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Once a bishop and governor, Terah craved power so he could control every aspect of his life. After realizing the vanity of trying to do so, he resigned himself to being killed by an assassin. This, however, isn't the end of his life, as his guardian angel revives him and gives him new powers. God also gives Terah a new purpose: to cleanse the Earth of the demonic and the sinful people in power, with whom Terah was once allied.

Disgraced Piety: Chapter 4 – Domination Through Surrender

Chapter 4 – Domination Through Surrender

Flying to the source of the action, I see Thaddeus and Tanith holding their own against superhumans, robots with satanic markings on them, and men with guns and cybernetic enhancements, despite being outnumbered twenty-to-one. The city is covered in flames and ice, and most of its buildings are damaged or destroyed, with not a civilian in sight.

“The demons are getting desperate. Let me have at them and finish them off,” my guardian angel says, which I allow.

I land on one of the damaged buildings and begin to unleash my green lightning to even the odds, turning our enemies to ash and taking possession of some of them. Thaddeus and Tanith notice what is happening and me standing above them. They yell that they knew I would overcome my demons and resume their fighting. The tide turns overwhelmingly in our favor now because of me, and Thaddeus and Tanith can push back against the enemy, so they aren’t trapped in this part of the city.

“What would they be without you?” I hear a weak voice say in the back of my head.

Haven’t I had enough with you?

“You never will, and that’s the problem. Even if you rely on God, you won’t stop being imperfect. How contradictory is that? You are expected to do everything perfectly, but you won’t be made perfect. Instead, you are expected to fail, but not, and then repent, promising to never sin again, only to fall again.”

I must admit that I can’t say that I’m okay with this. I feel the impending possibility of failure to be daunting and something that I pray to be avoided.

“It’s already happened to you, and you’re already beginning to lose what little control you have now. With the reins of your life in reach, why not take back control?”

The demon possessed machinery and people, and their cultists below turn their attention to me and start attacking me. Since Thaddeus and Tanith are distracted by enemies surrounding them, I’m on my own. Everything around me goes black.

“You’ve always been on your own, and always will be. What major accomplishments in your life have been made thanks to the help of others? None, because you’ve gotten everything in your life with your own two hands.”

Praying for help, my guardian angel arrives, and simply starts playing memories in my mind of times when I didn’t know he was there to help me. I see memories of me when I was a child, and watch my guardian angel making sure I don’t fall or get a little push in races. I even see memories of my adult life where my guardian angel taps my shoulder to let me know of threats, which I chalked up to my senses warning me of danger at the time. Seeing these memories reminds me that every part of my life has been planned and set on something similar to that of a conveyor belt, with me only being able to deviate from it at certain points with limited opportunities. We aren’t in control of the circumstances of our birth and early life, and even less in control of our desires and the course of our life, since they are heavily influenced by everything and everyone around us.

What control do we truly have of our lives besides the path we take when given an option, and even then, we can’t choose outside those options? A man in power will not choose to deviate from what gave them their power, and a poor man will not be able to accomplish much, unless given the opportunity by providence and the help of others. I see it clearly now. The vanity of control. What use is it to me when I ruin it when given it? Because of this fact, I relinquish all control of myself to my Lord and God.

“Fool. You need to be in control of yourself to fight back! Otherwise, your life is forfeit to us.”

What is the threat of death to a man who has already died and given his life to God? The demons screech at me and tear my body to shreds. A series of green lightning strikes hits everyone around me, and puts my body together. I’m then flung in the direction of Thaddeus and Tanith, who are getting attacked and overwhelmed like I was, so I use my body to take a beating for them, am torn apart again, and then brought back together through my green lightning. What follows is such a light show that you’d think everyone in Heaven was sending a lightning bolt down to help us, and by the end, the city of Adamas is even more ruined than it was before.

“Woah! That was incredible, Terah, but are you okay?” Tanith asks.

“Of course. I died and have let God control every aspect of my life. Nothing much concerns or phases me anymore,” I say.

“Wow. With that demeanor, you should be our team leader, not me,” Thaddeus says.

“No, it has already been decided by our guardian angels that you should be our leader, and if they say you’re our leader, then God trusts you with the position.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Oh, what should we name our group now that we have all our members together? The Fiery Avengers?”

“How about The Angels of Punishment?” Tanith suggests.

Thinking this is stupid, but giving my suggestion anyway, I say, “What about The Trio of Divine Terror?”

