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Post by cyansky on Jun 11, 2009 12:18:09 GMT -5
Syl took a deep breath as it alighted on the roof of the abandoned church. It lay down on the uneven roof tiles, not minding them as they scratched it. Didn’t matter anyway. Syl was no organic being – it just appeared that way. It remembered when it ‘bled’ in the church – its ‘blood’ wasn’t a red liquid as with humans – it was pure energy. Syl stared at the finger that had so quickly healed.
What exactly am I? it thought, I can’t be a member of anyone else’s species because they are gendered, whereas I am not. I doubt that I ‘bleed’ the same way either.
It looked at its first, clenching it.
“What am I?” Syl asked itself, “Why can’t I remember the name of my species?”
It pondered it as it lay on the roof on its back, gazing up at the blue cloudless sky – the closest thing Syl had to home. It knew that it was an energy-based being, hence why it could feel pain from contact with demonic energies, yet felt nothing with physical damage. It wondered why such a being would fall into Animus which was so full of humans and human-like beings. The only being that Syl had encountered with a genuinely inhuman way of thinking was Chains. Fascinating, that man, thought Syl, I wonder why he calls himself the ‘Clockwork Angel.’
“How perplexing,” said Syl, “perplexing… that’s the exact word that describes this city. I don’t know my past, but I’ll do what I can to carve out my future.”
It sighed as a gentle breeze blew over it, replenishing more of its strength.
A couple of pigeons landed right next to Syl.
“Hmm?”
The pigeons cooed and fluttered around. Syl watched their antics impassively.
<So there are bunch of dead bodies in the streets?> asked Syl, <that’s strange. Thanks for reporting that to me. Must mean that either the Black Goat is killing his own mindless or that there’s a psychotic killer on the loose… could it be Chains? Hmm… I thought he would bring them in for his own sadistic games rather than just slicing them to death… could it be someone else...?>
It trailed off in its wondering, suddenly ditracted by the two pigeons, who were nodding vigoursly and fluttering around and pulling on its sleeves.
Syl studied them… they seemed familiar… Syl's jaw droppped as it recognized a sliver of its power within their veins.
<Wait a minute… don’t you have my gift?! Are you the ones I blessed...?>
The pigeons shook their heads, and cooed at it loudly, apparently in disagreement.
<So you’re the descendants of the two pigeons I blessed in the past?!> yelled Syl, <oh dear, but I guess it’s expected. My powers are rather persistent in blood of the children of wind. Where are the others?>
The pigeons looked at it with confused expressions.
<So you don’t know, huh?> asked Syl, <well, that’s okay. What else is going on?>
The birds twittered and cooed at it.
<So you want figure that out, huh?> asked Syl, smiling, <I look forward to hearing from you two again! Keep me updated.>
The birds nodded and took off.
< It was nice talking to you!Even if it was brief!> Syl called out to them as they flew away.
Syl watched those birds as they disappeared into the city. Clouds started to appear on the horizon. Syl closed its eyes, relaxing. It didn’t need a claustrophobic home like humans did. Resting with the wind and the sky above it was the best place for Syl to be. Free of analytic thoughts, free of stress, free of the lies and deception that human politics had thrust it into. Free… Free…
I am a being of wind, thought Syl, I know that as much.
It smiled. Should I be satisfied with that? Should I be satisfied with having an unknown past?
It pondered it quietly as the winds continued to swirl around it.
Is it worth it? Thought Syl, no, I know for one thing that it’s filled with bloodshed and death. That disaster killed many people, and I could have been the one who instigated it. Me and my selfishness… No, my and my concern for Kiel…
“Kiel… are you… really here with me?” asked Syl absentmindedly to itself.
The winds that swirled around Syl increased in intensity.
Beside Syl formed the cloaked figure as seen in the church. Syl glanced at it, then returned its gaze to sky.
“Hello there,” it said, “Nice day, huh?”
The cloaked figure nodded, still standing beside it.
“Yeah. It’s good to see you Syl.”
Syl smiled, still relaxing.
“Now why are you here?”
There was an uneasy silence. The cloaked figure still stood there in silence for a long, long while.
“There’s something you need to know about your past, Syl,” it said, “it’s… really important.”
