Regret. That was what Vade felt. He had gone too far. Over the years he had toyed with the angel but on this day he had gone way too far and sent his guardian away. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have cared if Uriel suddenly abandoned him. Vade wasn't clingy, neither was he one to heavily rely on others. In fact, he prided himself on independence. However, on this day, he needed Uriel for Uriel was his ride back home. Vade had no idea as to where he was or how to get back home. He was in the middle of nowhere.
And what do you do at age ten after burning down a forest and find yourself in the middle of nowhere? You pray. You pray to a higher power because that is all that is left to do. No practical or logical solutions are available. So Vade prayed. He prayed to the only God he knew. He got on his knees and prayed to the God of his mother, in the way she thought him how.
And a few seconds later he opened his eyes to see an angel of Gad before him.
'What are you doing?' Uriel said, looking down on Vade with disgust.
'I'm praying,' Vade replied as he got on his feet.
'I leave you for a few minutes and you resort to praying. That's pathetic. Who are you praying to, the sky or the thin air?'
'My mother's god,' Vade said, getting rather conscious of the folly of praying to a god he had never seen or heard from, neither has he ever experienced any evidence to support its existence. He had grown desperate and in his childishness, he had done something absolutely foolish. Shouting Uriel's name and begging him to come back to save him would have been a more practical solution than praying to a myth that his mother's weak mind believed in.
'Ah, I see,' Uriel said nodding his head. 'So she was the one who thought you how to pray?'
'Yes,' Vade replied.
'That woman is an imbecile and her influence on you is destructive. I might have to eliminate her, smite her down, and bring an end to her pointless existence,' Uriel commented, as he stared at Vade in anticipation of the boy's reaction.
'Well, I don't care much for her,' Vade said with a shrug. But if you destroy her, you must be ready to take on my father too. For you would be a fool, to think you would kill her and my father would let you live after the deed is done. Hell, he won't even let you do it in the first place.'
'Your father is a speck of dust compared to my might. And if his life stands in the way of my vision then I shall deem his death necessary. I do not mind his influence on you but I can do without it. Nevertheless, are you going to stand there and tell me that you wouldn't care if I killed your mother?'
Vade considered the question for a few minutes before replying.
'I don't think I would. She is going to die eventually, either now or in the near future. And as it stands now, her life is of very little value to me. Her usefulness has been declining since the moment I left her womb. When I was in her womb, I depended on her for life itself. When I was a baby, she provided sustenance in form of milk, as well as care. But these days, she seems to me to be nothing more than an irritation. Her death isn't important to me, but neither is her life. I can't care less.'
'That's good to know,' Uriel said happily. The boy seemed to be very rational and pragmatic. His nonchalance towards evil also promised to be a plus as Uriel knew that defeating Gad would entail doing a lot of vile things in order to attain victory.
However, he suspected that something was wrong with the boy. Why else would a child not care about his mother's death? Was he so young that he didn't fully grasp the concept of death? Or was he incapable of emotions? Yet again he was reminded of why he had left. He didn't know enough about humans. He had flown away in a bid to return to heaven so he could do some research on the human race. However, he had been forced to return as he remembered that Vade couldn't fly nor find his way home.
Uriel knew he had to learn more about humans if he was going to be capable of grooming Vade. He needed to understand the intricate processes of how humans felt and how their bodies and minds worked. Vade had potential that much was clear from his performance. However, Uriel needed knowledge if he was going to be able to maximize said potential.
'Why did you leave me?' Vade asked, interrupting Uriel's thoughts.
'Your insolence became unbearable. And I also felt the need to do something very important in heaven.'
'Really? It is amazing to know that I influence the emotions of someone like you.'
'Don't be stupid,' Uriel shot back.
'Said the person who commanded a ten-year-old boy to find his way back home from the middle of nowhere.'
Uriel shook his head.
'Let's go,' he said and carried Vade in his arms. He flew the child back home and dropped him in his room. 'I shall be leaving you for a while. There is something I need to do, somethings I need to learn.'
'Fine. It's not like I care.'
'Don't be a child, Vade. Don't sulk like a brat.'
'I am not sulking. If you no longer have any interest in disturbing me with your presence then so be it. I never cared for your presence anyways.'
'Now you are just being spiteful. I think we need time apart to grow.'
'I am not being spiteful. You are the one acting weird like we are in a poorly written romantic comedy.'
Uriel shook his head in disappointment. 'Goodbye Vade,' he said as he turned around and left.
With Uriel gone, Vade had time to think about what he had done and he suddenly grew exhausted. He couldn't believe that he had the energy to destroy an entire forest and still remain standing. He had seen how exhausted his father felt after each day at work. Magic costs energy and takes its toll on the human body. This is what Vade had seen and it was what he believed. So according to the new laws of the universe his reality adjusted to his beliefs.
As he laid in bed, he grew weaker and his body burnt. But this time rather than fire, his body burnt with a deadly fever, that seemed to boil his blood like a broth. His head ached with intense pain and his joint filled his nerves with maddening anguish.
He writhed in pain, struggling through the agony that took control of his brain. And for hours, he suffered. For hours he was miserable. Until finally the pain reduced and he had some element of relief. He was still feverish and in pain but it was now bearable and he could think.
With his mind now once again capable of deep thought, Vade began to consider his guardian Uriel. Why was Uriel so interested in his growth and development? Why would a being so powerful, an angel of the most high, spend his days with a mere mortal, irrespective of how special said mortal is?
For the first time ever Vade seriously considered this question. He had always wondered why but this was the first time he was determined to figure it out. So he dug into his memories and tried to replay every time he had spent with the angel. The truth would have been revealed somewhere, he just needed to look back and find it.
In the end, he found nothing concrete. However, he realized that Uriel was playing a game. He came to this realization by remembering Uriel's statement about wanting to kill his mother because she was a bad influence and also killing his father if he stood in the way of his vision.
It became clear to Vade that Uriel had a plan and a vision, and he was a major part of that vision. However, what that vision was and how he fit in, he had no idea. Nevertheless, he was determined to not remain ignorant. He was handicapped because he was human and didn't have access to a great many truths. However, he was determined to know all he can and be all he can.
For Vade realized that existence was like a game of chess. There were pawns, who were weak and small-minded, tiny things who weren't flexible in thoughts and actions and couldn't see the whole board. Then there were nobles. The rooks, knights, bishops, kings, and queens. Important beings with varying strength and power. They were more powerful than pawns, saw more than pawns, and thought more than pawns. They thought they could see the whole board as they could see farther than pawns. However, they couldn't see the whole board for they were on it and were only slightly better than pawns.
The privilege of seeing the whole board was reserved for players. Those who saw it all and manipulated the pawns and nobles to achieve their goals and visions. Power made you a noble but it takes power, insight, and vision to become a player.
And in that moment Vade swore that he would never be a pawn or a noble. Instead, he would be a player and not just any player, but the kind of player that wins.