“What if you call yourselves The Midnight Sons of the New Dawn?” my guardian angel asks.

No. I don’t think they’ll accept that.

“What about the Council of Punishment?”

“Oh, that’s a good one,” my guardian angel and Tanith admit.

Because we can’t come up with anything better, we go with Thaddeus’s idea of calling ourselves the Council of Punishment.

“What do we do now, Thaddeus?” I ask.

“We purge more demons and sinners from the Columbian Union. The Dominion of Mercy and Justice may be doing a good job of it, but examples like the cities we were in prove they’re not doing as good a job as they should, especially in places like the capital,” Thaddeus says.

“Okay. Lead the way to our next purge.”

“Ah, but first, you need a ride since we need to get from place to place discriminately.”

A red flaming chopper motorcycle rides in from a distance and stops in front of Thaddeus, while a blue flaming sports motorcycle rides in and stops in front of Tanith. Behind them, a muscle car, sparking with green electricity, drives itself to me. It’s dark green and has a gold trim, giving it a luxurious look to it.

Thaddeus whistles and says, “I can’t say that it doesn’t suit you. How are you going to drive it without arms?”

My guardian angel explains to me how I can drive it with my powers, so that’s what I tell Thaddeus.

“Okay then. Let’s get out of here before trouble arrives,” Tanith says.

“Let’s go then. Onward, Council of Punishment. We have souls to bring justice to and demons to send to Hell,” Thaddeus says as he sits on his motorcycle.

As I ride off away from Adams with the sun rising behind us, I feel like I’m no longer the man I was before, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay that I’m no longer who I define myself as and that my life is no longer in my hands. This new life and path set before me by God is the one I should’ve always been on, and with Him guiding and empowering my every move, I’m sure that I’ll make it to Heaven one day, the only goal that matters in life.

The End

Disgraced Piety: Chapter 3 – Self-Control

Chapter 3 – Self-Control

How could I prevent this? What did I do wrong? This shouldn’t be happening to me. These are the thoughts that cycle through the darkness around me, along with the whispers of demons, encouraging me to break out with my own strength and not rely on God or my guardian angel, so I do the opposite as they say.

They continue to say things like, “You obtained your own power without their help.”

“You’re amazing without them.”

“When have they truly answered any of your prayers? You’ve never prayed honestly to them, until now, so why would they help you?”

“You’re on your own. You always have been, so you only have yourself to rely on.”

A tear in the darkness opens that my guardian angel goes through and closes behind him. Why wasn’t it left open for me to escape through?

“You aren’t in literal darkness. Think of it as figurative mind fog. In reality, you flew into more populated parts of the city, and the demons are using the population as your puppets against Thaddeus and Tanith,” my guardian angel explains.

“Terah! You can break through it! If I can do it, I’m sure you can!” Thaddeus says.

“Fight it, Terah! I know you’re not in control of yourself,” Tanith says.

“What do they know?” I hear the demons say in my voice.

“They aren’t as wise or learned as you are. They aren’t as versed in prayers and fighting the demonic as you are.”

“They are still addicted to their passions. Thaddeus still wants thrills, and Tanith still craves the pleasures of the flesh.”

“What can these sinners do for you that you cannot?”

Why are these demons torturing me so, and why do they have so much control over me? Am I not doing everything right?

“You’ve taken out the central area where the cultists operate, put the fear of God into them, and killed the rest, but you’ve yet to purge the demons within,” my guardian angel says. “As I said before, you take life too seriously.”

“If you listen to them, you’ll lose control of your life. Isn’t control over what’s rightfully yours all you’ve ever wanted?” the demons say as one. “When you give them control, you lose control of what you believe in and what you’ll do, the very core of controlling yourself. Are you truly willing to give that up?”

If it means taking back control, then yes. Buildings and skyscrapers from Adamas start to emerge from the void around me. At the top of them, I see people crowned like kings and clergy clothed in the best finery.

“Shouldn’t the truth make sense and be logical? It should fit how I view the truth and fit into the parameters I know to be correct,” one of the people on the towers says.

A green bolt of lightning strikes it, burning the tower and sending it crumbling to the ground.

Another person at the top of a tower says, “A good God should act in a way that I think is good. Otherwise, God is not good at all or non-existent.”

Another green bolt of lightning brings down the tower that the person was speaking from. It’s then that I realize that I feel weightless to the point of floating off the ground. I start flying around the towers that also start floating up into the air, and flying around as if we were caught up in a tornado.

