12 Enough Part 2

As if he can no longer breathe, Noe scratches his neck in discomfort. He has failed in his duty thus far. He could not forgive the ghosts that approached him at Sympathy.

His head falls into his hands. No wonder their desperation led them to such heights of harassment; they are restless souls, waiting to move on from the world.

Pushing himself to stand, Noe feels he must learn everything he can about the new world he has been thrust into. Sunlight warms his body as he looks up at the shelves lining the library. He needs to get to the top and locate where Fadziso collected this manuscript.

Jumping up just as Fadziso did, Noe finds he continues to rise into the air. He wills gravity to let him continue to fly and it permits him the ability to do so. Shifting through the shelves he passes by, a particular epic catches his eye.

'Comprehensive History of Ziraeth and Xeron by Angel Adelaide' is printed in English across its spine. Grabbing the book, it heats his palms with undying curiosity.

Noe stops his ascent using the projecting base of the shelf. Pulling another book from it, 'List and Respective Duties of the Ephrenes', Noe feels he has enough to look into.

With knowledge weighing heavily in his arms, he wills gravity to let him fall. He takes a sudden plunge towards the ground. Luckily, no ill can befall him in Ziraeth and he lands on the grass in one piece.

Cracking the first book open, he immediately falls into the text. Time moves on around him, flowers sway and dragons dance in the sky, yet the sun does not set as he reads for hours. His discoveries are stellar.

Noe learns of Ephrenes, the name given to Angels of the Omniscient, the Ruler of Ziraeth and Earth. Millenia after humans were given free will, the Omniscient recognized that the kindness and goodness of humanity were deteriorating, descending due to the darkness imposed on them by demons of destruction.

From their suffering, he created Ephrenes; human heroes who died and were born again from Earthly mothers. He blessed these reincarnated heroes with undescribable abilities and adorned them the capacity to only discern what is true.

The Omniscient gave Ephrenes immeasurable understanding; that all humans are equal, none deserving more worship than the other. He made their emotional intelligence low to take away the pain that human life could become and to minimize the evil that arises from human desire. This was to increase an Ephrene's ability to be compassionate without the Ephrene camouflaging into waywardness.

Jealous of the Omniscient's ethereal power, and seeing the majestic Ephrene that the Omniscient had created, Chaos, Ruler of Darkness, forged his own Ephrenes; the Borne. With abilities unparalleled by any human being, the Borne possessed speed, strength, and telekinesis among a myriad of other advantages.

However, Chaos failed to take into account the emotional instability being different would bring to the Borne. Every child of Chaos plummeted into deep throes of lust, depression, and unbridled fury that wreaked havoc upon the Earth; the nuclear World War Three of 2023 - 2025 being the largest catastrophic event they have catalyzed to date. They encouraged the continuation of a war that could never be won and millions of the Earth's people perished.

For the first time in time, the Omniscient left his home in the Unknown and descended to Xeron to plead with Chaos. He begged that Chaos stop his children. The Omniscient felt pity for the modified humans and was motivated to save them by all means. But, Chaos refused.

In mockery of the Omniscient, he ordered his Borne to forge a weapon of mass devastation and name it 'Heaven's Kiss'. This nuclear bomb destroyed three-quarters of all habitable land on Earth. Still, this did not satisfy Chaos; he wanted all of the Omniscient's humans Ephrenes to die.

Having no other option than to destroy the Borne, the Omniscient ordered his Ephrenes to not only carry out their chosen duty but restrain and, if necessary, rid the Borne from the face of the Earth. This became the fate of the Borne that continues today.

It is said that once the days approach that an Ephrene must enter Ziraeth and fulfill their heavenly destiny, they shall meet their soulmate. Only this soulmate can unlock an Ephrene's abilities, social capabilities, and human capacity for desire, curiosity, and fear.

Noe pauses as Mr. Henderson's countenance takes over his thoughts. Memories of his smile, the tingles his laughter gives him, and the peril Noe felt at seeing Mr. Henderson in danger flash through his mind. He lies down on his back, the grass nudging and whisking his skin. For hours, Noe daydreams of what might become of them, an Ephrene and human, once he returns to Earth.

Moving onto his stomach, Noe turns to the next book. Locating the section 'Noeremous', he takes to heart the words that shall dictate the rest of his existence.

Hatred for others and oneself has the ability to set fire to the world. From the flames of deceit, the Omniscient composed of His Son, Noeremous, Angel of Forgiveness. He blessed this Ephrene with eternal fire he can summon at will.

