Dantega:Volume 4 Chapter 12
(PART 3)
“What is this place?” Niera asks as she looks around in awe.
She, along with the others have found themselves standing on a narrow stone bridge floating impossibly in what seems to be a starry sky. There is no ground below them, but rather, the many different colors of what space looks like through infrared. A 360 degree view of such a sight is astonishing.
Their voices echo as they all question themselves in the same manner.
“This is the pathway to the other side.” said Phoenix, standing farther up on the bridge alongside Xavier.
“I’m glad to see that you waited for us.” Rage says sarcastically.
As if choosing not to notice, Phoenix replies, “We would’ve left you long ago if it wasn’t for that." He then points towards the end of the mysterious bridge. There is a large door that blends in with the surrounding area so well it’s almost difficult to distinguish. “Take a look above it.”
Resting a few feet atop the door is an old looking clock that has its hour hand resting on the 11 and its minute hand around the 1; signifying that it is 11:05. With each second, the old clock tick-tocks as any other would, but that clicking sound is intensified by the odd echo that this strange place holds.
“What’s that for?”
“When we got here it was 10:47 and this room was filled with the light blue of the daylight. We were going to go through when all the sudden I had a feeling that the time on that clock meant something.”
“Like what?”
“Once the hour turned to 11, the scenery around this odd place changed to the night sky you see now.”
Rage taps his scythe in the ground and matches the sound of the clock’s ticking as he wonders aloud, “Could that be important in regards to the other side?”
“I think it does.” Phoenix answers as he heads to the door and looks closer at that clock. “Remember learning about how the location of the Gates are supposed to change after the first level? I’m willing to bet that each hour that clock turns, walking through this door will send you to a different location on the 3rd level.”
“That’d mean that it’s a crapshoot on where we end up.” Cyrus added.
“Exactly, we could end up in the middle of a desert or on an ice continent if we’re not lucky.”
The thought of walking into an overly exposed environment and making an attempt to blindly escape is discomforting to say the least. For example, if they end up somewhere on top of a mountain range with nothing to survive on and no villages around, it’d be impossible to escape that circumstance without having a couple lives lost in the process.
“B-But it is possible it could turn out in our favor too.” Sora says, without much conviction in her tone.
“I guess you can look at it that way, but it’d be a damn shame if we end up months away from the 3rd Gate.”
They all stand in silence and contemplate their situation when Rage once again taps his scythe on the ground, but this time it is loud enough to break their train of thought. “If that is the case, I think it is best that we wait for the others. We can’t afford to be split up on two different sides of the world once we all get there.”
“We also can’t afford to be sitting here for days, we’re on a bridge in the middle of nowhere.” Phoenix protests.
“As I’m sure you know, Ubica is on the island we just left.”
“And your point is?”
“If he’s there, the others aren’t far behind.”
Cyrus folds his arms and opines, “I hate to be a pessimist, but you heard the story that Ubica told us. We can’t even say for sure that Princess Daey and the rest are alive, there's no telling how long we'll wait here until we are forced to give up hope on them even coming at all.”
Rage understands where he’s coming from, even he himself is curious as to why he is so certain that they’re alive and well. But nonetheless, his instincts are telling him to wait it out.
“Listen, we won’t be waiting near that long. I’ll give them enough time to join us within the hour, if they don’t show, we’ll move along to the other side.”
“That seems like an awfully short time frame.” said Aria, reiterating the other's thoughts that the odds of that actually happening are slim to none.
“She’s right.” Phoenix says, “Do you honestly think that Ubica can defeat Michael and bring the others here in less than an hour?”
Knowing full well how preposterous his proposal actually is, Rage speaks with absolute certainty.
“They’ll be here.”
“We’re here!” Caesar says excitedly as he looks down on his map.
All the years of searching for the Gate have finally paid off. He and his men immediately start celebrating as they gaze upon the lake and the large set of stairs that lead up and through the waterfall. The crew can barely contain themselves; one man pops open a celebratory bottle of champagne and begins to spray it all over. Another man happens to be carrying a fiddle and decides to play a tune and sing; some men begin dancing and singing along with him. Even Caesar is having trouble holding himself back as an uncontrollable smile forms widely upon his face.
Ubica, who’s skin tone is growing ever more pale stares at them dejectedly, they may all be enjoying this moment, but he knows of the foreboding nature of the immediate future. They have no idea that at any moment, their dreams will be dashed by the Gatekeeper.
He calmly levels his breathing and thinks to himself, (Now where is he hiding?)
His green eyes scour the area around the waterfall in order to spot him, but nothing catches his sight.
“Hey Ubica... you said the Gatekeeper was Michael, right?” Messor asks, breaking Ubica’s concentration.
“Yeah that’s right.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“What do you mean?”
“The chances are, you’ll have to kill him in order for us to pass. Are you okay with doing something like that to an Angel?”
“I don’t have much of a choice.”
Messor smiles, what she is seeing out of him is the resolve that he has been lacking up to this point. She was always worried where his priorities were, and this at least gives her a hint as to where protecting the lot of them is. Just a few weeks earlier he most likely would have tried to avoid killing him, and somehow do it while keeping the rest safe in the process.
“You’ll be able to defeat him again I’m sure… But this time I’m going to help you.”
Ubica reveals a strained smile, “Thank you, I-----“
Something interrupts him; a little white light flashes in front of Messor’s chest and Ubica instantly knows what it is.
