Chapter 5: The Second Raid Awakening

Explosions rang through the air, the sound of the bell still ringing across the sky. The town was in uproar as men yelled for evacuations, and women pushed their children to shelter. Compared to before, the raid happened now at day time. It was unheard of, fiends always coordinated their attack in the evening when the sun had set. Seeing the daylight pierced through the clouds, the monsters in the far distance were approaching fast into town.

“I need to find Marty,” I gasped, then looked at Alfred who stood next to me observing the townspeople running to safety.

“Don’t be silly, you’re staying here, little Hainé,” Alfred said sternly. I get what he was saying but Marty was without her dagger, she was unarmed. Charles was with her so I can only hope they had gotten to safety.

“My, an unruly crowd in midday, what a bunch of brutes,” said a voice coming from the opposite street.

“Your grace! It’s dangerous! Please get to safety!”

It was the white robbed man and his knight bodyguard, who were walking towards the fiends whereas everyone else fled in the opposite direction.

“It’s just a bunch of fiends, I’ll take care of them, if anything, did you forget your oath as Knights of Weiss,” the white robbed man reprimanded, he held his hand at the oncoming fiends which consisted of hounds ridden by goblins with weapon in hand. A glowing circle appeared at the palm, he was mumbling something under his tone, then a symbol of lightning shone at the very center.

“Let Goddess be the judge, Thundering Hammer,” the bespectacled man declared, bolts of lightning came out from his palm and smashed at ground where the hound ran by. A flash of light blinded both the monster and the onlookers. The numerous hounds and goblins stopped in their tracks.

The two knights realized what the robbed man had done, drew their swords and lunged at the fiends, killing them all in one clean cut.

“For a pompous man, he sure knows how to make things flashy,” Alfred exclaimed, not even fazed by what just happened.

“Who is that,” I asked innocently, rubbing my eye from the blinding light.

“That is Archbishop Gabriel, you saw him just now, he sat at one of the highest seats of the church,” Aflred explained, rubbing the bridge of his nose in disbelief.

My eyes widened, then flinched at the sudden noise of an explosion coming from the battalion direction. As the smoke cleared, the white robe he wore was now torn, it looked like the fiend had fired some kind of ballistic weapon at him. No normal man could survive that sort of impact head on.

“Your grace!”

One of the knights screamed, rushing to the Archbishop's side.

“I’m fine, eyes forward, soldier,” the man said, adjusting his glasses.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, a sight out of a fairytale I had read, beings that are total myth beyond a child’s dream. White wings similar to that of a white dove sprouted from the archbishop's back, one wing covering his face and shielded him from the blast. Then it hit me, the archbishop name was mentioned in the book Marty had given me nights prior. The shopkeeper confirmed the question on my face without asking.

“Yes, little Hainé, that’s Gabriel, one of the Testament Angels,” Alfred said nonchalantly.

The Archbishop readied his wings, and flew to the sky in one motion like thunderclap. He observed the horizon, the fiends were still approaching toward town with numerous howitzers in the very back. He conjured more circles, similar to the one he had cast with one hand before. But now they filled the sky in a harsh yellow light. The rumbling in the cloud could be heard, almost like a storm approaching.

There were numerous arrows all fired simultaneously at the angel, however, they all got deflected off by an invisible shield before they made it to him. Without missing a beat, the circles all glowed in unison and claps of thunder strike at the horizon where the fiends had their ballistic weapon camped. The scene was something out of a storybook. As the sky rumbling started to cease with the circles fading, the angel started to descend, he looked content with what he had done. Just when everything was thought to be over, a beam of red light fired from the same spot the angel had laid carpet bombing on.

“Wha–,” his voice cut off, immediately going into a defensive motion with his wings. The sound ripped through the air, approaching towards him at high speed, the invisible shield conjured by his wing had deflected it but its trajectory was now heading towards my way.

“Eight heaven, goddess!” Gabriel swore, immediately flew in my direction. The light firing at me was going too fast, any movement I would make would be now too late. Time slowed down as my eye fixed on the beam. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alfred reaching with the intention to shield me. From the front, the angel Gabriel flew with many distances off towards me, his face in pure desperation. I had readied myself to be blown to pieces, but I was strangely calm. Flashing across my mind was a silver blade, I blinked for a second, its image was clear as day, almost like it was in front of me. Then my view refocused, the silver sword was in fact right before my eyes.

Durandal, how was it here, it was by the fireplace at the house!

The thought flew by in my mind, then I pushed it aside. Right now, it was telling me to hold it. I reached for the blade and a blinding silver light shone around the area. The faint silver aura coated my entire body similar to that night with my eyes now glowed in a silver white light. An ethereal glass appeared in front of me, stopping the red beam in its tracks. It was like an arrow trying to break through. Durandal emitted a bright light, coated the beam in silver fire as it slowly faded, revealing a sharp metal stake underneath. It fell right before my feet making a metallic sound. I examined it, and it had the same insignia as the demon I had fought back in the tower.

Gabriel stopped in mid air, letting a stunned look written all over his face behind his glasses. He then turned back where the beam had fired. The fiends in the distance had all vanished, they had made their escape it looked like. The archbishop angel slowly descends, almost like a scene from a fairytale.

“That light, and that sword, it can’t be,” he laughed wryly.

“Little Hainé, what in the goddess is that,” Alfred asked nervously.

The townspeople were now coming out of every individual building, look not at the dead carcass of monsters littered through the street. But at the direction of a little girl covered in a fading dimmed light.