“Everything in life can be managed!” another person says as they struggle to stay at the top of their tower. “Everything can go as I plan if I have the right allies and resources! Even the exact time of my death can be planned! I have the power to decide it all!”

No, you fool. Nothing is in your control. A green bolt of lightning strikes and destroys the last buildings and towers. It’s not over yet, though, as the towers are sucked into a vortex that becomes a towering black and green being who resembles me.

“They couldn’t at least make you look a bit more accurate? You look way better than that,” my guardian angel says.

The shadowy doppelganger swipes at me and tries to grab me, while I struggle to dodge it in the turbulence I’m still caught up in.

“See how helpless you are without control of yourself?” the doppelganger says. “Do it! Regain control, and you will save yourself!”

The doppelganger hits me, sending me flying away, and somehow stretches its arms to grab me so it can repeatedly slam me into the ground. I feel like I can just barely squeeze through its grasp, but something is preventing me.

“Yes, it is. It is you who gave up control to God. Regain control, and you can save yourself. You’ve always saved yourself, and you can do it again if you take control.”

This is a trick. Giving myself control will only do so much. If I escape, I won’t be able to escape this void or the demons I find myself burdened with. Perhaps, if I let it kill me, then Thaddeus and Tanith will be free from the me that is fighting them. If that is what must happen, then let it happen according to your will, Lord.

“Hehehe, you always take things too seriously,” my guardian angel says as it appears in front of me.

My guardian angel passes through my body, electrifying it, making green lightning strike all around me, and freeing me from the doppelganger. Turning to it, I watch as it screams and starts throwing punches at me, which hardly do anything to me.

“Look at how pathetic and helpless your angel is making you. With it, you’ll be helpless for the rest of your life, and you’ll never do what you want to again. You’ll have to do as God says to the letter, without you deviating from it in the slightest, no matter how little sense your orders will be,” the doppelganger says.

So be it, according to His will, not mine. One single strike of green lightning comes down to destroy the doppelganger and disperse the void around me. Looking down at myself, I see that I’m wearing the dark green cloak that my guardian angel does. I feel more empowered than I did before, and yet, I have to keep a lid on it and in control.

“Ah, you can let loose when the time comes,” my guardian angel says. “Speaking of that, we’d better go help your new friends. The cultists brought in reinforcements from the neighboring towns and cities around Adamas.”

It’s no wonder that the demons have so much control over the capital, and the temptations are so harsh.

“They’re only harsh because you let them be, and God allows it. You’re still new to not indulging your desire for power and control, so those wounds in your soul need time to heal.”

You’re right. Guide me in the right paths, my guardian angel, and help me not to misstep on my path to Heaven. Teach me the ways of God.

“I will, but first, let’s send the demons back to Hell where they belong.”

I fly up into the air and head towards the explosions in Adamas, all the while praying and hoping that I’ll arrive in time to help Thaddeus and Tanith.

“Oh, you will be. I’ll make sure of it.”

Nothing is suspenseful or uncertain with you, is it?

“Nothing is when you put your full trust in God.”

Disgraced Piety: Chapter 2 – Going for the Throat

Chapter 2 – Going for the Throat

Two figures walk out of the red and blue flames in front of me, and for some reason, I recognize them despite not seeing them in years or really having to remember them for their importance.

“Thaddeus? Tanith?” I say.

“Terah! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Thaddeus says with his arms open.

“What are you two doing here, and why do you look so different?”

Thaddeus doesn’t look much different than he usually does with his black jacket, red shirt, and black pants and boots, but his red, orange, and yellow eyes are supernatural, and Tanith is different in that her skin is grey, her hair is white, her eyes are white, and she isn’t dressed like a hooker. Instead, she’s dressed mostly conservatively with a grey shirt, grey skirt, and dark grey thigh-high boots.

“Don’t look so defensive. We’re not here to fight you. I must admit that when our guardian angels told us to find you, we were doubtful of it since we heard you died, but I guess you should never doubt a messenger from God, right?”

“I haven’t seen you since I arranged a group of promiscuous nuns for you to have an orgy, Thaddeus. What happened to you both?”

“We’ve changed because of our guardian angels,” Tanith explains. “I know that may seem hard to believe, especially since I was arranging your clergy and nuns to fulfill their fetishes in Exquista Caro, but believe us when we say we’re different now. We even destroyed that hive of demonic degeneracy together.”

