Dark Paradoxes in the Heavenly Heart

Whoosh! The wind blew over the lands of Cælora while Volmeryn stood on the top of a lonely mountain gazing at the horizon.

A colossal challenge awaited him in the realm of the Archangels and it was not just a physical battle. He was traveling to a land where even the mightiest of the gods had seen their will broken. But he couldn't afford to fail.

Volmeryn: «The celestial universe... I'm going to show you the reality.»

Without another word, he walked away and launched himself into the air fwssh! by spreading its dragon wings. The distance from the Archangels' realm seemed endless but for Volmeryn, there were no obstacles. Vwoom ! He plunged into the sea of dimensions between worlds and traversed the strata of reality with ease, ignoring the laws of space and time.

His eyes shone with intense determination as he crossed the boundaries between dimensions as he approached the celestial realm.

In the far reaches of the universe, the stars were flickering twinkle twinkle! Entire galaxies were shaking brrm! as if an invisible hand were shaking their balance.

At the center of this chaos, an ancient voice was raised among primordial beings.

«The flow of divine energies has been broken. If this continues, the multiverse will collapse in on itself.»

Meanwhile, Volmeryn was crossing a bridge of light to the zzzzap celestial realm! He felt the disturbances he was causing, but he ignored them.

«Balance is an illusion created by the weak. To reach a new reality, you have to destroy the old.»

But deep down there was a tiny part that hesitated. What if his rise meant the end of everything?

After this seemingly eternal journey, a frontier emerged before him: it was the entrance to the kingdom of the Archangels. The door opened with a very scary sound Crrrrrrkk ! .

Huge structures of azure and gold rose before him with celestial columns that soared to the horizon, there were statues of archangels frozen in postures of eternal majesty.

In the vast, bright halls of the celestial realm, Michael walked with a quick step, clac, clac, clac! with his glittering sword in his hand.

The other archangels were around him with serious faces.

Michael: «We have to stop him before he reaches the celestial heart.»

Metatron: «You're right. »

Metatron looked at the others with uncertainty in his eyes: «What of we're wrong ? Volmeryn does not act as a mere destroyer. Maybe there's a reason for his actions.»

Raphael turned to Metatron with a somber face: «Are you questioning the divine order?»

Metatron clenched his crack fists. «What if the divine order was not absolute? What if we are just too blind to see what needs to change?»

A silence fell on the room. But in their eyes, a doubt had set in and this doubt was like a crack in the marble crk!

In the heart of this divine city, Volmeryn felt an indescribable pressure womm! . He was no longer in his domain but in that of the entities he had come to challenge.

The skies themselves closed in around him and the clouds spread out in formations and made him feel as if he was being watched by thousands of invisible Whoosh!

It landed in the center of the city Bam! . No door opened, no sound was heard. Everything was quiet, too quiet. It was the calm before the storm.

A distant sound suddenly sounded DOOOM! , it was a divine bell and Volmeryn was turning. There, at the top of a grand staircase leading to a heavenly palace appeared Michael, the archangel leader of the heavenly hosts.

It was imposing with its outstretched wings that encompassed the entire Fwoosh stage!. He wore shining armor of unparalleled purity and a gigantic sword held in his shiiing left hand!

Michael slowly walked down the steps of the heavenly palace with his wings lighting up all around him whoosh Whoosh! .

Michael: « Dear Xal'therion, you are bold but the kingdom of the Archangels is not a ground where you can sow your will with impunity.»

Volmeryn was unfazed: «I'm not Xal'therion. My name is Volmeryn Vorthyx, and I'm not here to discuss my will, Michael. I am here to bring the heavenly kingdom into reality. You and your fellow human beings have long believed that your mission was above all else. But you're wrong.»

Whoosh ! Michael was taking another step forward with his wings outstretched in all their glory, to prepare for the confrontation.

Michael: «You're Xal'therion, I still have your face in my mind. You talk about reality but do you know the weight of a realm to protect? For eons, we have been carrying this burden, we have been fighting to maintain a fragile balance. Every decision I make is a decision for the universe, even if it means sacrificing those I love.»

He stopped with his gaze that hardened tchink. «I can't let you break that, even if sometimes I doubt what we really stand for.»

Volmeryn: «We will see if your divine will can stand up to my reality.»

