Soulless Men and Vanities: Chapter 1 – Immortal but Dead

Chapter 1 – Immortal but Dead

The last thing that Raven Aurora remembers was that he was having a hard time resisting the temptations of demons after coming home from ridding a group of demon worshippers that set themselves up in the town that he helped protect. He told his family that he was tired, needed his rest and that he loved them. He then prayed a rosary to silence his temptations before falling asleep. Now, he's found himself in what looks to be a ceremonial room with skeletons littering the floor. Unintelligible images of what happened flash in Raven's mind as he stands up only to stumble and fall into the skeletons. He quickly backs away as he sees the sharp teeth in many of the mouths of the skeletons.

“What are these people? Where am I and what happened here?” he asks himself.

Looking around, Raven finds a sword with complex engravings on it that include designs of crosses, snakes, and lions.

“A sword made for royalty, huh? I knew there was corruption within them, but didn’t know it was this bad,” Raven says as his eyes unintentionally focus on his reflection in the sword.

Since it is dark in the room, he can’t make out his own appearance. He sees something disgusting in it that looks similar to a corpse; however, he assumes it’s just his eyes imagining things so he gets up and walks up the stairs and out of the room to see that he’s in a decrepit castle on a mansion that overlooks the town he lives in. The moonlight strangely fills Raven with energy and the grungy tired feeling that he had that was like waking up after being beaten in a fight is gone. Seeing as how he has enough light to see his reflection in the sword, he does so and is horrified to see that his face is rotting with half of it already off. In addition, his hair and skin are completely snow white, his eyes are as black as the night, and his mouth contains four sharp teeth like those of a beast.

“No, this can’t be!” he says in denial.

Raven searches the house for a real mirror and finds one near the main entrance of the mansion to confirm what he knows to be real. This larger mirror gives him a better picture of himself that he smashes in frustration.

“Whoever did this to me will pay!” he says as he leaves the mansion.

To his surprise, Raven runs through the forest like a horse charging into battle and can leap into the air and climb through the trees like an aggressive primate. In the dark forest, he hears the cries of distress and quickly goes to it and finds a young family being assaulted by two people who have the same fangs that Raven has and what looks to be a wolf that can stand on its two legs. He jumps into action with his sword drawn so that no further harm can come to the family.

“Stop right there, you beasts!” Raven says.

The fanged people look at him and are full of mixed emotions but chose to laugh first.

“You call us beasts? Haha! You’re a vampire just like us!” one of them says.

“Vampires? I demand that you tell me what those are.”

“I’d call it funny that you don’t know, but it does make sense since you were asleep for five years in that mansion on the cliff.”

“Five years?”

“We’d waken you up earlier if your guardian angel wasn’t protecting you from us. I must thank you for bringing yourself to us,” another mentions.

“What for? What did you need me for? What did you do to me?”

“We wanted to make the first vampire someone who could make the world despair and what better person than you who is a well known hero? Unfortunately, God had other plans and messed it all up through your guardian angel, but it looks like the sacrament to make you into a vampire was successful. It seems that He has abandoned you.”

“I’m still here despite your curse, so that’s obviously not true.”

“But it’s the curse and how you became a vampire that proves His abandonment. You see, a person becomes a vampire through a blasphemous sacrament that involves a ritual where the main ingredients require a baptized infant. We took your newly born son, cut his throat, tore out his still beating heart, and poured his blood all over you while you were under our influence.”

“No, that can’t be!” Raven says.

Clearer flashes from before come into his mind to confirm that what this vampire is saying is correct.

“Oh, but it is! We’ve even killed other members of your family to drench you in their blood and create other vampires. It’s a shame that their sacrifice was mostly in vain.”

“I’ll kill you for this!”

Raven strikes one of the vampires with his sword only for it to break when it hits them causing no pain and for both to laugh.

“Haha! Only holy weapons can kill a vampire and there’s nothing about you that’s holy! You have no choice but to join our side and fight against the God who let us control you and turn you into what you are.”

Again, yelling out in anger, Raven uses his fists and this allows him to punch a hole through a vampire’s chest. Everyone is shocked by this except for Raven who still has his faith in God.

“So much for nothing about me being holy,” Raven says.

“This changes nothing! No wait, it does! I get to say that I killed the hero Raven by myself! Serf, come to my aid!”

