Under the full moon’s glow, Moxie trekked across a desolate desert, the cool sand whispering under his steps. Finally, he saw it—a strange, church-like structure isolated in the middle of nowhere. He furrowed his brow. *What kind of place is this?*

Inside, he found sixteen people kneeling in prayer before two massive, haunting frames. The murmurs of their chanting filled the air, an eerie sound that made Moxie’s skin prickle. As he observed, a man approached, tapping him on the shoulder. “Welcome, traveler,” he said, his voice soft but filled with a reverence that bordered on unsettling.

Moxie turned, his eyes narrowed. “Who are you people? And why are you out here, so far from any town?”

The leader’s eyes seemed to spark with an almost fanatic gleam. “This is the Church of Bliss and Agony,” he said, gesturing grandly to the frames. “We honor two omnipotent beings: Bliss, who embodies all that is good beyond reality, and Agony, who represents its darkness. Together, they hold the balance of everything.”

Moxie’s eyes scanned the room, then returned to the leader. “And what does that mean for you? Why this devotion?”

The leader’s face changed; his eyes grew hollow, his voice low and fervent. “In a few days, these gods will send their All-Father Avatars to cleanse this world of its sins,” he whispered. “They’ll reshape everything in their true image.”

Moxie raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “And why hide out here? Don’t cities need ‘cleansing’ too?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The leader smiled, his expression eerie. “The cities worship only the God of Creation—a false deity. Only here can we keep the true faith.”

Moxie let out a sigh, pulling out his small notebook and jotting down the man’s words. “So, you’re telling me… this is all about worshipping ‘Bliss’ and ‘Agony’? Nothing else?”

“Precisely,” the leader said, his voice dripping with conviction. Then, after a moment, he tilted his head with a strange smile. “Perhaps you, too, would like to join us, child of this universe.”

Moxie shook his head, snapping his notebook shut. “I’ll pass.”

As he turned to leave, the leader resumed his preaching, his voice rising in fervor. “Their avatars will soon save this universe, just wait! You’ll see their divine power—”

But his voice was silenced by a sudden blinding light. A radiant flash tore through the church, obliterating everything around Moxie except the leader, who lay alone among the ashes of his congregation.

A figure descended into view, her armor gleaming, her presence undeniable—Uriel, her wings casting a shadow over the broken church. The leader’s eyes widened with rage. “You… you dare interrupt our divine plan?”

Uriel’s gaze was cold as she drew her sword, flames licking along the blade’s edge. “I’m here to cleanse this place of your filth,” she said, her voice hard as iron. Without another word, she plunged her blade down, and the leader’s voice turned to agonized screams as he burned.

Uriel straightened, scanning her surroundings, her eyes narrowing. “The sins and the killers of Michael aren’t here,” she muttered, before taking off, her wings slicing through the air with supernatural speed.

Moxie, hidden from her sight, let out a breath as she passed. “She’s fast… faster than Michael or any of the sins I’ve seen,” he whispered to himself, filing her power away as something he’d need to consider later. Shaking off his concern, he continued his trek across the sand.

Above, hidden in the darkened sky, a familiar white figure watched him with quiet pride. “Yes, you’ve done well,” he whispered, his voice carrying on the desert wind. “You’re becoming what I always knew you could be.”