Chapter 8 - Justice

Something has shifted in the world.

Argus flew, following the cries of the oppressed, the weak and helpless. He saved the orphans in the streets who prayed for a warrior to fight those who abused them. He sent bandits scrambling in fear after they preyed on peaceful travelers. He answered the call of the peasants driven out of their lands, felling the mercenaries that ransacked them. They asked for justice and he granted it.

When people were left quivering in fear, their bodies in pain from wounds, and their hearts filled with grief, he would pray and ask for Rafaela. She was his equal and counterpart, a complement and not the opposite. Justice can be cruel and terrifying, but Rafaela never failed to reach out her healing hand.

People cried for help, but they also cried for power. Strength, weapons and magic - everyone was tired of waiting for a savior. They wanted to fight, wanted to take justice in their own hands. Prayers that used to be deafening turned into a faint noise. The angel watched as people fought in countless wars. He watched as slaves rebel against their masters, only to rule as lords when the dust settled. Tribes and nations fought each other and the defeated would cry out for justice.

He could not defeat armies. He could not kill kings and queens. He could not defeat every powerful warrior or mage in the lands. Argus was an angel who can answer prayers, but he was no god to decide the fate of beings. Yet mortals did. Despite their weaknesses, their limitations and their short lives, they had shaped the world to their liking. They needed power and they seized it. They wanted justice and made it theirs.

There was no justice without power, and he knew where to seek it. The people prayed for strength as they battle for the deadliest weapons filled with dark magic, and stained by the blood of innocent and guilty alike. Greed, lust, ambition, delusion, desperation, loyalty, love - mortals had all their reasons but to Argus they were all the same. What was their measure to be worthy of power?

He was an Angel of Justice. By his divine right, these swords should fall in his hands. The sword he was using was granted to him by Heaven, but it was not the best. The first time he held the hilt of a better blade, Argus could only describe his emotion as joy. Something new, something better and a decision he had made for himself. Fools tried to stop his plunder and he cut them one by one. He made his way through the temples, tombs and keeps, some protected by the strongest mortals, some abandoned as civilizations warred with each other. Argus wanted more, needed more. Heaven granted him a sword to do its bidding, to be faithful to his purpose. It limited him. He could be more powerful, perhaps he could even defeat the gods?

Rafaela's her prayers entered his mind. So much wars, calamities, poverty, disease - she needed him to ease the suffering of the world. Argus had nothing to say to his counterpart, and her voice became louder, clearer and more desperate. He did not answer and waited. His counterpart would have to seek him soon.

Argus felt something stir within him. Excitement? A thrill? A challenge? He gripped the hilt of his weapon tighter, and he urge to test a new blade to a worthy foe consumed him. Rafaela descended from the sky as expected. Like him, she had a mortal body in this world that could be destroyed. She stared at him, her face contorted in grief as she declared him her enemy. "Why?" She asked as tears streamed from her face.

"Foolish being," he answered, mocking her. "Love makes you weak and yet you still hold onto it." Argus pointed his blade to her. He pitied her but was fascinated by her pain. Why was she suffering and why was he feeling satisfaction? What made her unable to change nature when he could change his? "Rafaela, the question is why you are still serving others? Angels like us have power over these mortals, yet you become their slave."

Nothing changed in Rafaela- the angel upheld her duty faithfully. Rafaela fought back with her magic and her speed, but she had no defenses against his blows. She desperately evaded his attacks but he was superior in combat. He wounded her but she persisted, clinging to hope. No escape for her - Argus severed her wings and she fell into the abyss. Argus stood over the cliff, half-expecting her to return in some way, but nothing was left except the faint trace of her magic.

As he walked away, the feeling that rushed inside him was nothing but euphoric. The angel laughed, relishing the victory he just achieved. He defeated her and proved his power. He continued laughing until he wheezed, his breath heavy and his throat burning from the inside. Argus clawed his chest, desperate to relieve the pain, but every fiber in his body continued to scorch from Rafaela's holy fire. His wings rotted away, leaving nothing but bones and wilting feathers. Argus screamed in the air as he began to limp, his knees gave in and his bones cracked inside.

"Rafaela… heal me. Please." He prayed, waiting for her to respond. Argus collapsed on the ground, blood-soaked and pungent with the smell of bodies decomposing. The heavens opened with light and a loud rumble. The angel looked up, desperate for Rafaela to descend from the clouds, to come back to him. Light flashed and the wind blew against his body; but no figure appeared. Water fell on his skin - cold, harsh and heavy. He curled his body, bringing his knees to his chest, his claws piercing his flesh until his own blood flowed out. He was burning and freezing from his skin to his flesh. Argus cursed Heaven for his misery.

