"Mommy? Daddy? Why are you crying? I'm okay! The big monster didn't hurt me," Cereza managed to push herself back out from under her parent's tight hold, looking between the two with a furrowed brow as she watched their tears trickle down.
Balder and Rosa's bodies had given way and were brought to their knees, keeping Cereza tucked up under their bodies while they held the moment for a short while. The distant echoing hymns still were being sung by a wave of a grand choir, which bounced through the clouds.
"Oh Cereza, we were just so worried. We thought we had lost you..." Rosa sniffled, pressing her forehead against Cereza's.
"I knew you would come to get me! I stayed right here, ever since I showed up! That big monster tried to take me away. But I told him no!" Cereza puffed out her chest, putting her hands on her hips as she stood more proud. Her transparent aura was uncanny for the other two to witness, but regardless of her phantom state, they embraced her nonetheless.
"That's a good girl. You did so well, little one," Balder nodded encouragingly, his tears still peeking over the edge of his eyes.
"I'm not afraid of them anymore! I promise not to be a crybaby. I want to be brave, just like you and Mummy!" Cereza squeaked excitedly, looking over to her father.
"That's my girl," Rosa said, her sorrow-ridden voice stripped back to a raw emotion of pride. The absolute joy and relief that shackled her soul, distant memories of Cereza needing comfort as she cried herself to sleep. Many nights and days where Rosa couldn't believe how much of the world Cereza adored and loved so much was also the very thing that scared her and broke her down. She wanted to hide away in her mother's arms until it vanished.
Seeing her now, a lost soul that was destined to walk the bridge into eternity, as she stood her ground and refused the path, sparked a bright light even in the darkest parts of Rosa's Umbran heart.
Rosa's passed a hand through Cereza's hair, as she took it all in. Savoring this moment of true bliss before the inevitable needed to happen.
"Are we going back? Back to Jeanne? Back to Cheshire?" Cereza asked, the little girl shifting their arms with a boisterous glee.
"Yes, little one. We're going back," Balder said, as he slowly rose back up to his feet. Rosa took Cereza in, keeping a safe arm around her while keeping one hand ready with a gun.
"We'll have to be very quick, little one. The monsters here cannot know where are going. Understood?" Balder said, nodding to Cereza, waiting for confirmation.
He was met instead with another concerned look. Cereza, acting upon the qualities that Rosa had joked about prior, had disregarded his statement as she pointed towards him.
"Daddy...you hurt just like me," Cereza's voice got incredibly quiet, seeing Balder's blood-soaked robe, some of the blood no longer dried as a new flow had begun from his shoulder's wound. Balder's eyes fell to his tainted attire, a sourness lingering in him from the pained words of the little girl.
"I will be fine, little one. Do not worry. Now, did you understand what I had said?" Balder calmly changed the topic to not worry his daughter, taking on the patience of a saint to direct Cereza back on track.
Cereza nodded, her full smile returning to her face.
"I understand, Daddy!"
"Very good," Balder said, his eyes turning to Rosa, who was still watching his wounds carefully. He could see the gears in her head-turning, as her expression had turned dark once Cereza pointed them out.
She could see the new blood spreading, Balder's slightly hunched posture didn't help hide his current state either. She looked back up at him, her gaze digging into his eyes, conveying to him with the usual silent expression that she knew.
Balder could offer her softened eyes, shifting them away to look past them as their path led out. A winding stone walkway leading out of the overflowing garden, a way that Balder recognized and remembered from his years prior.
"It's this way, we can return to the gate from here," Balder stepped forward, pointing outward. He resummoned his glaive, keeping it close to his side.
With a firm grasp on the young Umbra, Rosa turned to lead with Balder, the reunited family taking their last stride to be rid of this nightmare.
As stealthy as their high heels would let them be, they slunk in between the overflowing flower bushes after descending the stairway. Hiding from the view of oncoming Affinities, the angels chattered back forth to one another, their Enochian laced with a calm droning sound. It was clear that many of the Laguna there had not caught on about their intrusion.
After the patrol had passed, they quickened their pace. Knowing those angels would eventually be on high alert once they find a soul missing. Balder kept to the front, mapping out the way back, while Rosa kept her head on a swivel, keeping her eyes high and low to make sure no holy eyes laid upon them.
Rosa was taken out of her high alert focus as she felt something get tucked into her hair. She swung her head back around to see a giggling Cereza, clutching a handful full of some opal white flowers. She had placed one of the flowers into her hair as well, mirroring where she had put it in her mother's.
