Descent of Nightmare (Chapter Forty-Eight)

[tanadin]

 I can't believe it took me more than two weeks to write a chapter entirely about Myrzen and it's not even good. Sorry.

Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
Map of Kaldriel: https://i.gyazo.com/332b0c0172dcc60acb46a6ed078f4219.png
Rough map of Hatu: https://i.gyazo.com/ea4f9f51b9dc7b9d8b86d846f5331138.png

Chapter Forty-Eight

Opened Eyes

Skerek, Kaldriel. November 20, 2277. Time instance 842N.

Myrzen had been informed that this region of Kaldriel was called Skerek. The Opal Gate was situated overhead, hidden and inactive, and the rays of morning were almost as reassuring as the golden clouds of home. It had been dark during the night, inky black with spots of white far away in the sky. The Guardians had been more than unnerved by that, and it didn’t matter that the humans and cyborgs and whatever-the-hell-else-was-here had tried to assure them that it was normal because it was terrifying and Myrzen had only gotten brief bursts of fitful sleep.

Now, though, the Archangel was back, and while he didn’t know what he thought of her yet, he found it subconsciously reassuring. Angels were hardwired and trained from a young age to seek guidance and reassurance from their Archangel, serving them faithfully in return. It was just how Heaven worked.

Things aren’t panning out the way that the Ancients intended, though, he thought, buckling on his sword belt and securing his shield on his arm. He didn’t anticipate battle, but being on Kaldriel made him jumpy, and with demons everywhere he couldn’t be sure of his safety.

He took a deep breath and stepped out of the tent he’d had to share with another angel, one that he didn’t recognize, and steeled himself for what he intended to do. Archangel Sheva had made it quite clear when she returned that any angel of any rank could feel free to come and see her when she was up on the ridge, as it was an invitation to speak with her and ask any questions they had. That was unusual, as normally one had to go through a strenuous process to get an audience with an Archangel, but Myrzen supposed that these weren’t normal times, nor was his Archangel quite the same as the others.

He glanced up at the ridge and watched as an angel flew down from it, golden wings carrying him down into the crowd and leaving the Archangel on the ridge without an audience. The only other person up there with her lacked wings, so he assumed they were human, or at last disguised as one.

Myrzen tried to calm his pounding heart and took off, flying up to the ridge and landing a short ways away from her. He took several steps forward until both she and the cyborg beside her turned to look at him, at which point he stopped and bowed.

“Archangel, I’m only a rank one Guardian, but I find myself up here, wishing to speak with you.” He dared to raise his eyes and she simply nodded, motioning for him to straighten up and approach. Her eyes were silver, just like her wings, and he noticed with a chill that she looked eerily similar to the cyborg sitting next to her, who had a single gray eye, the other replaced with metal and glowing red. Both had light hair and skin, and their faces had a similar shape.

He knew that she had been human before, so maybe they were related.

“What is your name?”

“I wa- what?”

“Your name,” Archangel Sheva repeated. “I want to know what it is.”

“Myrzen.”

“Myrzen,” she repeated thoughtfully. “I think I remember Cataclysm mentioning an angel by that name.”

Cataclysm. “That’s probably me. He and I had an… encounter.”

The cyborg’s eyebrow shot up. “An encounter?”

“He could have killed me but he didn’t. We talked for a short while and then he left.” Myrzen bowed his head. “I had no hope of defeating him. I should have fought anyway, but-”

“No,” the cyborg interrupted. “That would have been a terrible idea. You would have died.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Sheva added, shooting the cyborg a pointed look that read let me say the encouraging things or I’ll throw you off this ridge to which he just shrugged. “It’s foolish to throw yourself into a battle you know you can’t win. If Cataclysm spared you when he could have certainly killed you, there’s no shame in that. He killed Hau’rah.”

“I know.” The words tumbled out before Myrzen could stop them. “I saw. Him, the Queen, and someone related to him, they had to be, those wings… Who is he? He said he used to be an angel-”

“Zyvren Calyon. Twin brother of Zi Calyon.”

Myrzen froze, turning the words over in his head. Zi Calyon. He had died before Myrzen’s time, but he still knew of him- Hau’rah’s main opponent in becoming Archangel, over-obsessed with his own morals, and executed for breaking numerous laws in trying to get the upper hand over Hau’rah.

“Zi murdered their younger brother and tried to kill Zyvren,” Sheva continued, “and threw him into Hell, where he was found by a demon named Edme Stinng and turned into what he is now. He escaped and has been with mortals since.”

“And in prison,” the cyborg added. “He was in prison for nearly twenty years.”

Sheva shot him a glare. “Yes, Seven, I know he was in prison.”

“He didn’t.”

“He probably doesn’t particularly care.”

Seven shrugged. “That’s probably true.”

“Where can I find him?” Myrzen was surprised at his own words, surprised and slightly shocked at how much he was talking to his Archangel like they were equals. He was rank one! He couldn’t talk to her like this!

“He lives in Akrar, over the mountains south of here. Most people should know him by name, as he’s fairly hard to miss, but if you ask about where Kyir lives you’ll end up nearby if not there.” She turned to Seven. “Go with him. A lone angel riding the train will be suspect, and flying over the mountains will be suicide.”

