31 The Serpent

Letters make up words, and words make up phrases. Phrases make up commands, and commands result in actions. Actions done for the greater, and the higher of authorities, while those down below dwindle in desolation.

By now, the Angel had done as little as jump seven times, and as much as navigate through an entire maze, all under Ian's command.

"Spin around seven times."

The Angel did so.

"Jump over that chair."

The Angel did so.

"Punch a hole in the wall."

The Angel tried so, resulting in a bloodied fist.

"Hmm…" Ian wondered. "So that's the extent of my ability huh."

Jophiel nodded, "Your commands and thought process will transfer over, but the expected strength won't meet your expectations."

Ian's gaze wandered at this. There was a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes.

"I will say though Ian Sedia, the affinity for your ability has drastically improved over these last few months, and I'm quite satisfied with the outcome so far."

Jophiel looked at the other experimentee in the room. "Yours too Gian-Luca, the both of you have become very accustomed to your abilities, I'm proud!"

Gian-Luca looked down at his hands hearing this. They twitched with fatigue from all the absorbing it'd done.

Jophiel looked back at Ian who had been wondering this whole time.

"I hope you're not disappointed with the extent of your ability Ian," he said.

Ian looked back, "I'm not, but I don't think this is my limit."

He then turned towards the Angel. "Just how much control do I have over those I affect?" He asked Jophiel.

"They should subconsciously follow what you say."

"But does my influence have any effect on their own morals? Or even self-conscious?"

Jophiel paused. He'd never thought about it that way, and seeing as the Angel they were using had been put into a conscious-unconscious state, he wasn't sure if it was possible to determine at the moment.

"That Angel's subconscious and conscious have all been absorbed by Gian-Luca's ability. He is a mere vegetable right now, meant to play ragdoll to test your ability at its minimal. It wouldn't necessarily be possible to determine the effect on other factors like that Ian."

Ian silently scoffed. "Bring another Angel in then, and don't touch him this time Luca."

Another Angel was called in, this time completely conscious and aware that it was partaking as a subject in the experiment. Though, it was also unaware that the other Angel was deprived of consciousness.

Ian walked up to the new Angel and blatantly said, "Choke him," pointing at the unaware Angel.

The demand was initially met with a shocked expression, but this expression quickly dimmed down, and the Angel began to walk over.

Jophiel watched, completely stunned at the new revelation. "Take note of this John," he said, looking at the reporter in the corner of the room who typed away on his computer.

The Angel had gone over to the the other and wrapped his hands around his throat, gradually squeezing with strength. The Angel stood there, choking. His face slowly turning red. Though once again he was rid of thought or notion, so there was no resistance met.

They watched as the event unfolded, the choking Angel practically on the edge of death.

"Stop," Ian said.

The conscious Angel immediately let go, and the other began gasping for air.

"What was the point of that?" Jophiel asked.

Ian kept his focus on those under his trance. "To test something."

He walked back up to the Angel who hadn't realized what he'd done, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"This Angel here," Ian pointed to the other, "was the one who murdered your entire family. Your wife, your kids, your siblings, your parents; they all died to his hands."

The Angel stared forth, unresponsive. Ian continued.

"Not only did he wipe out your entire family, but he sold their corpses to a cult to make himself some cash. It was enough to live comfortably, and without guilt."

The Angel kept staring at the one Ian spoke about.

"So here is someone who stands before you. Someone who's rid you of the important people in your life. Someone who's made a living off the deaths of the important people in your life. Up until now, he's continued to live his life riding a deed left unjust."

Ian moved his hand off the heavy breathing Angel, who had still said nothing up until now.

"But we learn to forgive and forget right? As tempting, and as perfect a chance as it is to kill the devil of your life right here right now, we have," Ian paused. "Morals… right?"

The Angel did not respond.

"And so I tell you now, don't kill the man who stands before you. Killing him would make you a killer right? No different than him, although he did kill quite a few more than you would've. That's right, he killed your son, your two daughters, your lovely wife, your younger sister, your older brother, your loving parents, and most important of all, your will to live. Through your suffering, this man has lived a happy life of absolute unjustification."

Jophiel observed what seemed to be a dialogue of emotions right before him. John, his reporter, typed away in the back corner of the room. Gian-Luca simply watched.

"This man is the devil of your life. But it wouldn't be right to kill him," Ian silently snickered. "You shouldn't kill him." He patted the Angel on the back. "I'll leave you be with him."

Ian walked back towards the others, leaving the two Angels alone.

