As they may say to you observe...
Observe and do...
For according to their works do not...
For they say, and do not;
"Greetings, congregation of Imogen's Temple! It is an amazing Sunday isn't it?" Dahlia began, looking around at the clergy of worshippers in the audience.
The crowd broke out into cheers and praises for Genesis, showing Her their gratefulness for her mercy and grace. As the crowd praised and the music played, Luciel and I glanced around the room, seeing particles of Holy Energy manifesting from the ground.
"Yes, praise the Sovereign Mother... Alright, my name is Dahlia Madelyn, Deacon and Reverend Mother of this Holy Temple. By the permission of Priest Seth, I stand before you to speak today's Word," Dahlia said, placing her chronicles upon the podium's service.
"I will be coming from the Book of April, April Chapter One from Verse One through Seventeen," Dahlia began, finding the scripture then looked up at the congregation once more. "If you all may stand.."
Everyone stood up with their chronicles opened and ready upon the verses, their ears and hearts open to accept the word of Genesis. Once everyone's attention was focused on the Word, Dahlia began the sermon.
"A roll of the birth of Ascea, son of Henosis, son of Luca; Henosis begat Kir, Kir begat Julius, and Julius begat Eli and his bretheren; and Eli begat Javan and Rinnah of Sorien, Javan begat Cyrus, and Cyrus begat Allon; and Allon begat Sergius, Sergius begat Shalom, and Shalom begat Nadab," Dahlia began, dripping her thump in water to easily flip to the next page.
"And Nedab begat Reuel of Dagrax, Reuel begat Dan, and Dan begat Adin; Adin begat Luca the Tyrant, Luca the Tyrant begat Solomon, of her 'who had been' Urias's; and Solomon begat Adronicus, Adronicus begat Ephraim, and Ephraim begat Haran," Dahlia added, glancing around to make sure we were all still paying attention.
The room was filled with soft music, and the sounds of soft whispers that read along with Dahlia. I looked up for a moment as she paused, our eyes making contact once more, a short, yet intense staredown between me and the living Herisee.
"And Haran begat Cyprus, Cyprus begat Oren, and Oren begat Zechariah; and Zechariah begat Coniah, Coniah begat Tekoa, and Tekoa begat Obadiah; and Obadiah begat Samson, Samson begat Edrei, and Edrei begat Naman; and his bretheren at the Atren removal," Dahlia continued, flipping to the next page.
"And after the Atren removal, Lazarus begat Clement, Clement begat Abner; and Abner begat Barnabas, Barnabas begat Timon, and Timon begat Linus; and Linus begat Cornelius, Cornelius begat Peres, and Peres begat Felix,"
"And Felix begat Silas, Silas begat Absalom, and Absalom begat Ezekiel; and Ezekiel begat Kir, the husband of Mikoto, of whom begotten Ascea, who is named Nexus," Dahlia finished, closing the Chronicles and looked up at the crowd.
"Phew...that was actually a long one..! We went through the entire bloodline..!" Effie sighed with slight mental exhaustion, taking a seat to recollect her thoughts and rubbed her temples.
"The Word of Genesis is very thorough, no point is a useless one. Every word written has a purpose..~" Luciel said, glancing down at Effie with a soft chuckle.
After the long scripture, we all bowed our heads to pray after the word with Dahlia leading the prayer. Though I knew of her hidden nature, everything she said in the word and in the prayer was perfect, as if she was never corrupted from the beginning.
After the prayer, we were all allowed to take our seats to begin the lesson of the Word. Dahlia was leading the lesson as well, which was strange to Luciel and I, taken no woman could take the role of the Priest during the lesson.
However, we let our questions pass for the time being, keeping our ears open for any alarms that might come across the lesson. Luciel had her Chronicles open, just in case any contradictions came to pass.
"Coming from the Book of April...in this book, it talks about the birth of Ascea, his teachings on moral ethics and the nature of the Realm of Origin, his showcase of his divine prowess and miracles performed, his conflict with other leaders of both Genesis and Ragnarok," Dahlia began, her gaze moving around the room as the taught.
