The Highest Order

Leaving Potestas and Aerial in the vehicle, Daniel and Mobius began their trip down the hill. It seemed most reasonable to have the getaway vehicle protected and occupied, even though Aerial couldn't perceive any danger for the moment. The two walkers traveled some distance before being greeted by a bald shirtless monk carrying a smooth and polished wooden staff. He approached calmly and asked them if he could help. Mobius replied, "We are here to see Erich, it's urgent."

"Are you sure Erich is here?" Daniel questioned sarcastically. "This is clearly a Japanese monastery and Erich doesn't sound very Japanese to me."

The monk looked at Daniel with a disapproving gaze, "Erich is not Japanese, gaijin!" Shifting his eyes to the deity, he continued, "Come, I will take you to him. He has not had visitors in a long time."

Mobius put his hands together and gave a slight bow. Daniel felt a little foolish, but quickly did the same gesture as Mobius before all three started deeper into the monastery. They eventually came to a rock and sand garden set beside a large central tower. A man was seen meditating. There was a wooden walkway extending from the garden to the temple. The meditating monk was sitting just past the edge of where the walkway ended and the sand began. His eyes were closed, he was bald, and had a fuzzy brown beard. It was hard to discern his age. From the side his face looked mildly wizen, but his body was young and strong. He was very tan, yet most likely descended from European ancestry. However, the most shocking feature of this man was not how he looked. Rather it was his current state. As Daniel got closer to where he was meditating; he realized Erich wasn't sitting in the sand. His body was levitating just above with his legs crossed in the lotus position.

"Is this for real? Is he floating?"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Mobius said with a humorous tone and a smile.

The original monk escorted them up to this point. He took a final bow and respectfully backed into the temple building. Daniel followed Mobius's cue and started down the wooden walkway leading to the garden. They stood about ten feet away from the levitating man.

"It has been a long time." The monk said with his back still turned and eyes closed. "Why do you seek me now? I have given my warning; you know you're not welcome here."

"I thought you said Erich was your greatest ally?" Daniel announced without much hesitation.

"It's a little complicated." Mobius retorted, sparing further speech for unnecessary details. This was not the time for another history lesson.

"Complicated? Let me make it clear for you. You're not welcome unless you've come to collect. Despite our differences, I may honor my offer. But only if the divine are ready to do their part. Far as I'm concerned, that's the only item for discussion. If your business is unrelated, then you're wasting your time, and mine. Tell me swiftly so I may be done with it. Your presence displeases me."

"Our intentions are one in the same; we plan to leave for good."

Opening his eyes, Erich hesitated. His brow wrinkled and he lifted his right leg. It was like he sat on a solid cushion of air, pressing off it as if it were the ground beneath. Turning to face his guests, his muscular frame was revealed –slenderer than Potestas, more human. Yet he was still a towering man. He stepped down from his invisible seat and onto the wooden walkway. His great shadow came over them. The Sil'Draxil-kin observed those standing in his domain. Taking time for personal assessment, his voice remained silent and withdrawn.

Though they spoke no words in this moment, Dan sensed a searching gaze. As Erich looked at him, it felt as if he was looking into his mind: the past becoming an open channel and its recordings easily viewed. Within but thirty seconds he seemed content; possibly because he had seen too much –or maybe not enough? An answer that would never be given and was left for the Sil'Draxil-kin only.

"Will you help us?" Mobius pleaded at length.

Turning to the shifting deity, Erich replied, "Too long has your absence endured. Your return is long overdue. Yes, I will help you. Tell me what you need." His statement cut short.

Aerial and Potestas came around the corner in a dash. Before anyone could ask what was going on, she shouted. "You are in danger! She sees something! Or no…her ears hear it. Too hard to understand! Please leave! You must, Aerial fears the sound; she doesn't want to hear it!"

Mobius took a slow strut back down the walkway as Aerial finished rounding the corner, ceaselessly talking and approaching. He ordered, "Just calm down, and tell me what's going on. What do you see?"

"She can't see it! Aren't you listening? Her eyes wander in darkness –no light, no future. The sound is –fuzzy. She hears it though! In her mind. Oh no…wait. Not Aerial's mind." Her expression was stoic as she stepped off the walkway and into the perfectly manicured sand.

Mobius winced with a worried expression before turning to Erich. "I'll rake the sand, okay? I'll fix everywhere she's walking." Quickly shifting his attention back to Aerial and trying to get her attention, he continued, "Now baby girl I know it's a while since you've been outside for this long. But you have got to slow down! I can't make any sense of what you're saying. Talk to me. Look at me, and focus!"

Stopping her steps, Aerial brought her right hand up to her cheek. Her gaze fell to the ground and she whispered, "It's so clear now, the sound of a bird as it gathers beneath the clouds. A great eagle: hard to hear because it's so quiet. It's been too long; they didn't have enough time." She slowly turned her head as the vision in her mind continually clarified. Rotating her chest, she looked at Mobius as a tear ran down her face.