Rosa smiled, looking down at the cluster of heavenly flora that the little Umbra managed to sneakily pick while they had hidden along in the bushes. She had been distracted by Cereza's small antics that she almost ran into Balder, who had stopped dead.
"What is it?" Rosa whispered as they stood in an open clearing. They had moved beyond the large groups of patrols and out of sight. But standing idle would prove to be a fatal mistake if they lingered any longer.
Balder's eyes squinted, his ears straining and his nostrils flared open. An overwhelming herbal smell suddenly hit his nose.
Rosemary.
"Move back!" Balder proclaimed, leaping back with his arm outstretched to keep Rosa and Cereza behind him. She glided with him, taking a long enough jump to clear the way before a large tendril came smashing down, along with the massive body it was attached to.
Standing back up straight, a Belief threw back its tentacle hand, which cracked the air as it swung about. The Cherub face emitted an unsettling higher-pitched noise, a reverberating chirping as the uncanny child-like face moved into view to look down at them. Cereza refrained from crying, but Rosa could still feel the child curl up and clench onto her mother even more.
"Your scent was unmistakable, but I could not believe it until I had laid eyes on you. The now-famed Right Eye, last of the Lumen Sages, and the banished Umbra Witch, who are encroaching onto the Land of Light, and further their bloodshed," The Belief said, as it slowly hobbled closer.
Rosa and Balder stood at the ready, their weapons drawn. The angel's head leaned in further, tilting back and forth as it looked them over. Without warning, it pulled itself back, unleashing another high-pitch shrill.
"What is this? Do you dare take the soul meant for the Ed-Nas? You would disrupt the balance even more?" The Belief thundered, its tendril arm slashing out towards them. Balder and Rosa managed to duck out of the way, flanking to either side of the angel. "Fools! No being can return a soul back to the world of chaos! It is forfeited of that right!"
Rosa quickly lowered herself down, planting one foot outward and spinning around in one smooth circle to lay a protective barrier on the ground. She carefully placed Cereza in it and sealed it shut. She stood between the angered Laguna and her daughter. She had failed to see the familiar look of fear that drew across Cereza's face. The bubble only was a reminder of what had happened before.
"For your heinous crimes against the Laguna and Jubileus, you shall be slain, and both your souls forfeited to the pits of Inferno. The child's soul...well, that will be a decision for the Cardinal of Virtues now."
Balder's eyes snapped to his right and left, seeing the shift of shadows and figures from above as they passed through the light. There were more approaching or some that were already there, waiting for them to make their move.
"You know, quite a few of you insolent, aimless, hideous-looking, feather-brained creatures have been saying that same notion over and over again. None of you have been able to keep your promise. So why don't you go ahead and give it another try?" Rosa beckoned the angel with her guns, as Balder swung his glaive out.
The Belief swung back its arm, raising it above its head with a mighty lurch. It let out a skin-crawling chuckle.
"Very well then."
It brought its tendril down hard towards Rosa, but the witch was faster. She entered Witch Time before the arm could come down, as she lept up with a spinning kick to push the momentum backward so the tentacle wouldn't go anywhere near Cereza. As Balder could sense the speed of the attack, he readied himself. The arm came flailing back towards him, and with one swift swing of his glaive, he severed the arm clean off.
The Belief staggered back, clutching at the stump as the blood seeped heavily from it. It whimpered as it knew its fate, watching as the two warriors of light and darkness closed in to finish him off.
With one last-ditch effort, the creature reared its head back to bellow out an echoing screech, so ear-piercing that Balder and Rosa stopped in their tracks to cover their ears. The sound was unbearable to listen to, disorienting Balder much more than his counterpart. He looked up with squinted eyes to see the looming shadows he had seen before were moving in. But as the angel kept screaming, its cries echoed even further out through Ed-nas. A blaring alarm to all that is near.
"Silence it!" Balder pleaded, hunching over as he clenched his hands around his ears, his had glaive dropped to the ground with a clatter. Rosa grimaced as she removed her hands quickly just to unload bullets into it. Aiming directly to its marble-stone face, the Laguna eventually dropped dead, and its painful cries silenced.
Balder didn't look back to know there were Affinities descending from the sky. He kicked up his blade and swung with all of his might behind him. The angel was greeted with the cold steel directly to its abdomen and collapsed with its two halves torn to either side.
Rosa began to fire down the angels before they could even reach her, a shower of soft feathers exploding around them with each powerful shot from his guns. As the feathers gently hovered down, the Laguna's bodies fell even harder.
The number of angels was increasing, the Third Sphere fodder continuing to pour over overlooks and large buildings as they honed in on the spot their kin had vanquished.