The wolf quickly leaps at Raven who is then killed even quicker as Raven raises his leg and brings it down in the blink of an eye to crush the oncoming wolf’s skull into bits. This display of strength forces the other vampire to act against its fear and stab Raven in the neck with its serrated dagger, however, this has no effect. Raven then grabs the vampire’s arm and crushes it with a single hand before using his other hand to lift the screaming vampire in the air and crushing its neck until its head falls off. Even after venting his anger on these unholy creatures, Raven is filled with agony, sadness, and anger, so he lets out a yell before uncontrollably sobbing for his family.

This along with his other actions has scared the family that he was trying to protect, but the daughter of the family starts to become sympathetic to him because of the honesty of his sadness. She approaches him to her parent’s dismay with her hand out to help him.

“Mr. Aurora, thank you for helping us. What can we do to repay you?” the young girl asks.

Raven pulls himself together for the girl then says, “Just-just be safe when I bring you back to town. I’ll handle the rest from there.”

“There…there is no place safe in the world.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The vampires and their slaves are everywhere. There’s no place in the world that’s safe to be.”

“Then I’ll just have to stain the entire world with their blood.”

“Is that even possible?”

“I can still live despite being a walking corpse and having a knife jabbed in my neck,” Raven says while effortlessly taking out the vampire’s knife and tossing it aside as if it were nothing, “I think it’s possible and by God’s grace, I will defeat the vampires. If you say they are everywhere, I’ll start by cleaning up my hometown and restoring everyone’s faith. That’ll at least make one place in the world safe. Stay close behind me, but not too close. This is going to get messy.”

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First, the world was rotting, then it bled, now finally, it burns. In this burning world, this story doesn't follow a hero nor anyone notable, but a young woman who is caught in the midst of this trying to help save souls. Even so, she thinks she is under-equipped for the task especially since she encounters a lost love that she wishes she had forgotten about.

Sanctification Through Fire: Chapter 2 – Crowning with Flames

Chapter 2 – Crowning with Flames

While following Umbriel’s trail, Oriana comes across a homestead that’s being attacked by the charred. She goes on the attack without saying anything defeats all four rather quickly much to her own surprise.

“It’s a soldier from the Church!” a young boy says.

“Thanks be to God, our prayers are answered!” his grandmother says.

Oriana is welcomed into the house for dinner and she accepts it. As she does, the flames on her dim a bit. Various kinds of food are on the table along with pitchers of homemade tea and water from the well outside. The family’s dog walks around the table looking for the opportune time to take a fallen piece of food or to take one from one of the younger members of the family who typically give it to him despite his parent’s wishes. Instead of eating, Oriana looks around the table instead of eating and thinks to herself what she should be doing next.

The young mother in the family notices this and asks, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

“It’s nothing,” Oriana says.

“As a mother, I can tell when a child is telling me a half-truth. Now, what’s wrong? Does it have to do with your flames? I noticed that you aren’t shining as brightly as before.”

“That’s probably because I’m not chasing after someone like I was ordered to.”

“Who is this person?”

“Someone I used to be close to. He’s jaded by the pain and sin in the world and lets it dominate him rather than fight against it.”

“Did you try to change him before he ran away?”

“Yes, I tried my best but I’m not the best choice to change him even though I was chosen because I know him.”

“Why aren’t you the best choice? If you were chosen, you must be the best choice?”

“It’s because I’m not the best at anything. I have no awards to my name, I’m the least cared for in my family, and…I’m sorry for bringing my problems to you. I’ll take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Oriana walks out of the homestead but is chased by the mother and her family who follows behind her.

“Hold on! You’re causing us no trouble. Tell me more. I want to help,” the mother says.

“Tch. What is there to say? I’m not royalty. I’m from a family of simple people, and yet, I’m not given any attention because I don’t own a bakery like my older brother or teach at a school like my oldest sister. I’m not a penitent priest like my youngest brother nor was I a star student like my sister. I’m no one, the dullest flame in my family and my hometown. My parents only put me in the Church’s army since that’s where nobodies like me go when we can’t find where God wants us to be, and even so, I don’t belong here. I don’t even fight that well. There should be someone else in my place both as a soldier and as a daughter.”

“Don’t think about yourself. I’m sure God has a reason for making you the way you are.”

“Is that so? I’ve been asking why for ages and haven’t gotten an answer yet.”

“Maybe this is the answer. Maybe you’re here to be your lover’s saving angel.”

