⚠️ Warning ⚠️The following material may contain descriptions aboutJudeo-Christian theology and other Mediterranean religionsthat could be sensitive for some readers.The author tackles delicate topics related to faith and spirituality.This is not intended to provoke sensationalism or question hope.Everything narrated here is fiction, and discretion is advised.
🖋️ Author's Note 🫠I said I'm a believer, and I repeat: I believe in boththeological reasoning and spiritual experience. Both coexistin what I write. Sometimes it's hard to believe that twelve-year-oldTholio imagined something so dense.I need a coffee to digest all of this.— Tholio, 2025
😌Importante 🤓
for my English-speaking audience, the word bunduda means:(It's a casual, slightly vulgar Spanish word used in some Latin Americancountries to say someone has a big butt, or just "big ass.")
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He was walking toward a particular house.The village lay far from any institution, isolated fromthe noise of the world.Children were already heading home, farmers wereputting away their tools, and an old man waswashing himself with fresh water under the reddishlight of the sunset.
That old man was his friend, Lee.Upon seeing him, a wrinkled smile spread across his face.
"Well… if you're visiting, it must mean I won't see youagain in life," he joked, with that tired voice.
Frollam smiled too, as if reclaiming a piece of normalcy.
"In that, we agree."
Lee set the bucket aside and gestured for him to come in."Come on, step inside."
"I'll offer you something to drink… It's been a whilesince I've had company."
They went inside, and at first everything smelled of wood andvillage food; simple things.
But the air inside the house grew heavy: a silence thatscraped, as if something were waiting in the corners.
Lee felt that tingle at the back of his neck, and for amoment his joy quickly turned to worry. The old man, stilltrying to remain calm, sat across from Frollam.
"By the way," Lee said, "may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Shīfū, are you really going to do all of that?"
"If you came all the way here, it's because you havesomething on your mind."
"Maybe this will be the last time I see you, old friend."
The water in the dishes brought memories to mind.Each memory weighed on him.
"How long will you stay?"
"Just tonight," Frollam replied. "After this, I'll leave."
"I probably won't see you again."
Lee swallowed. There was a long beat of silence, andthen, in a lower voice, he said:
"Then… what do you say if I bring some baijiu to celebrate?"
In a way to break the silence, he added:"If I end up drunk, I still wouldn't forgive your asseven being an old man."
Lee looked at him with annoyance.
"I'm already too old for those things, and you'realready too crazy to wish for that again."
The old man, uneasy, looked toward the window:"Will the Legion… wait for you outside?"
"Yes," Frollam said without hesitation."They'll take care of scaring away the evil spirits."
"For now, they're useless to me. Only the fallen serve me."
The phrase hit like a stone.
Lee pressed his fingers against the edge of the table.He knew, deep down, that "fallen" was no fairy tale.
Frollam saw him barely able to move, and rememberedall the centuries they had spent together, and said:
"Hey, Lee. You know? You can still change your mind."
"It's not that I forgot you."
"Actually, I miss you."
"I have a body for you. I can make you young again."
"What are you saying? You already know what I do and the plan."
"Why don't you come with me instead?"
"Let's carry out the rebellion together."
Lee laughed, but it was a dry laugh.
"I'm sorry, Master —Shīfū—, I've already built my life here."
"And I don't want anything to do with that."
"I've retired, please. Don't ask me to do what you're asking."
Frollam looked at him with a mix of sadness and said:
"Alright, Lee."
"For the respect and love I have for you,I promise I will do something."
"I will… in your honor."
He paused, a pause that seemed to contain an abyss.
"Because you might be the only person I've truly cometo appreciate."
He laughed, but restrained; his mind was elsewhere.
"Sorry… I can't help but remember the good timeswe had."
"Those moments together."
"I'll place a sentinel here, and when you die,I'll bury you in this place. I'll tear down this houseand build an obelisk over it for you, Lee."
"Until you leave, I won't start the rebellion for you."
Lee opened his eyes like someone facing a joke thatisn't funny.
It's beautiful, but it isn't funny.
"You… bury me in your honor?" he stammered."That's not very like you."
Frollam and Lee smiled, but with a joy thatreflected a golden era, when he wasn't so consumedby that ambitious dream.
"Relax," he said. "Remember one thing: men have work,but outside work, we're someone else."
"That's my line," Lee said.
"Yes, but I have to keep something of yours."