With the mix of firearms and blades, the two cleared through them with ease. The bodies piled up, many of them losing limbs before they fell. Swapping between their Beast forms, they danced about the battlefield with finesse.
However, their graceful waltz of bloodshed faltered. After dismantling the angel, Balder hunched over once more, feeling his spinal wound burning hot, the feeling of blood gushing became worse. He gasp a shaking breath, the pain overtaking him more than he thought it would. Rosa had become so occupied dealing with a group on her own that she did not notice Balder's struggling. Two individuals who did see it was a charging Affinity and a little girl who was being kept under the safety of her mother's barrier.
"Daddy, look out!" Cereza's small hands banged against the magical orb, a pulsing sound bouncing off of it. The faint cry reached Balder's ears even over the overwhelming screech of dying angels and gunshots.
Balder moved in time for the angel to come crashing down into the stone floor, to then plant his blade deep within its back before it could retaliate.
Balder, heaving a struggling breathe, looked up at the overwhelming numbers surrounding them. More angels began to descend upon him, and he could see more heading towards Rosa.
Wincing through his searing pain, he ran to the center of the courtyard.
"Rosa! Get back, and place down your own barrier!" Balder cried out, waving his blade up towards the incoming Laguna.
"What? Balder-"
"Just trust me!"
With a quick nod, Rosa didn't waste any more time and fled her position. The many spears and swords came clashing down and sliding off of one another as she darted away just in time. She put herself back in front of Cereza, mustering her own barrier to put in front of her.
"You want your Right Eye so much? Messengers of Jubileus?" Balder cried out, his Enochian piercing the sky. The angels turned their attention away from the Umbran Witches to flock towards Balder. Wings flapping furiously as the free fell.
"Then it is yours to take! Take it!" Balder cried out, raising his bare hand in the air, a small pocket of life gathering in it.
"Balder!-"
"Zinggen!" Balder cried, the small orb of light bursting to life as he swung it down and slammed it into the ground. What erupted from it was a grand blaze of holy fire. The massive explosion blasted upward and outward in its wake, passing through the angels and obliterating them to ash in mere seconds.
The fire spread and dissipated in a swift motion, only lasting a few seconds, and then vanished.
With her barrier up, Rosa and Cereza were safe from the oncoming singe. The surrounding stones were left with the last outlines of the destroyed angels, and the flower beds blew in the wind as sweet-smelling ash.
The exertion of the massive spell pushed Balder to his knees, feeling his wound had split further down his back. The deep hole of where the spear had entered deepened. He could feel all the healing that had slowly accumulated over their short journey quickly unraveled, leaving him in a worse state than he was before.
Rosa relinquished her barriers with a quick flick of her wrist, a tumbling Cereza came running out of the dome and sprinted towards her Father. Rosa tried to reach down to grab her, but she didn't anticipate for her to move so quickly.
"Daddy!"
"Wait, little one, be careful of the fire!" Rosa followed close behind, watching Cereza just barely move around the many flaming bodies of the dead angels. Cereza got close to Balder, laying her eyes upon the wound in his back that she had not seen before.
She wanted to reach up and touch him, but as he convulsed and shook to fight through the pain, she back away from him. Rosa was at his side, gently placing a hand on his back near his wound. He winced and pulled his body away from her to ensure she didn't touch it again.
"Balder, what is happening? Why is it not healing?" Rosa had clearly known Balder was keeping something from her, as her voice offered little condolence and was much more demanding.
"The weapons and the magic the Laguna, and all that is Paradiso...is fatal to me. These...gifts angels granted me and other Sages are a means to an end. It had given us our strength and our immortality...but they ensure that the power that they held will always be held above, even over their most loyal servants."
Balder slowly raised his hand and clenched it onto his shoulder. Rosa assisted him as he found his footing.
"Meaning that these wounds the Laguna have inflicted...will likely never heal. Or rather not by themselves. And now, as I exert my own magic...it's beginning to weaken me even more," Balder huffed, averting his eyes from her. He felt Cereza come to him and cling onto his leg. He reached a reassuring hand down to her and patted her head.
"Why did you not tell me this?" Rosa snapped, frustration overflowing her mind.
"I did not know until my fight in the valley. I did not know the extent of this deceptive ploy until we had arrived here. I had thought the glorious light would grant me my strength back but…"
Balder looked to the sky, looking for any comfort in the bright star. But he was only granted silence as the songs of Ed-Nas had ceased as well.
"It has only gotten worse since then," Balder admitted, returning his tired gaze to Rosa. It was clear she was angry, and this now muddled their chances of escaping even more. But she couldn't be angry with him, she always found it hard to be. His pained eyes proved that he felt just as betrayed.