“He’s not-”

“You said you were close to him, didn’t you?”

“Were close.”

“Whatever the case is. Show him how much you care for him and he’ll change his mind.”

“I don’t care about him anymore. He’s completely lost as far as I’m concerned.”

“Do you really believe that or is that just something that you want to believe?” Oriana finds it hard to respond to the mother’s question. “We all deserve a second chance and sometimes, it’s hard to deal with the people we love. I know it’s hard to deal with myself when I mess up. I’ve been lost before, but it’s thanks to those that I love that I’m able to find myself again. Go after him and bring him back home to God.”

“I don’t even know where to find him and what to say.”

“This may sound cheesy but follow your heart. You two are brought together by God so your connection will bring you together.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome, now, go out there and save your man’s soul, and if you ever want anything to eat or a friend to talk to, you can come back any time.”

With a renewed sense of purpose and a brighter flame burning on her, Oriana heads out and does as the mother says. Soon after, she finds Umbriel resting against a tree and talking to himself about his next move and cursing God for this situation.

When he sees her, he draws his sickle then says, “Here to finish me off? I can tell since you’re burning brighter than usual.”

“I’m here to save you or at least try,” Oriana says.

“Save me? I’d rather not be saved because God offers no salvation, only pain. Look at yourself. Look all around us. The world burns and you burn, but nature doesn’t burn like we do. Some don’t even burn at all. The vegetation grows just fine and the wildlife is unaffected by the flames all around us. It seems evident to me that God cares more about these sinless things than us that He supposedly cares more for.”

“He does care for you. I care for you.”

“Hahaha! I’m not sure what’s funnier, but they are both untrue. God doesn’t care about nobodies like me or you. It’s why we’re in this situation. We’re less than nothing in His indifferent eyes.”

“There’s nothing I can think to say to convince you otherwise. Instead, I’ll convince you through action. Lord God, I embrace the cross you have given me and accept the pain to do penance for his sins as well.”

As soon as Oriana prays this, her body is completely consumed by fire. Her appearance is more angelic even though her pain is great to the point of bringing her to her knees. She holds back her screams of anguish and instead embraces her tears.

“Look at what God has granted you! He gives you nothing but pain and misery!” Umbriel says.

Standing up, Oriana counters by saying, “I have asked for this pain and embrace it for your sake. I don’t care how I feel. I only wish to save your soul and if that means suffering for you, then so be it.”

“How bold of you to say that, but how long will you endure? Your tears make it evident that you won’t last long.”

“I’m not crying because I’m in pain. I’m crying for you because I want you to come back to me. I don’t…I don’t want to see you lost anymore, so please. Come back.”

Taken aback by this, Umbriel doesn’t know how to respond as Oriana holds out her arms towards him. In Oriana’s fire form, he can see the face of mercy and love and feel God’s presence reach out to him.

“Do you think I’ll repent of my actions that I don’t need to repent of? I will not!” Umbriel’s response weighs down Oriana and intensifies her flames until she falls to her knees again. Seeing this awakens the guilt within Umbriel till he can no longer take it. “Okay, fine! I’ll take my guilt to reveal her of the pain due to me!”

Still, Oriana’s pain increases since Umbriel’s penance is not oriented in the right direction. Her tears increase though she is able to stand now.

“You’re…almost there,” Oriana says.

Umbriel swallows his pride then says, “Okay…okay. I accept my penance not only to relieve her of the cross she bears for me but also because…because I am sorry for my sins.”

He then holds Oriana’s hands before being set on fire with grace. This fiery form reminds Oriana of the man she fell in love with and in this form, Umbriel’s eyes are open along with his heart.

“Welcome back. I’ve missed you,” Oriana says.

“I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry I lost myself. I was just so…so jaded with how things are that…I don’t even know how to explain it,” Umbriel admits.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

Oriana kisses Umbriel and the two hold each other before heading back to Oriana’s squad who meets them halfway. Back in town, the group is given the same payment and thanks for a job well done before being given time to rest. Meanwhile, Umbriel confesses his sins to the bishop who commands all the squads in the diocese.

“For your penance, you are to rejoin your squad alongside Oriana. That will be all,” the bishop says.

“What? You aren’t going to put me in jail, have me do community service or some similar task?” Umbriel asks.