Dear Brother Noeremous reading this, the Omniscient knows you have so much love and immense belief in others. The Omniscient thanks you for upholding justice in your past life; goodness would be gone without you. We trust that you understand the workings of the human mind. What you do with your name, Angel Noeremous, is now up to you.

Your irrevocable task is forgiving the souls of those who cannot forgive themselves. Just as you redeemed the world one hundred years ago, you shall continue to redeem souls now. They called, "Nehruma," and asked you to forgive them. Now, you must answer, "Andestus."

For millennia, with smiles on their faces, Ephrenes have given themselves to suffering so that others may live happily. Just as Fadziso takes away fear to install it in herself, and Adelaide makes the messages he receives into his own, you must forgive others by taking their resentment into you. Only then can others forgive themselves; by putting their hatred onto another. This is the cost of freedom.

Ephrenes are blessed with immortality that shall come to them on their twentieth birthday. However, if a fatal injury befalls them before they come of age, they shall die and, if by the hands of a Borne, their souls be crushed and cease to exist. You, too, may gain eternal life in five years. Until then, you must work on building a self that can protect you and those who may come into danger along your path.

The Borne continue to be an unscaled problem. An order has recently rained down from the Unknown to exterminate every Borne that Ephrenes come in contact with. Please, heed caution when engaging them as their powers and dispositions are yet to be precedented.

Although the obligations of an Ephrene are simple, their superpowers far exceed them. The role of the Ephrene, as emphasized by the Omniscient is, "To protect the Earth and souls that roam it, complete their task each and every day, and, most importantly, to bring about the change they wish to see."

So I say, Young Noeremous, wear your black robes with pride in knowing you shall save the world. Rejoice in the spirit of forgiveness.

Thus is the duty of the Angel Noeremous, Ephrene of Forgiveness.

Noe's thoughts race a mile a minute but do not lose breath. To think he was a hero in his past, no one would have guessed. He pictures the face of his mother upon hearing that she gave birth to an Angel fifteen years ago. Would she then take pride in him?

With the fire he possesses, can he make ice of all that could harm Mr. Henderson and melt it?

Finally, Noe contemplates the pains he shall encounter forever. The world must be forgiven and he must be tormented. Gauging the situation is not difficult for him as he has spent most of his life, before meeting Mr. Henderson, unswayed by Earthly beliefs. But, can he really pull this off?

Clapping once, Fadziso flies down from above. The determination in Noe's eyes almost sweeps her off her feet.

"I've read enough. I'm ready now."

"Where are you going?" Fadziso calls as Noe flies out of the library and stomps back to the site where Adelaide had left him. Each step he takes reverberates in pure power.

"Back to school," he responds simply.

"Stop right there," she suddenly appears at his right and twists him around with her arms. "You're not yet twenty years old, are you?" she asks him, examining his much smaller frame.

"No."

"Then you have to train until then. I have been entrusted with sculpting you into the best version of your physical self possible," she informs him.

"But it was written that, 'Now, you must answer' the calls of the dead. That means I have to go, now." Noe tries to move away but Fadziso's words make him hesitate.

"Father has all the time on the world. 'Now' probably means anytime in the next one hundred years. Let's go train."

Out of thin air, a red dragon barrels out. "Davy," Fadziso touches the dragon's head in greeting. Floating onto this magnificent steed, she patiently waits for Noe to join her.

Caught in a mental battle, Noe fights himself. Whether to find a way to escape and reunite with Mr. Henderson or stay and hone in on his abilities. In the end, greater combat skill means he shall be able to best protect Mr. Henderson.

He pulls himself onto the suit of armor standing almost one meter from the ground. For the first time, he acknowledges the colossal mass that is a dragon.

"Why do all these dragons have scientists' names?" Noe queries.

"Surprisingly, most scientists had a single wish: to fly. That is why some studied the skies. This is Sir Humphrey Davy," her palm massages the dragon's armor, "the true inventor of the electric lightbulb which eradicated fear of darkness across the globe. He made a mini sun. You met Copernicus, responsible for discovering Earth's rotation around the sun."

Fadziso's voice resonates, "Levitatus," and Davy shoots into aerospace at phenomenal speed. Planing the horizon, they glide past hundreds of diamond castles and gallop toward destiny.

--

Ephrenes:

Children of the Omniscient sent to cleanse the Earthly World of evil, and therefore, suffering.

Borne:

Children of Chaos, Ruler of Darkness, tasked with destroying all that the Omniscient has created.

Xeron:

Origin of the Borne and home of Chaos and his army of demons and evil spirits.