"Then we should get you back then, and have those wounds fixed up," Rosa flatly, placing a gentle pressed hand on his none-injured shoulder. With an exchange of nods, Rosa lifted Cereza back up into her arms.
They didn't get a few feet through the surrounding fire to hear a bellowing voice call out in the distance. A heavy and wispy Enochian call that was all too familiar to them.
"Temperantia," Balder said. "They know we are here."
Another voice called out with the first behemoth Laguna, a much sharper tone as the sound of their approach was getting louder. As an additional, more high-pitched and shrilling.
"And Serpantia and Lustitia. We must go, now!" Balder said the fear the rung his voice made Rosa uneasy. Fortitudo was no issue, fighting alongside Isabelle. But to try and face three Cardinal of Virtues with a wounded Sage while protecting their child? She understood his fear.
As they raced down the path, other Laguna cries rang out, all ranking members of the Third, Second, and even First Sphere were approaching over the hills.
Their path brought them back out to another clearing, a sprawling courtyard even bigger than the last. White orchid bushes stretched out to the full length of the walkway, placed on either side. To their left and right were shadows cast from looming buildings above. The many sigils of the Spheres could be seen imprinted with golden reliefs. The stone-ground eventually connected itself to another large bridge, linking the entrance of the Ed-Nas to the island that held the Elfin-Gold caves. Beyond the edge, they could see multiple bridges, bending and weaving off and over to various floating islands, connecting the Ed-Nas in a webbed connection.
"If we go this way, we can take this path straight back to the portal we arrived in. If we can make it in time, we can pass through it and close it before they can reach us," Balder said, scanning before rushing out to the bridge's start. "It's important that none of the Laguna pass through us. If they do, then they will know our location in the mortal realm, and the Cardinals of Virtue can easily descend to reach us."
"Let us hope you are quick with that feather then," Rosa said, offering him a small smirk. Balder could only form a small smile before continuing their sprint across the arching bridge. The two picked up incredible speeds, while Cereza held on tightly to Rosa's black robes, looking around at the floating mountains above as their shadows drifted across their bodies.
And on cue, more Laguna arrived. A slew of Third and Second Sphere appeared in their path dead ahead, a mass of Affinities standing information as they were flanked by two Gravitas. Their powerful electric fists slammed into the ground to show off their strength, attempting to intimidate the Sage and the Witch.
"They will only slow us down, just keep moving!" Balder called out as Rosa ran paralele to him. Like a perfect pair, they took a powerful leap off of one foot to transform into their four-legged Beast form. Their respected animal roars blaring out as they lept over the Laguna's head. Rosa snagged Cereza's phantom dress in her mouth and carried it with her. The child let off a high pitch squeak, partially out of fear but also excitement as she became airborne. She looked down at the dumbfounded angels as they passed overhead. All of their attacks and swings were futile as the pair landed beyond the group and kept their pace.
The large Gravitas let out grinding order, following suit to chase down their foes. Rosa cleared the bridge but had to wait for Balder, noticing his speed had decreased as a familiar wince and limp was had begun again in his wolf form. As soon as he reached solid ground, Rosa turned back to her human form, bringing down her fist with another purple haze of magic. Madama Khepri's fist sprung out from a portal that formed above, smashing the stone bridge's structure and shattering its support.
The angels kept on running, seeing it was their only option before the bridge would collapse completely. But bridge immediately began to fall, taking the Gravitas with it as they tried to leap forward and fell short. The Affinities took a fight to avoid a plummeting death, but another fist from Madama Khepri came from the side to deliver a fatal blow to the flow of angels. The bodies folded in on themselves and began a free fall to the depths below.
"Yay Mummy!" Cereza cheered, hopping up and down next to Rosa as she watched the Umbra Witch do her work. Rosa's hair receded back in as she looked down to her bubbling little Umbra. With a comforting grin, she pulled her swiftly back up into her arms.
Balder had hesitated before returning to his human form, taking in heavy breaths as he quickly tried to regain his posture.
"Stay strong, my sunlight. We are almost there!" Rosa said, helping him stand with a supported hand on his lower back.
"You can do it, Daddy!" Cereza chimed in, her arms shooting upward.
"For you, little one, I will," Balder gasped, the air returning to his lungs as stood straight.
"You shall not go any further," A giant Brave slammed down in front of them, its massive ax already raised high.
"Again?" Rosa said, vexing, as she tilted her head to the side as the new enemy began its swing.