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Post by cyansky on Jun 14, 2009 9:45:57 GMT -5
Syl turned its head to the cloaked figure. It pondered why it had such a keen interest in its welfare. Getting Myzrael angry, drawing it away from Veronica who could have used its protection, act like they were best friends by being so affectionate around it…. It really perplexed Syl. Knowing the definition of friendship was one thing, entirely understanding it was another. The cloaked figure glanced down at Syl, with a sombre, gloomy expression on its face.
When Syl compared its current mood with its past affections, it made it feel… tense. Something was off. Something was going on…
“Why should I trust you?” asked Syl impassively, quietly, “are you just like everyone else in this thrice-accursed place? Actors on a stage, politicians playing tug of war, fiends and friends wearing masks concealing who they really are, anti-hero rogues out for themselves…? I’ve been here only a short while, and I think I’ve seen most of what the other non-mindless have to offer – fights, mistrust, resentment, politics… bah, why should I bother? Let humans be humans. Let them kill themselves. They must have some convoluted reasons to do so. Watch first, ponder later, my parent had said, analyze after and draw conclusions last. Quite a nice piece of advice eh?”
The cloaked figure stood there, impassive.
“I did as I was told,” said Syl.
It lay with its head on its arms, gazing at the clouds as they rolled forward, beginning to form strange and unrecognizable shapes. Syl knew that it going to say some words unwelcome to certain people’s ears, so it kept its voice low, like a whisper in the wind.
“I watched, saw resentment, anger, politics, conflict, an unidentifiable hell-demon resembling a pit lord, a being by the name of Bremmen who claims to be the ruler of Helgard… and the death of a dark angel.”
Syl laughed, a loud sound that more like a sweet bird’s call than a human voice.
“Ruler of Helgard? A legendary place. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard of it. I hear that’s where some Nordic demons live. But ruler? What a fine way to inflate oneself! How can that Bremmen be a ruler of anything if he has no subjects to rule over? Sure he might get some subjects over here, but what’s a bunch of mindless to a great diamond demon like him? … I am well aware that he might force me to become one of his subjects in the future, but it’s partly because of that that I want to shy away from human politics to begin with… I suspect that he is most likely equal to me, if not stronger than me in combat, although I have no data to back it up… I must be prudent… ah, that’s just me wandering off topic again…”
It took a deep breath.
“I then pondered, wondering about concept such as friendship, love, parenthood and such cute concepts,” said Syl as a matter-of-factly, “a friendship is a state when a person is ‘on terms of mutual affection and respect’* with another person. How does that apply to my relationship with miss Veronica? Affection? She certainly seems to have plenty of that towards me. Respect? Hmm… why she respect me, hmm? If I’m more or less like her pet, and if she ever figures out that I’ve deliberately avoided the conflict, how will she respect me? Parenthood? I’ve pondered that one too. And yet, I still wonder: why do humans put such stock who is the parent? In genes that are nothing more than instructions for cells to follow, that will determine a person’s physical characteristics such as hair colour, eye colour and skin tone and such! Why? I don’t care who created me, because it doesn’t matter now. Why would miss Veronica care? That child is dead! Why does she still care? The girl is dead, dead, dead! She should be concerned about where its soul went rather than who sired and birthed it! Parenthood is a concept of the past, a memory, while wondering where the soul went is a concept of the future! Ugh, Veronica, how you perplex me…
“…Hmm…Love? Well… That’s an interesting one. I’ve seen too many definitions for it, so I have come up with my own: a state of excessive fondness and affection for a certain person for certain varying reasons. I don’t know why, but when Myzrael made that comment concerning Arqus ‘hardness’… hmm… there seemed to be some fondness in his tone. Considering Myzrael’s character, I think that there was something else behind that fondness… ah, but that’s just me speculating on that one scene. Am I really that desperate to understand humans? To fathom human emotions based on one scene. How silly of me!” Syl laughed once more, though this it sounded like a much harsher bird call.
“What am I? Am I starting to think like a human? Illogically? Hmm… looks like I’m taking in too much information at once. Either that or I’m letting humanity get the better of me.”
It stopped laughing and took on its impassive expression once more.
