"Why did you think there were walls around the city? There must've been a reason, yet it seems that you never thought about it."
Lady Strixen spoke calmly, never wavering despite the visible tension on her face, no matter the contents of their discussion.
Eleanor stared with a blank expression, only speaking after a moment with a murmur.
"To keep something out…"
The black-haired woman nodded at the child's words.
"Indeed. While unlikely, beyond these walls, there resides a creature that is far too unpredictable to let loose. The largest portion of souls that have faded were all attacked in the wastelands, far outside our city. Other cities, such as the Kingdom of Nature or the Realm of Great Spirits, have similar defenses, though mostly to stop unwelcome visitors…"
She trailed off at the mention of the unwanted guests that had attempted to breach the barriers around the two cities throughout history.
Their actions directly resulted in the cancellation of all visitation programs between the cities, making the entry rights an exclusive privilege of complete Angels.
"So if the walls are meant to prevent that creature's invasion, then why is Abraham a deterrent?"
Eleanor looked up with a tinge of confusion behind her eyes, something that made Strixen pity her innocence.
"He's an ancient-born mortal with the knowledge of millennia behind him. He is older than all other Angels except for the original one, Lady Elaris. Furthermore, we suspect that if he were to regain the memories of his short life before descending to this world, there would be unimaginable consequences. That beast that lies outside understands that principle and rightfully stays far, far away."
Finishing with a long exhale, the green-eyed woman straightened her posture, watching as the ever-growing Spore finally reached its full capacity.
Following her gaze, the blonde girl watched as it hung narrowly on the tip of the root before the veil shattered, allowing a single figure to fall at speeds faster than any could compare.
He's falling faster than I did…
After only about thirty seconds, the two women could hear the rushing wind mixed with angry shouts and cursing.
THUMP!
A figure flashed past, colliding with the ground in an almost certainly fatal impact.
"Is he…"
Eleanor began speaking hesitantly; however, only a second later, the dust cleared, and a small form popped out.
"You filthy, conniving, vicious, ruthless murderer!"
A small fist came hurtling out of the fog, aimed straight for the blonde-haired girl's chest.
Yet, the moment before it struck, it stopped midair, the short arms not quite able to reach the target of anger.
Lady Strixen stared with a look devoid of any emotion, only shaking her head at the sight of Abraham and his outstretched fist.
"Decided against violence?"
Different from before, as if in response to Eleanor's concerns, the black-haired woman's tone was far more relaxed, no longer carrying the blatant disrespect she had shown the boy before.
Both the girl and the child noticed it immediately, a smile coming onto the former's face and a frown on the latter's.
"I've had enough of this damned testing! All it did was hurt like hell, and even if I agreed to this stupidity, I'm not dumb enough to stick around and try it again!"
Abraham's voice cut through the silence, his feet pounding against the ground as he ran away from the two angelic beings.
Neither of them attempted to stop him—his sacrifice was already enough to earn him a fee exceeding 1,000 Draughts, and yet, for some odd reason, he had declined any payment prior to participating.
"Truly a strange fellow…"
Following the child's example, the white-winged woman turned her back to Eleanor, heading out without another word.
Yet again, there was no intervention on Eleanor's part, having no choice but to accept the green-eyed woman's departure after what she had done for her.
Both of them asked no price for risking themselves for me. Their actions would be worthy of the highest honors back home, yet here, they think nothing of dying…
She groaned, remembering her own vulnerability within the realm of the dead, even if the normal resident of Neutrality was practically immortal.
While to become an Angel, one had to truly cut their ties to the living first, she, in particular, was different, her soul still salvageable, and therefore, she was technically alive.
What should I do now? Book club isn't until tomorrow night, Abraham has already been placated for the week, and I've already spoken with Lord Death.
Lost in thought, she stared off into the distance with a blank expression before coming to a single conclusion.
A little training couldn't hurt…
…
"Next."
Eleanor approached the front desk of the Angelic Order's headquarters with a warm smile, but the clerk sitting behind the counter only sighed.
"You again? Don't you ever rest?"
The elderly woman, who was an intern similar to Eleanor, yet lacking any real divinity, stamped her entry pass, granting her permission to access the main halls of the temple.
The blonde-haired girl kept her smile, only responding with a hushed murmur.
"Rest is overrated when I could die any day…"
The old lady frowned.
"What did you say?"
Deciding not to reply, the girl picked up her lanyard slowly and turned away, the elderly lady not caring enough to ask again.
She's quite rude…
Hearing the clerk call out to the next in line, she made her way through the gate and into the temple itself.
Over the past few days, she developed the habit of walking through the first floor of the building before entering the gym and meditation facilities.
Using the reasoning of creating mental anchors, she made her way through the large structure at a leisurely pace, careful to take in her surroundings perfectly.
First, as always, she passed the cafeteria, which was filled with hundreds of Order members all munching on their meals as if it would be their last.
Such was the effect of Kebab Day, the weekly tradition cultivated by the Lord of Souls, Vaelmyr Droskyn himself, based on his mother's recipe.
Next, after turning the corner, there were the intern offices that spanned all three floors from bottom to top.
Cubicles filled the space with nearly 200 non-Angels filling out paperwork, organizing records, and preparing new policies for the city.
Without any divinity, I might've been sent there for all eternity…
Groaning at the thought of working every day for the remainder of her time, she shuddered before closing her eyes and passing with a false smile.
After a few more moments of walking, she arrived at a location she had yet to explore, even though it held a special place in her heart.
