I hummed softly as I cleaned around the Bong Residency with an apron on and gloves on my hands, my dove fluttering around me and chirping happily with my humming. Sephora sat at the bar area with her hood still over her head, silently watching me with light amusement.
Do-hari also silently watched me clean around the living room, raising a brow with a light smirk forming on her face. Feeling Do-hari staring at me with amusement while I cleaned the shelves, I glanced back at her but she quickly looked down at her phone as if she wasn't staring at me.
My lips cracked into a small smirked and I turned back around to continue cleaning, clearing my throat. "You know...I have 36 Eyes always watching right? Biblically accurate, check the Book of Aphorisms in The Chronicles."
Do-hari sucked her teeth and glanced up at me with a raised brow. "Ara. I can clearly see your butterflies perched around your body. Does that not make you itch or your skin crawl?"
"Why would they bring discomfort if they were made for me? Everything on Earth was made for the Son of Man to bring peace and show the grace of God. If it were to bring discomfort to me, it wasn't made in God's likeliness," I replied, dusting off a beautiful painting of a sky garden on the wall.
"Aah, so they just sit in perfect harmony on your body?" Do-hari asked, sitting back on the couch and continued to watch me.
"It means they bring me peace. You don't have to overanalyze it," I chuckled softly, turning around to look at Do-hari's embarrassed face then walked over to her.
Do-hari huffed as she moved over on the couch to give me room to sit down, hugging her pillow and looking away from me. "Tch...I was gonna say that. Besides why didn't you just say that?"
I chuckled softly at her and set the duster down upon the table, letting out a soft exhale. "Because I want you to actually think about my words. Something it seems like you haven't had to do in a while.."
"E..? Geuge museun mariya?!" Do-hari asked with a whining tone, lightly hitting me with her pillow repeatedly.
I laughed softly at Do-hari, blocking her cushioned attacked upon me with my hands. "Geez, you act just like Su-Yun.."
Do-hari paused in her actions and gasped lightly, sitting up straight with one hand covering her mouth. "You know Lee Su-Yun?! How do you know her when she's all the way in Grushia?"
I lowered my hands and sat up straight on the couch, fixing my hair and clearing my throat then pointed at my eyes. "My special eyes where I can see the Past, Present, and Future. It's not yet perfect, but growing. It's called the Yaoke and—"
"Just say the answer," Do-hari interrupted, more interested in knowing how I knew Su-Yun.
"—I saw her through my Spiritual Wife, Luciel. I pinpointed her Spirit and used Syncognition upon her to see what she saw," I answered, maliciously complying with her by subtly finishing my sentence.
"Syncognition?" Do-hari asked, glancing up at the ceiling and tapped her chin. "Hey, Nam-Suk had that ability...that's interesting. So you actually don't know Su-Yun?"
"Yes, and no. I know that she's now a teacher at St. Goken Institution while being a C Rank Valkyria," I said, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly.
"So you do know her?" Do-hari asked then groaned, running her hands through her hair with light frustration. "Gwichana! Aishhh! Why do you have to be so confusing?"
Ae-Ri and Minsu watched the two of us from the railings of the second floor, Ae-Ri keeping a hawk's eye upon me while Minsu continued to play a game on his phone. Ae-Ri was growing more curious about me, wondering what 36 Eyes, Yaoke, and Syncognition meant.
I subtly glanced up by stretching my arms, opening one eye and noticing Ae-Ri and Minsu watching then grunted softly and made a light sound. "Y'know...since we have all this free time, how about we go out into the city? I heard there were these...Beast Zones of common beasts."
"Tah! You want to explore the Beast Zones? Wae? That's something only Minsu likes— Wait," Do-hari paused, about to turn her head but I reached forward and cupped her cheek, causing her to freeze in place. "W-W-Whaa..."
I leaned in closer, keeping her eyes upon mine and began to lower my tone so only she could hear. "Your children are watching...and I want to try to get them out of their comfort zones. I know Minsu seems like the type of person to like Beasts.."