“I heard that through my sources, but thought you would be dead, and Thaddeus would’ve been brought in by the Dominion by now, and yet, here you both are.”

“They’re telling the truth, Terah. They aren’t agents of our enemy and will be our most trusted allies from now on,” my guardian angel says.

“My guardian angel tells me to believe you, so I will. Mind explaining what that explosion you both caused was about?”

“Our guardian angels made our presence known and brought us to you,” Tanith explains.

“It probably caused quite a stir in the city.”

“We did? What about what you did?” Thaddeus asks.

“The authorities in the city are slower to respond to incidents like this because they allow them to get away with crime, and if something does happen at one of their events like this, then their onsite security can usually deal with it. Since I’ve dealt with them, the authorities are trying to figure out if this was intentional before sending in law enforcement, which is why they haven’t shown up yet.”

“We shouldn’t wait around for them, unless they’re a target,” Tanith says.

“Agreed. If you go where I tell you, we can expunge the corrupt rulers and demonic cultists from the capital in minutes.”

“I’ll allow it, as the leader of our trio,” Thaddeus says.

“You’re the leader?”

“Yes, he is,” my guardian angel confirms as Thaddeus says much the same thing with pride. “I know it may seem hard to believe, but you know God allows even the most idiotic people a seat of power.”

Yes, but Thaddeus of all people?

“He’s a changed man. You’ll see how useful he is in the coming fight.”

Accepting Thaddeus’s role as leader of our trio, I tell him where to go, and we fly to the neighboring rooftop of the location. This place has various expensive stores, concert venues, luxurious halls, and hotel rooms designed for kings.

“This is the part of the city they call the royal quarter,” Tanith says.

“Yes. The capital city of Adamas doesn’t have the most crime and corruption under the streets like most cities. Instead, it happens in its official buildings, in plain sight, but behind closed secret doors,” I explain.

“Makes sense. I can already hear the whispers of demons. Can you, Tanith?” Thaddeus asks, which Tanith confirms.

Listening closer, I can hear indiscernible whispers behind me.

“Try not to listen to those creeps too much. All they do is complain about other people’s sins and whine about how horrible their lives are. Let me give them a real reason to cry,” my guardian angel says.

Go ahead and handle the demonic threat. I’ll handle the people here.

“Sir, yes, sir!”

I point Thaddeus and Tanith to the buildings they should focus on and set them loose. In an instant, they change their appearance. Thaddeus looks like a flaming devil with horns on his head and two crimson swords for arms, and Tanith, who looks a lot like my guardian angel, is dressed in black and gray with a spear-like right arm and blue flames coming from her left arm. The two leap into action, entering buildings and burning them from the inside out. Meanwhile, I bring down green lightning on the buildings, creating holes in them, allowing them to burn and vaporize, and giving me control over the people I’m allowed to. Law enforcement, both those on the payroll of the corrupt leaders, politicians, and businessmen, and those not technically on it, finally arrive and provide more active targets, more people to control. Huh? Why would I want that?

“Because it’s your role, Terah. It’s your purpose in life to control people and their lives, especially your own,” I hear a voice in my head that sounds like mine.

Demons. I focus on the task at hand and pray Hail Marys to keep my mind off their temptations.

“God knows your place is in a position where you have reign over people’s lives. You gave up the power you had, and He gave you even more. What more proof do you need that you’re a truly pious man?”

I am powerless without God. He is the only good I need, and the greatest power He could give me is control over myself to never sin again. A loud screeching sound comes from behind me before going suddenly quiet. I’m expecting to hear more, but I don’t hear a word. That can’t be it. From what I know, demons don’t give up that easily. Perhaps, they’re affecting me in what I’m feeling with these powers. The lightning coming from me and the power I feel over others is an ecstasy unlike anything I’ve felt before. I have to remember my guardian angel’s advice and not indulge in this power, lest I let it rule over me and I fall to sin again.

“Good job, my friend! I know you knew the right words and method to get rid of those demons,” my guardian angel says.

I was a bishop, and even though I didn’t care for those prayers before, I remembered how to turn away the temptations of demons just in case. Around me, I see the ruins of the buildings, hundreds of dead and burned bodies, and red flames intermixed with icy, blue flames and electrical green flames.

“The fight is already over?” I ask as if disappointed.