As a temple filled with the disciples of dozens of deities, a prayer space was necessary for daily operation to continue, and as such, a cathedral was placed inside.
Despite her numerous visits, she had never dared to venture there, the thought that her Lord might deem her 'impure' turning its threshold into a line she could not bring herself to cross.
A corrupted soul such as hers could never achieve the pinnacle of existence or the salvation of god, and therefore, she was not worthy of his benevolent embrace.
Today, however, she could sense a vague feeling of acceptance deep within her, urging her to enter.
It was not some divine intervention nor external forces pushing her into an unknown danger that might claim her.
This, unlike everything else she had faced in the Great Beyond, was the product of her own free will, the desire to return home overwhelming her fear of impurity.
And as such, when her body brought her closer and closer towards the entrance, she did not try to rationalize her actions, allowing her hands to push down the handle and open the door into a large room.
Her eyes quickly adjusted to the rush of warm sunlight that was unnatural for the world without sun, an obvious illusion, yet one that felt so real that she could hardly doubt its truth.
The walls were marble with large vertical windows going from ceiling to floor, and a beautifully crafted turquoise carpet stretched out towards the front of the chamber.
Rows of benches were aligned neatly, all facing the altar where a false Angel devoted to the God of Depths spoke with reverence.
It was said that depending on one's true faith, the cathedral would change as such, a perfect system for the hundreds of religions and believers that occupied the city of the dead.
As a pious devotee of the God of Depths, otherwise known as the God of Waves, she had been placed in the ideal cathedral for her beliefs.
I should sit.
Making her way about halfway into the chamber, she nodded to the Angel who had noticed her dressed in the priestess attire of the church.
With a nod of his own, a mutual understanding passed between the two clergy members as Eleanor found a seat.
Closing her eyes and leaning forward, she clasped her hands together, praying with her entire heart for the first time in weeks.
As she remained silent, the words of the Angel permeated her ears, the same speech that she had recited thousands of times.
"The Great God of Depths is the savior of the Dimension of Waves. He is the embodiment of wind and tide, the endless ocean, and the eternal current."
He paused, addressing a set of new nuns that had recently joined the church and were sitting in the front row.
"At the dawn of our faith, our world was on the verge of destruction. The other gods waged an endless war that destroyed anything it reached in search of endless might. Our Lord stayed away from such conflicts, building our land from his own flesh and blood, forging a protected world away from the gaze of the gods of Heaven."
Even after knowing the story of creation for as long as she had lived, Eleanor listened as intently as she had the first time, never missing a single detail.
"When the war spread to our waters, the Lord stood before the might of Heaven alone, for one reason and one reason alone. To protect his people. Us. Humanity."
The Angel spread his arms, causing his robes to droop slightly, revealing a chiseled body forged from decades of training.
"He was outnumbered, yes, but that was not the end for our Lord. In the face of the cosmos itself, he used his own lifeforce, the very essence of his godhood, to battle back the immortal armies of Heaven and banish them from our tides. And even after that, when they tried to re-enter our small world, they were fought back by the lingering traces of his power, and the fear that he would destroy Heaven itself."
The Angel recounted the story with passion, priding himself on his Lord's glorious deeds.
"As a result of his sacrifice and protection, he fell into a slumber, one not easily broken. His Divine Kingdom, a realm located atop the sea, sank below the waves into a place that none know and none can find. Within his last moments of consciousness, he looked over the world one final time, acknowledging his believers with a smile."
Mimicking the same smile their Lord showed to the believers that day, the Angel grinned widely, his expression filled with pious emotion.
"Then, with a single wave of his hand, the oceans swelled and ripped at the land. Those beings who were emissaries of the gods who could not enter the world themselves were all drowned in seconds, and thus, the threats against our god were eliminated by his heavenly authority. After that, his slumber truly began, and only the eternal waves that eat away at the land of our home serve as a reminder of his sacrifice, a small inconvenience that we have to suffer for the salvation of the Lord. We can only offer him our faith and hope that one day, he will awaken and bring us to the Kingdom of the Sea once more."
Finishing the sermon with the classic words, he looked past the nuns in the front row and towards the priestess who was still immersed in prayer.
His smile did not fade even as his words did; the sight of such a proud believer in the Lord was something not easily found in the Great Beyond.
Eleanor herself could feel his gaze, not daring to open her eyes until she felt his own recede.
He's quite a good priest. Far better than even Godrick when it comes to sermons.
Comparing the Angel to her traitorous, yet pious, adoptive father, she sighed, thinking back to the last time she sat within the halls of her cathedral.
It was the day she had been slated to train in the higher cathedral located on the northern end of the island; however, with the disasters that followed, she had never gotten the chance to go there.
If Olivia hadn't come to see her that day, if she hadn't followed her to the Church of Dreams and into the mausoleum, if she hadn't stared at a god...
The what-ifs swirled within her mind, but in the end, she could only shake her head.
To think back on what could've happened is to deny the present. I made my choices, and they led me to the place I am now, regardless of how I got here. Never had I imagined that I would stand before a deity, and now I've witnessed two. Perhaps… just maybe… One day, there is a chance that I could meet him too… To awaken him from his watery prison and bring a new dawn to the world.
That dream, the one that had followed her for as long as she had lived, the difference she wanted to make in the world.
It was manifested once more in a place of absolute holiness, under the watchful eye of the Angelic Order and the cathedral itself.
Eleanor Lynn, a priestess from Sea Fallen who lived a life of war, hoped for a world where there would be no danger, no death, no conflict, simply and exclusively, peace.