NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Prayers
New Trier, Intis Empire. Afternoon of March 24, 428. Cathedral of the War Angel.
The shot of a cannon could be heard from a great distance. That was how the Cathedral of the War Angel marked the start of their sermon.
As more and more people entered the cathedral, they couldn't help but admire its decorations. Swords covered in dried blood, shields, and guns were all around the church. To an outsider, it was a shocking scene to behold, but to the War Angel's believers, it ironically represented peace. The swords and weapons represented the wars of the past, covered in the blood of their enemies.
The priest, wearing a traditional brown cloak, opened The Book of Revelation as he started preaching: "We, as believers of the might of the 'War', cover ourselves in blood, being witnesses of sin, stained in despair so the future can be bright, so our children won't have to be afraid, so they won't be hungry, so they won't be scared of laughing at the world's beauty. By the grace of The Light, I start our prayers."
A woman dressed in a dark purple dress, who looked no more than forty, got on her knees as she started praying: "I pray for the Embodiment of Destruction; The protector of Intis; The Conqueror of Peace. I pray for strength. I pray that my son can defeat his illness. I pray that my daughter can live normally. I pray that my husband can keep fighting for us. Please, Great Spirit of War, give us, unworthy humans who dare to even say your name, the strength to suppress the challenges you gave us."
While the woman prayed, the priest kept his preaching: "When the Dark Age of the fifth epoch came by the hands of the blasphemers that called themselves Gods, the Lord of Light, our great savior, sent 'His' angels and saints to fight for our world and for humanity.
The Angel of War, by the Light's order, came down to the land and fought against the devils, the undead, and the blasphemers that sided with those who wanted to ruin the world.
'He' conquered back every single meter of land and extinguished the monsters that dared to show their faces.
The Angel of War kept fighting until exhaustion, until the Lord of Light finally gave him peace.
'He' now protects humanity and gives us challenges to be worthy of the Illumination the Lord of Light gave to our civilization.
Praised be the Embodiment of Destruction; The protector of Intis; The Conqueror of Peace."
The priest kept preaching for some time before he finished. As everyone was going to their houses, a man dressed in a purple suit touched the woman's shoulder as he said, "Veronica, we need to go."
"Yes, my dear," Veronica said as she got up and fixed her purple dress.
The couple took a carriage and had a silent ride to the Burey's Villa.
....
Burey's Villa, Afternoon of March 24, Rebecca's room.
Rebecca's eyes widened in pain. She walked around the room, hitting her head on the walls, trying to somehow stop the pain.
Rebecca kept looking around, trying to think of what to do, but she felt like her whole mind was blurry and spinning, ruining any plan she could come up with.
She looked at a portrait of her family. Her father, Viscount Magnus Burey, was standing behind his wife, his short black hair combed to the left, contrasting nicely with his green eyes and dark purple suit.
Her mother, Viscountess Veronica Burey, was sitting on a chair, her light brown, straight hair tied up in a ponytail. The light at the moment the portrait was taken hit her eyes at just the perfect angle, making her brown eyes one of the most breathtaking parts of the portrait.
The Viscountess was wearing a long, dark purple dress, and her right hand was on her son, Michael Burey's shoulder, who was sitting next to her.
The young man looked very tired, his smile faint, and he appeared pale. Rebecca was wearing a light purple dress, the same color as her brother's suit. She was standing next to her father and behind her brother.
Rebecca looked at the portrait as she started sobbing.
"M-Mike, forgive your foolish sister. She just wanted to save you..." Rebecca said while sobbing. Rebecca used her last strength to imagine a scene in her head. In the scene, she and her brother were running around in the rain, smiling and singing together.
While Rebecca imagined the scene, her mind became clearer. The pain in her eyes slowly stopped, and she also gained knowledge of her sequence. Rebecca was officially a Sequence 9: Delusional.
As soon as she could, she got up and sprinted towards Michael's room. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.
Inside the room, Michael slowly sat down and said, "Please come in, sis."