“Yeah. I’m just as surprised as you are. Even though we were right on the money because of the many satanic worship sites behind closed doors and encountered temptations from demons, we were able to overcome them and destroy everything and everyone in our path,” Thaddeus explains.

“I’m sure we couldn’t have done it without you,” Tanith adds.

You’re right about that. Before I say anything, Thaddeus looks above him and then says, “My guardian angel says our job here in Adamas isn’t done yet.”

“Really? This was the most secure and central for all demon worship and cultist activity,” I say.

“There are other places that must be purged so that the capital can be cleaned. I’m sure with your help, we’ll get this done in no time.”

I look up to my guardian angel, who nods in approval, so I tepidly do as Thaddeus says. Along with Tanith, the three of us go from place to place in Adamas, causing death and destruction, and getting into fights with its defenders and an escalating, but rapidly depleting, law enforcement. It’s during one of these battles that I get attacked and discover that I’m unharmed by most attacks, like my body is some kind of stone wall, and adding to my feeling of invincibility. None of my attackers can land more than one or two hits before my green lightning kills or lets me take control of them. Not even the demons who continue to tempt me can bother me or break my concentration away from the fight at hand.

These powers were exhilarating at first to have, but now, I’m starting to get bored. All I’m doing is sitting on the sidelines, letting my powers do their thing, and sometimes giving commands to people who die or rarely get knocked out soon after. Thaddeus and Tanith have immense power as well, but they at least seem to be challenged in their fights, despite probably doing the same thing as me.

“You’re too good for them,” a voice in my head says.

“You’re too powerful.”

“You always were.”

“That’s why you’re being kept back. You need to take back control.”

Ah, pride, the first of all falls to happen when a sin is committed. Should’ve known to keep a better lid on my thoughts. No matter I can-

“You can do anything you put your mind to.”

“You’re amazing like that, Terah.”

“You can be ruler of the capital if you want to.”

“You were already its governor, and its people will have to listen to you since a majority of its law enforcement is dead or knocked out because of you.”

Flashes of green lightning unintentionally come out of me, hitting the bodies on the floor. The bodies get up and start attacking Thaddeus and Tanith. What is going on? I can’t control them!

“You were never in control, so go on and take control for yourself!” the demons say.

“You’ve gotten control over hundreds of thousands of people. Why can’t you do it to a few?”

“Why can’t you control yourself?”

I try to take control of the walking corpses, but then find myself uncontrollably flying and spinning in the air, and away from the area. I’m better at controlling myself than this! My prayers should be helping me, but nothing is happening the way it should! Agh! Is this God humbling me, or have I already outlived my purpose? Have I done something wrong? I need answers. Guardian angel! Where are you?

As I uncontrollably spin in the air, I see a large shadowy figure form where I am heading as if I’m being sucked into it. The figure smiles and says, “Take control, Terah. You can do it.” It then opens its mouth, and I fly into its body.

My 339th book is done and out today!

Download for free at various online retailers at books2read - https://books2read.com/b/3n0WKK?fbclid=IwdGRjcAP0F3xjbGNrA_QXeWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHnBETID9Tpn0hnA2q1-lpE-Kez23Ms970ON3wvImX0HSYetTGxCCUYaDW5kc_aem_maEv2nCNLEMfWmhphftx7g

Once a woman ruled by her hunger for pleasure and feeling good, Tanith indulged in every drug and perverted form of sex to fulfill her needs, but after accepting a way out from her guardian angel, she now tries to break the chains of lust that bind her. The ruins of a city known as Exquista Caro are a hotbed of porn shootings and prostitution dens that serve all kinds of forbidden fetishes. Tanith helped to build it up, and now, she's going to tear it down as her penance, while being harassed by a demon who wears her face and uses her own desires against her to keep her trapped in her addiction.

Disgraced Piety: Chapter 1 – Fallen Successor of the Apostles

Chapter 1 – Fallen Successor of the Apostles

A hypocrite. That’s what I’ve always been for the sake of power. It’s what I’ve wanted so I could have an unlimited sense of freedom and security. That’s what all humanity wants, so I felt justified in doing everything I could to obtain it. Since traditionalism is on the upswing in modern times, I felt that I should enter the priesthood. I did so, rose through the ranks by impressing the right people, giving them what they wanted, and became a bishop later in life. With the rise of the Dominion of Mercy and Justice and their members gaining political power, I should do the same, so I ran for mayor of the capital city of the Columbian Union, and after becoming mayor, I became governor of the capital state.

