div class="bbWrapper"
div style="text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 26px;"CHAPTER 6/span /div
br /Though the protector could not move, he found that he could speak. He also found that his mind was surging from memories, long buried, now free. As these visions coalesced into understanding, revulsion bellowed from deep within him at the realization of his will having been twisted for a full year to serve this man's /br /"So you're an apostle like me. But what is this? A spell of the clergy to enslave people?"br /br /"God...," the priest laughed, leaning on the stone wall. "Can you imagine the terror those blind fools would wreak across the world with such power? No, this is my specialty—once caught in my gaze, the mind is opened to my will. With Emil and the others, I go a step further in shaping them, implanting a piece of myself as a sacramental sign."br /br /The priest paused to consider the protector for a moment. br /br /"For you, that was not necessary. I never imagined the compulsion would work on another apostle. Perhaps it was your desire for purpose that played a role. Once I discovered that and compelled you on a course to protect the territory around the village, you were so eager to have a task that you never looked back."br /br /"Why bother? What is peace to an apostle?"br /br /"Aye, the villagers' peace is merely a comforting testament to your ruthless efficiency. But you were merely a stray who wandered in. I never planned to find another stray black sheep here in my flock. And recognizing your sin, I designed a suitable penance for you."br /br /"I never sought forgiveness, you damned hypocrite."br /br /"Perhaps not, but you would have desecrated this place, like everything else we touch. That corruption is within us and manifests even through our best efforts to escape it. Believe me, I have sought penance from our sin. It is fruitless."br /br /The protector laughed. br /br /"You've gone from lauding your ability to complaining about the price you paid for it. You were weak then, and you're weak now. Your tricks haven't changed a thing, and these people were better off before you started casting shadows in their minds."br /br /"You're wrong. There are ways to use our gifts for redemption. You are a shining example. By forging a new path for you as a protector of these people, I have reversed the fate that was seared into your soul." br /br /"Right. And I've got an urge to repay you for that. Better not blink, old man. I'm curious how well your great power works without your eyes to hold me back."br /br /The priest walked slowly to the protector, grabbed him by the chin, and stared deep into his eyes. br /br /"I have pulled you from the jaws of evil, which seek only to break you in its teeth. And what have you brought me, hm? Complications. Judgment from a fellow sinner whose soul is equally tarnished. You've made it clear that like a mad dog, you are beyond taming. The only question now is whether to wipe your mind and extend this dance of ours once again, or devour you myself and remove you from the stage completely."br /br /The protector's vision blurred as shadows coiled themselves around his body and into his eyes, and he screamed until there was only darkness and /br /Somewhere within that emptiness, the dream found the protector again. br /br /He was flying in the clutches of the winged beast of light, soaring through the void toward a pinprick of light in the distance. Finally, they were bathed in the light of a new world. He held his arms over his eyes to escape the pain of the beauty of this unfamiliar place, but the beast urged him to witness it. He opened his eyes to see that the world pulsed with light because it was wreathed in flames. And in that light he saw now that the beast was a towering falcon, holding a sword of impossible size. The weapon blazed, forming dancing shadows around it with the fire that scorched the /br /The falcon tipped the flat of the sword down to him, and he grasped its massive blade. The great being swung the blazing sword through fields, forests, villages, castles. Wherever it cleaved, light from the flames extinguished the darkness from the world. He turned and saw alongside him, grasping the blade with him and composing the weapon itself, were monsters and demons of myriad /br /The sword gathered speed as it swung through towns and rivers, leaving a cascade of steam in the path of its arc, then abruptly collided with the mountain in a thunderous /br /In the temple, the priest gripped the protector's face. His eyes were locked on the protector's, who wore a vacant expression. His massive body was taut, but his hands trembled as the priest tore the bindings of his memories apart. br /br /Above the building, the sky was blanketed with a red the color of dried blood as the sun fell behind a mass of clouds on the distant horizon, ushering in the night to the valley below. But for a moment, the clouds parted, and a final ray of light pierced through the sky. br /br /The red-orange glow filtered in through the Falcon of Light stained glass, striking the protector's face. Blinded by the light, he woke—his consciousness emerging from a vast nothingness. He could move again. It was all the time he needed. A recognition fell across the priest's face just before the protector's hand flashed like a knife through the air, and he thrust his fingers through the priest's eyes. Fingers curled deep inside the sockets before his hand yanked back, clutching two impaled globes. He squeezed until he felt them burst in his palm. br /br /The priest wailed and fell back, clutching his face, blood spilling through his fingers from the open wounds. Steam erupted and a new head emerged. A spiral of horns coiled down each side of its hairy, goat-like face. Eight eyes now hovered over the protector, glowing red in the gathering dark. Sharp, hairy, stilt-like legs jutted forth from the white robe as it ripped in pieces, and a swollen abdomen crashed behind him onto the wooden /br /"strongYou broke free. How?/strong" the priest demanded, his voice a high-pitched hiss that filled the /br /"The Falcon. He's calling us. And you're standing in the way." br /br /
div style="text-align: center;"emStory Concludes in the Next Chapter/em /div