“I analyzed,” said Syl, “I took into account what I had watched and what I have pondered to give me and idea of the big picture. What have I found since I came here? A human woman, who, although as nice as a guardian angel, tends to drag me into politics; a set of murals so perplexing that I cannot make sense of them at the moment, asides from assume that they are hints to the future due to being drawn by a prophet child; a mystery involving a man who sold his soul for the power and land to save his family; drama involving an abducted child; the search for finding her, which I did little to help with; a fight which I did not help with and the death of a child that I do not care about. I thought about what happened. My presence was unappreciated, my power was unneeded and thought of as a bunch of pretty lights and my purpose there mostly as a bystander… I’ve combined the events, people’s perceptions and attitude toward me, and such concepts such as friendship, love and parenthood. Using these I’ve come to my own conclusions.”
It raised one hand and started counting off the conclusions with it. “1) humans are perplexing, complex and fascinating, 2) I detest their politics 3) Arqus and Bremmen are threats to me, 4) the Black Goat is very powerful and 5) Veronica might be an interesting person to follow due to the information she hold. All I have to do is avoid conflicts and act innocent, which will be difficult, but which may earn me useful information. I only wonder if the price is worth it.”
The cloaked figure stared at it silently.
Syl glanced up at it, slightly irritated. It didn’t quite like it when people didn’t appreciate its lectures.
“What?” it said bluntly.
The cloaked figure shook its head.
“Looks like I got the old you back Syl,” it said, smiling, “analytical, with little understanding of humanity, and as logical as I remember. The ‘walking encyclopaedia,’ ‘the humanity-pondering one,’ ‘the wandering scholar’ … weren’t those some of your nicknames in the past, the ones that some of your friends used to call you before their deaths?”
Now this was interesting. Tidbits about its past. Syl sat up and looked at it with eager eyes, waiting to soak up more information.
“Deaths?”
The cloaked figure nodded.
“Deaths. The causes were many and varied, too many for me to describe to you in one conversation – suffice to say, some were ‘normal’ while others were bizarre. At the time, you didn’t care enough for them to have any long-lasting grief. Perhaps some short-term trauma, and then you were back on your feet as if nothing happened. That’s how it works with long-lived beings – our minds are built to withstand and recover from trauma, to survive the crushing ravages of time and to prosper when opportunity finally knocks. Your lack of grief for them was understandable really. It was allowed us to jump back to our feet after every defeat.”
It smiled and looked upwards.
“You were quite effective at thinking and analyzing, putting on masks to do as you say, conceal what truly lies beneath. You act as if you’re on stage, manipulating your personality as needed. Quite a useful, but difficult ability you have there. One could say that you fail at understanding humanity, but do well enough at understanding circumstances. Just like the old you.”
It chuckled.
“I knew that the old you is more suitable to Animus. That’s why I orchestrated certain… events to bring it forth,” said the cloaked figure, “you’ll be able to analyze your way to victory and prosperity here with the old personality, and foresee the consequences of your actions. Leaving you as being emotionally immature would probably end badly anyway. You might die like Myzrael did, and I don’t want that. I only wish the best for you, and for that I’ll assist you in any way I can.”
Syl grinned. Seeing the cloaked figure smiling brought some peace to Syl’s mind, although oddly enough, it couldn’t place its finger on why.
“You must understand that I don’t take sides,” said Syl, “taking sides is unorthodox, unless it’s for my kindred. For me, doing so would only be involving myself ever deeper in someone else’s ploy. I’d only do that if I would want something from the leader of the party by infiltration, and infiltration always has its risks. Being neutral is the way the go; it allows me the best of both worlds, to tread the middle ground, and to be free in the choices I make rather than be bound by someone else’s orders. I don’t like picking what cause to serve, but I do take allies, and if you wish to be my ally that badly, then I suppose it’s reasonable to give you a chance… Hmm… now that I realize it… you don’t seem to be affiliated with another party, so that’s a big plus.”
The cloaked figure nodded.
“I understand your notions perfectly well, and it was for the reasons you stated that I did not show myself to the others except to do what needed to be done.”
“Then I suppose I’ll agree to it,” said Syl, “I’ll appreciate having unaffiliated allies; they’re much easier to deal with, and generally more interesting. Take Chains for example. Interesting man; has a morbid take on humanity and life, and is definitely very dangerous. Yet, I can’t help but feel curious about him. I think that there’s something beneath that un-intimidating appearance that I don’t know about, but is very interesting indeed. I’d like to find out more about him, and although I prefer to be alone, Miss Veronica will probably drag me elsewhere on some madcap adventure all over again. I only hope the information is worth it, and that you’ll help in understanding it.”
“Anything for you, Syl,” said the cloaked figure, “I was telling the truth when I said that I do not control Animus.”
