Religious Sin
The only warmth in the church was provided by the candles- each one lit up with that large, luminescent glow. It was that glow that kept my life going every day. Despite the dusty benches, rusty chains and, overall, the dark feeling it gave me, this was my home. But I only came when no one was here. I connected with the emptiness, for it filled my heart. But I was only permitted to mingle for an hour and fifty two minutes every day. If I was a second late they would see me, but I had stealth to my advantage. Even though I would be late sometimes, I escaped. But I only had three hours until dark, after that I’d lose my only other friend- my shadow.
My shadow had so much I didn’t have: friends, family and a life. It would tell me everything I never experienced. Each day as the night approached, the hot tears would trickle down my cheek and fall on my shadow. After years of solitude and trite routine, I heard a name I had forgotten twenty years ago- daughter. I gazed into the priest’s eyes, my mute mouth crackling. He offered his hand and I slowly accepted. My heart was rapidly beating, his hands were so warm they caused commotion in my body. My eyes quickly resumed their color, my skin did the same. This time I looked in his blue eyes as he spoke.
“Come my child.” I followed obediently. He led me into the church. But this time, someplace new. He unlocked a door in the back that lead to a large lavish chamber. I stared at the room with awe, and as I shuffled in the priest looked back and motioned to the vacant bed.
The first words I said in twenty years stumbled out “Me?”
“Yes,” he replied.
I fell into the bed without hesitation. The silky covers and soft mattress welcomed me immediately. I’ve never slept on a bed before, but my body adapted quickly. A minute later I was asleep.
The aroma of steamed vegetables filled my nostrils as I awakened. Following the smell, my stomach led me to the kitchen. I entered the crowded kitchen and stood in a corner by the light. I looked at my shadow but it took time for it to respond. It didn’t speak much, it was probably as dumbfounded as I was. Soon it told me about the new shadows it met in the morning, and which women it thought I should befriend. But we both knew that would never happen. I just didn’t have the social capacity to make friends. I can’t handle the responsibility of loving someone. The priest interrupted my thoughts, “My child take a seat.”
I followed the direction of his point obediently. I sat down on glossy bench near two young twin women. In unison they turned to look at me. Their faces were beautiful: eyelashes longer than a nail, eyes the size of the moon, lips- ruby red, and noses toned to perfection. Their shimmering blond hair sparkled under the lighting. Their bodies were the bodies of angels, yet they seemed to be devils- a paradox only I could understand, with their large slender curves connecting their long legs to their soft derrieres which were connected to their upper bodies- seductively large bosoms. These twins seemed to represent Aphrodite, yet they also represented succubae.
They nodded in acknowledgement of my presence as I stared at them. They introduced themselves: Eve and Lilith. I sat closer to Eve and they began to ask questions. The first to strike a blow was, “What is your name?” I didn’t know how to answer. I just stared at them. What was my name? Should I make one up, or should I be honest? As I opened my mouth we were interrupted by the priest when he requested the two girls get dressed. I kept quiet, engulfed in my food. When I finished the priest entered the kitchen and sat down across from me.
He smiled and said, “My child, I need you to tell me what it is you would like to do? After the encounter yesterday, I wanted to know why you were behind my church.” I couldn’t answer either statement. I really can’t do much, and I can’t tell him I’ve lived behind his church for nineteen years. Minutes of silence passed as we gazed at each other- the priest with authority, I with fear. The priest realized he wasn’t getting anywhere so he repeated the question once more. The process was regurgitated. Twenty minutes later, the priest decided to leave. On his way he said,
“Forget about your past- look into the present. Feed off of your surroundings to gain confidence and muster confidence to speak… For speech is God’s greatest gift.” I nodded in recognition.
Feed off of my surroundings? That makes no sense. What was I supposed to do? Finally, my shadow came through; my shadow told
me to befriend women and take advantage of them. But I can’t make friends. What is this fool talking about? First that octogenarian tells me to “Speak” and now my shadow is telling me to “Make friends.” I’m lost now. Once again my chain of thought is disrupted as Lilith strode into the chamber. She sat down beside me and held my hand. She removed her shoes and laid down on the bed.