The angel walked towards me, his knight trailed him from behind. The light was fully faded from my body and I looked at the tall figure standing before me. His brow scrunches, before extending his hand towards the silver sword I held in my arms. With a sudden silver flash, it deflected his hand, a scenery all too familiar from weeks past. Gabriel looked at his hand before taking a deep breath. He looked serious, all the questions he had expelled from his complexion from a single interaction. He then bent his knee, and lowered his head towards me. The knights behind him were confused for a second before copying the archbishop.

“It’s an honor to meet you, brave new Armiger, we have been expecting you,” Gabriel said solemnly. I stood in silence, completely stunned that an angel from the fairy tale was lowering his head for me. I looked over to Alfred for guidance, but he was also speechless with his mouth agape. The town’s eyes were all on me, it made me anxious with butterflies to my stomach. A thousand questions flowed through my mind, it was all too much for me to bear. Then I realized what the current event meant, a tear forced out of my eyes, I had broken my promise to Marty.

Marty had just finished her shopping trip, in her bags were supplies for basic necessities: towels, clothes, shampoo, and many other things that were clearly for a girl. Marty never had a daughter, so this experience of being in care of a girl got her excited.

“Mommy, you bought so much,” Charles pouted, in his hand was a sugar cane he had gotten from a sweet stall in town.

“You have a sister now, a lady can’t just wear a nightgown all the time, you know, she got to wear stuff more of her age,” Marty explained, slowly running her finger through her son's hair.

“Hainé looked like she was comfortable in those dresses though,” the child exclaimed.

“Nope, she needs to dress up cuter, you’ll get it when you’re a bit older, young man,” Marty fired back, she was really heated up.

Hainé was really reserved, Marty wished she would open up a bit more to her and Charles. Considering they live together now, it would be natural if Hainé treats her more like family. As they walk towards their residence, Marty thought of things to say to the little girl staying with her. Maybe she would teach her the etiquette of being a lady, Marty was raised in the capital from another realm. She only came upon Eristella due to complicated circumstances. With Charles in her belly at the time, she was forced to settle in the winery town, Albus. It had been eight years, the same age as Charles, she came to like living here. Now with a new family member, it was a new experience for her. However, the pleasant stroll was interrupted with a sound of a bell ringing through the air coming from the town behind. A drop of sweat came down Marty's neck, a feeling of dread came over her. Hainé was special. That night, Marty had subjugated the goblin that had chased after Hainé. In the same time frame when she caught up, the little girl in nightgown had disappeared into thin air. Marty had called out and searched for her for nearly two hours, before meeting up with the knights as the battle over the hill was drawing to a close. Just when she was about to give up, a magic circle had opened up in the ruins she had searched. Walking out of it was a silver-haired little girl, with her dress all torn up, and scrapes all over her limbs. In her arms was an ornate silver sword matching the girl’s hair. Even without asking, Marty somewhat knew what it was, and she confirmed it after trying to touch it. Hainé had been chosen by the gods as the next Armiger. Those who are chosen by the brands automatically become the gods' champions to fight the coming calamity. The fiends' invasion, the demon lords leading them, were all part of the said calamity.

She held the girl tightly in her arms, letting her cry and dry her tears all night. It was a memory Marty knew she wouldn't forget. Marty knew her fate the moment she came out with that sword in hand. She swore that she would never subject Hainé to become a soldier. That’s why with Charles in hand, she pulled him and ran towards her home with haste.

She slammed the door open, scanning the kitchen and living room for any trace of the little girl that had stayed with them.

“Hainé! Where are you?!”

She yelled with all her might, frantically walking through every room and even upstairs where her room and guest bedroom Hainé slept in.

“Mommy, there’s something written here,” Charles said, handing Marty a piece of paper.

Going to Garland Workshop, if you read this, I’ll be home soon or maybe we’ll meet at the shop.

It was neatly written, Hainé surprisingly was good with the pen, Marty had assumed Randolf never taught her anything since they lived outside the city. However, now was not the time to admire the way Hainé was raised. The most important thing was finding her. Marty put her hand on her thigh, completely forgetting she had left her dagger here where Hainé came upon. She cursed herself for a careless action. Suddenly, a sound ripped across the sky, shaking the entire residence. Marty rushed outside, found the sky covered entirely in magic circles, the matrix used to conjure magic. Seeing the sheer in large quantity of it meant whoever conjured it must be a high class caster. However, her face turned pale at the sight of something flying in the sky. A person with wings was just under the clouds levitating hundreds of feet off the ground. They were responsible for the noise and magic circles.

“Wings, just like his,” Marty gasped audibly, then suddenly a searing pain rippled in her right eye.

“His? Who’s… him…?” Marty covered the right side of her head with her palm.

“Mommy, is that an angel,” Charles asked innocently, tugging on the mother’s sleeve.

Marty looked at her son, a certain person's face flashed across her mind, an unknown memory was buried deep within her mind. However, she pushed the thought aside then immediately knelt down.

“We need to find Hainé,” Marty said desperately, tapping light on Charles’ shoulders.

Just then, as if the situation hadn’t gotten more out of hand, a light came from the house. Marty walked back into the house, and found the ornate silver blade propped up against the fireplace glowing bright. In mere seconds, it disappeared, completely fading out of existence from the house. The feeling of dread grew heavier in Marty's stomach. She knew where the blade could only have gone. With the piece of paper Hainé wrote in her hand, Marty grabbed her son by the arm and tossed him up behind her back.

“Yay, a piggy back ride,” Charles yelled cheerfully.

“Hold on tight to Mommy, we’re paying Mr. Alfred a visit,” Marty said with determination.

She put all the weight in her legs and thrust forward, running at a speed she had long forgotten. In her mind only one destination, the Garland Workshop.