CHAPTER 588: ENEMIES OF CIRCUMSTANCE

"I just killed myself hundreds of times!" she said, causing Castiel to raise a curious eyebrow.

"That sounds ominous. I thought you could only resurrect once per day, and it brings an hour long power boost. Was my intel incorrect?"

Sera giggled and sighed. Behind her back, a wall made of Angelic Metal appeared, which she leaned against. Castiel’s eyes trembled for a moment, hiding the mix of shock, annoyance and irony growing inside his heart.

Unlike the Last Angel, he was an angel long before the Fall of Aerin. He knew the exact value of the Angelic Metal they created in Aerin, so seeing Sera summon an entire slab for comfort made him feel... complicated...

"What I would give to see the fancy Noble Angels see their successor use their precious rare metal as a back support... They would probably kill you on the spot!" said Castiel with a light chuckle.

His words, however, had the opposite effect on Sera. Her smirk turned into a deep frown...

"Don’t compare me to those complacent fools! They let their people die because their hubris couldn’t think that someone would rise against them... You call me Last Angel, but in fact I’m not their descendent! I’m the upgrade who’s here to clean the mess they left behind!"

Castiel seemed pleasantly surprised by her words. His smiled widened as he asked, "Did Purity tell you why I got sent to Dark Prism?"

Sera shook her head with an emotionless expression. It was obvious Castiel knew about Purity’s involvement and help, so the mention of his name only made Sera mildly annoyed.

"I was part of Aerin’s standing military force. A high-ranking officer who went through multiple wars. To be honest, I loved fighting, but after reaching a high enough rank, they stopped sending you on actual missions, since my brain is more important than my brawn...

"Anyway... My unit was sent on a suicide mission, and I finally, after millennia of blind obedience, dared to refuse this single order. The Noble Officer who gave the order was an upstart, haughty asshole and didn’t take kindly to my disobedience. Me and my entire unit was sent to Dark Prism!"

The Angel didn’t look the least bit shocked. From all the stories Sera heard, the Angels of Aerin might’ve been kind and helpful, but they were also strict and obedient to their leaders. Their justice was quick and sometimes cruel, but always lawful.

Their lawbook probably had the highest punishments for disobedience. Also, since he was a high-ranking military officer, they used him and his unit as an example.

One might say the Angels were evil. Others might say they’re just. But in Sera’s eyes, they were a powerful race that used their strength to keep everyone under control.

The laws weren’t evil nor good. They stayed neutral, just like the entire Angelic race, which most likely led to their demise.

"That sucks," said Sera, her voice hollow of emotion, yet her golden-green eyes revealed the tiniest fragments of sympathy. "However, suffering doesn’t give you the right to destroy and kill...

"Those people, the angels following you, are from your unit, aren’t they? You saved their lives just to sacrifice them in another war... Once you might’ve been a great leader deserving of sympathy, but now... You’re just like the Justiciars who sentenced you long ago!"

Deep shame settled on Castiel’s face as he took a long, shaky breath. He turned his gaze away, staring at the cracked mirror wall of the massive hall.

"It was Lucifer’s fault," he whispered through gritted teeth. "He was my second in command, a great leader whom every soldier loved. However, after escaping Dark Prism and traveling to Earth, he changed...

"I still don’t know why he joined the demons, but the moment he did, Michael and Gabriel, his brothers, began an all out war. Everything spiraled out of control, and by the time I realized my mistakes, millions had died..."

He sounded melancholic, and Sera believed he truly felt guilty for his mistakes. She also finally understood why he had killed Michael and Gabriel. It seems they weren’t the kindhearted angels the old texts showcased them as.

In the end, it mattered little to Sera. She had to admit Castiel might’ve been a better person than she initially judged, but the outcome was the same... One of them needs to die here, or neither will survive!

"So, what’s your power?" asked Castiel, bringing them back to the initial topic. "How did you reach such strength without Evolving into a Stellar?"

A deep sigh escaped Sera’s lips as she revealed her secret...

"When I die, I don’t just resurrect. It also changes my soul, increasing its power. Each death strengthens me, and since learning this information months ago, I’ve killed myself every day..."

She became silent for a moment, staring at her cracked reflection below her feet. Those golden-green eyes... Were they always so old and tired? She was only 23 or maybe 24 years old, yet those eyes looked like someone who had lived for multiple lifetimes...