Michael appears out of that light directly in front of Messor, he arrives so quickly that she doesn’t even have the faintest idea that he’s there.
“Look out!!”
Ubica shouts as he dashes in front of her as quickly as he can, and is met with a fist moving at the speed of light directly into chest.
Michael’s punch lands right at the center of his wound, the pressure of that punch sends so much air through his wound that it rushes through his body and escapes out of his back, causing a wind that’s carrying a large amount of his blood to blow out onto Messor’s face.
The blood sprayed out of him like a whale blowing water through its air hole while coming to the ocean’s surface to breathe. A red mist is sent about the jungle, giving the already wet air an eerie humidity.
Ubica crumbles to the ground in a heap, the hit was so hard it made breathing impossible, all he can do is writhe in pain as he helplessly looks up at Michael.
“Well look here, the Idolatress has returned from the pit as well.”
Messor is still in shock, having Ubica’s blood spray on her like that has her frozen.
Ubica shakily reaches out his hand, attempting anything he can in order to make Michael stop.
The Archangel points his spear at Messor’s face, and from the tip a light forms. “One would call this killing two nasty birds with one stone, wouldn’t you say?”
The light grows and grows until it is shot in a beam, the light screams towards Messor’s face when its brightness knocks her back to her senses. She forms a little black butterfly in front of her nose and the two power sources collide.
BAAAAANGGG!!
Michael’s light destroys the butterfly, but it gives Messor just enough time to get out of the way and avoid being hit.
Unfortunately, the crew members behind her weren’t so lucky as to see what exactly was happening.
The man playing the fiddle is obliterated and the other man spraying the champagne bottle is ripped to pieces. About five others share the same fate.
Once the smoke clears, panic strikes them as they all run away in different directions; Caesar on the other hand is motionless in shock. The whole thing just happened in less than a second, in the last blink of an eye he and his men were celebrating, now, they are running for their lives from a man who has literally appeared out of nowhere.
A few of the crew run and swim across the shallow lake and toward the stairs leading through the waterfall, even in their panic they know that being safe is only a few steps away through the Gate.
Michael’s teal eyes shift to them and he clicks his tongue in annoyance, he disappears in a flash of light and reappears an instant later directly in front of the men, impeding their path. He mercilessly swings his spear and cuts one man in half, the other two men once again try to flee but with one more swing, a flash of light envelopes them and they disintegrate.
Michael continues to go about his killing spree on all of the men running around the lake. He is hurriedly doing so as well, he wants to get this over with so he can enjoy the moment he finally destroys Ubica. But in his mind, his duty comes first, he must protect the Gate, not even one soul can go through without his permission.
“Is that the same Michael from before!?” Messor shouts in disbelief.
“N-No...” Ubica struggles to say as he shoddily stands to his feet, Messor quickly rushes to him and helps him up. “He’s no longer an Angel. His soul has been destroyed by the darkness I’ve planted there.”
“..?”
“That is why I must kill him... It’s my responsibility.”
He takes Messor’s shoulders and gently pushes her away from him. “Go and get the others, when you have an opening, I need you to take them through the Gate.”
“I’m not going to leave you behind again! Especially not in this state!”
Ubica’s injury is extremely bad; it’s a minor miracle that he’s still even breathing, the hole in his chest and back is bigger than a baseball, and there's a good chance that that size of a chunk is missing from one of his lungs.
“You have to, with his ability to move through light there’s no way I can protect everyone. You have to get them to the other side.”
Messor grits her teeth and looks away, she reluctantly replies, “Fine.”
“It’s a little too late for that Ubica.”
Ubica turns to see Michael, holding two frightened girls under his arms.
“Tsubiri! Daey!”
Michael laughs as Ubcia’s face contorts with fear. “Hahahahaha! While I was killing off those weaklings, I took a good look at my surroundings and noticed the faces of these two girls... They were looking at your blood with such horror in their eyes that I instantly knew.”
“L-Let them go.” Ubica demands through his shaking mouth.
Standing behind Michael and staring in surprise is Napoleon and Strauphius, just a moment earlier they were guarding both Tsubiri and Daey. They have no clue how they ended up under his arms, even Strauphius, whose specialty is extremely fast movement couldn’t even fathom the speed of Michael.
“They love you. And judging by the look in your eyes, it’s reciprocated.” Michael says, the smile leaving his face, replaced by a bitter frown.
An eerie silence falls upon his and Ubica’s glare; he squeezes harder on Tsubiri and Daey’s necks, causing them to choke when he asks,
“Tell me Ubica... which one do you love more?”
11:23 is what the clock indicates above the door connected to the strange stone bridge in the middle of nowhere. Almost twenty minutes have passed, and nothing has changed from before. The only occurrence is that the stars and what seem to be the galaxies that surround them swirl and change color from green to red, blue to gold, purple to yellow and so on. This certainly helps the time fly by, but nonetheless the silence is borderline maddening, adding to the every growing feeling of disbelief brewing in their chests.
“Only thirty seven minutes huh? What do you think the chances of them actually coming are?" Aria asks Cyrus, who is leaning up against the railing of the bridge and looking out at the amazing scenery.
“One in a million.”
“That low huh?”
“Well yeah, think about it.”
Aria throws her head into her arms as she leans on the railing as well, “Hmmm I guess so... It sure would be great if they came.”
“Yeah, it sure would.”
“Y-You’re telling me to choose?” Ubica says as his eyes grow larger with each breath.
“Doesn’t this situation seem familiar to you!?”