Do-hari lightly gulped and slowly nodded, her breathing becoming shaky due to our close proximity. "Y-Yeah...he does. Nam-Suk took him Beast Taming all the time before he died, but don't you think this is a lot..? He hasn't been in two years and would never go with me."
"He seems to like me a bit so it's worth a try, plus this is a way for you to spend time with your children," I said, tapping Do-hari's nose and standing up from the couch then chuckled softly.
Do-hari's blush deeped from my simply show of physical affection, her eyes following my every step until I disappeared around the corner to the guest room to clean myself up. She shook her head and smacked her cheeks, closing her eyes tightly and squealed lightly.
Ae-Ri listened to her mother squeal and rose an eyebrow at the sound of her excitement. Watching her mother very closely, she gasped and began to tap upon her younger brother quickly as she watched her mother slowly vanish into energy particles. Minsu turned around quickly, but saw no one downstairs.
"What...no way. Eomma!" Ae-Ri yelled out, gripping upon the railings tightly in a panicked state. "Eomma! Eomma!"
Minsu began to grow worried at Ae-Ri's distress, wondering what she saw verses what he was seeing which was nothing. "Noona..." He said worriedly, tugging upon her shirt lightly.
I hurried back to the living room and glanced around, noticing Do-hari was missing then looked up at Ae-Ri and Minsu. "Where did she go?"
"I don't know..!" Ae-Ri cried out, staring at the couch in distress, too scared to move from her spot. "She just disappeared!"
I glanced back over at the couch and walked over toward her, holding my hand out toward it and didn't feel Do-hari's Spirit. 'She doesn't have normal retrocognition...Her entire being went to the past... meaning she found her Spirit..'
Do-hari opened her eyes slowly, gasping in horror as she saw herself sitting outside at Bulan Park and covered her mouth, watching the very first time she met me. Everything around her was in grayscale while I, unsurprisingly, remained in full color. She had managed to go back in time though pure joy.
"No way...no way...am I really in the past..?" Do-hari questioned silently, looking around and trying to touch something but an invisible force repelled her hand. Her eyes became wide, stuck upon her hand in a mix of awe and distress. "I am in the past...He...he..."
I glanced out into the open of the park, taking a moment to think about how to at least help Past Do-hari feel better. I stood up on my feet and turned around to face Past Do-hari, placing my hand upon her shoulder. "Then how about we go out...and I can help you be there for yourself."
Past Do-hari glanced up at me, meeting my eyes with her own glossy stare. She glanced down once again, wiping her tears and let out a soft exhale. "I don't know...maybe it could help. I just don't know..."
"You won't know unless you give it a chance," I said, holding my hand out toward her with a soft smile on my face. "There's no need to stay in a cell that has the door wide open."
Past Do-hari felt her heart fluttering at my gentle words, her eyes catching the sight of my dove perched upon my shoulder. In her eyes, I was the only one who had color, the only one who could see her Spirit, her pain and hidden laments.
Slowly, she reached for my hand, hesitantly taking it and gulped lightly as she stood up slowly. I helped her grab her things off the bench and gestured for her to follow me, the two of us setting out on our own mini adventure to help her cheer up.
Do-hari slowly watched me and herself walk off into the distance then began to follow us with curiosity. She turned to see what else happened, her gaze getting caught upon Dong-hee and Gloria following me and Past Do-hari. "Noona and Gloria?"
The two of them hurried upon their bikes and cycled after me and Past Do-hari on the bike lane, Dong-hee keeping a close eye upon me and her sister. Gloria pedalled behind Dong-hee, her attention splitting between the road ahead and me before hitting a bump and exclaiming as she tumbled off her bike.
Do-hari watched as the two fell, gasping and covering her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "That's what they get for stalking me..~"
Do-hari continued forward down memory lane, literally, following her past self and me up until we were going to split up. She gasped softly and hid behind a sign as I turned around to look at her past self, peeking around to watch the scene.
