Ascension: A New Dawn...

  An outward aesthetic can only hide so much...

  Noah's uncertainty never goes away...

  The man's gloved hand parts the tent before he steps inside, and his golden-hued eyes immediately look over everyone; they're okay, even Staff Sergeant Lockley. The sergeant's sitting on his medical bed and holding an icepack to his head, as if he's got the worst headache imaginable. It's not until those dark-colored eyes settle on the Savior that his mood shifts into something less nihilistic, a shocking thing.

  "I swear..." Sergeant Lockley's gruff baritone rumbles the room. His voice doesn't match his clean-shaven features; perhaps if the military allowed him to keep his beard. Regardless, the dark-skinned man's happy to see Noah. "You're definitely a sight for the sorest eyes; nice scar," he gives a morbid snicker, and Noah can't help matching his energy.

  "Thanks, I killed the person who gave it to me."

  A technically true statement...

  "Oh?" Sergeant Lockley's brow rises as he adjusts himself in the bed. "I thought there was a rule about not killing, or something?" he chuckles, especially considering the occupation he's in. He waves his inquiry off as quickly as he speaks it. "I'm kidding. I know that commandment isn't absolute; nothing is," a reference to one of the ten commandments. Noah calmly corrects his statement.

  "God is," he reminds, and everyone goes silent.

  Staff Sergeant Lockley's face shifts: he didn't see what Lt. Ether saw.

  He didn't see God's radiant authority.

  "Then, so is the Devil..." the sergeant trails, darkening the vibe of the room as all the soldiers settle down; their Staff Sergeant's got something important to share. "One can't exist without the other to justify them, it seems..." he lets out a tired sigh before turning those dark-colored eyes filled with uncertainty and seriousness on Noah. His eye contact unsettles the Demigod.

  "Look, Noah..." he trails, putting the icepack to his head again with a grunt; it takes him a few seconds to talk again, and his words are heavy. "I don't want to be the one who brings down everyone's mood, or anything like that. But we're in some serious shit..." his eyes intensify upon those words leaving his lips; the next sentence shakes the room.

  "She's got an undead army waiting to awaken..."

  She? Does he mean Eve?

  "And every death adds to the number she's been amassing since the First Descension."

  Noah's heart pulses: what does this mean?

  SSG Lockley vividly recalls the nightmarish images She blessed him with.

  The undead army wasn't the worst.

  "What are you talking about?" Lieutenant Ether speaks up and steps closer to the bed while clutching a clipboard in her hands like a bible. The woman's soft blue eyes stress with confusion as she questions him. "Army of the dead? What did you see in the cemetery?" she asks, and Noah nods in agreement. The Staff Sergeant lets out an ominous chuckle, then shakes his head while lowering it and closing his eyes.

  "The Traitor gave me a glimpse of what her endgame looks like when we checked out the cemetery..." Sergeant Lockley pauses, remembering these images are traumatic, even for a seasoned soldier like him. It takes all he's got not to crash out over the insanity coming out of his mouth. "An undead army, a Red Moon, a horrid abomination, and..." he pauses again, and Noah feels a tightness in his throat as if he knows what the Sergeant's going to say next. His guess is right; Sergeant Lockley says...

  "God's Executioner..."

  The entire room is morbidly silent; what an unfathomable statement to even mutter.

  "Eve's found a way to kill God. The God."

  Noah wants to throw up; his conversation with Eve from before makes sense.

  She did something to him and showed it to the sergeant that's never seen the Archangel; nobody has.

  "Or he could be God's Executioner sent to get rid of us."

  The Sergeant's joking statement back then makes a lot more sense now.

  "She'll never get the chance to because we're going to stop her," Noah immediately collects his bearings and cuts through the dread overtaking the room with the same intensity as a sword through flesh; Eve won't terrify anyone while he's around. "Fear is her greatest weapon, and she's had since the birth of humanity to master using it. Don't take whatever she shows you seriously, because she won't kill you," he states this with such confidence that it draws confusion from the rest of the room, and the Staff Sergeant can't help laughing a little. What?

  "I'm sorry, huh?" Sergeant Lockley's chuckle is almost condescending to an extent, but he maintains his respect for Noah. "Have you uhh, seen what's been happening in this city?" he asks with such sass that everyone else is looking at him with mixed scowls and caution, but he keeps his tact.

  "I'm not saying you're wrong, as none of us have died. But uhm..." the Sergeant's a little awkward now because he doesn't want to bring this up, but he feels he has to for everyone's security. He meets Noah's gaze with the most respect he can muster in a look while also speaking in the most diffusing tone he can muster; he wants assurance like everyone else.

  "Didn't Eve kill all the soldiers on your last mission?"

  Noah's heart damn near throbs out of his chest behind that controlled expression.

  Lt. Ether saw him almost break, though; the twitch in his posture went unnoticed by everyone else.