Rebecca opened the door and entered the room. She sat on a chair close to Michael's bed and said, "How do you always know it's me knocking?" She said it while getting a cup of water for him.
"Heh, what kind of brother would I be if I can't tell when it's my precious big sister or some random person?" Michael said while smiling at her. He looked very underweight and pale.
Michael had an unknown illness since birth that no doctor could identify. As his older sister, Rebecca always felt that she needed to protect him and find a way to cure her brother, even after countless scoldings from her parents.
"Mike, I-I can't be a hundred percent sure, but... I think I might have a way to find out what illness you have..." Rebecca said as she hugged her brother and cried tears of joy.
Michael hugged her back, but having been held back by that unknown illness for all his life, he knew it wasn't simple. However, he always appreciated his sister's support and company.
"Sister, please, you don't need to do anything. Mom and Dad already hired doctors and specialists. They'll find out," Michael said with a faint smile.
He already had lost hope for a cure, but seeing all his sister's efforts, he felt the need to console her.
"You don't understand, Mike. I really have found a way! Do you want me to try?" Rebecca said as she looked deep into his eyes. Seeing his sister's insistence on the matter, Michael just smiled and answered, "Sure, I trust you."
"Thank you, Mike. Don't worry, it won't hurt. I swear!" Rebecca said with a big smile. She took a deep breath and looked deep into Michael's eyes. Her green pupils turned red and started swirling.
What is happening?!? How why her eyes turned red? Michael thought while Rebecca kept staring at him.
Rebecca's eyes widened as she suddenly lost strength in her legs, making her fall down.
"Sis!" Michael tried to help her, but she suddenly got up, smiled, and said, "W-well, I couldn't figure it out... Sorry, Mike, b-but don't worry! I'll find a way!" After she said that, Rebecca quickly left the room without letting Michael ask anything.
What just happened here? Michael was completely speechless. He had many questions but couldn't ask them. After all of that, Michael didn't have any energy left. He lay down and tried to sleep.
"Ha-hahahahaha, N-no, no, no, no! I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT!!" Rebecca screamed loudly in her room. "M-Mike, h-he can't! It can't be true!" Rebecca whimpered as she walked around her room.
"W-wait, the potion's name is Delusional. M-maybe what I saw was just an illusion! Y-yeah! For sure! N-nothing will happen. Everything is alright. Everything is fine. Calm down, Rebecca..." She took a deep breath as she felt like something was getting dissolved in her stomach. She didn't know what it was, but it wasn't completed.
At night, Rebecca had dinner with her father and mother. Because of his illness, Michael rarely joined them. During dinner, they had a classic New Trier meal: Pork Chops with Apple Sauce. Dinner time at the Burey's was usually quiet. They just ate, and if something had to be said, they waited until they finished their meal. But that day was different. It was completely silent, an agonizing silence.
After dinner, Rebecca went to her room, sat on the floor, and started talking to herself. "Mike is fine. I'll cure him. I just need to understand how the Delusional potion works, and everything will be fine. Michael will have a normal life. I'll finally rest... The future looks bright..." While she was talking, she couldn't hold back her tears. Her tears were falling while she smiled.
"We'll be guided by the light... We'll be guided... This is just a challenge... Ha-hahahaha. W-what a happy life!" While Rebecca kept smiling, she again felt like something was being digested by her stomach, but again, it was incomplete.
When Rebecca used one of the Delusional Pathway abilities on Michael, what she saw was ridiculous to her. She saw her brother laying on his bed on a cold night, but he wasn't breathing.
Rebecca saw Michael Burey's last night alive.
....
Michael Burey's room, 4:23 A.M, March 25, 428.
Michael was sleeping the entire time; the only thing that could be heard in the room was his breathing.
Thump, thump.
Thump, thump, thump.
Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump... Thump...
Thump...
...
Nothing could be heard in the room anymore. Michael Burey's heart had stopped.
Michael Burey's room, 5:00 A.M., March 25, 428.
'Michael' opened his eyes.