"This way."
The Bringer for the first time in a long time, was visibly excited. Yet the face of Ismael remained bland.
"I'll tell you about us. Mars was the potential enemy of our entire race. We spied and gathered informations from different borders. Nothing, until one day he snapped and united thousands of troops to our doors."
"What did you do to repel him? Clearly, there's still a lot of Nephilims alive today."
"Me and Nara, together, were strong enough to slay him for a while but we know he's coming back. Soon."
"You need more of us for that, don't you? I'll help if I can."
"Don't think it's an easy task. We suffered great losses still. But you're right, we could use the help of someone who's been in wars before. Experience prevails."
"Do you hear that? They're here already."
"Remember the condition. You have to doom one of your enemies to the maze."
"Oh, I will. They are drawing near, I sense their approach."
"Mars had this seal on his forehead and his weapons. His castle too."
"What?"
Before Ismael was able to rationalize it, the group had made its' entrance, staring at him from down there.
"All of you are here...I think I will play with them before I do anything against Mars."
"But these people aren't supposed to mean anything to you at this point."
"You're looking for meaning in chaos, my friend. That's why you're lost and can't see the vision."
Ismael flicked his cigarette in front of Capucine, on the wooden plateform. Then still with his right hand, snapped and the fire, heralding his soon-to-come chaos, blazed up the wooden planks they were standing on.
"Capucine, I sentence you to the maze."
Capucine had all gazes turned to her, as her breathing got heavy and irregular. After a few seconds, it went back to normal. So she looked up at Ismael.
"That's two to one."
Capucine was engulfed in a different type of fire, a harmless one that shifts the person to a different realm.
"It's over. My vengance. She's...she's doomed, right? Forever? Just like that? Finally. I won't see her ever again."
The group had retreated to the door, only Melisa stood by the entry, callikg out to him.
Ismael shot her in the forehead emotionlessely, throwing her backwards with force.
"What are you doing, Ismael? You two were together at the Structure!"
"She had a target on her stupid face."
When they left, he moved back to the house and continued the walk to the place of ritual, in a state of extreme joy. A sense of accomplishment and victory overcoming him, higher than anything ever felt before.
"Ismael, no regrets?"
"I'll torment them when this is done. Trust me, I've never felt so good."
"If you say so."
At Cressenie, the Dragon God, who watches over the cosmos, witnessed through time the whitening of Earth, how much the dust had taken over, and not just the greenery in all parts of the region. After all this time and all those events, he decided to send help to Perseus since Ismael had taken a different approach to his mission.
"Cankt Aquaine. Go kill the Cardinals on Perseus."
"Yes God."
The woman with black hair jumped down from the plateform and landed on Perseus in silence. She had a top falling from the shoulders with crosses all over it and a black skirt. A white silk cloth covering her eyes with black crosses and her hair attached on the sides. No necklace, no ring, to ensure not being annoyed by the frivilous while fighting.
As Ismael and the Bringer arrive closer to the castle, Cankt prepared to defend it. Without any traps or tactics, just concentration, faith and courage.
After two hours, the only Cardinals coming in were those unaffected by the circle and Anaïs' spell. Nerida, Cassius and Faviel. Cankt rose from the ground without using her hands, the silent rage on her stern face. Eyes covered, face unwathering.
Three persons arrived, they were the first ones.
"We finally joined the group, we're back. Who are you?"
"I am the tool of God."
Cankt was not moving until Nerida would, which eventually she did, covered by the two other Cardinals. Cankt remained still, and when Nerida approached too close, she touched her head with her hand, exploding it without any issue.
Faviel and Cassius took a few steps back, analyzing the situation, recollecting themselves. In a wind of panic they ran away, only for the way out to get shut down by metal fences.
"You will stay and you will die. There is no escape for Cardinals. Now look upon it, can you see them? The cemetary gates."
Faviel jumped at her, changed direction last second and thought he was entering a dead angle, the Cardinal tried to grab her arm and his entire arm quickly opened like a flower.
Cankt touched his head and just like Nerida it burst open violently in a horrible crashing sound.
"Horrifying mistake."
Cassius, the only one left, sat down in front of her, trying to engage in a discussion.
"My name is Cassius, Cardinal Duke of Cannibalism. I do not wish to fight but to understand you."
"I am the tool of God."
"How so?"
"The Wrath of God. I exist to kill those I'm ordered to kill. There is nothing more."
"Were you asked to kill Cardinals?"
"Yes."
"So I'll have to die because of what I didn't decide to be?"
"Your victims didn't decide to be victims, yet you had a choice."
"Loovis was alive, we had to kill. Even now, I have to do this, otherwise I'll suffer until I die."
"What do you need to eat?"
"If I make humans eat each other or if I eat another Cardinal."
"Would you?"
"Eat...one of my bretheren?"
"Yes. You will. Come with me inside the castle. I assume the others will arrive soon. When they do, I'll make it impossible to leave. If you try to leave at any point you will die a terrible death."