/div
div style="text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 26px;"CHAPTER 6/span /div
br /Though the protector could not move, he found that he could speak. He also found that his mind was surging from memories, long buried, now free. As these visions coalesced into understanding, revulsion bellowed from deep within him at the realization of his will having been twisted for a full year to serve this man's /br /"So you're an apostle like me. But what is this? A spell of the clergy to enslave people?"br /br /"God...," the priest laughed, leaning on the stone wall. "Can you imagine the terror those blind fools would wreak across the world with such power? No, this is my specialty—once caught in my gaze, the mind is opened to my will. With Emil and the others, I go a step further in shaping them, implanting a piece of myself as a sacramental sign."br /br /The priest paused to consider the protector for a moment. br /br /"For you, that was not necessary. I never imagined the compulsion would work on another apostle. Perhaps it was your desire for purpose that played a role. Once I discovered that and compelled you on a course to protect the territory around the village, you were so eager to have a task that you never looked back."br /br /"Why bother? What is peace to an apostle?"br /br /"Aye, the villagers' peace is merely a comforting testament to your ruthless efficiency. But you were merely a stray who wandered in. I never planned to find another stray black sheep here in my flock. And recognizing your sin, I designed a suitable penance for you."br /br /"I never sought forgiveness, you damned hypocrite."br /br /"Perhaps not, but you would have desecrated this place, like everything else we touch. That corruption is within us and manifests even through our best efforts to escape it. Believe me, I have sought penance from our sin. It is fruitless."br /br /The protector laughed. br /br /"You've gone from lauding your ability to complaining about the price you paid for it. You were weak then, and you're weak now. Your tricks haven't changed a thing, and these people were better off before you started casting shadows in their minds."br /br /"You're wrong. There are ways to use our gifts for redemption. You are a shining example. By forging a new path for you as a protector of these people, I have reversed the fate that was seared into your soul." br /br /"Right. And I've got an urge to repay you for that. Better not blink, old man. I'm curious how well your great power works without your eyes to hold me back."br /br /The priest walked slowly to the protector, grabbed him by the chin, and stared deep into his eyes. br /br /"I have pulled you from the jaws of evil, which seek only to break you in its teeth. And what have you brought me, hm? Complications. Judgment from a fellow sinner whose soul is equally tarnished. You've made it clear that like a mad dog, you are beyond taming. The only question now is whether to wipe your mind and extend this dance of ours once again, or devour you myself and remove you from the stage completely."br /br /The protector's vision blurred as shadows coiled themselves around his body and into his eyes, and he screamed until there was only darkness and /br /Somewhere within that emptiness, the dream found the protector again. br /br /He was flying in the clutches of the winged beast of light, soaring through the void toward a pinprick of light in the distance. Finally, they were bathed in the light of a new world. He held his arms over his eyes to escape the pain of the beauty of this unfamiliar place, but the beast urged him to witness it. He opened his eyes to see that the world pulsed with light because it was wreathed in flames. And in that light he saw now that the beast was a towering falcon, holding a sword of impossible size. The weapon blazed, forming dancing shadows around it with the fire that scorched the /br /The falcon tipped the flat of the sword down to him, and he grasped its massive blade. The great being swung the blazing sword through fields, forests, villages, castles. Wherever it cleaved, light from the flames extinguished the darkness from the world. He turned and saw alongside him, grasping the blade with him and composing the weapon itself, were monsters and demons of myriad /br /The sword gathered speed as it swung through towns and rivers, leaving a cascade of steam in the path of its arc, then abruptly collided with the mountain in a thunderous /br /In the temple, the priest gripped the protector's face. His eyes were locked on the protector's, who wore a vacant expression. His massive body was taut, but his hands trembled as the priest tore the bindings of his memories apart. br /br /Above the building, the sky was blanketed with a red the color of dried blood as the sun fell behind a mass of clouds on the distant horizon, ushering in the night to the valley below. But for a moment, the clouds parted, and a final ray of light pierced through the sky. br /br /The red-orange glow filtered in through the Falcon of Light stained glass, striking the protector's face. Blinded by the light, he woke—his consciousness emerging from a vast nothingness. He could move again. It was all the time he needed. A recognition fell across the priest's face just before the protector's hand flashed like a knife through the air, and he thrust his fingers through the priest's eyes. Fingers curled deep inside the sockets before his hand yanked back, clutching two impaled globes. He squeezed until he felt them burst in his palm. br /br /The priest wailed and fell back, clutching his face, blood spilling through his fingers from the open wounds. Steam erupted and a new head emerged. A spiral of horns coiled down each side of its hairy, goat-like face. Eight eyes now hovered over the protector, glowing red in the gathering dark. Sharp, hairy, stilt-like legs jutted forth from the white robe as it ripped in pieces, and a swollen abdomen crashed behind him onto the wooden /br /"strongYou broke free. How?/strong" the priest demanded, his voice a high-pitched hiss that filled the /br /"The Falcon. He's calling us. And you're standing in the way." br /br /
div style="text-align: center;"emStory Concludes in the Next Chapter/em /div
/div