He’s right, this is the exact situation the two of them had in the past, except this time the roles are reversed. If the outcome has any similarities to what it was then, it would mean that Tsubiri and Daey will die a horrible death.
“Don’t do this Michael! They have nothing to do with this!”
Ubica’s yelling causes blood to squirt out of his stomach. He falls to one knee in pain when he feels his blood exit his body.
“If they have anything to do with you, then they have everything to do with this! It’s only fair, right!? An eye for an eye, right!?”
The features of Michael’s face contrive into that of a monster.
“You’re wrong! They’re innocent!”
“So were Catherine and Margaret!!!”
Looking from a safe distance away is Trojia, she has seen this scene before. She recognized Michael the moment she laid eyes on him and knows just how much suffering Ubica has put him through. Though she is terribly worried about the well-being of Tsubiri and Daey, she can understand where he’s coming from. He was forced into killing his two lovers in a gruesome way with his own attack, how else would one expect him to feel?
To her, she agrees with his inability to forgive Ubica. She had witnessed it firsthand and knows an atrocity like that cannot simply be overlooked through the passing of time or because of Ubica’s current nature. The 3 years worth of images that Trojia had to endure have tainted him forever, so much so she can’t even mutter a word, even when her friend’s lives are in danger.
Ubica knows this as well, in fact, he’s been punishing himself over it ever since he escaped the pit. He understands that he doesn't deserve any form of forgiveness, but that doesn’t stop him from forming a deep frown and retorting,
“No, they weren’t.”
“What?”
Everything grows silent, Trojia is in disbelief at his words, and Michael’s face twists in a weird way.
“They weren’t innocent.” Ubica says, “They were my enemies in a war. The means weren’t justified, but the ends were.”
Tsubiri and Daey are clueless as to what he is saying, even being held hostage their focus is solely on his words.
“Every Angel, every being from Heaven was my enemy in that war. None of you were any different from the other. Anyone who stood on that battlefield was there to fight, they were there knowing that there was a chance they might die.”
“You bastard!! How can you so shamelessly say something like that!? Michael shouts, putting more pressure onto the necks of the two girls with his trembling hands.
“Because I’m right! And you know it. Using those two to fulfill your spite for me is wrong, you’re nothing but a spineless coward! They are mere humans put in an awful situation by Damien who are just trying to get back home. There are people back on Earth who love them and are awaiting their return that have nothing to do with the two of us. If you can so ruthlessly crush that innocence, then you are doing the Devil’s work with your own two hands!”
Michael’s eyes have shrunken to such a size that only the white of his eyes can be seen; there is a fire burning in his chest as his mind churns uncontrollably.
“Tell me Michael! Are you truly willing to sink even lower than me for the sake of revenge!?”
Michael takes long and deep breaths as Ubica’s question pounds in between his ears.
Has the Archangel really become someone who’ll kill off two girls just to get back at him? Will it really bring him that much pleasure?
The answer becomes clear as the feeling of a tooth cracking under the weight of him gritting his teeth in anger hits him. He takes another long inhale and exhales harshly, he shoots Ubica a cold glare and says expressionlessly,
“I said pick one.”
Rage and the others are still waiting on the strange bridge that connects the second and third levels of Purgatory. The ticking of the clock echoes and it’s time shows 11:40, only 20 more minutes remain until their departure.
Steadily becoming more impatient in the silence, Rage walks over to Phoenix and makes conversation, “To think that Michael has become a revenge thirsty man... It’s a shame.”
Phoenix likely knows all too much of the feeling of pity for him, the two have been good friends for thousands of years. Before Phoenix’s time, Michael was at the right seat of God in the early days, he had even been the one to banish Satan to Hell.
Phoenix already bears the pain of witnessing every Angel being slaughtered before his eyes by Ubica, to have the last remaining Angel lose his soul to hate is extremely disturbing to him.
“It is. I never thought he’d be the one to let evil consume him.”
“You didn’t try to stop him?”
“No, just because I am who I am, doesn’t mean I'm obliged to make decisions on how my underlings live their lives. Besides, if he was really to be kept from falling from grace and becoming evil, God would’ve stopped him before he could even get a chance.”
“You mean---“
“He’s not evil!” Sora yells, her voice echoes inside the strange world they’re in. Not allowing Rage to finish, she presses on, “There’s no way that man is evil... He saved me twice, even though he didn’t know that I was with you guys, he still saved my life while assuming I was attempting to pass through the Gate at some point. For all he knew, I was with the pirates.”
“I can’t explain why he did that for you, but you saw the look in his eyes, he’s gone. He’ll do anything to settle his score with Ubica, even if it means forsaking himself.” Phoenix said, looking displeased at his own words.
“You’re wrong. There’s good in him, I know it.”
“I said pick one damn it!” Michael shouts.
“I can’t do that.” Ubica replies, “Please, they need to get back to Earth safely; a countless number of lives are at stake.”
“I don’t care! Just do it!”
At this point, it becomes obvious that there will be no changing Michael’s mind with words. If Ubica actually picks which girl it is he loves, he’ll kill her without a moment’s hesitation. There is now only one option, and that is to pry them loose from his arms.
He desperately wants to avoid doing something that can put them in harm’s way, so he gives him one last answer.
“No.”
“Tch.” Michael clicks his tongue, he releases his hold on Daey and Tsubiri and tosses them to the ground. “All I wanted was for you to pick one... I never said I’d do anything to them if you did.”