Past Do-hari nodded, turning off her phone and looking up at me as well. "They go to Bulan Elementary, but their uncle picks them up or they take the bus home. There's a strain between us, Ae-Ri doesn't talk to me and Minsu follows her footsteps..."
"I see..." I replied softly, slipping my hands back into my pockets and letting out a slow exhale.
Suddenly, Past Do-hari's phone began to ring, the caller being her mother and she curled her lips slightly. "I should be heading back home...Sorry that we didn't go out today, but...maybe if we meet again we can try?"
I smiled at her and nodded. "Of course, I'll be glad to."
Past Do-hari's lips curled into a small smile then she awkwardly hurried off, taking the call from her mother as she retreated down the walkway. I watched Past Do-hari walk off and smiled to myself, my mind wondering of all the surprises the Bong Family had in store for me.
"I would say all went well taken she was a complete stranger. With that said, we should get acquainted with our new home. Let's do some Odd Gigs," Sephora suggested, uncoiling herself from my body and taking on her Human Form, a figure hidden behind a white cloak and a hood over her head.
"Ugh...I dislike Odd Gigs more than anything else..." I sighed softly, making my way down the walkway as well toward the heart of Bulan, Central Bulan.
Do-hari squealed and began to panic as I began making my way down the street toward her and began to look around for an escape. She stepped forward with her eyes closed tight, stepping right in front of me to see if my past self would repel her as well.
I reached out toward her and caught her, stopping myself in the process then glanced behind me, noticing the Past Do-hari still walking away and talking to her mother on the phone. "What..? You're here and there? Which one are you?"
"You...you can touch me in the past and talk to me..? How..? No one else...in all my years of having this power...no one else could ever hear me. Who are you?!" Do-hari cried out, bouncing up and down with frustration.
I chuckled softly at her and pointed at my eyes once again. "Just like Yuvah never changes, I never change, past, Present, or Future. You don't think I knew of your ability? Feveisav?"
"Feveisav? That's what it's called? I've been calling it Astral Retrocognition my entire life. What does it mean?" Do-hari asked, her eyes never leaving mine with pure curiosity.
"It's Exzodian Language, Fey Vei Sav. It means Relive the Happy Past, and it's a very rare ability amongst Asceans. An ability that only activates through the fruits of Spirit, specifically Joy and Peace," I explained, letting Do-hari go and crossing my arms.
Do-hari glanced down at the ground, processing my words and closed her eyes. "Relive the Happy Past...no wonder I can never go back to that day. It was the worst day of my life...but I immediately went back to this day..."
"That must mean this day...was one of your happiest days," I chuckled softly, watching Do-hari look up at me and smiled at her.
Do-hari just stared at me, her eyes lighting up with a surge of life that had been hidden for years. She just stared into my eyes, her heart racing like never before with a mix of pure joy and a feeling she couldn't quite grasp yet.
Hurriedly, Do-hari closed her eyes lightly shut, her body slowly dissolving into golden butterflies as she began to return back to the present. She opened her eyes with a light gasp, glancing around quickly and noticing she had returned into the living room on the couch.
Ae-Ri, who was sitting on the other couch and hugging a pillow, glanced up and noticed Do-hari had returned, her eyes widening as a surge of relief had filled her heart. "Eomma!"
Minsu glanced up from his book and looked over at Ae-Ri then glanced at the couch across the glass table, seeing his mother had returned as well. He gasped with relief and quickly sat up. "Mama!"
Do-hari's eyes quickly drew toward her two children, seeing their wide, relieved stares and smiled at the two of them. "Ae-Ri, Minsu..!"
Minsu quickly got up and hurried over Do-hari, giving her a tight hug and looked up at her. "Where did you go? You disappeared and we were worried about you...all three of us."
"Three?" Do-hari asked as she gently rubbed Minsu's head gently, glancing back up to see me sitting on the couch and reading The Chronicles with my dove perched on my shoulder.
