"On this evening, you all will learn about Qutsade and her king. There will be no battles against me, only rest and learning," Luciel began, sitting before the class in the library and looked over at the large clock on the wall. "It is currently 5:01 PM and you have until 8 PM to reach Seolhart."
"Like what, Ms. Winters?" Sun-mi asked, leaning forward with curiosity.
"You've learned how to walk with God, how to discern the signs and wonders from God and His servants, but now you must know God and His people. Here in Qutsade, we don't have all the information they have beyond the Biblos, but—" Luciel began, turning to face the students with a smile.
"If you really want to understand why we live the way we do, you must understand Qutsade and Qutsade's strongest instrument, Nox," Luciel continued then grabbed a book from the table next to her.
Everyone watched as she opened the book, revealing the book was only spine and cover with no pages inside. Luciel looked at the cover of the book, reading the title of it and hummed softly. She gently brushed her fingers against the front, closing her eyes and taking a soft breath.
"The book is empty as you can see and that's because the pages were spread across the campus by the Lord. He wants you to find them, and see the history for yourself. The pages will reveal the truth to you, so that you may become more wise when you walk with Him," Luciel said, looking up at the students then noticed Hyeon Bae raise her hand.
"Will the story also cover why Nox is called The Echo as well?" Hyeon Bae asked curiously, lowering her hand and waited patiently for her answer.
Luciel nodded. "Yes, it will reveal everything to you. Once you obtain each page, come to the Knowledge Temple and meet with me there."
With the instructions laid out before them, each student got up and split into ten groups of five before setting out across the entire campus. Outside, the Cherubim before the Knowledge Temple sheathed his sword and rose up to Heaven, the doors unlocking and opening for everyone to enter through.
The cloaked man watched as everyone split off then walked off to follow the first group, a group containing Mizu, Choko, Kizu, Hikari, and Yami. The five of them wandered around the campus, scouting for any pages they could come across until stopping at a illusion of the Tree of Life.
Fairies and other small creatures fluttered around the tree, their small bodies surrounded by light of numerous colors and hues. Suddenly, the image of a nature woman with beautiful blonde hair began to form before the tree, sitting against it restfully.
The woman looked up slowly from tending to a wounded forest wolf, noticing four other women approaching her, each one a personification of the natural elements. "Mariella, Cinder, Lady Lyriea. What brings you three Elonun to the Tree of Life today?"
"We received word from Luca the Conqueror that some people were illegally hunting beasts and animals as well as running unrighteous sacrifices in this forest. We honestly need another Elonun for these forms of issues," Cinder sighed, placing a hand on her hip as she looked around.
"There's only so much we can do before sending them to be judged by Luca or Henosis. It'll be better for Qutsade to go through Henosis first due to him being more Merciful like Genesis," Lyriea said wisely, her gaze fixed upon the wounded wolf.
Kizu grunted softly as Cinder's gaze reached him and the others, his body growing still as he felt her eyes on him. "Can they see us?"
"No, you are only witnessing a memory. A memory of a time before Luca's fall. A time before all the Elonun you know now came to be," The cloaked man spoke, his voice startling the students and causing him to chuckle softly.
"W-What do you mean we're witnessing a memory? What does this memory entail?" Choko asked, turning around to look at the cloaked man and his Holy Dove.
"In 230 BC, Addis and Eva had a son and a daughter, the son named Adel being known as a Guardian while the daughter, Lyriea, was the first Elonun. In this memory it is 226 BC, when the Judges of Nature's verdicts were not enough," The cloaked man explained as he walked forward and pointed out the four Elonun.
"Bloom, the Elonun of the Floral and Earth. Mariella, the Elonun of the Waters below the Earth. Cinder, the Elonun of the Fires and Inferno. Finally, Lyriea, now known as Irea, the first Elonun and Elonun of Lightning and the Waters above the Earth. They are the first four Judges of Qutsade who govern nature," The cloaked man explained.
"And who are Luca and Henosis that Lyriea mentioned?" Hikari asked, her tone light with genuine curiosity.
The cloaked man smiled at her and looked at the students. "They were the two Kings of Qutsade at the time and both were angels sent down by God to watch over and govern Qutsade until a king fit for the role arose."
The Holy Dove began moving his wings, creating images of Luca and Henosis before the students, each of appearances perfect, down to the skin structure. The students stared at them in awe, both of their wings expanding across the length of one pond.
"Luca the Conqueror was the more regal ruler, the Law Keeper of the Commandments. Henosis, on the other hand, was more Merciful. He upheld the Law of Liberty, a concept even before the birth of the Son of Man," The cloaked finished.