“...What?”
Ubica is standing there in shock, watching as Napoleon and Strauphius rush up and take Tsubiri and Daey away from Michael.
Was he not going to harm them all along? Or was this some kind of test?
“Hahahahahaha.” Michael starts laughing, “My oh my how the roles have changed.”
This might be the third time he’s said this, but what he said does hold true. Almost everything that has happened so far has been a repeat of what happened during the battle of Armageddon.
“It has changed in so many ways, except for one little thing.” He points his finger out at Ubica and says, “I’m not you... Nor will I ever be you. Although I’m running low on the good in me, I need to keep you lower than me where you belong.”
Michael turns away from Ubica and addresses the rest, “You are all travelling back to Earth in order to stop a war, correct?”
Napoleon doesn’t know how he has obtained that information but replies, “That’s correct.”
“Then go.”
They pause momentarily and don’t move a step.
The Angel shrugs his shoulders and says, “You can stay here if you’d like. Just so you know, whoever doesn’t pass through that Gate and decides to help Ubica in any way will be considered an enemy. Which means I’ll kill you without a second thought.”
“T-Thank you Michael...”
“I don’t want your damn thanks, Antichrist.” Michael spat. “If you want to thank someone, thank the Messiah.”
“The Messiah?”
“Oh? You never knew huh? Not that it matters now anyways, you’ll never know.”
Caesar and the few remaining men left in his crew don’t ask any questions, they immediately rush through the water and up the stairs.
Once at the waterfall, he turns and shouts, “I wish you luck Ubica! But we must be going, I can’t risk losing all of my men trying to help you.”
Ubica smiles and waves, “That’s fine. Thanks for fulfilling your promise by bringing all of my friends here unharmed.”
Caesar gives him a passing salute, and along with the 3 remaining men, dashes through the waterfall and through the Gate.
The door from the second level of Purgatory suddenly opens, and four people enter in a bright flash of light. The light is blocking the view for Rage and the others so their hopes rise in the thought that the people they are expecting will be the ones making their way in.
But when the light fades, they are met by a large black man and a few rough looking men, dashing their hopes instantly.
“Who are you?” Caesar asks in surprise, “And what the hell is up with this place?”
Rage thinks that these men must be some pirates that were lucky enough to get through the Gate during the confusion of the battle between Ubica and Michael. So he doesn’t pay them much mind when he points behind him and says, “The next level is through that door.”
Ernest and his men smile and rush to the other side of the bridge. “Thanks pal! I don’t know what you’re waiting for, but we’re outta here.”
Rage turns away in annoyance and sends them off with the sound of a clicking tongue.
And just like that, Cesar and his men finally reach the next level, after trying for so many years and coming up short, the feeling is bliss when they walk through the door and disappear in another light.
“Wait a second, doesn’t that guy’s description seem familiar?” asks Aria as she tilts her head in wonder.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m recalling the story Ubica told us about how the others were on some ship... And that the ship’s captain was a big black guy with an eyepatch.”
“That could’ve been him!” Cyrus exclaims.
“If that’s the case, then the others must be here as well.” Rage said calmly, deliberately choosing not to match the excitement of the others.
He takes a gander at the clock above the door and sees the time 11:49.
“Just a little while longer...”
“You heard him guys, get going.” Ubica says, his knees are still shaking from the wound in his stomach.
“There’s no way I’m leaving you here like this.” Messor replies.
There is a seriousness in her voice that can’t be tempted nor swayed. She has every intention of fighting to the death alongside him right here and now.
Ubica smiles gently and walks to her, “Listen, the best way for you to help me is to take care of the others once you all get to the other side.”
“Stop it with this nonsense already! I’m tired of doing things for them! It’s time for me to fight with you!”
“Don’t be a child, Messor.” He takes his shaky hands and rests them on her shoulders, “I know what it is that you really want, but I can’t promise that to you until they’re all safe and returned home. This is the only way to ensure that result, in this world I can only rely on you. It’s always been that way.”
“....”
He moves his face closer to her so he can whisper in her ear, “So please Messor, it will all be okay in the end if we keep walking down this path.”
Messor blushes, those tender words of his felt honest, and it has swayed her into agreeing with his resolve.
“Okay… I’ll trust you on this. When the time comes you’ll give me what I want?”
“I promise I will.”
Kissing him on his cheek, she takes her steps away from him. But not before leaving him with some lingering black monarch butterflies that begin fluttering around his wound.
“This will help replenish what you’ve lost. Use it to kill this Archangel bastard.”
Feeling an immediate form of rejuvenation, Ubica smiles and says, “Thank you, Messor, for everything.”
She walks to Napoleon’s side and the two make their way up the stairs to the Gate.
Napoleon, looking down on Ubica from atop the stairs, faintly smiles and simply says, “Win.”
Ubica holds his thumb out and smiles as he watches the two go through the second Gate.
Now next up is Daey, who’s showing a face that is obviously reluctant to leave.
“I really feel like I should stay.”
A bold statement coming from her, even though Messor has given her some kind of ability, she certainly realizes that it is no match for Michael.
“Don’t worry, I’ll meet you on the other side.”
“I have this terrible feeling that even if you make it there, I still won’t see you for a long time. Ubica, I really think I should stay, I think we all should.”
Ubica glances over to Strauphius and gives him a head movement.
Struaphius scratches his head and says, “Yeah yeah I gotcha.”
