The Seraphic System

The Seraphic System

Chapter: 53

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance. I'll keep posting regardless. If you have any suggestions you would like to see added, I will try to incorporate what I can :)

(The Holy Flame)

-{Heaven Conference Room}-

Michael gazed warmly at Gabriel, the sight of his beloved sister back safely in Heaven filling him with a deep, unending joy. A brief reprieve from the turmoil swirling within him.

The return of their Father had stirred in Michael a complex mix of relief and worry. Relief that he could finally step down from a role he was never meant to bear and worry at the chaos that had erupted across Heaven.

At last, the sudden birth of countless new angels made sense.

What Michael couldn't understand was why his Father hadn't returned to Heaven. Why had He appeared above the Vatican, only to vanish soon after?

Michael was worried. Worried that it was his fault. Perhaps the King Of Heaven had been disappointed with the state of everything. The thought that maybe his Father had decided to not immediately return to Heaven because of his failures hurt him. 

He knew that these thoughts were probably false but he couldn't help but doubt himself. 

Michael was no different to his siblings, he had missed his Father dearly. At the end of the day, no matter how old, he was still a child at heart who wasn't meant to rule. 

He had been an excellent General but being the ruler of Heaven and the General of the heavenly armies were two different things. A fact he had come to realise very quickly during the start of his rule. 

When God had reappeared, he had been confused no doubt. But he had been just as joyful and desperate as the rest of his kin. Though he had been more worried about protecting him at that point, which was why he had focused on any incoming potential threats. 

The fact that all the humans below had been able to see him was the least of his concerns, from what he could hear. The church was in just a big of a frenzy as Heaven. 

They had successfully contained God's appearance within Rome, but a massive influx of people trying to join the church along with the chaos was keeping them busy.

Michael, on the other hand along with the rest of the Arch-Seraphs was busy trying to contain their siblings. Since their Father had not decided to return to Heaven as of now, they were all trying to escape into the human world in droves. In order to search for him.

Having hundreds of thousands of Angels roaming the human world freely would be disastrous. He highly doubted any of his siblings currently cared about anything other than finding their Father.

Meaning, they would be trespassing on multiple Pantheons territories in groves. This could be seen as an act of war against everyone. The thought of dragging his Father and the rest of Heaven into another war made him physically sick. 

Gently mentioning that to all his siblings had been the only way to contain them all, even then. They had so much desperation built up of centuries of wanting their Father back, it was barely allowing them to use rationality. 

That soothing aura of their Father they had all briefly felt the return of was like a drug. The aura that had used to so effortlessly spread across the entirety of Heaven with his presence now a commodity. 

This had kept him fully occupied, coordinating with his informants on Earth to locate their Father and reassuring his siblings that he would be dispatching search parties. He hadn't had a moment's rest since.

Michael, too, was desperate to find his Father, but the lessons of responsibility he'd learned as the eldest sibling held him back. He had a duty to look after everyone, even if his heart longed to search every realm himself.

So it was needless to say that Michael was deeply worried.

What if his Father needed help? If that were true, then Heaven might be facing another war.

Amid the confusion surrounding His return, Michael had countless questions. But for now, his focus was on calming his siblings and ensuring his Father's safety. Everything else could wait.

Michael took a deep breath. As a being who was older than some Gods, he knew how to regulate his emotions. He hadn't even been able to process his Father's return. 

Back to Gabriel, who had just entered the room with an expression of urgency and seriousness he hadn't seen since the war. She didn't waste any time on a greeting.

"What's happened? Where's Father?" Gabriel immediately demanded.

Michael understood all too well. Gabriel's devotion to their Father had always rivalled even Lucifer's and Azrael's in its intensity.

He sighed tiredly, taking the next few minutes to relay what had happened to Gabriel. Who was nervously biting her nails. An expression on her face that he had rarely seen before and nearly broke his heart.

"-He disappeared after that, I've been too focused on making sure our siblings don't scour the earth and make an enemy of multiple Pantheon's." He finished. 

He could tell that Gabriel wanted to disagree and shout at him for not letting it happen, since surely with hundreds of thousands of Angels they could find him but she knew that would be both rude and childish.

She took a shaky breath, offering him a weak smile. 

"So he just vanished?" She asked. 

Michael nodded. "There had been some sort of barrier around him, so no one had been able to reach him."

"D-do you think he's disappointed in us?" She asked, with a small sniffle.

