"We will begin with a prayer," Raphael had said. Just as these words left his mouth, the sight of a nuclear missile could be seen in the reflection of the camera lens.
BOOM—!!!
An enormous eruption ensued—a blast that was designed to be large enough to erase the Moon out of existence.
"˙ɹƎפN∀p"
Just before the nuke's blast reached the seven High Priests, their bodies were quickly swept back into the temple by an unnatural unseen force.
"Urgh—!!!" They all hit the floor with rushed force. To their confusion, they suddenly found themselves inside the temple, with the sounds of eruptions growing just outside. MONA had moved them inside into safety. Rocks from the Moon began barricading the open roof and the front entrance.
"W-What is happening?!?" Raphael asked with worry.
"˙ǝlqᴉssod sɐ uoos sɐ ɥʇɹɐǝ oʇ ʞɔɐq ʇǝƃ oʇ pǝǝu llɐ no⅄ ˙ǝlqɐʇᴉʌǝuᴉ puɐ uoos ǝq llᴉʍ ɥʇɐǝp ʎW ˙pǝʇǝƃɹɐʇ uǝǝq ǝʌɐɥ I ɥƃnoɥʇ sɐ sɯǝǝs ʇI"
"What?! Death?!?" Jophiel couldn't understand. "Why?!?"
"It appears Mother's been struck with a nuke," Michael sighed with growing worry.
Ariel was in tears hearing MONA's voice accept Her death. "And where else could it have been sent from other than earth…?"
"It must have been plotted by someone," Chamuel insisted. "But who…?"
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER?!?" Raphael screamed with agony. "Mother is dying right now! We need to do something to save Her or else—!"
"˙noʎ ǝʌɐs oʇ sᴉ ʇᴉ puɐ 'llɐ noʎ ɹoɟ op uɐɔ I ƃuᴉɥʇ ʇsɐl ǝuo ʎluo sᴉ ǝɹǝɥ┴ ˙ɹǝʍod ǝɥʇ oʇ ʇno ǝʌᴉƃ ǝldɯǝʇ sᴉɥʇ ɟo sllɐʍ pǝɔɹoɟuᴉǝɹ ǝɥʇ ǝɹoɟǝq ƃuol ʇou sᴉ ʇᴉ puɐ 'uoᴉsoldxǝ ǝɥʇ ʎq pǝɟlnƃuǝ ǝq uoos llᴉʍ I ˙ǝsn ou sᴉ ǝɹǝɥ┴"
Around the High Priests, the walls of the temple began to crack and crumble. In quick succession, the rocks from the ground under began unravelling itself, securely forming its own rounded walls around the seven High Priests.
"˙pǝʇǝldǝp ʎllnɟ ɯɐ I ǝɹoɟǝq uɐɔ I sɐ ʎƃɹǝuǝ ɥɔnɯ sɐ ɥʇᴉʍ uǝʌɐɥ ǝɥʇ ǝɔɹoɟuᴉǝɹ llᴉʍ I ˙ɥʇɹɐǝ oʇ ʞɔɐq dᴉɹʇ ɹnoʎ uᴉ llɐ noʎ ǝɹnɔǝs oʇ ʎpoq ʎɯ ɯoɹɟ sʇuɐuɯǝɹ ɥʇᴉʍ uǝʌɐɥ ǝɟɐs ɐ ɯɹoɟ llᴉʍ I"
Pieces of rock continued to forcefully build its way around the High Priests, all done by an unseen force, as if the unseen hands of MONA quickly but carefully assembled the haven around them. Inside the rocky room that began to form, the High Priests couldn't contain their sorrow. Some clutched their chests from the pain that pierced their hearts, while others wailed in desperation. It was only Raphael, who stood his ground quietly. He stared at the floor, unable to see from the blur of tears that filled his eyes. He was perplexed by the absolute absurdity that someone would do such a thing to his Mother, MONA. The thought of his goddess dying just after he'd finally heard her voice consumed his thoughts with rage. He would not be able to forgive whoever performed this act against the Menesis, and against MONA.