The power that I had gave me the best houses in the country, allies in all the right places in several governments and religions, and the ability to affect lives without directly interacting with them. If I wanted someone’s life ruined, I could make it happen. If I wanted to move up the ladder or help an ally do the same, then I knew who to pay or call for a favor. In the most extreme cases, if someone opposing me couldn’t be moved or convinced to change, then I had ways of making them disappear for good. I thought I had everything I ever wanted, but I always wanted more, and after realizing this fact multiple times, I began to see the vanity in the way I was living.

I prayed earnestly, probably for the first time in years, and only felt more regret for the way I lived. What was the point of having power when it only made me want more, like some crack addict? What did power give me other than the fear of always looking behind my back and always being wary of others to keep what I worked so hard to obtain? What’s the point of having all the money and access to the best doctors in the world if I’ll eventually die one day and there’s a singular destination for my soul? I have spent all these years working for nothing, dust that I hold onto as it slips through my hands, so before I can be fully disappointed, I’m throwing it all away in one stroke.

Today, I’ve been told there’s another assassin coming to claim my life. I’ve told my associates that it’s being handled, and by that, I mean that I’m accepting my death. I kneel in my private adoration chapel and pray for hours, confessing and repenting of my sins to God, until I hear the click of the door behind me and the shot of a silenced gun. Everything goes black, and my body feels weightless, and yet, I still feel conscious, so I continue praying. Then, I start to feel someone cutting me apart. Figures. It’s a classic tactic of the hitmen and assassins I know. They kill their targets and spread their body parts around the country so that they won’t be identified or take years to figure out who the body belonged to. It makes sense that I deserve this fate.

“Hehehe. If only it were so, Terah,” I hear a cackling voice say.

Who’s there?

“The messenger who delivers your prayers to God and delivers His will to do, your one and only guardian angel.”

You don’t look like an angel. You look more like a reaper with your spiky cloak with horns on it and shadowy face with a green smile, eyes, and nose.

“Would you expect anything softer and cuter for a man such as yourself? All guardian angels are particular to each person they protect, and my appearance reflects the kind of man I have to deal with.”

I guess you’re right. What message do you have to deliver at the moment of my death?

“That isn’t the end of your life. Hehehe. It’s only the beginning.”

Flashes of green lighting and fire light up the darkness around me. In it, I see my body become clothed in long black and grey clothes with light green trimming, like those of a homeless man, along with a dark green scarf. My body comes back together, making me not feel weightless anymore, but for some reason, I can’t feel my arms.

“You won’t need those with the new power you’re being given.”

I feel jolts of electricity coursing through my body, each of which I can shoot out from me, and it feels like an extension of my will. With the green light, I dispel the darkness around me and find myself back in my personal adoration chapel. Nothing is remaining in here or the other rooms in my house. How much time has passed since I died?

My guardian angel appears in front of me and says, “What happened to you in your mind took seconds, whereas it took weeks to put your body together, and it is in this time that God wants you to return with a bang.”

With these powers of green lightning? Am I meant to be some kind of superhuman hero for God?

“That’s the idea, friend. I think you know where to start in the purging of heretics and heathens. They were the ones who took everything out of your house after you died, even that statue of me that you had in your room.”

That thing was a gift made to generally represent you that I didn’t pay much attention to. No offense.

“There’s much offense to that statement. No one makes statues of guardian angels, so I appreciate the ones that are made of us. I’m kidding.”

You do seem to be the jokey type, much to my surprise.

“You take life too seriously. It’s why you need a joker like me. You act older than me, even though I’m centuries older than you.”

I look at the spot where my guardian angel statue was, and look up at the mirror in the wall that’s yet to be removed. I really do look like a bum, but my eyes are yellow, light green, and dark green.

“Don’t act as if you care about what you look like now. You only wore the clothes that got you the most attention.”

That’s true. The clothes have to match the man, so this is the best that I can expect as a dead man walking. Walking outside of my house, I see that the cars in my garage are gone. Am I expected to walk to where I need to go?

“Nope. That’d be too boring, even if it were to be an effective penance for you. I have something more exciting for you. Let me do the work.”

I’m suddenly lifted into the air as my guardian angel flies up. We fly at high speeds to our destination, a towering office building where all kinds of familiar faces are gathered today. It’s a high-class society place with expensive chandeliers and famous musicians singing on stages for background noise and entertainment. As I float among them like a ghost in the crowd, I see that they’re selling many luxurious and precious items, some of which came from my house.