Syl smiled and stood to face it. There was one thing it needed to know before it could really accept the cloaked figure as its ally.
“Now, one last thing,” it said, “What’s with constantly referring to ‘the old Syl’ and knowing so much about my past? Who are you, cloaked one?”
The cloaked figure grinned.
“I guess it’s time to get rid of me being a cliché,” it said, “to let go of this cloak and walk Animus as I really am. I think that you’re ready to know my identity, Syl. There’s no need to tantalize your curiosity further.”
With one swift motion, it unclasped its cloak and tore it off. As it descended toward the ground, it crumbled into dust, symbolizing the departure of its old identity.
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*From the Oxford American Dictionary
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Post by cyansky on Jun 17, 2009 19:04:31 GMT -5
As the cloaked crumbled away, a new, stronger aura emerged, as well as whole new appearance.
This new person resembled Syl, having the same hair colour, a similar outfit, a similar facial structure and was completely androgynous as well. However, there were some key differences in appearance. It was a bit taller, had shorter hair, deep blue eyes, and dressed in dark teal, navy and white rather than dark red and dark violet. A long blue scarf fluttered in the breeze behind it.
Syl recognized it immediately. Its eyes widened as it stepped back in surprise.
“K-Kiel?!”
Kiel smiled.
“That explains a lot doesn’t it? It’s really me, Syl, the one and only Kiel…”
Syl froze, speechless. K… Kiel? Its mind froze. Kiel… K-Kiel… Its sibling’s name repeated it self over and over again in its head.
Barely even realizing what it was doing, Syl fell to its knees, tears welling in its eyes. Emotions and thoughts that it kept locked away for years rose up, spilling forth like water from a broken dam. I… miss it…. I love it as family… kindred… and the best friend I ever had… the one that chased away loneliness and despair from my mind, brought peace to me…
“W-why are you here?!” it whispered, covering its eyes with its hands, “why did you leave me for a… a bunch of… ac-accursed humans?! What… d-do you see in them that… w-would merit you letting yourself t-to… b-be changed by th-them?! W-Why?”
Kiel knelt down, as Syl’s tears began to fall. Slowly but surely, Syl began to sob. Kiel kissed it on the forehead. Then, it used its right sleeve and scarf to wipe the tears away, smiling warmly. That smile melted Syl’s usually impenetrable heart.
“It’s okay Syl,” said Kiel, “I'll never abandon you. I’ll never betray you, I’ll never make the same mistakes again. I thought, and I still think, that humanity is fascinating, and I know how much you agree. I underestimated them – they were – and are – too complex for me to understand alone… And... I attempted to do that without you, Syl. I avoided having you by my side because I feared that you would resent me, but now I’ve realized that was a big, big mistake. At the time, I didn't know that your feelings reached that deep, and that you would feel that way, upset and alone. That's why I swore to our Lord that I’ll never let us be separated again.”
More memories came rushing back to Syl. There was one, where they were still young, frolicking around the beautiful wind gardens of their parent’s, playing children’s games. A garden that floated high above the ground, filled with winds and clouds of all kinds, surrounded, framed and supported by the wind fungi, plants and animals that grew on the magic-rich clouds. It was a memory of them wafting along in the breeze, listening to the birds, tumbling around, having fun…
“We… were playmates… weren’t we? We’re siblings… family… we are… right?”
Kiel ran its fingers through Syl’s hair affectionately. A breeze blew between them, revitalizing both and making their hair and clothes flutter in the wind’s wake.
“Yeah… I was the eldest of our parent’s offspring,” said Kiel, “you were the tenth youngest, out of all thirty-seven of us siblings. You were always the most vulnerable, so I took you under my wing and I haven’t looked back since.”
"... I'm glad..."
"You were great to be with Syl," replied Kiel, "still are, always will be. I don't regret what sacrifices I made for you."
Syl’s tears only continued to roll down its cheeks. One part of it couldn’t believe it, Kiel was here in Animus with it! It would never be alone again! Yet, another part had suspected as much, that the cloaked figure was Kiel, and that it was there with it all along. It was a hope that Syl had pushed to the back of its mind, a hope that it keep locked away in favour of cold logic. Syl would always hold onto logic – it served it well before, but it knew that it was a mistake to doubt Kiel of all people. It was its sibling. It should never have given up hope. That would only betray all that Kiel had done for it.
