"Bring the Angel and lay him on that stone slab." Said the Bishop of the Church of Knowledge as he indicated to a high raised stone slab with a flat top, polished and watered. It laid right in the middle of a bath-like area which was similarly made of white marble and of similar height.
The knights behind nodded their heads and a few minutes later they came back with a leather carrier on which Aiden was resting. He was still unconscious like before but from a closer look, it was evident that the burn mark has increased. Not only that, it seemed like the cotton and cloth pieces that were used to prevent any blood loss due to all the shaking in the road, had become a little bloodied.
"The burns are increasing, grandpa Bart!" William said alarmingly and Bartholomew frowned a little worriedly.
"That is indeed true, child. Mathews, will there be any problem?" he asked the Bishop and Mathews for once, looked with intrigue at Aiden.
He was silent for a few moments before something flashed in his head. Standing back, he commanded the knights in a heavy tone, "Turn his body immediately."
"!" the knights looked confused but did as they were asked. They lightly picked his body and turned him over. "Remove his clothes." The Bishop kept on ordering and the knights swiftly pulled their swords out.
"Don't use your swords idiot! That fabric is infused with Divine Brilliance. You will be turned to dust once the sword touches the cloth!" barked Bartholomew at the knights. The knights looked embarrassed for a while before placing their swords down and undressed Aiden manually. Removing the light gown on Aiden's body something fear-inducing appeared which shocked everyone in the room.
There was a large cut mark on his back which extended from one corner to the other. It looked normal from the first glance but the nerves around the wounds had become deep black. In the eyes of Bartholomew and Mathews, it was a horror in a different level.
Both of them rushed infront and touched the skin slightly before jerking it back as if a shock ran past them.
"Chitin poison." Mathews said as he kept on jerking his finger.
"Yes, but I've never seen such a high concentration in such a small amount. Without the Divine Protection, his body would've corroded into nothing. Do we have any antidotes here?"
"We have but they won't work. The concentration has practically made it a Divine grade poison. Not only that, the antidote of such a high-concentration chitin poison can only be produced by an archdevil."
"So, what should we do?" Bartholomew asked, more worried than ever.
"…" Mathews but his lips in frustration but then he turned to Bartholomew and asked a simple question. "Who does he serve?"
The moment he asked the question, everyone looked interested and turned towards Bartholomew. William was curious because Aiden was his brother, Morgan and Shirley both witnessed the grand flames which covered Aiden when his transformation was taking place and the sword which materialized and one-shot the Abyss creature. The knights were curious because knowing Bartholomew's status it was hard for any single Angel to divert him from his initial task and Ian was obviously curious because Bart had warned him especially to be wary of this particular young Angel.
Of course, Bart wasn't a fool to proclaim the name of the God with zeal like any other pious priest. Instead, he came close to Mathews and whispered something in his ears, listening to which Mathews' initial expression changed into that of surprise and excitement.
"A-a-are y-you sure, Bart?!!!" he exclaimed to which Bart smiled wryly, "You know the books better than me, Matthews. You know, IT is possible."
"Possible! Indeed, its possible! Anyway, anyway, if its HIM, I think the kid has a pretty good shot. Heck! Who am I kidding, don't worry about the health Bart! I will make sure that everything goes dot to dot. Fellow men, release the tap of the Holy Water and fill the bath to the brim of the stone slab until the lil' Angel is lightly floating over it. Move your darn asses!!"
Mathews shouted in a stern and excited tone and even though his priests were healthier than skeletons, they still dashed around the room like little roosters. Soon, the bath was filled with pristine Holy Water which had a silvery white gleam and gave off a faint Holly flower smell, a typical flower used in catholic religion.
"Wash his body with Holy Water here. Quick, knights, move those fat hands of yours!" he kept on cursing as he ordered people around.
The knights sighed defeated at his comment but didn't slack. The naked body of Aiden was thoroughly cleaned under the hands of the knights and even though there were a few problems, it didn't take more than fifteen minutes to prepare everything. Washing his back which had the big cut was a little tricky but the knights were familiar with wounds and cuts, they were professional first-aid provider in battlefield situation.
"Place him on the stone slab on his back. Don't worry about the wound, the formation in the bath will stop it from expanding further."
After placing Aiden on the stone slab with his hands crossed above his chest and knees touching each other, the knights backed down. Now, it was the priests turn but before they could start their ritual something magical started to happen.