She used her Witch Time to quickly move herself and the dazed Balder out of the way. He came to his senses as he was brought back to reality. He lurched forward with glaive in hand to slash at the behemoth's ankles. He managed to land a swift blow, but the Laguna kicked in response as the pain ran up his leg. Balder dodged out of the way, but the Laguna's hand swung down in anticipation and knocked Balder away.
Rosa quickly returned Cereza to her bubble, and made her move against the giant, and lept up. Its priorities were set on something else, as it grabbed Rosa out of the air and threw her aside. The angel immediately brought its meaty palm down over the magical orb, crushing it will one solid clench of his fingers. With the barrier destroyed, the angel reeled its fist back to come back down on the cowering tiny soul.
"Cereza!" Rosa cried, leaping back up to her feet to scramble towards her.
The fist came crashing down but was blocked as Balder phased in from his Light Speed, one half of his glaive severing off as the fist made contact with it. The broken blade managed to sever most of the angel's fingers before the rest of his large hand pelted into Balder, pushing him back. As Balder hit the ground beside Cereza, the Brave stumbled back gripping its wounded hand. Rosa's swift attack put it out of its misery as she cleared over its head with a string of bullets.
She landed just at the feet of a recovering Balder, as Cereza tugged on his robes.
"Are you okay Daddy?" She whimpered.
"Yes Cereza, I am alright," Balder rose up, looking over his broken blade to see it had fractured completely, the dual blade now permanently stuck as a solo weapon. Balder's eyes looked up and down the blade once more, as he began to panic.
"Wait, my-" Balder stuttered, looking around his feet as looked amongst the shattered pieces of the other half. "No! I lost-"
"Is this what you're looking for Daddy?" Cereza piped up. Balder looked back down at his daughter, who was holding up the marbled stone Lumen Sage talisman. Balder sighed heavily, as much as his tired lungs would allow him to.
"Thank you, little one. I had feared it was gone forever," Balder knelt to her level, looking over the untouched stone in her hands. He observed it momentarily, his gloved hand hovering over it. Cereza cocked her head as she watched him hesitate.
He instead reached up and detached a string of rosary beads that hung from his waist, and retrieved the sigil from her carefully.
"In your clan, Cereza, an Umbra Witch gives a gift to those she sees as an ally, as a friend, or most of all, as a family, closer than blood," Balder said, linking the beads into a close entrance on the talisman, tying it shut with a strong knot.
"I want to give this to you, as my gift. As your mother had given it to me. Hold it dear, and take better care of it than I did," Balder said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Cereza looked over the beautiful stone, looking back up to Balder with a happy smile, overwhelmed with pure joy as she had received her first gift from her own father. She placed the talisman over her neck, then immediately threw herself around his with a tight hug.
Despite the stinging pain, he let her hold tight, feeling the subtle warmth that emanated off of her soul brought some comfort to his fatigued body.
As he broke away and looked back towards Rosa, he watched her face twist from a heartfelt smile to a concerned grimace. She pondered on the gift for a moment, wondering why now he was deciding to do this in their time of great haste.
Balder only offered her a happy smile, seeing that it brought him so much joy to see his daughter happy, just as he did when he received the stone.
Without any words, Rosa returned Cereza to her arms. They could still hear the oncoming waves of Laguna in the distance. They knew more enemies would lie ahead, so they prepared themselves as much as they could as their feet took off.
Littered along the way were scattered clusters of the Third Sphere angels, ones they could easily avoid or dispatch of. Despite their smaller foes being weaker, the numbers were beginning to grow. The ever-looming presence of the approaching army was becoming more apparent, as the Affinities were beginning to appear by the dozens. The three of them were trying now to just make their dash to the golden gate, not halting to send any of the winged foes to Inferno.
Another bridge lied ahead, as more enemies popped up into the air on either side. Weapons raised and ready, they let loose the spears and arrows down onto the sprinting humans. They managed to dodge them, maneuvering under each one with an elegant sweep. They cleared the bridge unscathed but could hear the furious flapping of Laguna's wing behind them as the enemies tried to keep up.
Taking a sharp turn, they were led out into another vase courtyard, but at the end of it, past another smaller bridge, stood the winding staircase that led to the top of the overlook's peak. A top it was their golden gate. Freedom.
"There it is!" Rosa cried, a ring of joy echoed in her words.
"Hurry then!" Balder said, but the wonderful taste of his words soured in his mouth. The familiar cry of a flying Laguna came crashing down overhead as its shadow fell onto them. Balder pushed Rosa and Cereza down to the ground instinctively, their bodies lowering down just far enough to miss the incoming mass.
Balder had tried to duck but was caught by the tail of the massive Glamor as it swerved over them. Its metal armor along its tail caught Balder in a forceful downward plunge, pulling him over the edge and down with it.
