First of all, I want to apologize for the long hiatus. I'm really sorry for making all of you wait but I thank you for your support and patience.
As always, credit goes to my editor, Jason Moore for his invaluable help. I will upload a final edited version of this chapter at a later date but for now, I hope you enjoy!
***
Aria lingered silently in front of the elevator. Part of her wanted to rush downstairs to hug her siblings and let them know about her decision but the other part wanted to crawl back into the arms of her Archangel and cower in fright.
Aria had already made up her mind. She just needed more... time.
Gaia had made it seem so easy to take out the Snow Queen but Aria knew it was more than that. During the first year in the Cartel, Valkyries of all denominations were constantly reminded of their place: below the ranks of even the lowliest Angels. It was a daily mantra drilled into them to enforce obedience, loyalty and detachment from seeking anything more than monetary gain from their client Angels.
Immortality --was the root of all evil. Where wealth had the means to satisfy temporary hunger, the search for immortality was Man's folly; a mortal's quest since the day they lost it. The fountain of youth, the elixir of life and a great deal of other myths were created --legends amongst the mortals to sustain them through the first few centuries after the Fall of Gaia.
Such knowledge was perhaps best kept from the mortals; the closely guarded secrets of the Archangels, so vital it was defended by all angels.
Anarchy would ensue if the mortals knew that slaying and taking the wings of Angel could give them immortality. A feat that was easier said than done. How does one even kill an immortal?
Aria had a blade of grass and a ball of rock and well... herself. She could wield a sword but she doubted that a sword was going to be enough to take down an Archangel. What had the
Lore
said about Archangels? It wasn't exactly a 'How to kill an Archangel for Dummies' but it was a start.
If Zilarrezko had a copy --which she was sure he did --it would be in the library so that was where she went.
She wasn't procrastinating she told herself. She was researching. Never mind if she had to pore over all six volumes of the
Lore
to find her answers. There was still time.
Her only surprise was that this particular set was written in embossed Metal. Aria had never seen such a copy before and as she traced each bump on the page, she couldn't help but feel that they had been carefully written. The clean, cursive strokes showed excellent penmanship --a mark of a true scribe.
Though the content of the
Lores
were the same, every book had its own secret for the reader to unlock. It was an exercise of discovery; to find out which element it was composed of and how to reveal the contents on the seemingly blank parchments.
She had remembered her mother sprinkling salt all over their personal copy; revealing tiny watermarks that faded much too quickly. It was to train an absorbent mind, her mother had said; laughing as she watched her daughter dump the entire bowl of salt on the next page, hoping to keep the words visible long enough for her to read and remember.
Pushing the memories to the back of her mind, she began to look through the first volume, hoping to find something specific about the Archangels. There was still much that she didn't know about them --how were they chosen? How did they know if they have reached Cardinal status and how could an Archangel die?
Aria was about to close the particular volume she was holding when she spotted the heading:
The First Archangels
.
They were born six sisters in all but blood
Of rivaled beauty, power and pride.
Stella's midnight moonshine of quiet calm
Was greeted by Noor's gentle light breaking dawn,
'Till the noontide sun called forth Calida,
Her warm embrace buoyed Yukiko to play
Amidst the azured skies and roaring waves.
On sands with printless foot, watched Gaia;
Her steady, nurturing gaze over all
Quarries where Sona held fort over the mines.
The six reigned as Matriachs of Angels,
To, ensure eternal peace and concord.
They were the first Cardinal Archangels;
Each born to be the compass of their clans,
To make sacrifices and tough choices;
The pillars of strength in uncertain times.
But they were not perfect.
Like the four directions, an Archangel's
Position measures in relation to
Her Cardinals, Ordinals and Angels.
Acceptance of one's weakness is one's strength.
For amongst them, are those who See beyond
The Limits and understand the balance
Of an Elemental Equilibrium.
Aria frowned. Why did the
Lore
always speak in such riddles? The subjectivity of the sentences left so much to individual interpretations.
Closing the book, Aria leaned back and sighed. But something nagged at her. What did the
Lore
mean by limits? And how were they measured? Yuki, with her focus on purity --isolating that aspect within their element was certainly not 'Seeing' according to the
Lore.
Contrary to Yuki's beliefs, the oceans were not under her absolute control. The sun constantly warmed the surface currents, its Light illuminating the upper shelves of the sea while Darkness reigned in its abyss. Closer to the Earth's core was the bubbling amalgamation of Fire and Metal --in the form of molten iron-- the source of gravity.
And yet for a Cardinal whose element covered three quarters of the world; sustaining countless lives and ecosystems --all she cared about was death.
