The mission had been a success. There were no casualties on the side of the Angels. The Irinian army had halted in its tracks, and was forced to march back into their lands for fear of running out of food.
Thus, their two-pronged offensive was broken. There now only remained a southern army that the Queendom and Sidonia would focus their full attention on. Thanks to his efforts, he had been recognized by the Angels as a battle-brother, and had been given an audience with the Seraph. Still bearing the wings that had been temporarily seared onto his back, he was able to fly through AB-0 like the other Angels. The flying highways crisscrossed the innards of the AB-0, hundreds of Angels flew at highspeed past them.
“Your apparel has been purified, you may now wear them in the presence of the Seraph.”
Archangel Seralus informed him, and Alisson was quick to change into his old armor which now seemed to gleam in brightness. The fabric of his cloak was also soft to the touch. Constantius met with him to escort Alisson the final leg of the way to the Seraph, where after one final vertical tunnel, he was met with a large pair of doors.
“Michaela is waiting for you. Do as she says. The room beyond these doors is protected with anti-espionage blessings. You may rest easy in your confidentiality.”
Constantius said as he made way for Alisson, motioning to the door. Alisson nodded in thanks and with one motion stepped inside. It was not too dissimilar to Rolaign; but instead of dark, shadowy corners and a high ceiling, this inner sanctum had glass walls that made Alisson realize just how high up he was.
“Like the view?”
Gently floating in the center of the room was a bright entity; a sphere of pure white, which had a halo over its head, and several rings which circled it.
Alisson fell to a knee and placed a hand on his heart. “Seraph Michaela, though I am unworthy to be in your presence, I have come to speak with you on critical matters.”
“You need not prostrate yourself. Rise.” He did so, listening to the melodic hum that her voice carried at its edges. “Alisson Vi Nuam. You are, unique, among your kind.” He looked up at the rotating sphere, which continued, “All who bear your blood bear a heavy weight that chains them down, limits their thoughts; But you are different. You have no traces of such weight. I eagerly await your story.”
Alisson took a deep breath. “I must preface this by saying that I am well aware that I could be considered a most terrible retainer of Sidonia; a disloyal and treacherous servant that has failed to uphold his duties.” He looked at the white sphere with sharp eyes. “But I believe that you will understand my griefs, even if you do not agree with my solution.”
He took another deep breath, and went on to tell the Seraph the whole story. The order given to him that may as have well been to commit suicide, the Influence, Sidonia’s obfuscation and undermining of the Nekomata as an independent people, and Alisson’s plan for revenge.
“Thus, when Irine is dealt with, I will lead our combined armies south, and besiege Sidonia. I have seen the Angel’s performance in the sky, and I would humbly ask for your support. Sidonia lacks dedicated air combat teams or any air doctrine, by contrast.”
The Seraph finally spoke after a long while. “Alisson, to say this is a matter of selfishness is a grave underestimation.” Alisson’s body tensed in fear. “Your leader wronged you, so you intend to destroy her entire nation and your own people in petty revenge? Is that how you see it? That you are simply an inflamed traitor who will act on their own gain?”
Alisson closed his eyes, doing his best to remain calm. “To a certain extent, yes. To destroy an entire system simply because I was disserviced by it, that would be the height of arrogance…” He clenched his fist.
“Your self-reflection is admirable. You think these things but you still want to go through with them. It’s not really for yourself, is it?”
The Seraph’s sphere pulsed whitely. Alisson’s eyes widened in realization. “Yes…I do it…For love.” He smiled. “I want to live a peaceful life with my partner. It just so happens that…To achive that…I need to destroy a nation.”
“You don’t want to settle for a less involved solution, you don’t want to run away and escape, you want to meet this problem head on. I believe this is admirable.”