Suddenly, the memory in front of them shone brightly before transforming into a sheet of paper before them and floated gently to the ground. Mizu walked forward and picked it up, looking at the words on the page to see it matched to exactly what was said.
The winds began to grow stronger, the gust blowing the sheet of paper out of Mizu's hand and carried it through the campus. The five gasped and quickly chased after the sheet of paper, each of them hurrying down the campus to catch it.
The cloaked man watched as they ran off then began wandering off to the next group. He watched as his Holy Dove flew off his shoulder toward the Student Council Room then warped into the room, his eyes immediately finding the second group.
"Ugh, there's literally nothing in here and all this furniture is hard to...move!" Hwang Ji-yong groaned, trying to pull the desk from the wall but it wouldn't budge an inch.
"Well stop trying, doofus! You're only tiring yourself out," Kim Eun said, flicking the back of Hwang's head.
"Ow! You little—" Hwang scoffed, shoving Kim Eun back playfully.
Ko Su-Mi chuckled at the two and continued to look around the room, scanning each area and began to notice that the room was shaped as a throne room. "You know...this room reminds me of like a king's room. One where verdicts are made and such."
Yom Seul-Ki nodded in agreement, pulling one of the chairs out and sat down with a sigh and crossed her legs. "This side is like the jury area where they yell all kinds of stuff. He's guilty!!"
"Guilty!"
"Guilty!"
"Guilty!"
The girls all let out a scream as they heard other voices sounding out, a brightly light forming before the head desk at the front of the class room. Each girl quickly ran toward the back of the class, watching as Luca appeared at the desk with a jury forming where Yom Seul-Ki just sat.
The room shifted into a courtroom, the defendant standing before the judge in shackles while the jury screamed guilt and charges toward him. Henosis stood beside the Defendant, looking up at Luca, his brother, as he prepared to be an Advocate.
"The Elonun of Sacrifice, Elizabeth Dham, has presented her evidence against you and you are being tried for the offense of Sacrifice of an animal who had defects! You know our Holy Laws, and you decide to break them? And brother! What are you doing defending the Sinner?" Luca asked, holding his hand out toward Henosis.
Henosis's gaze was focused, unwavering, yet merciful as he looked into Luca's eyes. "On his behalf, I have been watching over him for the last years and though he brought a burnt offering with defects before the Lord, that was all he had."
"Have you forgotten when Terminus defected his entire stock and cattle, they have yet to be cured from it. Despite all of that, he truly believed the Lord would accept all he had, the way he was given it. His heart is repentant, can you not see that?" Henosis asked, looking over at his defendant.
"And have you forgotten what happened to Irea because of your merciful verdicts? The Tower of Badal reached her domain and they were able to strike her before God struck it down! We asked Jesus for help, and he denied us for Isreal. I will not have this mistake twice," Luca said, his eyes flashing a blood red toward Henosis.
"Jesus did not leave us or deny us, you just gave up! Your faith only lied in what you wanted and not Divine Timing! Do you not realize, if He comes here to judge, no one here would be in Abraham's Bosom! He has a mission to finish," Henosis said, his eyes shimmering a divine silver as he stared back at his brother.
Each girl watched in fear, feeling the spiritual pressure increasing within the room as the intensity ramped up between the brothers. As they began to grow more fearful, iridescent dove wings wrapped around them, each of them looking up to see the cloaked man with them.
"What are we looking at?" Woo-Yi asked, cowering behind the man as she looks forward at the trial before her.
"Two Kings, one upholding the Law while the other shows Grace and Mercy. One is the Synagogue of Ragnarok, the Seraphim of War and Extension of God's Justice, Wrath, and Judgement on Qutsade," The cloaked man began, snapping his fingers to freeze time for the memory and highlight Luca for the girls in red.
"The other is the Synagogue of Genesis, the Seraphim of Peace and Extension of God's Grace, Mercy, and Love. Luca the Tyrant as you see now, he is what you call justice without love. Judgement without fairness," The cloaked man continued, crossing his arms and walked forward, highlighting Henosis in light blue.
"What is this supposed to tell us about Mr. Nox? All I'm getting from this two powerful beings facing off for the freedom or incarceration of this man! Just what is Qutsade..?" Kim Eun groaned softly, scratching the side of her head.
"That Luca guy mentioned something important...The Tower of Badal. Is that an Echo of the Tower of Babel?" Ko Su-Mi asked, a few sparks within her mind going off as she began to process.
The cloaked man smiled at Ko Su-Mi's question, looking up at Luca and hummed softly. "Yes, it is. I witnessed it myself through Ascea, the first King of Qutsade. Ascea had no part in the Tower, only witnessed it and stopped it only when it got too far."