Even with the injuries he sustained from Damien on the ship a couple days back, he quickly uses his intense speed and grabs Daey, and before she knew it, she was being pulled under the waterfall.
“Let me go!”
“I’m sorry Daey, but your sister and the others are waiting to meet you. Go and be with them, and I’ll be with all of you again soon.”
“You better make it soon, Ubica! We all have to make it home together.”
Strauphius pulls her deeper into the waterfall, even he doesn't want to leave without saying his peace, so he shows Ubica a dumb smile and says, “You’re a lucky guy, Ubica, don’t go tossing this affection away by losing this fight.”
Ubica smiles in reply as the two go into the Gate.
Shifting his attention to the last two still present, Tsubiri and Trojia, the expression on his face communicates to them his desire to follow the rest.
“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Tsubiri says bitterly as she walks up the stairs.
Trojia doesn’t say a word as she silently follows.
“Wow Tsubiri, you’re awfully tame right now.” Ubica says, cracking a little smile.
“I know when and when not to be. There’s no choice in this situation right?”
“...Yeah.”
“Yup yup, noooo choice at all.” She said as she reached the waterfall and walked through.
The last one is Trojia, she hasn’t said more than a few cold words to Ubica since their reunion but now her heart yearns to speak the words that continue to build in her chest. She looks down to Ubica, and tears begin forming in her eyes. This is it, this is what she wanted to say to Ubica since she reached the island.
The words struggle to come out, but when they do, she says,
“Goodbye, Ubica...”
She doesn’t give him a chance to say anything back as she rushes through the waterfall.
Even Ubica felt that this goodbye wasn’t the kind that expresses the desire or belief that they will be seeing each other again, It was more of a farewell to someone that will never return.
Ubica doesn’t fully get it, but Trojia does, she knows exactly what her words meant.
This goodbye was directed at the feelings she once had for him. This is goodbye to all the happy moments they’ve shared together, this is goodbye to the feeling of warmth and security she always had when she was with him. This is goodbye to the smiles they were so easy to join in together.
From the bottom of her heart, this is simply, the most sincere goodbye to her love for him.
“Now that they’re all gone, what do you say that we finish what we started?” Michael said, stretching his neck as though he were bored witnessing such tender acts of friendship.
Ubica picks his sword off the ground and swings it in front of him, “Let’s do this.”
“Oh my goodness you all really made it!!!” Aria shouts as she runs up to her brother and gives him a giant hug.
Daey and Niera do the same; the reunion is officially underway.
The only one not seeming to care about the reunion is Trojia, she was the last in and is wiping the remnants of her tears off her cheeks.
Rage notices this and asks her, “So where’s Ubica?”
She knows that he is fighting Michael at the moment, but for some reason those words won’t exit her mouth, she fears that if they knew, they’d likely want to wait. She stays silent and drops her head slightly.
Rage looks back at the clock and sees that it is 11:58.
“There’s not much time left if we all want to end up in the same spot on the next level. Is Ubica going to make it or what?”
“He’s battling Michael as we speak.” Napoleon says.
For some odd reason Rage is relieved to hear Napoleon’s voice after all this time apart. He sighs and replies, “If that's the case we might as well wait for this part of the world to pass us by. I’m sure he’ll be here within the next hour.”
“No.” Trojia mutters.
Rage shifts his glare to Trojia, who is standing there as if she has something to say.
“We need to leave him behind...” she says, her voice growing more resolute with each word, “He told us that we should move forward without him, so we should do just that.”
"We also don't truly know what happens when that clock reaches 12." added Phoenix. "For all we know, we could get stuck in here permanently if we miss our window. I gambled on my passage by waiting for you all to arrive, I'd rather not risk it again while Ubica settles the score with Michael."
Still a little hesitant, he looks to Messor, who is standing by the the entranceway underneath the clock with her arms folded as if resigning herself to whatever they decide on. She knows full well what Ubica wants in this situation, and truly believes that whatever choice they make will lead her to him in the end.
Seeing that Messor has no intention of inserting her opinion on the matter was all the convincing Rage needed; though he doesn't understand Trojia's sudden willingness to leave Ubica in a dangerous situation, he does understand Phoenix's reasoning for doing so.
He turns and addresses everyone, “Alright! We need to get through that door before the hour changes. Hurry!”
All of them rush through the door just in the nick of time, as soon as the door shuts in their wake, a bell rings and the starry scenery turns into a sky of dusk, a beautiful sunset through immense clouds has taken the place of the stars.
With them gone, the clock noise keeps ticking and the odd echo still arrives after each second.
But another noise is adding to the rhythm of the ticking clock.
It is the sound of footsteps.
Someone has decided to gamble on their future by waiting for the clock to strike 12.
CRASHHHH!
Ubica slams into a thick tree and the impact splinters it violently.
Michael travels through his light and ends up directly in front of him.
He swings his spear and Ubica ducks as fast as he can, narrowly avoiding the same damage the tree took when it is split in two like a piece of paper. Ubica slides out to the left and jumps onto the lake, he slams his free hand down and a huge snake-like form of water forms right beside him and zooms its way at Michael.
Michael jumps out of the way but when the water crashes onto the ground it reforms and chases after him.
Ubica is controlling the way the water moves with his mind alone, and when he sees that his attacks aren’t keeping up with the Angel, he twists his hand and the water breaks apart.
Now separated, they freeze over and turn into razor sharp icicles moving twice as fast toward Michael’s direction.