“What! Why me?”

“Because everyone in Akrar thinks you’re probably dead and Tanadin wouldn’t mind going home and having you there with her for once in your life.” Sheva glared at him. “Seriously. Scott’s been trying to organize a funeral for months.”

Seven frowned. “I came out of the Mainframe to stay with you.”

“And Tanadin,” she reminded. “You were of no use to anyone in there. Hazon is capable of handling anything you can and we can get you back there in less than a day if we need to. Not to mention… you know who.” She shared a knowing look with Seven, tapping the top of her head as if to indicate it. “She can do whatever needs to be done, with or without the passcodes. Go to Akrar. They can handle themselves, and I’m fully capable of dealing with the situation here.”

“Fine, fine.” Seven crossed his arms. “I’ll find Tanadin and take a train to Akrar.”

“With Myrzen.”

“With Myrzen,” Seven amended. He looked Myrzen over briefly, the scrutiny of his unnatural gaze making Myrzen feel like someone had filled his bones with ice. “Let’s go.”

~~~

Annihilation had to admit that she was surprised when she opened the door to find an angel, an Everex lookalike, and Tanadin on the other side.

She wasn’t technically supposed to be up, as Scara had told her to rest for a few days after the injuries she’d sustained, but Annihilation was never good at listening to medical advice. Besides, Emma wasn’t listening either and she’d almost died, so it took all of Cataclysm’s focus to keep her from overexerting herself, and as a result he had no time to get on Annihilation’s case. And Shatter, of course, was perfectly fine and didn’t particularly care what Annihilation did as long as it didn’t interrupt him and his new favorite activity of watching movies and eating whatever he could figure out how to cook with as little effort as possible.

“This is Myrzen,” Tanadin said by way of greeting. “Sheva sent us to make sure he didn’t get killed on the way over here.” Myrzen waved sheepishly. “He’s here to see Cataclysm.”

“Oh.” Annihilation blinked. “Okay. He’s a cool angel, right?”

“If by that, you mean he’s a Guardian loyal to Sheva, then yes.” The Everex lookalike exchanged a glance with Tanadin that rang eerily of Everex and Twelve.

“Okay. Come on in.”

“Is it alright if we leave him here with you for awhile? Scott’s demanding to see Seven and if he doesn’t he’ll start a riot in his own city.” Tanadin smiled apologetically.

“He’s ridiculous,” Seven muttered, looking almost personally offended.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Come in, Myrzen, we’re just a dysfunctional family of assholes.” She exchanged goodbyes with Tanadin and Seven and closed the door once Myrzen was in. She turned to him with a  raised eyebrow.

“I haven’t talked to a regular angel before,” she admitted. “I just sort of fight them and talk to ones that Heaven doesn’t like so much anymore.”

He blinked several times. “Aren’t you…? I mean-”

“Oh, right.” Annihilation shuffled her wings. “I’m Annihilation. I’m technically Cataclysm and Emma’s daughter, but I was made in a lab by reptile aliens and put in a timewarp where time goes faster so I’m sixteen even though in the ‘real world’ it had only been four years.” She shrugged. “It’s weird.”

Myrzen stared at her in blank confusion.

“Yeah, that’s how I feel, too. Anyway, Cataclysm’s this way, through the house and up the stairs. Apparently they don’t actually live here, in their own damn house, but they’ve been needing to since Shatter, Terok, and I showed up. Kaldra decided not to stay here and that’s probably for the best because I think Shatter would kill her.”

“Shatter?”

“That guy.” Annihilation pointed to the couch as they entered the living room. Shatter looked up suspiciously, freezing when he caught sight of Myrzen. His purple eyes narrowed and he raised his wings in a threat.

“Calm down, Shatter, he’s cool. He’s here to see dad.”

“Don’t try anything,” Shatter warned, lowering his wings again and reluctantly turning back to his movie.

“Is he always like that?” Myrzen asked when they left the room.

“Yeah, pretty much. He’s an asshole.”

“I heard that!”

“Good!” Annihilation shouted back. She grinned at Myrzen and went up the stairs two at a time, leaving him to clank noisily up them in his armor.

As they approached the upstairs room, Annihilation could catch snatches of her parents’ conversation.

“You can’t keep doing this, Emma. You almost died out there, give yourself some time to rest.”

“I’m fine, Cata. I just got shot in the chest by a high-ranking Balancer and almost got cut in half by an Avenger with a very large axe.”

“This isn’t funny. I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s not just you that you’re risking!”

“I know that!”

“Just…” Cataclysm sighed, and Annihilation could practically hear him holding his face in his hands. “Please try to be careful.”

“I will.” A short pause. “No, Cata, I’m going to leap off the back of an angel to slam another one into a pool full of lava, yelling a war cry as I go up in flames.”

Cataclysm groaned. “Why are you like this?”

“I don’t know. Why did you propose to this?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“If you guys are done being gross, there’s an angel here to see you!” Annihilation called.

“An angel?” The door opened and Cataclysm came out, wings half spread and eye narrowed suspiciously. He caught sight of Myrzen and froze, his eye widening. “You. You survived.”

