20 Spirituality

Sitting in the middle of a field of flowers, I could feel myself be at ease. With my eyes closed, I feel like I could sense everything around me. The fragrant smell of the flowers, the gentle breeze that occasionally blew by, the tint scent of sunlight in the air.

"I see that you're taking it easy as I told you to," Meril's voice came as a surprise when he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

'Of course, those are just what I felt. I can't actually sense everything around me,' I thought to myself as I opened my eyes, looking at Meril who was standing in front of me, smiling gently at me with his usual expression.

"Haste makes waste. I rather listen and do things properly then waste my time being impatient," I said to him leisurely.

I am currently recuperating in the Garden. I wasn't allowed to leave it until my soul was completely healed. It seems like while I was in the Void, the negative energies there was eating away at my soul, wearing it down in an attempt to weaken my resistance.

Unlike when I was still alive, my current body just comprises of my soul and my spirituality that envelopes it. Thus, the healing process is different when compared with a physical body.

Sighing, I looked around the area around me. I was told that the Garden is the place where all souls return to. They all gathered here, waiting for the time their judgement day comes to decide whether they are worthy for heaven or if they will fall to hell. The flowers that bloomed here apparently possessed spirituality and the ability to soothe the soul, making one feel at ease as if nothing else in the world mattered. Due to this trait, it's a suitable place for me to heal my soul. At least, that was what I was told.

Suddenly reminded of this, I turned to Meril as I asked, "Say, unlike some human beliefs, hell isn't ruled by the demons?"

Meril looked at me as he laughed lightly in amusement, "No. There are indeed people who thought so but unfortunately, that's not the case. If we left things to the demons, then rather then hell being a place of punishment, it would be turned into a heaven for those sinners instead. On that note, we should begin your lesson now."

I nodded my head, getting ready to fully concentrate on his next words. Meril had said that before I start learning how to get stronger, I must first acquire the necessary knowledge. Thus, today's lesson is merely a talk on some things that I needed to know.

Meril smiled at my action as he sat in front of me, "First, let's talk about Spirituality. Do you know what spirituality actually is? Where the negative energies from the Void actually came from?"

"No. But Kael mentioned before that negative energy has something to do with negative feelings," I replied truthfully.

Nodding his head, Meril continued, "Spirituality is, in a sense, a part of God. All of His creation possess spirituality. That is how He gives life."

"Even the demons?" I asked curiously.

"The demons are a bit different. They weren't a part of God's intended creation. They are the life born from a mass accumulation of negative energies," Meril answered me patiently.

"Negative energies are actually created when one of His creations' negative emotions become uncontrollable, affecting the spirituality that they possess. This, in turn, created the negative energies that have filled the Void. This process usually happens unconsciously. I suppose you could also say that they unknowingly used their spirituality and turned it into negative energies due to their intense emotions."

"Can those negative energies not be destroyed?" I asked.

Towards my question, Meril shook his head helplessly, "No. Spirituality came from God itself. It is a part of Him. Therefore, it is indestructible. No matter what, negative energy is still a form of spirituality. Thus, it cannot be destroyed and can only be purified."

"That's why the void exists. To contain the massive amount of negative energies that had accumulated throughout the years since the first creations came to be. If we were to leave the negative energies on the world, the demons will be born there instead, wreaking havoc and turning more spirituality into negative energies."

"Is it impossible to purify them all?" I asked the question that popped into my mind as I listened.

"The only ones capable of using purification to purify such energies are the angels and a few human clans. There's only so much one can do after all. Well, the Void isn't just there simply to host the negative energies. It also serves to purify the energies it contained, returning them to Him," he said before he continued.

"Now, since there is negative energy, there is naturally also positive ones. Mind you, spirituality itself isn't negative nor positive. It is a pure, divine energy without any inclination. Unlike the negative energies, the positive energies can't be created through any intense positive emotions."

"Although, in theory, it should be possible. However human and any other creatures that He has created are unable to feel a strong enough emotion to subconsciously turn their spirituality into positive energies. Humans tend to drown in their negative emotions more easily than their positive ones," Meril's voice as he spoke those last words seem to be laced with a sad tone.

