Clutching his shirt, Taehoon's heart wouldn't stop beating. His breaths sped up, and his throat tightened. He couldn't move a muscle.
"You have been judged. You have been deemed…unworthy."
A bloodied arm fell to the floor. Space distorted and darkness blocked his vision. Everything fell apart. Taehoon awakened in a frenzy. Hands shivering, mind clouded, and ears deafened. His dull green eyes widened.
"Just a bad memory."
He turned to Lavenza, leaning on the Golden Gate. Dark bags laid beneath her eyes. Her tanned skin shone next to the bright backdrop. She walked over and offered her hand to Taehoon.
"You aight?" Her rough voice was muffled. She shook her head, and sighed.
"Yeah. I'm fine." The halo above his head flickered from pitch black to bright gold.
"Put your mask back on Hoon-Hoon. Don't want you getting in trouble again."
"I'll only have a bit. Don't worry about your little bro." Taehoon inhaled deeply.
The aroma was hypnotic.
Unease turned to bliss.
His halo flickered once more.
"My one good arm says you're lying."
Lavenza remarked. Her smile pierced through the mask. Taehoon frowned at the sight of her empty sleeve.
"Stop feeling so bad about it. It ain't your fault. Had to keep you safe, ya know?"
She grinned wide. Wide as the golden gates behind them. She sparkled with optimism.
They sat alone on a cloud, in an endless blue void. An ocean of air with misty islands. Serene songs flowed through the bright abyss, a choir of divine nature serenading the guardians of the gate. However, the two were restless.
Suddenly, gusts of wind twirled and shaped the clouds into a vortex facing the gate. The songs grew even louder, and space distorted to form a portal. Light bloomed from the Golden Gate, it was brimming with delight. Faint voices could be heard beyond the portal. Lavenza's jacket became a cape as the wind pushed her back. The two shielded their faces from the tempest. They readied their stances. Taehoon launched his palms out while Lavenza pointed her trident forward.
Once the raging gale ceased, out came a child. A little girl. She had pale skin, and wore a pure white dress. Her look of innocence as she tilted her head in curiosity took them both aback. Slowly, they lowered their guards.
All of a sudden, a booming voice echoes through the empty space.
"Judgment has begun, divine retribution must be made." It commanded.
"Hello! I'm Elizabeth, where am I?"
The child asked as she scanned the void.
Taehoon's skin crawled. He ran towards the girl and shielded her.
"We're meant to protect souls."
He spread his arms wide open and planted his feet into the ground.
"You didn't let me go, we can't let go of her either."
"I lost a part of me because I didn't let you go. I can lose everything else, but not for her." Lavenza raised her lance at him and scowled. She dug her heels into the ground.
"Get out of the way."
The two simply glared at each other.
Silence. Pure Silence.
With a boom, Lavenza thrusts her spear into Taehoon. His ear piercing scream filled the abyss. Blood leaked, staining the clouds. Lavenza froze. "Why?"
Gritting his teeth, he freed the lance from his gut. Paralyzed.
"I'll lose something for her then."
Taehoon's eyes were filled with conviction.
Lavenza lunged at the lone child with all her might. A whistle from the wind sounds as she slashed down, trying to bisect her.
At the last moment, Taehoon halts the attack. He bellows out as he holds back the lance. "SHE'S INNOCENT." Golden rays from his halo blind Lavenza. She pushes even more, slicing Taehoon's left eye open.
Red gushes out of the wound and he writhes in pain, losing power. In a desperate attempt, he takes the lance and drives it back into her.
She falls. Slowly.
Not even the thump of her knees falling down could be heard. She gasped for air. Teardrops trickled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Taehoon could only repeat himself while clutching his sister. The last of her energy dissipated, and she turned to dust. Taehoon's halo went pitch black. Tears rained down on the soft ground, a waterfall of despair drenching the cloud. His cries echoed even louder. The child skips behind him and speaks out.
"I'm innocent, mister."
With a blast of light, Taehoon's halo glowed brighter than ever before.