111

 

111.  The Answer

 

Eden stood in the center of the garden, surrounded by the seven apostles. In front of her, the plain white cross rose into the sky, illuminated by the sweltering sun.

 

The apostles brimmed with excitement and jubilation, but she could only focus on one of them – Vincentius, or 'Vince,' as he preferred to be called. He was a bit taller than Vance, and his facial features were a bit softer, but the resemblance was uncanny – he even had those eyes.

 

By this point, Eden's mind had been flooded by so many questions that she had no idea where to begin. She simply stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the blond man who was slowly walking toward her.

 

"Father Zeigfried told me all about what happened to you," Vince said, placing a caring arm on her shoulder. "If only we'd caught on to Grayson's scheme sooner... But you don't need to worry. We will give him an opportunity to repent for his sins, very soon."

 

"I already killed him," Eden said, suddenly remembering. "He tried to kill me...but I came back, somehow. I had so much power in me...I shot right through his body."

 

"Yet he survived," Zeigfried cut in from behind. "But we know why. He stole a holy artifact from our treasury and used it to extract not only your blood, but your DNA, the very source of your power and your abilities. Then he injected it into himself, hoping it would give him access to at least part of your God-given might. And it worked."

 

"He used me..." Eden growled, feeling the rage bubble up from within her.

 

"He tried to. As did the Seneschal of the Guild of Dimensional Knights, as well as Victoria Vance. You were a weapon to them, so they treated you with care. But we're different, Eden," Zeigfried said, with the sageness of the most learned professor. "We want you to lead us – to restore the glory of God."

 

Eden gazed around the garden, taking in its tranquility, as well as the caring smiles of each of the apostles. "You said I could speak to Him...where is He?"

 

"Above." Vince pointed up to the heavens. "But we'll be happy to connect you to Him, Eden, if you so desire it."

 

"I do," Eden said powerfully, as she felt her anger quicken the pounding of her heart. "I wish to speak with Him."

"As you wish, my lady," Vince said, then immediately turned to his fellow apostles. "Let us begin the summoning at once."

 

As Vince finished speaking, Eden felt golden psynergy permeate out from the apostles. It was heavy, yet also lithe and ever-changing, flowing through her like warm bathwater. It felt just as safe and secure as her own.

 

She watched as the golden psynergy crept up the white cross, turning it into a beacon of radiant light. Once the cross filled, it shot a golden beam straight into the sky, parting the clouds and piercing the planet's atmosphere.

 

Then, she felt it – a shift in gravity, followed by a heavy resonation. Something was coming.

 

Eden shielded her eyes from the sun and looked upward, just in time to see a massive winged being descending through the blue sky. Multicolored wings flapped behind flowing robes of red and white, topped by a flowing mane of orange hair. He looked to be the size of three men, and blotted out most of the sunlight as he floated down to the garden.

 

He regarded Eden with solemn eyes in a face like a sculpture, unmoving and rigid with duty. In his left hand he held a shield, and in his right hand, he held a spotless mirror. A white psynergy aura unlike anything Eden had ever felt before poured out from every side of him.

 

"The archangel Gabriel," Zeigfried explained. "Messenger of God, harbinger of revelations."

 

"In the name of the Father, the Daughter, and the Holy Spirit," Gabriel boomed, in a deep multilayered voice that sounded like an entire choir, "I come bearing God's word."

 

Up until this moment, Eden had been as solid as a rock. Despite being faced with the apostles, she knew she possessed true power. She also felt confident that she would never become a victim of anyone ever again. She felt confident in who she was, and refused to let anyone shake that.

 

As Gabriel looked down on Eden, she began to shiver. Not in fear, but awe – she had come face to face with something that clearly existed on a different plane of reality than her, and its might washed over her, causing her legs to wobble in place. For the first time in her entire life, she could feel the scope of God's power.

 

He's real...I didn't want to believe it, but God is real, and so are all his angels. Which means the Albavitreans are demons, just like everyone said. It's all real...and I'm the daughter of God.

 

Tears welled up in Eden's eyes, and Gabriel looked down upon her with mercy.

 

"You needn't fear, child," he said. "For God is with you."

 

With that, he thrust out the mirror, and Eden watched as golden light began to pour out of it. It touched her skin, and she sighed in relief. She could feel him moving through her then, embracing her like only a father could. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she embraced the light back, latching on to it with awestruck eyes.

 

Eden, my daughter, a voice pierced her mind. I am here.

 

Father... she spoke back, although her voice did not come from her mouth. Instead, it permeated out from her body like her own psynergy aura, flooding the vicinity like an echoing bell. "Why did you create me?"

 

To lead my people back to me, the voice continued. To bring my love to the world.

 

But the simplistic answer didn't satisfy her. Despite how safe and protected Eden felt, there was something in her heart that couldn't calm down. "Why didn't you speak to me until now? Why didn't you save me?"

