-
St.
Augustine
Chapter 5
– Bringing Light to the Darkness
“Were you expecting us?” Luna asks.
“Maybe not you exactly but a couple,
who loves each other, with the sun and moon in their eyes.”
“We came here for answers. Can you
tell us why you were expecting us?”
“Of course, it’s the least I can
give you for risking your lives to come here. I was expecting you because God
told me in a dream that the last couple who loved each other would come to me,
so I can help you save the world.”
“We’re not a couple.”
“Oh, but you are. The world was
more sinful than it was before the first flood, so the devil said that if you
two were to forget each other then stop loving each other, then God would be
free to execute the rest of humanity and send them to Hell so that the saved
can inherit the earth.”
“We were chosen to see if humanity was
still worth saving?”
“Yes, and it looks like God chose
right, as if He could’ve ever chosen wrong.”
“We also forgot that we were
together?” Solare asks.
“Yes, that was to see if you would
still love each other when you would meet again, and it looks like to me that
you still do. You’ve probably even shown it to each other without knowing. Have
you sung to each other without knowing? You two sounded very experienced in
singing with each other when you sang those two times.”
Solare and Luna look at each other
for a few moments.
“I know this must be a bit shocking
for both of you to hear all of this, but it’s true.”
“I guess. Will we remember our past
with each other? I don’t remember being with Solare.”
“I assume so.”
“What about our abilities? What do we
have to do with the sun and moon?”
“The powers of the sun and moon
were put into you. You had to be put into a deep sleep so that your body and
mind could adapt to it. With the love you have, you must sacrifice your eyes so
that the moon and sun can reappear in the sky and stop the endless rain.”
“Sacrifice our eyes? Why that?”
Solare asks.
“It’s something of extreme value
and a way to show your love for the world.”
“Why would we show our love for the
world if it’s their fault for doing this to themselves and to us?”
“Because we both live in it,” Luna
says, “If we’re supposed to sacrifice our eyes so that we can continue to live
with each other, then I’ll do it.”
“…I almost want to wish I didn’t
have a weakness to your hopeful attitude. Okay, we’ll do what is asked of us
for the love of God, others, and each other.”
“I knew you would say that! You two
are truly blessed!”
“What part do you play in all of
this?” Luna asks.
“I was one of the worst sinners in
the world. Before I become a priest of God, I was a slave of Satan that used
rituals to give worldly power to the country I served. That was until the flood
happened and almost killed me. This was when my eyes were open, and God gave me
my mission of surviving to tell you of your purpose and do the ritual to remove
your eyes.”
“You’re going to cut out our eyes?”
Solare nervously asks.
“Oh, no, I’m just going to say the
prayers in Latin. Your eyes will be removed after the ritual is complete.”
“What do we need to do?”
“We need to get to the surface and
be on top of a building. There you will sing a song and dance together as I conduct
the ritual.”
“Won’t we be attacked by the black
birds?”
“Your music and dance will debilitate
them. They won’t be able to touch you.”
“What about the black birds
themselves? Where did they come from?”
“I assume they’re demons born from
the darkness of mankind’s sin. That’s just my guess though.”
“Well, that’s all the questions I have.
What about you, Solare?”
“I’d just like to get this over
with.”
“That’s good. Let’s get moving. Who
knows how many souls we can save if we move quickly?”
“Oh, what’s your name?”
“You can call me Father Popov.”
Father Popov takes his weapons as
he leaves his shelter with Solare and Luna.
He then asks, “Did you come across
any trouble in the sewers?”
“Yes,” Solare says, “There was this
giant crow with eyes on its back and it shot out acid from its stomach.”
“Oh yes, that beast. It’s one of
the deadliest black birds out there as it soaked cities in acidic rain back
when it still flew in the skies.”
“What’s it doing down here?”
“It must’ve gone after me because
it knew my purpose. Thankfully the military forces of the world managed to
damage its wings to the point where it can barely fly. It can no longer spew
acid from its mouth thanks to me when I threw all of my explosives down its
throat.”
“Wow. All I can do is push it back
with my heat beams.”
“Heat beams?”
“I can shoot out beams of heat out
of my mouth.”
“And I can control running bodies
of water.”
“God has truly given you the
abilities you need to survive this drowned world.”
“We only recently discovered them.