Michael shook his head at once. "Nay, if Father's disappointment lies upon any soul, it is surely mine. You have done more than anyone could ask, Gabriel." He took a breath. "You have served as a symbol of hope and love. Each day, you take the time to speak with our kin, tending to their spirits with grace. There is a reason why all of Heaven reveres you so deeply, Gabriel."

She smiled bashfully, a hint of her normal happiness and joy shining through. 

"Thank you Brother, I'm sorry for my outburst. I-I just miss him so much. I'll try to be supportive and get our siblings to calm down. I also highly doubt that he is disappointed in you, you've done an amazing job." Her face turned more serious. "I'm sure if we tell them that we are sending teams down and working alongside the church to find him, that'll make them feel better."

Michael nodded, equally as serious.

"Though, that will make many want to join the search. I had my eyes set on our stealth operation under Metatron. You know how much he loves to play ninja." Michael replied. 

Gabriel's eyes softened. "How is he taking it?"

"He's desperate to get out and find Father so that he can 'Repent' it seems his appearance has made him forget about playing ninja like he normally likes to do." Michael replied solemnly. 

Gabriel frowned. 

"How is Raphael and Uriel taking it?" She further questioned.

"Raphael has thrown herself into working out where he is and Uriel has disappeared into the garden." Michael replied. 

Gabriel sighed. "That may be for the best, I was half expecting you to tell me Uriel was attempting to lead a legion into Earth."

Michael smiled faintly. 

"I imagine we are all struggling with this. But our priority must be bringing Father safely back to Heaven. Once he is here, we can begin to heal these wounds."

Suddenly, Gabriel's expression stiffened. "Oh dear, I left Kai in Eden."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "The angel you returned with?"

She nodded and Michael's eyes widened. "Does he know where Father is? Did you encounter the other Angels?"

Gabriel understood the first question, since she had come to the conclusion at the Gate of Heaven. She had known he was a miracle, but with God returned to life. Was Kai the first of this generation's newly created Angels? 

It would explain his fast growth but that also didn't make sense, since she knew Father wouldn't allow him to just get nearly killed by some God.

Unless her Father had anticipated her intervention.

The real part of Michael's sentence that drew her attention was the second question.

"Other Angels!?" She abruptly shouted. 

-{Kai}-

I stared into the man's sharp eyes. His face was passive. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he stared back at me but it felt like that was just his normal facial expression than anything else. 

Another Arch-Seraph? 

He was dressed in stylish robes that couldn't hide his muscular body. 

For some strange reason, I could feel that the air around him was naturally hotter than anywhere else. It was as if his body was producing heat.

His eyes were stern, but there was an underlying softness in them as he stared at me. 

"How do you know about me?" I asked, relaxing my body posture.

"I haven't seen you before and I felt Gabriel's presence. I could only deduce that you're the angel she stubbornly set out to help." He replied patiently. "Not that I disagreed, I even tried to join her but Gabriel refused. As per usual she worried for my safety in the human world."

He chuckled. 

I smiled slightly, my time out in the world had made me a naturally suspicious person. "She did tell me about her distaste for the human world."

He nodded along. "I agree with her. The human world simply isn't fit for Angels anymore."

"Why did you decide to speak to me?" I couldn't help but ask.

He tilted his head.

"I felt your presence, it's different. A small difference. Then again, I suppose Father must have made some tweaks when he made you." He responded. 

There was a flash in his eyes at the mention of his Father, his fiery eyes turning complicated and hurt along with something deeper. 

Oh? 

Is that the assumption he's decided to go with? It was a valid assumption to make. It made sense as they couldn't quite see the difference in my aura yet. Not the full extent anyway. He had sensed something different though. 

I was certain it would be exposed eventually, which would make things quite awkward. I wasn't sure how to develop the divine shard but I had a feeling that once I did, hiding it would only become more difficult.

For now, I had plenty of reasons to keep it under wraps. Despite my occasional clueless act, I wasn't foolish. The implications were clear and with them would come a whole new set of responsibilities I wasn't eager to shoulder.

"I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge of that, I simply woke up in the middle of the underworld." I replied easily.

"That must have been tough. Especially for a young Angel. In fact, it's downright impressive." He acknowledged. His passive face held a hint of empathy. "Though with the power bestowed to you I can see how you managed."

My eyes tightened a bit. 

Something I could see him note.

"I wasn't born into power," I replied, a bit too quickly. His eyes caught the flicker in mine, though I forced my expression to stay calm."I was born at a low class level. I was barely able to survive."

He nodded calmly, as if agreeing with me. 

"You've been through a lot." He suddenly spoke, his eyes attempting to pick me apart.