Ssiiiiii!!!
A slow burning sound hissed in the bath and the Holy Water which was in the bath started to form vapors. The water wasn't boiling mind you but everyone in the room felt it become hotter and hotter. At first it was the air around them, then it was the ground they were walking and then they themselves started to sweat profusely.
Sssaaa!
Ssaa!!
Sssaaa!!
All of a sudden, all the other faucets which connected the bath to tank of Holy Water started turning anti-clockwise supernaturally and Holy Water started to flow down at an incredible rate, forming more mist around the body. Some of the water overflowed from the tank and spilled outside, flowing down from the higher place to their feet.
Ian curiously touched the flowing water with the tip of his steel boots but a burning sting went through his whole body.
"Ouchhh!!" he cried as he jumped back in fright. Everyone looked started at him but both Bart and Mathews laughed at that.
Mathews smiled brightly and said in his excited tone, "Its really true, Bart…"
"Haha! I'm quite proud on my dreams, you know." He said a little smugly but then both of them turned silent at what was happening infront of them.
They saw the mist form a protective wall near the bath but to their surprise, they saw Aiden, who was unconscious until now, slowly rise up on his feet. It was a strange scene and looked ethereal but before their eyes, two giant wing shadows spread on his back. For a moment, Aiden turned back and to the people outside, it looked like he was peering at them through the mist cover. The stare seemed quite emotionless and blank but everyone felt a different sensation when they found themselves being stared.
Ian and the other knights felt like being stared at by a divine being, looking down on them like small insects whereas Mathews and his priests saw a child looking inquiringly at them, hungry for knowledge. William saw a caring brother looking at him with love while Morgan and Shirley saw … nothing. It felt like he was looking at them with indifference and innocence. As for Bart, he saw a little child smiling gratefully at him.
He felt a kindness which he couldn't describe even though he hadn't done anything other than what he was ordered to do. He felt a calmness spread in his heart when he looked at the shadow and all of this happened in just a single second.
After that second passed, the shadow lifted up a little and then with a flap of his wing, it was gone along with all the mist and obviously Aiden. The stone slab where he was resting was the same as before just without Aiden.
Everyone except Bart and Mathews looked astonished at the scene and from all of them, William had the strangest look.
"Grandpa Bart, where is big brother?" he asked, holding back his worry but to his question, Bart laughed out loud and said in joyful tone, "He has gone home, child. He had gone straight to Heaven."
"Yep! That was a super-fast one-way ticket to Heaven." Mathews chimed in and for a moment, their words not only shocked William but everyone present.
'Has these old men gone senile?' everyone thought for a second but their thoughts was then interrupted by a light sobbing sound. Large drops of tears formed in William's eye, tears which he was holding back. He fell straight from heaven right down to hell and tears clogged his eyes and chocked his voice.
"Brotherrrrr…. Wuwuwuwuwu..." he started sobbing in a low tone which caught Bart off-guard but when he thought about what he said, he laughed out loud once again.
"You guys are all meanies!!" he said when he heard Bart laughing and started sobbing in an even louder tone. Finally, after a minute of laughing to his fill, Bart couldn't ignore the crying William and picked him up in his hands. "Don't cry like a baby William—"
"I want my brother back!!" he screamed in his ears in response. He balled his fist and tried to punch him but then he resorted to more reachable targets. His beards. He started pulling his facial hair and beard without relent.
"Ouch! Ouch! William! Hey, William! Listen to what grandpa has to say before you make me beardless!"
"No! you promised to cure my brother fully. I trusted you but you sent him directly to heaven! I trusted you!!" he cried and started twisting his beard and pulling it with savage passion.
Unmeasurable pain made Bart almost faint but he held onto himself. If he faints, he can expect to wake up beardless, that's for sure. Steeling himself, he said with every ounce of his strength to not sound angry, "Y-you're forgetting something little kiddo, your brother is an Angel. Being sent to Heaven is not death to him, it's kinda like his home!" he said and no sooner did he say, William froze in his spot. He had actually twisted a large patch of Bart's beard and was about to give him the most painful pull ever but then it hit him.
'Brother is really an Angel…'
But then something ominous entered his mind. 'What if everything is false. Those wings, those flames, that sword, everything and everyone is just playing with me—nonono! That's idiotic. I'm sad but I'm not that sad. Brother is surely safe, I know it!'