“Boy, don’t you see that the world is ending? Soon, even the souls burning in Purgatory will have their sentence ended despite the severity of their sins. Now is the time of repentance and bringing in those who are still lost. Time is running short, but we still have time, so get out and bring those lost souls home.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And, Umbriel,” the bishop says before hugging the young man and holding back his tears, “It’s good to have you back. I almost thought you were lost for good. When you said those words full of pain and hatred as you left, I begged God to help you carry your pain. I hope you know that I never meant to put the others above you because everyone I teach and meet is equally treasured by me in their own way.”

“Thank you. I know that now,” Umbriel says as he tries not to cry as well with his old teacher.

After this, Umbriel and Oriana head out to help save more souls. These two who are seemingly just two no-name foot soldiers, but also treasured souls of God whose souls are alight with love for Him, each other, and the others they will save.

The End

Sanctification Through Fire: Chapter 1 – Ignition of a Quest

Cover by An_dres_art

Chapter 1 – Ignition of a Quest

The world burns. After so many centuries of rot, violence, and sin, the blood-soaked world dries up to fire. One day, the sun seemed to grow wings under a bird made of fire descended on earth and set everything on fire including the moon. Those who are in a state of grace stay on fire as the divine flame burns the sin within their soul. On the other hand, those who reject the pains of the flames become what’s known as the charred and only endure some of the heat of the world, but to no profit to their soul. These sinners suffer the flames and pains of life for no reason and cling to their passions for as long as they can in this burning world.

In this world that is meeting its end, a young woman by the name of Oriana is one of the soldiers of the Church sends out to bring those outside of it to repentance. She is distinguished from her peers only by her mohawk flame hair, flame scarf, a distinctive dress of fire that’s different from the other girls, and the places on her body where she isn’t on fire. Otherwise, she is no different. She carries the same whip of penance as the girls and boys do and has no achievements in battle. Her squad and she have been deployed on a hunt to bring back more lost souls, but it seems like they are the ones who are hunted since they are ambushed on the way to the place they planned to ambush the charred.

The chaos separates Oriana from the other soldiers. Seeing that she is alone, the charred gang up on her, but before they overwhelm her, she takes out a few of them before catching sight of someone that she thought she would never see again or at least hope not to see again. Oriana and the young man she knows look at each other in disgust before he tells the charred around him to go after her.

Before the charred descend upon her, Oriana is saved by her fellow soldiers and the battle is evened out.

“Isn’t that Umbriel, your ex?” one of Oriana’s fellow soldiers asks.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Oriana says.

“Don’t show mercy to him.”

“Like I need to be reminded of that.”

As the fight goes on, the two sides separate as one goes after the other. Oriana then catches Umbriel and his group running away and it isn’t until she is a fair distance away that she notices that she’s the only one chasing them.

At this moment she says to herself and to God in part, “How did it end up this way? I can’t go back now. I just wish it wasn’t me doing this by myself.”

Part of herself wants to punish Umbriel for his betrayal but another part wants to leave him alone and forget that she even saw him.

“That idiot. Why now of all times? Why, God, have you made me cross paths with him again?” she continues.

With seemingly no choice but to continue forward, Oriana does so and comes across a town that the charred are ransacking for supplies to heal their wounded and forcibly bolster their numbers by giving the townspeople the choice to join them or die.

Umbriel sees Oriana and gets his charred to surround her then says, “Leave her to me.”

He takes out his sickle and circles her before attacking. They exchange attacks then back off.

“Still dedicated to that corrupt church, are you? When are you going to realize that damned place that our parents forced us into wants the world to burn and people to embrace pain?” Umbriel says.

“There’s more to it than that,” she responds.

“Are you sure about that? Those notched whips are meant to cause the most amount of suffering possible.”

“They cause pain to the soul so that you remember your reliance on God and wake you up from your sinful mind.”

“As if that makes it better. What has God done for the world that’s made it better? First, it was rotting, then it was bleeding, and now it is burning. Has there ever been a point in history that the earth didn’t smell like death? All of us are born weak because of God and we either struggle our entire lives while falling to sin and rising from it or live life how we want to and be punished for it.”

“We are to embrace our weaknesses and learn from them, which is something that you would know if you weren’t so consumed by your weakness.”

“Is being consumed by flames that much better? It’s been so long since I was on fire. How is it being in pain every moment of your life?”

“It’s better than pretending to be God and unlike you, I can handle it.”