"And finally in the last chapters, it speaks about Ascea's betrayal, death, and his resurrection. Now, there are two names I would like to focus on; Henosis and Luca," Dahlia said, turning over to the large projector behind her.
Upon the projector screen, an image of two men was diplayed, the right man clad in white and golden armor with a flowing cape and a golden halo behind his head. In his right hand he carried a thirteen branched sword, and equipped upon his left arm, a mighty shield with thirteen slots for Origin Materia.
The man on the left was a dark mirror of the right, long, flowing white hair, glowing red eyes that contrasted the right's Mana blue eyes, prominent, upward-curving white horns, adding a dual presence to his look. He wore elaborate, dark toned and tattered garments with a mix of form-fitting and flowing fabrics featuring ornamental chains around his body.
Fleur and Effie glanced between the projector, me and Merin, noticing our striking similarities to Henosis and Luca with Merin resembling Henosis and me... resembling Luca. They whispered amongst themselves, gasping at the striking resemblances.
"Henosis also known as Adiel, Addis, or Adamiel, the Unifier of Origin, the Saint of Conquest and Genesis and Ragnarok's first son. He is the first to become the Hero of Origin, the first Messiac Force before the Nexus, a living prophecy," Dahlia taught, clicking the remote to zoom in Luca's side of the image.
"Secondly, Luca the Tyrant, Son of Generation Two, also known as the Second Chance. He is the second son of Genesis and Ragnarok, but took on Ragnarok's Genes, becoming the first true Male Dark Lord, and due to Terminus's corruption over the Dark Lords, he soon fell," Dahlia continued, turning back to the congregation with a gentle smile.
"Now, I come to you with this because Ascea's bloodline teaches us about the Duality of Conquest, the purpose of self control, justice, restraint, and the cost of vengeance," Dahlia taught, her finger tapping the side of the podium as she looked at the eyes of the innocent sheep before her.
I sighed and stood up, making my leave from the sermon with my hands in my pockets. Luciel looked up at me, watching me exit the doors then excused herself from the group to follow me, leaving Fleur and Effie under Merin's watch.
The two girls watched with equal confusion, wondering what was wrong, but Merin assured them to not worry. Fleur and Effie glanced at each other then returned to the sermon, Fleur's sunglasses continuing to record every moment and word spoken in the temple.
"Nox, wait up!" Luciel called to me, rushing through the open doors then grabbed my arm.
I snatched my arm away from Luciel, turning toward her with a fire in my eyes that burned with righteous wrath. "Herisee, she is! How dare she stand upon my servants and teach the Word of my Mother of Origin with a viper's grin on her lips!"
"Herisee, she is! Hypocrite! Damnation to the blind leaders akin to her! To desecrate the Holy Temple of Gaia's Womb, Imogen's Temple, with her falseness!" I chastised, swiping my arm and casting a line a flames along the precious flora to my side.
The Nuns squeaked with fear and scattered away from the raging fires of my anger, the knights immediately going on high alert and readying their weapons. Luciel gulped, trembling slightly before the maddening amber light in my eyes, her body instinctively taking a step back for protection.
She glanced over at the burning greens, shakily holding her arm over to the flames and using her butterflies to cast rainfall over the sears, the flames becoming ascending white more. "N-Nox, you're letting yourself go..! You have to calm down!"
I glanced at Luciel for a moment, noticing her mix of fear and determination before my anger, a flashback to my childhood of her staring at me during the aftermath of the Fosters playing in my head. I grunted heavily, gripping my hair tightly and sunk down onto my knees with heavy breaths.
Luciel hurried to my side, dropping down with me and placing a comforting hand upon my back. She let out a shaky exhale, leaning into me and pressing her head against mine. "In the beginning...God created the Origin Point and the Three Pillars..."
And the Pillars were without form, and void;
And darkness was upon the face of the deep...
And the Spirit of YV moved upon the face of the waters...
And YV said...
"Let there be light...and there was light..." Luciel softly spoke, a gentle light emitting from my chest after she finished the third verse of the Book of Origin.
Suddenly, my spirit gradually settled into peace and stillness once more, a rare Spirit once awakened now dormant once again. I exhaled softly, holding Luciel's hand in mine as I grew calm once more. The knights witnessed the calming miracle, the two glancing at each other in slight surprise.
