The sound of a dozen priests chanting echoed through the temple, filling the Atrothesis' ears with an eerie song. She recognized the haunting melody - it was the Angel's Lament. The holy chant used to summon the God-Empress, the Divine Mother, protector of the mortal races. Only annihilation awaited those who dared to betray her.
One thought consumed Atrothesis' mind: escape.
The fallen angel scanned the temple interior coolly. Hundreds of corpses lay strewn about haphazardly. She had attacked the Temple during its weekly congregation, expecting little resistance; unknown to her, a group of the Sacred's most powerful guardians had laid in wait for her arrival. They were too slow, unable to stop her from tearing through the screaming masses, but had managed to catch her off guard. Now she was surrounded - cornered by mere humans wielding borrowed power.
One spell to cage the fallen angel in an invisible bubble of magic. Another to summon her. And then there would be no escape.
One of the priests chanting caught her eye. He was young, even by mortal standards. No doubt he had only recently been anointed with the God-Empress' magic. His gaze was focused on her, unwavering, filled with hatred - far more than any of the others. Atrothesis saw her opportunity.
"Why the long face, mortal? Did I end one of your friends?"
A cursory glance to one of the corpses told the fallen one that she had guessed correctly. Even more fortunately, the body was within the boundaries of the priest's trap. It was already mutilated beyond recognition, to the point where she couldn't even determine its gender. Atrothesis smiled wickedly.
The priest's eyes flared. Why mortals carried significance in dead flesh, Atrothesis would never understand. She casually strolled over to the body, raising it above her own with one hand squeezing what remained of the body's neck. For a moment she was worried the head would fall off under the strain, but the body managed to hold together. Atrothesis glanced back at the young priest once more, flashing another cruel smile. Two of the priests' brothers were desperately trying to calm him, but to no avail.
"What a failure you are ... helpless to stop me from killing your poor friend. How could you abandon your friends like that, little one? And how can you allow me to defile their bodies now?"
A sword composed of pure fire swirled from nothingness into the fallen angel's hands. In one vicious stroke, Atrothesis sliced the corpse in two.
Watching his friend's body be desecrated was too much for the young priest. "MONSTER!!" Hands trembling and concentration broken, he lunged forward and sent a brilliant beam of golden light straight at the fallen angel - too slow, too late! His attack slammed harmlessly against the stone walls of the Temple. Atrothesis had been ready; the minute the young priest released the caging spell, she spread her blackened wings and launched into the air.
"NO-- !!" screamed one of the priests, until his voice was cut short as Atrothesis slammed her blade through his throat. Whirling around, she sent her own blast of searing magic at the stunned priest who had inadvertently released her. The attack tore through his body, giving him no chance to even cry out in pain - seconds later, all that remained was ash.
The other priests desperately tried to rally, even as they were being cut down. "Maintain the Lament!! The God-Empress will deliver us!" Somehow the Lament's melody grew stronger.
"You and your God-Empress ... such a wonderful love you share. Join her then, in the afterlife!" Atrothesis let out a terrifying, ear-splitting shriek, and launched herself at the remaining priests with wings outstretched.
"Your fate is sealed, Betrayer! You won't take a step outside this temple!!"
The angel's only response was crazed, maniacal laughter, joining with the crescendo of the Lament in a twisted harmony. The last priests chanted for the God-Empress; Atrothesis silenced them each with a single stroke of her fiery blade.
As the last priest collapsed lifelessly to the stone floors of the Temple, Atrothesis let out a breath of relief. Without the priests, the God-Empress would not arrive in time to capture her. The echoes of the Lament would serve only as the fallen angel's ironic farewell. Atrothesis made haste to depart, extinguishing her sword and masked her wings from view. A whisper of the Lament remained, even as the fallen angel rushed to the stone double-doors that marked the Temple's entrance.
Something was wrong. Atrothesis could feel it in her very core - the Lament! The Lament was not fading! It was growing louder, with each passing second, impossibly so, without a single voice to carry its song. The angel pulled against the handles of the Temple doors with all her might, and yet they refused to budge. Anxiously, she ran to every side exit and pulled against the handles with a strength she had not exerted once in the day's events, all to no effect.
Panicking now, Atrothesis leapt into the air, spreading her charred wings once more. She launched herself towards a shattered window, expecting to breathe fresh air from the outside in mere seconds, only to slam violently against an invisible barrier. She conjured her blade and swung it against the open air of the window uselessly.
- You, who corrupted Calamiklis. You, who tempted Apoksis. You, who have turned them all against me and against your wards. -
- If I did not think you would destroy the afterlife for those souls who remained true to my teachings, to Good, and to Duty, and to Justice, and Compassion ... I would end your life. -
- As such, however, I am forced to lay upon you the punishment that merits your crimes. I will bind you here, forever, for all time, to watch over this mortal realm, never again to enter Paradise. -
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