Lee stood up, as if to break the tension, and saidin a lighter voice, pretending naturalness:
"All right. I'll go to the shop next door to see if they have
garlic. So we can eat well, right?"
"Maybe I'll bring liquor," Lee added.
"I'm not responsible for what will happen. If there's liquor,
you or I will end up like idiots."
The old man said, "Shut up."
"Hahaha…"
Frollam couldn't help but remember that Lee was only
thirteen when he found him.
He worked with him for two hundred years, but unlike the others,
Lee was the best companion he'd had in all his existence.
He felt calm, yet it still hurt to see his apprentice grow old.
He said to himself, "I tried, but I gave up. It's not the same
without Lee."
However, after a few minutes, the candlelight abruptly went out.
The door began to shake lightly, then violently. He stayed seated,
watching.
The door opened slowly and then closed with the same slowness.
The candles lighting the hut went out, leaving only the one in
the center of the table burning.
It was Heshin. He walked in, and his translucent body began to
take shape. His spirit tried to adopt an appearance that would be
visible to Frollam, and he sat at the table, taking on the faint
outline of a bearded, somewhat obese man.
He sat in front of Frollam without asking permission.
The druid looked at him disapprovingly and said in a deep voice:
"You know Lee doesn't like you entering this house."
"As I said before, respect my friend's memory."
The demon —now fully transformed— raised his gaze. His voice
sounded as if he spoke from a podium.
"We are not here to be cordial, and you know it. I come to talk
about what we agreed."
The demon paused. "I've changed my mind."
"We are not going to do anything."
"We will not start the Third Cosmic War."
While this was happening in China, on the other side of the world,Galton and Helena were escaping from the police.
Bullets echoed with force. The air made them whistle;three officers to the left and two to the right.
They managed to hide in an abandoned building,right in front of the commercial port of São Paulo.
Helena almost screamed, but Galton covered her mouthimmediately, climbing the building up to the top floor.
"It wasn't supposed to be anything more than staying unnoticed."
"Well, obviously the sailor wasn't going to stay quiet,"Galton said. "I think you went too far cutting off his fingers."
"I'm sorry, I got nervous," Helena replied."I didn't mean to cut his fingers, just threaten him.I didn't think that—"
"Ah, girl, I knew you'd handle divine power well,but not that well," Galton said, nervous.
"It was an accident," she excused herself,"but it's also his fault, I mean, because he didn't cooperate."
"Forget it. Now we need to jump to the dock."
"But so you can avoid the bullets, I'll grab you by the waistand throw you into the water."
"That's a good plan… I like it… wait—you're throwing me into the water?"
Galton didn't waste any time. Helena screamed, terrified,as she pointed toward the water from nine meters high,about fifteen meters away.
"Wait! What do you mean jump to the dock?!" Helena yelled.
"Yes, girl," Galton replied. "We'll swim to the ship."
"What ship?"
"That one. It's heading to Portugal. It's our only wayinto Europe. I don't know if it's commercial or tourist—the sailor gave it to us."
"Ready, girl?!" Galton asked.
"Wait!" Helena shouted."I don't know how to swim! Damn it, I don't know how to swim,Galton, wait!"
Galton threw her with so much force that she didn't go straightinto the water.
She twisted in the air like a cat, landing awkwardly.
She didn't even land properly, more like a belly flop.
"Damn," Galton said. "I didn't teach her how to land.Hope she didn't break her ass."
Galton jumped after her. He descended the building,breaking police elbows as he went.
He grabbed three pistols, and with all his momentum,he dove into the water, reaching the bottom.
Looking at Helena, knocked out, he thought:
"Can't be… I don't even float. Though I'm glad,otherwise they'd have shot the bunduda."
When the officers reached the end of the dock and saw no bodies,the commanding officer growled:
"You know what? I want to catch your mother, João.Go to hell."
"That's Mobidic's problem now," one of them replied.
The chief let out a frustrated sigh.
"Report to dock security. There are two suspects in the water—a bearded man, like he'd never seen a razor,and a black girl, with a butt the size of Hernández's face."
The officers retreated, though still obeying the shouts.
"Enough already!" the chief exclaimed. "Bitch, move!""And where are the rest of my men?"
Galton held Helena's body with his right handwhile swimming underwater.
Taking his time, he surfaced with difficulty andmanaged to identify the ship.
With his dagger, he hooked onto the metal hull to stay afloat.
