Cleansing
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'WHAT?' Rayn was completely stumped, the moment the monster before him used some skill, his entire mind was taken by the pain, but that pain did not last for more than moments.
The voice took him by surprise, he had only heard it before once. He heard it before when Iguva had blessed him with power.
But instead of a gentle caressing voice, this time it caused only agony.
He felt his blessing leave him and replaced with something else entirely.
He felt his free will being overwritten, the presence of his former god erased as it was replaced by undying loyalty to a new master.
<<[Free Will], in the process of being erased. Non Heretical, Retaining possible>>
Alarming, but he would resist with all his might, his love for Lucious would see him through this, If he failed he would be in danger of losing himself. 'I will endure this! For her!'
His mind struggled to be kept together, it was like he was under siege from all directions, each corner of his mind being eaten away, and yet he was able to keep his will.
<
It did not matter, a world without the will to choose love wasn't the world living in, if he was to survive he would accept becoming weaker and losing his blessing.
He only could hope Lucious would do the same.
The voice showed no empathy or mercy. It cruelly chipped away at his will, yet he was able to keep it.
While he was able to keep his free will, something changed. His mind was twisted into that of a worshipper, his mind told him that being in front of him was his god.
He needed to obey, he needed to surrender to Cedric.
Resistance was futile, a momentary slip in focus caused him to fall, his will forever bound to a new master.
He never had a choice; his purpose was to serve God's chosen and die for the greater good.
Moments later he found himself in the ruins of his former home, his will and love still present as ever and yet a foreign entity in his mind, Obedience.
His life was in the hands of a monster that he would never stand a chance against.
He looked as Cedric approached Lucious and with another activation of [Heresy Purge], she too was transformed.
He looked at his wife, who had lost her beautiful black wings, and instead of being replaced by equally beautiful snowy white wings, like those of the Archangel who had beaten them, he turned his head towards his own wings, finding that they, too, had been transformed into pristine white angelic wings.
'... Is this how he obtained that white-winged harpy... I....' He couldn't find thoughts of hate or scorn.
No matter how hard he racked his brain he wouldn't find any way to express hatred or dissatisfaction.
He looked at his wife once again, his love for her still as present as ever, and yet his desire to obey was rivaling it.
He hated himself for it and yet he had no choice as he knelt before Cedric.
***
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'WHAT?!' Lucious panicked as the skill of a man that effortlessly kicked both her and his husband's asses overtook her.
A strange feeling, a foreign voice, similar in nature to one she heard when Iguva blessed her, and yet cold and emotionless.
Hearing it was like being in the jaws of a beast, resistance was futile, and all she could do was surrender.
Alas, no matter how hopeless it was she couldn't just surrender herself.
<<[Free Will], in the process of being erased. Non Heretical, Retaining possible.>>
She did not fully understand what the words meant, but instinctively all she could was resist and hold onto her own will. If she were to fail she knew what would happen.
She would die. Not die, she would become a mere puppet.
She felt herself become powerless, she lost access to her powers as her blessing was erased and replaced with something new.
While weaker than before she truly was happy.
She felt her very being change, she was now [Archangel].
A new desire grew inside her, rivaling her love for her darling husband, a desire to obey one she recognized as a god.
She knew if she was an obedient pawn, both she and her darling husband would be spared and left alone in the coming age.
She felt her body being repaired as she finally regained consciousness, she opened her eyes and without wasting a moment she knelt together with Rayn before their new god.
"We hear your will and obey, [Creator]!" She exclaimed she felt her words being replaced as she tried to speak the name of her new god.
She felt it in her husband too, utter confusion as Cedric's name couldn't leave their mouths.
***
Aurelia was horrified at the scene, first, the man she was so in love with treated the two champions like they were ants.
He was so ruthless.
She squirmed as she saw him how roughly he treated the female harpy.
'Why does it make him even hotter... What do I need to do to make him do that to me?...' Aurelia blushed as she spoke in her mind.
'No no, get a hold of yourself.' She tried to reign in her lust as she saw Cedric use another unknown skill.
In moments pair of Harpies that wanted to murder both Cedric and herself knelt and proclaimed their allegiance.
They both gained white wings, the same kind as the Archangel. The very fact he changed them so fundamentally made him shine even brighter
Aurelia had a faint hope a reason he was so cruel was because they wanted to kill her, but she knew that he still didn't see her as a worthy wife.
She took a deep breath before asking Cedric. "What... did you do? Sir Cedric?!"
She wanted to know what the purpose of turning them into similar types of beings as Archangel, but her question wasn't out of distrust. Not at all, but more out of curiosity.