Carpe Obscurum
Chapter Three
The beginning of my fifth year, I was traded into service of the Second, who was known as Christ. Christ, I was told, was the purveyor of children’s souls.
My body still seared with the 5,000 souls I had taken into me from Vengeance. However, the first soul I had taken as the servant of Christ, made my entire being shatter. I didn’t even realize that I had been taken back to my new, unfurnished bedroom, until the pain had been lifted by the faceless, nameless man.
“It’s torture, you know.” He stated, sitting next to me on the floor, his fingers running through my hair soothingly.
I looked up at him, my mascara leaving lines down my face as I cried.
“Satan isn’t pleased by you, so he takes pleasure in your pain.” He told me.
I sniffled, “It’s the wo-orst feeling I could ever experience.” I told him, finding comfort in his touch.
He smiled, I could tell because he wasn’t wearing his fedora, and there was a dim streetlamp outside, so I could barely make out the outline of his face. “Don’t worry, the Third and Fourth take the souls of the wicked. What innocence these souls hold won’t hurt you as much.” He told me.
“What do you do? That the others don’t… That takes the pain away?” I asked, looking up at him.
“I use the power I was given. The Five have them, but they choose to let you suffer.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because I am your guardian.” He stated. “I am to watch over you until your purpose is served.”
“So you work for Satan, then.” I said, a feeling of disappointment arising within me.
“No, and yes. I was once a great angel, who was corrupted and cast out of heaven. Now I do the bidding of whomever tells me.” He said, sighing.
“You are too nice for a corrupted angel.”
“The Five were also angels. We were all lead astray, and now must atone. That is why we are bound to Earth. Once we serve our purpose here, we choose a side for the War. If we choose the Lord, we are forgiven and take our place in his army. If we choose Satan, we take our place in his.”
“What do you choose, my angel?”
He smiled sadly, “I’m afraid my time has not yet come to make that decision.” He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead gently. “I must leave you now.”
I sat up, “If you must go, give me your name. My angel, please?”
He smiled, cupping my cheek with his hand. “The name I am to leave you with, dear princess, is Gabriel.” He said softly, kissing my lips with a sweetness that I had never known before.
“Goodbye, Gabriel.”
“Goodbye, my dearest Emily.”
My body still seared with the 5,000 souls I had taken into me from Vengeance. However, the first soul I had taken as the servant of Christ, made my entire being shatter. I didn’t even realize that I had been taken back to my new, unfurnished bedroom, until the pain had been lifted by the faceless, nameless man.
“It’s torture, you know.” He stated, sitting next to me on the floor, his fingers running through my hair soothingly.
I looked up at him, my mascara leaving lines down my face as I cried.
“Satan isn’t pleased by you, so he takes pleasure in your pain.” He told me.
I sniffled, “It’s the wo-orst feeling I could ever experience.” I told him, finding comfort in his touch.
He smiled, I could tell because he wasn’t wearing his fedora, and there was a dim streetlamp outside, so I could barely make out the outline of his face. “Don’t worry, the Third and Fourth take the souls of the wicked. What innocence these souls hold won’t hurt you as much.” He told me.
“What do you do? That the others don’t… That takes the pain away?” I asked, looking up at him.
“I use the power I was given. The Five have them, but they choose to let you suffer.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because I am your guardian.” He stated. “I am to watch over you until your purpose is served.”
“So you work for Satan, then.” I said, a feeling of disappointment arising within me.
“No, and yes. I was once a great angel, who was corrupted and cast out of heaven. Now I do the bidding of whomever tells me.” He said, sighing.
“You are too nice for a corrupted angel.”
“The Five were also angels. We were all lead astray, and now must atone. That is why we are bound to Earth. Once we serve our purpose here, we choose a side for the War. If we choose the Lord, we are forgiven and take our place in his army. If we choose Satan, we take our place in his.”
“What do you choose, my angel?”
He smiled sadly, “I’m afraid my time has not yet come to make that decision.” He said, leaning down to kiss my forehead gently. “I must leave you now.”
I sat up, “If you must go, give me your name. My angel, please?”
He smiled, cupping my cheek with his hand. “The name I am to leave you with, dear princess, is Gabriel.” He said softly, kissing my lips with a sweetness that I had never known before.
“Goodbye, Gabriel.”
“Goodbye, my dearest Emily.”