Syl raised a hand to touch Kiel’s shoulder. It… was…
“You’re… corporeal?”
Kiel nodded.
“Yeah, but it’s only temporary. I’m borrowing some of your power to maintain this form. After I stop, I’ll become incorporeal again.”
Syl gasped. It now realized that Kiel was right… it was draining its power, but oddly enough…
“I… I don’t care,” said Syl, “I’m just so glad to see you again. You’re the only decent one here as far as I can tell…”
“Veronica’s decent,” said Kiel, “She seems to be a pretty good person, as far as humans go. The only things you have to watch out for are her boyfriend and human nature in general. Humans tend to die easily, so if Veronica dies, you’ll be on rocky terms with her boyfriend at best because he thought that you were protecting her.”
Syl closed its eyes.
“… I trust you more. At least I know that you’ll care for me no matter what.”
“Thanks,” replied Kiel, smiling, “and that’s something that I’ll never break away from.”
Syl continued to sob. What happened to its strong impassive self? It had crumbled to dust. It was amazing what Kiel could do. When Kiel was around, Syl remembered that it could cry, that it did have emotion, that it just didn’t feel it very often.. “Kiel… we... weren't alway like this... right?”
Kiel sighed and lifted Syl’s chin so that they made eye contact.
“No. My gifted changed us, Syl, both of us,” it said, “I wanted you to have the most freedom possible, like I did, so I gave the gift to you as well – the ability to go against the protocols of our kind.”
“Like fraternizing with humans? Like being able to break down… like… like this?”
Kiel smiled.
“Heh. Pretty much.” Syl smirked.
“How did you get it?”
“Long story,” said Kiel, “involves gods, magical hot pink foxes, toxic tunas, a cross-dressing grim reaper, human defecation machines and of course, idiot humans.”
Syl stared at its sibling, incredulous.
“Really?”
Kiel grinned.
“No.”
They both burst out laughing, their laughter echoing throughout the area, like the calls of two joyful birds. Syl couldn’t believe it. This… was the first time that it felt happy… in Animus. As if by magic, its tears stopped coming. It sat back down on the roof, and Kiel followed suit beside it. That was what Syl liked about Kiel so much, all its quirks, its displays of affection,
“You really are special to me, Kiel,” said Syl, “I’m… I’m sorry I spoke to you like that. That’s no way to treat family, especially family that you’ve been with through for your whole life, beginning to present. I apologize, Kiel.”
Kiel patted Syl on the back.
“No worries, Syl,” it said, “I knew you would be like this, kinda like with Chains really.”
Syl smiled joyfully.
“I’m just glad you’re here.”
“Yeah. Same.”
Syl sighed as it looked at Kiel. It still couldn’t believe it. Kiel was here. It was here. So… not all was lost.
“Where were you?” it asked, "how can you be here?"
“Remember that pendant?” asked Kiel.
Syl took out the pendant, which it wore beneath its shirt. It had lost some of its glow. Syl’s eyes widened as it looked at the pendant and then Kiel. The realization hit it.
“You… were with me all along?” it whispered, clutching the pendant to its chest as if it was protecting it with its life, “in this pendant?”
So that was why the pendant was significant! It housed Kiel’s aura! Syl didn’t know it at the time, but its instinct did. That was why it had so eagerly grasped the pendant.
Kiel nodded, as it clasped Syl’s hands.
“You had this coming to you Syl. I knew that. But I knew that we might be separated, so I stored all of my aura in there. That way I would be with you when you came here…”
Tears brimmed in Syl’s eyes again. Kiel drew Syl close to it, so that they were now right next to each other.
“I was never meant to come here,” said Kiel, looking downward pensively. “You had this coming to you, not me. I used some dirty tricks to conceal myself in that crystal, so that people would never realize that a person hid here. That’s why no one ever picked up on my presence – they were focused only your presence because I made mine seem so insignificant. No one suspected a thing.”
Syl closed its eyes and leaned on Kiel’s shoulder. It savoured its sibling’s presence, enjoying every second of it. It felt safe around Kiel, as if its sibling was the only thing in the world that mattered. It made Syl feel at ease. It knew that they had a greater history together, and it knew that Kiel reciprocated its feelings.
“But… you’re stronger than me… how… did you manage?”
