The Change

What is inside the mountain is another world of its own. In fact, not just one world, but a series of multiple worlds floating, arranged, and tangled in an interconnected root of a tree, like looking at a series of floating balls where each ball is covered in strings. Below it was a labyrinth forest arranged in a series of 777 concentric circles of large Blastenoid Trees that resembles a garden of evergreen conifers built in a circular pattern. The center of it is a large tree called the Confucian tree--- a tree of wandering and disorientation, measuring around 3,333 cubic meters and a height of 7,373 meters with a triple-helical staircase leading to the top of the tree. One could say that it is a perfect place to get lost forever, considering its confusing structure and uncertain pattern.

While being preoccupied with the things in front of him, the red-haired angel didn't notice that the black-haired angel was already behind him.

"Come", he uttered in a silent and calm voice.

"What… ah… Yes" showing a perplexed face, the red-haired angel quickly followed the black-haired angel.

"Hey… when did you arrive? I was looking for you outside the mountain, but I couldn't seem to find you, so I decided to enter for myself." the red-haired angel asked while looking behind the perfectly-shaped back of the black-haired angel, walking in a narrow, muddy plane of mixed kaolinite and bentonite minerals inside the labyrinth forest.

Like he never heard him, the black-haired angel continued his walk onto the sixth entry of the labyrinth. Inside the labyrinth forest was seven entrances leading to unknown places. The places across the entrances were patterned in a way that whoever enters it will have the easiness to go to the top of the mountain or any of the specific places in the Primedas; however, it was also patterned in a way that whoever enters it will have difficulty coming back. This is also the reason why most of the angels did not choose to enter the labyrinth forest, rather chose to fly at the top of the Primedas. In fact, this could only be unknown to those who haven't tried to enter any of the entrances of the labyrinth. But for the black-haired angel who spends most of his time in this labyrinth forest, going to the places he wanted to go was somehow trouble-free, in some cases.

"Wait! Where are we heading?" hesitant to continue, the red-haired angel stopped his walk.

"If you want to know something, just follow me." the black-haired angel uttered in a serious tone.

Feeling the seriousness in the tone of the black-haired angel, the red-haired angel decided not to ask any questions anymore and simply just followed. After entering the sixth entrance, a bridge heading to an island that looked like an elephant unfolded in front of them.

Below the bridge was a bottom pit where animals similar to flying fish of different colors and structures were seen. Upon steeping on the bridge, the red-haired angel felt uneasiness and cold in his feet. He didn't know why he felt that way. But he did know that there was something wrong with the place, as if there were impure energy that was emitted by the surrounding. Angels are sensitive to dark and impure energy. Being an antithesis of the divine energy that they were born with, it was usual that they felt an uneasiness in it. As he continued on another step, he felt the nervousness in his heart, a feeling that kept on getting worse as he kept taking another step---a strange thing that he did not know the reason for.

He looked in front of him, but the black-haired angel seemed to be okay like he was not affected by the impure energy that was affecting the red-haired angel. An unusual sight considering they are both angels, but they felt the opposite way.

As he continued forward, he seemed to restlessly shake his legs.

"I can't calm down."

Despite the uneasiness, the red-haired angel forced himself to continue and he didn't look like he had any other choice after coming this far.

"I knew how you feel, just endure it for a little while." the black-haired angel stopped for a moment and uttered, looking like he knew how the red-haired angel felt. Not anymore surprised by what the black-haired angel said, the red-haired angel nodded. From the moment he saw the black-haired angel, and up to this moment, he felt that there was something strange about it. But he seemed to gloss over what it was and despite the little doubt, he decided to continue.

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After passing the bridge, they walked another mile on a rocky desert-like place. A hot temperature around 145 degrees Fahrenheit can be felt in the surrounding area where water could easily evaporate, while a cold temperature from below at around negative 156 degrees Fahrenheit can also be felt where water would instantly be frozen into ice. But the two angels were not affected by these conditions.

Different from humans, the bodies of angels were sturdy and were created to survive in any harsh environment unless they encountered a domain stronger and harsh enough to kill a Tardigrade. Otherwise, their bodies will be transformed. Angels' bodies were covered by divine energy that protects them from any other type of energy. Unless this divine energy decreased or worn-out from their bodies or acquired an energy that had the same caliber as the divine energy, they will always be safe in any kind of environment.

The place was filled with a cave-like mountain that looked like the nest of large spiders because of the silk that was surrounding each mountain. But what's interesting was the complicating nature of the mountain, where the base of the mountain was covered in icy crystal, while the summit of it was filled with a substance flowing similar to lava. While walking in a curve-way path that seemed like a radial pattern, the red-haired angel wondered why they kept on walking when they can fly to arrive easily at the place they were going. He wanted to ask that question on the black-haired angel but he felt that he wasn't going to obtain an answer to it so he kept himself from asking a question and just followed the black-haired angel.

