For reference, I'm using Hebrew for terms and had to create some names.
For reference of characters, I'm trying to fit them with those I feel would best fit the personality or because I find it funny.
I'll admit, I didn't want to do Vaggie as Elita One cause the personalities don't really fit imo especially with how OP and E1 interact with each other. However, by popular vote in a poll in FMC, I have decided to do so.
HEAVY SPOILERS FOR TF: ONE
Though I will skip over some scenes that I don't really want to write out fully.
This is gonna be a complete AU obviously, though it follows a lot of the script for TF: One, I did add/change a few minor things. Honestly, this is just something that was on my mind and I really wanted to do/experiment with though tbh this does remind me of those react fics people do with canon reacting to movies/shows alternate versions of themselves.
This should honestly be its own story/oneshot, but I decided to include it here anyways.
"In the beginning, I fought alongside one whom I considered a brother…but in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus, that Adam lost his way."
A golden city, full of majesty and glory, floated above the planet known as Eden, its towers were upside down as it floated, facing towards the planet.
This was Alisyom, the city of the Angels, those that flew freely.
Below it was another city, though this city was far less splendorous, with buildings that while they were taken care of, were still slightly run down.
This was Amal, the city of Toil. Though it was necessary and grueling, the miners that worked there worked hard to ensure the stability of their livelihood and survival of their kind.
Here was where the Ovdim, the Workers, who broke their backs in the mines, harvesting precious Sam-Hiyim, the lifeblood of their people, necessary to sustain life and to keep Alisyom in the sky.
And in between, the bridge between that which was Pure and that which was Mortal.
Together, they formed the city known as Iacon which was where the majority of citizens of Creation resided, protected by enormous walls that separated Iacon from the wild and treacherous outskirts, where danger and peril reigned.
But some were more…free-spirited than others.
In one of the towers of Alisyom, or rather on one of the towers as the figure was scaling it before she broke into the tower.
This was the Archives of Metatron, one of the original Nivchar [Chosen].
The woman was known by the name, Chara Pax, Chara to her closest friends.
As she broke into the archives for the nth time she had a mischievous grin on her face.
'Too easy.'
Going over the defenses, Chara mumbled to herself as she grabbed some data orbs, a few she'd seen already.
A new one however, caught her attention.
She inserted it into the projection device though it glitched and she panicked as it gave out feedback.
Quickly removing it, she looked around and spotting nothing, blew some dust off the orb before placing it back.
"Before Time had a Name, there was the Empyrean, the Source of Creation."
"Okay…standard beginning."
"The Empyrean sought to bring life to Creation, and so it transformed itself into the core of our world, Eden. From Eden's core, it birthed the Archangels, known as the Nivchar [Chosen]. The most powerful of the Angels, appointed to lead and protect future generations. To assist them, the Empyrean created an entity of great power, the Metritza shel Minhigot [Matrix of Leadership]."
"The Metritza, okay, come on, keep going!" Chara whispered with a grin.
" With the Metritza in the Nivchar's possession, Eden's natural power source, Sam-Hiyim, flowed freely in abundance with the Rivers of Eden, sustaining Life. For generations there was peace and prosperity until the Metritza was lost, causing Sam-Hiyim to no longer flow."
The archive ended and Chara groaned.
"Ugh, why does every legend about the Metritza end like that!" She then shuffled through the orbs. "There's gotta be one here that says what actually happened to it!"
"HALT, CRIMINAL!"
Chara blanched and turned around.
"Uh oh."
One fall from Alisyom and a chase across Iacon later, a man pushed a cart inside a train that would direct them to Amal.
"Coast is clear."
Chara grunted as she popped out of the cart.
"A-16, I might be dusty but elderly? That is too far!" she said with a pout and a point as she tried to climb out before accidentally bringing the cart down.
"Let me guess, checked out of the archives?" A-16 asked with a grin.
"Oh yeah! I had to jump out of a window this time, almost died, it was wild!" Chara said as she helped put the equipment back inside the cart.
"And digging through ancient knowledge is worth dying for?" A-16 asked with a raised brow.
"Yes, it is!"
"Ugh, I need a new best friend," He groaned as he leaned his head back.
"Look, if there are clues in our recorded history that can help us find the Metritza they're in the archives!" she emphasized.
"Lucifer Nivchar, the Lucifer Nivchar is up on the surface right now, risking his life for us in search of the Metritza." He said, emphasizing his point with a wave of some equipment.
"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Chara exclaimed. "But I'm trying to help him."
"Yeah? Ha, okay."
"The sooner Sam-Hiyim flows again, the sooner we won't have to mine for it…don't you want to choose your own path, do whatever you want?" she asked him and he sighed in return.
"We're miners. We mine. That's all."
"No, there's gotta be something more I can do, I can feel it!"
"Oh yeah?" A-16 replied with a chuckle. "Like the time you had a feeling you could shift forms without a halo?"
"You said you were never going to mention that again!" Chara blushed furiously.
"Took me three days to fix you up," A-16 smirked. "Your feelings get you into trouble."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Just trust in Lucifer Nivchar."
"I do trust him." Chara assured as she put the last piece of equipment in.
"Hey, if we did have halos-"
"I'd Form a shovel and beat you with it."
"I don't like how fast you answered that," she grunted. "And listen, if you did beat me, I couldn't give this awesome Adamiel Nivchar thing I have here. It's cool, I'll give it to someone else."
"...What Adamiel Nivchar thing?"
"Ah, it's nothing," Chara smirked as she pulled out a decal from her pocket. "Just, you know, a mint condition Adamiel Nivchar helmet decal, First Edition."
A-16 gasped.
"What."
"I mean, if you don't want it I can just throw it away-"
"Throw it away-! Don't, that's not funny let me see!" A-16 exclaimed as he reached out for it only for Chara to pull back and wag her finger.
"Hey, don't grab, you're gonna crease it." she said as she then gently applied it to his shoulder armor.
"You know, Lucifer says that Adamiel was the str-"
"Strongest Nivchar to ever live." Chara continued with a grin. "I know, buddy."
"Looks good on you." she complimented.
"Daaaah, it's…really cool!" he said with a huge grin as he admired the decal.
A-16 looked back at her in gratitude.
"Thanks."
"Always got your back," Chara Pax said as she raised her fist.
"No matter what." A-16 replied as he fist bumped her.
Since the day she was born, all that Chara knew was mining.
With the Metritza gone, it was necessary for miners to dig deep into Eden for raw Sam-Hiyim that was in mineral deposits since it no longer flowed freely in Eden's rivers.
Of course, mining came with its dangers.
Edenians were naturally long-lived, with there being rumors that the angels were technically immortal or at the very least ageless, considering their deaths in the war against the Gehanom [Hellborn].
But despite their longevity, they were very much susceptible to injury and death. Which is why even miners received some armor to help protect them in the mines, it wasn't much but it helped.
Chara would not, could not, ever leave someone behind, and although she regretted Vaggie losing her position she could never regret saving Anthony's life, though hopefully he could get his leg fixed soon.
She could have done without A-16 punching her.