"Maybe, a benefit of that is that I've found that my power grows explosively during danger and battle." I replied, not confirming his statement. 

"Which explains your quick growth." He summarised. "The ultimate class is no small feat."

"Not strong enough apparently." I chuckled.

He shot me a small smirk. "Power is often never enough. Even the strongest of beings die to a greater foe. I learnt that in the Great War."

His face became downright cold at that last statement, the only emotion being the burning anger in his eyes.

It was easy to forget but this ancient Angel had probably killed five tens of thousands, maybe even more than that. Most beings I've met probably have, it was easy to forget with the way they acted. Ares had probably slaughtered enough people to fill entire lakes with their blood yet I had fought him.

My judgement had shown me the extent of that.

"I don't know a lot about the Great War unfortunately." I replied, sending him an apologetic smile.

"That's for the best." He replied guardedly. 

I didn't doubt it. I could feel what it had done to Gabriel. 

"Those were some interesting weapons you had and the way you made them vanish was equally as interesting, it seems your time in the outside world helped you gain some tricks." Uriel changed the topic. 

I wasn't too bothered about him learning about my inventory, since he would find out sooner or later anyway and the longer I kept secrets the harder it would be to play it off later.

Pulling out my tempest chakrams on the other hand had been instinctual. 

I might as well play along with it. 

Uriel would either become my elder brother or my son in the future if I learnt how to upgrade the shards progress. That was assuming that was the end result anyway. 

There was a lot of mystery around the shard after all. My system wouldn't tell me anything and I had no description to go off other than the overpowered skill I had gained along with it coming from the True Longinus. 

"My Tempest Chakrams are a weapon I picked up along the way and I've always been able to do that little vanishing trick. That was inherited." I explained.

I summoned my weapons and his eyes shot down to the two Tempest Chakrams now held in my grasp. 

Uriel hummed thoughtfully. "Impressive craftsmanship. Gabriel had sent me a message that mentioned you in India. Judging by those designs and the blessings, it seems your stay was... eventful."

Gabriel knew?

He chuckled, clearly noticing my reaction. "Let me guess. Gabriel never brought it up, did she?"

I shook my head.

"Sounds about right," he said with a faint smirk. "She tends to avoid prying into people's business unless she feels the need to. She probably figured you didn't need her digging into your business too much."

Silence descended between us briefly as he stared at me. His eyes swirled through different emotions. 

"Want to spar?" 

I blinked in confusion at the sudden question. 

"I was training before I sensed you, I wouldn't mind if you join. Sometimes fighting can clear one's head and I imagine it'll be a good experience for you" He elaborated. 

"Sure?" I accepted.

I wasn't sure where that had come from. 

"Follow me." He replied simply.

He turned around and I finally noticed the axe on his back. 

I was led to a massive mountain, as we climbed the top I got to see just how massive the garden of Eden was. That was to say, it stretched endlessly into the horizon. 

"Impressive isn't it?" He said, "I always did tell Father that naming it a garden would be misleading."

Uriel's face twisted slightly, almost unnoticeably and I could practically see him berating himself for bringing it up.

"Yeah, I didn't realise I was that deep in the garden." I replied, not calling out his facial expressions.

He chuckled.

"Many have gotten lost in these woods." Uriel replied.

I looked at him in surprise.

"Really?"

That was mildly alarming.

"No need to worry; this garden is unique. Only those who wish to be lost truly become so. In fact, there are a few Angels who've been wandering here for centuries. But you won't come across them. they've hidden themselves deep within the garden's vast planes," he said, his tone shifting into a blend of somberness and restrained anger.

I shot him a flat stare, I was beginning to suspect I hadn't encountered Uriel at the best of times. His emotions didn't seem exactly stable. 

"Other Angels? Couldn't you go find them if you wanted?" I asked, just as we stepped atop of the mountain.

It had a completely flat surface on the top of it and I could spot an intense amount of holy power running through its surface. 

"We could, but we respect that they don't wish to be found." Uriel replied complicatedly. "Enough of that though, show me what you've got."

His posture seemed to relax as his voice contained a minor amount of excitement. 

He walked to the other side of the flat surface.

"Are you sure? I don't want to risk damaging anything." I replied hesitantly. 

He waved me off.

"Don't worry, this mountain is enhanced and reinforced to take damage." He replied confidently. 

I already knew that, I had simply wanted to hear that from him. I also didn't want to show a lack of care for the surroundings. 

This place was resonating with me on some level and I felt a connection to it.

I smirked, feeling excitement bubble up inside me. 