"Balder!" Rosa yelled out, shooting back up.
"To the gate!" Balder's voice echoed as it faded with the Glamor flying away, disappearing into the clouds.
Heading his words, Rosa took off back towards the gate, hearing the many heavy footsteps approaching behind her. She cleared the smaller bridge, swiftly spinning and unleashing another Wicked Weave to the bridge, and spun back forward without ever stopping. The large demonic fist crashed down, severing the link to the golden gate, and killing a few angels that were hot on her trail.
She ran up the stairway and had stopped before the gate, watching it for a moment before realizing she could not pass through.
The feather.
"Damn it all!" Rosa cursed, placing Cereza back down quickly to secure her safety. Rosa spun and stood at the ready as a few angels managed to leap the distance and crawl onto the now isolated floated island. They scaled up the jagged sides of the overlook's walls, Braves and Affinities were the first to arrive.
Digging in deep, she felt the full-fledged support radiate from her demoness ally from beyond, and unleashed her string of wicked weaves, dispelling the small enemies with ease. But smaller enemies kept flooding it. Crawling up the sides of flying up into view as they began to surround her.
Rosa was managing herself well, keeping long sweeping attacks moving around her to push them back, and using her guns to dispatch any pesky flying heads around her.
"Now would be a good time!" Rosa called out, hoping to hear her husband's reply. The lack of any started to plant a deep and rotting seed of fear within her core, doubt rattling her as she felt that this might truly be the end.
"Balder!" She cried out again, spinning around to shoot off some stray angels trying to reach Cereza's bubble. The little girl cried out, as she held the talisman closer to her chest.
"Daddy!"
A faint roar of a Glamor echoed from below, its winding snake body approaching quickly as it thrashed around against the stone structure below. Plowing through the clouds like a fish out of water, the Laguna fell back down towards the horde of angels with an anguished screech. A top its head stood Balder, its glaive planted within its cranium, twisting it upward. The angel finally lost conscience as its forced pilot dug his blade deep within its brain.
It scathed across the island and wiped a mass group of angels with it. Balder lept from the head and planted his half glaive down onto another Brave below him killing it instantly. The Glamor's body rolled and fell once more to the abyss below.
As the Lumen Sage straightened himself back up, he reached within his robe to retrieve the feather, focusing on it as quickly chanted the words to open the portal.
With a sigh of relief, Rosa turned to release Cereza from her bubble but saw dozens upon dozens of Affinities that had descended and were closing in on them, and as the gate as well.
Many of the angels flocked around the bright portal gate as it sprung to life, instinctively running towards it to clear through its vibrant doorway.
"Damn it!" Balder suddenly ceased his magically flow to the gate, stopping the angels from entering it as they drew close. "We cannot take that chance with this many around us! We have to get rid of them if we are to pass through! And as quickly as possible!" Balder spun back around to sever an Ardor's head from its neck.
"I don't know how much of this we can keep doing. They are too many of them now!" Rosa said keeping her focus on the angels behind them who were approaching the gate.
"We must try! They cannot breach the barrier with us!" Balder said, his glaive meeting another angel as it approached, stepping over the Ardor that just as it fell.
The Laguna swarmed over the sides like a colony of cockroaches, skittering over one another as they tried to squeeze onto the narrow overlook to take a swing at the two.
With Rosa's Wicked Weaves and Balder's heavenly blade, they slashed and threw the enemies about, keeping them away. But as soon as they dispatched them, two more had taken their place. Despite their large sweeping powers, the Laguna continued to close in, inch by inch. Many of them just throw themselves at the cornered duo, using their bodies as a means to block incoming attacks for bigger allies and to try and overwhelm them even more.
The never-ending waves of angels were tearing down the parent's will and were crushing Balder's strength even more so. His leeching wounds spread a cold icy pain along his body, and new wounds appeared as Balder tried but failed to block some attacks that came in. More gashes and gouges appear along his chest, back, and limbs. His hair matted across his face, as he was drenched with sweat from cold chills and exhaustion the continued to grow from within.
Beyond the hellish cycle was the all too familiar booming Enochian echoed from below.
"Right Eye of the World, have you not brought enough pain and sorrow to the Hierarchy of the Laguna? The tears of Jubileus shall fuel my storms, and cleanse you in this holy baptism," Serpantia, Cardinal of Virtue, ascended from the clouds and latched onto the landmass ahead, beyond the collapsed bridge, as its body tries to maneuver around its scuddling children flooding in to try and take match their prowess to the tiring Sage and Witch.