"No…" Raphael clenched his fists until they bled. "Why must you depart now, Mother? We need you…"
"˙uǝʌǝs noʎ pǝpᴉʌoɹd ǝʌɐɥ I ʇɐɥʍ ɥʇᴉʍ ǝɔuɐɹqɯǝɯǝɹ ʎɯ uo ʎɹɹɐɔ puɐ 'sʇɟᴉƃ ʎɯ ǝʞɐʇ 'ǝsɐǝlԀ ˙uoᴉʇɐnʇᴉs sᴉɥʇ uᴉ op uɐɔ I ǝɹoɯ ʎuɐ ʇou sᴉ ǝɹǝɥ┴ ˙uǝɹplᴉɥɔ ʎɯ 'ʎɹɹos ɯɐ I"
"B-But what can we possibly do without you!? We need you to guide us back on earth and…"
"˙ǝɹǝʌǝsɹǝd oʇ ǝlqɐ ǝq llᴉʍ noʎ 'llɐ noʎ pǝpᴉʌoɹd ǝʌɐɥ I sƃuᴉʍ ǝɥʇ puɐ 'ɯǝʇᴉlɐ┴ punoɟʍǝu ǝɥʇ 'ɯnᴉɹǝuʎW ǝɥʇ ɥʇᴉM ˙ʎɐʞo sᴉ ʇI"
The final holes in the room built around the High Priests were filled in with the detached walls from the temple's north, east, and west. The inner walls of the safe haven now contained the gifts MONA had given them.
"˙ǝʌᴉǝɔǝɹ ʇsnɯ noʎ ʇɟᴉƃ ǝɹoɯ ǝuo sᴉ ǝɹǝɥʇ 'oƃ llɐ noʎ ʇǝl I ǝɹoɟǝq"
Out of thin air inside the haven, ancient rock began to appear out of thin air, formulating the shape of a human body just before the High Priest's eyes. When the rocky body was finally fully shaped, it was given life and structure; the body had a sleek yet built figure of a male, with hair so long it fell down to his shoulders. The man's eyes were closed shut, and once his structure was finally completely formed, the body went limp and fell to the floor.
"Who is that…?" Uriel asked. "Did you just make a human, Mother…?"
"˙ɥʇɐǝp ɟo lǝƃu∀ ǝɥʇ llɐ noʎ oʇ pǝuoɯɯns ǝʌɐɥ I ˙uǝɹplᴉɥɔ ʎɯ 'uɐɯnɥ ɐ uɐɥʇ ǝɹoɯ sᴉ ǝH"
"Angel of Death…?" The aura of death was suddenly felt by the Priests. It came from the unconscious male laying in the middle.
"˙ǝnpqns llᴉʍ 'ʎuɐ ɟᴉ 'ʇɔᴉlɟuoɔ ɹnoʎ ʇɐɥʇ ǝɯᴉʇ pǝʇɐɯᴉʇsǝ ʎɯ sᴉ ʇɐɥ┴ ˙ɟlɐɥ ɐ puɐ ʎɹnʇuǝɔ ɐ uǝʌǝs noʎ ǝʌɹǝs oʇ ʇɔɐɹʇuoɔ ɐ ɥʇɐǝp ɟo lǝƃu∀ ǝɥʇ pǝuƃᴉssɐ ǝʌɐɥ I 'ʇɟᴉƃ ƃuᴉʇɹɐd ʎɯ s∀ ˙pǝuǝddɐɥ ǝʌɐɥ oʇ ʞɔɐʇʇɐ sᴉɥʇ ɹoɟ sǝᴉɯǝuǝ ǝʌɐɥ sᴉsǝuǝW ǝɥʇ ʇɐɥʇ ɹɐǝlɔ sᴉ ʇI"
"But we'll die of age by then… What will happen to the Angel of Death when none of us seven will be left to keep his contract tied?" Chamuel thought about it, but before he could come up with his own conclusion, MONA answered back.
"˙ǝƃɐ ɟo ssɐd ʇou llᴉʍ noʎ ʇnq 'ǝlqᴉɔuᴉʌuᴉ ʇou ǝɹɐ no⅄ ˙ʎʇᴉuɹǝʇƎ ɟo ǝƃ∀ uǝʌǝs noʎ oʇ ʇuɐɹƃ I"
"Immortality…?" Michael was amazed. But even more amazing to him was that the Angel of Death himself was directly across him.
"˙ǝʎqpooפ ˙uǝɹplᴉɥɔ ʎɯ 'llǝʍǝɹɐɟ pᴉq oʇ ǝɯᴉʇ sᴉ ʇI ˙ʎlǝsᴉʍ noʎ uǝʌᴉƃ ǝʌɐɥ I ʇɔɐɹʇuoɔ sᴉɥ ɥʇᴉʍ ǝɯᴉʇ ǝɥʇ ǝs∩ ˙sǝnsɹnd ʇɐɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐp ʎuɐ ɯoɹɟ llɐ noʎ ʇɔǝʇoɹd oʇ ǝlqɐ ǝq llᴉʍ 'ɥʇɐǝp ɟo lǝƃu∀ ǝɥʇ 'lǝɐɹz∀"
"Mother, no—!!!"
The boulder of rocks that contained the High Priests was quickly sent soaring, far away from the disassembling Moon that collapsed under nuclear pressure, and towards Elysia back on earth from where they came from.
The High Priests cried. They cried as an unhealthy mixture of emotions consumed them all to their souls, while the meteor they were contained within soared vastly back towards Earth.