He left all the clutches of hair he had formed and pinched his chin with his index finger and thumb. "What you say is indeed true. But…" he looked suspiciously at Bart and asked, "do you know when I can meet with my brother. Or the closest gate to heaven?" he asked unreasonably but Bart didn't feel angry at all. He felt like a true grandfather for once in his six-hundred years of mortal life.
"I can't take you to heaven but I sure know where and when we can meet him."
"Where?"
"Venessa, the Imperial Capitol of Xerith in two months' time."
"That's long…" William said sadly but could do nothing. He climbed down from Bart's capture and sadly kicked his feet but before he secluded himself for some pep talk, he turned to Bart and said in a different, energetic tone, "Grandpa Bart, your beard is unusually soft for your age and has a calming effect. I think you should let other crying children touch it too."
"Hic!" a shock went through his body and for the first time, he felt a chill run down his spine.
"Heh!" Ian let out a small laugh which would prove to be his bane in the upcoming journey. Of course, the laugh didn't escape Bart's ear and a cold glint flashed across his eyes. It was one thing if a child makes fun of him but it's a different thing when an adult does.
"Duke Ian, send order to your men. We're leaving for the Capital immediately."
"What? But I was tasked by Her Imperial Majesty to defend this border." Ian defended himself as a chill ran down his spine but all it did was make Bart smile coldly.
"Yes, that's the order and that's why your men will stay here indefinitely while You will come with me. Don't you have faith in your soldiers?"
"I o-obviously have faith in them but—"
"There's no but, commander. It is the duty of the highest commanding unit to provide support to a Saint, is it not?" his smile widened and looking at the coldness seeping from it, Ian didn't have the will to deny Bart's so-called 'request'.
"As you wish, Your Excellency…"
"Good. I have faith that you will 'serve' us with the best of your abilities."
Ian sighed and turned back and in turn relented his anger on the knights who had accompanied him. "Get your fuckin' arses on the move, you darn sows!!"
Right then, Mathews came behind Bart and said in a grateful tone, "Bart, I'm truly thankful to you for everything"
Bart looked a little surprised at the sudden thanks, "I don't understand friend, what for?"
"I wouldn't have been able to witness such a majestic and graceful sight if it was not for you, Bart."
"Haha, friend, it was in your fate just like how it was in mine. But you know, its hard for even us apostle to see the birth of new Angels like this."
"Indeed, how many of our brightest stars did we lose in the Old War? Birth of such Angels and their legacies is a hope that we will once again take back what was ours and regain our former glory."
"Indeed, indeed."
"And that's why I've a request to make. Can I please accompany you to the capital? I want to impart all my knowledge to help him in his future career as much as possible."
Bart smiled wryly and replied, "My friend, that is not in my hands. Those things can only be decided by his God and the people whom He chooses. You might not even get a chance."
"But I do feel like I have one." Mathews said with a childish but resolute conviction. Something to which Bart couldn't refuse.
"Very well, I will take you to the capital with me but I can't guarantee you anything. Even I can't speak on your behalf because he wouldn't even know me."
"Its okay with me. Boys!" he turned to his priest and said in a relieved tone, "I will be going with Saint Bartholomew to the Capital. In the meantime, I want all of you to protect the books from all possible harms and to help the knights and the people with every piece of knowledge and experience they would like."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Soon the church was filled with renewed vigor with everyone dashing towards their respective tasks with haste. Only William, Morgan, Shirley and Bart were left standing like statues. William even shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't even see how my brother is special but whenever everyone else hears his name why do they act like they are in drugs."
Shirley clicked her tongue and retorted, "Wasn't it you who was crying like a baby a few minutes ago?"
"Shove it!" William cussed at her but she smirked, "Heh! If you still want to meet your brother, I can lend a hand." She cracked her knuckles and given the fact that she was the same age as Aiden and therefore elder than William meant that she was naturally more powerful than him. Gender doesn't have any effect on strength when one's five-years-old.
William gulped down hard and distanced himself a little from her, "I warn you, my body is for my brother only. If you defile it with those greasy fingers of yours, my brother would skin you alive." He threatened on Aiden's name but the 'greasy finger' definitely didn't go well with Shirley.
She smiled evilly as she neared him. Looking at the evil smile, William was about to run but she swiftly caught him and an innocent torture took place. Even Bart took his revenge by not replying to any of the cries of help William gave out.
Tit for tat.
…