Suddenly, a great burst of light emerged BWWOOOM! and divine figures appeared around Volmeryn. Gabriel, Raphael, Metatron, and legions of angels, millions of beings of unheard-of beauty and power gathered around the dragon king. Their divine light was unbearable to him, it was a blinding SHHHHIIING glow! , but he remained reckless TUM TUM TUM! .

«Michael, why are you wasting your time with useless words?» asked Gabriel who took a step forward with his wings shining brightly white.

«This corrupt being is just an anomaly to be crushed. There is no room for doubt here, no room for compromise. We are the pillars of the universe, and he...»

He turned to Volmeryn with his eyes burning with anger.

«He is a threat that must be eliminated before he further defiles our sacred grounds.»

SHIIIING! Gabriel brandished his blade and addressed Michael:

«If you hesitate, I'll do the right thing.»

Raphael remained behind with his wings folded. When he spoke to Volmeryn, his voice was soft:

«You don't understand what you're forcing us to do.»

He put a hesitant hand on the handle of his weapon which weighed more than the universe.

CLANG!

«Every time I wave this blade, I feel the weight of the lives I take. We're not the perfect guardians you think we are. We also bleed, we suffer.»

He lowered his eyes with sadness in his eyes.

«But I am bound to my mission. We are all connected... and you force us to become what we hate.»

Metatron did not move. He watched Volmeryn and analyzed every fiber of his being.

«You're fascinating,» he said in a voice devoid of emotion.

«A living paradox. A superior being who believes he transcends the divine laws but who acts with such arrogance.»

He folded his hands and then circles of light swirled around him.

VROOOOM!

«Do you think the celestial realm is an illusion? Maybe you're right. Perhaps we are prisoners of a system that is beyond our understanding. But that doesn't matter. This system exists for a reason, and if you destroy it, you risk destroying everything. Are you willing to carry this burden?»

Volmeryn: «So be it. I will show you the truth of the world. Prepare to feel the implacable reality.»

Michael, furious raised his hand to the sky.

FOOOOSH!

A deluge of divine white flames instantly descended on Volmeryn, but he reached out, and his black aura engulfed the divine energy emanating from the flames.Each flame was a miniature star that swirled in a terrifying whirlwind of holy light, casting reflections of gold, ivory, and azure across the entire realm.

«This power is mine» he said arrogantly.

But the moment the heavenly essence entered him, a vile pain pierced him. His body contracted violently and then a shiver of unbearable pain ran through his being.

He had no soul, and yet these flames reached him. Not because they were aimed at an essence he didn't possess... but because they were trying to force something into existence within him.

«What is...?» stammered Volmeryn with his jerky breath as his veins burned from within.

ZZZZZT—CRACK!

Michael (smiles): «You think you can devour any power, Xal'therion? What you have just taken within you is a purifying flame, a celestial essence designed to destroy corrupt souls.»

Volmeryn fell to his knees with his body shaking.

[OMNISCIENT SYSTEM: ALERT! ALERT!]

[ERROR! CORRUPTED HARDWARE! HOST BODY UNABLE TO INTERACT!]

[CONCEPTUAL RESISTANCE: INVALID! ENERGY LEAK AT 12%!]

THUD!

As Volmeryn collapses with his body convulsing under the effects of the divine flames, his System explodes into thousands of red alerts.

[ALERT: CELESTIAL PURIFICATION FLAMES DETECTED]

[ERROR: HOST HAS NO SOUL – QUANTUM ANOMALY]

[SURVIVAL PROTOCOL ACTIVATED] [SEARCHING FOR EXIT...]

[EXTRACTION OF SACRED ESSENCE – 0.23% COMPLETE]

[NEW ABILITY GENERATED – PARTIAL IMMUNITY TO CELESTIAL FLAMES (TEMPORARY)]

A black breath exploded around Volmeryn, it was an abyssal aura that overlapped the flames, trying to alter them. His body trembled but the destructive effect slowed down and the pain became bearable. He raised his head with a smile on his lips.

«Michael... Your flames are not absolute.»

His system, although troubled, had managed to stabilize him. Now, all he had to do was counterattack.

In an instant, Volmeryn was teleporting behind Gabriel.

SWOOOSH—BOOOM!

Volmeryn propelled himself towards Archangel Gabriel with a speed that shattered the very foundations of the space-time continuum. He was not simply moving faster than light or beyond the conventional limits of the universe: he was outside of causality itself.

