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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced Chapters to +18 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous Chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
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"Was he Nephilim as well?" Raynare leaned back into her chair, her expression warring between interest and anger.
His lips twitched.
"Something like that," he paused before continuing, "When he finally reached the top of the tower, a great power awaited him. Her name was Nyx and her purpose was the destruction of all mankind."
"That sounds incredibly contrived," the woman said.
"Yes. I believe the boy thought the same thing when he first learned of her existence," memories of Ryoji entered his mind. They were not good memories, "Still, she existed, no matter how contrived it might sound. With the help of his friends, he fought her. And when his friends could no longer aid him, he fought her alone. He defeated her. That was when he learned a terrible truth."
"A terrible truth?" Raynare repeated.
He nodded.
"Nyx herself was neither hostile nor malevolent. She was a neutral entity. Something was making her initiate the Fall. Something was making her want to end humanity. His name was Erebus."
"I am not familiar with such a name," the Fallen seemed captivated, "If anyone would know it would be Dohnaseek-"
"He would not," she flinched when he interrupted her, "The archives of angels do not record the annals of humans. And Erebus was decidedly human. More than that. He was the amalgamation of humanity's darkest thoughts, mankind's most negative emotions. When in contact with Nyx, his presence would awaken her, and she would resume her descent to end all creation."
A hint of a bitter smile found his way onto his face.
"In the end, it was not a foreign, malevolent deity that wanted to destroy humanity as the boy and his friends first thought. It was humanity that wanted to destroy humanity. It did not sit well with him, you understand. He had gone into battle armed with the belief that humanity's courage, loyalty, and compassion would be the reason for his victory and discovered that it was humanity's fear, treachery, and hatred that nearly brought about the end in the first place."
He tapped his fingers on the table in thought. His sole audience quickly grew impatient.
"What happened next?" the woman almost demanded.
"He sacrificed himself. He gave up his life to become the seal that would prevent Erebus from reaching Nyx. And in that moment, as he breathed his last, he understood that saving the aspects of humanity he so admired would also mean saving the aspects of humanity he despised. To protect courage, he would have to save fear. To guard loyalty, he would have to shelter treachery. And to shield compassion, he would have to defend hatred," a small chuckle escaped him, "That's the thing about saviors. Often times, they don't get to choose what to save."
For once, the silence that stretched between them was neither awkward nor strained.
"This boy. You were friends with him?" Raynare finally asked. When he nodded, she seemed uneasily curious, "I would have liked to meet him. To see what he was like."
"He was rather unremarkable," was his answer, "He was a very quiet type of person."
"Even quieter than you?" she shot back.
"Yes. When I first knew him, he hardly spoke at all. But he didn't need to. His actions spoke for him," he smiled at her, "I miss him. I miss them."
It was clear she did not know what to say to that.
"You have done bad things, Raynare," her eyes widened at that statement, "and you have done them willingly. Many would call you evil. I would not disagree with that notion," she winced and looked down, "But it is not my place to judge what others do. I merely accept them for what they are. That is what he would have wanted me to do, and that is why he sacrificed himself. So people like you would get a second chance. So people like you who knew only fear, treachery, and hatred in their lifetimes would someday have a chance to know courage, loyalty, and compassion as well," he shrugged, "It is up to you to decide what to do with that second chance."
Her body trembled. When she looked up, there was something vulnerable about her gaze.
"I... I really am worthless, aren't I?"
He regarded her silently and chose carefully the next words he would say.
"Everyone is worth something, Raynare. Even someone like you."
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