It would seem he is a little worried about this and swings his spear in a 360 degree turn, destroying the ice and sending shards flying everywhere.
(Why didn’t he use his light?)
Ubica asks himself as he takes this opportunity to rush him and take a slice with his sword.
With a little direction change in Michael’s center of gravity, he ends up face to face with Ubica; from in front of him, a light forms and shoots out in a tremendous blast. Ubica forms a shield of darkness in front of him but the impact of the two forces still results in Michael’s win.
Ubica is pushed to the side and skips onto the water before catching his footing. He looks up quickly and notices that the light that Michael attacked him with is still moving in the same straight line in which it was sent. But what really catches his eye is the fact that when the light plows into the trees of the jungle, nothing is damaged.
“!?”
Not giving him much time to even think, Michael forms right beside him and sends a hard elbow directly at Ubica’s face, the impact of which pushes him about ten meters away along the lake’s surface.
“I’m too fast for you to hold your own against me, Ubica. My light is impossible to outrun.”
Ubica stands back up atop the water and wipes the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. “I know, but I don’t think that your light is all you make it out to be.”
“.....”
“If it was, you’d use it constantly. Every attack and defense would be with it. But from what I can see, it only has its certain functions.”
"....."
"I'm right aren't I? You can only use your light on living things."
“Hmmm, an interesting deduction, Antichrist. Let’s see what you think when I do this!”
Michael swipes the water with the tip of his spear and sends a torrent of water splashing all around, from behind that, three bright lights form and rise up above it in a triangular position. The three light’s shine and glow, reflecting off the water when all of the sudden Ubica feels as though he is surrounded by stars.
“This will throw away that theory of yours.” Michael snaps his finger.
Hundreds of light beams zoom at Ubica from every direction; there is no avoiding an impact. He can’t jump because there are beams coming down on him, he can’t go side to side either, and he can’t dive into the water because light is exemplified through shallow water.
“Shit!”
All he can do is brace himself and hope that beams don’t skewer every last inch of his body, he guards himself and slams his eyes shut when...
“NNNNGGGGUUUAAHHHHHH!?!?”
Michael is heard screaming and the beams of light halt and drop back into the lake in the form of helpless water droplets.
When all is said and done, Michael is floating face first on the lake’s surface, his body smoldering in an odd smoke.
“Huh?” Ubica asks himself.
And then, the voice of a girl is heard from the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the Gate.
“I remember reading somewhere that the strength of electricity multiplies in water.”
Standing there, with a helpful smile on her face is Tsubiri.
It takes a moment for Ubica to even process what has just happened.
“Tsubiri!? Why are you still here!?”
She doesn’t answer the question directly, but instead takes a seat on one of the steps and says, “Promises work both ways right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You promised me that you’d stay by my side, remember? Well you can’t do that if I’m not with you.”
“You idiot! Do you have any idea what you’ve just done!? When he gets up he’s going to try to kill you! I wanted you all to leave so I could keep you safe!”
“I know.” she quickly replies, “But you should know by now that I’m willing to take that risk.”
“Damn it Tsubiri, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“You don’t have to be the cool guy all the time, Ubica. Especially not with me because I already see you for the dork you really are.”
“Now’s not the time for jokes!”
“Hmmm I suppose now isn't the time for jokes, but it sure is a good time to run away, right?”
“..?”
“Since the beginning you were in no condition to fight. You would’ve died I’m sure of it. If I knew all this and still left you alone, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
She’s right, Ubica was more or less on the verge of death before the battle with Michael even started. He doubted his chances of actually winning without giving himself time to heal, moving around was only going to make the wound worse.
“Tsubiri...”
“Now come get me already! I can’t swim!”
Ubica starts walking to her, “Like I’d fall for that again.”
Ubica walks atop the water, in order to get to her he has to walk right past the downed Michael, however, before he could his leg is grabbed violently.
“!?”
Michael is glaring up at him with red eyes and a frown. “That girl is no longer innocent.”
The Angel makes his way up, using Ubica as a boost to pull himself to his feet but Ubica won’t let it happen. With his free foot he viciously kicks Michael in the side, making him lose his grip and sending him flying across the lake.
Now the sense of urgency kicks in, in his condition there is no way he can protect Tsubiri and defeat Michael at the same time. He runs to the bottom of the stairs, takes Tsubiri into his arms and runs off as fast as he can.
From behind him he can hear the raspy and angered voice of Michael shouting,
“I’ll find you, I swear to God himself! The moment you shine a light, I’ll be there to kill you both!!”
Hearing that as they make their way through the darkness of the jungle makes their spines tingle.
Although Ubica is used to it, Tsubiri is quite frightened, “That guy... he really hates you.”
“He does.”
“What did you do to him?”
“Something awful.”
She stays silent for a moment, then looks him square in the face when she says, “Will you tell me?”
Ubica doesn’t answer, instead his eyes are focused on the path through the jungle in which he’s running. It’s as though he didn’t want her to ask and now is trying to avoid answering by staying silent. Normally he can get away with a polite refusal, but judging by the hot feeling of her glare beating on the side of his face, and the situation they’ve found themselves in, there’s no avoiding it.
Without shifting his glare from the jungle he answers, “If you’re really prepared to know what I am, then fine, I’ll tell you everything.”
Tsubiri’s eyebrows steepen in determination, “I’m prepared.”
“O-Oh my goodness that’s quite the story.” Tsubiri says in disbelief upon hearing Ubica’s past.
