"I never knew what fear was until the Abyss dragged us down..." Jaden's words echo...
The dark sky shivers as reality twists and warps before Noah and Jaden's eyes into something unnatural. The snow-dusted ground beneath their boots shakes and shudders, the atmosphere around them strongly smells of burning ozone, and an increasing sense of doom weighs on the two young men's shoulders. Noah keeps his composure and stays silent, while Jaden's more on edge with his rifle raised, his features intense and full of adrenaline. This has never happened to him before; what's going on!?
Then, the whispers come...
The whispers of the bottomless depths...
"ThErE iS nO HoPe..."
"UnForGivaBlE..."
"DrAg DOWn... DoWN! DoWN DOwn!"
The whispers surrounding the two men intensify as vivid tears open around them in sporadic spots in the air: rips in reality itself. Jaden's soft brown eyes are fixated on the reality-defying forces of nature happening before his eyes; he's watching reality bleed. From these aethereal rifts suspended in the atmosphere like paint streaks across an invisible canvas, the whispers intensify, and the bleeding effect of this new phenomenon, displacing the world as Jaden knows it, hastens. The world, as a whole, surrounding him and Noah, succumbs to the spreading tears across reality, encompassing the entirety of the ruins. The smallest Aether rips are no larger than the width of a switchblade, while the largest is suspended high above them, spanning almost a hundred meters.
"YoU DoN'T BelOnG HeRE!"
"ThE GodS anD tHEir LAPdoGs!!!"
"SINNERS! SALVATION!"
"GRaaaaaHHHH!!!!!!"
In an instant, everything changes and all succumbs to deafening, bleak silence...
The Abyss manifests so fast that neither of the young men realizes until after it's already finished...
"... What?" Jaden blinks, his eyes gazing out at a gloomy, foggy, quiet landscape littered with ruins as far as he can see. The dark-colored buildings are twisted and deformed, with many collapsed upon each other, and others standing as towering metal spires of misshapen metal mimicking the flexibility and elasticity of vines. It's unnatural. The sky is an endless expanse of semi-transparent fog, a brilliant, full Red Moon high above, watching the new arrivals to its cursed domain. The environment is a twisted, corrupted rendition of one of humanity's lost civilizations, only endless and desecrated. And, not a sound echoes beyond the soldier's shaky, unsure words.
"What is this place?" Jaden chokes out an unsettled whisper; he's seen a lot of things in his life, but this is easily the worst. Every cell in his body screams this place is dangerous and he shouldn't be here. The young man, for the first time in his life, finds himself somewhat fearful and reliant on another man's protection: the Replicant, back to back with him. Jaden swallows a lump in his throat; he's visibly shaking, and he doesn't even know it until Noah rests a hand on his shoulder, instantly comforting him. It's like a purge of all anxiety at the slightest touch; a powerful experience. Noah's calm words carry an energy to them that Jaden can't describe in any way beyond it being assuring.
"The Abyss, but don't worry; you won't be here long..."
Noah immediately withdraws his hand and unhooks the pendant from his neck, offering it to a confused Jaden. "Hold onto this; it'll protect you from Abyssal Corruption. Don't lose it, though..." he trails while holding it, and Jaden takes the pendant after some time. The moment his fingers touch the gleaming, spotless silver, a wave of fiery warmth and comfort overwhelms his body. It feels like a cocoon of protection suddenly swallows him whole, and the depths of this twisted reality around him are nothing more than a shallow puddle of evaporating water. What in the world was this power?
"... This is insane..." Jaden softly says aloud, turning those eyes on Noah, who's already looking away. "Are you sure you'll be okay? Don't hinder yourself to protect me; I'm expend--"
"No, you are not."
Noah instantly shuts that idea down in the most intense tone Jaden's heard yet, which quickly melts back into casual calm.
"We'll escape the Abyss together. You're going to help me get us home," Noah says, already walking down the broken road into the cryptic Abyss, and Jaden follows without realizing, his legs simply move after the man. He's going to help Noah get them home? Sergeant Peterson flashes in Jaden's psyche; those words sounded like something he'd say in this situation, and it makes Jaden smile. It's a wounded smile, but a smile no less; His military brother lives on. The Corporal quickly catches up, making a new mission in his head.
"Roger. I'm Jaden, by the way..." the nearly same-height soldier introduces after the fact to the nonchalant walking Replicant at his right. "Do you want me to call you Dirge, or Noah?" he asks, and Noah responds without missing a breath, his expression as stalwart as his words.
"I am a Dirge for the wicked and Noah for the lambs..." he recites, and Jaden furrows his brow. Huh? Lambs? There are no lambs around her- Jaden looks over his shoulder. Are there? Noah realizes Jaden didn't understand and explains with a quiet huff. "Only my enemies call me Dirge. So, Noah," he gives a side-eye that's friendly and comforting, and Jaden chuckles, finally realizing he was an idiot.