“Long story, Syl, long story. Suffice to say, it took a ridiculous amount of negotiation and debating with Asarek before he would allow me access to the Heavenly libraries to get that spell. Took ages to find it, and many close calls with the guards. Illegal visits to restricted planes aren’t taken lightly by our Lord, after all, because they’re... well... illegal… And no one likes it when grim reapers steal precious Heavenly secrets to sell to the highest bidder in hell.”
“Asarek? That… almost sounds like a demon’s name.”
Kiel laughed.
“Yeah, but he’s not a stereotypical angel, either.”
“Hmm… So he’s not a fanatic devoted to destroying Hell and all that it stands for?”
“No, but he was a jerk though.”
“What kind of jerk? The kind that’s cold on the outside, but a softie on the inside? Or perhaps the arrogant type? Or maybe it’s because the trauma he has been through? Or maybe he’s a jerk with no softness, only acting based on what’s in the deal for itself? Or maybe…”
Kiel ruffled Syl’s hair as another gust of wind blew their way. It resulted in Syl’s hair, the part that fell to its mid-back, to whip itself at Kiel’s face.
“You’re getting me off topic,” said Kiel, “Don’t you want to know who Asarek is?!”
Syl fell silent.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Kiel, “Asarek was the angelic defence lawyer that helped us in many of our cases in the past. And yeah, he’s unfallen, so he did have a rather high and mighty opinion of himself, but one that had the audacity to help us, and I respect that. Without him, I doubt that we would have succeeded. He was damn good at its job. He knew the Heavenly Laws better than the 'back of its hand,' as humans like to put it. He was a real walking encyclopaedia when anything involving Heavenly Laws were brought up. Quite an amazing angel. I only wonder where he is right now… now that his business partners are gone…”
Business partners?! Syl's eyes widened.
“Business partners? What… did we do?” asked Syl, now brimming with curiosity and the burning desire for knowledge, “What was this ‘business’ that we were involved in?”
Kiel smiled grimly. Syl tensed.
“That was what I’ve been trying to tell you, Syl. Our past. Come here, closer, Syl. I have a lot of explaining to do.”
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Post by cyansky on Jun 19, 2009 23:04:39 GMT -5
Syl clutched Kiel’s arm, looking into the sun that now began to set.
“Our past…”
“Yeah,” said Kiel, “our past. Never mind what I said as the cloaked person, we were in it together.”
Syl sighed, breathing lightly as Kiel watched it.
“Yeah.”
“We’re servants of Azrael, the Angel of Death,” said Kiel slowly, still smiling, “legal grim reapers, the ones that follow death to collect the wayward souls that fall through the cracks, those that escaped our Lord’s grasp. That even included on going to some of the most eerie and sinister places in the universe to hunt down the dead that persist ‘unnecessarily’ in the world of the living. We also helped preserve the balance between Heaven and Hell. If Hell became too powerful, we killed demons or made less contracts with them, if Heaven became too powerful, we killed angels and we saved less of their fallen.”
“Saving angels was our second job,” continued Kiel, “most Heavens have a habit of casting away angels that displease their higher-ups. As many angels have free will and thus some autonomy outside of law and order, this happens to a surprising number of them. Hells, on the other hand, rarely cast away their demons, except to earth. They thrive on chaos, while Heavens tend to be strict and regimented. Heavens don’t like dissent, and when they lose high-ranked angels, they also lose a perfectly valuable soldier. Hence why throwing away too many angels tends to tip the balance in Hell’s favour. This is why we save what angels we can, to help preserve that balance and cut down on how many demons we have to kill to compensate.
“This is what we did part-time to gain our Lord’s favour. After all, what better way to gain Azrael’s favour than do one of the most dangerous and challenging jobs available? If an angel was unfairly cast out of their Heaven, we were contracted to help him, her or it. We decided if the angel was worth saving, convinced them to accept our help, found clues as to why their fall was unjust and with Asarek’s help took it to heavenly court. Sometimes we succeeded in getting them back, some times we didn’t. It’s a dangerous and gloomy job. Dangerous when you deal with blood angels that might decide to bash your head in at any time and gloomy when you deal with fountains of angst, pessimism and/or moodiness from dark angels. Good times. I remember when we met a blood angel that actually respected us. Our second best friend along with Asarek. Helped us with a lot of other cases; great person to be with….”
Kiel sighed, looking at the setting sun as it slowly dipped below the horizon.