Even divine light was frozen in comparison, every atom in the universe struggling to keep up with the impulse of his movement.

To a mortal eye, he had not moved. To a divine being, he was everywhere at once, projecting himself across an infinite number of points of existence in a single beat of his draconic wings.

Gabriel in a fraction of an instant less than time itself, intervened. He didn't just see the attack coming: he preceded it with his perception that extended beyond any form of measurable movement. He intercepted Volmeryn before his fist even touched him with his hand parrying the attack with ease.

The impact produced no sound because the very concept of sound was annihilated in the instant.

Gabriel counterattacked. The Archangel suddenly appeared before Volmeryn with a speed beyond all comprehension. His silhouette did not move: it existed simultaneously in all points of the universe.

With his divine sword "Lux ​​Veritas" he struck Volmeryn with a devastating blow. It is a blade forged in the primordial flames of Paradise long before the creation of time and space.

The edge of the blade cuts not only bodies but also concepts themselves. If it targets the "existence" of a being, then it ceases to exist.

It does not only cut matter but annihilates evil on a conceptual level and imposes absolute truth on everything it touches.

Volmeryn was projected out of the fabric of reality with his body crossing entire dimensions.

Gabriel "You are fast, Dragon... but I am absolute."

The Omniscient System exploded in a deluge of critical alerts.

[FUNDAMENTAL ERROR: CONCEPT OF EXISTENCE THREATENED]

[MAXIMUM ALERT: TRANSCENDENTAL ATTACK DETECTED]

[BLADE "LUX VERITAS" INTERACTING WITH THE LAWS OF REALITY]

[SURVIVAL PROTOCOL ACTIVATED — DEPLOYING A COUNTERMANEUVER...]

[FAILURE] [FAILURE]

Lines of code rewrote themselves frantically, desperately searching for a solution.

[ATTENTION TO QUANTUM RECONSTRUCTION...]

[FAILURE: UNABLE TO ANALYZE THE CONCEPT OF THE ATTACK]

[WARNING: HOST UNDERGOING FORCED RELOCATION OUTSIDE THE CONTINUUM]

[ATTENTION TO ANCHOR IN A RESCUE DIMENSION...]

[PARTIAL SUCCESS — FORCED REINTRODUCTION INTO REALITY]

A gravitational implosion marked Volmeryn's return to the battlespace.

[WARNING: HOST NEARLY OBliterated CONCEPTUALLY]

[RECOMMENDATION: AVOID ANY DIRECT CONTACT WITH "LUX VERITAS"]

[ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS FOR AN APPROPRIATE RETALIATION...]

After that, Gabriel traced an intricate circle in the air with his fingers impregnated with a burning gold. Zzzzt! A strange energy pervaded the area, the scenery distorting around them. woom... woom... The space was compressing.

«What have you done?» said Volmeryn as he tried to release his aura. Fshh... But for the first time, he felt resistance. Its power usually limitless was diminishing.

Gabriel: «Welcome to the Sacred Nexus.»

Fwoom! A golden wave burst around him.

«A place where only those who are blessed by divine light can reach their full potential. Here, you, dragon, are just a mortal.»

Michael, on the other hand reached out and an intense light took shape as it solidified into an ethereal blade adorned with ancient runes. Shing!

«The Blade of Truth: Excalibur», he whispered. Ziiing... The weapon vibrated with an intangible power.

«An artifact that does not cut through the flesh, but the soul and concepts.»

Volmeryn sneered. "Hehehe..."

When Volmeryn dodged the first strike of the blade, Whoosh!, a strange wave swept through him. Fzzzt! He faltered and memories suddenly emerged in his mind.

Memories he thought had been erased exploded in his mind.

He saw himself again, human… mortal.

A desk cluttered with files, the light of a neon, accusatory glances…

He was a lawyer. He had taken an oath to defend justice, but that day… he had betrayed it by giving freedom to a criminal.

CLANG!

A judge's gavel fell. An unjust verdict. A decision that sealed the fate of the innocent in the courtroom.

Then, a train station…

A distant whistle…

CHOOO!

A train approaching.

The impact.

The pain.

Then… nothing.

«What is...?» Volmeryn put a trembling hand to his head. Tzzzt!

« It's not real ! »

CHAPTER ENDED.