"Ugh…that really hurt." A-16 muttered as he rubbed his face from where Valentino had punched him.
"What do you expect? He's huge."
"You know you were out of line talking back to a superior like that," A-16 retorted.
"Hey, Valentino was the one who was out of line, he deserved it!" Chara grumbled.
"Aren't you tired of being treated like we're nothing?"
"He had every right to hit me. I interfered."
Chara rolled her eyes but bumped his shoulder.
"Hey, and I appreciate you having my back. I'm glad you were there with me to get punched in the face."
A-16 huffed but smiled.
"ATTENTION! ALL SECTORS STAND BY FOR A MESSAGE FROM LUCIFER NIVCHAR!"
The miners excitedly raced towards the projectors.
"He's back?"
"He's back already?"
"Maybe he's found the Metritza!" Chara gasped as she pulled A-16 along."
The visage of Lucifer loomed over them as the hologram activated.
"Is it on?" He asked the unseen worker. "Okay, thank you."
He then faced the camera.
"Hello, my friends. Hello, Iacon City. Hello, to our saviors, the industrious miners who toil selflessly to maintain our Sam-Hiyim reserves. I celebrate you!" he declared as he extended his hand towards them, the miners and citizens of Iacon cheering for him.
"Humility and presence! That's leadership! Oh, nobody does it better!" A-16 said as he nudged his friend.
"Once again, I have narrowly returned with my fleet after another treacherous expedition across the desolate, dangerous expanses of our planet. I departed with hopes of finding the Metritza shel Minhigot, the key to bringing balance to Eden."
He bowed his head, saddened.
"I regret to inform you that we have returned empty handed."
Everyone began to groan in dismay.
"This is a setback. But not a failure!"
He then proudly faced them as he continued his declaration.
"Rest assured, I will find the Metritza shel Minhigot so that Sam-Hiyim can flow again. But that's in the future. Right now, I think we all deserve a little fun!"
With a wide grin he welcomed them all.
"Tomorrow there will be no work, all shifts off because tomorrow is the IACON 5000!"
They symbol of mentioned race appeared in front of him.
"My favorite event. A high-octane race all across Iacon City. Let's all see which competitor can prove they are truly more than meets the eye."
Chara looked at the symbol of the race as everyone cheered in excitement.
An idea formed in her mind.
Everyone was asleep.
"Psst, A!"
Chara walked up to him and called his name again before tapping his head.
"Hrrmm…" he grunted as he blearily opened his eyes.
"Oh, good. You're up! Come on, I have an idea."
Leading him to the roof to where the symbol of the Iacon 5000 floated in the middle of the city.
"Whatever this is, it better be good."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, listen. What if…What if!? We ran in the Iacon 5000!?" Chara said as gestured towards the sign. "Huh?"
A-16 stared at her for a second.
"What if, I kill you for waking me up?" He grumbled before turning away.
"No, no, hear me out," she said as she grabbed his arm. "We don't even have to win."
"No? That's good, because we wouldn't."
"But if we beat just one angel, it proves we're just as good as they are!"
A-16 faced her again in exasperation.
"Not only would we go down in history as the miners that did the impossible but we would show everyone that we're capable of so much more!"
A-16 blinked.
"Or, we get publicly humiliated and then busted back to Tier 1."
"Yeah, but at least we would have done something, you know? C'mon, A!"
"We're miners who don't have halos or wings. We can't fly. We can't Create. We can't race. Come on, let's go," A gently finished before heading back.
"Augh…fine…" Chara muttered before facing the sign. "Yeah…maybe you're right…"
'Maybe.'
A-16 was groaning throughout the entire journey as she led them through the internals of the city.
He was really looking forward to the race.
But he was surprised when they found themselves right on top of the racers from the starting box.
"WELCOME TO THE IACON 5000! THERE THEY ARE! WHAT YOU HAVE TOGETHER IS TODAY'S COMPETITORS TAKING THE FIELD."
"Look, look, there's Ziz and Behemoth! This is unbelievable…I feel like I'm in the race!" A-16 excitedly said before facing his friend.
"You did this for me?"
"No. I did this for us." she said and they bumped fists.
"AND NOW! THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE ICON OF IACON! THE SAVIOR OF EDEN! GEHANOM FEAR HIM BUT WE LOVE HIM! OUR LEADER, THE ONE AND ONLY, LUCIFER NIVCHAR!"
Hyping himself up Lucifer jumped off his tower before spreading his wing with fireworks exploding around him as he flew around the arena, high fiving the citizens before he landed on a floating pedestal above everyone.
"Thank you, thank you! It feels so good to be here with you all today." Lucifer declared as he then raised his hands for quiet.
"My friends, my Edenian family. It has been precisely 50 years since the Gehanom attacked our home. 50 years since we lost the Metritza shel Minhigot and our Sam-Hiyin supply dried up. 50 years since the battle that killed the other Nivchar, my brothers and sisters in arms."
A hologram of the Thirteen Nivchar appeared.
Michael. Raphael. Uriel. Gabriel. Barachiel. Metatron. Jehudiel. Camael. Jophiel. Zadkiel. Azrael.
A-16 paid special attention to the largest of them, Adamiel. Meanwhile, Chara looked to Seraphiel.
"Today, we honor the Nivchar who gave their lives for ours. We show them that the strength of Eden will never be diminished!"
With a flourish, the holograms disappeared and the crowd roared.
"Racers! On your marks!" Lucifer said as he charged up a magical blast.
"I can't believe we get to watch from the starting line! This is the best seat of the house!" A-16 said before feeling something click onto his back.
"Why'd you bring jetpacks?" A-16 curiously asked his friend.
"It's time to show them we are more than meets the eye," Chara said with a confident grin.
"Oh no."
BANG!
The race was frantic and yet it was exhilarating, it was crazy to think they made it as far as they did.
Of course then A-16 had to lose his jetpack and get knocked out of the raceway.
"I got you buddy!"
Chara was quick to pull him back up though it left them at the end of the race.
Fortunately…there were other options.
Slamming into Valentino after being launched across the sky was definitely fun, though getting absolutely barreled by a racer's creation hurt, yet Chara refused to abandon A-16 and helped him to the finish line.
And then they were slammed by Odette.
"Well, second place is still pretty good." Chara chuckled.
That's when the rest of the racers zoomed past them.
At the medical center for the racers…it was a bit tense.
"So…" Chara started. "How long do you think we'll be here?"
"I'm not talking to you."
…
…
…
"You know what? I can't believe you made me do that! We are so screwed!"
"I thought you weren't talking to me," Chara turned away with a smirk.
"Hey, look, I know it's all a big joke to you, but not me! I was paying my dues! I was going places! And now they're gonna bust me down I don't even know how many tiers!"
Chara sighed.
"Sorry, A. But come on, didn't you feel it? Even for just a second, didn't you feel liberated? Didn't you feel like you were something else, like you could be more than what they say you are?" Chara pleaded with him.
"Yeah, I felt it…I did. But it doesn't matter! We're going to get punished and demoted! Ohhh and Lucifer Nivchar saw the whole thing this is so embarrassing!" A-16 groaned.
