Chapter 514: 131. Gabriel
The second day, shrouded in golden light, within a building resembling a giant egg, the archangel Raphael sat with his legs crossed, gazing at the continuously turning golden pages in his hands. It was apparent that these books were extremely valuable, with the written knowledge shimmering with transcendent golden light, captivating anyone who looked upon them.
Before him, Hela lay flat within the swirling golden liquid, a holy artifact used by angels for inspection and healing, capable of simultaneously analyzing the combined physical and spiritual forms of mythical beings.
As she underwent Raphael’s examination and treatment, Hela recounted the events back in the Ideal Nation.
“Lady Salie took the chaotic material that Fisher entrusted to me and tossed it into the Holy Grail, aiming to use it to escape the rules set by Lord Heavenly Lock and create what she called an ‘Earthly Divine Kingdom.’ But neither they nor I anticipated that the chaotic material would not only corrode the rules established by Lord Heavenly Lock, but also the Holy Grail itself, leading to a complete explosion of chaos mixed with their desires and the power of Lord Heavenly Lock. Raphael, are you listening?”
Hela yawned, looking at the archangel hovering in the air before her.
Raphael glanced at her, then raised a hand, gradually retrieving the scattered pages from the sky, tenderly admiring the one in his grasp as he said,
“Gabriel took the Holy Artifact of that Transitioner and left the Holy Realm, departing from the Whirlwind, and has yet to return. But as a result, I can now see all the interesting contents she recorded in the past.”
“So?”
“You chose your own gender, Hela. Frankly, I’m quite curious about what that feels like. Let’s consider it an exchange between doctor and patient—share with me if there’s anything special about it.”
Hela was not in a hurry; she genuinely began to contemplate this special aspect.
“Well, if I have to say, there isn’t much change, except when I’m next to Fisher, I feel a bit hotter.”
“Oh, that Transitioner, the taste of masculinity, very interesting. It seems he’s quite satisfying, enough to reignite the flame in angels who’ve departed from the mundane world.”
“Indeed, that brings to mind his waist.”
“Stop, hold on.”
Raphael helplessly interrupted Hela, who was eager to share her strange experiences. This angel Hela was indeed a peculiar character within the Holy Realm, and she had no shortage of desire to share in this regard.
Stopping her enthusiastic expressions about her fondness for that Transitioner, Raphael leaned closer to the tightly enveloped golden liquid surrounding Hela, observing for a moment before continuing,
“I’m just curious about the reasoning behind Lord Heavenly Lock’s design for us to choose our gender.”
“Because it is not my design, but rather a natural inclination you were born with after being created with Mother’s power. For me, the physiological gender symbolizing reproduction is meaningless, so I wanted to convey this notion to my creations. Though it succeeded in the end, due to the incompleteness of the authority of life, even including me, you will also have this tendency to revert to the primitive.”
As Raphael’s words slowly faded, a bland sound, indistinguishable in gender, seemed to explode beside the two angels’ ears.
Hela’s gaze lifted slightly, and soon she saw an incredibly tall, gender-neutral figure with four pairs of divine wings behind it lurking in the shadows behind Raphael.
He stood quietly in a place unnoticed by Hela before, as still as a statue. Only those indifferent eyes, seemingly connected to the cosmos, fixated upon Hela, filling the air with an absolute sense of forbidding authority, like chains sealing the heavens.
This was one of the three demigods created by Ramastia, Lord Heavenly Lock.
He sensed the changes in the Ideal Nation and returned from the material boundary he was guarding to deal with the events occurring here. Moreover, it seemed that from the very beginning, Lord Heavenly Lock had been present here, listening to Hela’s reports.
“Lord Heavenly Lock.”
Hela instantly grew tense, struggling to rise from the enveloping golden liquid, but Lord Heavenly Lock merely raised a hand slightly, and a powerful force pushed her back into the giant egg.
“Shh, stay still. Raphael, how is her condition?”
“Lord Heavenly Lock, Hela’s body has been mostly corroded by chaos. Although I can restore her appearance to what it once was, internally she is far removed from her previous self. Interestingly, I previously studied the new lives being formed from the chaos at the bottom of the Ideal Nation, and their structures are quite similar, both polluted by chaotic power, both life forms created by Lord Heavenly Lock’s power.”
Raphael, bowing his head, respectfully replied.
The indifferent visage of Lord Heavenly Lock turned toward Hela, and in her cautious gaze, he suddenly raised his hand. Countless chains sparkling with golden light flew from the void, aiming directly at her, as if about to pierce through her completely at any moment.
Hela closed her eyes in tension, fragile and pitiful as if she were a little chick.
“Hela, you lied.”
“Lord Heavenly Lock, I—”
“The Holy Grail is something I gave to Salie; she indeed betrayed me, and the chaos truly shattered the rules of the Holy Grail, but it did not explode, did it? What caused the chaos to unleash in the end?”