"I read that story in The Chronicles..." Hwang Ji-yong said, fixing her sunglasses atop of her head and closed her eyes to think. "They were very Ambitious and wanted to make a name for themselves, just like the original story. God split the languages and caused the people to scatter."
"Correct. That is how you all got your nations today in Eyica the place this trial is being held in," The cloaked man said, turning around to face the girls once again.
"So what happened to the man? Was he saved?" Yom Seul-Ki asked, more curious about the results than the story of the Tower.
"Yes, Henosis won the trial via the Heavenly Jury's call. The Lord wouldn't say 'Come as you are' if He didn't truly mean it. As far as the two Kings, only one was saved and the other is being redeemed through another," The cloaked man said, snapping his fingers to resume time.
A flash of light filled the room, temporarily blinding the young Valkyrias for a moment. The light dimmed down, another sheet of paper appearing before them and becoming an origami bird before flying away. The five gasped and ran out the classroom after it, the cloaked man letting out a soft chuckle as he watched them run off.
The cloaked man closed his eyes and let out a soft exhale, turning around to look at the desk at the front of the class, still seeing Luca standing before him. The Holy Dove chirped at the cloaked man before taking flight after catching sight of the next group to follow. The cloaked man looked over at the Holy Dove and followed him, warping back outside and noticed the iridescent bird flying ahead.
Ha-Rin, Nu So-Hee, Li-Na, Mul Ir-Wol, and Sonico stood in front of a memory which showed Luca, Henosis, and Jesus upon a battlefield, the sky filled with Jesus' Angels and Luca's Monsters dueling. Henosis looked up at his brother in the sky, his Spear of Heaven tightly gripped in his hand.
"You decide to show up now, Jesus of Nazareth!? After Eyica and Exzodia has been fixed by me?! You're showing up now to claim victory over my works?! What gives you the right?!" Luca yelled, his black chains surging around his body with black aura raging across his being.
"Luca! Do you hear yourself?! You're blaming God for the corruption that has plauged our land?! You haven't fixed anything! Look around you! Addis and Eva are dead, Adel is missing, Irea is gone, Terminus has corrupted the Elonun! Your judgement has opened the door!" Henosis called out, grunting as one of Luca's beams struck at his feet.
"Shut your mouth, you folly of an angel! You are no better! Your mercy is weakness! If you would have just listened to me, none of this would've happened!" Luca roared, grunting heavily as he held his head, the whispers of Terminus beginning to block out Ragnarok's fatherly voice telling him to calm down.
Jesus looked up at Luca, His face finding no pleasure in standing against one of His lost sheep. "Luca, I understand your anger and your rage. I can hear the rebellion in your flesh, but I can also hear your spirit is willing to make things right. There is only one way to make it right and that is to follow Me. You can be reconciled with the Father through the Son of Man, if you just repent and return to the Kingdom."
Luca heard his Lord's merciful tone and looked down at Him, his heart pounding heavily against his chest while tears welled down his face. Just as he was about to answer, the Spirit of Terminus entered into him and corrupted his tongue.
"No! I will finally strike you down!" Terminus roared through Luca, propelling himself toward Jesus at high speeds.
"I refuse to allow you to do this! Terminus!" Henosis bellowed, flying toward Luca with his spear ready to pierce through Luca.
"No, don't do it! That's your brother!" Mul Ir-Wol cried out, covering her mouth as she watched in disbelief.
Just as Henosis went for his Purifying Thrust, Terminus exited Luca's body his lips curling into a wicked smirk as he watched Henosis impale his brother. Henosis's eyes widened in horror and disbelief, his gaze slowly and shakily shifting to his blade that was through Luca's back, ending the reign of Luca the Tyrant.
Ha-Rin's eyes began to water as she watched the memory, her gaze shifting up to Terminus to see his lavender eyes glowing with glee. She looked back at Luca, noticing how much his physical appearance looked like me or how much I resembled him. "What...does this even mean..?"
"This memory...it shows what happens when pain takes over and opens the door wide open for The Devil to attack you. It shows what happens when you try to trust in your own works," The cloaked man said as he approached the students and stared at the memory.
"But what does this even tell us about Mr. Nox? All I see is the wound this event created for the kingdom," Nu So-Hee said, holding her hand over her aching heart.
"It wasn't supposed to be this way. I am sure Noxius has told you his story has been tampered with by Terminus before. It's been happening since 250 BC. This event was supposed to go differently...but Terminus entered through Luca and his flesh was stronger than his spirit," The cloaked man said, standing beside the students as he stared at the memory.
"However, if it weren't for this moment...Henosis wouldn't have been saved. He would have been the one to die if he didn't listen to Ragnarok and Genesis," He continued, looking over at the girls to see their saddened expressions.