After two rotations of walking, they arrived in a glacier lake filled with snow beasts of different forms, from a microorganism such as Yellow Snow Shrimp that looked like an alga to a macro organism and giant beast such as the twin-headed whale. Across the lake was a glacier cave formed in a 13-km long tunnel. The tunnel looked like a mouse hole covered in spiky ice when looking at a distance.

"That's our destination. We need to fly from here." the black-haired angel uttered while pointing at the place across them. Understanding what the black-haired angel have said, the red-haired angel was finally able to stretch its wing muscles from a long time of inactivity.

The two of them flew away from the shore of the lake to the entrance of the tunnel. Upon arriving at the entrance, a dark gloomy energy can be felt inside.

"What is this?" the red-haired angel uttered in a terrified voice while shaking his legs and feeling nervous. In his entire existence, it was the first time he felt this way. He didn't really know how to explain what he feels right now, but for others, it was like he was engulfed in a displeasing and unpleasant air--- an air that was looming from inside the cave to outside. The black-haired angel noticed the uneasiness of the red-haired angel that was staring at the inside of the tunnel. He knew that any minute from now, the red-haired angel might collapse because being engulfed in this dark energy was like being torn into shreds, for an angel that has a divine heart, that is. But the black-haired angel wouldn't want that to happen, not after all the effort of bringing the red-haired angel up to this point. The black-haired angel moved his right hand and slowly patted the back of the red-haired angel. The moment the palm of the black-haired angel touched the back of the red-haired angel, a light similar to a dark gloomy moonlight shined discreetly.

"Arghhhh!" not aware of what happened, the red-haired angel felt the excruciating pain, like something was squeezing his heart. He wanted to shout but he can't move his mouth. In fact, he can't move all his body. All he knew was that there was something heavy on his back like a heavy block of concrete iron pushing him.

"You must endure it." the black-haired angel uttered while looking at the red-haired angel that was undergoing a pain three times similar to Hyperalgesia. For angels, pain is an uncommon feeling. Their lives in the heavenly realm are mostly filled with pleasurable feelings and emotions. A feeling of suffering, which the red-haired angel was experiencing at the moment was a rather new feeling. He really didn't understand it, but his body and mind knew that it didn't feel good and it didn't do any good to him. Feeling physical and emotional pain is vital for organisms' survival and angels in the heavenly realm, being the highest form of being that was created by the Glorious and Great being were not exempted from this feeling. The only difference was that angels were not familiar with this feeling compared to other organisms, and when someone suddenly experienced something they hadn't experienced before, it takes time for the body to adjust to that situation.

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Sweating, shaking, and groaning, the red-haired angel slightly heard a hazy voice. He knew that it came from the black-haired angel, since there was no other angel in the area except the two of them. But what the black-haired angel was saying was unclear to him as if there was a sound barrier between his ears and his brain, not able to transmit the sound waves to their proper destination to understand the meaning.

Not having enough energy to focus on what was really going on, the red-haired angel just focused on how to minimize the pain. He tried to breathe slowly, and deeply. Taking shallow and rapid breaths will only intensify the pain--- a knowledge that suddenly emerged from his brain. He didn't know why he thought of that, but a sudden hint came from his head. He felt that it probably came from the fruit of the Yellow Prime Tree that he ate before he came here. The fruits in the heavenly realm are powerful and they provide different benefits. The Yellow Prime Tree, being the tree of openness and understanding, provided benefits of giving those who ate it a sudden understanding of the things they haven't experienced before. But it doesn't happen permanently; it happens unexpectedly and unexplainably. You can eat a ton of it and nothing will happen. You can also eat a piece of it and a sudden effect will happen. For now, one thing is for sure. For the red-haired angel, it grants you understanding in a tough situation similar to what he was experiencing. He tried to calm his mind and his breathing. "Arghh", but something was wrong; the amount of pain he was experiencing was greater than what his mind and body could handle. Looking pale, and was about to relinquish his desire to hold up, the red-haired angel slowly collapsed. While slowly passing out, he hazily saw the black-haired angel grinning and talking.

"I didn't expect him to hold up this long… he could actually use the full divine energy in his heart to combat the pain. But for some reason, I wondered why he didn't." feeling a little surprised and curious, the black-haired angel slowly got up.

"What do you think, Perch?" The black-haired angel uttered, asking for the opinion of the angel behind him"

"He seems interesting, Sir."

"Um." understanding what Perch said, the black-haired angel nodded. "Take him inside."

"Yes Sir."