"Sedia, what was the point of that-?"

"Just watch," he said, interrupting Gian-Luca.

And before Ian could even turn back around, the sounds of choking could be heard. The conscious Angel choked the other mercilessly, making his mark against the neck of his life's devil.

Jophiel subtly dropped his jaw. He was surprised at the turn of events.

The choking Angel's face turned a dark red, and his unaware eyes rolled back. The Angel dropped his victim to the floor, who now laid limp without oxygen, dead.

Jophiel turned to Ian. "What just happened?"

"That Angel took his revenge."

"Why?"

"The other Angel killed his entire family."

"Did he really?"

"No," Ian snickered. "I made that up."

Jophiel pestered with confusion. "So why did he kill him, even when you told him not to?"

Ian looked up towards the high ceiling and smirked. He stared as if he could see something.

"Even when you're told not to do so, you'll still touch the sizzling hot pan, right?"

He looked back towards his Overseer.

"Like Eve and the Apple of Eden, the first sin of mankind. There was one simple instruction, to not eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, yet she did. Temptation is a force that can pull one from their humanity stronger than gravity could pull them down to earth."

Ian now looked at the result of his influence, towards the Angel and a fallen.

"The undying curiosity is unparalleled, and in this case, that curiosity was geared towards the feeling of satisfaction that would come after killing what he believed to be his life's devil." He paused, "But if we look back at the story of Eve and the Apple of Eden, what did the devil do? The devil gave reason to that temptation, and he did so with a sway of words."Jophiel began to understand. "So you're saying…"

"The Angel that 'killed his entire family' was not his life's devil." Ian's back was turned.

"You were his devil," Jophiel spoke up.

Ian said nothing.

"And like the devil, not only did you tempt and give him reason to his sinful actions, but you manipulated his morals before hand, by giving him instruction to choke one of his own…"

Jophiel felt an unusual shiver trickle down his spine, catalyzed by a battle of uncertainty and curiosity that agitated his mind.

Ian remained silent.

To break the odd tension, Jophiel spoke aloud, "That's enough for today's experiments. You two can return to your containment rooms."

Ian began walking towards the testing chamber's exit, not once turning back. Gian-Luca caught up behind him, joining the two Angels that guided them back to the containment hall.

Jophiel sighed, and walked over to John on his computer.

"Wh-"

"Don't even ask," he interrupted John. "If it's about what he's saying, I'm just as clueless as you are. That Sedia guy just keeps getting more and more mysterious."

John slouched in his seat, nodding in agreement. "But other than his weird remarks, his results today were very interesting. It's almost as if he conducted his own experiment within yours."

Jophiel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I hope you took note of what happened though."

"I did," John nodded. "Through today's experiment we can confirm that he isn't limited to words to command. He can manipulate the morals of those he controls, and that factor alone creates a completely new impact on the actions of those he affects."

"How about Gian-Luca's results."

John scrolled up on his document, scanning a page. "His ability actually performed possibly at its best today. He was able to reduce the Angel to a vegetable-like state, completely absorbing his consciousness, leaving him void of any human statement."

"Not good enough though," Jophiel said. "The Angels in this facility are already nearly vegetables to begin with. Michael's infantry consists of individuals stripped of memories and morals, so there wasn't much for Gian-Luca to absorb anyways," he paused. "The true test to his ability, would be to absorb whatever he may, of an individual full of memories. Especially one who has self-developed values, and the most important of all, morals."

John stared blankly at his computer screen. "Want me to write that down?"

"Please."

John nodded, and began typing away.

Jophiel then suddenly had a realization. He quickly approached the chamber's exit, walking out and into the hall. To his left, was a blonde male standing where he'd left him.

"Sorry for leaving you alone for so long, but that's the usual length of our daily experiments."

He shook his head. "It's alright, it was interesting to watch those two, they seemed very skilled."

"Ian Sedia and Gian-Luca Yvox. Those two will be your fellow subjects from now on, it shouldn't be too hard to get along with them."

The blonde male's blue eyes darted behind him down the hall where they left to. "They returned to the containment hall right?"

"Yes you can go there too, though you won't be rooming with them. It's maximum two to a room, so you're actually in luck, having a room to yourself!" Jophiel smiled.

"Alright, thank you," the male turned around and began to walk away.

"Before you go," Jophiel caught up to him.

"Once again, welcome to A.X.A., thank you for willing to take part in experiments under my name Mr. Vaso."

The blonde male looked back, "Just call me Abel."

Jophiel nodded, and Abel walked off.