“This place is like heaven. Class A accommodations for everyone. When Father Dante first took me in I was delighted. Everyone was nice, and I had everything I needed. And for the past three years I’ve been living this dream. An ideal many work for that is a reality to me.” She paused for a moment. My shadow urged me to speak, Say something you twit! But what would I say to her?
The rust in my tongue was lubricated with saliva and I managed “What’s wrong with that?” I looked at her, she was onto something, but I couldn’t see the relevance.
“Don’t you see that no one wishes to live in heaven? These old fools talk to us about heaven when they themselves can’t comprehend it. Heaven is horrible. Heaven is a monotonous entity of peace where nothing goes wrong. Everything in heaven is perfect. What do we want with a perfect life? What is the point of a perfect life? There is no surprise, no drama, nothing that gives life its spice.”
I knew what Lilith was trying to say, but I didn’t know how to convey my feelings. I stared at her and noticed a glint in her eyes that wasn’t there when I first saw her. She looked up as a tear trickled down her cheek and she embraced me. What is this? I’ve never been loved before- this can’t be happening. No…No…No!
She pulled my strings. I thank you Lilith, you’ve shown me the light. I remember everything now- everything. I let go of her and as I left the chamber I could’ve sworn I saw a grin on her face. That sly bitch, she hasn’t changed a bit.
Father Dante. That’s all I need to explain. He calls himself a father? He’ll burn in the pits of hell when I’m through with him. Lilith, we can do it- I know we can. But right now I need to law low, as low as possible. I entered the church hall and watched the ceremony. Sister Eve was being inducted into the Order- a “religious” unit designed to exorcize devils and demons, but in reality they killed anyone who threatened heaven. Their utopia was based on the an intellectual idea that conflicts with the concept of our current life. Basically, it’s a complex society of think-tanks who want a life of perfection. That is “heaven.” We the Syndicate are a clandestine group who want to preserve the current state of life. To them we’re the “demons,” and their main aim is to destroy us. One problem though- the leader, me, just got retained her memories. Lilith, I am indebted to you. For now the Order is on the right track. After the ceremony ended we all walked back to the kitchen. I reverted back to my timid persona and sat near Eve.
“Congratulations,” I muttered. She looked up and smiled but didn’t reply. Did she know? Who cares, she can’t possibly begin to grasp what we are or who we are. I needed to leave, desperately. I walked to Father Dante while he was eating and looked down on him.
“Greetings daughter, how are you today?” He said with a grin.
“…F-F-Fine.” I retorted.
“How can I help you?”
“I need to l-l-leave for th-th-the night. I’ll b-b-back tomorrow.” He couldn’t refuse the request. He’d blow his cover.
“Of course daughter, take your time.” He continued eating. I knew I got him. He’s infuriated. But he’ll request recon. Good luck with that old man, save your troops for when you’ll need them- fool.
That night, when no one was looking, I embraced Lilith and she bid me farewell. I left the church quickly. In about an hour I reached Alice’s house. Igor and I met up at the entrance and walked in. We were all present (aside from Lilith)- Alice, Mitsuru, Igor, Samael, Lucifer, Honorius, Vergil, Cerberus and I.
I had to explain. “Twenty years ago, the Order- lead by Father Dante- ambushed Lilith and me whilst we were about to accomplish our mission. Instead of execution, Father decided to erase our memories, but I managed to turn the tides. I put a hex on his enchantment. Lilith and I had to surpass a set of requirements in order to break the curse. Father Dante knew it, but he still managed to keep us isolated. Knowing that Lilith would manage to hug me, Father Dante ensured I was locked away for twenty years before that would happen. But he made a mistake, he was exactly one day to early. So just as I planned, we are here today. Samael?”
“How much time do we have?” Samael asked.
“Three days and the Order begins Omnicide and Renovation.” Alice replied.
“Then we have tomorrow to get ready?” Igor asked.