"You have already taken one great brother from us, Master of the Heavens. We shall see that your souls shall be lost to the void!" Lustita crawled up from down below, flanking to the right side of his crawling kin. Its thorned tentacles writhing about in angered manner, the multiple cherub face looking down at Balder and Rosa with furrowed marbled brows.
"The Right Eye shall be returned to us, and we shall see to the Umbra's extinction once and for all. To finish what our brother could not," And lastly, Temperantia flanked to the left side, its hovering body casting down a deep and harrowing shadow.
Despite the arrival of such prestigious Laguna, the remaining angels below kept their attacks up. Balder and Rosa could not stop to acknowledge them, as they tried to keep the horde at bay. But they were being chipped away, new wounds sprouting along their bodies as all of the forces of Paradiso converged onto this one singular rock.
The Virtue's launched their own attack, all three coming in from every direction with a segment of their bodies. Coiling vines, missile barrages, and massive talons.
"Rosa, above!" Balder called out, hoping his warning rang out in time.
With a swift backflip, her hair quickly slipped from her body as Khepri's arm swung out wide, knocking away the incoming missiles. However, the demoness' arm was grappled by the thorned vines, causing Rosa to remain stuck as her ally was held out in the open. Madama Khepri tried to thrash away, but her massive hair-twined arm wouldn't budge.
To her rescue, Balder threw his blade up, embuing it with magic to force it forward and further than before. The glaive cleaved through the vines cleanly, severing it instantaneously, and freeing the Inferno demoness out of its grasp, and in turn releasing Rosa.
In a last-second effort, Balder's blade returned to his hand in time to expel an explosive swing towards Serpantia's claws, knocking them back.
The two were torn between rebounding the Virtue's attacks as well as the mass horde that surrounded them. Balder's body was weakening at an alarming rate, his poise crumbling with every hard hit or heavy block he took. The wound splitting like an ax against firewood.
His eyes began to well with panic, he could see the slight glow of the barrier in his peripheral vision, and his small child hunched over to look away from it all. A few angels managed to break their line and get a few hits onto the protective shield that lay in the middle of the courtyard. The sudden blades bouncing off the magical sphere elicited a scared cry from Cereza, an all too familiar and fresh fear that could not leave her. He threw his blade to sever their bodies and summoned it back to his side to fend off more swords that swung down towards him.
He looked to Rosa, seeing her starting to falter. Her attacks were becoming sluggish, a sloppy and ungraceful cluster of swings just to keep them away. What once was an elegant dance between the two became a barbaric and primitive fight for survival.
They were stuck, and it was not turning in their favor.
He then heard the pained cries from his wife, as an angel managed to strike a blow against her. He turned to go to her side, but another angel already cut him off. He could only watch as she struggled to swing back and dispatch the enemy before it could do it again.
His mind was racing, a burning sensation that coursed through his veins began to fuel his thoughts. A burning realization.
"You dare try to place a soul of the dead back to the world of chaos? A soul that has been rightfully given to us upon our divine duty? A madman you have become," Temperantia said, reeling back another fist for an attack. Balder barely bounced it away, falling to his knees as he did, and having to recoil back before a Glorious could strike him down.
Such a horrible plan, a damning but necessary plan that began to shackle Balder's mind. He watched as more than twenty angels surrounded the gate, practically crawling over it.
"You cannot escape this fate. Even if you somehow managed to take that soul back to the mortal plane, we will spend the rest of eternity looking for it. She cannot escape her destiny," Lustita chimed in.
Rosa felt another blade scathe across her back, yelling out in pain before she spun around and put down the creature with a fit of rage. She turned to close in on Cereza's bubble, expelling the angels that surrounded it once more. Their circle of their enemies closed in on them, the Sage and the Umbra were back to back, with Cereza protected in between. Rosa's heaving breaths gave it away, she was at her end. So many came in so quickly she didn't even have time to summon Khepri. Another blade swung in and she could not move in time, and it found itself across her arm, splattering blood along the ground with it. Another to her side, almost piercing her ribs. The last blow brought her to her knees, as she had to block an Applaud's sword as it swung down. She shot into it, pushing its body aside.
"All of your souls, including that little Umbra, shall be erased from time. Erased from this realm. The child shall vanish into the ether, into nothing."
The last push of the Laguna came, as the mass of various angels surrounded them, weapons raised above their heads.
"No!" Rosa shrieked, refusing to give up but her body refused to move. She could only cover Cereza's bubble in one last effort.
Balder felt his magic fleeting. The wounds were overtaking him. He had none left to give after this now.
He had to make it count.