"Was there a way it could've played any differently?" Mul Ir-Wol asked, looking over at the cloaked man.
"Of course it could. The Father has given them Prophets, Judges, Interpreters, even using Sorcerers and Seers to warn Luca, but Terminus's voice was louder in his ear. In this moment though, it was either Luca or Henosis," The cloaked man answered, crossing his arms.
"No...there has to be more to this! What Book of the Chronicles is this?" Ha-Rin asked, her gaze snapping toward the cloaked man.
"This happens after the Book of Yesha, The Book of Elegius, after Jesus enters into Qutsade and calls upon Apostles and Voyagers to spread the Good News around the lands. This didn't come without its Holy Wars to defend the Belivers, this is one of them, the War in Elegius," The cloaked man answered, watching as Ha-Rin's gaze sharpened.
"No way this is Nox's and Qutsade's legacy! There's more, I know it!" Ha-Rin exclaimed before running off to find another memory.
The memory before the students shone brightly before turning into a sheet of paper and warped away for the students to find it again. The cloaked man began setting off to find Ha-Rin while commanding the students to go to the Temple of Knowledge.
Ha-Rin ran quickly around the campus, darting through alleys and courtyards to find a trace of anything. As she ran, she could hear a maternal tone ringing in the air, a soft lullaby being sung which spread out with the wind's current.
Woo-Chi, hearing the same call, began running toward the sound as well. "Who is that? Where is it coming from?"
Hyeon Bae, hearing the call as well, walked toward a share house and stood in front of it. She stared at it, noticing Sovereign Butterflies fluttering around the house. "Mr. Nox..? Are you here?"
So-Yi also heard the call as well, feeling the Holy Spirit leading her towards the same destination as the others. As she call grew louder, she went from a walking pace to jogging then fully sprinting. Tae watched as she rushed past her then ran after her, wondering if she had found something as well.
The five girls all met at the share house, each one gazing at each other as each realized they heard the same call. Hyeon Bae slowly approached the door, her hand touching the knob and feeling that it was warm as if someone had been here before.
Slowly opening the door, she peeked inside to see the inside lit up with lights, the aroma of freshly made dinner filling the air. "Hello?"
"Is anyone in there?" Tae asked, leaning forward with curiosity and peeked inside as well then gasped.
The girls each walked inside to see the inside of the share house was like a mansion of many rooms, the floors made of gold while the walls were made out of silver with copper pillars. They each walked inside and looked around the royal abode, admiring the beauty of the building.
"Noxius, dear! Dinner is almost ready! Get your brother and your friend and come eat!" A motherly voice sounded, her beautiful tone ringing through the air and touching everyone's heart.
A younger version of myself began happily trailing down the stairs with a younger version of Luciel while my late older brother, Zachary, followed us both downstairs. The young Luciel happily hurried toward the kitchen with Zachary while I fell behind to tie my shoe.
"Hurry up, Nox! The food's gonna get all cold if we wait for you," Zachary called out, turning back around the corner to smile at me.
"I'm... coming!" I said, tying my favorite pair of ordinary tennis shoes on my feet with a smile, the shoes not matching the semi-formal attire I had on.
"No way..." Sang So-Yi said, stepping forward with disbelief at seeing the younger version of myself.
"It's little Mr. Nox..!" Hyeon Bae said with a gasp, covering her mouth and let out a soft squeal.
Woo-Chi and Ha-Rin stared at me then noticed that I had looked up, noticing them standing at the front door of the share house then smiled at them as if I had already known them. Both of them froze at my reaction, watching as I hopped up then hurried toward the kitchen.
"He's nothing like you'd think he'd be huh? A common child born into royalty, who has forgotten his roots. He is God's answer for Qutsade, a child full of Grace, and his mother as well," The cloaked man said, walking into the house and startling the girls.
Ha-Rin quickly turned around with a sharp inhale, looking up at the cloaked man then looked at his face in the light. "His mother..? Lady Myra?"
"The Echo of Mary, Mother of Jesus... all the other pages I've found has been leading me up to here," Woo-Chi said, looking down at the sheet of paper in her hand talking about the War in Elegius.
"Mine too..." Hyeon Bae said, looking at the sheet of paper in her hand containing an event from the War in Elegius.
"So everyone also got a memory of a point of the same war?" So-Yi asked, looking around at everyone and noticed their agreement.
"Then you are all dealing with some form of unresolved grief and pain which led you all here," The cloaked man said as he looked at each of the girls.
The cloaked man guided them throughout the house, each with a different memory showing the younger me all around the house with Zachary, Luciel, and my mother. They began to notice that memories with my kingly step father was scarce since I rarely spent time with him.
