The Requiem Of An Empress

"What is happening? Did the spell activate by itself? Did anyone use another necromancy spell on him?", he was agonizing in his mind, reflecting on the possibilities that brought them to this tragedy.

Much to his vexation, he felt more sorry for his little brother who was not bestowed with a serene repose even in his deathbed.

Concurrently, Ierathel observed the knight"s dive into penitence as it combed through the man"s voiceless ruminations.

"Why is he bemused? It is his mana that"s doing the controlling of that undead."- The Angel was as confused as Mikhail on the specifics of the matter. Wherefore, it prompted the local mana to narrate the occurrences on the island.

The series of events, beginning from the instant that the Percival brothers landed in Ikdes up to the trice prior to its summoning, was presented as a cinematic play inside the Angel"s head. Whilst the episodes unfold, the simper on Ierathel"s face grew wider by the jiff.

Once the show concluded, delight could be seen plastered on the Angel"s countenance. It was disturbing, especially considering that it was Sarakiel"s visual, the knight who can"t take pleasure in the suffering of other people.

"An activation via the destruction of the scroll? How cruel and ingenious. This is the feat of that human who"s surveillance spell I have yet to cut off. Quite a nasty fellow, aren"t you? Seeking entertainment out of your subordinates" struggles.", its contemplation sounded as if it was talking to a person directly.

Ierathel did not dislike crafty individuals because it tends to be more beneficial to have friendly relations with such characters.

The Angel then shifted its attention towards the mortal in front of it, deciding to withdraw him from his misery.

"Want me to tell you a good news?"

Although Mikhail appeared to be ignoring Ierathel"s verbalism, the latter continued with its speech.

"That child could be revived. It is not too late."

Upon hearing these desirable words, the knight hastily snapped his head to face the Angel.

Letting the dead rest in peace by not turning them into an undead and reviving them from their lifeless body are two ideas needing different introspections. The former does not conform to humanistic ethics while the latter is perceived as a miracle. Why is that? It is for the reason that no human can resurrect the dead back to their original state of being. At best, they could call forth a mannequin with a soul, yet devoid of consciousness, from a quondam lively specimen.

Hence, by the justification of implausibility, Mikhail gave up the notion of bringing Khamael back to life. However, seeing that the Angels are creatures beyond the mortals" comprehension of phenomena, the knight l.u.s.ted to grab the chance that revealed itself.

"How do we revive Khamael?!", he bellowed rhapsodically.

"It"s simply a sleight of hand for our species. I can sense that there is another Invocatory verse embedded on a scroll in my host"s garment. a.s.sist your brother in completing the same summoning process that Sarakiel did. My time is up. Thus, I have to depart. I hope to meet you again in the future, Mikhail.", Ierathel said as it closed its eyes and spread its arms wide open.

All of a sudden, the l.u.s.tre of Sarakiel"s body waned in brightness until the light was obsolete; the wings gradually shredded their feathers, allowing them to be freely swept up by the wind in the air; followed by the magic circle"s vanishing without a trace; Ierathel finally left this world.

Although Mikhail was caught off guard by the Angel"s abrupt farewell, he readily caught his collapsing comrade before he hit the ground. He was cleared of his worries when he inspected the body of Sarakiel and saw that there were no injuries on his figure. Consequently, the commander lifted the out cold Duke and laid him on the dirt, allowing the lad"s back to lean on a tree trunk.

Afterwards, he secured the green scroll that was stashed inside his aide"s coat to ably execute Ierathel"s lead. The man then ambulated his path to Malphas" location.

"Khamael, come here."

Mikhail still cannot fully grasp what the Angel was advising him to do. Nevertheless, there is nothing except hope in his psyche.

"If I can revive him, I won"t hold back on accomplishing any means."

The undead Khamael took its time in walking with its crooked joints and unstable balance. Lumps of mana supplemented the parts that refused to interlink in addition to those that were extensively busted and incapable of holding their shapes. He nearly wanted to lament the contemptible condition of his brother if not for the urgency they needed to adhere to.