"What...what was that..? I don't know what came over me..." I said in a soft tone, my flesh suddenly spent of all energy after my outburst.
Luciel smiled at my question, a soft laugh escaping through her lips with slight disbelief at the truth Genesis showed her. She just hugged me, my mind not knowing why she held me so close. "It was just your usual righteous anger, my Prince..~"
'Genesis...why didn't you show me sooner..?' Luciel asked mentally, her hand rubbing slow circled along my back.
It's in his name after all...
Noxius A. Exzodius...
'Of course it is...this was it from the beginning huh..?~' Luciel replied mentally, her smile slowly widening.
I see all things...
Known and unknown...
All outcomes based on your free will...
And my Ultimate, Undeniable, Unquestionable Will...
Luciel helped me onto my feet, leading me over to the courtyard area of the Temple, our steps treading lightly over the flower path. I held Luciel's hands tightly, not letting go of her support as she led me to our destination, our butterflies manifesting to flutter along the vast gardens.
As we reached the courtyard, the two of us heard the sounds of children laughing and the sound of an exasperated Reverend Mother after chasing after her flock. We stopped to watch the scene, the Reverend Mother calling out to her Little Saints as they laughed and dashed off with playful trickery.
I glanced at the woman, noticing she resembled another Ruler of Old, The Ruler of Eloheim: Ataraxia. The Reverend Mother was a tall woman with light brown hair, bowed blue eyes, and Genesian Brands upon her thighs, each marking humming a golden light under the sun.
Donning white robs of reverence with butterfly motifs upon attire, she wore a long white veil with thorns and flowers accenting the sides. She had a tight white turtleneck with a butterfly brooch extending around a blue gem on her chest. There were various cross-like symbols over her body.
"Who's that?" I asked, glancing over at Luciel with a curious gaze.
Luciel glanced over at me with slight surprise at my question, not knowing I didn't know the Mother before me. Then, she remembered I was shut out from the world for two years, her surprise turned into understanding.
"Nox, this is one of the 12 Godspeakers of Exzodia, the descendant of the first Ruler of Eloheim, Ataraxia. That is Reverend Mother Abylon also known as Yaboniya or Aboniel," Luciel explained, looking over at the Little Saints and their Mother once more with a smile.
As she said the name Ataraxia, static, blurry images of a memory that wasn't mine flashed in my mind, my head beginning to throb with knowledge I seemingly wasn't supposed to have. I grunted softly and shook my head, regaining my vision and letting out a soft exhale.
'What the heck was that..? Who's memory was that..?' I thought mentally, glancing over at Luciel and noticing she was missing.
I looked ahead to see Luciel approaching the Little Ones and the Godspeaker, letting out a soft exhale as I joghed behind to catch up. Reaching the group, I noticed Abylon specifically holding Daisy by her wrist with an exhausted smile.
"Alright, Daisy... It is time to get back to business okay..?~ You are Imogen's chosen, so Discipline is everything..~ Thou not becometh the Saint-Angel with a heart of sleight hand, Book of Lily 6:6," Abylon gently reprimanded, releasing her hold on Daisy with a soft hum.
"Yes ma'am!~" Daisy nodded, letting out a soft giggle as she hurried back over to her friends.
Abylon turned around, her gaze unexpectedly landing upon me and Luciel, causing her to jolt back with a squeak of surprise. Luciel squeaked as well in shock from Abylon's sudden jolt, her first instinct to recoil upon me.
I held Luciel with an awkward expression, raising a confused eyebrow as I glanced between the women. "Are you two alright?"
Daisy looked at us, her eyes lighting with recognition and a delighted smile. "Mr. Nox! Miss Luciel!"
"Mister? I'm not even older than 25..." I mumbled quietly, averting eye contact with a hint of sass.
The children all giggled at my flustered reaction, Daisy joining them in the fuss of giggles then skipped over to us to give us a hug. I grunted with a bit of genuine disbelief and looked down at Daisy's innocent affection while Luciel, on the other hand, returned Daisy's affection with a sweet hug of her own.