Faced with countless terrifying chains, Hela was extremely frightened. After a moment of pause, she ultimately confessed,
“It was because of me. I was at fault; Lady Salie wanted to use the Holy Grail to create her Earthly Divine Kingdom, to utilize the wishes of the Holy Grail. But Fisher… he was still being pursued by death. So, I had no choice but to compete with her and Remiel for the Holy Grail, which ultimately led to the chaos leaking from the Holy Grail. This was all my fault.”
Raphael, who had been keeping his head down, opened his eyes slightly to glance at Hela, who was trembling like a leaf, seemingly showing a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Lord Heavenly Lock felt no emotions, but the next moment, the chains that surrounded Hela retracted one by one.
“Do you really care for that Transitioner? Are you willing to take such risks for him?”
Hela did not respond but looked at Lord Heavenly Lock in a pleading manner, who continued to silently gaze at her for a long time. Eventually, he spoke again,
“Hela, I still remember the process of creating you. I recall how each angel looked when they were born. I remember how I searched in the Sea of Souls within the Spirit Realm for a long time, ultimately finding a warm, powerful soul in the brightest direction near the material world. Unlike the muddled and chaotic souls, each of yours was strong and held a unique mark. Your mark repeated, ‘Hela,’ so I brought you back. You must understand, this kind of treatment was only given when my mother created me.”
“Lord Heavenly Lock, I will never forget your grace.”
“Heh, if granting you birth is also an unforgettable grace, then Salie and Remiel wouldn’t have betrayed me. You made a mistake, and there will be corresponding punishments. From now on, you will take over Salie’s role as a divine messenger, and just like the newly born lives in the lower Ideal Nation, I want you to go down, integrate into them, and manage them for the Holy Realm. I want you to instill duty into their spirits, stabilizing the authority of death completely. Can you do that?”
Lord Heavenly Lock slowly stood up, looking at Hela, who was nodding pitifully, ultimately not knowing if he learned from the lessons of Pandora and Remiel; he did not say further, merely turning away and slowly returning to the shadows, while his voice came softly.
“That Transitioner, Fisher, he will be the only one left alive among the Transitioner, so we can understand and analyze the chaos. But you better ensure that he is worthy of the emotions you invested; I have some understanding of his matters in the Tree Continent from the World Tree and Peach. He is not a simple character; he is very dangerous.”
Hela’s face paled slightly, but she still clutched her chest and assured Lord Heavenly Lock,
“I will ensure he poses no threat to the Holy Realm, I swear by my life.”
“You better ensure that you prepare a new name in advance.”
Lord Heavenly Lock vanished from the spot, leaving a pressure that lingered like a shadow.
With his departure, Hela’s pale face finally relaxed somewhat, but perhaps still not recovered from the “punishment” she had faced, she clutched her chest and gasped for breath.
Raphael did not offer direct comfort; he merely floated up again, reaching for the book he had stolen from Gabriel’s Whirlwind, then began to read,
“Everything here is fine, you may leave. Or do you want to think about the name you’ll need when interacting with those newly born lives in the mortal world?”
Hela struggled to crawl out of the healing holy artifact, and then she silently adjusted her crooked crown, humming a tune, turning away from Raphael as she replied,
“No need, I’ve already thought of one. Thank you, Lord Raphael.”
Seeing her who had just been so frightened now humming a song, Raphael couldn’t help but ask in confusion,
“Are you okay? Were you frightened by Lord Heavenly Lock?”
Hela’s humming face was shadowed by a slight indistinctness, like a murky nighttime ocean, but the next second when she turned around, only a warm, bittersweet smile akin to morning sunlight remained. She said,
“Ah, sorry. I tend to sing unconsciously when I’m emotional; it helps relieve some pressure.”
“I still have some matters to attend to; farewell, Lord Raphael.”
At this moment, in the depths of the material world’s vastness, on a desolate planet far from the Holy Realm, Emhart was blankly staring at the infinitely desolate universe before him. As he zoned out, a tear slipped down from the cover of his book, and then, as if about to collapse, he began to roll on the ground,
“Woo woo woo, Fisher. Are we really going to be separated like this? Ahhhh!”
“Ahhhh! No, don’t do that, heh heh heh!”
At this time, on this barren planet, only the area where Emhart was located grew numerous tangible flowers and grasses. They thrived under the light of other stars created by Ouyun, but the main factor for their survival was the holy artifact forged by Gabriel, which surrounded this place, forming a secret base in the deep space.
This was something Gabriel loved to do before she became mad; the wise angel who adored knowledge often observed and contemplated in the boundless deep space, and many of the books in the Whirlwind were completed during such periods.
Of course, time here had always been quiet in the past, but at this moment, it also had a crying Emhart.