The moment Khamael reached his side, Mikhail initiated the gathering of mana and the sketching of the magic circle.

"I think it will be fine if I cast the spell as long as the blood offering is from Khamael. But how can I collect his blood? An undead"s body is barren of blood. I guess I should visit the place where we found him to see if there are residues."

"Khamael, hold this scroll and stay here. I"ll be quick.", he pried the stiff left hand of Khamael open, placing the rolled parchment on it.

Mikhail sprinted en route the southern sh.o.r.e, leaving a trail of dust in his wake, and the clearing went quiet. There was no sound, not even from the wind blowing, trees rustling, animals yammering, nor the birds chittering. It was pure solitude.

A couple of minutes later, the older Percival returned with his palms full of soil. The pools of blood have virtually dried up, so he had to scoop them up together with the clod, lest he"ll be wasting time. He immediately nighed his brother to start the incantation.

"Profero"

The scroll wiggled out of the confines of Khamael"s grip, deserting the blue tie on his thumb, and floated while it unrolled itself. The circ.u.mstances of the first summoning were basically repeated in this occasion. The only disparity in this attempt was that the circle was drawn with the two knights already in the middle.

When the magic wreath was finished, Mikhail articulated the verse.

"miserere mei Domine quoniam tribulor conturbatus est in ira oculus meus anima mea et venter meus"

After the mana strings fulfilled the authoring of the scriptures on the circle, it was time for the final casting.

"Descendere, Rehael"

Mikhail promptly let go of the piles of sand he ama.s.sed to consummate the procedure.

"Hold up, Rehael? Don"t we have a knight with the same name?", he was tardy in realizing that coincidence.

The blaring luminescence that accompanied an Angel"s descent overwhelmed the dark Nasha sky de Novo. The man retreated outside the magic circle and bided for the awakening.

In a heartbeat, Khamael"s glowing body emerged from the centre of the holy mess. His inanimate seblue eyes were supplanted with imposing golden ones. The two pairs of wings on his back displayed the gallantry of the higher being.

Rehael, the Angel possessing Khamael, swung its limbs one by one and tried to do some stretching. It sulked disapprovingly upon discovering how ruined the body was.

"What is with this wrecked individual? Can"t they do any better?"

Meanwhile, Mikhail was unable to peel off his gaze from his brother"s body that was revitalized. Well, it"s technically not his sibling. Even so, he felt solace in the actuality that they are successful in their first step towards Khamael"s revival. He is not aware of Rehael"s erraticism. Ergo he remembered what Ierathel told him earlier, which is to declare one"s intentions p.r.o.nto, and complied.

"I beg your pardon. I know we do not have much time to spare."

Rehael turned to look at the man once he heard him speak.

"Can you revive Khamael?"

"What might you be pertaining to?", Rehael tilted its head to the left. It was almost as if its feigning ignorance with its callous tone.

"I mean, Ierathel informed me that Angels are able to revive a mortal. I was hoping that you could resurrect your host from his death."

Mikhail decided to be straight to the point. It will not benefit them to squander valuable time by beating around the bush.

On the other hand, Rehael stared at the human who was asking if it has the power to rekindle the fire of life of an inferior species. The human"s words came off like it was oppugning the Angel"s authority, though easily negligible. So, instead of responding to the knight, it surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Currently, there are three vessels in the vicinity. That explains why this body can withstand my presence. Ierathel, that blabbermouth, transferring a troublesome responsibility to me."

Rehael met the inquisitive, albeit desperate, eyes of Mikhail.

"I am not cognizant of the information that Ierathel imparted on you. Withal, I will amuse myself of your request if you have something to offer."

"Offer?"

"Why would I be compelled to do your bidding other than in an equal exchange?"

Mikhail cursed over the word "offer". This similar dilemma happened with the three knights who never woke up after being rid of their souls, the sole valuable item in this world for an Angel.