“Don’t these people have enough? From what I hear from their suffering guardian angels, they have enough to fill ten houses, and then some.”

That’s the thing with money. When you have it, you gotta make it work for you. Otherwise, it’s useless. Besides, these people here know that objects are vanity and are here for the real prize of making and maintaining their connections to others.

“That stupid paper does more damage to people’s souls than they realize. I’d love to see it burn.”

You’ll see it soon, but for now, these people have to burn. Let’s see these new powers of mine in action. I exert my will as green lightning shoots from my body, and people start to notice me.

“Terah?” one of them says before a lightning bolt hits them and sets them ablaze.

Some of the others who get hit die on the spot, but for some reason, I feel in control over some of them. As the crowd starts to run, I make them stay and move around.

“End yourself,” I command.

The people I have control over snap their necks with their own hands. These powers are something else.

“Stay focused and keep the lightning flowing. They can’t get away,” my guardian angel says.

I do as he says and let the green lightning strike out from me like the fingers of God, picking out who dies a particular death and who comes under my control. Even the superhumans and guards who try to stop me are no match for my powers and are a useful tool for eliminating the guests and torching everything in the building. When they are no longer of any use to me, I make them end themselves, each other's lives, or simply throw themselves out the windows. Flying outside the building, I watch it while floating in the air with my guardian angel. I’ve been curious about getting superhuman powers for myself, but having so much political power and leverage in businesses made it seem like another investment that would give me more attention than I needed. Looks like I didn’t know what I was missing out on.

“If you had powers, it would’ve made your death more excruciating,” my guardian angel says. “Besides, you’re not supposed to enjoy this. You are executing pitiable souls who were like you, and you knew.”

You’re right, my angel. Excuse my over-indulgence in this power. You know how it’s my drug. I’m still surprised I was given it.

“Power itself isn’t evil or corrupting. It’s people who misuse it and give it a bad name, like those who use charities to get rich and reputation as a good person. You were meant to be a bishop, mayor, and governor. No one gets a position of power without God allowing it. This is why you have your powers. Come on. I want to see the purpose for your power fulfilled tonight and more burning money.”

Before I go anywhere, I see a large red and blue explosion in the city. A fireball of the same colors shoots out from it and lands right in front of me.

Puritanical Addict: Chapter 4 – Rehab Through Violence

Chapter 4 – Rehab Through Violence

Heading into the tunnels underneath, Exquista Caro, Thaddeus, and I find that they’re all lit up with electronic lights. On the walls are various satanic images drawn in blood, and scattered along the floor are broken pieces of crucifixes, pieces of the broken Eucharist, shattered statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and other saints. Further in, we find more blood and pieces of bodies, especially those of infant children and people dressed as nuns and priests. The entire place smells worse than the city above, and makes my head start to spin.

“I should start burning all this,” Thaddeus says.

I can’t agree more. It could also make the upcoming fight easier and may even destroy the cultists in the tunnels before they can attack us, so I tell him to do it. Thaddeus’s flames fill the tunnels and strangely make it easier to breathe. The sound of screaming, similar to that of the demon who's been bothering me, echoes throughout the tunnels and breaks the light bulbs, lighting up the tunnels, leaving Thaddeus and my blue flames our only source of light.

“Get ready. Here they come,” Thaddeus says, which scares me.

I raise my left arm to burn the tunnels with Thaddeus; however, a ground of dark figures descends on us, and makes everything pitch black around me. My body feels numb, and I’m even more afraid than before, so I start praying and begging God and my guardian angel for help.

“Your quest has led you straight back to me. How else did you think it would end?” the demon, who wears my face, says in my voice.

I try to use the powers given to me, but find that I’m back to normal, so I instead fall to the ground in prayer and beg even more for help to the point of crying. A hand in the dark forcibly lifts my head and makes me open my eyes. In the distance, I see a light, and not knowing what else to do, I head to it.

“Keep going, Tanith! We have them on the run,” I hear the muffled voice of Thaddeus say.

I do as he says, for what purpose? This demon and my temptations will be with me for the rest of my life. I have this feeling in my bones, in my soul, that I’ll never feel alive or happy again until the day I die, but is that really such a bad thing?

“Why isn’t it? How can you live a life that isn’t enjoyable to live?” the demon says.