Surrounding him were the most exquisite buildings from various races and cultures, with many treasures and precious books hidden within. What should have seemed like delicacies now held no attraction for Emhart, until a pair of warm hands lifted him off the ground and into an embrace.
“Nob. Be good. Nob.”
Her gentle voice seemed like the only lullaby in the universe; even crying Emhart often calmed down when she comforted him, as if he was inherently fond of this grieving angel.
Unfortunately, the thought of separation from Fisher still made him unable to help but lament.
“Ahhhh, Fisher, what will you do without me? You surely won’t be able to control yourself and your lower half. Without me, you’ll probably be killed by other ladies in no time.”
His mournful voice made Gabriel tilt her head slightly. She tightly held Emhart in her embrace, letting him cry within her arms until after a long while, Gabriel suddenly spoke again,
“Nob. Tell me about Fisher.”
Emhart’s crying expression momentarily froze, and he looked up at Gabriel in front of him, sobbing as he said,
“What’s there to say about that guy? If I flip through my recorded list, you will know.”
Perhaps due to their long time together, even Emhart did not notice how Gabriel’s responses had become richer and more evident, with her expressions and actions increasingly animated, as if she had distanced herself from her previous stupor.
Emhart’s belly began to surge, and subsequently sprang out lines of golden text, seemingly a review of some information,
“Ahem, the Whale Folk Jasmine, she’s that guy’s student, she’s the first name on my records. Well, how should I say, objectively speaking, this girl is a bit silly, very kind-hearted, but sometimes she tends to… um, go dark. I witnessed her attempting to smack Fisher in the back of the head and then pulling him into the sea like a salted fish. Um, I suppose she’s still sleeping in the sea right now, unaware that her Fisher teacher is out here gallivanting around.”
“Human Elizabeth. Ah, this lady’s quite interesting; I think she’s remarkably competitive on the list, probably second place. My gosh, honestly, I’ve never seen such a frightening lady, she doesn’t seem like a human. She’d rather tie Fisher to herself forever and have a pair of children robust enough to host a match in Nali; I’m not joking, she is truly a formidable lady. Well, I must admit, that Fisher is pretty capable to win her heart; that kid has some skill. Now, she’s still in Nali as the empress, managing various affairs daily, occasionally sending someone over to catch her captive.”
“A hybrid of human and Troll Race, Captain Alagina. This girl gives me a simple and genuine feeling; I don’t know if it’s because of her troll bloodline, but she treats Fisher in a very… gentlemanly manner, allowing that nasty kid to take advantage quite a bit. Right now, she’s probably still fishing at sea as a pirate, or perhaps searching for treasures in the stormy sea; likely suffering quite a bit from Renee’s blows.”
As Gabriel listened to Emhart, she silently brought him outside the house, sitting among a cluster of beautiful flowers.
“Phoenix, Valentina, oh, this little girl is good. Although sometimes she bullies me, she really is wonderful, a collection of the most beautiful things in the world that makes one want to cherish her. Um, it’s just too bad she has turned into an egg and hasn’t hatched yet. My gosh, phoenixes seem to be quite large; I wonder if that little girl will grow up too.”
“And Renee. Well, I won’t comment on this anymore.”
Emhart remained beside the crystal held by Gabriel, sharing the elegant ladies and interesting occurrences he encountered during his adventures with Fisher. The earlier sadness gradually washed away through past memories, allowing him to burst forth with the vitality and smiles he should have had.
Meanwhile, Gabriel quietly watched him, not at all like a statue without any reactions.
She resembled a mother who understood nothing but was delighted to listen to her child speak, maintaining a kind demeanor and occasionally responding with soft sounds that could be considered affirmations.
Emhart lost track of time, speaking until even he, being a holy artifact, felt dry in the mouth, finally showing signs of a halt,
“You don’t know, when both Alagina and Renee appeared at the same time, my little heart nearly jumped out of my book cover, if I had one. But that guy Fisher wasn’t flustered at all and even managed to separate the two completely! Can you believe that?”
Emhart glanced at Gabriel, then paused, feeling a bit embarrassed as he murmured,
“Okay, maybe you can’t. Mom… would you like to say something too? It’s a bit awkward for me to be the only one talking.”
Gabriel merely tilted her head, looking directly at him.
Emhart turned around in her embrace and looked into the distance, suddenly spotting an extremely dangerous holy artifact hanging in the sky. The artifact was a sword suspended in the air, its hilt connected to the power of a distant star. Emhart had no doubt that if that thing fell, the place they were in would be completely obliterated.
“Uh, my gosh, are we just staying under such a dangerous holy artifact? Mom, what is it used for?”
Gabriel looked up toward the sky, her void-like eyes reflecting the form of that holy artifact.