“Yeah, sounds crazy isn’t it? Well it actually isn’t. At one point we got bored of collecting souls and we had a lot of time on our hands. So Azrael suggested we do this – saving fallen angels. I guess that’s why you wanted Myzrael as an ally in the beginning – it must have been because of your instincts, because of what we did in the past. Back then, we both worked together to either to try to save those fallen angels… or let them damn themselves. By the Lord, the things we did to spend our oh so very long lives. Saving angels, stealing books from forgotten cities, destroying undead necromancers who seeked to overturn the cycle of life and death… and of course interacting with the les savoury members of angelic society on a near-daily basis. Take Asarek, for example. While he’s unfallen, his personality is less than pleasant for most people. Then there was that aforementioned blood angel…”
“We had a really interesting life before this, didn’t we?” asked Syl. Kiel nodded slowly.
“Yes, and what I said now only scratches the surface,” it said, “I only put an emphasis on the ‘saving angels’ part because of all the good memories. Asarek was rather fun to be with, very fun to tease…. Good times. Didn’t matter when we failed; we just took it in stride. When we succeeded, however… ah, you should have seen the expression on Asarek’s face. Good times, good times…”
Syl closed its eyes, as a memory came back. It was that of a green-eyed, androgynous person with long silver hair. Along the sides of its face were a couple of bluish-purple streaks in its hair, which Syl knew were dyed. Not dyed well, though, as they weren’t neat or particularly strong in colour – and gave it an odd appearance due their contrast with its vivid green eye color. It dressed formally in what resembled a combination between elaborate robes and a formal suit. (Odd fashion sense they have in Heavens, thought Syl). It sat surrounded by candles and books, like an overly studious mage. It was reading a particularly huge book when it turned its attention toward it. “Syl?” it whispered.
That was enough to cause Syl a headache. It clutched at its head as the memory quickly vanished into the depths of its mind.
“That memory...” whispered Syl, “that androgynous silver-haired person, the one with brightly –coloured streaks in its hair, wearing that strange outfit…”
Kiel nodded.
“Asarek. That’s the angel. He was quite an influential figure for you. Maybe that’s why that memory came for the surface, even temporarily. Ah, whoever blocked your memories did a pretty good job.”
Syl looked at Kiel, with a sad face, as the pain faded away.
“Was it… Animus?”
“Pretty much,” said Kiel, “what else would be strong enough to block your memories?”
It wiped away the tears that started pouring down Syl’s face once again. It felt left behind when Kiel remembered everything when it was an amnesiac. It felt like Kiel was light-years ahead of it, and that it would take forever to catch up. It felt a great deal of pain for that, now that Kiel had to deal with it without their most precious memories, that it would be unable to recall those happy times and laugh at them, to do as they did in the past… It was disappointing for Syl that all it was left with were just snippets of information – no images, no memory of the actual event…
Syl cried harder, feeling pain for not being able to recall anything of its past. All it had now were a bunch of quick glimpses and flashes of scenes with Kiel in them, some background information on them, and nothing else but snippets of information here and there. It was like a puzzle, but one that Syl had no idea how to solve.
“That’s it, Syl. It’s time to unwind, time to let go of that pain,” said Kiel gently, “I’m here for you, and I always will be. I may not be able to maintain a corporeal form on Animus at the moment, but I swear that I’ll do what I can for you. I’ll be your guardian angel, Syl. You’ll never be alone.”
It used one finger to lift up Syl’s chin so that they met eye contact again.
“Chin up, Syl, I’ll keep in touch. Just check that notebook every now and then and look for me in my incorporeal form. Don’t worry.”
Syl snuggled in Kiel’s arms, grasping its coat, crying in its scarf. Kiel initial explanation repeated itself once again in its head, right down to the last word. The thought of them being grim reapers was a shock to Syl. What would the others think of it if they found out? Especially that illegal grim reaper than it has glimpsed earlier? Weren’t legal grim reapers often tasked with destroying the illegal ones?
“What about Azrael in all this?” asked Syl, “will… it order us against our will?”
Kiel smiled.
“We had our jobs. We served Azrael (technically speaking, we still do), and thus we did whatever it told us to do. Thankfully it gave us a lot to do. We did our best to keep ourselves busy… Now’s not the time, but I swear… sometime I’ll tell you of all of our adventures. Cheer up, Syl.”
Syl clutched at Kiel’s cloaked even harder. Kiel winced. Syl had an iron grip when it was upset.