Entering into a cozy library, a memory of me and my mother played and everyone stood behind to watch. The fireplace crackled and the aroma of cinnamon filled the air, the air within the room light and easy to be in. They watched as my mother read to me as I rested on her lap.
My mother hummed softly as she cradled me, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair as she read to me from the Genesian Chronicles. "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!"
I sat quietly with my head resting upon my mother's bosom, my eyes following the words she read upon the page. I rested closely to her, gradually closing my eyes as she continued to read.
My mother continued to read, "She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies..."
She had a knowing smile on her face, as if she knew the entire book was somewhat about her. Although I didn't know it at the time, I only rested upon her busom and closed my eyes to listen to her read. The girls watched with warm expressions, listening to each of Myra's words carefully to see what she was talking about.
Suddenly, a group of Knights rushed into the study, surprising both me and my mother. They warned us of an attack happening outside, yet my mother was completely calm and had a soothing smile upon her face.
"Take my sons...and retreat to Morgan south of St. Nova. There is a foster family I'm very close with there that they can stay with until things become safe here," My mother said, setting me down and handing me the Genesian Chronicles before gently pushing me toward the knights.
"Mama, what—"
"Go, Nox. You will be safe with your older brother Zachary. Run now, I will come find you once all of this is over," My mother said, turning around to walk toward a secret door within the study.
Without hesitation, a knights picked me up and began hurrying toward the horses' stables, my child version watching as he was separated from his mother. Once we all got outside, the knights gasped in shock as they noticed the castle was surrounded by Black Giants, each one looming over us like nephilims.
Suddenly, the giants began to swing down at the castle, each massive blade destroying the royal structure of my home. Flames began to spread everywhere, the destruction of Exzodia's castle replaying before my very eyes.
"Ahhh!!! The building— It's falling!!" Ha-Rin cried out, pointing at the crumbling share house and looked over at me, seeing the pain in my eyes as I rode off in the distance on the horse.
"Wait, what's gonna happen to Lady Myra?!" Tae asked in shock, grunting heavily as she evaded exploding glass shards from the house.
Suddenly, everyone watched as a figure who looked exactly like Merin walking toward the share house and vanished before walking back out of the house with an unconscious Lady Myra in his arms. "So, it's true...you did give birth to The Second Chance."
"Well fear not...Lady Myra, I'll be sure your Echo of Jesus is taken care of swiftly. Meanwhile, I have plans for you..." Merin said with a grin and laughed.
The memory hit Ha-Rin the hardest as her mother was also taken away from her, her heart beating against her chest in anger as she stared at Merin. "Terminus!!!"
Merin stopped walking as he heard Ha-Rin's voice and smirked, glancing back to see nothing behind him before chuckling and walking off. The Holy Dove began to slowly unwrap his wings from the girls, lifting the veil from over them as the memory came to an end.
"What— How did he hear me?!" Ha-Rin asked, holding her hand over her chest from deep distraught.
"Merin and Nox seem to not follow our normal rules of time...so their senses seem to work no matter if it's a past vision, the present, or a glimpse into the future. But...after seeing that, I am starting to grasp who Nox is," So-Yi said, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly to process what she saw.
Hyeon Bae and Woo-Chi looked the most hurt by the memory, both of them feeling some empathetic spark awaken within their hearts nearly at the same time. They glanced at each other, the both of them also knowing what it felt like to lose a mother.
The horse that carried the younger me upon her back continued to rush down the campus, passing through multiple students while my figure gradually began growing into my teenage years. The students chased after the horse, wondering who's horse it was and who it belonged to.
"To the Church, Noxius! We have to escape from here!" Zachary called out, snapping his horse's leash for it to charge forward like the winds.
I glanced back behind me as I rose upon my horse, noticing multiple Daemon charging toward me and Zachary while Merin watched from the background with a sinister grin. My Foster Home in the distance was on fire just like my castle, my second family being taken away by Merin.
"Isn't that—" Jiahn gasped, grunting from the high winds as both Zachary and I ran past her on our horses.
"Where are they going?" Ramud asked, running after the two with high curiosity.
The students continued to chase after my memory, the campus gradually shifting into a massive church campus, the environment dark and gloomy as the trees surrounding the church were unnaturally still and calm. They watched as Zachary and I got off our horses and chased after a Priest.
"Pastor Vinson! Give us back Luciel or face the wrath of our combined might!" Zachary called out, his voice echoing and bouncing off the walls of the church.
I braced myself and grunted softly, my gaze unwavering from Vinson like an orca stalking its prey. "Where is Luciel?! Tell us now!"
Vinson chuckled softly and turned around as he knew he had nowhere else to go. Without speaking a single word, he thrusted his hand forward and fired a piercing blade of corrupted energy toward me, but Zachary quickly rushed in front of me to protect me. The room soon fell into deep silence, no one moving an inch.
