Conviction – Part 1

Alphaeus' body ached from tiredness, his legs trembling with exhaustion. He dragged an injured friend with the help of another through the flickering forest, feeling drained.

"Stay with us, Bizrazeth," Karred called out. "We'll make it back. Together."

They kept themselves on the run, challenging time to save Bizrazeth. His blood trickled from an arm's length wound inflicted on his chest, creating a trail since they started fleeing.

Alphaeus had taken the lives of several Angels, and his hands trembled so hard even though they tightly clutched Bizrazeth's waist. Not just his hands, his pupils, his heart, his consciousness, none of them seemed to know what to do at this certain point.

Gabriel had slain Lucifer!? Bullshit.

The words spoken by countless angels filled Alphaeus' mind as he hopelessly escaped, seeking protection. The moment he saw Gabriel descending, he thought they had a chance of winning with the Demons of Sins around.

The blood on his hand, he did not even know whose it belonged to. Whether it was the enemy's or his kin's, the fact that he was still alive and running was assuring enough to not care about the revolting crimson fluid.

"Guys put me down for a sec… *Cough*" Blood sprayed from Bizrazeth's mouth and Karred set him down by the nearest tree as quickly and carefully as they could.

"Shit! Are you okay?" Karred perceptively asked. He tried to examine the wound again as he was the one that put a dressing on it.

"Do I look fucking alright to you?" Bizrazeth replied sarcastically. Or that was what they considered it meant.

[Swift!]

"That noise..."

"Fucking hell, they're already here?" Karred's eyes widened with shock. The sounds were faint, but their eardrums caught them.

"After all that distance, they still managed to catch up with us?" Alphaeus exclaimed in fear as their energy, time, and plan proved to be ineffectual.

"Those persistent fuckers!" Bizrazeth swore full of hatred while pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why? Because it was his suggestion to retreat this way. To make a break into the other end of Heaven.

"Should we stand our ground here?" Alphaeus suggested as he gripped his fist until his gauntlets were locked in fighting mode.

"Bizrazeth is injured but surely the two of us can put on quite a fight, right?"

"No, we can't do that Alphaeus. How about you take Bizrazeth with you and head out first? I'll stall them, and I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Hell no! If you want to fight, we'll fight together," Alphaeus contended with Karred. "We don't even know how many they sent to pursue us, so stop trying to be a fucking hero."

"Oi Karred, how could you forget?" Bizrazeth pulled on Karred's tattered cloth, and so did Alphaeus. "Alphaeus was right. We promised to see the end together, right?"

It was embarrassing to say that they may have put on a pitiful face towards Karred. So, he kneeled and held both of their hands together. He looked up and smiled, then said,

"You guys are right..."

[Cling!]

Bizrazeth and Alphaeus were appalled as their wrists were connected by something that looked like a handcuff.

"Sorry, you two," Karred said before throwing a metal object, which was probably the key, as far as he could. "Don't feel bad about this. Let your senior teach you how it's done."

"KARRED, NO!" Alphaeus tried to reach for him, but his hand slipped through the air. Before he knew it, the figure in front of them dissipated into the eerie forest. He even tried to chase after him, but the binding prohibited them. Instead, Bizrazeth and Alphaeus stumbled down on the hard ground.

"FUCK!"

[Clang!]

Alphaeus hit the chain with their gauntlet as many times as they could, but not even the smallest dent could be seen.

"What is this shit made of?" Alphaeus exclaimed. "Does the indestructible gauntlet I'm gifted with not affect it?"

"This thing can't be fucking broken," Bizrazeth explained to them as he reached them after standing up himself while Alphaeus was still crawling on the grass. "Either the master dispels it, or we need to find the key."

"Well, I can't be looking for the key like this, can I?" Alphaeus lost their composure. Karred's disappearance did not faze Bizrazeth, and it hit their nerve as they let out their anger at him. "How the fuck are you staying calm!? Do you have no…"

[Thump!]

"You think I'm not mad!?" Bizrazeth threw a punch right at their cheek, and they became silent. The rage in his eyes pierced their anger and tamed it. "Everything could have been different! If only I wasn't wounded, we could have fought together! We could have run together! We could have lasted together! Fuck this war and everything that started it… *Blech*!"

"Bizrazeth!" fear grew in Alphaeus' heart as they saw him struggling to cup the blood to prevent it from leaving his frail body, not that inserting or swallowing it was going to give him an extra lifeline or something.

"Now, let's get the fuck out of here, and we'll give Karred a handful once he's back." Alphaeus nodded in agreement and did firemen carry to move him.

"This might hurt so..."

"Just go!"

In the dark forest, there were not many places to hide, especially for a group of two. Could they hide in the branches? Even if there was one that was big and strong enough to support them both, trying to scramble from it was quite hard given Bizrazeth's status.

Could they hide under the roots? Sorry to disappoint, but this was not a mangrove forest. Even if one existed, it would not be big enough for the two of them, and escape would be far worse than on the branch.

Looking for a suitable hiding spot was like finding a needle in a haystack. They ploughed through, hoping for a miracle to appear. Were there even any places they could use in this direction?

After a few steps, they came across a slope in the middle of the path. Underneath it was a small pothole that was big enough to fit the two of them, so they agreed to rest there while waiting for Karred. The grass was long enough to silhouette the inside, making it the perfect hiding spot. They did not know if God was trying to help them or pity them.

"I'll be on the lookout in the meantime, yeah?" Alphaeus tapped Bizrazeth on the shoulder and jogged out after making sure Bizrazeth was comfortable.

"Did you forget we are bound to each other?" Bizrazeth reminded Alphaeus by lifting his hand to show the chain, which was not there anymore. Furthermore, Alphaeus had already stood quite far away from him that the chain was able to restrain them.

"Eh? It's gone?" Alphaeus remembered how the chain worked and felt uneasy. He peered across the slope to spot Karred through the mist.

Did he oust the shackle? He must have won then! Nice work! Come on, we're waiting for you!

"Alphaeus, don't leave," Bizrazeth called out to him, not because he was scared but cautious.

"I'm just looking for Karred. He must've won and come back to us." Alphaeus assured Bizrazeth that he would not be leaving his side, like how Karred stayed true to his promise.

To his satisfaction, a black figure appeared in the hazy forest. The two twisted horns, which were Karred's features, made Alphaeus certain that he had survived and come back to them. He even had one of his hands touching the horn, just like he always did whenever he made a mistake. But horrifyingly, Karred's head appeared to be missing his body.

[Thud!]

"Oi, Alphaeus? What's wrong?" Bizrazeth called to him as he saw Alphaeus trembling and falling to the ground, shaking in fear. His eyes widened, and his quivering hand clutched his head, unknowingly scraping it.

Karred's dead!? For real!?

The hand that he thought was Karred's was an Angel who had slaughtered him. When he closed his eyes, the lifeless stare grasped his eyelids open. He could also recall the fresh blood dripping, even though it did not make a sound. It undeniably did, in his traumatized mind.

This is a dream. This is a dream. This is a dream! THIS IS A DREAM!

"Kill me," Alphaeus mumbled.

"Huh?" Bizrazeth misheard him and tried to reach out to him.

"KILL ME!" Alphaeus charged toward Bizrazeth and stumbled to his feet. He then grasped his ankle and lashed out at him. "Kill me, Bizrazeth! I don't want this... Please..."

"Alphaeus, calm down. What's going on?" Bizrazeth

"Karred… He's… Dead," as Alphaeus finished his sentence, his eyes become clouded with tears. The noises that escaped his quivering mouth were only wails or cries. He did not have a good look on Bizrazeth's face after he told him, but his expression was as twisted as his.