"Mr. Nox is so cool and smart..! Did you know during Yesha's early ages he used to work jobs like Samchon Nam-Sun? Oh, Mr. Nox even let me have my own Beast, look!" Minsu said excitedly, pointing behind him at the small creature laying upon my lap.
Do-hari looked over at me once again, noticing an orange cat laying upon my lap and softly purred as she relaxed. Upon the cat's fur, was a Stigmata, one she recognized, but couldn't tell where. "A Stigmata on a Beast? Where did you find them?"
"She was clawing at the front door while you were missing. Her name is Sa Nu and she seemed to have bonded with Minsu well. The Stigmata upon her back is written in Exzodian, which is why you can't read it," I said, closing my book and raising my attention to Do-hari.
Minsu nodded and smiled up at Do-hari, hopping up and down with excitement to tell her the name. "It's called Beshin Ā Datsadi! Bet Shin Ā Dah Tsadi, which means Two Becoms One or Night and Day!"
Do-hari smiled at Minsu and hummed softly, ruffling his hair gently. "Aww, my baby boy is so smart~ You get your quick learning from watching your sister huh?"
Minsu beamed at his mother's praises, humming with glee and enjoyed his mother's affection after longing for her attention for years. Ae-Ri let out a soft exhale, returning her attention back to her phone, hiding her deep worry for her mother with a cool expression then pushed up her glasses.
I glanced over at Ae-Ri, seeing her heart was more hardened than Minsu's, clearly the years of neglect and bare minimum efforts of Do-hari still lingering hard upon her. Humming softly, I looked back over at Do-hari and Minsu, noticing Minsu didn't take Do-hari's absence as hard as Ae-Ri.
"How about we all go get some fresh air and check out some of the Zones around the city? We could go check out Dong-ga District, I heard they sell amazing pastries there," I suggested, letting out a thoughtful hum and glancing between the three.
Minsu and Do-hari were onboard with the outing while Ae-Ri was more indifferent, yet still wanting to tag along so she wasn't at home by herself. The four of us go up from the couch, Sa Nu hopping on the floor and stretching her body with a light mewl.
We began to head out, Do-hari grabbing her car keys from the key rack and leading the group outside. Getting inside the car, Do-hari started the engine and put the directions to the Dong-ga District on her GPS before setting off.
-----------------------
Do-hari parked her car along the curbside and turned off her engine, me and her getting out to open the doors for the children in the back. Sitting ahead of us was a local park closed off by a transparent energy barrier, the park filled with beds of flowers and a fountain at the center.
Minsu gasped softly as he stared at the Beast Zone in front of him, the very first one Nam-Suk took him to. Ae-Ri recognized the Beast Zone as well, pushing her glasses up and keeping her phone tightly held in her hand, the hairs upon her arms sticking up with a hint of uncertainty.
"I recognize this place... It's closed off now by this barrier when it was open to the public before," Do-hari said as she gazed at the zone in front of her, holding her arms and slightly tilted her head.
I nodded at her statement and walked forward, placing my hand upon the barrier around the park and opened an entrance inside. "Two years ago while I was in Spiritual Stasis, a new great surge of Lament was released around Exzodia, luckily the Four Angels protecting Exzodia contained inside this land."
"Because of this, Monsters have populated cities like Bulan, yet no one knows how to truly deal with them so the ACU closed off areas with Beasts completely," I continued, looking back at Do-hari and her children.
"Spiritual Stasis? What happened to you?" Do-hari asked, taking her children's hands and began making her way into the zone.
"It's a long story, but just know, I have a reason on why I decided to bring you all here today. Think of this as a family outing. It was said to me that Nam-Suk was born and raised in Bulan, and he always protected this city," I said, following the three inside and slipped my hands into my jacket pockets.
Ae-Ri glanced up at me with skepticism, her face still showing slight disapproval with a light scoff. "Yeah? So what? You're not Appa, so why do you keep bringing him up?"
