Moambe

Time...

A complex construct that humans invented. Supernatural beings lived for hundreds of thousands of years without having to worry about something like time, but then some humans came up and started to play with the day and night cycle.

God loved the concept of it, yet never understood it. Not even Irina or Atlas did.

Yet there it was. According to their mathematics, they spend ten years in this prison, searching under every stone and behind every tree.

They didn't feel hungry, nor thirsty. No need for sleep, no need to yawn. In their world only two hours passed, and their bodies continued to live by that concept.

Former tests proved that death is impossible. Decapitation, blow up, fire. Nothing could even scratch their skins. "This is fucking my head!" Irina yelled while smashing an axe made out of wood and stones against a tree. "Why are we unable to die but still can feel heat and coldness? We should have been icicles or dehydrated mummies years ago!" Everyone agreed while Bikou looked around and found Atlas staying silent and following his book.

"How can you be so calm!" He yelled at the Paimon.

"Because every decision he does shows him a future. Staying quiet let's him concentrate on his path and that lets the book lead him to the spot he needs." Michael explained with a warm smile.

"Don't worry, we might be close, Nyaa." Kuroka exclaimed as she followed Atlas towards a cliff. "There are sounds coming from the other side of the cliff."

"Close?" Atlas laughed out. "The horns of Jericho were loud enough to destroy an entire city. How far do you think you could hear them? We are thousands of miles away." He exclaimed before dropping down on his knees.

"That are not the horns of Jericho." Irina exclaimed as she saw Lint collapse on the floor. Atlas looked to the side and saw Kuroka and Bikou falling down unconscious with Michael following. "Honey?" She spoke a last time before her world turned black.

"Irina Shidou," A voice spoke as she opened her eyes. "What do you desire?" A strong pull dragged her out of the dark abyss she was in. Again she opened her eyes, giving her a feeling of disgust. Opening your eyes two times, without closing them once. Was that even possible? What the hell is going on!?

Her eyes opened again while she felt being dragged out. She couldn't turn around or move any other limbs. She felt a strong desire to kill the person or thing that made her open her eyes three times in a row without closing them once.

Suddenly she felt her eyes close only to see darkness. They closed again without opening and then closed themselves again.

"Irina Shid...Paimon, that's what you want to hear? Really?" The voice spoke up sarcastically. "You could have any guy and aim for that one? Do you even know what he is doing right now? You are sick!" The voice spat in disgust. "I don't even want to know what absurdity you desire. I hope you fail the test!"

She opened her eyes again. Momo smacked her cheeks slightly while Reya kept on holding a barrier around them. "Irina, thank Satan, you woke up."

"Momo? What happened?" Irina asked while looking around. "Did we get out of Eden? Are we back in hell?"

"Eden?" Momo asked questions. "You are dreaming about that again? Now? The same moment Atlas needs your help?" Again a slap against the cheek while Irina widened her eyes.

She looked to the left to see a massive crater in the ground. Atlas in the middle of it surrounded by multiple people.

Immediately she stood up only to run towards the future father of her daughter, but realized soon that I'd didn't matter how fast she ran. She didn't even leave the spot. She turned around only to see Momo shaking her head in defeat just a meter away from the orange haired girl. "A barrier? But I thought Reya is keeping up a barrier?"

"No, she is trying to break it but it's a Longinus Gear." Tomoe explained while sitting on the ground.

What do you desire, Irina Shidou?

The question kept jumping around her head. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!" Irina yelled out with every power. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She yelled, raising every attention onto her while clutching her ears in pain.

"Irina, what's wrong with you!" Tsubasa yelled at her. "Snap out of it!" She shook her a bit while the girl stared with wide eyes at her hands.

Don't resist it. The longer you deny it, the more pain you will feel.

Her head flew on the ground while her back arched up like she was possessed. "ATLAS!" She yelled only once to end the pain.

She knew that he was the one she wanted. Her heart desired him and with every time she saw him, she received confirmation that he is the only one she wants.

Her eyes closed as she felt the continuous pain flowing through her veins. Her body rolling from left to right, her clothes ripping apart from the rough ground.

There it was again. The darkness in her mind. What was she doing? Who is she? This sound...she heard it before.

This ear deafening rough tone. What was that? It's too long for an animal, but multiple humans in a continuous pattern could make it sound like it's an endless sound. This boy, he knew what it was, but I refused to believe him. Why? Why would I deny it? He is everything, so why would I refuse to believe him?

Fear.

This one word stuck in her head. Why did she fear this sound?

The Battle of Jericho.

She read about this... No he did. Just the memory of his is now hers. Why is this sound not leaving her head? Why does she fear it that much?

"It was God's greatest defeat. The walls fell and the men killed every man, every woman and every child in Jericho. A massacre that only a prostitute, her family and a few of her customers survived." The voice again. "You may know this story. The story of Rahab. Innocent children died, innocent women and innocent men. But a prostitute who helped two men survived? Because God allowed that?"

"I don't follow God! He is dead!" Irina yelled out in anger.

"Your relative survived. Why? Because she hid these men. People died for things out of their control. And people died despite God not being the one who created them. They died because God came to this world, called the humans his and started to command them around like they were his dogs." The male voice spoke out enraged. "I was once like you. And if God would see you, he would have sent you here."