Suddenly heavy footsteps caught their attention and they blanched as they saw the tall, pale and menacing woman walk in, looking at them with narrowed eyes, multiple floating eyes staring at both of them.
"It's clear."
Even larger footsteps sounded across the hall and they were awed to see the large figure of Lucifer Nivchar.
"Chara Pax. A-16. What you two did today was one of the craziest things I've ever seen."
"Sir, this is all my idea and we're so sorry about it-"
"I loved it!" He exclaimed.
"You did?"
"How could anyone not love it? You gave my best racers a real run for their money!" He continued.
"So…we're not getting demoted." A-16 asked.
"Demoted?" Lucifer repeated before laughing continuously, the others awkwardly joining in.
"Ha…the fact of the matter is, we're halfway into the first shift since the race ended and that mining crew has already reached 150% quota. You inspired them to work harder!"
"Lucifer Nivchar, sir, we joined the race to show everyone our potential. That we Ovdim can do more than just mining-"
"Outstanding! I love a person that can think for herself. Perhaps you could do a tour of the mines, speak to your brethren, and help them see their potential!" He said while shaking their hands.
"Wow!"
"Great! That sounds incredible!"
"Sir! It's time." The woman interrupted.
"Yes! I'm sorry, friends." Lucifer said as he backed away. "We're preparing our next travel out the wall. But in the meantime, I've got a treat for you, hang tight!"
He turned to his subordinate.
"Lilith! Have someone escort these heroes to my personal service facilities?" He faced them. "Best care in Alisyom. Until next time, legends!"
With a grin and finger guns, he left them, Lilith following right after.
A-16 was giddy.
"Lucifer Nivchar! Ah! The Lucifer Nivchar!"
"You're still mad at me?" Chara asked.
"I am less mad at you."
"I'm telling you, A, I got a feeling that everything's going to change. And we're, we're going to…" Chara trailed off as the two stared at the tall and very angry figure in front of them.
"Hurgh…Miners! HurrGH! HRRRGH!"
"Ah…Valentino…"
Okay, so maybe they were stuck now in Sublevel 50 which apparently existed alongside 9 other sublevels which was a terrifying concept to think about.
But at least they met E-127 who was…very…excitable.
The message in Steve's…head, however, provided a new opportunity.
#Gehanom ambush! Calling the High Guard! We need immediate support! Immediate support!#
"...That's Seraphiel…" Chara muttered.
"One of the Nivchar?"
#Repeat! Michael Nivchar has fallen! SOS message! Protect the Metritza! Sending location coordinates-krk-sending location coordinates.#
"...Holy Empyrean…" E-127 gasped.
"These are coordinates to a location on the surface…this could be where the Nivchar died in the Gehanom War…which means this is where we could find the Metritza shel Minhigot!" Chara excitedly said.
A-16 narrowed her eyes at her.
"What are you talking about? It's an old beacon inside a statue made of garbage!"
"Or, a clue of how we can find the Metritza shel Minhigot!" she defended.
"No! No way! Absolutely not!"
"Come on, this could be our chance to show everyone-"
"You already tried to show everyone in the race you tricked me into running, which got us stuck down here in this waste hole with this…" he trailed off as he looked into E-127's innocent eyes. "...really cool girl."
"Why, thank you!" she beamed.
"I'm just saying," he tiredly continued. "There's a reason no one goes to the surface, it's dangerous! I'm waiting right here Lucifer Nivchar finds us."
"Okay, yeah," Chara shrugged as she leaned back. "We'll just stay here forever. That cool with you, E?"
"Forever! This is great! I have new coworkers and roommates! There's plenty of room now that Steve is dead. I usually sleep on the conveyor belt, but you can totally have it. I'll sleep in the corner next to AAron. Plenty of room for you guys to stretch out because you're taller than I am, you know what I mean?"
A-16 groaned as he realized just what he'd agreed to.
"Hey A, what do you think Lucifer's reaction would be if you personally handed him the Metritza shel Minhigot that you found?" Chara asked with a sly grin.
"Okay, stop. I know what you're trying to do and it's definitely working. I'm in."
"Haha, yeah, buddy!" Chara cheered before turning to E.
"How do we get out of the city?"
"Outside the city? Easy. I know a way." E assured. "But it won't be easy."
That's how they found themselves climbing up a trash chute.
"Why is there so much trash?"
"Agh, warm me next time, please? My mouth was open."
"Only 49 sub-levels to go!"
To be honest, she didn't expect the ensuing journey with Vaggie and dang she has a mean right hook.
Still, now that they were here they were on their way to finding the Metritza.
The outside was so beautiful though…how could it be dangerous?
As E was currently talking Vaggie's ear off, Chara and A-16 walked together.
"Hey, you're thinking about what you'll say when you hand the Metritza to Lucifer?" Chara asked with a nudge. "Aren't you?"
"I can't help it."
"A, we're really doing this!"
"So glad I'm out here with you. This was a great idea." He replied with a smile as they kept walking.
The journey took some time, but eventually they neared the coordinates nearby an abandoned outpost from what they assumed was from the war.
None of them expected the close encounter with the Gehanom though with some luck, they were able to escape undetected.
"The Gehanom haven't been here for fifty years…it doesn't make sense! There's nothing out here!"
Still discussing the topic, they nonetheless continued their way towards the coordinates until they reached the mouth of a giant cave. It was daunting, yet they continued forward.
Once they reached the cavern however.
"I don't believe it…"
"The Nivchar."
Armored bodies strewn about, yet despite being dead, they were not decayed…in fact they were almost preserved.
These were sacred grounds…a forgotten monument.
They split off each of them looking at the corpses.
A-16 was quick to find his idol.
"Adamiel Nivchar…"
Meanwhile, Chara found another.
"Michael Nivchar!" she gasped as she approached him but his chest piece had been blasted open and was empty.
"The Metritza…it's gone…"
"Let's keep looking."
They continued to look around, but Chara took notice of a glow from a pile of rocks.
"Hey, guys!" She called the others and they helped remove the rocks from the body of one of the Nivchar.
"It's Seraphiel…she's dormant but she's still alive!"
E was quick to give Chara a vial of Sam-Hiyim and she put the liquid down Seraphiel's throat.
With a shudder, her body began to twitch her wings cracking as the armor rattled and her eyes cracked open.
With a shout she lurched forward, screaming incoherently as the others tried to steady her.
"Whoa, it's okay. It's okay. You're safe now." Chara reassured her. "The war is over."
Seraphiel looked at the younger woman before glancing towards Michael's corpse.
She hobbled over before resting a hand on him.
"I failed you, old friend. You deserved so much better than this end."
"But you didn't fail!" Chara said. "We heard your message. We've come to find the Metritza!"
"Your…halos, what happened to you?" Seraphiel asked them. "Who are you?"
"We're haloless miners from Amal." A-16 explained.
"Miners? Why?"
"Well, we've had to drill for Sam-Hiyim ever since it stopped flowing." Vaggie explained.
"Impossible."
"That's why we came!" Chara continued. "To fix things. If we find the Metritza shel Minhigot and get it to Lucfier Nivchar-"
"LUCIFER is no Nivchar." Seraphiel spat much to their shock.