"Ah, right!" the Corporal acknowledges, clearing his throat and looking forward once more with his M4 idling in his grasp; he's ready to snap into a shooting stance at any moment despite his relaxed body language. The pendant stashed in his pocket makes him feel like he's walking on a balmy beach and not some cryptic location in Hell. He wants to ask about it, but decides there's something more important on his mind. A question he's wondered ever since seeing Noah.
"I apologize for asking..." The soldier's words are light and trailing; he's waiting for a reaction before continuing. Noah pauses and turns those golden-hued eyes on him with a curious head tilt, like a dog, and Jaden finishes his inquiry after some thinking.
"I know that Replicants aren't Humans, but you look identical to me. Well, not identical, but..." Jaden awkwardly gestures, trying to figure out the right words, but Noah already knows where he's getting at. The Replicant answers while keeping it moving, their words and boots the only sounds echoing through this bleak, red-tinted hellscape.
"The answer is in the name: Replicant," Noah reminds, though his voice sounds a little more solemn this time. Is this a tough topic for him? "I'm what you'd call a Demigod. We are mortals walking the line between Humanity and Divinity, hence a Replicant's appearance mirrors a Human's. Because we are all made in God's image..." That last comment sends a chill down Jaden's spine when Noah speaks it. There's a humble sincerity to the Replicant's natural spoken words.
"That's deep..." the Corporal responds with a mild head nod, and Noah casually shrugs before walking again. The bleak silence and still, deformed machinations surrounding them aren't ignored, but seasoned warriors don't waste energy on paranoia. Jaden's calm as long as Noah is. The soldier's eyes periodically scan their surroundings, his gun always ready while he talks.
"I have to say, I never imagined I'd be walking through hell with a Priest..." A chuckle draws Noah's suddenly confused expression and furrowed brow, which Jaden easily catches. The soldier pauses and tilts his head. "What? Aren't you a Priest? You're from Eden, aren't you?" he asks, and Noah gives a nod, then corrects everything like a brother casually correcting their ignorant sibling.
"Yeah, but I'm not a Priest..." Noah's eyes roll toward the horizon before them, and he leads the way. "That's all you need to know for now. Stay focused, we need to get out of here..." he reminds, glancing well into the distance when a slight chill settles down his neck. His Hunter Instinct sends creeping signals; a phantom tingle always aimed toward the danger. Jaden easily senses Noah's sudden alertness. It's as easy as watching a wolf's head lurch from rest. Jaden can't feel anything, though. Is it because of Noah's pendant?
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Before Jaden asks anything else, both he and Noah tense like startled wolves; something's nearby. Noah's Hunter Instinct alerts him first, and the Corporal reacts accordingly with lightning speed. The two stand back-to-back; Jaden's M4 is raised and ready, but Noah remains unarmed. A toothless beast, but never a defenseless one. Jaden glances the Replicant's way and asks in a joking tone...
"Not going to summon that cool-ass sword of yours?" Jaden inquires, ignorant of the item's significance that's protecting him. Noah replies without missing a beat, his amber gold eyes guiding his head across the scenery. That phantom sensation's moving unnaturally. His Hunter Instinct is impaired?
"I don't need it," Noah calmly replies, glancing Jaden's way. "Don't lose that pendant. It'll protect you better than I can," a cryptic follow-up predates the Replicant's golden-hued eyes darting toward the thickening fog surrounding them. The air feels heavier, like an invisible force is weighing on their shoulders. Noah feels it harder than Jaden despite being significantly stronger than the Human. His knees feel like they'll buckle under this atmospheric dread, but he maintains his calm facade; he can't show fear in front of Jaden.
But, there's something out there in the fog...
Something that Noah knows he can't kill...
And, worst of all...
He knows there's no escaping it...
His Pendant is a beacon for what his Mentor warned...
"Should the Abyss entomb you..."
"Beware the God Eater..."
"We need to go!" Noah snatches Jaden's wrist and takes off, the contact allowing a surge of divine warmth to course through his veins and purge the anxiety weakening his resolve; HIS Friend will always be with you. That warmth is a reminder to the Replicant, and his expression sharpens into resolve once more. Noah takes them into a cluster of shadows and decrepit buildings moments before something emerges from the fog...
The scratching of an intolerably heavy weapon being dragged along the ground whistles through the night out of deafening silence...
Closer than it should be...
"We don't have much time to act, so I'll keep this short. Have faith in me..." Noah's words are as intense as the look in his eyes; there's no room for casualness. Jaden's posture and vibe shift, rising to the significance of the occasion, gun in hand. Noah rests a hand on Jaden's shoulder before he speaks. He speaks with such weight that Jaden truly understands the importance of this next statement. All while taking the pendant from Jaden's pocket and closing it in the soldier's palm. It's warm to the touch.