  ".... No," Noah responds with an answer that shocks everyone before resting a hand on his chest. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes like he's consoling himself before his admittance. He feels everyone's eyes focusing on him, and the weight of the air weighing on his shoulders. It's like eyes both seen and unseen are all on him in this moment.

  "I got them killed..."

  Noah's admission of guilt stuns the room quiet; they're waiting for his explanation.

  "I had the power to protect them and save them from dying..." Noah's eyes well up, but he doesn't cry when pulling Jaden's dog tags from his pocket and holding them up for everyone to see; he still remembers how that soldier looked. "But I failed at every turn, and this is my reminder for it." his breath is shaky, and his eyes are heavy, but he doesn't break. He stays stalwart and strong in front of everyone as he admits his sins.

  "But, that didn't happen this time around because I learned from my mistakes!" he keeps going, pacing while holding Jaden's tags up high for everyone to see. "My mistakes can't bring back the dead, but they can help me protect the living. I couldn't save Jaden, or his Sergeant, or any of the rest, but their sacrifices helped me learn enough to save all of you," he lowers his hand and stashes the dog tags before settling his gaze on Sergeant Lockley. The Sergeant's giving him a look that can't be understood, as if he's indecisive on Noah's words, but the Demigod keeps going.

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  "Eve doesn't kill humans..."

  Noah feels a watchful presence again, as if she's looking over his shoulder and waiting to see what he says next.

  Noah speaks without fear.

  "She simply makes it easier for our sins to do it."

  Defending the honor of a Devil, are we?

  You aren't a Devil. You're simply lost like Karma was...

  Karma? The woman you saved from becoming a Demon?

  ... ... ...

  I'm already a curse, sweetheart.

  Then prove it and kill a human with your own two hands.

  ... ... ...

  I like you, Savior.

  You can weigh faith with perspective after all...

  Her voice fades his psyche; a potent exchange happens within an instant of real time.

  Causality is her plaything.

  "Our sins?" Sergeant Lockley's brow rises, and all eyes turn on Noah when the soldier speaks. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific on what you mean by that, General," he adds, and Noah briefly looks among the people in the tent in silence. The Staff Sergeant asked him a question, but he's unsure if he's the right man to answer; if only his mentor, Father Judas, were here.

  "Do not be afraid to ask questions of a man capable of answering them..."

  Those words flutter in Noah's thoughts, followed by a more distant teaching from the same man...

  "Doubt is a prerequisite to fear; weigh it justly..."

  Noah casts aside his doubts and answers the question; he feels Her presence again as he speaks.

  "Eve's ability to alter causality is woven into the Abyssal Fractures every human has in their spiritual heart, which everyone calls the soul." Noah pauses and rests a hand over his chest and heart; his palm touches the same spot his caustic scar lies hidden beneath his overcoat. "Sin and virtue, good and evil, faith and fear..." he trails and looks over everyone again with those divine eyes, and a straight gaze.

  "The boundary separating them came to be when Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit."

  "With knowledge comes despair, and ignorance is bliss."

  The room is silent again, then Lieutenant Ether has an inquiry.

  "Are you saying God wanted us to be ignorant?"

  Staff Sergeant Lockley snorts like a bull.

  "No, it means he wanted to shelter us from something."

  That realization shifts the mood of the room again, and uneasiness fills the space.

  "Sin is such a terrible thing that God tried to protect us from it by keeping us ignorant; what a revelation!" The man breaks into a morbid laughter while the rest of the soldiers eye him with mixed reactions. Then, he's got something to ask, and eyes Noah with an intense look. "God is supposed to be perfect. The Creator can do no wrong and all of that, yeah?" he asks, and Noah hesitantly nods, but there's a lump of anxiety swelling in his throat; he knows what's coming next. Staff Sergeant Lockley asks...

  "How can a perfect being create such an imperfect world?"

  What a flawed, trap question...

  She chuckles in his psyche and offers no further hints; the sergeant wants the Savior's perspective.

  ... ... ...

  Noah can't...

  "... The only difference between Good and Evil is the perspective of the one viewing it all..." The Demigod's words are soft, thoughtful, and reluctant; it's obvious he's thinking out this answer as he talks, yet they listen. Noah's eyes meet the sergeant's, and his words grow more convincing. "We are not capable of judging the world as good or evil from our narrow perspectives, but I do not think that God's perfection is meant to be taken in that sense..." his following words draw rising brows and looks of curiosity. Where's he going with this? Noah closes his eyes and inhales, a mental prayer before speaking his piece.

  Forgive my ignorance if I'm wrong, Father...

  "God's perfection is regarding his ability to forgive and adapt, not dominate."

  Everyone's quiet, but the energy in the room is...

  Noah keeps going.

