"That certainly is an interesting condition. Alright, lil shit, it’s on. Now go in there and prove me wrong. I dare you."
Helix turned, a toothy grin on his face. His brother had accepted his condition. But unfortunately for Morgan, Helix knew the future.
Which meant he also knew that, in the original game, Helix Abaddon awakened a purity far higher than Morgan’s.
"Wish me luck, mother." He said, feet skidding across the pavement, "And you too, brother."
Helix walked forward, his mind calm like a still lake. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong. His hands rested behind his head, while his head was raised.
He walked like a man free of worries. It wasn’t just a figure of speech; Helix was really trying his hardest to be disconnected from the world around him.
The process of awakening demanded absolute sincerity and focus. A few seconds later, Helix stopped at the entrance of the church, taking in the sight.
A marvel to say the least.
There could have been a hundred different words to describe the building, but Helix felt only ’monolithic’ could do it justice.
The church was massive, towering over anything Helix had seen in his life. It was simply huge, disappearing into the clouds above.
Brilliant green emerald made up the main foundation, with obsidian pillars holding up a hollow dome made of gray stained glass.
Beside him, Willow and Alexander came to a stop, staring at the church with reverence in their gaze. Almost as if they saw something he didn’t.
"It’s...simply wonderful. A miracle. A-are we not staining it with our presence?" Awe was evident in her tone, the words whispered almost unconsciously.
Beside her, Alexander quietly took her hand, clenching it tightly.
"Good grace of Azrael...you’re right. Hey Helix...are they sure we should step inside?"
What is up with these two?
Sure, the church was massive and awe-inspiring, but why were they acting as if it were...something more?
Lost and fed up with waiting, Helix spoke in a slightly aggressive tone.
"Quit whining; this church has been in our possession for generations. Your parents awakened inside it, and so did their parents."
He snapped his fingers in front of their heads, trying to snap the couple from their daze.
"Unless you want to be pathetic failures who didn’t awaken because they were too taken aback by a damn church, go ahead."
He started walking, boots crunching against the pavement. "I’m leaving."
Without glancing back, Helix walked into the church, the lightless entrance swallowing him whole. Inside, the church was dark, not a single candle illuminating it.
In all honesty, Helix had expected to be greeted by a dark gothic scene, complete with eerie floating candles and engravings of past battles or skulls.
Slowing down, Helix glanced back, but there was nothing, only the same blanketing darkness.
What in the name of logic is this?
He truly couldn’t understand. Was he meant to go forward, further into the embrace of shadows, or maybe wait for someone to guide him?
Helix had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy, and true to his instincts, the next moment, the world brightened, and the temperature rose, as if the sun had made its way into the room.
Helix’s blessing had started.
Back in front of the church, Alexander had just seen Helix enter, but his mind was still stuck. He was mulling over the words Helix had spoken, finding himself remembering painful memories.
Failure was something Alexander had never really faced in his life, as both he and Perseus had a safety net behind them all the time.
Their family.
Yet just recently, he had felt true helplessness, true fear.
Willow had nearly been killed at the hands of the Prince. Just thinking about the man in the suit made his skin crawl and legs shiver.
He never wanted to feel that way again. Yet he was always the second priority. He wasn’t nearly as important as Willow, and he’d be damned if he let anything happen to her again.
Never. I won’t let anyone touch a single hair on her head.
Slipping his hand out of Willow’s, Alexander walked into the shadowy entrance, engulfed. Faced with the same scene as Helix, he waited, and soon enough, his blessing started.
Azrael would judge whether or not he was worthy to receive her blessing.
As Willow’s golden eyes stared ahead at the place where her fiancé had gone, a conflict arose within her.
She desperately wanted to run after Alexander, to be with him during the process, but her feet simply wouldn’t move.
She couldn’t possibly taint the Angel’s Abode with her presence.
It would be blasphemous and a tragedy of the highest order.
...But could she remain behind as her friends and fiancé rushed ahead into a world of war? Could she possibly endure agonizing over not knowing what was happening to Alee?
Would she not enter, knowing she would never be able to see Alexander in the eyes again?
A gasp left Willow’s mouth, and with a start, she realized the answer was no. She could never, not in a million years, leave behind Helix and Alexander simply because of reverence.
I’d rather die.
And just like that, Willow ran into the entrance.
Her blessing ceremony began.
"Would you look at that? They all managed to go inside without interference."
Morgan chuckled at Esmeray’s words.
She had bid her sister farewell, so there was no longer any need to stay beside her family. She’d much rather be with her fiancée.
Leaning against the armored woman, Morgan couldn’t help but smile. He remembered his own awakening. Back then, he had succumbed to the mental contamination of the church.
"Yeah, and it’s annoying."
His lips twitched, curling into a scoff.
"On Abaddon’s name, they just went through a traumatic experience; their minds should be at their worst right now."
Esmeray smiled, her silver hair ruffling with the wind.
"It just means the future is in great hands."
Before her words could fully register, Esmeray grabbed Morgan by the collar, bringing him closer to her. Her eyes sharpened to a dangerous degree.
"I heard something about a bet from mother-in-law. Do tell what it was all about."
Morgan just shrugged, an unbothered expression on his face.
"You’ll find out soon enough, after all, that lil shit is much better than me."