Chapter 4 – The Flame of Penance
The way to the last key was relatively
uneventful compared to last time because of how many people have become Purposeless.
Because of the increasing sins, the Flame has faded faster and the Divinus and
their evangelists preaching their own truths have only added to this. This phase
of the Flame is known as Embers since this is when the Flame is at its lowest
point with the sun shining like the black flame in the sky. Though Tenebris fights Divinus,
Purposeless, and others possessed by the black flame across the ruins of the
world, they are all animal-like and hardly pose a threat to him. Even as he
approaches the city called Genus, he sees that most of the defenses are down
with many of its attackers and defenders dead around the gates and littering
the city. Genus itself is wrapped around a large mountain and it appears to
have been a very connected city with various pathways and roadmaps so that no
one can get easily lost.
Certain burns across the buildings
and on the floor are familiar and the flame within Tenebris allows him to recognize
it as the Flame of Cognizance that the burning captain had, however, his body
nor the bodies of his soldiers are here. Instead, the burns on the ground and
on the buildings lead Tenebris to where he’s supposed to go. Along the way, Tenebris
sees that the still living inhabitants of the city close their doors to him and
bicker about him in whispers. He wonders to himself when they’re going to
attack him as he walks around Genus while being on his guard. The designs of the
buildings become more beautiful as Tenebris continues up the mountain. These
buildings could even be considered even more beautiful than the ones in the two
previous cities with the destruction of the battle that took place in the city
being the only blemishes that take away from the original beauty that they
once had.
To his surprise, Tenebris reaches
the top of the mountain without encountering any resistance. At the top of the
mountain is a cathedral-like castle that has its gates blown open, however, no
burns can be found inside of the castle. It’s as if the burning captain left
the retrieval of the last key to Tenebris. The inside of the castle is filled
with children and guards who all have weapons on them as they ready themselves to
fight Tenebris.
“No. Leave us be,” a woman’s voice echoes.
The children and guards leave the
castle. With them gone, Tenebris can see the crystal decorations around the
castle and a woman who is looking up at the black flame sun in the sky while sitting
at a dinner table. In this dining room are various paintings of families and
friends having fun and being happy with one another. Tenebris sees the last key
that he needs on the table near the woman. A woman who is dressed simply in a
blue cloak, which makes her appear to be like a common woman rather than one of
the Pillars that she is. Because of what the woman said, he assumes he can take
the key but is surprised when she grabs his hand when he tries to get it.
“A moment, if you would,” she says
before gently letting go of his hand, “Have you looked at the sky recently? The
sun, the morning star, burns with black flames. The Flame of Cognizance is
nothing more than embers and ash and man’s sense of good and evil is gone with
it, and very few people are still cursed with the sense. I don’t know why you
still have the sense or why I do, but most of the people in this city are Purposeless.
Soon, the rest of humanity will follow.”
Again, Tenebris reaches for the key
and is stopped by the woman who doesn’t let go of his hand this time.
“I said a moment. I’m not done
talking to you. The knowledge of good and evil, truth and lies is a curse.
Because of it, a person can be sent to Hell, and I don’t want any of my family,
friends, and everyone in between to go there. Is that such an evil request? If
so, I’ll go to Hell for them just so they never experience it.”
Tenebris tries to grab the key, but
the woman takes it from him.
“What don’t you understand?!
Knowing good and evil has caused mankind nothing but suffering! Nothing good
has come from it! Nothing!”
“Shut up!” Tenebris says to the
shock of the woman, “Knowing good and evil allowed me to know God, to know beauty,
and to know love. It allowed me to know why what I did was wrong and that I
could redeem myself from it. Taking away people’s sense of good and evil
devalues everything in our minds until it all seems to be meaningless. Do you
really want that to happen to your family?”
The woman is at loss for words
until she says, “You don’t understand anything! You-”
Tenebris cuts the woman’s head off
before she says another word because he could tell that she wasn’t going to see
reason. He takes the last key that he needs for the flame and is about to exit the
castle until the woman’s body begins to burn with black flame.
A new head forms on her body as she
says, “If I have to go to Hell so that no one else has to, I’m taking you with
me.”
She then explodes with black flames
erupting from her body like a volcano. Tenebris escapes from the top of the
mountain as the black flames consume the city. The people within the buildings
burn and Tenebris ends up being the only one who escapes as the entire mountain
burns in an unquenchable black flame. Seeing this sight moves his heart with
pity as Tenebris crosses himself for those who didn’t make it out. Now that he
has all three keys, he heads back to where the Flame of Cognizance is.
Back in the city where the Flame is
located, mostly everyone has turned Purposeless while the rest try to do
penance to keep the embers of the Flame fluttering as much as possible. With
all three keys, Tenebris enters the cathedral of the Flame to see that it has
truly died out with ashes and few embers remaining of it. The cathedral itself
is filled with rotting bodies from the previous civil war and burned people laying
near as if they were kindling for it. Tenebris touches the Flame of Cognizance
and relights it with his black flame, and despite it being touched by the black
flame, the Flame of Cognizance explodes in a world covering explosion as the Flame
regains its original glory. This is because the relationship between the black
flame and the Flame of Cognizance is much like humanity’s relationship with God
as in it is made in God’s image and only shines with its original beauty when
it reflects God perfectly. The remnants of humanity regain their sense of good
and evil as the sun also goes from black to its original color. As Tenebris
burns the Flame, he sees his wife and children in Heaven.
“Thank you, my love,” his wife
says, “Your soul has been redeemed. We wait for the day that you join us, but
for now, continue to tend to the Flame.”
Tenebris nods with tears in his
eyes. Everyone who cares for the Flame goes to celebrate Tenebris’ victory and throws
him a party, but even as his party goes on, he continues to tend to the Flame
as penance for the sins of the world since mankind can hardly stay away from
sinning for long.
The End
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