"WHAT!?" E-127 yelped.
"She's insane. Fantastic." Vaggie groaned.
"W-what are you talking about? Why would you say that?" Chara asked.
"Lucifer Nivchar is our protector. He's been saving us from the Gehanom ever since-"
"You have not been saved." Seraphiel rebutted. "You have been living a lie. I saw the truth with my own eyes."
With a wave, she beckoned them.
"Come. I will show you."
She kneeled against the ground, placing her hand and manipulating the dust around them, showing the Nivchar and Lucifer.
"For thousands of years, the war with the Gehanom had been a brutal conflict. Until Lucifer, the principal aid to the Nivchar, intercepted an enemy transmission. There was going to be a secret gathering of Gehanom commanders. Their elimination could end the war."
The figures of the Nivchar began to walk.
"It was a mission so important, we Nivchar took it upon ourselves. We agreed to meet Lucifer for his sensitive intel in secret. Here, in this cave. But we were not alone."
The Nivchar looked up, seeing hundreds of Gehanom attacking them from above.
"Gehanom!"
"They're here!"
"We were outnumbered but stood as one. Our victory was near."
Camael was the first to fall as a blade pierced through his back.
"But we were betrayed."
One by one, Lucifer helped to kill the Nivchar. Uriel, Raphael, Adamiel, all of them.
A shot knocked Michael down and Lucifer stepped on his weapon.
"Lucifer…why?"
"For all the power of Eden." And with that, he shot Michael before prying open his chest and tearing out the Metritza.
"But Lucifer never understood the true power of what he sought. The Metritza shel Minhigot can only be wielded by one that the Empyrean itself deems worthy."
The Metritza yanked itself out of Lucifer's hands.
"And Lucifer most certainly was not."
"NO!" Lucifer screamed as the Metritza vanished before the entire scene fell into dust.
Chara fell to her knees and A-16 glared at the figure that still remained in his mind.
"Wait, hold on, you're saying that the Metritza shel Minhigot just…vanished?"
"No, nononono, that is impossible! I don't believe it. Why would Lucifer do that!?" A-16 demanded to know.
"To make a bargain." Seraphiel said.
"A bargain? With who?"
"With the new rulers of Eden." Seraphiel replied as she led them to where they needed to go.
The group witnessed multiple Gehanom sprawling across Eden.
"Gehanom…there's so many."
A-16 narrowed his eyes.
"He's here…Lucifer Nivchar is here…"
What followed was an absolute travesty to their eyes.
Lucifer and his fleet, kneeling before the Gehanom commander and the revelation of just what Lucifer had sold.
"Our Sam-Hiyim…"
And then it got worse as the commander attacked Lucifer.
"I know what I promised you, but our mines, they're running out. There's barely enough Sam-Hiyim for us!"
The commander roared.
"I'm working my miners as hard as I can. I swear, I will get you the rest!"
With a grunt, Lucifer was tossed back and he snarled in indignation.
"Triple time every mining shift! No miner gets a break until I get my Sam-Hiyim! All of it!"
As the fleet left back towards Iacon the group retreated back to the cave.
"Now, you have seen the truth." Seraphiel stated.
Everyone was silent.
"Every day…" A-16 muttered. "Every. Single. Day. Of my life has been a lie."
"I knew it!" Chara muttered. "Deep down, I always felt something was off! He deceived everyone!"
"Lucifer bought himself power and then put us to work, paying off his debt." Vaggie huffed.
"I can't believe it," E said. "Well, obviously, I can believe it, I just saw it but I still…I can't believe it."
"Lucifer lied to my face."
"How could we have been so gullible?" Chara asked. "Oh this, this is going to change everything-"
SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM
"You just had to do it, didn't you?" A-16 asked after crushing his rank plate.
"Me? What did I do?"
"You just had to go to the surface, had to enter the Iacon 5000. You just had to break protocol!"
"Who cares about protocol?" Chara asked him, wondering where all this was coming from.
"I do! I care! Because nothing bad happens when you stay on protocol!" he said, approaching her.
"Lucifer Nivchar has been forcing us to work in the mines until our bones turn to dust! And all the while, he's been giving the Sam-Hiyim away to our greatest enemies!" Chara reiterated, also heated from all the revelations.
"And what do you think he's going to do to us when he finds out that we know?"
"I'm not thinking about what he's going to do. I'm thinking about what we're going to do."
"Well that's the whole thing!" A-16 shouted in frustration. "You're never thinking about anything else. Just yourself. Fantastic, another Chara Pax master plan. I can't wait to hear this."
He turned away from her and she grit her teeth.
"Don't you want to stop him!?"
"NO, I WANT TO KILL HIM!" He roared, facing her and surprising her by the sheer amount of vitriol in his voice. "I want to put Lucifer in chains and march him through the mines so that everyone can see him for the false Nivchar that he is! I want him to suffer and then to die in darkness."
He began to huff.
"But we all know that it doesn't matter what I want right, Pax?"
He slumped in defeat.
"The fact is, we're just haloless miners." He muttered. "Right? We had limited options. And now we have none. "
Everyone was quiet now, settling from A-16's outburst.
"No son or daughter of the Empyrean is born without a Halo." Seraphiel declared.
A-16 laughed.
"Oh yeah? I've been with myself since the day I woke up and this ," he pointed to just above his head. "Has always been empty."
"What are you saying?" Vaggie asked her. "Are you saying?"
"No. No way. Nobody could be that evil. Not even Lucifer."
"He removed your halos, before you awoke."
Chara slumped in disbelief.
"We…were born…with halos? We had wings?"
"But he took them from us." A-16 growled.
Seraphiel addressed them.
"What defines an Edenian is not the halo on their head. But the spark that resides in their souls. A spark that gives you the will to make your world better." She explained as she hobbled over to the center of the cave.
"My fellow Nivchar had that spark. And I see their strength in you."
She raised her hands.
"Take their halos and access your full potential."
"Raphael. Gabriel. Zadkiel. Azrael. They were one. You are one. All are one."
As the halos settled on their heads, their bodies transformed, becoming taller, stronger, wings sprouting out of their backs as armor fully formed for them.
Awed and grateful, Chara turned to Seraphiel.
"You…you gave us-"
"The ability to change your world." Seraphiel explained. "How you choose to use that power is up to you."
A rumbling of the cave caught their attention.
"They found us."
"Oh, yes!" A-16 grinned. "It's time to fight back!"
"No. You must return to Iacon City and alert everyone." Seraphiel refused before gathering the chip from before. "Embedded in this are the records I showed you. Use it to reveal the truth."
"We will." Chara said before another rumbling made them tense.
"This tunnel leads to the mountains. Eden's future is in your hands."
"We're outta time, we gotta move!" Vaggie said as she ran off, A-16 and E following.
"Wait, wait. We can't just leave you here!" Chara pleaded.
"Your fight will come, my friend." Seraphiel reassured her, resting her hand on Chara's shoulder. "The Empyrean has a purpose for us all. But this fight…this fight is mine. Now go!"