"And keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. Do these two things, and we will survive. I give you my word," Noah speaks like he's asking Jaden, even though the soldier knows he has no choice if he wants to survive, and Jaden nods without hesitation. If Noah says he'll survive, he will put his faith in him and God. Noah's amber gold eyes gleam with a subtle energy the moment Jaden agrees to this plan, and the Corporal wonders if he's about to witness a miracle. That power he just sensed wasn't his imagination, was it?
"Thank you, friend..." Noah quickly grabs the back of Jaden's head and presses their foreheads together in a moment of silence, and then Noah prays out loud. "God, we are your sword against the darkness. Let us cleave our way to Heaven in your name. Amen."
"Amen," Jaden replies, and Noah vanishes like a ghost in a flare of...
Black and red?
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Booted steps calmly tap along the broken stones of this twisted replication of civilization dragged under.
Just like he was...
Something heavy grates along the ground...
A jagged, broken, dark-steeled Greatsword large enough to cleave horses in two...
Tap... Tap... Tap...
A silent, white-haired man cloaked in shadowy, mangled armor lumbers forward...
Mindless... Incoherent...
Corrupted...
He reaches out into the Abyss before him with his empty right hand...
Reaching for the only light he's seen in eons through those empty, cloudy blue eyes...
"Ra..."
"...Is ... ThaT..."
He sheds a tear...
"Is that... you?"
The Abyss swallows him whole again...
A mindless Hunter once more...
And their target...
Noah flickers into life a fair distance in front of this dark-armored monstrosity in silence, but those golden-hued eyes relay an ocean of words. He reaches and unbuckles his overcoat while keeping that wolf-like stare on the paused, hunched over Knight staring at him from across the broken city intersection. The red-colored moon's light brightens over them, almost like it's been watching and anticipating this moment. Is that celestial body alive?
The Abyss Knight's silence is so potent it's palpable, and Noah feels like he's staring Death itself in the face. He's a wolf looking into the eyes of a Tyrannosaur, and the weight of his inferiority shows even through his resolve. He wonders if anyone is ever truly ready to die when they know it's coming, and if Jaden is thinking the same as him. However, Noah disregards those thoughts and steels himself with a verbal prayer while walking forward. Toward the Knight, where he stops some distance away, and the two men stand off.
Noah's expression subtly twists in thought while watching the standing Knight; there's a strange sense of familiarity that he can't explain. He suddenly shakes his head and throws away the thought; now isn't the time for curiosity. He takes a breath and steels himself when the Abyss Knight straightens his posture, hoisting that massive sword with ease over his left shoulder while his right begins to glow. A smoldering smoke fumes from a heating palm, and this caustic energy hums like sizzling meat. The Replicant closes his eyes and prays, and there's a shift in the air around him. A shift that draws the eye of the Abyss itself...
"Even though I walk through the Valley of Death, I will fear no evil..."
A fiercely crimson glow sparks in the Replicant's golden eyes, and his fair-hued skin even seems pale like the bloodsucking monsters of myth. He starts a verse... but it quickly twists...
"For you are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me..."
The Knight tilts its head in confusion. Noah keeps speaking, his words calm and filled with conviction while raising his right hand in fervent vigor, then the Replicant's eyes turn as red as Hers were...
"So, banish my betrayal and let me drown in your Shadow..."
Abyssal Fractures fester in the hearts of every mortal...
Even the Divine...
"And I shall become the blade that works in the dark to enkindle your light..."
Noah impales himself through the chest and slumps to his knees as blood spills from the wound and his lips, a wicked, mentally slipping smile etching across his maddening features...
Should a Divine soul succumb to Abyssal Fracture...
God forever forsakes them...
All save for one...
"I am Abaddon: The Archangel of Destruction."
A terrifying explosion of black and red energy as wicked as the Knight's bursts from Noah's form, engulfing him along with an ominous, ghastly scream that wasn't his. This energy lashes out in destructive arcs and lashes, tearing through anything they touch like blades through flesh. It's such a twisted, dark energy that's the polar opposite of that warm radiance Jaden feels not far away. He keeps his eyes tightly shut and stays hidden in a nearby complex as Noah's pendant outright repels the negative energy erupting outward. What is this man? He hears the chaotic release of Aether, but experiences nothing else.
From the dissipating smoke...
A white-haired One-winged Angel emerges with a gleaming silver weapon braced in his grasp that betrays expectation...
A reaping scythe to harvest God's enemies...
The Archangel's red-tinged, golden eyes emanate a righteous, cold-blooded fury that matches his pale aesthetic, and the large, magnificently wicked, black-feathered wing behind him.
This Angel dons no Halo, and only one wing...
God does not acknowledge His Executioners...
The Knight screams in agony...
Is he in despair?
"God decrees your Annihilation." Dirge coldly speaks.
The deities attack each other.
Next Chapter: A Miracle of Faith
"Peace cannot exist without those willing to enact merciless violence in the shadows..." - ???