Everyone in the church stared at the scene, some surprised to see Vinson kill Zachary without a second thought. Some couldn't bare to continue watching my memory, the pain in my eyes as I watched Zachary fall backwards against the ground.
"No...No, no, no..." I gasped, rushing to my brother and got down onto the ground and held him in my arms.
I sat on the cold ground with my brother clutched in my arms, his body lifeless due to a fatal injury he sustained protecting me. I gripped his body tightly, my body shaking and wishing this entire ordeal was just a bad dream. Tears rolled down my cheek and fell upon his cold face, my heart heavy with emotion.
I knew I couldn't grieve...I couldn't mourn, yet Zachary was the only person I had left in my life. My only protector...my last hope. As I sat in the middle of the church with the environment destroyed around me, I heard the mocking laughter of a Daemon in front of me, its taunting causing my blood to boil.
Dark blue butterflies began to appear around my body as I gently began to carry my brother's body to the side and laying him down, using a loose table cloth to cover his body and give him peace. "Ever since the day that disgraceful Goddess rose from the pits of the Abyss, I vowed to do whatever I could to take you all down!"
I let out a pained yelled, my roar echoing through the church and causing the ground to slightly rumble. The cloaked man watched in the distance at my memory, completely understanding the emotions being shown in the moment and let out a soft exhale.
"What...what is happening?" Woo-Chi asked, taking a step forward and felt her heart pounding against her chest. "This is..his upbringing..?"
"Terminus has been doing everything to bring Mr. Nox down, Mr. Nox has every reason to be completely bitter...and yet," Hyeon Bae began, sniffling and wiping her eyes from the falling tears.
Ko'rai balled his hands into fists, his Holy Fire surging from his chest as he also let out his Dragon Roar in response to my roar, his heart holding too much pain to keep in. Ramud and Galia also joined in the Dragon Roar with Tae howling along with them.
I could hear their roars and howls, each student from the 50 letting out a howl or a roar in response to my younger pain. I let out another yell, my butterflies beginning to glow brightly one by one as they felt my grief.
The daemon curiously watched me and let out a ghoulish hum, leaning forward with intrigue and taking a step toward me. It watched as I picked up my brothers wrapped sword, its eyes widening with caution before leaping backwards.
"You leap backwards at the sight of this weapon...Smart of you to do, taking this is a Blessed Weapon. A weapon suitable enough to strike you down!" I declared with a sorrowful bellow and charged toward the daemon in front of me.
"Go, Mr. Nox! Defeat him!" Pyo Yu-Ni cheered, clapping her hands supportively.
"You got this!!" Woo-Yi yelled out, cupping her hands to boost her voice.
Leaping forward, I came down with a powerful overhead slash, but the daemon evaded it and retaliated with blasts of demonic energy. I steadied my stance and slashed rapidly, successfully deflecting each demonic blast of energy before charging forward once more.
The two of us danced around the ruined church in a heated game of cat and mouse, the death of my brother fueling my every step. The daemon was evasive, not allowing me to get a single strike in, knowing one blow from the sword could be enough to create a guaranteed opening.
The daemon let out an angered screech, releasing powerful soundwaves to blow me away. I grunted as my back hit a wall, my body falling onto one knee with my brother's sword used as support to keep me up. I slowly began to rise back to my feet, every nerve inside me aching and begging for rest.
'Zachary...I...I can't do this without you...' I thought to myself, my gaze slowly drifting toward my cloth covered brother on the ground, blue butterflies covering his body.
The Daemon let out a terrifying laugh at my despair, its arms sharpening into blades, the blood of my brother still dripping from its sharp ends. I turned to face the Daemon once more, the Commander Type Lament now soon to become my final memory.
'Zachary...' I thought to myself, tears of fear and grief filling my eyes, my entire body shaking as I began to mourn my brother.
My entire body felt like it stopped, the room slowly growing quieter and the air around me growing thick and cold. My body could barely support my weight, my legs growing weak and soon I dropped onto my knees. Softly, I began to weep...the energy around body slowly engulfing my body.
The Daemon saw my weakness and took immediate advantage, lunging toward me with a murderous hunger for my flesh and life force. Just as everything felt like it was over, the sound of a gunshot echoed in the room, everything growing silent.
I looked back slowly from the sound of the gunfire, my gaze reaching through the sea of students to see Jiahn wielding a bolt action sniper. 'Jiahn...'
The Daemon let out a roar of pain, stumbling backwards and growling lowly then looked past me, noticing the students then a wicked grin formed on his lips. "It's you! The man who changed Stella's story!"