I chuckled softly at Ae-Ri's defensive reply to my statement then looked down at Ae-Ri, giving her a light smile. "Your father also had the power to defeat and quell Monsters based on what locals said. If that's true, being his offspring, you two could have that same passive ability."
"If you want to see your grandmother's dream come true, ye just needs faith the size of a mustard seed. Even with that little faith, you can move mountains. You can even save Dong-ga from angered Monsters like your father," I said the crouched down to Ae-Ri's level, perching down upon one knee.
"Hmph...This is something Minsu is more interested in. He always wants to be a Hero like Appa. I don't like Monsters or Beasts..." Ae-Ri huffed softly, crossing her arms and turning away from me with a puffed cheek.
"True, but wouldn't you like to freely enter a park like this and enjoy gaia bread with your family here without having to worry about Monsters or Beasts being aggressive?" I asked gently, giving her a little push now I was getting responses from her.
The thought of pastries seemed to have lowered Ae-Ri's guard just a bit, her love of sweets nearly outweighing her suspicion of me. However, she remained strong in her stance and pushed her glasses up with a light huff.
"I'm only joining because I don't want to be home alone all day and for Minsu. I don't care much about the extra stuff," Ae-Ri said sassily, keeping herself turned away from me.
Do-hari and I chuckled lightly at Ae-Ri's response, the two of us knowing it was going to take more than gentle nudging and light coating to get her to crack. However, I did recognize one detail, sweets were her main weakness and I now knew how to connect with Ae-Ri a bit better.
"Mama, look!" Minsu gasped, pointing ahead at a Monster prowling through the walkway and terrorizing the small fairies dwelling around the flowers.
Looking ahead, we all noticed an anthropomorphic salamander wandering through the park area wielding a curved light sword and a shield that he stole from a lone Hero within the Beast Zone. The Salamander stopped walking, his sharp, golden gaze shifting upon us, Minsu and Ae-Ri cowering behind their mother for protection.
I stood up straight and slipped my hands back into my pockets, meeting the wild Salamander's gaze and smirked at it. "That is a Salamander, a Two Star Monster that can wield fiery breath. Anywhere else, it wouldn't be dangerous, but with all the flora around, this zone is hazardous."
"O-Oh okay..! So, how do we deal with it? It's a Monster so it's not gonna just listen to us!" Do-hari said with caution, using her arms to shield her children behind her.
"A wild Monster can't be tamed like a Beast can. It has to be defeated and recognize their master, only then will they listen. Wild Monsters like these are just lost, judged spirits now wandering the physical realm seeking a second chance," I said, my butterflies coming into view around my body.
Ae-Ri and Minsu gasped at my light blue butterflies, Minsu letting out excited giggles as he watched them flutter around the park and warp each fairy to safety while one remained near me and the Bong Clan. Ae-Ri kept an even closer watch of me, pushing up her glasses and peeking from behind Do-hari.
"Mr. Nox, he's coming for us!" Minsu warned, gripping Do-hari's cardigan tightly and winced with fear as the Salamander charged toward us at blazing speeds with a swift slice toward me.
I took a calm sidestep, phasing through his attack then countered with a knee strike to his chest, sending the Salamander skidding backwards. I took my hands out of my pockets then rolled my shoulders, humming softly and let out a soft grunt.
"What...what was that move he did..?" Ae-Ri asked in awe, rubbing her eyes with marvel from watching me phase.
"That's called my Spirit Warp, to walk in truth. I walk by faith, and not by sight which is why I can move in such ways," I explained, finishing my stretches then unzipped my jacket to let it flow behind me.
The Salamander let out an angered roar at me, letting out frustrated grunts as if he were speaking to me, holding his stolen sword toward me with defiance. He stomped his foot down and got into his stance, holding his shield in the sunlight and caused it to glow.
"You? Defeat me? I'm going to take it as you don't know who I am? That's alright, but I am going to say this once. Leave Bulan and return from whence cometh or bare judgement a second coming!" I commanded, holding my hand out toward the Salamander.
