As Eleanor watched the man stand, his blond hair falling down past his ears, she felt a strange sensation, like a warning from deep within her core.
Huh?
The feeling appeared out of place, for only moments before, she had felt nothing from the tiny mana-storing organ beside the heart.
However, now, it seemed as if her mana core had begun to produce mana once again; therefore, there was only one conclusion she could come to based on the conversation she had overheard.
I-I'm alive!
Her pale lips began to curl up into a smile, her expression a rare, joyous one as she prepared to ascend back into the Dimension of Waves through whatever magical means made her like this.
Yet, to her surprise, nothing dared move; only a low growl sounded from the Wanderer's throat.
Turning her brow downcast, her grin waned.
"Sir…?"
Slowly, she leaned over to observe his face, a droplet of blood falling from his nose and onto the already dead soil.
THUMP!
Before the girl could react, her neck was within his grasp, his face obscured by a mess of hair and blood.
His black eye patch was gone, replaced with a hole of twisting darkness, reaching the very innards of his brain.
Squeezing hard, he cut off her oxygen, effectively choking her.
"W-w-what…?"
Eleanor could barely muster enough strength to speak a single word, her consciousness waning after only a second of deprivation.
CRACK!
A vertebra in her neck snapped, her vision fading considerably as the man moved his other hand across his face, removing loose strands of blond that fell over it.
The girl could only watch with fear as bloodthirsty malice oozed from the man's form, his expression contracted in disgust and hate.
"You smell of him."
There was nothing in his voice that was similar to the man she had encountered before, a tinge of worry entering the child's mind.
"Why! Why! Why the HELL can't I escape here? Has he wedged his way through it all? Has he manipulated and killed for this connection? All for WHAT? REVENGE?! JOY?!"
He was screaming now, his voice echoing throughout the Great Beyond with a force strong enough to crack the rock walls behind the girl.
Alarms blared in the distance—she couldn't tell from where—her consciousness nearly completely gone, only the erratic, warm breaths coming from the man's mouth rousing her thoughts.
She could do nothing as he tightened his grip, his voice becoming only more enraged as the seconds dragged on.
"To enrage a god… To enrage a GOD!?"
SNAP!
Eleanor's spine was on the verge of getting utterly crushed, seeing as the regeneration offered by death had somehow stopped working for her.
Her eyes rolled back in her head, her limbs grew weak, and a sensation akin to a thousand daggers piercing her flesh overwhelmed her.
『Light Chain』
The Wanderer froze, his gaze flickering from the girl who was on the verge of true soul erasure and a being floating above them.
His expression was blank as he let the girl drop to the ground and kicked her in the chest, sending her sprawling through the Gates of Death.
"■■■■■■■■. You are hereby ordered by the Angelic Order to vacate this perimeter at once."
His cheek twitched as he observed the floating woman, her graceful form brimming with power incomparable to any normal humanoid.
She was not a false Angel that could reincarnate; rather, one of the guardians of death itself, the ones who watched over the balance of the Great Beyond in the direct command of a deity.
Spitting out a knot of crimson blood from his lips, he shook his head, a booming voice coming from within his chest.
"HE SHOULD NOT BE HERE."
The force from his words shook the land, threatening to collapse everything his voice could reach, until a wave of energy rolled out of the castle and quelled the shockwave.
Behind the floating being, two more Angels appeared, each carrying a staff made of liquid light.
They were not the same as her.
Posers, imitators who had stolen the name of the True Angels, the ones bound for reincarnation back into the worlds of their demise.
The two figures, their genders indistinguishable, aimed their weapons at the man who stood still, his turquoise eye glittering with violent sparks.
Yet, they did not fire immediately, stopped by the one truly divine being among them, who waved her hand dismissively.
"You are correct. He shouldn't be here. Nor should a vessel of his."
The Angel paused, looking towards the girl whose form flickered in a manner no ordinary afterlife dweller ever did.
"We will deal with her. You will return to the wasteland and forget, as you always have. Those memories were sealed for a reason ■■■■■■■■."
She descended, reaching towards the castle walls, which melted under her touch like wax, reforming into a beautiful ivory throne.
The dead flowers that had been corrupted by the man's blood flourished again, their pink and white blooms emitting a succulent scent.
The Wanderer did not move, his teeth grinding against one another as he seethed with undefinable rage.