“Yes…Sidonia does not like loose ends. She won’t allow me and my mate to live a carefree life. I must…” His eyes flashed with the visage of his sister, and he clenched his teeth. “I must defeat them utterly and completely. I don’t even really care much about saving my people from her tyranny. If anything I am doing my people a disservice; For she has been a boon that has made us formidable…”
“This is true, but this formidable boon comes at a grave cost that I believe you still do not understand. One’s sovereignty, one’s one free will. If you were to oust Sidonia, the Nekomata would gain these things back, and others with similar situations as yours would be redeemed. You also plainly admit that you do not have a deeper, righteous motivation in saving your kind from a perceived tyranny. I applaud your honesty. Only those who consort in politics will conceal their intentions underneath a righteous mask.”
The Seraph went silent for a long while, and Alisson gradually calmed his beating heart.
“Alisson. I believe I find you admirable. You may not be Man, you may even be a pagan, but you have a drive of free will that embodies the spirit of humanity. Sidonia is not very human. We are only allied to her because of geopolitical circumstance; But if she were the one landlocking our territory, she could very well be worse than Irine in her rule. We of God will support you. You, who have done so to prove yourself to us. We will stand behind you as God intends us.”
Alisson broke into a wary smile, a feeling of accomplishment rising in his chest.
It seemed the Michaela had already intended or at least had her reservations about Sidonia all along.
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“I will allow you to gaze on my true form.”
The sphere expanded and melded shape into a humanoid entity, before its brightness faded and revealed the true womanly body of Seraph Michaela. Her wings stretched out, and her halo sat over her head, spanning an arm’s length in radius. She wore simple white ropes over her mature body, which glowed faintly white.
“Come hither.” She beckoned him nearer as she floated in the air. “There are a few trite matters I would like to discuss. But firstly, I wish to caress your ears.”
“M-my ears?” Alisson’s face reddened.
“I have always been curious of how they would feel. Animals are not allowed in my presence, you see.”
Alisson looked at the Seraph’s body, her deep blue eyes, and her innocent, small smile. How could he refuse? He may have been able to resist the devious fox queen, but he didn’t stand a chance against this. He mentally apologized to Celis as he stepped closer, activating his Opensen, and kneeling before her. He closed his eyes, and tried not to think about it.
Her hands grazed the ears atop his head, and cupped them gently. Her hands were soft, and gentle. She giggled. “They feel peculiar, but it is not an unpleasant feeling.”
Alisson looked up to her. “Is worldly pleasure not sinful to pursue…?”
Michaela smiled gently. “We are here, Alisson, in this material world, as God intended. We experience the woes of life, but also the frivolities.” She lowered her hand and gently pet his head. Alisson shivered. She pulled her hand away suddenly, as if guilty.
“But I do not mean to trivialize your resolve or your will as an independent person, I apologize if I have.”
Alisson smiled, and shook his head. “Your consideration is plenty.”
“There are three items of interest of which I wish to bless you with. Rise.”
Alisson stood, the Seraph was so close to him that he felt a pulsing warmness emanating from her.
“The first is the most trivial, and was something that you already possessed. We just happened to come across it in our territory.”
Alisson’s eyes widened. He knew immediately what it was.
“There were a band of vile merchants who were using the Sidonian breed of horse, two of them, they were armored and had the personal possessions of what appeared to be two travelers. In lieu of an explanation from Sidonia, we have been holding these steeds on Sidonia’s behalf; After hearing your story, I believe I know who to attribute these mounts to.”
Alisson nodded in thanks. At the great battle of Scratskoslovotskaya, Alisson had made a deal with a shady merchant to keep care of his steeds while they were in the Deadzone. By the time they returned to the city, the mounts were nowhere to be found, and Alisson chalked it up to a regrettable, but acceptable, loss. They were nearing the end of their journey by that point anyway, and easily found other mounts to replace them, though none compared in the training in discipline that their personal steeds had. They had seen horrifying things, alongside himself and Celis. They also held with them a few things of interest.
“The second is this.” Michaela gave a swipe with her had, and a sword materialized in her hand’s wake, which fell into her grip. It was white and elegant, but simple and thin. “I have noticed that you do not have a weapon, for Sidonia has stripped you of your arms. Please take this as both a personal ward and a symbol of our bond.”
Alisson nodded, and lifted the sword from her grip.
“It will conduct mana better than a normal sword, which should suit your, esoteric, abilities.”
“Thank you.”