What did my parents say? Jesus was born on Earth, knowing the suffering and horrible death He would die, but He did it anyway for us. Huh. I have a bit of pep in my step now, and the light ahead of me feels closer and warmer than ever.

“That isn’t what you want. That isn’t what anyone wants. All everyone wants to do is live a happy and comfortable life, and you know it.”

That’s what I’ve told myself and felt my entire life. Still, I never asked myself if that’s the truth, or just what I wanted to believe. My parents learn about the perverted things I was doing for extra money, and still, they forgave me and told me that pleasure and money aren’t all that people live for. Feelings and wealth come and go, but what comes after death is forever. Where is this wisdom coming from? Is it an answer to my prayers, or me finally remembering what my parents taught me? The light is so close now that I can almost touch it.

“You’ll never escape the suffering of this life, and you’ll be miserable for the rest of it, until you die.”

That’s fine with me. My parents said to offer the pain up, and now, that’s what I’m doing. The light overtakes me. On the other side of it, I find myself back in my old room on my knees with my guardian angel floating above me.

“What happened today?” my guardian angel asks.

Remembering this moment, I automatically say, “I…failed another test. I’m not passing for sure, despite all the studying and extra work I did. Why do I even bother doing it when I find work on the streets and clubs more fun and satisfying?”

“Because you love your parents, and you don’t want to chain yourself to corrupting pleasures. Your body is a temple and not meant to be used like some common, disposable object, and is meant to be respected in the way God intended.”

“That’s right,” I say outside of the memory. “I’m not going to chain myself to it anymore.”

My appearance changes to one that looks like my guardian angel.

“Finish it and break your chains.”

My guardian angel points towards the demon with my face, who I freeze with my blue flames before it can speak, and then stab it through the head. When I blink, I see that I’m back in the tunnels, except they’re burning with red and blue flames. The demon, who was in front of me, looks more like a medusa now, with snakes coming out of its head and lower half. It also has horns coming out of its head and body, and looks like a hermaphrodite. I don’t have much more time to look at it as the tunnels start to collapse and Thaddeus yells at me to rush out of here. Both of us are suddenly lifted into the air, and we go through the collapsing ground as if we were ghosts.

Flying above Exquista Caro, I watch the entire city burn and freeze as it collapses in on itself, until all the buildings crumble into the ground, and nothing is left of the city but a hole with red and blue flames coming out of it. Thaddeus and I fly to the outskirts of the city and continue to marvel at it.

“Good job, Tanith. You did it,” Thaddeus says.

“I couldn’t have done it without your help, but this isn’t the end, is it?” I ask.

“Not at all. My guardian angel tells me there’s another sinful soul that we need to add to our group of misfits and way more sinners that need punishment and a long-awaited wake-up call. Together, I’m sure we’ll save many souls and secure our place in Heaven.”

“Yeah. Guess there’s no rest for us then.”

“Kind of. I’m sure we can get some rest along the way.”

“Right, but we probably shouldn’t sleep in the same room, given our past sins.”

“We’ll be traveling together, so I’m not sure how well that’ll work, but we’ll give it a try.”

The sound of a motorcycle makes me turn my head to see who’s approaching. I’m surprised to see it’s a flaming chopper motorcycle that turns into a normal one that's not hot at all to touch when it stops in front of Thaddeus.

“What’s this? We aren’t going to fly to the next place?” I ask.

“We have to keep a low profile. I’m a wanted criminal, and the authorities will think you are as well. Your guardian angel should be giving you a vehicle of your own.”

Turning to my guardian angel, he agrees and makes a sports motorcycle arrive in much the same manner as Thaddeus’s, except mine comes in covered in blue flames, before turning normal when it parks itself in front of me.

“Oh, sweet,” Thaddeus says as he admires the motorcycle. “I like how we both have a motorcycle. Anyways, let’s head out. My angel will lead the way, so follow me.”

Thaddeus and I drive away from the outskirts of Exquista Caro. A muffled voice from behind me makes me turn to see the burning, torn-apart demon with my face crawling at high speed toward me. For some reason, I’m neither afraid nor surprised. I tell my guardian angel to take care of it, and the demon is launched back into the fiery ruins of Exquista Caro, where my past belongs. No longer will I use my body for meaningless and short-lived pleasures. I’m above it now. Instead, it’s a weapon and servant of God, fulfilling the purpose for which I was created.

The End