"There you go baby, now come back over here."

"No." She said softly and with a renewed look of sheer panic. "Aerial knows what she hears. It's right here. It's too late to run…she's so sorry and afraid –I have failed you!" Aerial broke out into streaming tears as she crumbled to the ground. The foggy haze clouding her vision had finally thinned. Behind its murky guise was an image of certain doom.

"I don't hear anything making noise baby, I promise you." Finally stepping down into the sand, Mobius walked over towards Aerial and embraced her with both arms. He tried to usher her back to the walkway, yet she would barely stand.

When the Guardian of Change was almost ready to place his foot back upon the walkway, Daniel suddenly announced, "Wait, I hear something too."

Erich had been concentrating very hard since Aerial's panicked arrival. When he at last understood what was happening, he let out a faint grunt before starting a hasty sprint towards the temple building. His knowledge of the divine was surpassed only by the divine itself. For this reason, he had a notion of what was about to happen. An aged contract has been placed in effect, and the Sil'Draxil-kin's first task was about to begin.

A loud flash suddenly gleamed and there was the sound of a thunderclap! An explosion bombarded the garden and sent everyone sprawling in different directions. The explosion was not a design of man. Rather it was comprised of luminous beams crashing into the earth. A white globe filled the center of the garden and rays of light kept colliding into it. Every time they did it sounded as if a sonic boom was emitted. The blasts continually mounting and growing more intense; hurling rock, tissue, and debris in all directions. After the seventh or eighth burst, the scene calmed. Daniel was very dazed and bruised after being blown aside, as were all the former occupants in the garden. Potestas had even been blasted into the temple building to which he was presently lying under a pile of debris. Daniel was the first one to barely comprehend and witness what had arrived.

Standing over eight feet tall, a divine being stood before them with both its arms raised high. It was a majestic sight, something Daniel never believed he'd witness. A true angel stood before him! Its wings were spread and stretched to the sides: three times the span of a very tall man. They weren't comprised of feathers as typical mythology depicted, rather they looked like small shards of light stacked on top of one another; arranged in a wing-like fashion. As they arced high above its torso, they shifted in and out of sight, sometimes only perceptible for a moment before vanishing entirely. Below them, the angel's body was covered in glistening silver armor, from head to toe. Yellow orbs for eyes could be seen through the slit in the seraph's shining helm, and his hand gripped a mighty weapon. This angel bore a lance carved with runes and divine characters; stretching the length of a dozen feet at least. However, something caught Daniel's eyes that he had seen before. The angel's hands were covered in the same gauntlets that Mythiiandros wore. Giving the wielder long bladed extensions off each of their fingers.

"I bring order." The divine creature said with a slow and deep menacing tone.

Lowering his arms and burying the lance in the sand, Trimalion began a committed strut towards Aerial. Her and Mobius stood closest to the original explosion and were more dazed than Daniel. By the time Aerial realized what was going on and regained a sense of her surroundings, she saw Trimalion coming right for her. Trying to scuttle backwards as quick as she could, she gasped when he grabbed her by the throat.

"My king, the first shall be judged!" Trimalion announced when he lifted Aerial up off the ground. She squirmed in his embrace and tried to kick at his mighty arm. Yet without another second wasted, Trimalion's grip bore down ever harder and crushed Aerial's throat. Trimalion almost closed his hand completely around her neck before punching his idle arm into her body. His large claw emerged from her back. Aerial went silent and limp as the bloody gauntlet was casually pulled back out.

Mobius caught sight of the scene and wailed. He sluggishly stood to his feet as Trimalion tossed Aerial's failing body aside. The angel's yellow eyes fell upon a shifting god in all his fury. A wrath incurred for the theft of holy light. His sin committed with divine intention, yet somehow fouled by mortal blood. It felt wrong, but it was the duty appointed to him. The ends must justify the means. Yet, it was by divine hands that caused this world to darken further. The seraph's mind became so suddenly shaken and confused when he realized what he had done. Distracting echoes and wasted ramblings of a hateful speech began to seemingly mock him for his foolishness. Narrating the memory of his sin, calling him Godslayer alongside the chorus of laughter. He could not withstand the sound any longer! Trimalion cowered away to recover the blessing of Heaven: swiftly withdrawing towards his spear and retrieving the weapon. Holding it again reminded him of why he came to the mortal plane. The taunting darkness no longer able to veil his sight…yellow eyes fell upon the shifting god once more.

Less concerned about the angel than missing her final moments, the Guardian of Change ran to his goddess. If this was the end, then he would spend it with her, together. Ignoring the immediate concern for his approaching death, Mobius knelt beside Aerial and delicately cupped her head in his lap. "Don't leave us…baby girl. You're alright, yeah? Just got to walk it off, okay?"