With a slight sigh, he continued, "That's why positive energies are more scarce compared to the negative energies. That said, there have been several exceptions, occasions when humans managed to subconsciously turn their spirituality into positive energies. It usually happens on special occasions. For example, wedding days, the birth of a new life and other joyous events. Those feeling the humans felt resonated with each other, forming a collective positive energy. But these phenomena rarely happens. After all, it is collective. If there aren't enough people who resonate with the same feelings, then it wouldn't happen."

"Well, moving on. The demons use the negative energies as their source of power, while we, the angels, can use both the positive energies and our spirituality that God has granted us."

"We can use both? Why? How?" I asked in succession when Meril stopped speaking for a moment.

"You sure don't hold back your curiosity," Meril smiled warily at me.

He raised his right hand, bringing it in front of me as a small white mist with specks of gold emitted from his palm. "This is positive energy. Any angels can make them easily."

Then, he raised his other hand, also bringing it in front of me. This time, what emitted from his hand wasn't the same white mist, it was a white flame-like substance. "It looked like white fire, doesn't it? I'm sure you've seen it before."

I nodded to his words, remembering the battle with the devil in the warehouse. At the time, I noticed that they were holding onto a sword made of white flames.

"So this is what spirituality looks like?" I asked as I raised my eyes to meet Meril's.

"That's right," he nodded, "This is the spirituality that God has granted all of His creation. We, the White Angels, mostly used this to form our weapons and used it as a means of attack."

My eyes widened as I stared at the spirituality in his hand, looking up excitedly, "Can I try touching it?"

"Sure," Meril replied with a laugh.

I slowly reached my hands out, carefully poking at the white flame using the tip of my finger. It wasn't hot instead, it gave off a warm comfortable feel.

"Can I do this too then? Using it to form various different weapons to fight with?" I asked in excitement at the thought.

Meril laughed at my words. He extinguished the spirituality in his hand as he raised it to pat my head. "Keep in mind. You're a Guardian Angel. Not a White Angel. Never try to mistake your role."

"Does that have something to do with how I fight? Will there be horrible circumstances if I do?" I asked as I gazed at him from under his hand.

Meril looked at me with his usual gentle gaze, smiling as if I was a hopeless child. "I wouldn't use the word horrible but it's similar."

He retracted his hand from ruffling my hair as he continued to speak, "Because you're a Guardian Angel. Your duty is to protect. Thus, your soul and the amount of spirituality you possess will only suffice for the duty of protection. If you attempt to act the role of other angels, it will cause complications to arise in you."

"What type of complications?" I tilted my head as I asked.

"Complications that goes against your entire existence. You could say it'd clash against your identity as a Guardian Angel and that of a former human. If won't be anything good so be sure to remember," Meril replied with a serious tone.

I nodded my head before asking, "So, for me to be stronger, I need to first be clear of my role as a Guardian Angel?"

Meril smiled as he nodded his head at me, "Correct. White Angels uses a large amount of spirituality when they used their weapons. We were made for combat so it's natural for us to be able to do so. In comparison, it's different for a Guardian Angel. While Guardian Angels are also capable of combat, they specialized more in defence. This, in a way, aids in their duty to protect."

"That's also why you need to be aware of your role. Act accordingly to your role and you'll be able to bring out your best potential."

"From the way you word it, it seems to imply that different types of angels have a different amount of spirituality?" I raised a question.

"That's correct." Meril said, "Typically, all types of angels have a higher amount of spirituality compared to other beings. However, they all differed in amount. It all depends on the role each type plays."

"White Angels needed them for battle so we have the highest amount, after us would be the Guardian Angels. While the type that had the least amount would be the Death Angels."

Hearing the word, 'Death Angel', I was reminded of something that Kael had mentioned to me before. "Kael told me before that he couldn't do much to protect himself in a battle against demons. Could the amount of spirituality he has be the reason?"

Meril showed me a complicated look at my question, "Kael... He's... a bit special. All angels have the basic ability to protect themselves. It's instinct. Even with the lowest amount of spirituality, the Death Angels is no different."

"However, for Kael, he just naturally has lesser spirituality than a normal Death Angel. For Impures, when they first became angels, their spirituality is enhanced accordingly to their type. But Kael has a very low amount when he was still alive so even with the enhancement, he still lacks it."

"That doesn't mean he's completely defenceless though. That child is capable of coming up with ways to protect himself even without using spirituality," Meril added at the end with a helpless look on his face.