Luciel looked up at Abylon with a sweet smile, letting go of Daisy and allowing her to run off with her friends. "So what are you all doing out here? You're not sitting in for Dahlia's sermon?"
"I wish I could stomach through it, but I can't...not when I know what she is but the others do not. It is not that I can simply warn them of the wolf in sheep's clothing," Abylon answered, letting out a deep sigh and held her arms under her chest.
"In a world like this...man will naturally gravitate toward the darkness because it's what they love now. The blind lead the blind, the wicked lead the sick...the Decievers lead the innocent. It's a cycle unbroken," I said, walking over to the bench under a small roof that covered my eyes from the sunlight.
Luciel, Abylon, and Daisy watched as I sat down in isolation, the three of them carrying burdens about me in their hearts, feeling the weight of my guilt and sorrow within. Luciel knew what my troubles were, feeling the same range of emotions, but felt as if she couldn't reach me.
With an inspiring light in her eyes, an idea hatched in Abylon's mind and a childlike smile stretched across her lips. She turned around to face the Little Saints, each of their small faces drawn to Abylon's maternal grace. "Hurry, children..! Grab your instruments, we're gonna worship outside today..!"
With equally spreading excitement, each of the children hurried toward the storage shed to grab their instruments, all of them excited to play music for Abylon. Marching back to the courtyard, each child was fitted with an instrument: percussion, synths, brass ensembles, stringed ensembles, and of course the voices of the Singing Saints.
"Alright, everyone..! We are going to perform our Award Winning Praise March, okay? This is for Prince Nox, to cheer him up. Are you all ready?" Abylon asked, preparing herself to conduct the ensemble.
"Yes!" Each child said eagerly, preparing themselves to play their song.
Luciel sat next to me and watched with great interest, watching as Abylon conducted the ensemble. I watched as well with my arms crossed, a part of me curious about the children's performance.
The choir began singing, two sets of choirs, one used to sing the whole notes in chords while the other sang two notes, the second note a lower note giving the song a haunting, yet spiritual feel. The bass...the child playing the bass, Steven of Scalis, caused the very ground to move.
"Percussion, go!" Abylon led, pointing at the percussion with rhythmic energy.
The children wearing percussion gear began to play their drums, marching in pace. The rhythm wasn't normal, using a step timing known in high level percussion battled in universities. Even the high hats sounded supernatural, the child playing them able to produce different notes with his hi hats.
Once the chorus played, Abylon stomped down on the ground in rhythm, a glorious light shining around the courtyards. Daisy and the other Anointed Saints danced and chanted while their fellow kin played, the pads and synths filling the air without a speaker.
"What's His name?" Abylon asked to the Annointed Saints, pointing toward them to join the chorus.
"Ne-xus! Ne-xus!" Daisy and the other girls sang, dancing with Abylon with grace and passionate energy.
The next verse played, the music calming back down to the two choirs and the precussion. Luciel and I watched the performance, witnessing the beauty of this pure art. Abylon danced like a woman commanded by Genesis to do so, her body moving freely to the step rhythm.
"That's it, like that children!" Abylon praised as she danced then pointed at the precussion to drop their beat. "Daisy!"
"And Yuvah said 'Let there be light', nothing is out of sight, I pray to get my Spirit right, with Genesis there'll be no fight," Daisy began singing, her voice causing even the flowers around them to dance.
Abylon chanted "Go!" while Daisy sang, adding to her alright brimming light, each step they took in sync like Mother and Daughter. Luciel couldn't help but to rise to her feet and dance along with the music, the Spirit of Genesis speaking to her through the Children of Light.
The song serenaded once again, calming into soft pads, violins, the choir, and the airy brass, their melodies filling the air with reverence. I felt my heart beating harder against my chest as the music continued, Daisy's voices speaking to me.
"He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator and Destroyer, the Sovereign God made flesh to end the wages of war, sin, and betrayal and renew the Three Pillars beyond!" Abylon spoke, each word she spoke a light flashing from her mouth.
"O'Highest Ruler, He is 100% God and 100% Mortal, from the lineage of Henosis and Luca, He is the true Second Chance! Perfectly bearing Genesis and Ragnarok's Will, the Perfect Emperor of Conquest, what is his name?" Abylon said, pointing to the children as the final drop played.