Tearily, Chara nodded before running off and Seraphiel faced her destiny.
Learning how to fly had a bit of a learning curve as well as learning how to create objects with their newfound powers but fortunately they managed.
Though Chara was getting worried.
She could see the shift in A-16's behavior, the way he'd become angry and resentful in the cave and the way he was laughing as if he was…losing himself.
It was scaring her.
"We're wasting time, we have to get back to Iacon." A-16 said and Chara looked at the map.
"It looks like the fastest way back to Iacon is-" She was interrupted by A-16 plucking the chip from her.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't worry about it. I got it."
"Yeah but, our proof is there and you're spilling it everywhere…" Chara trailed off as she saw his gaze.
"I…got…it."
Chara gulped before nodding.
"Okay…"
A-16 smirked before turning.
"Follow me."
Yeah…A-16 was really starting to worry her now.
Seraphiel grunted as she was forced to her knees, her many wounds leaking.
"Seraphiel! You're still alive! Look at that. You look…horrible." Lucifer mocked as he approached her.
"Traitor." She spat. "You are a disgrace. The Empyrean will surely-"
"Yes. Shut up." Lucifer interrupted her. "I seized an opportunity to take control of my future. Anything to get out of working for you and that boring council of elders."
He began to pace.
"Seriously. I would watch you Nivchar spend half the day losing a war and the other half waxing poetic about loyalty and honor …but now look at you." He smirked.
"Hear my words. You will fall!" Sera continued. "And a new Nivchar will rise-"
Sera grunted at the blade now at her neck.
"Here you go again. I don't want to listen to any more speeches."
Lucifer sighed.
"There were others in the cave with you. Who are they?"
"They are to be your undoing. You've lost Lucifer. Nothing-"
With a snarl he shifted his sword before driving it into her, golden blood splattering across the floor as she slumped.
"Ah…didn't I just say no speeches?" He asked Lilith. "You heard me, right? This is what I"m talking about. Unbelievable. All of them were like that…so disrespectful."
With a roll of his eyes he flicked the blood off his blade.
"Okay…hunt down the others." He ordered.
"With pleasure." Lilith smirked as she spread her wings and flew off, the others of the fleet following her.
Back with the group, Chara gulped as she approached her friend.
"Hey, buddy…you've been a little quiet. You alright?" She asked.
"All I can think about is Lucifer's smirking face. He must pay for what he's done. Someone has to do something."
"We are." She reassured him. "With the proof inside that device, we will show everyone the truth."
"You honestly believe it'll be that easy?" He derisively asked. "Iacon doesn't want to hear the truth. They worship Lucifer."
"We just have to trust that everyone will believe what we show." She whispered to him, holding onto his shoulder.
"I trusted Lucifer with everything. " A-16 replied as he shrugged off her hand.
He then stared straight into her eyes.
"I will never trust a so-called leader ever again."
Chara blinked back tears, hurting at seeing her friend with so much rage.
"There's only one person I know I can trust." He almost gently said. "And it's-GARGH!"
He was cut off by something shocking him the others shouting in surprise before they too were knocked unconscious.
"Alright, wake them up." A woman ordered.
Chara gasped as she woke up from the hit. The rest woke up as well, groaning as they tried to readjust.
"Now. Are you spies? Or just incompetent lackeys." The woman demanded as she leaned on her throne.
"We're not spies." Chara rebutted.
"But she is incompetent."
"Scanning bioelectrical impulses." A man with a staff said as visual radio waves appeared from his halo. "He speaks the truth."
"That just means he believes himself! Like any spy would." The woman scoffed.
"Mm. MMM. Mm MM MM!" E mumbled through a gag.
"Why is she gagged?" Vaggie asked.
" She wouldn't stop talking!" A second man said, notably with a red and black eye, swirling on his halo that went over where a person's regular eyes would be.
"Even when she was unconscious?"
" Especially when she was unconscious!"
"Enough!" The woman ordered. "Two options for you. One! We slowly tear you apart one feather at a time and really make sure you feel it. Or two, in exchange for a quick death, you give us intel on the Sam-Hiyim trains, access to the mines, or anything else that can hurt your boss, Lucifer Nivchar."
"Who exactly are you guys?" Vaggie asked.
With a shout, E was finally able to pry off her gag.
"THE EDENIAN HIGH GUARD!" She squealed.
"I told you it wasn't tight enough!"
"PRESTIGIOUS DEFENDERS OF IACON!"
Chara nodded in agreement.
"She's right. I read all about you in the archives. You're the most legendary warriors in all of Eden!"
"Look, look!" E exclaimed. "That's Lute! And you're Vox! And Alastor! Wow, this is really cool!"
Lute sighed.
"The blue annoying one is correct."
"WOO!"
"We were once the High Guard. We witnessed Lucifer's betrayal and saw the Nivchar fall. Since that day we've been fighting from the shadows, doing whatever we can to sabotage Lucifer." Lute exclaimed as she slightly slumped.
"THAT'S GREAT!" Chara said as she stood up only to raise her hands to appease the ones who were now pointing weapons at her.
"Woah, hold it. Okay, okay, we're good. Everyone relax."
They lowered their weapons and she sighed in relief.
"I'm just saying, we're allies. We were on our way back to Iacon. And now with your help, we can unify Eden against Lucifer Nivchar!" she hopefully proposed.
"The idea of a unified Eden is a myth." Lute rejected. "All that counts is the strength of one angel over another!" She declared as she raised her fist, the others cheering in agreement.
"Okay…so these guys are a little intense." Chara whispered to Vaggie.
"Yeah, just a little…" she muttered.
"HEY!" Lute called out. "What are you doing!?"
Everyone turned to see A-16 walking away before being stopped by guards at the exit.
With a huff he turned.
"I'll tell you what I'm not doing. I'm not cowering in some busted ship playing queen of the throne!" He spat. "I'm not pretending like I'm making a difference by throwing one punch and then running away to hide!"
He began to walk towards them again.
"I found out that Lucifer is rotten today and I'm going to make him pay for it, to-day!"
"You think you can insult me and just walk away?" Lute asked as she stalked forward, descending the steps from her throne before getting into his face. "No one leaves here unless I say so."
A-16 chuckled.
"Is that right? Well how can you say so?" He grit his jaw. "With my head in your teeth."
And headbutted her right in the jaw.
Everyone shouted as she stumbled back before she spread her wings and leaped, dropkicking him before blasting him away with her angelic power.
A-16 grunted as he was shoved back before gasping as the breath was driven out of him due to her crashing into him and slamming him against a wall in the air.
She delivered brutal punches to his abdomen before he kicked her down and jumped, slamming on top of her.
He struck her face, her helmet denting with the blow.
"Come on! Hit me!"
The two began to strike each other as A-16 held her throat.
"You wish to see the strength of one angel over another!" He shouted to the crowd before continuing to choke her.
" C-Come on! Let's…go!" Lute choked out. "COME ON!"
With a roar, he cocked back his fist before the power of his halo activated and a large cannon was formed from his arm.
There was a pause as he stared before placing the barrel against her face.