The cloaked man loosened his cloak, his eyes growing more focused and ready as he readied himself to protect the students. "You will be protected, my sheep. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Noxius's story has been tampered with for a while, tamperings I did not even think of."
Akagi glanced at the cloaked man, grunting softly as she began to feel his rising energy. 'What is this energy..? It's so benevolent..!'
Reene stared at the cloaked man in awe as he began to walk forward, a sense of familiarity washing over her as if she knew him spiritually. "No way... It's actually—"
Hyeon Bae couldn't believe her eyes as she watched the cloaked man walk toward me, her heart racing a million miles a second as if it were Fluttering around her body. "Yesha!"
I glanced up at the cloaked man quickly, immediately feeling his Godly Presence and stood still. "My Lord..."
"Just as I've done for Stella in Arcania, fixing her story that should've never ended the way it did...I will do for you, Noxius. You are one of my greatest in today's time within Qutsade, I will not have Terminus erasing my progress," Yesha said, placing his hand upon my head and instantaneously restoring my strength.
"Today, I will build Qutsade's true church on a real foundation, a foundation that is as sturdy as a rock! You will know that I Am the one True Living God in Truth. Those two years you've spent alone, I will go into the darkness within you, within the mess of you and clean you up. You are in my hands, Noxius Ascea Exzodia. Lament does not have a hold on you,"
The Daemon began to tremble in the presence of Yesha, a nervous sweat rolling down his cheek then he let out a roar, the hands of Undead Nuns clawing up from the ground in groans. Yesha stared at the undead and fixed his gaze upon Vinson.
"So, God has come to Exzodia again...I thought you have already ascended! You continue to be in my way!" Terminus roared through Vinson, his dark energy surging around his body.
Yesha heard the voice of Terminus and glanced back at the students, his lips curling into a warm smile toward his growing church. "You will get behind us, Terminus! Woe unto you sly serpent who dares to inflict evil upon my Little Ones!"
"I will strike you down!" Terminus roared through Vinson, Vinson propelling himself toward Yesha with a powerful strike loaded.
Suddenly, I warped in front of Vinson and struck him with a Spirit Flash, white lightning surging upon impact and blowing Vinson away through multiple trees. I stood up straight and unwrapped Zachary's sword, revealing Anduril to the students.
"Mr. Nox!" Woo-Chi cried out, rushing toward him with quick pants.
Luciel watched from the top of a tree branch, remembering this tragic moment but also noticed Yesha was there also. She looked at the once empty book in her hand, watching as the blank pages began filling in themselves as if God were writing my story Himself.
Vinson stopped himself in the air and landed on the ground before charging forward, racing through the forest then sensed a presence beside him. Glancing over to his right, he noticed Sonico dashing next to him then grunted as he dodged his Sonic Burst.
Sonico drifted around and boosted forward, charging into Vinson and pushed him backwards. "Time to step it up!"
Vinson grunted as he could barely resist Sonico's force but broke away to let Sonico run past him then groaned heavily as Nae Ki-Pam rushed him with a lariat. He grunted as he recoiled backwards, growling loudly and extended his arms with wild thrashes.
"How does this memory end? We've never seen the full extend of Mr. Nox's head!" Kim Eun asked as she ran next to Jiahn.
"I don't know either, but what we can do is help him however we can! Ji-MAN, Shopkeeper Mode!" Jiahn called out, transforming into her Holy Form.
"Affirmative!" Ji-MAN said happily, zooming through the air and generated multiple interfaces to summon a variety of weapons on the ground. "Shall I go into Operator Mode?"
"No, this is exactly enough!" Jiahn said, warping toward a katana on the ground then sliced an Undead Nun in two.
Kim Eun exclaimed in a hyped tone, racing toward a pair of mithril knuckles and scooped them off the ground to put them on. "Let's do this!"
Yesha watched as some students battled against the Undead Nuns to clear them out while others pursued Vinson through the forest. His eyes scanned the area for Terminus, his gaze calm and collected as if He already knew where he was.
His body shifted to the lift as Merin rushed toward him with a slash. Merin chuckled as he turned around and swung his sword backwards, grunting heavily as the Holy Dove upon Yesha's shoulder repelled him with a flex of His wing.
"You must've had a lucky dream while we were going through memories if you believe you can even get close to me. You can not even scratch a feather upon the wings of Michael, but you believe you can face The Son of God?" Yesha asked, his gaze never breaking away from Merin.
Merin laughed maniacally and outstretched his arms, his expression wicked as he stared at Yesha before him. "I was merely testing you, to see if you are still as True as you say you are. I know today I can not face you, but your Echo is still in his younger stage."
I glanced behind myself as Merin mentioned me, lightning crackling around me shifting between colors of light blue and white. "I still have my current memories, Merin Tsu. You would know this since you've followed me to St. Goken."