"Do you know how it feels?" she asked while turning towards Castiel. "Death and resurrection?"

He shook his head, which prompted a light chuckle to echo from Sera’s lips...

"Of course not. Nobody does... It feels like when you’re trying to fall asleep at night only to realize the sun has already risen. It’s like waking after sleeping for only a few seconds. A constant itch you can never scratch. A tiny pain, which never leaves your mind..."

She took another deep breath and, while sighing, she hit the back of her head on the metal slab behind her back.

"I’m exhausted... The stress of this duel and Victor’s pending threat... It feels like I hadn’t slept in months, maybe years..." suddenly, she chuckled to herself and glanced towards Castiel, who was examining her face intently.

"You know, deep down, part of me wants to die here. All this bullshit, obligations, fates, requirements, challenges... I wonder how it would feel to just... be at peace..."

"Death wouldn’t bring you peace," said Castiel, a knowing, melancholic smile stretching across his face. Meanwhile, Sera furrowed her eyebrows and stared ahead with her lips in a tight line.

"For most, the Afterlife is the ultimate goal. It brings them peace after struggling for who knows how long... However, there are people who don’t find solstice in peace. People who live to satisfy their desires. People who could never leave this plane of existence with unfinished business...

"Be honest with yourself, Seraphine. You don’t wish for death... You’re just afraid to live... You’ve got some twisted image of the future in your mind, and overexerted yourself in the past weeks, seen it happen many times with my soldiers... Sometimes death is easier than moving on..."

Castiel seemed to speak from experience, and Sera couldn’t help but reflect on his advice. It strangely fit her own feelings, which caused a thankful smirk to appear on her otherwise sad face.

"It’s kind of funny... I feel if we would’ve met at different times, we could’ve been great friends..." she said with a sad chuckle, which Castiel joined in.

"Enemies of circumstance... A truly depressing part of each war, knowing that your enemy isn’t the evil you always believed them to be. That they’re actually normal beings or even good ones, yet... They’re still your enemy, which seals your relationship..."

"I wish..." Sera began, but needed to stop as she choked on her words. "I wish we could end this fight without bloodshed... We could both find other people or creatures to Evolve with..."

She truly wanted to believe her own words, but both she and Castiel knew they were fake. There was no scenario where both of them could leave this Hall alive... The Contracts prevented that...

"You know as well as I that one of us needs to die... Believe me, I would prefer a peaceful end, but... One of us needs to survive and Evolve, otherwise Victor will win!"

His words felt like someone poured a bucket of icy water on Sera’s head. The melancholy left her body, leaving only anger and worry behind.

"How do you know about him?" She asked, her glowing hands trembling as she squeezed them until the bones began cracking.

Castiel smiled at the sudden change in emotion and graciously answered Sera’s question...

"After arriving back on Earth, I sent the Horsemen of Genesis to explore and hunt you down. During this hunt, they came back with intel about a powerful Ethereal who was rebelling against you...

"I tried contacting him, but after messaging a few times, he clearly didn’t plan on obeying me. Even worse, I used Purity for communication, which ended... Well, you know how it ended..."

Sera nodded to herself, thoughts flying around her mind at immense speed. She finally knew how Purity began communicating with Victor, but this information offered no advantage in an actual fight.

Eventually, the Angel sighed and pushed herself off the metal slab. It broke into tiny fragments, then dispersed in the air, like it had never existed.

Castiel also sighed while shuffling on his feet...

"I guess it’s time then..." said Castiel, a mix of excitement and sadness tinging his voice.

"Indeed..." answered Sera, with a painful ache in her heart.

She would’ve rather avoided this fight, but ironically, the Contract which they meticulously planned prevented surrender after the battle began. Even if it were allowed though... neither would’ve surrendered...

Castiel was in many ways the same as Sera. A powerful leader who made mistakes. Someone who wants the best for his people. But most of all... He was someone who would never bow or kneel before anyone...

So, with no solution in sight, both fighters drew their weapons for the last time. They didn’t wear any helmets, showcasing the wide grins stretching across their faces...

"Let’s make our final battle memorable!" said Castiel while taking on a fighting stance.

"Show me your best!" said Sera, then a moment later, both leaders burst into action.