He went into every detail, from the moment he was born all the way through to his rule over the world, and his role in the Battle of Armageddon. He’s revealed it all, including his relationship with Messor, and he explained the reason why Michael hates him so much.
The two have found a shelter in a conveniently found cave a couple miles away from the Gate. It really couldn’t have worked out any better because the cave already has leaves padding the hard rock ground and a used fire pit inside. It would seem that this cave has been used by somebody a few years back; it is likely that some pirates camped here in search of the Gate when it was located on this island the last time before being changed to a different location.
A spot of luck to say the least, the cave is so deep that they can light a fire to keep warm and not have to worry about its light reaching Michael.
Ubica is flat on his back while Tsubiri is sitting beside him, leaning up against the side of the cave.
She has given him first aid with medicinal plants from around the jungle, she happened to know of some due to her training as a royal guard. To cover the wound, she ripped Ubica’s coat and wrapped it around his torso tightly.
Along with Messor’s butterflies, he’s on the fast track to healing up as good as new.
“Are you happy now that you know?” Ubica asks, revealing a weak strained smile, “I can only imagine what you think of me after hearing that.”
Tsubiri stays silent for a moment, she still can’t fathom that Ubica was such an awful person in the past. She had certainly entertained the thought that he’s done something wrong by how all the enemies thus far treated him. She knew for sure that there was something, just not on a scale that large.
For a girl who has never really been out of the Castle grounds of La’Juune before being sent here to Purgatory, hearing of worlds beyond her reach being ruled and destroyed by the evil hand of Ubica is too hard to comprehend properly.
Nonetheless, she dispels those thoughts by shaking her head and answering, “I am happy... and I don’t think of you any differently.”
“You don't? How?”
“Listen Ubica, when was the last time you were that person? Truly, how long ago was it that you were actually the Antichrist?”
“...Over a thousand years.” Ubica answers, confused as to where she is going with this.
“Then tell me, who have you been since you got back to Earth? More importantly, who have you been since the two of us met?”
This question hits his chest so hard that his body jolts, he has no clue how to answer that. But he feels that the answer means something, he just can’t put it in words.
Tsubiri smiles and puts her hand on his shoulder, “You’re Ubica.”
A small breath of air escapes Ubica’s mouth.
“You’re not anything other than who you are. You are clumsy, dense, occasionally idiotic, but you are a good person Ubica. And think about it, if we do the math you’ve actually been good for a lot longer than you’ve been bad.” Passing that last bit off as somewhat of a lighthearted joke, she then looks to him tenderly before finishing. “I refuse to hold what you’re made of against you, especially since you’re doing the best you can now. I guess what I’m trying to say is... I'm glad that you are you.”
These are the words he’s wanted to hear for a long time now; this is what he has yearned to be looked upon as. She looks at him in a way that can’t see his evil, she looks at him as the person he truly is, not as the person he was. With those beautiful gold eyes of hers, she looks at the person who is obviously standing in front of her giving it his all.
Ubica throws his forearm over his eyes and desperately tries to fight back a smile. This strong feeling surging in his chest is giving him strength, and the person who placed that strong feeling in his heart is Tsubiri.
With his eyes still covered, his cheeks glow red when he says, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, as long as it’s not something perverted.”
“It’s not gonna be perverted you idiot, don’t ruin the mood!”
“Hahaha I’m kidding, relax. What is it?”
Ubica takes a deep breath and turns his head away from her and softly says, “When a ‘person’ truly enjoys being around ‘someone’. And that ‘person’ is genuinely happy every time he sees that ‘someone’. And when that ‘someone’ always makes that 'person' laugh and have fun no matter what. And when the ‘person’ thinks that ‘someone’ is very beautiful… what do you suppose that means?”
“Umm... You lost me Ubica. Too many someones and persons.”
“Ugh, and you say I’m dense.”
“Well speak in a less confusing way and I can answer your damn question!”
“Just try to answer it the way I told you okay!? I don’t know any other way to explain it without embarrassing myself even more than I am now.”
Tsubiri scratches her head and rethinks what he said, “Hmmm, I think it means that the ‘person’ is in love with that ‘someone’.”
“Is love really something as simple as that?” Ubica asks softly.
“I believe so.” Tsubiri answers, not entirely sure of it herself.
Ubica’s shoulders scrunch up as he continues to block his eyes with his forearm, his whole demeanor shrinks slightly when he says in his softest voice,
“Then I think I’m in love with you.”
“What? I couldn't hear you.” she replies, putting her hand over her ear in order to hear better.
“I said I love you.“ he repeated himself in an even softer voice than before.
Tsubiri only caught the ‘I said I’ part of it. She frowns and pulls on his shoulder to make him face her.
“Look at me and speak up if you want me to hear you!”
Ubica quickly twists his body in frustration and reveals a bright red face when he shouts,
“I said I love you!”
“Whhhuuuaaaa!?!?” Tsubiri squeels as she jumps back against the cave wall in shock. “Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You wha!?”
Her face is also shining red.
The two share an awkward silence as they both look away from each other like little school children after a valentine’s day gift exchange.
Tsubiri finally musters up the courage to speak but the only thing that comes out of her mouth is,
“I-I-Ieeeiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaa!?!?”
Ubica can’t help but be confused by her reply until a distinct sound hits his ears.
SPLASH!!!
“Hahh?”
Ubica looks to where Tsubiri once was and sees that she is no longer there, it’s like she had vanished into thin air.
“Ubica!!!”