The two resume their fight and keep fighting until they reach a standstill. Oriana’s allies finally come to her aid and join the fight; however, the two ex-lovers continue their fight as if a battle isn’t happening around them. She manages to injure Umbriel and he retreats to recover from his wounds.

A commander in her group who is almost completely clothed in flame says to her, “Go after him while we take care of these people!”

“Let the coward retreat! He’s chosen his fate as one of the damned,” Oriana counters.

“Everyone deserves a second chance or we all don’t now go after him!”

“Why me?!”

“Because you know him best, now go! That’s an order! No soul will be left behind!”

Knowing that her soul-cleansing flame will die out if she disobeys her orders, Oriana reluctantly goes after Umbriel. Since she didn’t immediately chase after him, she is unable to find him and has to resort to following his footprints to find him. Because the charred are not one with the divine fire that scorches the earth, they leave footprints that stain the burned earth like blood in the water. These footprints don’t take long to fade away, but since Umbriel passed by recently, Oriana can follow his trail as his footprints disappear. Even so, she can’t see him anywhere.

“Why did you have to be here? Why am I the one who is forced to go after you? This is a pain worse than these flames I suffer,” Oriana says to herself as she continues forward hoping that Umbriel dies from his minor wounds.

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Rina is a princess that abandons her kingdom to seek Our Lady of Sorrows to become holy like she is. Many dangers and corrupting influences will hunt her in this pursuit set in a world washed by blood where sins lead to rot and grace clothes people and allow them to manifest weapons to defend themselves with.

Washed by Blood, Clothed with Grace: Chapter 3 – Temptations of False Grace

Chapter 3 – Temptations of False Grace

Finally, after a long journey, Rina finds herself at a lake where the light of the moon shines on it. She cautiously approaches it until a woman appears out of it. A red light radiates from her that appears to clothe her in what can be called grace and looks like Our Lady of Sorrows that Rina has seen in so many paintings, statues, and stained glass art in churches.

Rina falls to the ground to venerate the woman and says, “I’ve come so far to meet you, My Lady. Command me whatever you wish so that I may serve Your Son perfectly.”

“Receive my blessing, my daughter. You deserve it after having come so far,” the woman says while holding out her arms towards Rina.

The light from the moon and woman expands itself to shine on Rina who begins to feel strange. This feeling fills Rina with warmth to the point where she begins to feel lightheaded.

“You did well to come to me and abandon your kingdom and family for I will give you a new crown,” the woman says.

Because of the woman’s power, the black and rotten parts of Rina’s body move to her crown on her head until her body appears immaculately white with little trace of red in it. Rina is about to express her thanks until her black crown digs into her head and clouds her thoughts.

“You will be my servant and I will be your queen, my daughter,” the woman says in a somewhat distorted voice.

“Who-who are you? You’re not…” Rina asks as she does her best to resist the woman’s imposed will on her.

“I am the Lady you have been searching for. I’ve been collecting and gathering people like you to overthrow this kingdom and your kingdom to make them my own.”

“N-no, please. Let me go.”

An arrow of light hits the shoulder of the woman and her true appearance is revealed. Her eyes are black and the area around it is rotten along with her arms and stomach.

“Get the princess out of here and kill that witch!” a knight says as they take Rina anyway.

“Kill them and get me back the princess no matter the cost!”

A small troop of rotten sinners comes out of the trees and ground to meet the knights in battle. The armor that’s formed from their blood identifies them as knights of Albinia. Some of them can form crossbows that materialize arrows of light made from the grace in their souls to defeat the growing horde in front of them while the others have strengthened armor with sharp shields and others beside them conjure multiple weapons that float around them.

After having gotten a good distance away, the knight lays Rina behind some trees a bush then says to her, “Stay here while we fight for you, princess. We promise that we’ll win!”

“Wait…”

The knight heads out before they hear what Rina said. Soon after, the witch forms a broken cross with her magic that tempts the minds of the knights and Rina and dulls their senses.

“We-we will not fall for your magic, witch! We are strengthened by God’s grace and will cut you down in His name!” a knight says before the rest of them cheer and fight on.

“I-I have to fight this!” Rina says as she struggles to fight the witch’s influence, “There’s still time to redeem myself. I can still…”

Rina struggles to fight the witch’s power over her until it fades away. This is when she is able to manifest her weapons and joins the fight but finds that it’s already over with both sides having killed each other.

