08

"No one knows who spreads the stories," he said, tilting his head slightly to listen through the narrow slit that opened like the doors of the temple. Probably realizing that there was no sound at all, he was hemping his sword again. "Even because we've never heard of someone who could have left the Purgatory alive.

And yet I was already sure at that time that I had visited that place many times in search of answers. It was as if I could remember Faye's voice, when we first met in this life, and she said that they could never prevent me from making the choice that would lead to my death because if the Oracle were responsible for writing my story, he would change every word and every line so that any of my paths would take me there. And, in fact, that's what was happening.

No one would ever say that the same woman who entered hell without any power, without memories of her past lives, and who was determined to avoid her own death, would be the same one who now raised her chin and opened her arms to face the end of her own life. I had let myself be carried away by fate.

I let Karma take me to the place where my life would be reaped. And now I knew the details. I knew I had fallen in love with Vraxlon. Who had created sincere bonds with Faye. That I had an unresolved issue with Octavius. And that he had saved Tennebris from his own destruction. History was repeated for another century.

And I wished with all my heart that I would at least have the right to change it. If I was going to die, I wanted at least my friends to know who had led me to resort to those drastic measures. I wanted at least, if that was really my last reincarnation, that I had made it worth it. May every second have been Vraxioso not only for me, but for my true friends. The family I raised in a place made of fire and loneliness.

I wanted to be remembered. Not just for Arianna, the princess of the storm and queen of hell. But by Elena Flamel, the orphan girl, protected by an archangel, and destined for hell. I wanted everyone to know my name. The name of that body, of that soul, and what that human life did to protect and save everyone. From demons to archangels.

Because that was my real motivation. Avoiding a war. Protect my friends. Save the humans who were caught in the crossfire. And prevent the archangels from capturing me and taking me to God's feet. But now, I was aware of a prophecy that had been made for light years from the sky. Some plot that linked me directly to the archangel who was assigned to be my guardian. A part of the story that never fit, a loose end, that would only be entangled when I managed to beat the enemy who always killed me.

I realized that Vraxlon was still watching me, no longer so worried about my tiredness, and, yes, with the hand I was taking to my necklace. With the intentions I intended with that power stuck in the pendant that burned against my chest. I pulled your hand to mine, and raised my eyes to yours.

"If there is any chance to capture the traitor or save me, choose to capture him. "I spoke firmly. Vraxlon opened his mouth to contradict, but I shut him up with a very quick kiss, and, moving away, I added: "I'm going to find a way to go back to live it all over again, even if all the signs indicated that this would be my last life. I promise I will beg whoever I need to come back. I will always find a way to get back to you, Vrax. I'll always find a way.

And nothing in the world would have shaken me so much, or made me as goosebumps as the words he himself said in response.

"I will also always find a way to get back to you, Elena. Always.

If it weren't for my necklace that contained a little bit of the magic created by us, I would have said I was going crazy to feel the magic swarming with the promise we made to each other. I could say that I was imagining that when he brought my hand to his mouth and kissed, our fingers still intertwined, I noticed a glow that contained the color of our powers together; magenta and cyan, transformed into bright blue.

But between our united fingers, there was still a small cloud of that mysterious tone of power, even as we put ourselves aside and crossed the small entrance to the temple. The inside was a completely different scenario. We were in front of a staircase that curved to the deepest of the whole place, having the same depth of the mountain we climbed. And it was a circular room, interrupted by the stairs, so that as we went down, we were swallowed by the ceiling and emerged in another room, and so it would follow to the end of the steps.

We started going down without saying a word. The steps were very close to each other. So, I had to raise my head and close my eyes while the descent began. Because when trying to look down, I was taken by a vertigo that almost made me see the darkness and vomit the little I had eaten the day before. Vraxlon's fingers still surrounded mine, bringing security and comfort, because I was being taken by a feeling of impotence and great despair. I felt that with each step I went down, a piece of my happiness was left behind.

"Don't tell me that even this place is made to kill or weaken humans? "I suggested with a little humor in my voice.

Vraxlon had a short and rough laugh.

"I wouldn't say matär, but confuse. It's not expected that humans can even get this far alone. Even because... There are few physical portals to get here. And the main one is located in hell. So, it is not a world that is prepared to receive a human with the soul of a fallen angel. I believe you are leaving the barriers confused.

“Barriers? “I asked.

