- It can't be! - exclaimed the two, without being able to believe that the world would end.
- It is true, and therefore God commanded me to get your help, Esther, to take precautions.
- Well, you got to me a little bit late didn't you? I'm dead! Unless… Are you going to resurrect me?
- No, I have no such ability. Thankfully, you're alive. All that's left to do is send you back to earth.
- Wait, what? What?! - She repeated, shouting confused.
- I do not know if you noticed, but when you landed, the ground was soft, cloudy even. I was able to send an archangel to create a portal here, right before you hit the ground.
- So I, Zach and all the tribe are alive? – She asked with sparkling eyes of anticipation.
- No. Just you and Zacharias. Due to the earthquake caused by Armageddon, the cave collapsed, killing most of your clan. My goal was to leave you alive, so I saved you, and thankfully, the one you were holding on to. I regret that so many were killed, but now there is nothing to do.
- C ... How so Armage..gedom caused this? - Zacharias questioned, while her friend seemed to be completely lost.
- Armageddon is an underground city which will rise only when the apocalypse happens. As such is about to happen, the city is being risen, but for this it is necessary to breach the land where it lies beneath to pass. The Amazon happened to be immediately above and suffer the consequences.
- And you could not have done anything? If you saved me, why not everyone else? Am I really that special?
- Esther, I'm sure you know that you are special. It has been a miracle I could bring you here without consequences. It would be impossible to save your people.
- What consequences?
- I would affect the world order, should I had saved your whole tribe. All of them were destined to die. But not you. You are destined to change the world. Your friend however is an odd case. Hopefully nothing too bad will happen with him alive. It's not like he is going to bring an all-powerful demon from Hell to Earth.
- S... so, I'm alive b... by accident? - Zach's stutter only seemed to worsen
-Exactly. You were holding on to her to protect her. I believe you are a good person and that you deserve to be saved too. I think it is better this way. You can prove to be of great help to her.
- Why just now? You could have just called me earlier and prevented this. I could have saved everyone. - She regretted wistfully. - If the destination is what matters to you, then I guess my dad was right. Why try to heal wounds? God knows when we die, right? As much as we want to survive, our whole life depends on someone higher. I do not know why I wanted to improve the conditions of the tribe, it wouldn't change anything. But I can't… I can't believe that. That just can't be true.
- You are not thinking straight. The fact that death can happen at any time, without having control over it does not mean we should give up living. On the contrary, it gives us a reason for us to enjoy life to the fullest. You cannot waste your life, you never know when will be the end. You have to give a reason to the world to be remembered. So, no, Esther, you cannot think like that. Everything you did is why you will be remembered. Trying to improve the way of life of your tribe, will leave in the memory of others a humble image of someone who does not mind to sacrifice for the good of others.
- So we live to be memories?
- In a way, yes.
- I do not want my father as a memory, I want to have it in the flesh. You could have saved him and did not, and therefore I cannot trust you. I do not know what you want to do, but ask someone else. You know what? Ask my friend here, he must accept. - She said, turning away with teary eyes.
Zach wanted to go after Esther, however Vehulah prevented him, saying:
- Do not go boy. Let her go. She needs some space for now, at the right time I will send an angel to speak to her.
- You must be right. You are a seraphim after all ... What is a seraphim?
- I am a being of the highest angelic hierarchy, the closest to our Lord with six wings, two to cover my feet, which are not worthy to walk close to Him, and two to cover my face, not to burn my eyes when observing its grandeur.
- Ahh! - exclaimed surprised. - So you have never seen Him?
- In fact I have, but not in the way you think. I see Him everywhere I look, in each one of His creations. In the souls of the people who come to this realm, in the wings that divinize my angelic brethren. You see him too. In all the wilderness and people around. However, most humans would not understand what this means. - He tried to explain, after noticing the lack of astonishment of the young. – You don't seem surprised.
- I was never too keen on religion. I just know that we believe in the Lord. Don't really care if I see Him or not.
- Makes sense. Then I might had…
Vehulah and Zacharias had a long talk on various religious subjects. The kid even had the chance to change clothes, or, at least wear some, since he had nothing to cover the torso. Vehulah made a black leather shirt simply spending time until the it was right to go calm Esther.
*
The girl, when running away from the others, got herself lost in the immensity of clouds in Purgatory. She wandered for what seemed like hours, constantly trying not to let her tears flow. When she got fed up, she decided to sit for a while and let the tears come down her face. She could not believe that her father was dead and therefore tried to pull away as much as possible of Him who allowed that to happen. She felt angry with God, even though she tried calling herself to reason. She told herself repeatedly "God is God, and He alone knows what is best for the world. If he left my father die, it was because it was the best thing to do. ". However, she could not convince herself.
She remembered the happiest moments she spent with his father when he read her the Tanakh (a kind of Jewish Bible) when he gave her a bat to celebrate her tenth anniversary, and when he spoke of his mother while lying in the tent-medical. Obviously with these thoughts also came the bad times, which were essentially her recalling seeing his father lying about being fine, while being terminally ill. "He had suffered enough. I suppose an instant death like that isn't too bad." She thought.
However, having memories simply wasn't enough. She wanted to meet him, ask him what to do. It was then that a woman in the middle of the fog surrounding the realm emerged. She didn't look much older than her, having at most a couple of years more. She had wings as great if not greater, than her own height. With a clear and graceful skin and a black, long hair, waving all the way to the center of the back, she looked dazzling. Her blue eyes gave her a hypnotic gaze, able to capture the attention of anyone that she glimpsed. She wore a white dress going from the neck almost to the ankles. To the girl's surprise, the angel brought with her the young girl's childhood gifted mace.
She approached the girl and said softly:
- Hello Esther, are you feeling any better?
- Who are you?
- I am angel Dane and I came here to make sure you follow your destiny.
- Oh, okay. I already feel a little better, but I would like to stay a little ... – Esther tried to explain herself, but was quickly interrupted.
- If you feel better then come on. I do not want to be wasting time here with you. Take your bat here. God told me it was yours. - She said now with an imperative tone.
- Hey, you don't have to be so rude. As I was saying, I still want to go visit my dad and ask him what to do, you bossy angel. So before you bring me to wherever you believe my fate should take me, let's make a stop before. But thanks for my club. – She concluded, winding the club in her skirt.
- Oh, and I'm the one that's bossy. – Commented the angel, apparently already enraged by the girl, taking a posture of superiority. - Do you really think I'm just going to do what you want because you ask so horridly? I'm just coming here to get you because I was the closest angel to Vehulah at that time. By this time, I would be preparing defenses against the Devil invasion.
- The Devil is coming here to attack?
- You are nosy, aren't you? That, for now, does not concern you. At this point you just have to decide one thing, you either come with me to meet up with the seraphim leader, or stay here forever lost.
- Okay, I'll go with you. - She said with a sigh, annoyed by the angel's ultimatum.