  "Good cannot exist without evil to cause a boundary of conflict that differentiates the two concepts..." Noah's gaze falls over everyone, one by one, as he speaks. "When God created Adam and Evelyn, he wanted them to live in ignorance of these concepts; he tried to protect us..." he pauses because that sensation's in his head again, and that presence looms nearby. This city is her anchor, after all; it's no wonder Eve can listen so easily. Noah ignores her and speaks; he wants her to hear this.

  "He never robbed them of the free will to disobey him, though."

  "He always left the door open for them to experience sin if they chose."

  "God isn't responsible for the state of the world; Eve is."

  ... ... ...

  Ha... Hahahaha...

  HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

  She's cackling in his mind, and only he can hear it.

  "I am impressed, Savior..."

  "You just taught me accountability..."

  ... ... ...

  "Now, teach Humanity."

  Her voice fades, and Noah feels a weight leave his chest; is she gone?

  "... You alright there, General?" one of the soldiers questions when Noah spaces out, and the Demigod quickly snaps back to his senses. Noah nods and brushes off any concerns before gently caressing the side of his head in discomfort; he's tired.

  "Yeah, I just..." his facade of energy is waning; the man's clearly exhausted and hitting his limit. He perseveres; not yet. "Back on topic, what else did Eve show you?" his fatigued expression focuses on the Staff Sergeant, and Lockley nods before getting back to it; they almost went down the rabbit hole.

  "Ah, right..." he rubs his shaven jawline and sucks his teeth, thinking. There's a moment of unease across those rough and tough features, then a flash of uncertainty. He tries to put the images in his head into words that make sense; it's a struggle. "She's got an undead army, a Red Moon, a horrid monster, and God's Executioner..." he raises a hand to emphasize the last part of his sentence. "That One-Winged Angel screamed God Killer when I gazed upon it without any prior information. It's like she wanted me to know that thing kills gods..." he eyes Noah, and Noah acts like he's ignorant of the concept; everybody believes his act.

  "As long as I live, God's not dying."

  As long as you live?

  Promise?

  Why is she in his head like this!?

  Noah holds his head again like he's in pain, but waves off any concerns before they're spoken. Instead, he keeps the conversation going; they've got one more important thing to cover. "What happened at the Church?" he asks, and one of the soldiers raises their hand; it's Tyler, the man who aided Noah earlier. The fair-skinned medic's blue eyes meet Noah's when he debriefs.

  "Oh, the fire team just ran into a bunch of corrupted humans..." he pauses and gestures to his skin and body in general. "The corruption levels out here spike sometimes, and if you're a regular Joe like me, for example, you kinda turn into a zombie for lack of a better comparison," he sighs and shrugs; that's about all he knew on the matter. "I'm not well-versed in biblical apocalypse diseases, so a zombie's the best I can compare it to for ya," he says, and everyone chuckles; the laughter eases the tension. Noah nods, feeling at ease.

  "So, I'll assume Karma's help was overkill?" he jokes, and Tyler tilts his head in thought, then brightens in realization. He snaps his fingers and nods.

  "Oh! Yeah, she popped up like a ghost and dealt with everything in under a minute before disappearing," Tyler explains and claps his hands to emphasize the speed of it all. "Only thing she said was her name's Karma, and then she dipped out..." he sighs. "I kinda wish she stuck around; she was fucking hot," he adds, and everyone groans and laughs at him. Noah shakes his head and fights a laugh, then gestures. It's about time they all got out of here.

  "Alright, anybody else want to get the fuck out of this city?" the General asks, and everyone cheers in affirmation; their screams shake the medical tent. It's the first triumphant, joyous sound they've made since arriving in Apocryphal, and Noah intends to leave this place on that good note. "Good. Pack up and be ready to leave within the hour; we're going home," he turns and exits the tent, and it's not till he's far enough away that Karma pops up like a ghost to whisper in his ear.

  "I need to talk to you; it's about your mission."

  "Meet me at Adam's Monument."

  She's gone like the wind, and Noah's left speechless and stunned.

  He was ready to le- Karma pops back up in his face, her nose centimeters from his, and she's grinning like a demon.

  "Kidding! Let me come with you, though!" Her grin switches to an innocent and adorable smile when Noah politely pulls away from her; she's too close. The man glances around and wonders why nobody sees her, and his question is answered as if the woman read it on his face. "Oh, I can do all kinds of spooky ghost shit like be invisible to humans; don't draw attention to yourself unless you want to look stupid," she's fighting a chuckle, and Noah sighs. He didn't expect Karma to be a prankster. She asks again.

  "So, can I come with?"

  Noah eyes her clearly visible form to him, at least.

  "What about the Midnight Walkers?" his inquiry earns a genuine smile that accompanies words Noah never thought he'd hear.

  "I killed them all."

  Now, Savior...

  Teach Humanity...

  Next Chapter: Right, Wrong & the Way the World Works...