It’s not like we knew we had them. We weren’t even told or given a hint that we
had them.”
“Still, it’s a great blessing.”
“If you say so. Are there any exits
out of the sewers?”
“Did you come from the hole in the skyscraper?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the one I’ve used the most
by climbing it with a grappling hook, but there is another that we can use
thanks to your blessings.”
“What about the crow?”
“It will be dealt with soon enough.
Luna, clear the sewer water below. Solare, use your heat to cut an entrance through
the large sewer grate.”
“Won’t the crow come after us?”
“If my plan works out, then it shouldn’t
be a problem. If not, then we should be able to push it back to the exit, but that
will be incredibly difficult.”
“Okay, we’re trusting you. Right,
Solare.”
“I don’t have any other plan, so I
do.”
After doing what Father Popov says,
the two are led into another section of the sewer. They then hear the crow coming
after them.
“It’s coming!” Solare says as he
readies his heat beam.
“We have to run ahead. Hurry!”
Father Popov says as he leads them down a large sewer pipe.
The three defend themselves from
the crow until they reach a dead end with a large sewer grate blocking their
way.
“Blow open that sewer grate and the
ceiling above us!” Father Popov says.
“But the water pressure will kill
us! I can’t control two streams of water at once!”
“They’ll become one stream of water
when they combine, won’t they?”
“Um, I guess you’re right. Are you
ready, Solare?”
“I’m only ready if you are. I may
be able to blow open the ceiling and grate, but I can’t handle water pressure.”
“Okay, I’m ready! Do it!”
Solare shoots a heat beam to destroy
the ceiling. The large flood of water goes over the three and hits the crow
dead on, but the crow wades through the water. Solare then shoots a heat beam
at the sewer grate to form one large torrent of water that crushes the crow and
overflows the sewers and causes damage to the rest of the city as a result.
“Wow! That worked out great,
father!” Luna says.
“It worked out better than I expected.
It’s a shame the city suffered so much damaged, but that is something we’ll
have to deal with later.”
The rubble has created a way up to
the surface that Solare, Luna, and Father Popov use to climb to the street
level. They make their way to the
nearest building to reach the rooftops. On the rooftops, Father Popov opens his
prayer book.
“Do you two know any song you would
like to sing?”
“Does it have to be anything in
particular for the ritual to work?” Luna asks.
“It has to be a song of love. I
have several here if you need one.”
“Hmm. I think I know a good one.”
“Okay. Just remember to keep up
your singing and dancing because the birds are coming.”
“Right. Are you ready, Solare?”
“I’m ready if you are.”
“Okay. Here we go.”
As Father Popov begins the prayer, Solare
and Luna feel a familiar and strong connection that allows them to sing in
sync.
“With
you, I'm the best person I can be
You
complete who I am
Even
in this dark and dreary world,
We
can make it together
The two of us are like two pieces of a puzzle
Separate
we are nothing
But
together we make a beautiful picture
We are like the heat and cold
Light
and dark
Without
you, there's no reason for me to exist
With you, I'm complete
Without
you, I am nothing
Stay
with me forever
And
I'll forever dedicate myself to you”
The black birds are unable to
attack much less concentrate with Solare and Luna’s singing and dancing and
Father Popov’s prayers. Some even fall out of the sky and few barely make it to
the building they’re on.
“The two of us are like the light and dark
Heat
and cold
Nothing
is right when we're apart
Holding
your hands like this fills me with hope
Dancing
with you makes my heart dance with joy
Being
with you is all I need
With you, I'm complete
Without
you, I am nothing
Stay
with me forever
And
I'll forever dedicate myself to you
With you, I'm complete
Without
you, I am nothing
Stay
with me forever
And
I'll forever dedicate myself to you
To you, I'll always be united
To
you, I'll always be dedicated
To
you, my heart will always be
With
you, will always be my reason for living”
Once the song and prayer end, the black
birds disintegrate into ash. Solare and Luna’s appearances change back to their
normal ones as they regain their old memories. The sun and the moon reappear in
the sky as a new dawn arises. The rain in the sky ceases as the clouds
disappear and the raging waters below dry up. Despite not being able to see each
other, Solare and Luna can feel each other’s presence and kiss each other.
“True love comes to purify the
world again,” Father Popov says aloud.
The
End
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