Day turned to night, and night turned to dawn. Argus waited, counting each day that passed, waiting for a woman to appear in the skies. "Rafaela? Where are you?" He could no longer feel her presence. He could no longer hear her voice. He could no longer see her. Rafaela was gone. No counterpart, no partner, no friend. He regained some of his strength and crawled further to the edge of the canyon and stared at the darkness below. Maybe if he followed her...

"Lost your wings?" A woman's voice called. Argus turned around to see a figure standing over him; long hair, wings and a powerful aura. Just like Rafaela… but different. Her magic emanated from her body, and he recoiled instinctively. He staggered, ignoring his pain, stood up and drew his sword. The woman just smiled with her arms crossed, displaying no physical form of threat, but something awakened inside Argus - fear, rage or bloodlust it didn't matter. He swung his blade right through her neck and her head rolled to the ground in an instant. Still, the dreadful feeling didn't leave him.

"I heard your prayers child." The severed head spoke from the ground before dissolving. Her body and her head melted into a pool of blood and combined into one mass that slowly took the shape of a woman. Argus slashed her, destroying the figure over and over. He lost count of his attacks until he was out of breath, blood splattered on the ground and on him. "You can call me Alice." The woman's voice remained soft, almost motherly. "I am here to help you."

She extended her hand to touch him, Argus stepped back but Alice's magic washed over him in a bright light. The pain in his flesh faded, his boned mended and the burning sensation disappeared from his skin. It was so familiar, so good, similar to Rafaela's magic. No, it felt exactly like Rafaela's magic. As his vision cleared, two figures appeared behind Alice; a man with a huge wound across his body and a creature crawling on all fours. "Who are you?"

"Where do I even begin to describe myself? An immortal being like you but perhaps someone far older?" Alice replied, smiling. "You'll get to know me more eventually, but I am sure you are far more interested in someone else." Alice hovered closer to Argus and whispered against his ear, "Rafaela lives."

Everything turned into a blur after Argus heard her name. He screamed over and over and used every bit of his strength to swing his sword. Rafaela lived and yet she didn't reach out to him. She didn't let him hear her voice. She didn't fly back to meet him. All this time he was suffering and yet she abandoned him? When he stopped, the rocks around him were thrashed to pieces. "Where is she?" He growled.

"She rescued the Moon King, fighting beside some elves and a random human the last time Moskov saw her. Now? I don't know." Alice shrugged.

"Tell me where the elves are." He demanded, glaring at Alice's companions.

The man behind Alice replied. "It is impossible to return to their forest for the meantime. The Moon King's magic will trap you in endless circles-"

He snarled and stepped forward, tempted to attack the man when Alice spoke again. "Argus child, be at ease. We can talk about this."

"She should know the pain she inflicted on me. I'll return it to her a thousand times more!" Argus snarled. He wanted the elves dead. Why should Rafaela go to them and not back to him? Why should she whore herself to these mortals when he needed her? The thought of her serving the Moon King, using her magic to do his will made him feel sick.

"Oh my, you're learning about jealousy. Isn't it a terrible feeling?" Alice said. From being affectionate, her mannerisms changed into something more seductive; she embraced her body and squeezed her breasts between her arms. "Oh, how many more can she discover with these mortals? Pleasurable things?" She said in a breathy voice. "Ah, I heard the king was handsome." Alice brought her index finger to her lips and licked it slowly.

"Rafaela is mine," he hissed.

"I agree," Alice nodded, her voice sincere. "Then build your strength and gain your full power back. While you do so, let her hide away. If you help me, I am sure there will be no refuge for her. We will lure her out wherever she is." Alice moved away, soft laughter escaping her lips, her eyes in deep thought. "I can imagine Rafaela right now." She raised the pitch of her voice. "Ooh, the world is so beautiful! I never did this before! I never knew it was like that! Humans are amazing!" She continued mocking Rafaela , fluttering her dark wings and clasping her hands in prayer. "This is friendship," Alice touched her chest. "And this is love…" She gasped and turned around mid-air, displaying an exaggerated grief in her face "Oh no! No no no! Why heaven? Why do this to me?" In her natural speaking voice Alice said wistfully; "I know what Rafaela feels like. I've been there before, I know those sweet stirrings inside. It was so, so good while it lasted."

He couldn't bear to imagine Rafaela dallying with mortals, but allowing her to be filled with happiness first will make suffering greater. The thought excited him. Let her joy turn to grief. Let her regret everything. Let her courage turn to fear, her hope to despair. Let her love turn to hatred. This will be justice. "You would bring her to me," he demanded.

"Argus my dear, be patient. No need to rush; after all, you will find eternity like I did."