Hearing her shout, he instantly becomes worried and quickly stands to his feet, grabbing his sword in the process.
“Are you okay!?”
“I’m down here!”
“Huh?”
Looking closely, the spot where Tsubiri once stood has been capsized; she had fallen through a sinkhole on the cave’s floor.
“You gotta come see this! Hurry up!”
Ubica, still a little frazzled, unhesitatingly jumps through the hole before looking through it. The next thing he knew, he’s under water. He feels the soft hands of Tsubiri pull him up and the first thing that hits him is the brilliant color of blue.
The two have found themselves in a solutional cavern; the water shines an amazing blue and mirrors the image of the limestone and dolomite rock surroundings. Up above, the three moons shine brightly down through a hole on the surface likely caused by a quake of some sort. There are what seems to be some kind of crystal lodged in the rock walls and the moonlight hitting those adds different colors such as green, red, yellow, purple and many more to the sensation of the cavern.
The water they are in is fairly warm because whatever warm air the sun gives to the innards of the cave gets trapped inside. This dream-like place would be a speleologist’s paradise.
“Wow this place is amazing!”
“I know right! It’s so pretty!”
They both exclaim, then the two accidentally bump shoulders and they both instantly realize what kind of situation they’re in. They are alone in this romantic setting so soon after one had just confessed to the other.
Despite the sudden realization of the moment, Tsubiri couldn’t be any happier, in fact, neither could Ubica. The two look into each other’s eyes as they float in the still water, the many colored lights help add beauty to them as they continue to stare in a gentle silence.
Tsubiri grabs Ubica’s hands underneath the crystal clear water, gets close enough to him where their bodies are touching and says,
“Say it one more time.”
When she asks this, for some odd reason Ubica finds it extremely easy to answer.
After a short pause he smiles and says,
“...I love you.”
Tsubiri tears up, she tries to hold it back but when she blinks they come sliding down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Ubica asks.
“I can’t believe it... I’m so happy right now I could die.”
“What a time to use that figure of speech considering our situation.” Ubica replies.
“What a time to be dense and not let that slide.”
“Hehe, sorry sorry.”
“Just shut up for a second...”
Tsubiri presses her index finger on his lips and looks at him sensually.
She moves her face forward and kisses him.
Ubica wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her to his level. She throws her arms over his shoulders and they continue on.
“So this is what it feels like to really kiss someone.” she said with flushed cheeks.
“Was this your first kiss?”
“Well no not exactly...”
“Oh..." Ubica says awkwardly as he shifts his gaze. "Well who was it with?”
“It was with you obviously.”
“Wait a second, I don’t remember that!”
Tsubiri looks up in wonder, “Oh yeah, you were pretty much asleep.”
She is referring to the time in the tundra where she kissed Ubica, but he had unfortunately fallen unconscious just seconds before due to the cold.
“I knew it! You have been doing weird things to me in my sleep!”
“Wha? N-No there’s an explanation for that one I swear!”
Ignoring her, Ubica presses on, “Now that I think about it, there was that one time during the harvest festival when I woke up to you on my lap!”
“That’s explainable too!!!”
“Uaaaahhh I’m not listening!”
“Nooooooo you have to let me try to tell you what happened!!”
“Ngyyaahhh that hurts! Pulling my hair isn’t going to make me want to listen!”
Somehow, someway, the romance of the moment is shattered and results in the two yapping at each other like they always do.
Or perhaps the romance is still moving along just as it should, the way these two interact is the reason why they love each other. So perhaps this is the proper ending to a beautiful scene.
The next morning, Ubica is healed and back to full strength. He and Tsubiri reach the Gate to confront Michael once more; and sure enough, the Archangel is standing right there under the light of the morning sun.
“After some thinking, I realized that looking for you was pointless... I knew you’d have to come back to the Gate eventually.” Michael said, admitting that his thought process was a little sloppy due to his anger the night before.
Ubica and Tsubiri look at each other share a smile.
She takes a few steps to the right and lightning bolts form all around her.
Michael frowns upon looking at that, reminded that it was she who electrocuted him so badly it allowed an injured Ubica to escape.
He pulls his spear out of a light and postures himself in a battle stance. “I’ll be sure to kill you for interfering with my revenge.”
Ubica pulls his sword out, the same smile still on his face. “Not a chance, you won’t even get to touch her.”
“You stand in front of me with a new face, Ubica. It’s as though the guilt that you said you felt has gone.”
“No, it’s still there, and it always will be. But I won’t let it get in the way of my future.”
“So you’re willing to take the life of the last Angel. You do realize that means you’d have killed all of us if you were to succeed right?”
“That’s correct, if I must, I will kill you. But the only Angel I'll kill is you, and that is because I must take responsibility for the Antichrist’s role in turning you into the man you are now. I at least owe you that much.”
He talks as though the Ubica now is a completely different person than the Antichrist.
In many ways, that is the truth.
The two share memories and experiences, but they are not the same.
Both would be disgusted with each other if they were to meet.
The past doesn't define the present character of a man, no matter how ugly it was.
“Hmph! Then come! Try and take my life, Antichrist!”
Ubica charges at him atop the lake which now shines in sunlight.
He lets out a battle cry as he shouts, “I am only what I am right in front of you. I am Ubica!”
The two collide in the middle of the lake and a great explosion rings.
A light brighter than the sun blots out the sky, and once this white noise ends, the aftermath will surely reveal the victor.
An Angel's Revenge: (END)
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