As she watched him shake his head wordlessly, she sighed, and the pale fingers on her right hand, covered in expertly crafted golden rings, snapped together.
There was a sudden silence that encapsulated the region around the two creatures, a bell echoing throughout their newly-formed pocket dimension.
The blond-haired man stared blankly at the mysterious barrier, his eyes eventually landing on a spot of pure darkness at the farthest wing of the void inside.
There, standing upon a small oak log, an owl turned its head slowly, its golden eyes taking in the sight of the man.
Its wings began to bleed, its beak cracking open far beyond what should be possible, the bottom part hitting the ground with an audible thud.
Human fingers shot out of its chest as if a creature was clawing its way out, a horrific screech coming from the bird's stomach.
Then, before the man could think to close his eyes, the thing within the owl's chest stepped out.
He couldn't move, his eyes calmly scanning over his own body as he came to a slow realization.
His legs were now mangled, burning while covered with a thick gel that resembled acid and that seared like fire.
Crimson liquid coagulated in his veins, his heart seizing and his organs failing to operate as he stood there, unable to move an inch.
Bugs erupted from his body: worms, maggots, roaches, and more, devouring his flesh at a rate faster than any normal insects could.
The Wanderer understood what had happened, his eyes once again returning to the Angel who watched the whole scene with disgust.
He sized her up slowly, her large form, much greater than any regular woman, her long blue hair, the piercing crimson eyes that seemed to bore their way into his soul.
She was a name of absolute authority within the Great Beyond, an Angel that served at the right hand of Death himself after the departure of the previous Envoy of Death, Maria Elaris.
Ariel the Gentle, a being that now hovered above the man as he was devoured in his sin, her eyes shutting tight, unable to bear the sight any longer.
Then, with the last of his strength, the Wanderer spoke in a whisper, his gaze directed towards the owl who surveyed him without betraying any emotion.
"You know then… I see… So you've been manipulated by him…"
Suddenly, he erupted in laughter, the creatures eating his flesh now pouring out of his destroyed eye like it was their nest.
Blood dripped from his every orifice, but he did not cease his maniacal, muffled screams, his only healthy eye locking onto the darkness of the space itself.
Even as his body began to rot alive, he opened his maw to speak one final time, a smile on his face.
"When he sinks his blade into your chest and devours your divinity, I hope I am there to watch. And if I am not…"
He paused, making eye contact with the Angel.
"I pray that this child will choke on your sin and know what he is truly capable of."
Then, without any extra time left, he melted away, vanishing from the Kingdom at the End.
…
Sometime later, as a Spore fell from the sky and landed upon the soil, its viscous body rippled before a man emerged from within.
A man with an eyepatch covering one of his eyes.
He looked at his hands and then at the city in the distance, a strong headache plaguing his mind.
Looking to his left, he noticed his home, a small shack made from dirt that was lit by a few thin candles.
"Ah! My soup must almost be ready! Look at me in a daze!"
Grinning to himself, he ran into his abode, the memories of Eleanor Lynn, Ariel, and the owl that defied fate buried beneath a seal impenetrable by common means.
…
"AH!"
The blonde-haired girl awoke with a jolt, her mind foggy and her surroundings unfamiliar.
W-where am I…?
There was a crimson carpet covering a dark, wooded floor, and the walls were made of thick stone, as one would see in a basement.
Eleanor herself was buried beneath a thick blanket, the sheet that once covered her bare flesh replaced with real clothing—a normal priestess attire.
Examining the room more closely, she took note of anything that she thought could be important.
First, it was an average-sized space, one with enough room for living; yet, if one wished for guests, they would be practically sitting atop one another.
Next, the furniture was clearly old, rundown, and dirty, with dust coating the surfaces, and only a stray few fingerprints interrupting the otherwise even layers.
Torches were attached to the walls, providing unnecessary light in a room graced by a large, opulent window that was propped open.
Frowning, she looked over the soft bed she lay in, the surface resembling the one from her home in the cathedral in Sea Fallen.
"Hooo!"
Her gaze instantly darted towards the window, where she noticed a fuzzy bird craning its neck to look at her.
An owl…?
Stretching her legs carefully, she made her way off the bed, moving closer to the window while nearly falling on several occasions.
"What kind of cutie are you?"
Smiling slightly, she reached her hand out to touch its head, an action that the bird took with a stride, moving into her touch.