She falls to her knees and says, “Why? Why?! I’ve come so far for nothing and lost more because of it. These loyal soldiers didn’t deserve to die for someone like me. I came all the way here abandoning all that I had to serve you, God, and you too, My Lady, but no matter how many times I prayed and submitted my soul to your holy will, I still fell to sin. I still made mistakes and I still did things that I know you wouldn’t approve of and considered evil. Why? I asked for guidance and received only some of the time. I asked for clarity and received silence. Can you answer this at least or do you hate me? Do you like seeing me suffer and fall to evil? Are you giving me the hopes of salvation only to take them away? Tell me the answer. I beg of you.”

In her despair, Rina waits and waits until another group of knights from her kingdom comes to get her, and with no answer received, her body begins to blacken. Seeing this, the knights try to cheer her up and remind her about God’s love for her, but she doesn’t listen.

“Your family and kingdom need you. We’ve been forced out of our home and came to this land for help and to find you,” a knight says.

This doesn’t help Rina at all. In fact, she despairs more so they quickly get her to her parents and family’s priest.

“Tell me what troubles you? What did the witch do to you?” her mother asks.

“She didn’t do anything other than take advantage of my want to be a better person. I don’t deserve any pity for my mistakes. I don’t even deserve to be called your daughter for what I’ve done to you and our people.”

Rina’s mother embraces her and says, “You’re always going to be my daughter no matter what you do. It doesn’t matter how many sins you commit over and over again. I will always be here to help you and there’s always a chance to make things right.”

“But…”

Her father then embraces her as well then says, “Even I sin occasionally, we all do, but God didn’t sacrifice Himself for nothing. If we were all perfect, we would act like we wouldn’t need Him. Indeed, God sometimes lets us fall to our weaknesses even though we always ask for His help. We don’t always know why this is, but what we do know for sure is that He always gives us a way to get back up and that He does love us.”

In her mother’s and father’s words, Rina can hear a silent voice speak. She can’t hear what it’s saying, but it’s as if a voice only familiar to her soul can understand. She now remembers God’s infinite mercy for her with the most obvious proof being her still being alive and being in the arms of her parents with the reminder that she is loved though she is weak. She is loved though can be sinful, she is loved though she falls again and again, and she is loved and will be loved forevermore. Again, she confesses her faults to her parents with tears in her eyes before confessing to the family’s priest.

The family isn’t given long to rest as their enemies that forced them out of their homes have found them after a long chase. Restored to grace, Rina joins the front lines of the fight as she manifests all her weapons.

Wings form on her back along with a multitude of curved blades. A barrage of iron and wooden arrows rains down on them, but her blades cut the arrows while the wings expand and shield those who cannot shield themselves. In battle, it is as she is in a lethal dance as her blades flow through the air and cut down whoever they touch. Her wings protect her and her allies when they are about to be struck. It’s almost as if they were possessed and had a mind of their own and it can be said that they are. Rina has given herself again to the protection of Our Lady and her Son. Their Holy Grace flows through her and grants her kingdom victory in this battle.

Now filled with confidence and renewed trust, Rina retakes her place as princess of her kingdom and leads them alongside her family. Even though it is evident that she isn’t perfected by grace since her body isn’t completely light red, she is more comfortable in her imperfection than before.

She prays aloud, “I promise that I will not only do my best to serve you, My Lady and Lord, but also to never despair again, trust myself to your mercy, pick myself up when I fall, and to never take for granted what I have. Thank you for your many blessings, my family, and your love.”

 

The End

Washed by Blood, Clothed with Grace: Chapter 2 – Anything for Holiness

Chapter 2 – Anything for Holiness

As Rina continues on her journey, she wonders about her family. She left without telling them that she would pursue the rumors of Our Lady since they already disapproved of her going out. They said that they were just rumors and nothing more especially since it’s been passed down through Sacred Tradition that Our Lady ascended into Heaven body and soul not long after the flood of blood.

“I’ll prove you wrong, dear mother and father. I’ll come back a saint and daughter that you are proud of,” Rina says to herself.

Her eyes are then drawn to the rotten black spots on her body, and is almost brought to tears by the reminders of her failures.

“This is going to be different. I know it is. This isn’t me being impatient. I’ve been waiting for something like this and it’s finally come to me,” she says.

“Do not worry, dear pure soul,” a half dark red, half light red forest dweller covered in leaves says.