"H-harder~"
Everyone paused blinking in surprise at the sudden admission.
They unanimously decided to not address it at this moment.
A-16 twitched but simply pressed the barrel against her chin again…making sure to remove his hand from her throat.
"STOP! A!" Chara called out. "She's not the enemy!"
A-16 narrowed his eyes before removing his arm, Lute choking and gasping for air before flushing in embarrassment at her...outburst.
"Bear witness!" He called out to the crowd. "This is the last time I show mercy! Decide! Right now! You can stay here in hiding, bowing before your pathetic leader, or follow me as we MARCH on Iacon and I take down Lucifer ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
He fired his cannon into the sky and the crowd began to chant his name.
"A-16! A-16! A-16! A-16!"
Chara could feel herself being pushed but could only stare in horror as she struggled to comprehend the brutality of what she just witness.
Worse still, as she saw A-16's face come into view, she noticed how his eyes, once comforting gold had turned into a daunting and fiery orange.
She gasped as she turned and saw Lilith with her fleet, approaching them.
At the break of dawn, Chara groaned as the rocks were pushed off of her by Vaggie.
"I feel like someone dropped a cliff on me…where are the others?" Chara asked.
"Lucifer's troops took as many prisoners as they could carry…they got A-16 and E."
"Oh, no…"
"And half those High Guard nut jobs."
With a tearful shudder Chara grabbed the device that was now broken.
"Our proof…it's gone…" she flicked it away.
"So…what do we do now?"
"A was right…"
"About what?"
"Everything." Chara muttered. "Look at it, look around. This is a disaster…it's all my fault. I should have stayed on protocol."
Vaggie sighed before approaching Charlie.
"Listen to me. I really want you to hear this. Are you listening?"
Chara nodded.
"I'm better than you."
Chara blinked.
"Yeah, okay. I'm hearing you."
"I'm better than you in every way, except you have hope. You always have. You're kind, charitable, merciful. You went back into the mine to rescue Anthony. You snuck up to the surface to find the Metritza shel Minhigot."
"Yeah, how'd that work out?"
"My point is…" Vaggie continued. "Is that your instincts tell you to break protocol for a reason. This blind optimism that you have is why you make such bold and courageous choices…that are also extremely stupid."
Chara huffed.
"First time giving a pep talk?"
"You're inspiring. You can envision a better future that no one else can see." Vaggie continued, smiling at her. "And if we ever want to see E and A-16 again, that is the Chara Pax that we need right now."
Chara looked away.
"Listen to me," Vaggie called again. "We can do this."
Chara sighed before nodding.
"Those Sam-Hiyim trains will be heading back to Iacon. If we intercepted one-"
"Hell yes, I can reroute it. What else do we need?" She asked as she helped Chara up.
"Well…my bold instincts tell me we have to recruit some nutjobs." Chara tilted her head to the remaining half of the High Guard who were regaining their bearings.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Approaching the two other leaders, Chara called out to them.
"Uh, Vox, Alastor, you in the back." They looked over to Chara. "In order to save our captured friends, we have to act now."
Vox was quick to threaten her.
"How about I blast you back to Iacon-ARGH!" Vox reeled back after Vaggie punched him in the eye of his halo.
"She punched me in my eye!"
"Everyone shut up! All of you!" Vaggie ordered before pointing to Chara. "Listen to her!"
Chara nodded before addressing them again.
"Most likely our friends are being held captive at the top of Lucifer's tower. A surprise attack would give us a chance to rescue them."
"Impossible." Alastor replied. "We do not have enough soldiers to make it inside."
"Vaggie will get us in and I will get more troops."
"Why should we follow you?" Vox asked and Vaggie punched her fist.
"We will follow you!"
At Lucifer's tower, the captured were all kneeling, bound with energy cuffs.
"I don't understand…" E whispered. "Why are we still alive?"
"Look at this rowdy bunch!" Lucifer exclaimed as he walked into the room. "The High Guard! You guys have been tough to find. Every trip to the surface we were searching for you."
"Tracking the miners to the cave led me right to them." Lilith smirked.
"Oho! You captured Lute!"
"It was too easy!"
"I'm going to rip you piece by piece, Lucifer and I'm going to make it painful-" Lute rasped but was interrupted by Lucifer.
"Your voice sounds ridiculous! It's weird." He taunted and Lute slumped in defeat.
"Oh! A-16, what a tragic story you'll be. On top of the leaderboard in your sector, secretly a traitor."
"I'm not the traitor." A-16 protested. "You're the traitor!"
"Nuh-uh. You, all of you, are traitors." Lucifer rebutted with a cocky grin. "You've been working with the Gehanom to sabotage my expeditions. You're the reason why I haven't found the Metritza shel Minhigot yet."
"None of that is true!" E exclaimed and Lucifer got right into her face.
"Oh, trust me. It'll be very true when I'm executing you in front of all of Iacon." He then growled his next words. "Because down here, the truth is what I make it."
SLAM!
An armored foot planted itself firmly on the ground as A-16 stood up.
"Well, well, what's this about?" Lucifer asked.
"I'm not kneeling in front of you."
Lucifer chuckled.
"Feeling confident, aren't we?"
"You don't scare me, you want to you know why?"
"Please."
A-16 narrowed his eyes.
"Because I don't have anything left to lose. You took it all."
Lucifer smiled.
"I sure did."
And he punched A-16 across the room.
"Ah, Adamiel Nivchar!" Lucifer pointed out to the decal on his shoulder. as he approached A-16. "Of course you're a fan. Adamiel was the coolest Nivchar, the biggest, the baddest, the toughest!"
He then loomed right over A-16, his halo changing shape.
"That's why, after I killed him. I took his halo, for myself."
A-16's eyes widened in fury and disbelief.
"He was greater than you'll EVER be!"
"I don't know, I'm pretty great!" Lucifer complimented himself. "But I can understand why you'd want to wear his helmet instead of mine."
He then pried open A-16's armor before removing the decal from his shoulder.
"Here." Lucifer said as he placed the decal on his chest and grabbed a tool from a soldier. "Let's make sure it doesn't come off."
And A-16 screamed.
"You can't be serious! We just did twenty-two shifts without a break! These miners need rest and time to heal!"
"Lucifer Nivchar wants more Sam-Hiyim! So get back in the mines before I make you get back in!" Valentino threatened as he cocked back his fist.
Another hand stopped his arm.
PUNCH
"UGH!"
Valentino slammed against an arcade machine before it crashed on top of him.
The miners began to whispers as they saw the figure approach them.
Anthony was the first to call out her name.
"Chara?"
"Anthony."
"Is it really you?"
"Yeah, I uh, I know I look a little different."
Chara didn't realize just how much had been robbed from them until she saw herself towering over the other miners.
"There's nothing little about you!" Anthony exclaimed.
"How is this possible?"
"Lucifer told us you died from your race injuries."
Chara grimaced before callingn out to them.
"Lucifer is a liar."
She then kneeled so that she could be closer to their level.
"Look, I know how this will sound coming from me." She continued. "I was never the most focused miner…but as you can see, everything is different now."