He gave her mouth-to-mouth to revive her,and straightened her nose with his fingers.
"Damn, I didn't think this situation through.Good thing I have the backpack. Without it,there's no way to get onto the ship."
"At least it's reassuring that she's breathing."
Hours passed, and they were already in open sea.
The cold was intense, but Helena began regaining consciousness.
At times she could breathe normally, though each wavemade her swallow more water than she should.
"I'm wet and my head hurts…" Helena said.
She started to vomit.
"Hey, hey, don't do that," Galton grunted.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"Damn… you got dizzy?"
"Yeah… sorry."
"Now I've got more hands," Galton said."I'll hold the dagger. When I remove it, we'll go to that area up there."
"See that the ship has two floors?" he continued."I don't know if it's commercial or tourist."
"I don't care. Take the backpack and tie it to the forkso you can climb onto the railing."
"We can't use the sailor's ladder, this one's on the other side."
"They won't hear us?" Helena asked."I just think I don't know where to aim."
"Ah, damn it," Galton said. "Fine, I'll do it.You hold the dagger."
The ship moved violently, and the waves grew bigger.
Galton tied one end of the rope to the fork and hookedhimself to the helm railing. With force, he climbed up.
"Hey, son of a bitch, don't forget me here!" Helena yelled."I'm already starting to get cold!"
"Shh!" Galton replied. "Be quiet, girl!You want them to hear us?"
He threw her the rope with a piece of wood to hold onto.Then, carefully lifting her, he held her by the waist.
Because of the leather, their hands were so swollen thatone wrong move and Helena would fall into the ocean.
They entered a room without a lock, furnished.
"This doesn't feel right," Helena said.
"We have to go to the storage room," Galton replied."If they find us, they could throw us off the ship."
"I'm hungry!" Helena exclaimed.
"After vomiting and swallowing a liter of water, you're hungry?"Galton said.
"Fine! Let's see where the storage room is."
"My stomach, hips, head, eyes, boobs hurt,and I feel cramps when I move."
Galton started laughing and said:
"Sorry, I laughed because of how you fell in the water.You reminded me of the time I accidentally threw a rat from a tree."
Helena looked at him annoyed:
"So I'm the rat, huh."
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Meanwhile, in China, Heshin was arguing with Frollam.
"Wasn't the deal already settled?" Frollam asked.
"Yes! But it changed when you destroyed Shuang's vault!"Heshin said. "That was complete stupidity. For what purpose?"
"That was the purpose!" Frollam replied.
There was a moment of silence.
"You're not planning a new base there, are you?" Heshin asked.
"They stole the cherub and the seraph we were studying,and we haven't had a base in years. I think it's time for one,don't you?" Frollam replied.
"Forget it. I'll take my men, Frollam. I'm done," Heshin said.
"You've followed me for almost two thousand years,and now you quit?" Frollam shot back.
"Yes, I'm quitting… I can't do it again.I can't go into another war."
"You're not going to convince me otherwise," Heshin said."You don't know God.If you did, the last thing you'd want is to challenge Him."
"That's why I want to challenge Him," Frollam said."Maybe I'm His creation,but like in the epics, some child of heaven must rebel."
"If there was ever a brave one," Frollam continued,"why would hell be against me? I just need to convince them."
"Convince them? They want to kill you.That zone's no longer accessible!You freed Zaziel and unleashed alchemical powers.And you didn't just experiment on cherubim and seraphim,you also touched marquises and counts of Sheol!"
"You're putting us all in danger!" Heshin shouted in anger.
The house trembled as if struck by a small quake.
"I'll tell you the story," Heshin said."Maybe you'll change your mindand we can surrender to Samael."
"Again?" Frollam said."I'm tired of hearing the same story."
"This time I'll tell you the truth," Heshin replied."I put everyone in danger,and only telling the truth can change your decision."
"Alright then," Frollam said."Let it out. I want to hear you."
He raised an eyebrow, arms crossed in irritation.
Heshin stood and said:
"You'll finally know the truth, Frollam.The cosmic war, the second war for Earth,and why I don't want to start the third."
"Half of hell wants to kill you,and only the two of us are still here.Just two legions—and even we're thinking of abandoning you."
Frollam fell silent, deep in thought.
"Then why don't you vent it all and tell me everything?"
"If you knew everything we felt, Frollam," Heshin said,"the great angelic war… is a wound that still hasn't closed.It still hurts to remember everything that happened."