Merin grunted softly as I stated knowledge from the present in the past, his brow raising with slight confusion. "How do you know about St. Goken? Just who are you!? Why won't you die! Luca!"
I turned around as Merin charged toward me and awakened my Judge Form, black chains erupting from my lower back to wrap around Woo-Chi and swing her towards safety. I parried Merin's slash, knocking him off balance then a Light Fae appeared in front of Merin like a homing projectile.
"Mr. Nox!!!" Ro Kwang yelled out, panicking as he held onto his shadow whip which was wrapped around Vinson's neck while Vinson thrashed about.
I looked over at the side battle with Vinson, noticing him knocking a few students away with a wrathful swing of his arm. "Tch...My Lord, what do I do?"
"Trust your students. There is a Time for Everything, young Nox. There is a time to intervene and a time to trust what my Father is doing in His creation," Yesha said, his Holy Dove continuing to rest on His shoulder patiently.
Ro Kwang groaned as he was thrown off Vinson, but was caught by Ramud. Ramud set him down and rushed toward Vinson, clashing fists with him then ran around him to hurl a fireball at his back. An Undead Nun charged toward the fireball, taking it for Vinson and letting out a cry of pain as she was hit.
Luciel watched as the students could not deal with Vinson and the intelligence of the Undead alone, her righteous anger beginning to burn inside of her as she remembered each painful memory Vinson put her through. With a righteous bellow, Luciel flew toward Vinson at light speeds.
"You all will di—" Vinson roared, his roar interrupted by Luciel's Origin Palm to his face.
Vinson grunted as he rolled backwards along the ground then recovered, looking up to see Luciel protecting the students then smirked. "So, the Worthless Nun has finally grown some bravery. How does it feel to know your sisters have abandoned you!"
"If they left us, they were never of us to begin with! But I don't put all the blame on them, you were the parasite! A plauge to be eradicated! Exzodia will not fall to you!" Luciel roared, her iridescent aura surging to the sky.
Lightning crashed to the ground from Luciel's roar, the winds howling and roaring along with her passionate cry. Vinson grunted as Luciel's energy began rising beyond what he had expected, his eyes widening as he noticed a massive Genesis Butterfly descending down from Heaven.
All the students watched in awe at the power of the Queen of Qutsade, watching as God worked His wonders through her. Luciel held her hand out to Vinson, the Genesis Butterfly wings glowing brightly before unleashing two lavender beams toward him.
"No! This chapter will not end like this!" Merin roared, turning into a bundle of black clouds and swarped toward Vinson.
Inhabiting his body, he began to possess his body while black smoke filled the ground. From the black mist around us, a figure began to manifest from the ground. Towering over us at over 11 feet and clad in ram armor, her body began to flare with black flames, her eyes shimmering into a calm bloodshed.
The beams struck the figure, dealing damage to her legs but not making her fall. Ha-Rin and Nu So-Hee glanced up at the towering titan, remembering a conversation they had with me about this very titan, The Bloodshed.
I stared up at The Bloodshed and gripped my sword even tighter in my hand, getting into my stance and readying myself for battle. "Is it time, Lord?"
Yesha looked up at The Bloodshed and crossed his arms, his Holy Dove flying off his shoulder toward The Bloodshed. Without a second thought, I dashed toward The Bloodshed, picking up a large amount of dirt from my stride.
"Mr. Nox, look out!" Hyeon Bae called out, pointing up at The Bloodshed's descending sword toward me.
I let out a bellow while timing the crashing sword and swung upward, parrying the attack from The Bloodshed then warped to her torso. Landing multiple slashes upon her body, she released her aura to push me back onto the ground.
I landed safely and leaped back toward Luciel, flourishing my sword and stood up straight. "The students will not be able to handle this alone. Get them to safety, and I'll see you at Seolhart."
"What? What about the trial?" Luciel asked, looking at me with concern.
"God is here with me. If you see me at Seolhart, you will know I have defeated The Bloodshed and inherently, Lament as well. You will see me at Seolhart. Now go, my Queen..." I said, snapping my fingers.
"Wait—" Luciel called out, holding her hand out before being blinded by a bright light.
Everyone covered their eyes from the bright light with a groan, unable to see the events happening before them while the sounds of battle sounded like clanging gongs and loud clashes. Soon, the light dimmed for everyone to see again, everyone now standing in the Temple of Wisdom.
The final page from the book Luciel was holding appeared in the shape of a butterfly then flew out of the Temple of Wisdom into God's flowing currents through the last stages of The Wilderness. As everyone bore their surroundings, they noticed Yesha was gone but His Holy Dove remained, perched on Luciel's head.