With a flourish, she presented her halo and wings, shocking them all.
"I went to the surface and I learned the truth." She said before taking a deep breath. "My friends…we were all born with halos and wings. And then Lucifer, he stole them from us. He took away our ability to make our own decisions. He stole our freedom."
Everyone began to mutter quietly.
"But now, I'm offering you your first real choice. You can work a twenty-third shift and mine yourself to death. Or fight back against Lucifer with me! Right now!"
"How are we supposed to do that?"
"We don't have halos."
Chara took a moment before repeating the words that had been told to her.
"What defines an Edenian, is not the halo on their head, but the spark that resides in their soul. A spark that gives you the will to make your world better. And that spark, Lucifer can never take from us!"
"There's not enough of us," Anthony interjected. "We need an army."
Chara placed her hand on his shoulder.
"And we have one. Vaggie is bringing troops. We are not alone in this…If we want to be in control of our own destiny, we will have to fight for it."
She stood up.
"Now is the time for us to stand up for ourselves."
"Yeah!"
"Stand up for this injustice!"
"YEAH!"
"I promise you, this fight will be worth it. Follow me! Nothing stops us when we stand together! Together as one!"
"YEAH! CHARA PAX! CHARA PAX! CHARA PAX!"
#Vaggie, it's time.#
Vaggie smirked inside the engine of the train.
"You got it. Buckle up, Blinkie. We're going in!"
With that, she manipulated the train's controls so that they breached over the walls of Iacon and headed towards Lucifer's tower.
Inside the mentioned tower, A-16 groaned in agony as the seared skin on his chest burned, golden blood trickling down from the symbol branded into his bare flesh.
Still however, he refused to lie down.
With a shuddering gasp he struggled to sit up.
Lucifer raised his brown.
"Uh-uh, not a good idea."
But A-16 refused to listen.
"A…just stay down." E pleaded with him.
With a heave, he got his feet under him, all watching as this lone angel defied Lucifer.
"Well, that's a shame." Lucifer said as he charged a blast. "You really were a great miner."
A-16 narrowed his eyes, but refused to close them. Choosing to face his impending death head on.
Defiant to the end.
Lilith watched impassively until one of her floating eyes caught something.
A train, heading straight for them.
"We've got a breach! Protect, Lucifer!" Lilith ordered as she and the fleet headed out to intercept.
"Well, they spotted us!" Vaggie called out as she flipped the train. "It's about to get bumpy!"
"High Guard, Eject." Alastor ordered and as the train opened its cargo doors, they jumped and flew to intercept, the two forces colliding.
But they were vastly outnumbered, almost getting overwhelmed until at the last minute, Chara came through with the miners, changing the tide of battle!
Lilith was quick to attack but in doing so, revealed the key for their success.
Soon enough, the train crashed into Lucifer's tower, smashing him into a wall and causing enough pandemonium to allow Chara and the others to free the prisoners.
"What has he done to you!?" Chara asked in horror as she held him up.
A-16 shrugged her off and seethed in fury.
"This is nothing compared to what I'm going to do to Lucifer."
"Alastor! Free the prisoners!"
Once they were freed, they were all quick to join the fray.
"I know how to stop him!" Chara said as she helped to at least heal the brand and seal his armor up. "Lilith is the answer."
"I'm doing this my way!"
The battle continued, though they noticed their primary target was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Lucifer!?"
The ground exploded beneath them, sending them scattering for cover.
"You pathetic little twits! Did you really think you could knock down everything I've built!"
"It's over, Lucifer!" Chara yelled. "You can't escape the truth!"
"What truth? That I plucked the halos from your newborn heads? Forced you to mine so that I could pay off the Gehanom and live like a King?" Lucifer rose from the hole he made, fully armored and ready for battle. "None of that matters because the truth is WHAT…I…MAKE IT!"
And he opened fire.
Lucifer proved himself too strong for them, though A-16 refused to back down and continued fighting.
"We need Lilith! We need her memory!" Chara explained before E asked where she was.
It was answered by Lilith suddenly tackling Vaggie.
"FOUND HER!"
Forced to leave A-16 behind to fight Lucifer, they made their way to the broadcast station after ensuring that Lilith was…properly subdued.
"STANDBY FOR A LIVE TRANSMISSION FROM LUCIFER NIVCHAR."
Meanwhile, A-16, no matter how furious he was was ultimately subdued by Lucifer, pinned by his foot as he aimed to kill him.
"What's wrong, A-16? Rise up!" Lucifer mocked before his own voice caught his attention.
"THAT'S WHY, AFTER I KILLED HIM, I TOOK HIS HALO FOR MYSELF."
Lucifer let go of A-16 and went to the balcony.
"WHAT TRUTH? THAT I PLUCKED THE HALOS FROM YOUR NEWBORN HEADS? FORCED YOU TO MINE SO THAT I COULD PAY OFF THE GEHANOM AND LIVE LIKE A KING? WHAT TRUTH, THAT I PLUCKED THE HALOS FROM YOUR NEWBORN HEADS? FORCED YOU TO MINE SO THAT I COULD PAY OFF THE GEHANOM AND LIVE LIKE A KING?"
It was horrifying to witness for all the citizens of Iacon.
Lucifer Nivchar had betrayed them.
"I'M WORKING MY MINERS AS HARD AS I CAN I SWEAR I WILL GET YOU THE REST! I'M WORKING MY MINERS AS HARD AS I CAN I SWEAR I WILL GET YOU THE REST!"
And they witnessed him kneel before the Gehanom, his masters.
And Iacon rioted.
Lucifer was twitching, he couldn't believe it. Everything that he'd built, everything that he'd worked for was now crashing down in flames!
A-16 stood and glared at Lucifer's back before roaring as he charged and tackled him off the balcony, the two now a tangle of wings and limbs as he punched Lucifer multiple times. The two crashed through signs and bridges before landing in the center of the city, just over the pit of Iacon.
With a roar, A-16 gained control of their descent and using all his force, grabbed onto Lucifer's wings before tearing them off as they crashed.
The two groaned in pain, but A-16 was quick to get up, even with his injuries, firing at Lucifer who was quick to dodge, the cannon shot blasting apart a statue.
"A-16!" Lucifer pleaded as he crawled backwards. "We can lead Eden together…don't do this!"
A-16 paid him no mind as he manifested his cannon, charging the shot and firing.
Chara crashed into him, the shot impacting uselessly against the ground.
A-16 snarled before realizing just who stopped him.
"What are you doing!?"
"It's over, A." Chara said as she held onto his shoulders. "Everyone in Iacon knows the truth."
"So do I!" He snapped, almost pleading with her to let him do this. "He took everything from us. I HAVE to do this!"
"No, you don't!" She rebutted. "Rebuilding Iacon cannot begin with an execution!"
"He deserves to die! Can't you see that?" He begged her.
"We're better than this!" She pleaded in return. "Don't be like Lucifer."
A-16 froze before glaring at her furiously.
"Pax. You need to move out of my way before I move you myself."
"A, listen to me-ugh!" Chara grunted as he suddenly punched her before kicking her down.