“Guys, get real. This is the Order. They’ll be ready for us. Unless a miracle will happen, we’re done.” Honorius said. That pessimistic realist. There’s nothing less to expect of him. I like him- always have- a lot; he’s not bad looking either. His hair is in bangs over his bright green eyes. He has a rock hard eight-pack (stopped three bullets) that perfectly complement the perfection in his arms’ muscles. Overall, he’s really handsome.
“Honorius, relax. We got it covered. But I have one concern. Why are we not allowed to use force?” Vergil asked.
“If we do, everything we’ve worked for thus far will become bliss. If we want to succeed we have to do it coercively. Our final resort should be” I pointed towards the containment cell “it. If we’re ‘sadistic demons’ then let’s live up to the name and teach them what we can do.” I was determined to win- there was no way Father Dante was going to beat me.
“But then wouldn’t that mean that we’re just like them? If we unleash - it – we’ll be committing genocide. And I thought we weren’t…” I had to cut Alice off.
“Genocide? So, that massacre that you and Mitsuru enjoyed wasn’t genocide? Listen, I have one goal in mind- victory. If we don’t achieve it, we’ll be living a life run by the Order. Worst part- I can’t kill myself if it happens.” I said.
“But isn’t it Omnicide? I thought they were gonna kill everything.” Igor said.
“Yeah, but it’s more complex than you think, we’ll all die. But we’ll be part of the Renovation and live in their world… it’s inevitable.” Honorius replied.
“OK, recon will be here soon. If they come within a 500 meter radius of this place, erase their existence. I’ll be leaving now, please look over the plan, but I’ll come back tomorrow so we can carry out the operation.” I said. I opened the door and left for the church.
I was exhausted; I was in desperate need of sleep. I entered the chamber and fell into the bed. The covers were velvet today- silky smooth velvet. That night I had the first dream in twenty years. I sat on a meadow, with a solid smell of freshness coming from the grass, trees and flowers. I sat down and looked up, two birds were in a fight. One bird stole the other bird’s worm. After a rigorous battle between the two birds, the younger bird slammed the older bird into the ground- a fight to the death between the avian gladiators. I ran up to where the older bird was, or what remained of it. The bird was flinching its wings, but slowly it began regenerating. It arose… “Get up.”
I opened my eyes only to see Lilith in front of me. “What’s wrong Lilith?” I asked.
“It’s time.” She said with an evil grin.
I got out of bed and followed Lilith out of the church. We took the quickest route to Alice’s house. On the way, I looked around revisiting the past I only vaguely remember- the blood stained trees I’ve painted after battles, the deceased regiment of Order units I buried with Mitsuru (or what’s left of them), and then of course the spot. The hours I’ve spent with Honorius in the spot- staring into those fluorescent green eyes- are the best memories I have. Staring, however, wasn’t all we did- we were known for our “woo.”
We were first to arrive at Alice’s place. I went into the kitchen and picked up the Vodka, the haunting drink I cherished so dearly. My lips on the top, the bottle tilting down, my throat welcomed the drink as it rushed in like a wave during surfing season. I put it down recovering from the pain in my throat. Jeez! It burns. Alice walked in an turned on the lights.
“Everyone’s here, let’s go.” She said.
I walked into the hall, to be welcomed by a rally of cheers. I looked at everyone’s cheerful expressions as they hooted for me. “Ladies and gentlemen of the Syndicate I address you all for what might be the final time. As Honorius mentioned before, we are dealing with the Order- a group of very intellectual fiends. The plan is simple: Father Dante. We have approximately four hours to search and destroy. If we don’t manage to find him in 3 hours and a half, we release ‘it’.”
“Let’s go.” Lilith got up and extended her hand. I accepted and followed.
The Order’s lair changed constantly. But luckily for us, Lilith had encrypted a tracking device on Eve. For some odd reason, they were meeting under the church. We all entered through the side entrance to the dungeon and snuck across the ground. As I drew nearer to the door I began hearing voices.
“They’ll be coming for us tomorrow. So we have no worries, they’ll just kill themselves.” I recognized the sinister voice as Father Dante’s.
“Are you sure Father? I know I’m new, but I want to do justice for the Order.” Eve. I knew it! She hates me.
