Chapter 06

  Believe Me

  I wake up to a sea of flames.

  Red oozes through the sky like molten lava, covering what once was a vast ocean of blue. Rain crashes down like pellets, resembling the scarlet sky as they crackle, instantly evaporating upon contact with the blazing ground—the earth set aflame.

  Crimson rain. The sky bleeds.

  Smoke seeps through the gaps o f the broken earth. It trembles violently, awaiting in fear of yet another tear in its once strong, solid body. All around me, the air is rancid, filled with thick sticky malice. My throat burns as I struggle to breathe, swallowing ashes rather than air. My limbs crumble beneath me like rotten twigs off a dead tree. I fall to the ground, melting like the sand between my toes.

  In the distance, I hear the cries of men and women. Not of fear, however, but of steel. They march bravely towards a massive army of horrifying creatures. There is no better word to describe those monsters other than demonic.

  At the front lines, a row of humanoid creatures growl menacingly. I know their name. The species that has tormented the planet of Averada for a millennia.

  Ghouls.

  Their mangled limbs twist and bend freely. Huge, bloodshot eyes pop out of their sockets, connected to their bodies by a single, red string of flesh. Green, steaming drool leaks out of their gaping mouths, stretched as if cut with scissors, a snake-like tongue hanging loose. Between their open wounds, dark blood as thick as mud and black as charcoal drips slowly down their flakey flesh.

  The brave warriors charge.

  They unleash an extraordinary amount of power, the colors of their abilities shine like fireworks in the desolate void of night.

  Water, earth, fire, and air.

  The four elements created by the great magicians weave and bind together, generating a force of energy bright enough to make the world go blind. I watch in wonder as the wielders of magic push back the line of ghouls.

  Suddenly, a loud bell rings fiercely in my ear and I grasp my head tightly.

  “It’s a shame.”

  My heart trembles at the all-too-familiar voice of the angel, grave and somewhat solemn.

  “How saddening… that such a mighty generation would perish so easily.”

  What?

  Just as Aca finishes speaking, a flash of light blinds me, followed by an explosion loud enough to shatter my eardrums.

  Ba-ba-BOOM!

  A gush of wind launches me into the air, the sheer force flipping my body upside down. I plummet into the dirt, screaming as my skin shreds upon impact, blood gushing out from the openings. My mind splits into fragments as my senses dull; pain is all that I feel. Through the chaos, I hear a different kind of cry.

  Children are wailing, women are screaming, men are dying.

  The courageous warriors of magic are nowhere to be seen. Instead, a pile of rubble sit where they once stood.

  The magicians have fallen. Humankind has fallen.

  It’s the end of the world.

  Before I can even blink, a fissure emerges in the earth directly below me and I am sucked in. A field of darkness envelopes me; I stare up at the blood-stained sky as I fall, a sinking feeling of hopelessness creeping into my soul.

  “I did not lie, dearest host. The end is not far in sight.”

  Aca’s voice shimmers softly to my right, and I struggle to turn my head.

  My body feels weightless as I’m pulled effortlessly deeper into the void. Yet, it takes me a while to crank my neck over, my joints heavy with ache and trauma. A blurry spark of golden light glimmers in the dark, growing brighter as it crawls closer and closer. All of a sudden, the air changes and I stop free falling, instead floating listlessly in the dark expanse. I try to move, but it is as if my body has been suspended in a zone void of space itself. My eyes well up with tears, still itching from the remnants of ash and grime.

  “But do not be afraid,” Aca soothes, “For there is a plan. And you, my dear, will play a significant part in it.”

  “You are mistaken," I deny, "There is nothing I can do, I am a mere servant.”

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  “Dearest host, we are all servants. Take pride, for there is no greater duty than to be of service to each other.”

  The angel draws even nearer now, his radiating aura momentarily blinds me. When my vision clears, I almost faint from the sight.

  A man so stunning, so ethereal, peers down at me. Hair, the color of the sun, flows down to his waist like silk. His long eyelashes flutter delicately with every blink. Eyes twinkle radiantly in a shade of silver. A thin garment of white loosely wraps around his carved body, fair skin glistening like clear glass.

  It is ridiculous. How can someone be so beautiful?

  So it is. The angel of the heavens makes it possible.

  “You could see me. No one else can," Aca points out. His deep voice is full of wonder, as if meeting me was some fateful event.

  I shake my head, "There must be others, you just haven't seen enough people."

  Aca looks down at me and smiles, warmly dismissing my words, "There has to be a reason why you can—why I was brought here. This is no mistake, it is you who will be the host that harnesses my power. You will be the one to drive a stake through the heart of evil. You, my dear, will save the world from its impending doom.”

  "That! I-I don't understand. How can you be so certain?" I ask, raising my voice. The tears now dried up, replaced by annoyance.