 

I did. Many times. When Grayson slayed you, it was my grace that let you rise again. I have always been with you, my daughter, even when you were incapable of hearing me due to the Albavitreans' interference.

 

"Are you talking about Victoria?"

 

I am the creator of every world, but the Albavitreans have severed many from my grasp. They corrupt the holy with their chaos, breeding suffering and leading my children away from heaven.

 

"Why?" Eden repeated the word, desperate for an answer. "Why can't we can't find peace together?"

 

Because they are born from chaos. The uncontrollable matter that existed before I bestowed creation upon this plane. Destruction is in their very nature, the core in each of them which I did not create. They are beyond my power, yet they cannot stand up to me. Therefore, they've continued to hide themselves from me for millenia, corrupting my creation in secret.

 

"No," Eden said suddenly. The word came from within, telling her that something wasn't right. "You're wrong," she said, gazing defiantly up to the archangel.

 

I am God. The one who created you and gave you free will so that you could love me of your own volition. I gave you my strength so you could lead others in ways that I could not – so you could be my voice, and we could live together, as one.

 

"But that's not what happened," Eden heaved. "It just made everyone come after me – want to kidnap me, keep me for themselves, or kill me. All so that I could do your job for you? Didn't you ever think about any of that?"

 

You faced every trial and passed it with flying colors. Such is why I gave you such great power, my Eden. I knew much hardship would come your way, but I knew that you would never fail me.

 

"But why?!" Eden shrieked. "What was it all for?! Just so I could coax more people into loving you? I haven't brought any peace to the world! Just me being here has only made it more of a fucking mess!"

 

You are the messiah, the voice continued, as commanding and strong as it had always sounded. Your mission is to bring people to God, my daughter. That is the very reason you exist – to love me.

 

Eden could feel it now, creeping up her body from every angle – a heavy weight of oppression, the spine-tingling realization that she was speaking to yet another person who wanted her to do as they said, who essentially wanted to protect her, and therefore own her. The faces of Grayson, the Zodiacs, and even Tao and Cliff resurfaced in her mind, followed at last by Victoria. It really did seem like they had been all the same, in the end. Her tears continued to fall, but now, her face took on a new dimension of contortion as pain and anguish overflowed from within.

 

"Is that all you care about...?" she croaked. "Making people love you? Making people follow your rules? Is that the only reason this world exists?"

 

I love you, Eden, as I love all my children. I only ask that you love me back.

 

"Fuck you!" Eden roared, then threw her fist out, jettisoning citrus psynergy straight into the center of Gabriel's mirror. It shattered, and the angel let out a bellow of surprise. In the next moment, his massive fist fastened around her neck. She struggled, summoning up every last ounce of energy from her core in order to resist him, but it was no use. Despite the fact that they both glowed with golden might, she felt nothing but helpless within the angel's grasp.

 

As Gabriel held Eden in mid-air, peering down at her with his massive eyes, the apostles sent nervous glances each other. But Vince was the first to act.

 

"Gabriel, please, have mercy," he said gently, raising his hands in reverence to the otherworldly entity. "She is still but a child. She knows not what she does."

 

The archangel gazed down on the man for a moment before he finally relented and set Eden back down on the ground. The moment he freed her, however, Eden erupted with a cloud of citrus psynergy and shot up to the sky.

 

"Wait, Eden!" Zeigfried called out. "We can talk about this!"

 

"You don't need to fear God, dear!" Angelica joined in. "He knows what's best for you!"

 

But Eden would hear none of it. Desperate, like a caged animal who had just been freed, she kicked off the edge of a pillar and leapt straight off the spire, plummeting through the clouds. Headlong, burning with citrus rage, she pushed herself downwards, wanting only to be as far from God and all his disciples as she possibly could.

 

Eden shot down past numerous golden spires, bronze bridges, and gilded hallways, until she eventually saw the clouds open up beneath her. Below the chapel lay a sprawling metropolis that continued on as far as the eye could see. Despite realizing that she would surely find no refuge there, Eden continued on, determined

 

*************

 

to put an end to this battle. Vance had cut through space itself, and with that, all his frustration and feelings of inferiority had vanished. Empowered, he burned with energy, prepared to defeat the woman who loved him.

 

Earth's psynergy vacuum was nothing but an afterthought as Vance's onslaught began. Wendy Caskett was thrown backwards, and just barely caught her footing on the ground before a blast of psynergy continued through the trees.

 

"I'm glad to see you're finally taking this seriously," Wendy said shakily, as she tried to pick herself up. "But hold on–"

 

The woman's voice cut off with a startled choke as Vance dove forward and knocked her to the ground. Next, he outstretched his palms and released a volley of psynergy blasts. But as the dust cleared, he could see that she was still unscathed.