“Then, there is the final item. The wings you have had branded to you disappear within a few hours; But you have expressed a desire to partake in our true blessings. For one as old as you, this is a difficult endeavor, which cannot be done immediately. However…”
The Seraph reached into her robes and retrieved what appeared to be a silver necklace, with that cross symbol Alisson had seen everywhere in AB-0.
“This is a blessed amulet that will collect your prayers and deeds, it will store your will and the will of those you have slain; With this, you will be able to build your strength. When it has reached sufficient capacity, return to me, and we will begin your transformation in earnest.” She held the necklace before Alisson’s eyes. “Say a prayer before resting for the night, and before taking lives. If your soul is as pure as I believe, you should have no trouble amassing the store of will.”
She dropped the pendant into Alisson’s hands, and he furrowed his brow. “What exactly is it? How does this work?”
Michaela smiled and shook her head. “Do not bother with trite things like that. Have faith. Believe earnestly in your prayers.”
Alisson furrowed his mouth, but looked to her and nodded in acceptance.
“Now, I believe you wish to depart. I will allow you to take your leave.”
“Thank you, Seraph, for everything. I will not forget your hospitality.”
Alisson turned and began to leave when he felt something graze his tails, and he froze a moment, before realizing the Seraph had caressed them.
“…Soft.”
Alisson continued on out of the room with a deep breath to calm himself.
…
Basil was her name. A lamia; a race of feared serpentine warriors whose bottom halves were that of snakes. Purple scales and long purple hair adorned her body, and she had a human-like face, which she licked with her long, bifurcated tongue occasionally.
“So it seems Celis has reunited with her pet…”
Alisson rubbed his temples as Celis hummed gleefully, feeling the lamia wrap around her arm.
“When she hatched, Basil was so small that she could fit in my hand, but now she could eat one of my fingers whole!”
Celis exclaimed with a happy smile. There seemed to be few things that brought Celis more joy than pets. Ashlynde bobbed up and down with similar glee, “Let me touch her again! Please?”
Marenix sighed. “These creatures are endangered, no one has seen of them in years…You and Celis found one in the north?”
Alisson bobbed his head. “We came across a destroyed nest, with one egg intact. It happened to hatch before we were able to eat it, and Celis decided to keep the little snake that had emerged.”
Basil had been left with the mounts at Scratskoslovotskaya, so when the merchants backstabbed them and sold the mounts, Basil hid within their pouches, eating what rations she could until she was picked up by the HACA, where they had cared for her. The lamia was still just an adolescent, who couldn’t even speak, a useless toy – What was really important, were the combat-hardened steeds that the Angels had recovered, mounts which had served them well before, who were evidently happy to see Alisson and Celis. Alisson ran an idle hand over his stallion’s neck, smiling as the animal seemed to neigh in happiness. These were not assets to throw away lightly.
“Uh, master, what’s this?”
Ashlynde had been busy digging through their old supplies, and now lifted a notebook in the air, and quickly flipped through it. “There’s a bunch of drawings of Alisson in here-!”
Celis quickly slipped behind Ashlynde and cupped her mouth tightly. “Yes! Alisson likes drawing his baths one bunch at a time! Be quiet!”
Alisson tilted his head, his curiosity getting the better of him, and stepped nearer. Celis couldn’t stop him from plucking the notebook out of Ashlynde’s hands and flipping through it. He flipped through one page at a time, seeing doodles of what appeared to be himself. Celis blushed and her shoulders shot up by her cheeks, averting her eyes guiltily.
“I guess even mean old Celis had a crush when she was an apprentice…” Marenix peered over at the pages, remarking.
Alisson was a little touched to see that her love had been so deep, and long winded. He closed the notebook. It was a simple matter that he didn’t need to pay any attention to or further embarrass her over, though.
Alisson cleared his throat and pushed the notebook against Celis’s chest, and turned away with a flare of his cloak. Their time in the HACA had come to an end. It was time to return to Sidonia, and attain an army.
“Master, teach me how to draw too?”
He heard Ashlynde yelp as she was hit upside the head.
***
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End Movement 2