Angelica used the guise of the night to land not far from the holy city, the young boy slumbering in her embrace. The price she had to pay in order to bring the boy with her was not small and the black tattoo on Angelica's wrist reminded her. Although it would be hidden from the eyes of most, the black taint on her skin was clear as ever to Angelica. It was the mark of the contract Galileo had forced onto her. As long as the boy lived Angelica would never intentionally ruin Galileo's plans or interfere with his whims, and in exchange, Galileo would not try to interfere with her care of the Goodseed.
Angelica looked at the boy in her embrace and brushed a palm through his hair. Godseeds were completely different from normal mortals as they were born with bodies already half transcendent. While mortals were formed of flesh upon birth, Gods were beings formed of power dense enough to form their immortal shell from only magic. In a way, every step towards Godhood would allow one to grow closer to that state of pure energy, eventually granting them longevity or even immortality. The largest step in between were the demigods. It was the title earned those who could bring their gift so close to Godhood they were nearly indistinguishable at first glance. They would become nearly unkillable, as their flesh could be reconstructed at a whim and they could survive the worst calamities as long as at least a smitheren of power remained within their form.
There were only a few exceptions. Firstly there were angels and demons. Although they served different masters, they were fundamentally the same: Loyal tools meant to serve for all eternity. The dedication an angel or a demon had towards the intentions of their rulers was only second to that they held towards their lords’ commands. In order to ensure their positions as subjects, they were fundamentally restricted in some of their abilities. An angel or a demon could never become a great leader nor feel love other than the love for the lord and his sheep. Many mortal feelings that would obstruct their task were suppressed to be nearly nonexistent and as half of their bodies were forged from the flesh and blood of the God which created them, angels and demons were born immortal and with endurance to rival demigods as long as they didn’t run out of power. That way death would rarely ever claim one as they relished in their eternal servitude.
The other exception was the kind of being Angelica held in her hands. The boy was a divine Godseed, something rare even in the ancient times. Occasionally upon a mortal birth, the newborn would be merged with power beyond the understanding of most, those were known as Gifted and their birth would be accompanied by a strange phenomenon. For the weakest of them, it might be just a slight flash of light behind their eyes, perhaps a gust of wind or even an increase in the surrounding temperature. Such mortals were born with a gift, great talent as well as a unique power, enough to tread towards the so-called 6 leaps of Godhood.
Among them, Godseeds were those whose talent surpassed all. Their birth could give birth to volcanos, crack open entire prairies or illuminate the sky with light brighter than that of the Sun. Angelica remembered many of them, especially the one which accompanied the birth of Galileo: First, an entire island was torn from the sea, rising a hundred meters into the skies; next, the skies tore open, swallowing the island into a separate dimension born at that moment. It was by far the most tremendous phenomenon Angelica had witnessed. The natural disposition of Godseeds was also not inferior to the celestial flesh of angels and as their name suggested if given enough time and resources they were guaranteed to achieve Godhood. Needless to say, in the ancient times, Godseeds were hunted by the already existing Gods who were not keen on additional competition.
Angelica’s lord was dead and she couldn't take his place. What was left of his sheep remained restless and damaged, yet there was only so much she was able to do. Angelica was a warrior. A judicator who dispensed justice of her lord’s will. A shepherd that guarded the path but never chose it. She could at most kill the wolfs, but not grow grass on barren dirt. What the sheep needed was a new hope. An undisputed and undying image just like the God of creation used to be.
As a lord was dead, it was the duty of a servant to nurture his successor. The God of creation birthed this world. Albeit most were ignorant, every beast, mortal and tree were the children of her lord. Since the times required an heir, the world that Angelica’s lord had created gave birth to one. Angelica was certain that his appearance was a sign from the lingering will of her creator. A command to return the church of creation to its previous image. She herself was an angel and thus could never become the avatar for her lord, yet this boy was the perfect vessel for her lord to once again gather the mortals beneath his wise embrace.
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She would bring back the God of creation. One step at a time.
With the boy still slumbering in her embrace, she reached a secret entrance outside the city. After her gentle knock, she pushed the door open with a small bit of her power. The guards within were alarmed at first, though as soon as they saw her they were too stunned to even cry out. Angelica had not only neglected to suppress her charm, she even reinforced it. The beauty the two guards were witnessing was simply too overwhelming as they stood with their mouths wide agape. The doors closed behind her as Angelica entered, leaving the two stunned men behind. Once again restricting her charm Angelica trod through the underground tunnels. Although the entire complex layout still eluded her, she had at the very least remembered the path which lead to Michael’s residence. Although some people who she had encountered gave her strange looks, none questioned her. Finally, she found herself in front of the familiar dwelling, the guards quickly inviting her in.
“Angelica something…!” Michael shouted as soon as she had stepped inside, though Angelica quickly hushed him with an index finger to her lips and a warning burst of divinity.
“Who is that?” Michael almost whispered as he glared at the boy.
“The artefact which you had sent me to retrieve,” Angelica smiled as she looked back.
“How is that possible. Even if that were the case he would be much older,” Michael was naturally doubtful.
“I will explain the details later,” Angelica said, “For now find me a room for him,” Michael nodded and brought her to one of the many empty rooms where angelica gently lied the boy to sleep.
“So,” Angelica looked at Michael once she shut the door to the room where the Godseed slept, “What is going on and where is Anderson.”
“For now Anderson resumed his position as a cardinal in order to sort this mess both within and without since the pontiff is currently unconscious,” Michael began with the latter question, “Although he was a bit reluctant to return to the position which had brought him so much pain and loss, Anderson understands very well that he is about the only public figure besides the pontiff who is considered trustworthy by most of the leaders. And he is especially needed after what had happened today. Someone was crazy enough to commit a nuclear terror attack.”
“Nuclear terror attack?” the only word Angelica understood was the last.
“I have said previously that humanity possesses rare but frightening weapons,” Michael explained once again, “Those are called nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction. As the name suggest, they can create absolute devastation wherever they strike. And a terror attack is an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of people, often by ruthlessly killing as many innocent civilians as possible. When put together, the mix is perhaps the deepest fear of most mortals.”
“So fear will spread in a sizable area,” Angelica nodded. Although it would be bothersome if the church was nearby, it didn’t seem so horrible.
“This is no longer the era you know,” Michael shook his head, “In the past, perhaps the terror could be contained to a region. Now, however, once information spreads it becomes known globally in one moment. A single photograph is taken and the knowledge can no longer be contained. Humanity fears death more than anything, and those weapons are its incarnation of death in their hearts. Society will break down and unrest will spread. People will quickly succumb to desperation and chaos will reign. It's impossible to predict what will come to pass.”
“In times of fear, more people reach out to faith,” Angelica pointed out.
“Perhaps,” Michael nodded, yet he didn’t look any calmer, “Yet at times like these there is far less reluctance towards attempting to reform society. And thus the Foundation is far less afraid of attempting to remove us.”
“You believe the Foundation will attempt to use the so-called Nuclear weapons against us,” Angelica finally understood his concerns.
“I am not wondering if. Rather I want to know when,” Michael nodded grimly, “Now that the Covenant is gone for good, there are few who oppose the Foundation. And when the dust settles there might be none left.”
“No,” Angelica firmly shook her head, “I will personally protect this city from now on. There is not need for me to leave in the future anyway,” she then looked back towards the closed door of the room where the boy slept, “The foundation will not have the last laugh. Time is in our favour, Michael. Now let me explain who and what the boy I brought with me is…”