I know this story because I lived it myself. Feathers fell from the sky while fireworks decorated the dark firmament looming over us.
Confused, some people picked up the feathers as they fell.
The next moment, we were crushed by a meteor.
I remember waking up among the flaming debris with my body shattered. I didn't even know why I was still alive, but I soon understood.
In my right hand, I held a sinister black double-edged sword with red markings running along the blade. That sharp weapon was adorned with a skull on the guard and had a mysterious leather braid wrapped around the hilt that resembled the roots of a tree.
Even though my body was broken in every limb, the only place where there were no injuries was the hand holding that sword.
That was the beginning of my journey through the apocalypse; just a blurry memory that returned to my mind as I slowly came to.
I opened my eyes, confused. I was hanging from a wall, gripping the sword embedded in the concrete with my fingers. It was the same sword from my memories—my faithful companion.
"Arondight…" I whispered as I looked at the weapon.
My head hurt—I was bleeding. Warm crimson liquid ran down my forehead.
Ignoring that, I turned my attention to the outside of the alley. Strangely, it was no longer an alley. In fact, the entire place was destroyed. Buildings had collapsed into flaming rubble, and I was hanging from the only piece of wall still standing.
"This is a mess…"
I let go and fell onto my back from about three meters up. Then I coughed out the little air I had left in my lungs and tried to get up. Unfortunately, when I tried to support myself with my hands, I heard a crack in my shoulder.
"Ahhhh! Damn it!"
It was dislocated. I groaned, clutching my shoulder as if that were enough to ease the pain. I lay back on the ground trying to breathe, but something interrupted my agony—a soft ringing echoed in front of me, like when a grenade explodes near a soldier in the movies.
I looked up…
[ Number of Regressions: 1 ]
I saw a translucent window, a perfect rectangle with those words that confused me for a moment.
"Number of regressions?"
When I finished reading, the window changed its words and showed me a different message, distorting over the flames burning in front of me.
[ "Echo of Arondight" is active. ]
[ Your body will heal within a few hours. ]
Arondight… That's the name I gave my sword the first time I became aware that it was part of my power, the gift from the feather I took into my hands that night many years ago—that same night that is repeating itself right now.
As if that weren't enough, the window changed again.
***
Name: Cassian
Angel Name: —
Rank: —
Penance: —
Feather Spectrum: [Echo of Arondight]
Attributes: [Messenger], [Penitent], [Echo]
Divine Mandate: [Regressor]
Mandate Description: [Death was created with the purpose of ending a story, but your story will never end. Each time you draw your last breath, time will rewind and you will begin again.]
So that was the reason I had returned. Curious, to say the least. Even if I couldn't fully believe it, this was all the explanation I had for now.
'So… is this like… one of those systems from anime?'
I didn't know much about it, honestly. I'm not much of a fan of fiction, aside from video games, which I stopped playing some time ago. Either way, I sat down to investigate further. Though there was still a big problem.
"Shit… it hurts…"
My shoulder. If this were the future, this pain would've made me laugh, but I don't have the power or the madness I used to have. I'm no longer as tough as steel, strong like a damn monster, or fast as lightning.
"Man… I've really become pathetic."
Back to the mysterious window…
"Alright. Let's see what we've got here," I frowned.
I read carefully.
'In any case, Echo of Arondight is still the Feather Spectrum I obtained that night.'
When the apocalypse began, people around the world—the survivors—gained powers thanks to the Feathers of the Angels that fell from the sky. Yeah… in all this madness, the villains turned out to be the damn angels.
I used to think divine beings like them would have compassion for the Condemned, but they actually hate humanity. One of those angels was the one who killed me… but I still don't understand why I came back.
Well… this screen probably has something to do with it.
'Divine Mandate… is this what brings me back? I mean, there don't seem to be any visible limitations. Does that mean I can die as many times as I want and still return to the beginning?'
I don't think it works like that. Honestly, things like this always have some kind of hidden trick or catch. For now, I'll stay calm and won't try to test this power.
'There are sections that are empty, like Angel Name… Sounds interesting, but the rest doesn't seem like it'll be useful to me.'
I stood up with difficulty and let out a long sigh. Then I looked at the sky…
'Shit…'
There are shadows in the sky—amid the smoke from the fireworks slowly fading away. They're humanoid silhouettes with large shadowy wings descending from the darkness of the night.
I already had an idea of the heresy I was witnessing, but I never tried to understand the reason behind it.
As I hid among the rubble, pretending to be dead, with a calmness unlike me, I closed my eyes and relaxed… After all, these monsters don't care whether we live or die—but if they had to choose, they'd want us dead.
The world during those ten years of the apocalypse was constant torture and survival. Creatures I had only seen in my nightmares became real and filled the world to punish humanity for its sins.
"Ay… help me… help me…" a voice said beside me.
I opened one eye and looked to my side. When I finally realized who was speaking to me, a distant memory made me smile faintly.
'Look who we have here… You damn traitorous bitch…'
Oooh… you have no idea how much I wanted this.