“It’s alright my daughter. You must stay away; they are strong.” I drew my dagger from my pocket and put it in my bra. As for my gun, that was implanted in between my thighs. I readied the team for infiltration. I knocked down the door ran into the middle.
But only Eve was present.
“What are you doing here?” She asked.
“Eve, I don’t have time for games. Where’s Dante?” I demanded.
“Why would I tell a scum, backed up by hooligans, information like that?”
“Because if you don’t I’m gonna blow your head off.” Vergil pointed his gun at her head.
“Go ahead, shoot.” She said.
“Vergil, don’t. We won’t gain anything. Misturu my malevolent torturer, have fun with her.” I told Mitsuru.
The rest of us continued through the doors hearing the cries of agony from the tortured woman. I walked into a large hall with a dining table in the middle. I ascended onto the table and turned around. WHAT? No one was there.
“Fool. Did you think that the order would be stopped by a group of low-life ruffians like yourselves?” Dante’s voice rand through the room.
“You demon. Show yourself. Let me see the face of the man who intends on ruining this world before my death.” I said.
My party emerged from the entrance chained together. This guy is better than he was twenty years ago. Now the table I was on ascended towards the ceiling that opened up to admit me through. I had no choice. I had to use “it.”
“Father Dante, take this gift as my token of gratitude.” I released Abbadon, the king of destruction. Within seconds, Dante’s head was on the ground… I did it? I did it! Oh my God, I killed the old man. Finally! I walked up to Abbadon and bound him into the seal once again.
“Fool. You though my defeat would be so easy? I am Father Dante, head of the Order.” That liar. That cheap bastard.
The table moved again, I was ascending into the next floor- the Church Hall. It was empty and cold. Suddenly, the candles illuminated and a man no older than 27 walked in. A tall, handsome man. His beauty was intoxicating. My eyes were glued to him; my heart was glued to his. He walked towards me and undid my dress. He reached for my back and unsnapped my bra. He reached for my thighs and undid the strings. My weapons fell to the ground with the clothing. But I couldn’t pick them up. I was in love.
“I can explain Regina.” It felt as if the weight of the world was just lifted off of my shoulders, Regina’s shoulders. That was my name, that I had forgotten so long ago. I was Regina Angelium.
“Regina Angelium. I want to explain to you the meaning of life. Life is a paradox. We live it in order to go to heaven. But heaven is worse than earth. Why do we do it? It’s our destiny. A long time ago, Adam and Eve roamed the face of the earth making children and learning about life. Everyone today is a child of the two. Regina, you are not. You are a servant of God. As am I. You were brought upon this earth to end humanity here and reconstruct it in heaven. The Eden God has given us. Today Regina Angelium I leave you a choice, end humanity or reconstruct heaven.” The man said.
“Why must I bare such a burden?” I asked. I wanted to ask more, but it seemed that it wasn’t important.
“Regina Angleium, you are the Queen of Angels. The choice lies in the hands of the queen.” He answered.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Gabriel, God’s Messenger.” Gabriel’s wings emerged.
My back suddenly felt something breaking in my spine. My flesh was ripped as the two wings emerged from my back. He wasn’t lying. I’m an angel. I looked at him once more and realized that he wasn’t wearing any clothing either.
“What are the conditions of the reconstruction?” I asked.
“Omnicide. The lesser beings will rest for eternity in their graves. You and I shall construct our utopia.”
“Gabriel, what will happen if I reject?” I asked.
“You will die for the cost of the human race’s existence for another thousand years or until the Lord demands your resurrection.” He replied.
I hesitated. All these innocent… Honorius would die, so would Lilith, and Vergil, and Alice and everyone else.
“What’s your choice?”
“Reconstruction of heaven.”
“The Queen of Angels- selfish as always- has decided. Your wish is my command wife.”
Gabriel called upon Ezekiel and Gazardiel. The two angels descended from the sky and blew their horns. The earth vanished and heaven appeared.
“Reconstruct Heaven Regina Angelium.”
I thank all who read my story. I put about 3-4 hours of hard work into this story. It still might have mistakes, but I want some opinions on the story.
Cheers,
GB