With a flash of blue azure light, Balder's Right Eye burned to life, his body feeling it was dipped into a lava pool as the magic strained every last bit from him.
But he did not care, he could not care anymore.
For the time had stopped, as they entered his Light Speed. He knew what he had to do with his remaining pool of magic left in him. His Right Eye gave him this last gift to do so.
Turning around he quickly plucked Cereza gently out of her bubble, as Rosa turned to face him in the frozen reality they were succumbed to. But it was clear it would not last. The angels beyond their time slowly began to move, their speeds eventually would lead back up to their usual self. The weapons were still on the downward plummet.
But Balder paid no mind to them. He placed Cereza in Rosa's arms as she stood before him, a look of pure bewilderment taking over. Cereza looked just as confused, but more so scared.
"Balder?" Rosa asked, her voice trembling, blood-splattered across her face. Balder unveiled the feather within his robe and uttered the chant once more, bringing the portal back to life within their frozen time. She looked back, the warm glow reflecting off her face. The angels surrounding the exit were mere feet away and were beginning to move faster ever so slightly.
She turned her head back to speak, but Balder brought her, silencing her words with a deep and passionate kiss.
It wasn't fair. It hurt more than anything else in the world. But he knew he had a purpose. It was his duty as a Sage, and as a father, a promise to keep.
"You will always be my dearest Moonlight, my Moonriver…"
Rosa's eyes widened as she felt her stomach twist into the agonizing realization. Her eyes flickered as tears welled in them, as she felt himself let go of her face. He put on his warmest smile for her, one last time. He looked down to his most treasured joy, who peered up at him with a familiar sadness. A terrible truth that the scared little girl could understand.
"I love you, Rosa. And I love you, my dear sweet Cereza."
And with a magical shove, he sent her flying back, past the angels that had begun to move again at full speed as the time freeze had ceased.
"Balder, no!" Rosa screamed as she reached out a hand to her love, the split second she had to look upon him one last time before disappearing through the luminous gate.
"Daddy!" Cereza's cries were the last thing he heard as they fell through the gate. He immediately crushed the feather within his hand, the gate's light dying just as quickly as it came to life. The Affinities that had charged at the gate hit the lifeless stone structure and themselves with such force it killed them.
The blades of the surrounding angels returned to their momentum and came down with one swift stroke.
Then the land of light became still. It became silent. The Laguna that had surrounded him ceased their movement as the Cardinals of Virtue watched with disbelief. For the first time in history, a soul of the dead had left the planes of Paradiso.
"This...is not possible," Serpantia stuttered.
And in the center of the tattered courtyard, more than a dozen spears and swords had penetrated Balder, his body stuck within the cold steel cage as the angels didn't move.
Balder kept his gaze fixated on the gate, his lips quivered as the sorrow finally grappled his heart. The pain in his body seemed to subside, as his body entered a state of shock.
The angels slowly removed their weapons from Sage's skin, drawing out a pained gasp as he fell to the stone floor. His blood became a contrasting red puddle across the grey tiles beneath.
He laid still, flat on his stomach, his eyes still looking up at the gate. A shattered eye monocule remained in his left eye.
"What have you done?!" Temperantia proclaimed with a fit of bellowing anger.
Balder breathe in, feeling his lungs beginning to falter as blood filled them.
"I did...what I had to do...for my little one," His mind was slowing down, he could a shadow grow over him. He could not muster his anger anymore. He knew, deep within his dying body, that they passed through safely.
His Right Eye faded, as the within him depleted.
"Obliterate him, he shall perish into the dark forever!" Lustitia said, closing in on him.
Balder waited to feel the final crush from the angels above, but instead, the light returned to him. The shadows that coated him ceased, as he felt the sun's rays warm his soon-to-be-cold body.
And in the farthest reaches of his head, he could hear it. Singing.
"What is this? Is this Dea's work? For this traitor?" Serpantia's voice echoed as Balder's consciousness began to slip. "This is not possible!"
"Still yourselves, this our not our judgment to part take in any more. His fate belongs to Jubileus," Temperantia's voice became quiet, the movement of the huge angels above ceased.
The singing began to get louder, the sun's rays had become brighter.
His wounds slipped away, as he felt only...comfort.
The hymn of an angelic woman reverberated within his mind, throughout his body. Words and tongues he could not comprehend. But it all felt familiar. Despite its alien nature, he felt he's known of it his whole life.
He felt the hymns of a song of understanding.
The soft and gentle voice eased his pain and withdrew his very being, his very soul, from his lifeless body.
"My dear...sweet...child."
Balder's words whispered out as his vision became black, and the last of the Lumen Sages passed on from the world.