He then stomped forward to Lucifer, his cannon charging up as he raised it straight to him and fired.
"STOP-!"
KA-BLAM!
Both their eyes widened as the shot tore through Charlie's chest, blood splattering all over beneath them as well as her body.
The shot had blown her torso wide open, her left side a mix of flesh and ruined armor as her left arm and left wing fell into the pit, her body following.
But at the last second.
A-16 caught her.
"No, no, no, no, WHY!?" He pleaded. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? Why!?"
He was hyperventilating, looking at her mangled body as she barely managed to meet his gaze.
His face was going through a slurry of emotions, particularly rage and disbelief.
Chara began to tear up as she weakly called out to him.
"A…no…"
He bowed his head, his eyes closed.
When he faced her last, they were crimson.
"I'm done saving you."
And he let go.
The last thing she saw before darkness consumed her was his red eyes as he stood up and turned away from her.
Lucifer's soldiers landed as he crawled away.
With a roar, he charged at them.
As Chara fell, he fought through the soldiers, taking them out one by one as he reached Lucifer.
And deep with the pit, a light pierced through, impacting Chara's body and she was instead guided down to her destiny.
Lucifer tried to crawl away but was instead grabbed from behind by A-16 who lifted him up into the sky.
Chara's body was presented to the core of Eden, where the Empyrean awaited.
And golden blood showered A-16 as he tore Lucifer in half, the High Guard cheering him on as Vaggie and E looked on in horror.
Lucifer's body landed with a thud, the color draining from it as A-16 looked at his head.
Chara's body got closer and closer to the Empyrean as mystical energy surrounded her.
With a roar, A-16 tore off Lucifer's halo, before splitting it in two, revealing Adamiel's.
Presenting it to the crowd, he spoke.
"THE AGE OF THE NIVCHAR HAS ENDED! NO MORE FALSE PROPHETS! FOLLOW ME, AND YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN BE DECEIVED! RISE UP!"
The High Guard cheered him on as they pushed through.
"Chara Pax." The voice of Seraphiel echoed from the Empyrean as the figures of the Nivchar surrounded her. "Your noble sacrifice for the greater good has deemed you worthy in the eyes of the Empyrean. It entrusts in you the future of Eden and the Metritza shel Minhigot!"
"I, WILL LEAD US ALL INTO THE FUTURE!" A-16 declared as with a satisfied grin he took off Azrael's halo, carelessly tossing it to the side before placing Adamiel's own.
The Metritza shel Minhigot was placed into her chestplate.
Together, their bodies were shifted and changed as a new future was created for them.
"I…AM…ADAM!"
"Arise! Rachamim [Mercy] Nivchar!"
Her eyes opened and she was sent back to the surface.
"BURN IT DOWN! ALL OF IT!" Adam declared as he used his new weapons to open fire, destroying statues of Lucifer.
The High Guard were quick to follow.
"ALL HAIL, ADAM!" Lute declared as she, Alastor and Vox opened fire as well.
"He's going to kill everyone!" E cried out.
"We've got to stop him, come on!"
As Adam indiscriminately fired into the city, Vaggie tried to stop him.
"Stop! It's over!"
"It's over, when every last one of his followers is dead!" He declared as he then slammed her into the ground. E was quick to knock him off and the two tried to fight him but they were quickly overpowered by him.
Before he could seriously hurt E, the monument beneath them exploded as a light appeared, knocking the three of them away.
An armored figure slammed into the ground and Adam could only stare in disbelief.
Standing up to her full height, Rachamim Nivchar sternly looked at him, the Metritza glowing within her armor.
"Impossible…the Empyrean gave you the Metritza?" He said as he stood up.
"We could have built the future together."
"I'll build it myself! After I tear down everyone IN MY WAY!"
With a roar, Adam charged and the two fought, using every skill in their disposal to defeat each other. Adam was savage and brutal, but with the power of the Metritza, she was finally able to overcome him by summoning an energy blade, the same used by Michael Nivchar.
Even with the combined forces of Alastor, Vox, and Lute who joined, she still overwhelmed them thanks to the power of the Metritza before she was finally able to strike down Adam, injuring him severely.
Adam panted as he shakily got up to his knees.
Rachamim Nivchar approached him.
"We were given the power to change our world and you chose to destroy it." She reprimanded him. "Just like Sentinel."
He glared at her.
"You have betrayed Eden and its citizens…and you…betrayed…me." She shakily continued.
Finally getting to his feet, slightly hunched over, he faced her fully.
"Go…take the High Guard and leave." She ordered. "You are…banished from Iacon."
Adam's eyes widened, the light even dimming before he narrowed his gaze, the crimson glow now more intense than ever before.
"It didn't have to end this way." She whispered.
Adam merely continued to glare.
"This isn't over, Nivchar. " Adam declared as she stepped to the side and let him pass.
Limping forward, he spread his wings.
"High Guard, follow me!"
And he flew off, the High Guard quick to follow their new leader.
Rachamim Nivchar sadly looked at the retreating group.
"The line between friend and enemy is not as clear as I once believed. Once it's crossed, there's no going back. Because some transformations are permanent."
A memory passed through her mind from long ago.
A man putting a decal on his locker.
"Hey, Adamiel Nivchar, nice!" She called out from the bench, her supplies being put away.
"Oh, yeah, well, he's my hero. The "greatest Nivchar to ever live!" The two finished in unison.
With a chuckle he shook the woman's hand.
"I'm A-16."
"Chara Pax."
"You ever mine Sam-Hiyim before?" He asked.
"No, you?"
"No."
"I hear it's dangerous."
"I'll tell you what," Chara smiled as she held out her fist. "You watch my back, I promise to watch yours."
"Alright, thanks, Pax." A-16 said as he returned the fist bump.
The memory faded and she watched her friend, now enemy, leave.
Though she still counted herself fortunate, Vaggie and E were still with her.
And, as she took on her new duty, the Metritza glowed, and holding it out, its power flowed and Sam-Hiyim once more returned to the Rivers of Eden, with new halos created to right what had been wronged.
"And now we stand here together as one. Proving we all have the power to be more, to become who we were destined to be. To right wrongs, to make our world better. Because here, freedom and autonomy are the right of all sentient beings. Here, all are truly Otonomi [Autonomous]."
"This message is a warning to all Gehanom. If you dare return to Eden, the Otonomi will be waiting. I will be waiting. I am Rachamim Nivchar.
In the farthest reaches of Eden, well beyond Iacon, an army formed.
"Lucifer, the Betrayer, is dead."
Symbols were branded onto armor.
"But his death has given life to a new enemy. A stronger enemy. A personal enemy."
The brand fell to the ground.
"We will not be blinded by his deception. We are the ones who are…"
Adam stood in front of his new army, ready to declare war.
"RAME'IM [DECEIVERS, RISE UP!"
He opened fire into the sky.
"RISE UP! RISE UP! RISE UP! RISE UP!"
Hope you enjoyed!
Don't got a plan for the next chapter yet, gonna work on my other stuff.
Also, yes, this is the only universe where Lucifer is tall.
And yes, I did have Valentino as Darkwing solely for the miners line.