"God would have killed me on the spot." Irina replied with a hiss of rage.

"No. I killed my own brother because God liked his sacrifices and not mine. He would give you a slightly less harsh punishment. But you would be living in this garden too." The man spoke out with a tone of sadness.

"You have a nice test here." Irina said as she chuckled. "Cain, am I right? Well anyways. The Battle of Jericho never happened. No recorded Sacred Gear could destroy an entire city with vibrations, except one, Canary Overkill. And as far as I know, it's still in the seventh Heaven, right next to every other sacred gear that God wasn't able to give the humans." Irina smirked into the darkness as a yellow light kept coming closer. "The personal prison warden of Garden Eden. Cain, son of Adam and Eve, brother and murderer of Abel."

"You know a lot, and I certainly thought the boy is the dangerous one who has to be captured." The voice spoke as the light stopped.

"You weren't wrong with me. Our intelligence is the same. It's just that he is stronger when it comes to wielding the Bible." She blinked after feeling air brushing her eyes and suddenly a man stood in front of her. Without even flinching she smiled. "You did exactly what he wanted. Imprisoned him because it proves a point. Heaven fears knowledge, but is stupid in itself. Have you even tried to see what book he was reading? Wasn't a book what your small brain feared? Can you even read?" Irina kept on asking while the man widened his eyes.

"Reading Narnia is not a threat. Testing him is." Irina's smile turned into an angered teeth gritting as she grabbed Cain by the throat only for him to laugh.

"He isn't the only one who is being tested. But you are right, I should have given him all my hard tests, for that mistake I will make it up to you with a fight." Irina's intent of killing him did spark curiosity in him. "How about... I tell Michael what kind of grimoire Atlas and you are using and how much he could profit from using God's knowledge."

"You wouldn't dare!" Irina hissed while Cain just laughed and vanished. "Come back you pussy! You killed your brother from behind! You are so weak you wouldn't even be able to fight a girl you loser! Your mother is the one who created the devils!"

Nothing. He was gone.

He was still there. Everyone was laying on the ground, sleeping. Just Michael was left. Why?

"So you joined forces? Political marriage? I feel an insane amount of holy energy from that silver haired girl." Cain spoke as he walked out of the shadows of the trees, surprising Michael.

"Cain!?" The seraph yelled in surprise. "Now that actually makes sense. Eden is a Prison." Michal nodded to himself.

"So even the Seraphs didn't know about it?" Cain asked as he looked at Michael. "My knowledge is limited to the memories of those minds that I can enter. Irina's head was empty of any desires or wishes. Just a picture of the...future. Atlas let me inside his head, showing me the deepest desires of hundreds of peoples, just not his own." The man explained calmly.

"Yes, we have a peace treaty. Too many died and another war is useless. After all, no one is interested in one." Michael answered as he looked with a smile at the three devils. "Lint and Irina were exorcists. Atlas saved Irina's life and for a reason managed to convert Lint into losing all her faith."

"That wasn't hard for him, considering that he was able to do what thousands failed to do." Cain explained as he looked at the silver haired girl. "You should definitely ask him about his grimoire and why it causes devil's pain when they hear his spells. Because they certainly are holy and since you thought he was faithful, you gave him the ability to pray and read the Bible without problems."

"We all know that you are curious by now. You are telling me that you don't want to look into his memories? I didn't and I can assure you that I will do it, with or without you." Cain smiled at the Seraph while Michael thought for a moment before looking at Atlas and Irina and Lint.

"Fine. But if I see something that I wasn't supposed to see, I will leave and you will too." Michael commanded sternly.

"With all respect. Only God could command me. Seeing that you didn't even know I was here, or that this Prison exists, you certainly have a few more thousand years to learn how to even enter and leave this facility." Cain laughed out loud as Michael's vision went black.

Both their eyes stood open wide.

Michael woke up with a dry throat. "And you gave this monster the ability to burn hell and heaven if he would even think about utilizing this ability to the fullest! Have you even the slightest idea how many nuclear weapons would be needed to compare to the destruction if he read out the entire Psalm 118!" Cain yelled at the leader of heaven.

Michael just sat there with his hands shaking and his brain in disbelief. "You are wrong. Your mind is still the same Cain. You are too judgemental." Michael replied softly. "This boy's core is good. He might be controlled by lust, greed and pride, but he just wants to protect the ones he sees as his family. Something that you didn't. Your own mother became the creator of the devils and you killed your brother out of jealousy!" Michael said as he stood up with anger.

"He did that because he wanted to make sure that none of them would ever come to haunt him and the ones he wants to protect! The ones he saw in his book all these years ago. You wouldn't understand the pain and determination this boy went through in a million years." Michael spoke while pulling out a sword of a seal. "Giving him the ability to control the holy energy of prayers and reading holy texts was the least I could do. So hear me out, Cain, if you come this boy to close I will make sure you will end up where you should have ended, in the deepest fires of hell."

"Don't worry. I won't stand in anyone's way. I am not able to hurt anyone in here." Cain smiled as he sat down on a stone.

Michael snapped his head to the other side of the cliff as he heard swords clashing against each other and dragons roar in deafening volumes.

"But God is."

End