"Awe… What a cute little birdie!"
Scratching its chin, Eleanor stood unaware of what had occurred prior to, or post, her fainting, the last memory she had being her arrival at the gates and her core warning her of something.
Assuming that the Wanderer had simply wandered away—not quite sure why she was so certain of that—she stared out the window as she pet the animal calmly.
"I'm in the city?"
Nervousness wedged its way into her throat, beyond terrified by the thought of losing her memories to the city's enchantment.
However, despite not having a tether, she could still remember it all, the good, the bad, and the horrific.
Pursing her lips, she moved her hands over her chest, pressing down gently and listening intently.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heartbeat was normal, same with her breathing; her quick search could not uncover a single abnormality in her body.
Could it be because of that voice? Am I really alive again?
Thinking of a way to test her hypothesis, she looked down at the owl with a smile, her knees bending to bring her to the same level as its eyes.
"C'mon birdie. How can a girl find out if she is alive or dead in this place?"
Chuckling at the owl, which just blinked back at her, she shook her head.
"I should go look around outside—"
Creakkkkk!
The door creaked open gently, and a pale leg came through the crack, stepping inside.
Eleanor furrowed her brow at the sound, turning to face the room's entrance.
There was a veil of darkness around the visitor's form, so a few seconds were needed for the blonde girl to see through the nothingness and discern the person within.
Starting with her gaze low, she noticed a pair of luxurious white heels that tucked slender pale feet within them.
They were strapped with bands made of pure diamonds that reflected the girl's figure a million times over.
Moving higher, her dress became clear: a thin white fabric cloaking over the actual surface that clung tightly to her perfect figure.
As the woman moved her arms towards her head, the blonde-haired girl watched the flowy silk reshape itself into a less revealing form that covered far more than it previously did.
Then, as Eleanor's eyes reached her head, she noticed the truly intricate details about her person, her slightly rounded eyes, her soft lips, and the length of her eyelashes.
Such details, which she would normally gloss over, were drawn into the girl's mind as if her very body was forcing itself to memorize them.
The woman's raspberry colored eyes gazed into the child's own, questioning her very existence as her ocean-blue hair blew softly in the wind.
Finally, as if the trance had been lifted, the girl noticed a floating object above the woman's head, a golden crown of radiance that shone with the magnificence of a star.
Instantly, urged by her years of faith, Eleanor knelt, her head bowing deep and her hands coming together in a prayer.
"Y-your Eminence."
Chiding herself internally at her foolishness, she groveled deeper, sweat dripping from her forehead as the Angel took a step closer.
I-I'm truly naive! H-h-how dare I gaze into the eyes of a True Angel!
The memory of her encounter with the Angel on the pirate ship all those weeks ago blared to life again, a warm hum circulating throughout her body.
"Hmm?"
There was a noise that came from the Angel's mouth as she observed the prostrating child, a symbol blazing to life on her neck, clearly visible even through her golden locks.
Given that she had come to examine if the girl was truly one of that man's vessels, she had been prepared to use any means necessary to extract information; however, as she bent down to observe the mark on her neck, she froze.
"Child…"
Eleanor bowed lower, afraid to anger the Angel any further than she already had.
"Raise your head, sister."
Referring to a female member of the same faith as a sister was a common practice throughout the Church of Depths, the familiar form of address allowing the girl to regain some of her composure.
Slowly, even while trembling, the gray-eyed girl raised her head, looking up at the woman but not daring to meet her gaze.
"Sister, where did you receive the Emblem of Circe?"
Eleanor's lips quivered, not sure if she had heard the woman correctly.
"Y-your Eminence… W-what do you mean?"
There was a pause as the owl hummed at the window, the Angel's attention momentarily stolen.
Shaking her head and returning her focus onto the frightened believer kneeling before her, she sighed, placing her palm onto the child's cool neck.
"You were granted the blessing of a True Angel and were unaware? Maria should've told you that she had chosen you, if she selected you…"
Pursing her lips and delving deep into thought, the blue-haired woman gave Eleanor a second to think by herself as well.
W-what does she mean, True Angel? T-the only Angel I met was a false…
She froze, the only possibility in mind one too absurd to accept.
T-there's no way…
For her, she had simply believed that the woman who had freed her from her restraints had been a reincarnated being, one similar to the ones who managed the churches; however, now, she could not overlook the truth.
S-she was a real Angel?