 

A string of axolotls swarmed out from her and opened their mouths. Before they could eject some foreign weapon at him, Vance shot them each down with a single finger like a kid in a shooting gallery.

 

But before he finished the last one, Wendy was behind him, slicing through his barrier. One palm to her chest knocked the wind out of her, and for a tenth of a second, she froze on her heels. This was just enough time for Vance to launch a condensed psynergy ball into her stomach, which sent her flying.

 

Vance snatched Wendy's leg just before she slammed through her fourth tree and snapped her back on to the ground. Although he had readied another attack, she moved quicker this time, desperate to get free.

 

A salamander hopped out between them. Without another thought, he outstretched another finger and shot the creature, only to watch as a bomb in its mouth exploded in the trees.

 

Wendy used a throng of salamanders to suck up the excess power as the force of the destruction threw her into the air. Closing her eyes, she felt around for Vance's aura, flickering midst the fire and destruction. Then, it was gone. The ground rumbled, heaving in exhaustion as Vance sliced a hole in space.

 

Carefully, Vance passed his fingers through the void and grasped on to a single thread. There was a snap, and Vance appeared directly behind Wendy. By the time she realized where Vance had moved, it was too late.

 

With two sharp swipes, her barrier was in pieces. Wendy fell right into Vance's arms, much like she had in the hotel bed, but they were now rigid and cold. Paralyzing her with his dark purple energy, Vance concentrated a dark blast against her back and let it explode, ricocheting her down toward the earth.

 

Wendy hit the ground hard, then tore herself up from the dirt in a torrent of pale yellow psynergy. Her face was bruised, but her eyes still surged with power.

 

Salamanders shelled her body. "It's okay. I know we're doing this because we love each other, Vance..."

 

The salamanders surrounding Wendy leapt outwards and filled the forest. Vance was completely surrounded, but he was ready. As he shot them down, more seemed to crop up out of nowhere, each cradling a sparkling mirror in its mouth. At the other end, Wendy charged a scalding white ray in her hands.

 

"I call this my Diffraction Beam, sweetie."

 

With that, Wendy's white beam tunneled forward. As it passed through the first mirror, the beam multiplied into several more cylinders of further condensed psynergy. This pattern continued, until Vance was surrounded by so many searing rays that any sort of escape would be impossible. He quickly cut open a void to swallow the attacks, but it could only catch so many, and despite his best attempts to shield himself, Wendy's psynergy hit him hard.

 

By the time Wendy's onslaught was finished, Vance had been heavily damaged, but he still stood – and he hadn't stopped moving.

 

Smashing a fist and a leg through two separate portals, Vance grabbed Wendy and delivered a metapsynergy-charged kick to her back at the same time.

 

But before she crumpled to the ground, he caught her. "Thank you, Wendy," he said, with determined eyes. He sent her down gently, and for the first time, he saw Wendy blush with surprise. "Now I'm going to go talk to my uncle."

 

Vance swung his fist up and opened another portal right above his head. Already, he could sense his uncle's sinister purple glow lurking on the other side.

 

The ground crumbled under Vance's feet as he leapt upwards into the portal. Beneath him, a grin appeared on Wendy's tired face. With proud eyes, she watched

 

*************

 

the archangel rise back up to the heavens, returning from whence it came. The apostles were left alone in the silent garden, staring down at the shattered remains of the holy mirror.

 

Most of their faces looked stern and pensive, except for that of Vincentius, who bent down to casually pick up the pieces. Once he finished, he stood and turned to his allies with a modest, peaceful smile on his face.

 

"My fellow servants," he spoke softly. "It's clear that the daughter has suffered much trauma throughout the years she spent with the Albavitreans. Perhaps having her commune with God so early wasn't the wisest choice of action."

 

"Indeed," Zeigfried nodded gravely, rubbing his grey goatee. "I knew this would be difficult, but I didn't expect her to react so violently. I was sure that finally reuniting with God would put her at peace."

 

"The Albavitreans must have brainwashed her, the poor thing," Angelica said, bottom lip quivering. "The world as she sees it is the opposite of the holy truth, so her mind must be having trouble adjusting to all of this."

 

"Yes, Mother Angelica, I completely agree," Vincentius nodded slowly. "She must be treated with the utmost care. She needs more time to heal. Therefore, I'd like to ask that I be entrusted with the task of reclaiming her. She and I are of similar ages, and considering our histories...perhaps I may be able to strike a kinship more easily than another."

 

Several moments passed as the apostles considered this. Zeigfried kept his eye fixated on the young man, until his shoulders relaxed as if he'd suddenly made up his mind.

 

"It's worth a try. In the meantime, we'll each commune with God and ask for his forgiveness. Go, my son, and may you bring peace to the Daughter's heart."

 

"Yes, Father," Vincentius nodded, then walked over to the edge of the garden and prepared to leap off the edge. "I will ensure that she never goes astray again."

Next: Enemies Closer