"Each room represents one of the seven circles of hell," he replied. "A raw reminder from the Celestial Deities that Eve would be condemned to live with creatures belonging to hell. Even your home is made of the essence of every capital sin. Therefore, at the end of each flight of stairs, we cross an invisible barrier that detects the soul we receive. She can feel Lilith in her body, but she doesn't understand the human blood running through her veins.

I opened my eyes at the moment when his words finished sounding, and we were really being swallowed by the wall above, which was very reminiscent of a representation of the hall of the ice throne of the territory of envy, when I had the impression that a curtain opened in time to reveal the next room, which had become the throne hall in ruins of Tennebris.

"And no one thought it would be too dangerous to leave a power as great as clairvoyance in the hands of a celestial creature that was expelled and condemned to a place worse than hell itself? "I asked, closing my eyes again when the vertigo made my head buzz.

"That's why the legends about the attempted theft seem so true," he said careless. "Many fallen angels ventured into willingly entering the Purgatory. This, of course, in the first years of our exile. It was an attempt to exploit the territory that God created to be another torment and punishment in our lives. Unfortunately, none of them returned. But there were some of them who were left behind and who always swore that the intention of this investigation was always to steal the source of knowledge of all life and the world that God hid in this place. The Oracle has never been a secret to us. Since Lilith was responsible for the fall of Adam and Eve.

I swallowed it dry. I was the recipient of the woman who took Eve to the ruins, and now it was Eva's own fault that I was sinking deeper and deeper into that uncertain destiny full of misfortune. At least I could accept the truth without wanting to cry about it. Eva was using me to punish Lilith in that life. And Lilith was using me to stay alive, because part of her still existed in me, and every time I died, she would also cease to exist. The more time passed, the more that tangle of information became chaotic.

"If Eve is attached to Purgatory and has become the mother of all... What happened to Adam? "I questioned in a low voice.

"Who knows? "Said Vraxlon, and I had the impression that he would be gesturing with his shoulders. "The only thing we know is that his role has never been as important as Eve's, even if she has been punished, and only for this reason has become a being so equal to the Creator himself. Adam's destiny is a mystery to all of us. Maybe humans know. There must be something in the sacred book that mentions the place where he may have gone. I just know that he and Eve were separated for all eternity.

A very strange feeling caused me a pain in my chest.

"Twins separated for all eternity and condemned to an immortality surrounded by monsters... What a terrible thing to do. And all because of a forbidden fruit.

Vraxlon made a sound of slight disagreement.

"You understand that the expression "Forbidden Fruit" doesn't really refer to an apple, right? "When I was silent, he drew a very suggestive circle in the palm of my hand, just as he did in lower places on my body. And I made a sound of understanding. The prince-warrior laughed. "Eva surrendered to capital sins, because of the influence of Lilith, who returned to the garden of Eden through a plan by Lucifer to take revenge on the human that God so wanted to protect from our sins. This is all about the history of our world and about the Oracle. At least everything I know. But there are many versions in the human world. Everyone thinks in a different way. The holy book does not expose the whole truth, and you know it well now. We are called demons, but we never condemn someone for sexing or coveting someone else's material good. We have never been intolerant, and even so, we are who the bad guys are.

"But there's one thing I've always wondered... How did you begin to represent capital sins? "I asked, moistening my lips. "I mean, why did he determine that you would be a good lover, and that Faye would be hungry, and that Tennebris would own a very short wick?

Vraxlon laughed this time.

"Because everything we are now, we were inside paradise. On a smaller scale, I admit. But Faye has always cared more about food than about people. Tennebris has always wanted to solve his problems with his fists. And I... well... I took many female archangels to hell because of my years lived in heaven "he said a little lower the last words, as if I feared my reaction. "In any case, we already represented capital sins, just as there have always been the ten commandments, which are the archangels who represent the heavenly Elite, and who today represent the most powerful group in heaven. The only heavenly beings who could really get into a fight with us and bring us a lot of problems.

"And in the end... "I started saying, opening my eyes again. The world came into focus, and the stairs were already at their end, with only five steps left to reach what looked like an entrance lobby. "The lay-de-abo-face condemned you simply to prevent humans from being possessed by the sins you represented, when in fact everyone was already condemned from the moment Eve tasted the fruit... And all the humans after her started to prove it too.

"That's it," said Vraxlon, jumping from the last step to the waxed and glossy floor of the new room in which we were received. "In the end, humanity condemned itself, and we took the blame.