For a split second the Salamander's body began to obey my command, but he defiantly stood his ground with another roar, releasing a blast of flames my direction. The stream of flames rushed toward me at high speeds, but I released a burst of iridescent around my body to block the flames.
"Honestly...Why does no one ever listen to mercy when it's first offered. Father, I know you gave all life a working brain, yet they will not use it," I said, letting out a soft sigh then smiled. "But, it is an excuse to get active again...even if it's short lived."
"B-Be careful, Nox!" Do-hari called out, taking Ae-Ri and Minsu to safety and continued to watch from a distance.
"Is he going to be okay, Eomma? The Salamander is really mad..!" Minsu asked, glancing up at his mother for comfort.
Do-hari glanced down at Minsu, a warm smile forming on her face as she rubbed his head. "He will, honey. Don't worry...I can feel his energy. It's beyond anything I've felt before..."
Ae-Ri listened to her mother subtly praise me off energy levels alone, her curiosity gradually growing as she stared at my aura, watching it flow like northern lights in the sky. A small flame began to form at her chest, her Spirit beginning to scream yet her body couldn't process why.
"Alright, let's see if your anger and wrath over being Judged outweighs the Peace my Father, who art in Heaven, gives me..." I said, pointing threw fingers at the Salamander and awakened my Sword of Spirits, three orbs of energy forming at the tips of my fingers.
I fired three light blue lasers at the Salamander one after another, each beam of energy aimed for non lethal areas upon his body. The Salamander deflected all three beams then dashed toward me again with a low sweeping slice, but I used a light burst of wind to propel myself in the air.
Coming back down, I launched a crescent kick aimed for his head, the kick being blocked by the Salamander's forearm then he countered with an upper slice. My body became a light blue silhouette, warping behind him before his weapon could reach, the Salamander temporarily caught off guard.
"Was it fair for you to kill that mother Wyvern's children for sport? Defenseless Red Wyverns that are known for being docile creatures, who hide in mountains to not interfere with humanity as Yuvah intended," I began, ducking right on time as the Salamander launched a back slice.
I watched his body closely upon his next move, noticing his tail swinging toward my midsection to deal heavy damage. I caught his tail and held him in place, using earth manipulation to trap his feet in stone. "You lived by the sword and you died by the sword. What you had slain in return had slain you...and you've been Judged."
"Now you waste my Father's grace and mercy by bringing destruction to peaceful areas. I will not sit idly by and watch you destroy your Spirit a second time. You have the Holy Spirit within you, stop making Him grieve," I finished, warping forward and tossing him forward.
I warped after him and struck him with a raw Heavenly Impact, sending him flying into the translucent wall behind him. The locals behind the wall gasped as they noticed the Salamander falling to the ground, all peering eyes falling upon their defender, the newcomer of Bulan, me.
The Salamander slowly stood up, a thrilled smirk forming upon the mouth of the red lizard, smoke escaping his snout as the flames within his body began to light up. With a powerful roar, he launched a large fireball toward me from his mouth, the surging flames setting the flora on fire.
"Nox!" Do-hari yelled out with worry, her eyes reflecting the horrid memory of Nam-Suk's death as she watched the fireball approach me.
I stood still in place, closing my eyes and letting out a calm chuckle before opening them again and awakening my Yaoke. The fireball dispersed before reaching my body, the flames going out miraculously and the flora restoring in one fell sweep.
"Be not afraid as no weapon formed against you shall prosper when you walk in unison with the Most High. That was a nice trick you showed me, now allow me to show you a few hat tricks of my own," I said tauntingly, gesturing for the Salamander to approach me.
Minsu and Ae-Ri watched with a mix of awe and fear, unable to look away from the scene, the both of them wondering who I truly was. The flame emerging from Ae-Ri's chest began to burn hotter, her Spirit yelling out even more as she stared at me, as if she knew who I was just by my presence, but her mind didn't want to believe it.
The Salamander roared at me and charged at me at high speeds, launching a serious of furious slashes at me in hopes of striking me down. I phased through and dodged each strike with perfection, none of Salamander's strikes landing true and only catching the wind.