She choked and gasped, Aerial's body was shutting down. She couldn't speak, yet she managed to whisper into his mind, "She –she saw…Nameless…the red –tree." Those were her final thoughts, and soon to be Mobius's final moments. Trimalion was swiftly upon him with his spear held high. A devastating thrust was about to be made when Potestas suddenly dashed in and slammed his body into the angel.

Trimalion staggered away before regaining his balance. Potestas shouted, "What have you done? You are better than this! You pledged to protect us! Have you lost your honor?"

Taking a brief pause in his approach, the angel replied, "Justice must be served. You bring this world to ruin."

"I'm going to kill you for what you've done!" Mobius promised as he gently set Aerial's head down on the blood-filled sand.

"No, face me angel!" Erich's voice commanded. He appeared from under a broken hanging segment of the temple roof, bearing in hand a golden staff. It was finely crafted and crowned with a large intricate golden rune; at the center of which was a perfectly magnificent massive sapphire.

"I've got this Erich, he's mine. I will make him pay for taking her light!" Mobius shouted back.

"This fight is not yours Mobius." The Sil'Draxil-kin insisted. "Seraph, you claim to serve justice. Yet I see only carnage. You follow in the ideals of a madman! He has warped your mind! Do you not see what you've done? It is by me whom YOU shall be judged! Defeat me, and your actions may be deemed noble."

Turning his attention to Erich, Trimalion grabbed the lance with both hands as he began a determined charge. A few words were heard before he made his first attack, he said, "The guilty will be punished."

Making a swift lunge, the angel's jab was deflected to the side. Erich performed a successful block but hadn't anticipated the speed in Trimalion's follow-up strike. His plated knee rose and bludgeoned Erich in the side. The impact caused him to stumble back before he quickly regained balance. As the angel moved in for another attack, Erich side-stepped it and completed a sweep. Managing to elevate Trimalion's right leg off the ground, Erich took this moment and struck his opponent in the torso. His strike did not look that strong, but Daniel was in shock when a sudden powerful gust accompanied the hit. Trimalion went hurtling away and roughly tumbled on the ground.

Potestas had hastily reentered the fight and his mighty arms slammed into Trimalion's back. The angel was forced down hard into the sand as the Guardian of Power leapt onto his back and grabbed his helm. Before Potestas could pull, Trimalion pressed off the ground, curled his wings, and thrusted his body backwards. The ensuing impact with the side of the temple building being completely absorbed by Potestas. Winded and dazed, the Guardian of Power couldn't stop from being yanked over and slammed into the ground headfirst.

"I said he is mine!" Erich shouted as Potestas was propelled aside by a swift kick from the angel.

Allowing the seraph to recover his weapon, the Sil'Draxil-kin asked, "Are you ready for judgment?"

"Judgment has come." The angel's deep voice hissed.

The two combatants resumed their brawl and the battle between Heaven and earth carried on. Trimalion swept and swung many times with every attempt either being casually dodged or blocked. Again, and again each attempt was thwarted. Erich carefully biding his time, progressing in a way that wisdom would seek to explain. Knowledge acting as a shield that can protect us from anything this world may harbor. Suggesting that a strong defense may in fact be the most powerful offense. Though perhaps it is not always so. Perhaps the most powerful offense is a collection of qualities acting in unison; much as the strongest defense would be. Yet when a mind begins down a certain path, the ability to flex in the moment may be lost. Our sights set on a singular narrow goal that we may never achieve. A consideration ignored as Erich moved closer, having already waited for the right moment to retaliate. At last, the great spear swung wide, missing its intended mark. Opening the angel up for what would appear to be a conclusive strike.

Erich approached his opponent's exposed flank and began to channel his power. A close inspection of his eyes would reveal a bold orange illumination as his strength came nearer to culmination. Although in this moment, an unseen retaliation had at last found home. Jagged blades of light swept between the opponents and Trimalion's great wings flashed into combat. The swatting strike caused Erich's channeling to falter and provide an opening for a stronger counterattack. The angel wasted no time in following up with a bludgeoning hit from his shoulder. Blurring and dashing in the body slam, Trimalion's enemy was hurled forth as Erich succumbed under the weight of Heaven.

Too much pain had been endured for Mobius; a large piece of his universe had been taken away from him. Heaven and earth will never again witness the beauty of Aerial's existence. An act so ruthless and thoughtless, it caused him to change. Forsaking his power no longer, the god shrieked into the sky. As he did, his skin began to turn coarse and grey. Morphing to be that of stone, he reached down into the sand and gathered the grains in his palms.