  Shouldn't this destined individual, this so-called "host", be someone that's a bit more convincing? And yet, you want to claim that this person is somehow... me? Don't get me started. Ask anyone around, and you'll have them laughing their heads off.

  Belle Ruth? A hero? A savior?

  Maybe in another life.

  "We are bound, my dearest," answers the angel, calm despite my raging thoughts. "From the moment I met you, I have found that there is a limit as to how far I can wander off until I am ultimately brought back."

  "That's your tell?" I scoff, "Sounds more like a curse."

  "Patience, my dear. Let me explain. There is much I do not know, but I trust the one who sent me to you. Besides, I see how hard you work. That, alone, is comforting."

  I sigh, "You see, that's all you know about me. I work hard, yeah sure, but so does everyone in this mansion. And plenty more outside of it. So, if that's the most you've seen, I'm sure you have at least some doubts?"

  "I do," Aca says, fully contradicting my expectations for him to deny it.

  "Oh?"

  "Of course, I worry that your busy routine is only going to hold you back. That is why I've chosen to appear before you in this dream."

  Or nightmare.

  He continues, "You must leave. This place is your cage, and you let it trap you."

  "..."

  "I do not know the reason why you stay here, when it only serves to break you apart, piece by piece. This is not normal."

  "And how would you know?" I snap back.

  The angel chuckles, unbothered by my brass neck. "A fair point. Though it is true that I haven't roamed this world nearly as long as you, I learn from what I observe. You don't wish to stay here, but you remain. And your sudden defensiveness after I question it supports this."

  "Uh," I cringe, unsettled. I don't see myself to be a very transparent person, yet why does it feel like he's reading me like a book? It's obvious that he can be observant, but to this point? Why is he so certain? How is he able to feel me out so easily? What does he know? Does he—

  "—No. This isn't real. You're not real." I mutter.

  How could I forget? I had once thought of him as nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Yet, why did that not cross my mind earlier? Was Aca so human to me that I convinced myself that he had to be real?

  “I speak nothing but the truth. Do you still not believe in me?”

  “Well…”

  “What is clouding your eyes, host?"

  I bite the inside of my cheek, unsure of what to say. Sure, I could hear Aca loud and clear during the day, but I always doubted. It didn't make sense. How was I supposed to trust in something that may as well be my hallucination?

  “It’s strange, but…" I take a deep breath, "If you weren’t real, I wouldn't be surprised either. If you must know, for the 21 years of living on this planet, I have always felt alone. Always been alone. Oh, you know—doesn't isolation drive people crazy?”

  The angel doesn’t speak for a moment.

  “Nothing changes, Aca. I don’t think anyone would blink twice if I went insane. Like, would they not just think that I was lonely? That would be a pretty reasonable conclusion if I was, indeed, imagining angel every day, who stuck to my side and told me I was important.”

  “So you still doubt me?” he asks.

  “Tell me then, how do I trust you?”

  The angel ponders before answering. Perhaps he's too blinding for me to see clearly, but Aca’s expressions are hard to decipher. My mind wanders as I try to guess his next words.

  Finally, Aca speaks up again, “I understand.”

  What do you understand, exactly?

  “Care to fill me in?” I prompt.

  “There is still much I do not know of this world, too many details that are missing. Not to mention, my powers are still weak, which is neither your fault nor mine. It will grow simply with the course of time. For now, I cannot prove my existence to you with my current state.”

  “...And so?”

  “Wait for me, I will come back when I am better prepared to guide you.”

  “You’re leaving?” my voice cracks.

  The angel nods.

  "But I thought you said you were bound. Now, you can just go wherever you want?" I question.

  Aca notices my suspicion and quickly says, "I am not leaving you, not necessarily. I am leaving this world, and going back to a state of nothingness, beyond reality. You could say, between heaven and earth."

  "...What?"

  The angel smiles, "I'll be away for awhile, but I promise to come back. My spirit is weak and unable to fully manifest into reality, at least, in a way that can help you."

  I narrow my eyes, still unable to understand. Though, I doubt anything he says will change that.

  “Once I return and can prove that I am real, and what I prophesy will most definitely come to fruition, I ask for one thing."

  "Which is...?"

  "Do not abandon your duty. Allow me to empower you as the host that will save this world.”

  His words start to sink in. If Aca is truly the Angel of Apocalypse, and I’m somehow needed to stop the world from ending, what exactly will I need to do? What can I do? Seriously, what could a magic-less, regular civilian like me possible have to offer?

  Well, I guess by then, there would be no choice.

  “What do you say, dearest host?”

  “I am… in?”

  The angel frowns and raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my lack of conviction.

  I sigh. Resigned to my fate, I respond, “When you come back and show me, I’ll properly listen to whatever you have to say.”

  “Good." Aca smiles. "Be brave, my warrior. The day is approaching.”