"And you believe you can equal me? In today's time, everyone either wants to be the Messiah or kill the Messiah again. You reject mercy but scream to the sky at God on why he has forsaken you!" I convicted, countering with a stunning Heavenly Impact to the Salamander's stomach, disarming him.
A barrage of invisible strikes began landing upon Salamander, each strike knocking him backwards then I warped toward the Salamander with a clean strike to his snout. Salamander flipped backwards in the air, recovering and opened his mouth again, firing more fireballs at me.
"You fools march around blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, rejecting Grace and glorifying Judgement! You ask why you turn into Monsters without looking in the mirror first! Ask yourself why you're like this and you shall find your answer!" I announced, my Future Clones activating and rushing to the skies to stop each fireball.
Becoming desperate to take me down, Salamander took in a deep breath, his body absorbing the sunlight to empower his attack. The onlookers watched with concern and horror, a few pointing at the air at the Salamander and others focusing on me and my words.
"Even now, as you reject my words, I stand before you offering you the Grace and Mercy the world will never give you! You reject Genesis, so now you must answer to the Most High!" I called out, looking up in the air and watched the Salamander charge his strongest attack.
"You want redemption then you've found it! You want a sign for your hero? He's always been here but you've been ignoring Him! It's time you stop fighting the Spirit, and answer His call!" I commanded, a burst of wind from the heavens blasting down from the skies to send Salamander to the ground.
Everything seemed to stop, all eyes watching the scene with great anticipation as they waited for the dust to settle. Once the dust cleared, a defeated Salamander was revealed on the ground, sitting in his own regrets and laments.
"Eomma... he's crying..." Minsu acknowledged, surprised at the emotions shown from a Monster.
"Yeah...but how..? And why..?" Do-hari asked, unnerved at the amount of sentience a Monster could possess.
"It's because he knows he's in the wrong... fighting a battle he had already lost from the moment. Pride and regret...took him," Ae-Ri said intelligently, gently gripping Do-hari's cardigan, sticking closer to her mother more than she had ever in two years.
I walked toward the Salamander and stood in from of him as he silently wept, staring down at him with sympathy. "The Red Wyvern Mother that killed you...though she was a Beast also felt the same grief you're feeling right now. The fairies you terrorized, all creatures large and small...have a heart just like you do."
"At the end of the day, the lion will lay with the lamb. God's perfect kingdom will live in harmony with the One True Living God, and it is written. You want forgiveness...you want to push forward? Then start by forgiving yourself. God...Yuvah isn't worried about your past. He's forgotten about it all...that's why you're still alive, through Grace,"
The Salamander slowly looked up at me, the cursed sigil upon his chest glowing brightly then shattered into energy particles. Everyone watched as the Salamander was saved, the once treacherous aura around his body disappearing and replaced by blessed red flames.
"You have been forgiven, and you can rest easy knowing the Father's everlasting love and patience. Stand and sin, grieve, and lament no more. Join me and I shall lead you to a life greater than this. An Eternal Life," I said, holding my hand out toward the Salamander with a warm smile.
The Salamander stared at me with light reverence then glanced down at my hand. He thought for a moment over his choice, soon reaching up to take my hand and stood up with my help. The body of the Salamander began to glow a bright red, condensing into a Red Wyvern Egg for rehabilitation.
Do-hari could do nothing but watch in awe, another miracle performed right before her very eyes. She glanced down at her children, both of them staring at me with fuzzy hearts, Ae-Ri's eyes filled with tears watching redemption in real time.
"That's...him...Ascea...Lord of Lords..." Ae-Ri muttered, her voice growing shaky and her breathing slightly deepening.
Do-hari heard Ae-Ri's confession by tongue, a soft smile forming on her lips, but dared not to speak and ruin a beautiful sight. She knew she wouldn't get this moment again in a long time, just allowing herself to enjoy the scene of true heroism.