When death stares... do not be afraid. [4]

There is a saying that people from the church often repeat:

"When you see an angel, do not be afraid."

Yet, as Azariah looked at the being who loomed over him, he felt only one thing:

fear.

As if his soul had departed his body, Azariah stood frozen, every part of him immobile. Not his mouth, not his eyes—nothing on his body moved as he gazed at the being before him.

The being's body was so large that even a giant might feel ashamed in its presence.

Seventy-two beautiful wings adorned its back, radiating holy light that made it difficult to look at them.

Its beauty, splendor, and radiance were overwhelming, so much so that even without seeing it clearly, Azariah could tell it was the most perfect being he would ever see.

Sitting on a living throne that moved towards Azariah, the being looked down at him.

Bright light flashed in Azariah's eyes as he gazed at it, his expression turning blank while his brain seemed paralyzed, unable to function.

A crown adorned the beings head, so glorious and beautiful that instinctively, Azariah knelt down with his head bowed.

A man who had never bowed in his life, a man who had pride in enduring all the pain the world threw at him, now knelt there with his head hung low.

Once again, he understood how utterly powerless and helpless he was in this new, accursed world.

Time seemed to stand still as a man on his knees looked down at the ground, while an angel sitting on the throne looked down at him.

"Azr—"

As the being on the throne parted his lips to speak, a soft whisper left his mouth, but even before Azariah could understand what he was saying, his mind gave out.

"Cough...Cough..."

Azariah started coughing violently as the insides of his body twisted.

His lungs stopped working, feeling devoid of air.

His heartbeat dropped at an alarming rate, and blood circulation in his body slowed.

"Urhhh...."

Blood gushed from his mouth, along with the contents of his stomach as he vomited.

His sense of hearing faded along with the strength in his body as he lifelessly fell to the ground, the scene shifting once again to the hill of the mountain.

"Tip...Top."

With blurry eyes, he could only see a person walking towards him.

"Mo...ther."

As the lifeless gray eyes of Esmeray bore into Azariah, he mumbled before losing consciousness, drifting into darkness.

As Azariah's body lay on the ground, Esmeray's lifeless gray eyes looked down at him coldly.

As time passed, Azariah's body started to grow cold as life began to fade away, the injuries he had sustained taking their toll.

"Pathetic," Esmeray whispered under her breath, her disdain evident.

With a wave of her hand, Azariah's lifeless body moved, hovering in the air as his limbs fell helplessly around him.

As Esmeray walked back towards the church, Azariah's body followed her like a puppet attached to strings, moving with every wave of Esmeray's hand.

Entering the now-empty church, Esmeray's gaze fell upon the only person standing in the middle of the hall.

"Irisveil," Esmeray said aloud, waving her hand. Azariah's body followed her gesture, moving towards Irisveil. "Heal him."

With a 'thud' sound, Azariah's body fell to the ground as Irisveil hurried towards him.

Irisveil frowned at Esmeray's words as she moved her hands to touch Azariah's body.

Initially, her touch was gentle as she released a small portion of mana into his body to assess his condition.

However, her demeanor quickly turned to one of desperation as she realized the severity of his condition.

"Oh God! What happened to him?" Irisveil asked with concern as she examined his body.

"An angel gazed upon him," Esmeray replied as she moved closer to both of them.

"What?" Irisveil asked, not understanding her words. "Why would someone do that?"

"Because I am here," Esmeray replied matter-of-factly. "Because they are afraid of me—because I am present in their most sacred place."

"You shouldn't have been present here, Esmeray. You are testing the gods' patience."

"Patience? All I am doing is giving them the opportunity to end me—right here, right now. But I know those cowards won't do it."

Irisveil didn't respond but continued to heal Azariah's body, which was on the brink of death.

"What did you do to him, Esmeray?" Irisveil whispered, her metallic eye patch covering her eyes as she continued to gaze at Esmeray.

"And why do you think I was the one who did anything to him?" Esmeray asked in return, her gaze shifting to Azariah.

"His condition," Irisveil whispered as she gently touched Azariah's hair. "How could it be so severe if you didn't do anything?"

"All this happened because of your stupid Angel, Irisveil."

"Do not lie! The damage that his body has is piling up from nearly a decade. Twisted bones, mangled limbs, signs of torture all over his body, and you are saying it happened just now?"

Esmeray remained silent, her gaze never leaving Azariah, whose breathing had calmed down a little.

"His bones..." Irisveil continued when she received no response from Esmeray. "All the bones in his body have been damaged far more times than they can endure. Most of his organs have been damaged as well. His body is rejecting mana because he can't endure the side-effects it may cause. How much pain should he have to endure just to move around?"

Again, Esmeray chose to remain silent as Irisveil began to sob at the thought of Azariah's condition.

"And his left hand... it's as if... you cut it and reattached it. It's beyond repair," Irisveil whispered amidst her tears. "How could you be so cruel to your own child, Esmeray?"

".... He tried to rape a maid once," Esmeray replied to her words, causing Irisveil to look up. "I chopped off his left hand and threw him into a dungeon for a week alone to survive."

"You do not deserve to be a mother, Esmeray," Irisveil said as she cleaned the tears from her cheeks.

"You have no right to tell me what I deserve or not," Esmeray rebuked coldly, her gaze flicking to Irisveil.

Then Esmeray waved her hand again, causing Azariah's body to float in the air once more.

"I hope the child could find happiness," Irisveil mumbled as she prayed for Azariah.

"Being my son is the greatest happiness he could ever find in this world," Esmeray replied, looking at Irisveil one last time before a brilliant light enveloped them, bringing them back.