Inside the halls of the keep…
In front of the statue that became the pillar of the city's safety, Noah, looking more miserable as he had ever been, had been kneeling in front of it for hours now. His heart and mind had been shadowed by grief, shame, and wrath because of what had happened in those cities. He hadn't even noticed the explosions that erupted violently outside.
In his mind, he saw the burning buildings, the miserable families, and the weeping children as they mourn the deaths of their loved ones. They loath him and therefore lost faith in Him. All was his fault. The living and the dead slowly raise their arms, pointing at him, shouting at him and cursing him.
'It was your fault. All your fault.'
'You caused all these.'
'They died because of you and your stupid self-righteousness.'
'They were better off without you.'
Booming shouts stormed his mind as he gripped and pulled his hair. "It was my fault. It was my fault…" He muttered to himself repeatedly.
"It's all thy fault." A multiple booming voice sounded in front of him. Looking up, he saw the statue of Gabriel and Celeste move, their heads looking down on him, spatting at his face. Above, Enoch's image cloaked in darkness cursed at him, laughed at him.
"Yes, yes… I'm sorry…" Noah repeatedly said as he slammed his head down the ground as he bowed multiple times.
"Yes, yes! Be consumed by it…" A loathing voice whispered within the darkness of the keep, followed by the laughter of two individuals. Still, it wasn't long before the two voices screamed in pain, waking Noah from his miserable state.
A second after, the hall became silent as if nothing had happened. Sounds of footsteps then reverberated throughout the walls of stone as a hooded person walked slowly towards the kneeling Servant of God.
Noah slowly looked up, and gazed at the person's face. He saw a pair of eyes that shined as bright as Gabriel's light. The eyes gazed at him deeply, striking him with a sense of familiarity. "Who art thou?" He asked.
"We art one and the same; Servants of God. Few art those who darest hinder our path but those who do mean only harm to the people of this world." A deep and resonating voice answered him.
"My name is Methuselah, Son of The Messenger Enoch, Father of thy father, Lamech." Taking off his hood, the man revealed his face to Noah, as the latter looked with shock. "Oh Great Heavens." He exclaimed.
This grandfather of his was someone very mysterious, even to him. According to his father, the great Methuselah left a little after the mass rebellion against the Nephtal Empire started. Lamech once accompanied him in his fights, but was preemptively ordered to retreat and hide somewhere secluded, out of reach by the demons. It seemed that he knew that the rebellion would be lost. He also said that Methuselah did not show himself except for the time when Noah was conceived, giving his blessings to his mother before leaving once more.
"Thou need not mind what hath happened in those cities." Noah's grandfather added. "They art still people of Our God. They placed their lives and trust on us. I can't just not mind their deaths." The former shook his head.
"It is good that thou careth for the people of thy God…" Methuselah replied, "…but who said that they were dead?"
"What doth thou mean?" Noah asked with incredulity. A faint hope arose from his heart, but he thought that it was only just a figure of speech, describing how the subjects of God are always alive at the kingdom of heaven.
"They people in those cities have long since been evacuated." Methuselah, as if knowing what he's thinking, clarified it for him, "The people in those cities are alive and well."
"They are not dead."
Hearing that, Noah's eyes widened. He slowly got up, faced Methuselah, and asked, "Is what thou said the truth?" In response, his grandfather nodded.
"It was already obvious what that mad freak would do days prior." Methuselah explained, "Back in the Imperial Capital, the bastard had already been amassing his strength and armies with the intentions of attacking. As of now, the only dominion that has the complete irk of that mad beast is the Heavenly State that you established."
"As soon as it registered in our minds, we hath already began preparing the people's escape."
"We?" Noah asked in confusion. After he said this, ten men dressed in black robes came out from behind the darkness, alerting him.
"In the midst of the rebellion several hundred years ago, a group of like-minded individuals within different rebel groups have gathered together under the rule of someone beyond immeasurably powerful and started a secret association." Methuselah explained, "Others call us The Dark Robes, while others call us the Occult of The Damned. For us, we just call ourselves The Illuminati, illuminated about the truth of this world; that these demons that rules us are not gods but mere powerful beings sought to dominate the weaker species."
"Our introduction might need to be cut short." Methuselah said to him, "Thy brethren are now struggling. Rescue them."
"Make haste, Noah. Thy men need thee. Let us support thee from the outside." After saying that, Methuselah backed down together with the robed men and vanished without a trace.
Although stupefied, Noah had to respond quicker, standing on his two feet and rushing outside the hall. There, he saw the struggling men who were already going against the giant Nephilims.
Clasping his hands, Noah prayed, "My God, give Thy faithful the strength to fight and annihilate those who oppose Thee." After saying that, a huge light came down from the sky, which was noticed by everyone. As the light descended unto them, they were filled with divine blessings, giving them a more potent fighting strength against the demons.
Looking back and seeing Noah, everyone was elated, but some felt jealousy coming up their hearts. "Look at this uncapable man that got weak on his knees just because of a couple of deaths. Disgusting." One of the soldiers muttered silently, but still enough to be heard by a lot of people."