“You startled me. Who are you?”

“A sign that points pure travelers to the Lady. You are going in the right direction. Again, you shouldn’t worry. The decisions that you made while you were on your royal throne immensely helped this land.”

“It has? I hadn’t heard much about the consequences of the things that my family trusted with and the only thing I heard was from whispers that didn’t sound too good. When I brought the whispers to my family’s attention, they told me to not worry, to learn from them, continue my studies, and that I wouldn’t be making any decisions for a while.”

“Your family was wise in telling you not to worry, but I’m not sure about the wisdom in not letting you make any more decisions. You helped the poor and instituted valuable places of learning both in your kingdom and in this land. No one else is as charitable as you.”

“That’s because most kingdoms are too busy fighting each other or giving gifts to another while also backstabbing them in other ways.”

“This is a world soaked in blood after all to the point that I don’t think that anyone knows what normal air smells like. Regardless, continue on your way because you will meet the Lady soon.”

“Thank you.”

Continuing on her way, Rina finds a clearing in the forest where there are small lakes surrounded by a sea of different kinds of wildlife. This wildlife is colored light red with different various symbols and designs on their bodies that add to their beauty as if they were individually tattooed and handcrafted by an artist. In this entire area, Rina is the darkest being and a bit of jealousy and grief fill her before she lets it go and continues heading in the direction of the moon. The animals around her run away as if frightened by her presence, which brings back her sorrowful feelings. There are only a few animals left and these animals seem strange to Rina. Not because they haven’t run, but because of how stiff they move in comparison to the others.

The reason for this is quickly revealed as four sinners take off the animal skin and ambush Rina along with another two sinners who come out of the lake. These sinners transform their bodies into weapons while also appearing to become more demonic and inhuman. Short swords manifest from Rina’s body as two swords of blood come out from her to protect her from the front while one manifests to protect her back. For defense, two small round shields form on her arms. Despite these blessings, Rina still feels that she may die since she is unable to form more swords and a shield for her back as she wants.

It doesn’t help that one of the sinners says, “Is that all you can manifest with your grace, princess? You must not be as pure as people claim.”

“Shut up and get out of my way!” Rina responds.

She slashes at her attackers with her floating sword until she decapitates one of them.

“I thought you were merciful. What happened to the princess that forgave the debt the prisoners that she thought gave a good confession?” another sinner says.

“The only way you’ll receive mercy from me is when you’ll get out of my way!”

Rina then manages to kill another by driving two swords into their chest and then kills another by aggressively going after them with three swords at once and cutting them into pieces. Seeing as how they’re in real danger now, the remaining three attack her in unison, but since there are only three, Rina’s three swords can focus on them as if each is wielded by an individual fighter. Soon after, her enemies are defeated one after the other. Her weapons of blood and grace then go back into her body as she sits on the ground and looks in her reflection in one of the many lakes.

“It’s okay. I’m nothing like them,” she says to herself.

To restore her self-confidence, she reminds herself that she isn’t as sinful as these sinners she’s killed and that she still has a chance to become better. She remembers her teachers telling her how the most depraved sinners wear the skin of animals since it only gives a mental sense of warmth while lightening the red on your skin naturally adapts to both heat and cold. This was during a lecture about penitents who keep their souls as pure as possible and sometimes wear leaves to hide the rot on their skin. Rina looks at her skin to see that she doesn’t have many light red spots and the few black spots that she has seems to have grown larger. She wonders why this is since she thinks that she hasn’t sinned to the best of her knowledge. Looking back into the lake, she sees her reflection warp until it no longer reflects her movements and looks to have a life of its own. It even seems to be purer than her as doesn’t seem to have any trace of red in it.

“That’s right. You aren’t like the others. Few have reached this place in search of the Lady,” her reflection says.

“Who are you?”

“I am a reflection of your soul. As you can see, you are purer than your mortal eyes can comprehend.”

“But I thought that the body reflects the soul?”

“Not these waters. These waters have been blessed by the Lady that isn’t too far from here. That is why so many animals gather and why so many sinners try to ensnare people to prevent them from reaching the Lady. Speaking of her, she is eagerly waiting for you. Don’t keep her waiting.”

“I won’t! Thank you so much!”

While heading towards the moon, Rina confidently continues forward unaware of the evil forces still watching her. Their plans have been unaffected by her actions and will soon be put into action.