She remained silent for a while, and just when Emhart thought she might not speak, he prepared to continue talking about Fisher, only to have Gabriel suddenly say,
“That is the holy artifact I use for suicide.”
Emhart froze in place, staring blankly at Gabriel, who had raised her head, a sad expression gradually revealing in her eyes.
“In the past, I pursued many knowledge, hoping to derive joy and find the meaning of existence, but when I followed knowledge to the end, I found no meaning at all. I tried many things to fill that void, just like my fellow beings who poured their hearts into forging; they too were empty, yet they did not even realize it.”
“In an earlier attempt to compensate for that emptiness, I tried raising many things, animals, sentient beings, but as time passed, the initial thrill faded away. I detected traces of what I sought in them, but due to the gap and barriers between us, that deficiency could never reach me. Until I asked Salie for a child flowing with my blood, a true angel, your brother.”
“He was a gift from heaven to me, and when I first saw him, the emptiness in my heart was filled by his innate dependence on me and the various possibilities hidden within him. I gave him everything I had; during that time, I was truly happy. But with his loss, that which was meant to fill the void was taken away. He took everything from me, leaving my world hollow.”
Emhart opened his mouth, and when Gabriel lowered her head, he discovered that her originally wise eyes seemed to have dried up, and the tears flowing down were the new source granted to her.
Perhaps, he truly was the second gift given to her by heaven.
Once upon a time, before meeting Fisher, Emhart had been searching for his origins in solitude in the world. He traversed mountains, crossed oceans, and even braved the dangers of the abyss where demons resided, all just to find a trace, to locate the holy spawn who forged him, to find that missing part of memory.
Though in the end, he found nothing, and even learned that the holy spawns had long ceased to exist, he was fortunate to have met Fisher.
The happy times spent with Fisher allowed Emhart to forget that regret and loneliness, so much so that even his fear of Baemon would dissipate in the anticipation of reuniting with him.
However, Gabriel did not share the same fortune—losing her child meant she had no replacements, no wonder she had gone mad for so long, only becoming normal after meeting Emhart.
Can one expect Gabriel, who had finally grasped this hope, to just let go?
Hence, this was why Gabriel, who clearly fulfilled all of Emhart’s requests, only when sensing his desire to leave and find Fisher, directly took him away from the mortal world to an unknown corner of the universe.
She was worried that any existence or any factor would snatch away the treasure she had worked so hard to obtain.
Feeling that Gabriel truly regarded him as her biological child, Emhart was torn between joy and worry, hesitating momentarily.
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
At this time, from a certain direction in the universe above, a beam of divine light suddenly shone down toward them.
It seemed like the power of Michael. Emhart still remembered how that annoying angel bullied him, so he was very familiar with that power.
Michael… is he contacting Angel Gabriel?
But Gabriel merely quietly gazed at Emhart, tightly embracing him and the crystal in her arms, always motionless.
The eyes behind her continued to flicker, and soon burst forth a terrifying energy. Faced with any other person or news approaching, Gabriel unleashed her full power.
Her pupils narrowed slightly, then she swung her hand sharply, and an invisible force spread out from the void, directly striking the two satellites surrounding the planet, creating thousands of meters high trenches upon them.
The vacuum outside was eerily silent, but the surrounding flora and earth began to tremble, even the light of Michael’s transmission message was dispersed by her.
In the distance, Michael seemed to have been startled by her response, and after a long while, another beam of Michael’s light was transmitted.
As Gabriel coldly looked up again with her hollow eyes, Emhart could no longer resist, leaping into her embrace and exclaimed loudly,
“I understand now, I understand now, Mom!!”
“I won’t leave anymore, you don’t need to conflict with anyone!!”
“I’ll stay; I really want to see Fisher one last time, just once!”
Gabriel’s movements paused slightly as she stared down at Emhart in her arms, seemingly in a bit of hesitation.
But Emhart had already come to understand. Continuing as they were, Gabriel, who refused to let him leave, and Fisher, who was searching for him, would definitely come into conflict, and the outcome was evident. Gabriel would not let go easily, even willing to battle fiercely against Michael for it.
Emhart did not want Fisher to get hurt because of this conflict, and simultaneously, he perhaps felt some sympathy for Gabriel because he knew all too well the feeling of not being able to find that missing part.
He wanted to find his creator yet could find no trace across the entire world; she wanted to reclaim her child, yet the finality of life and death made it forever impossible to be reversed.
Although Gabriel was not Emhart’s creator, and Emhart was not Gabriel’s child, it was also after meeting Gabriel that Emhart rekindled the pursuit and longing for the earlier holy spawns.
“Mom, I won’t leave anymore; I’ll just stay by your side, wuu wuu wuu.”
“Just this once, let me meet Fisher one last time, and after that, I promise I won’t leave.”
(End of this chapter)