"But Ierathel did not demand any offerings! What-", he was racking his brain a tad forcefully. Fortunately, he reminisced the incidents that transpired.

"Malphas! We summoned you here to defeat Malphas! The Demon n.o.ble is under your jurisdiction, isn"t it?"

"Ierathel did say that he gave Sarakiel a gift as a trade for letting it deal with Ronove. I"m certain that Ierathel knew that it was Rehael who will be summoned consequently."

The knight came up with the a.s.sumption that each Angel has a specific Demon n.o.ble whose capture they"re amenable for. Furthermore, these very Demons are on the run.

"The substance of your theory isn"t thoroughly accurate. Howbeit, you understand the gist of it. Fine, Malphas will suffice. I can sense that you won"t cede anyway."

"Do all angels read the minds of other beings without permission?", the man disregarded this one ability of the Angels that it somehow narked him, sentient that he is an open book in the wake of these mighty creatures.

"Your thoughts come out naturally as if you"re speaking."

Latterly, Rehael silently made its way to the immobile and unprovoked gargantuan avian. In spite of the fact that Ronove was anaesthetized, Malphas was not. The raven crow lifted its spear and swung it down on the personage that entered its range. However, the angel exhibited no signs of evading which alarmed Mikhail.

"What are you doing?! That is Khamael"s body!"

It seems that the knight has forgotten the ident.i.ty of Rehael. As the weapon plunged the s.p.a.ce, trying to strike at the intruder, it was shortly deflected at an inch above the Angel"s head. Another strike and the same thing betided. Upon closer scrutiny, Mikhail distinguished that it was a transparent barrier that continuously impeded the spear"s succeeding advances.

The second that Rehael arrived at an arm"s reach, it touched the Demon n.o.ble"s right tarsus. Just like that, Malphas" figure exploded into minuscule particles. The Angel then held out its left palm and there, the specks of what became the crow, cl.u.s.tered into a condensed orb the size of a fingernail.

"Utterly supreme", was the Knight Commander"s verdict subsequently witnessing the power of two Angels consecutively.

He was too immersed in his amazement that he didn"t notice Rehael reappearing at his anterior until it spoke.

"I know you have questions. Since I"m merciful and you"re enthralling, I will answer three."

Mikhail backed a step, slightly startled, but he did manage to bow his head forthwith.

"You have my utmost grat.i.tude. Before anything else, will you really revive Khamael?"

"Yes, as promised."

"This is not a bargain. It is one-sidedly in our favour. They defeated the Demons and healed our comrades.", Mikhail fretted regarding the unfair distribution of advantage in their transaction.

Still and all, a heavy weight has been removed off of his chest. Now he can ease up and quell his curiosity.

"Questions, what am I curious of? Fragments? About the relationship between the Demon n.o.bles and the Angels? Maybe Rehael can tell me what befell before we arrived in this area. His connection with Rehael Lamorak is also a point of interest."

Mikhail had a lot of things he desired to inquire. He soughed, dithery of choosing one among the many.

"I"m just going to query apropos to the most intriguing."

"When we pulled in this clearing, Malphas was in a state of hypnosis and Ronove, the demon that Ierathel imprisoned, was already unconscious. Can you perhaps tell me what happened? Was it only an accident? I know you are capable of that even if you were not on the scene."

"It was perpetrated, not a fluke of nature."

"So these n.o.bles were able to let their army legions escape while clashing with this group of perpetrators?"

"Escape? Group?", Rehael was visibly confused, but soon figured out that the human was mistaken.

"Yes. Didn"t their army legions abscond the battlefield "cause this rowdy bunch sprung up into action?"

"No, they were not able to escape. Rather, these legions were obliterated by an individual."

"Come again?", Mikhail had to ask once more, in case he heard it wrongly.

"A single ent.i.ty annihilated their forces and inflicted damages to these Demon n.o.bles."

"What the- Are you serious?! Who is it?!"