"If you insist." I replied.

Fighting a strong opponent and not having to worry about being decapitated? Sign me up.

Funnily enough, this may be my first time fighting someone stronger than me who truly wasn't wishing to kill me. 

That's depressing…

I ignored that. 

Uriel noticed my excitement. "Oh? You seem excited. I'm not going to hold back."

"This is the first time I've fought someone stronger who isn't trying to kill me." I replied excitedly.

I paused, realising how outlandish the statement I had just said was.

Uriel frowned but only for a moment, before he matched he smirked.

"Well then, come show me what you've got." He challenged. 

I exploded into a burst of speed, noting that the ground under me didn't break like usual. 

Good. 

Light began to ripple off my body, brightening into a golden hue as my Light Embodiment activated. My chakrams spun lazily in my hands, creating small arcs of light with every rotation. 

The ground beneath me seemed to pulse in response, amplifying my energy.

Golden lightning formed off the Tempest Chakrams and I threw them at him. 

He easily avoided one of them, a dome formed around the other. Containing it for only a moment before it tore through it. 

Uriel nodded, as if he was impressed. 

"A good pair of weapons. Your infusion with them is smooth too." He commented.

My eyes narrowed.

The Tempest Chakrams spun back and chains of light exploded out of them. 

Multiple balls of holy light formed in my hand and I sent them firing towards Uriel. 

Before I could reply, he flicked his wrist and created a dome of holy energy around the Tempest Chakrams this time though it collapsed inward. It detonated, sending a shockwave rippling outward. 

The spinning weapons faltered, its momentum thrown off by the disruption.

Uriel switched his focus to the incoming orbs of light with the calm detachment of someone who had seen far deadlier attacks in his time.

With a fluid motion, he swung his hand in an arc, and a shimmering barrier of holy energy flared to life around him. The orbs collided with the shield, erupting in blinding flashes but the barrier remained unscathed.

"Your control over holy light isn't bad," he remarked, stepping forward even as the barrage continued. "But you're too wasteful. Quantity over quality rarely works against a superior opponent."

I knew that. This was just the warm up. I didn't stop there, creating multiple illusions of me that charged at Uriel. 

I punched and a massive light replica of my fist formed, the illusions around me had all followed the same action but their attacks unlike themselves were real. 

Five massive fists of light were sent towards Uriel. 

When the first massive fist of light came hurtling toward him, he stepped to the side, letting it pass harmlessly by. 

The others followed, but instead of dodging again, Uriel raised his hand and a glowing barrier of holy energy surrounded the rest of them in a dome-like shield.

The light fists collided with the inside of the light barrier, their impact reverberating through the mountain. The shield's held firm but Uriel's brows furrowed slightly as he noticed the shimmering energy within the fists twist unnaturally.

"Oh now that's Interesting," he muttered, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Then the fists all imploded. Spikes of concentrated light exploded outward, each one aimed to impale him from a dozen different directions. 

Uriel's domes shattered under the unexpected assault and for the first time, I saw him forced to take multiple steps back in order to avoid the burning light spikes. 

"Clever," he acknowledged, his voice calm despite the intensity of the attack.

I was mostly testing new attacks I had theorised with my upgrade in light embodiment. It was why I wasn't taking this more seriously. 

How could I? I hadn't gotten a chance to test attacks on a stronger being without potentially killing myself in the process. The massive smile on my face was an indication of that. 

He could obviously see this.

"Not bad," Uriel commented, his voice calm but carrying an undertone of curiosity. "I can see what you're doing. But let's see how well you handle pressure."

He shot forward, faster than I expected but at a dialled down level he probably knew I could handle. 

His fists came out to strike me. I reacted on instinct, twisting my body and launching a chakram infused with Holy Power Manipulation toward his midsection. 

The weapon sliced through the air with a brilliant trail of light but Uriel swatted it aside with a simple flick of his hand, the force sending shockwaves across the mountaintop.

"You're relying on battle experience," Uriel said, appearing behind me in a blur. "That's not enough."

I barely managed to whirl around and block his strike, both chakrams crossed to catch the edge of his karate chop. The impact reverberated through my arms, nearly buckling my stance. 

Gritting my teeth, I used Wind Manipulation along with Light Embodiment to create a burst of air that became scratching hot from the pulsing light that pushed him back, gaining some distance.

I swiped both my Tempest Chakrams instantly, sending to sharp wind and holy light infused crescent arcs tearing through the air towards him. 

He kicked off the ground, jumping into the air and avoiding both attacks narrowly. 