“… There’s an illegal grim reaper on Animus. I didn’t really meet him, but I saw him, and I know that he doesn’t serve Azrael. Will… I have to destroy him? Must I be forced to do things I shouldn’t? For our Lord?”
Kiel laughed, still cradling Syl.
“Don’t worry, Syl, don’t worry.”
It ruffled Syl’s hair, grinning.
“You can always rely on me to think things through!” it laughed. “Come on now; give me some credit here. I made sure that we had no contracts before we came here; worked a deal out with Azrael. We would do more contracts, and in exchange it would leave us alone in here… relatively speaking. It still has minimal influence here, to whisk away people’s souls after their deaths, to prevent them from accumulating here and wreaking havoc.”
Syl looked up, astonished. Its tears disappeared once again, like magic. It hugged Kiel tightly.
“Think nothing of it,” said Kiel, “you don’t need to thank me – it’s what I do.”
“Kiel,” said Syl, “I’m so glad we’re here… and that we’re free…”
“Enjoy it while it lasts, Syl,” said Kiel, “I have a feeling that something big is coming to Animus.”
Syl opened its mouth to speak, but Kiel pressed its index finger to its lips.
“Shh, Syl. This is our time to ourselves. Relax. I’m here for you, and I always will be.”
Syl closed its eyes, taking deep breaths. Kiel was right. It was worrying too much. Kiel was intelligent, practical, logical, caring, empathetic; Syl admired it for those traits and more. Its sibling always knew what it was doing; surely Kiel would know something that Syl didn’t. It would always be a step ahead of it, always with Syl, always planning ahead, always protecting it, nurturing it like a gardener to a flower. It sighed as Kiel caressed it affectionately once again, whispering its reassurances, making it feel special, making it feel as if the two of them were the only ones in the world that mattered….
* * * * *
They sat pressed against each other in silence, as winds swirled around them, until night fell upon them.
It was only then when Syl spoke again, its words now raspy and weak. This was in stark contrast to its happiness earlier.
“Kiel?”
“Yeah?”
Syl hugged its sibling tightly, eyes squeezed shut and breathing laboured. It felt an acute pain in its chest, its face paling even further. Maintaining Kiel’s form was starting to take a toll on it. They had been sitting there for several hours after all, and its current form was very real and solid. It was expensive to maintain, but Syl didn’t care. It wanted to be with Kiel so badly, the only one in the world that it truly cared for.
“Please…” it said quietly, weakly, “promise me… promise me… you’ll help me… survive… get my… memories… back…”
Kiel hugged it back, running its fingers through its sibling’s hair, caressing it affectionately. Syl knew that these were human behaviours that its sibling had learned, but it didn’t care. They were what made Kiel… Kiel. They were what identified its sibling to Syl: the warmth, the touch of their auras on one another, the sense of peace that accompanied it. The nostalgia… the past…
“You may not like what you hear, if I ever get down to telling it to you in full,” said Kiel.
Syl tried to cry, but it didn’t succeed. It was dehydrated… its lungs had not yet absorbed enough moisture from the air to compensate for the amount lost.
“I… don’t care… if I killed… thousands… I… just want… our adventures… our… happy… memories…”
Kiel cradled it in its arms, as Syl snuggled in to get into a more comfortable position.
“If you keep this up, Syl, I won’t be able to conceal myself any longer. The spell won’t work if you’re that much weaker than me.”
“I… don’t… care… please… pro…mise….me…”
Kiel nodded.
“Alright, Syl, I promise.”
Syl smiled weakly.
“Thank… you…”
Winds swirled around them once again, and when they stopped, Kiel was gone. Syl’s limp body collapsed onto the roof, now that there was nothing to support it.
“Thank… you… Kiel…” it whispered, “This… means… a lot… to… me.”
Maintaining Kiel’s body had cost so much energy… but it was worth it. Syl had relished every moment of it, and had gained a newfound appreciation for love and family. While it didn’t quite understand how human love or family relations worked, it understood the bond between the both of them, how it could never, ever be broken.
Darkness overcame it as Syl succumbed to its exhaustion.
It knew well enough that it would be a while before the winds could replenish its power, and that it wouldn’t be able to cast spells for a while, but… seeing Kiel again was well worth that price. Syl fell into a peaceful rest, as thoughts swirled in its mind, of Kiel, of the few memories that had escaped being blocked, of the happy times they once had…
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