Staggeringly dazed from the hard hit, Erich lost the grip on his weapon and his opponent's position. He was face down in the sand but could hear loud heavy footsteps rapidly approaching. A familiar pose could be witnessed as Trimalion planned for a fatal downward strike. It seemed that the angel had been underestimated and was about to smother the last of the exiles' hopes. The glistening lance began its descent only briefly before a projectile strike caused him to miss. From seemingly nowhere, a fair-sized boulder was hurled into the back of his head. The impact shattered the rock while knocking the angel aside.

"You lost your chance Erich! I have a score to settle!" Mobius shouted in his bulky earthen form. His entire body had changed to be three times its original size and his skin as tough as stone.

Not letting the discussion move to debate, Mobius boldly charged the angel head on. His body heavy and slow, yet strong and durable. However, speed was the true deciding factor for this moment. Trimalion was given enough time to recover and coordinate a devastating counterstrike. He flicked his lance around, bringing the butt-end forward as a striking instrument. The inevitable crack hit Mobius square in the side of the head. This was only step one. Following through, Trimalion released his left hand while swinging his right to the side. The ensuing movement caused the weapon to strike the other side of Mobius's head; leaving him exposed for a final hit. Trimalion's idle arm lurched forward in a tremendous swing. The reaping fingers of his left hand scratched deep and tore at his opponent's encased flesh. Chunks of gravel and blood erupted from the chest strike as the Guardian of Change hit the ground, easily defeated.

With the battle seemingly all but lost, the angel strangely stuttered with a moment of hesitation. Lifting his gaze from Mobius's gasping body, he scanned the devastated temple grounds. An unexpected gesture it would seem: to wait for your victory. Unless of course, victory had not yet been attained. It would seem Trimalion had at least one more enemy on his mind. And without a moment's notice, he raised his great arm up before hurling his weapon. The strike was curious, and apparently without target. Although at the very last moment before it impacted the sand, Potestas's body suddenly appeared in motion! The lance so perfectly aimed that it pierced his right leg and impaled him into the ground. The mighty god shrieked in pain as he feebly grasped at his wound.

"Justice will be served." Trimalion announced as he realigned focus towards finishing off Mobius.

The Guardian of Change had attempted to quickly mend the claw swipe and seal his wounds, but he was getting weaker and he needed more time. Time was a luxury he could not afford. The angel reached down and grabbed his entire head with his massive gauntlet. "My king, the second shall be judged!"

"This ends NOW!" A commanding voice roared, and with it, the shriek of a great beast. It was a horrific sound, one that only the mouth of arcane ancestry could produce. The shout was so bold and powerful, even allies of the Sil'Draxil-kin felt commanded to look towards its source with obedience. There Erich floated, wreathed in flame and bursting with light; his ancient eyes glimmering orange, and his ancestral garments fluttering in the wind.

Sufficient time had been allotted through the efforts of the exiles, and the Sil'Draxil-kin was ready to reveal what a powerful ally he could be. His arms crossed before his chest, and his toes several feet off the ground; the attack was ready. Leaning forward, he threw his arms to the side and opened his mouth. From this powerful wail came the fire of his malice! An image of a mysterious creature flashed around him. One reptilian and wormlike in nature. A scaled behemoth of great size and terrible power. It lurked as a shadow of his past. Barely perceptible and present for less than a moment. With its passing came an ancient destruction: a great conjured ball of flame spewed forward and accelerated with such tremendous speed that not even a god could have escaped it. Trimalion was struck directly in the chest. There was a terrific explosion of light and flame accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. Trimalion's wings burst to pieces and his towering body went sprawling away. The shards of his wings melting like ice on a hot desert stone.

Slowly descending back to the ground and withdrawing his power within, Erich casually walked over to recover his staff. Moaning from the stricken was rampant in this once silent garden. Now death and the echoes of unforgivable atrocity fill this peaceful kingdom. The blood of gods has been spilt here this day, and one has left this world entirely. It's uncertain what immediate effect this will have, but one thing was certain to Erich: the final days have begun. Whatever lasting change this world was heading towards was not far off. It is in these ending moments that the decisions of gods and men will be given shape.

Without letting his mind become encumbered with distractions, Erich resumed his attention on the battle at hand. However, the seraph was nowhere to be found. His body seemingly vanished after the blast. It's foolish to think he was vaporized entirely from the strike, an attack of mortal elements may bare power, but Trimalion would not fall so easily from a single blow. Yet the fact remained, he was imperceptible. That's when it dawned on Erich, he shot his glance to the side and observed Potestas holding his leg in agony and squirming on the ground. Trimalion's lance had vanished as well. Coming at last to a conclusion, the Sil'Draxil-kin lowered his guard and exhaled. "He is gone. That was all the time Mythiiandros could afford." Drawing his view across Aerial's body, he continued in a whisper. "But it was long enough, the damage has been dealt."