Uriel grinned faintly, his aura flaring as he steadied himself. "You adapt quickly... Show me something better."

He swiped his hands out, forming dozens of light blades towards me. 

I probably shouldn't show this but I couldn't help it.

I let the light slice into me and I saw his eyes widened into panic. 

That was until the light absorbed into my harmlessly, to him though. The light seemed to just vanish.

"What did you do?" He muttered. 

I pressed the advantage. 

My Tempest Chakrams became autonomous as I commanded them to interfere. 

I aimed a feint at his left. 

He slapped it away.

I sent a few fast punches, my fists engulfed in hot light that caused the air to steam. 

"You lack a combat style, that's a given. I don't imagine you've had someone to teach you that." Uriel commented. 

Namara had told me that too. 

I hadn't had time to find a teacher besides in camp-half blood which I hadn't stayed for long enough. I clapped my hand and caused a shockwave, my Wind manipulation amplified its effect and he was sent back a bit. 

Chains of light exploded around me like snakes, they immediately shot towards him. He backed away and avoided them, I made the light packed inside the chains combust around him. 

He was able to narrowly avoid the massive explosion with the speed he had limited himself to when sparring with me. 

I didn't stop, sending multiple balls of light that exploded into balls of enlarged spikes as they neared him. 

In response, a stream of golden flames was sent that intercepted all of my attacks. The flames somehow destroyed my light or more precisely the magic powering the light.

He swept his leg and I was forced to avoid a wave of golden flames that swept through the ground. 

I could tell he was having fun by the wild almost deranged smile on his face.

Talk about an intimidating battle face. 

My body was reinforced by chakra and my speed was dialled up. Slamming my hand on the ground, trees erupted in between us.

I was going to keep this a secret but honestly why bother? They had no malicious intent and this was my new family either way. 

Trees erupted around him and vines shot out to wrap around his ankles, I could see the moment's hesitation. As if he was unsure if he should destroy such nature before fire exploded out of him.

That didn't stop me though, a ring of light forming behind me to send dozens of light rods as cover fire at him. 

While the light rod attack may seem like a waste of energy, if one of those rods struck he would still be hurt a lot. It was true that as you became stronger you naturally gained a resistance to lesser magic or at least magical beings did. 

Unless they had another way to strengthen their body. 

So the light rods were a threat, just not a very big threat like a massive attack.

Uriel dodged, sending a massive cyclone of fire that devoured the ring of light.

His flames were interesting. 

Golden flames enveloped his body and he took out his axe. "Let's kick this up a notch."

I smirked back challengingly. 

That was wiped off my face though as a massive sphere of water suddenly enveloped Uriel faster than I could react, he let out a confused gurgle. An expression of bewilderment on his face.

"Seriously Brother!" Gabriel's angered visage was prominent as I was tucked comfortably into her arms. It was awkward considering I was a bit taller than her. 

Uriel let out a gurgle.

The water started bubbling before it gained a frosty aura and the heat was snuffed out.

He gurgled in the water panickedly.

The composed warrior image being thrown out of the window and into the bin of a ghetto crack house as his limbs moved frantically.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!" Gabriel demanded.

He gurgled once more.

She flicked her wrist and he was sent flying away into the distance.

"Will he be okay…?" I couldn't help asking.

Her eyes returned to normal, pure beautiful green eyes shining with what I could mistake as nativity if I hadn't seen the true her before. 

Gabriel's face softened. "Oh don't worry about our Brother. He will be okay."

"Uh okay." I replied awkwardly. 

Gabriel's face shifted. "So, there's been a bit of a change in plans."

"A change in plans…?" 

"Yes, we've decided that for now we would like you to live in the sixth Heaven." She softly said, her voice hesitant and apologetic. 

"The sixth Heaven?" I questioned, frowning in confusion.

What had happened?

"I've spoken to Michael and certain events have popped up, if you truly don't wish to I won't force you but I would feel better if you slept in a room close to mine." She said carefully.

"What events?" I asked cluelessly.

There were many events, I was going to assume she had learnt of my appearance. 

I heard a rumble in the distance as Uriel made his way back to us. 

"Tell me, Kai. What do you know of our Father?" She asked. 

"Not much." I replied bashfully. 

She sighed sadly, nodding supportively. 

Making Gabriel upset weirdly annoyed me.

It seemed whatever she was going to speak to me about was important, in a bold move I took her soft hand and gave it a squeeze. 

The smile I got in return was blinding.

Just where had I gotten the courage to do that?

-END-

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