"Ascea! Ascea!" The children chanted, the courtyard filled with a heavenly light unexplainable to man.
The light was pure, the music touching my very soul and causing it to awaken once again with every chant of the name "Ascea". My Spirit forced my flesh to stand, my eyes closing to fully embrace the glory of the music, my butterflies manifesting around me and absorbing the glory as well.
For the next minute, the entire courtyard fell into dance with the music, everyone praising the Spirit of Ascea and His glory, return, and grace. Even I, someone who was Spiritually silent, danced until I could not dance anymore, my Spirit actively swayed by the song of the children.
In the distance, a curtain of an old cabin moved, allowing for a woman to peer outside to see what the noise was all about. Filled with curiosity, she stepped out of her home and began traveling down the flower fields toward the temple's courtyard to inspect.
Reaching the courtyard, she froze in shock at the sight of me then immediately summoned her great spear and lunged toward me with a vicious slice, abruptly ruining the performance. My body instinctively reacted to the oncoming danger, warping to the side to avoid her attack.
I summoned my Steel Buster and awakened my Deep Roots, using the large roots to protect the Little Saints. I looked at the woman, recognizing her as Flynn and immediately got defensive. "Flynn!"
Flynn glared at me and readied her spear for another attack, stomping on the ground at a boiling point. "What are you doing here upon these sacred lands, Deciever?!"
"Miss Flynn, wait—" Daisy called out, peeking over my root to look at the lamented woman before her.
"No, children! Get back, this man before you will betray you! He's the reason why Exzodia fell!" Flynn accused, dashing toward me with another violent slash.
As Flynn's blade neared me, and I prepared myself to block the attack, a golden clock made from blessed energy appeared beneath Flynn, freezing her in place. I lowered my guard slowly, glancing down and raising an eyebrow with slight confusion.
The commotion settled down at the sight of a beautiful woman with a tired expression upon her face, her unnatural dark emerald hair flowing behind her with each step. She wore a light blue button up tucked into her white pants, and over her clothes she bore a white lab coat with an Infinity Symbol upon it.
Her pale blue eyes glowed with slight frustration at Flynn's non self-control, her hands placed coolly in her coat's pockets. "Ugh, does she know what time it is? It's too early for all this commotion.."
Luciel gasped at the sight of the woman, covering her mouth as her Spirit sang with recognition. "Dr. Laneret!"
"Miss Klein!" A few children cheered at the presence of their usual rescuer of Flynn's outbursts from trauma.
"Yes, yes, it is I... Descendant of Dr. Noxius Nagini, Laneret Klein, Physical Goddess aka Ruler of Science, Number III of the Infinity Council, yadda yadda yaa," Laneret said, going through her usual spiel about her undoubted rank and authority with a sense of exhausted repetition.
"You do know you don't have to say that every time you show up, right?" Abylon asked with a soft giggle at her best friend's own exasperation.
"True, but right now I'm tired and need upmost focus and I don't have time to play babysitter. Why does Dahlia even have us keep this chick on Imogen's land? A walking lament..." Laneret said then yawned lightly, releasing Flynn from her frozen time.
Flynn continued her action, but was blocked by a wall of pure air, her spear clashing with the invisible forces. She grunted in shock at the clash, her body making her distance herself from Laneret's perfect defenses.
"You..." Flynn hissed softly at Laneret, her guard slowly lowering into submission.
"You hiss at me with your wretched tongue, yet could not dare break the very foundations of Genesis's Holy Guard, the winds of Her breath! Who are you feeling like exactly? Do you need that?" Laneret threatened, her pupils shifting into sharp, verticle pupils.
"N-No..." Flynn said hesitantly, submitting fully under the presence of the Ruler of Science, knowing Laneret was a force beyond comprehension.
Even Luciel and I shuddered under Laneret's immense influence, only her presence needed to subdue the untamed grief boiling within Flynn. Part of me was relieved for such strong presences on the field, but my flesh feared the extreme forces surrounding Laneret as if she was chosen by Genesis herself.