“I did. I wanted to thank you for not killing me.”

“It’s easier to not kill something than to kill them and feel bad about it later.”

Annihilation had no idea what they were talking about but figured that it was something that she had missed. She sat back and watched.

“I...I suppose.” Myrzen hesitated. “Why do you fight with the demons? Don’t you hate the one who did…” He motioned vaguely at Cataclysm. “...that?”

“I do. I hate her with all I have.” Cataclysm crossed his arms. “But she isn’t all demons. In general, demons are fairly reasonable, just like most of the mortal races. They’re no worse than humans or aven.”

Myrzen hesitated. “Why do we fight them, then, if they’re not that awful?”

Cataclysm smiled thinly, although no humor shone in his eye. “Fear of the unknown and blind clinging to ancient ways. The world has changed, and the angels haven’t. It’s time for an angelic revolution, and Sheva’s taken it into her own hands to turn the entire mindset of the angels around one leader at a time.”

Myrzen’s wings tightened against his back and Annihilation noted uncertainty in his eyes. “So, we’ve been at war for...no reason?”

Cataclysm nodded.

Myrzen shuddered and leaned against the wall, his knees wobbling and weak. He closed his eyes but opened them again when Cataclysm put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’ll be okay,” he reassured. “Things are changing, and soon we won’t have to worry about war between Heaven and Hell ever again.”

Comments

[scara]

She turned to Seven. “Go with him. A lone angel riding the train will be suspect, and flying over the mountains will be suicide.”
“What! Why me?”
“Because everyone in Akrar thinks you’re probably dead and Tanadin wouldn’t mind going home and having you there with her for once in your life.” Sheva glared at him. “Seriously. Scott’s been trying to organize a funeral for months.”

Go home and spend time with your other half Seven, maybe you'll be in time to attend the funeral for you that Scott's been arranging XP


Annihilation had to admit that she was surprised when she opened the door to find an angel, an Everex lookalike, and Tanadin on the other side.
She wasn’t technically supposed to be up, as Scara had told her to rest for a few days after the injuries she’d sustained, but Annihilation was never good at listening to medical advice. Besides, Emma wasn’t listening either and she’d almost died, so it took all of Cataclysm’s focus to keep her from overexerting herself, and as a result he had no time to get on Annihilation’s case.

Anni, please go back to bed and lie down. Not that I'm particularly going to argue with someone who towers over me. Why do my patients never listen? XP
At least Emma has Cata to pin her down in bed...wait that didn't come out right XD


“Yeah, that’s fine. Come in, Myrzen, we’re just a dysfunctional family of assholes.” She exchanged goodbyes with Tanadin and Seven and closed the door once Myrzen was in. She turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
“I haven’t talked to a regular angel before,” she admitted. “I just sort of fight them and talk to ones that Heaven doesn’t like so much anymore.”
He blinked several times. “Aren’t you…? I mean-”
“Oh, right.” Annihilation shuffled her wings. “I’m Annihilation. I’m technically Cataclysm and Emma’s daughter, but I was made in a lab by reptile aliens and put in a timewarp where time goes faster so I’m sixteen even though in the ‘real world’ it had only been four years.” She shrugged. “It’s weird.”
Myrzen stared at her in blank confusion.
“Yeah, that’s how I feel, too."

Yup just a regular dysfunctional family of asshole with a family tree almost as complex as P:M's XD


“Just…” Cataclysm sighed, and Annihilation could practically hear him holding his face in his hands. “Please try to be careful.”
“I will.” A short pause. “No, Cata, I’m going to leap off the back of an angel to slam another one into a pool full of lava, yelling a war cry as I go up in flames.”
Cataclysm groaned. “Why are you like this?”
“I don’t know. Why did you propose to this?”
“I don’t know that either.”

Wait....propose? When did the proposal happen? I don't recall O_o


“Why do you fight with the demons? Don’t you hate the one who did…” He motioned vaguely at Cataclysm. “...that?”
“I do. I hate her with all I have.” Cataclysm crossed his arms. “But she isn’t all demons. In general, demons are fairly reasonable, just like most of the mortal races. They’re no worse than humans or aven.”
Myrzen hesitated. “Why do we fight them, then, if they’re not that awful?”
Cataclysm smiled thinly, although no humor shone in his eye. “Fear of the unknown and blind clinging to ancient ways. The world has changed, and the angels haven’t. It’s time for an angelic revolution, and Sheva’s taken it into her own hands to turn the entire mindset of the angels around one leader at a time.”
Myrzen’s wings tightened against his back and Annihilation noted uncertainty in his eyes. “So, we’ve been at war for...no reason?”
Cataclysm nodded.
Myrzen shuddered and leaned against the wall, his knees wobbling and weak. He closed his eyes but opened them again when Cataclysm put a hand on his shoulder.
“It’ll be okay,” he reassured. “Things are changing, and soon we won’t have to worry about war between Heaven and Hell ever again.”

So many of the Angels are going to have this sort of soul crushing revelation that they've been doggedly fighting a war which doesn't need to be fought. *hugs Myrzen*