presence wrapping around them both. “You’re going to be okay… I’m right here,” she whispered, taking care to bring them both into a more relaxing position.
“I truly… am sorry. I did not mean for that to happen,” Sera responded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Yes, the souls within her were leaning toward emotions like wrath and patience, but they were still profoundly human. They felt real emotions and possessed intelligence. She wasn’t a monstrous being; she was an angel—an archangel at that. “I promise I will keep it together, Zee. I promise,” she vowed, meeting Zee’s reassuring gaze.
“There’s no need to apologize to me… your focus should be on our human instead,” Zee encouraged, giving her a gentle pat on the head, her smile warm yet her eyes strong and resolute. It was less of a suggestion and more of a gentle command. “We can’t let our human break under the pressure; we have to protect her emotions and ensure she can thrive in the real world.”
With a determined nod, Seraphion turned back towards Elaine, who was absent in body but still felt very much present in spirit. They knew that by concentrating deeply, they could feel her emotions and see through her eyes, as if experiencing life vicariously in an extraordinary manner. They settled in, patiently awaiting Elaine’s return to consciousness. Despite knowing she was in physical pain, something within them sensed a positive change. Whatever was happening outside of their realm felt hopeful, as if a better outcome awaited them all.