Chater ten, me giving up.

[therealkaichan]

Chapter Ten
Rebellion


“This is so cool.” Nanael was all smiles as she skipped on her way to the Central Office’s computer room.
“More like ‘completely illegal’ but I guess it’s the same for you, Nanael.” Elimiel’s tone was complacent.
“I was going to say suicidal.” Celine added in.
“Oh that too.” Nanael nodded. “It’s a lot of fun.”
“See, dear Nanael here is very fond of doing illegal things. Like that one time before the gate.”
“Wow, you’ll never let that one go, sour face?”
“Why would I, you don’t seem to be letting it go either.”
“Should you guys really be discussing doing illegal things? This is supposed to be a secret.”
“See, this is why I accepted bringing her.” Nanael wasn’t exactly taking things seriously. “She can be our common sense.”
“I agree... We lost ours in the last holy war.” Elimiel nodded.
“And now you agree...” Celine sighed, rolling her eyes. “Let’s just get this done with.”

They walked a little more, Celine feeling pretty calm now that the two angels weren’t discussing punishable offenses on the way to the room.

“Here we are.” Elimiel smiled, motioning at a door. It looked like any other office, and Celine wondered if this was normal or if it was intentional to hide the computer room.
“Well, it’s your turn then sour face.”
“Opening, then.” Elimiel rested his hand on the door handle and looked back, smiling. “Celine, dear, you get to stay outside. If you put a human in here the computer will go crazy.”
“But I...”
“Don't worry. I’ll check on Nanael for you. If she does anything crazy I’ll kick her cute butt.”
“Did you just say cute.” Said Celine in her most incredulous voice.
“Absolutely.”
“Well, he’s right, it’s really cute. I made it myself.” Nanael replied with a proud grin.
“I’m staying outside. Definitely.”
“Well, second attempt. Opening.” Said Elimiel finally moving the door’s handle. “You know how it is, Nanael. We don't have much time, so as soon as it opens, run inside and do whatever weirdness you want to do.”
“Got it.” Nanael nodded.
“Celine, count to three.”
“One... Two...”
“Oooh, getting the jitters!” Nanael laughed.
“Three...!”

Elimiel opened the door, and Nanael rushed inside. Before going in, Elimiel winked at Celine, and closed the door behind him. As soon as the ‘click’ sound came, Celine started running to the nearest elevator and enabled the automated system.

“Welcome, miss Celine. Do you require instructions?”
“I do.” She answered.
“Thank you. You have no current appointments. Where do you wish to go?”
“To room 7597, please.”
“Room 7597 has not been found. Are there any other actions you wish to take, miss Celine?”
“I...” Celine sighed. “Need to bake a potato.”
“Understood. The Chamber is on the fourth floor, seventh room to the left from the elevator. Do you need to repeat the instructions?”
“No.”
“Thank you. Are there any other actions you wish to take, miss Celine?”
“Yes, I want to go to the fourth floor.”
“Understood. Please enter the elevator. Are there any other actions you wish to take, miss Celine?”
“No, thank you.”
“Thank you. Please have a good day.”

Celine entered the elevator, and waited for it to start moving, fretting all along. How was she even supposed to do this? Why the hell would Elimiel ask her of all people to do this? She couldn’t fight, and her chances of convincing a fanatical psycho were pretty low, weren’t they?

Fourth floor.

Celine got down of the elevator, and took a turn to the left. One... Two... Three... She counted the doors before getting to the seventh, and smiled. There was nobody here. Maybe Nanael didn’t know about the hard backup after all? It would have been the best of news for her. But she would rather wait before getting too excited. You never knew with these things...

Fourth floor.

The elevator called from a distance, and Celine frowned, reaching for the knife in her boot. She quietly moved it and stuck it in the waistband of her pants. Hopefully it was nothing. There were steps... And more steps... And a figure. She tensed.

She knew that way of walking.

“Elena...”
“Celine! Did you come here to help too? Did my Angel tell you about this place like me?” The girl was smiling and running towards her as she spoke hurriedly.
“I... I didn’t. I’m here to take care of this place.”
“But... But my Angel said you were on our side.” Elena frowned, stepping back.
“You can't do this, Elena... It’s wrong.”
“I’m helping everyone! Like I helped you, they will see this is better!”
“You can’t force them, please stop.”
“No, no! The angels are the bad ones here! They were the ones who did this to the people...!”
“So you will hurt the humans to solve it? What about your promise?!”
“I... I can’t let them do this... They are the bad ones, they are wrong!” Elena took another step back, her expression was a mix between angry and confused.
“Maybe they are wrong... I agree in that, I also think they are wrong... But you can’t be like them, Elena. How can you help the people by making them do things like the angels do?”
“Then how do we stop this?! They won't ever stop, they like things like this! And people are still blind, so blind...!”
“I don’t know. I can’t really give you an answer like you want, though I wish I could.” Celine shook her head. It was hard to give her an answer when she could barely find one herself, but she could hope that Elena would understand that she still wanted to change things for better.
“Then?!”
“Then wait... Let’s try to find a better answer. One that helps everyone, one that doesn’t hurt the people.”
“I... No. No!!” The black haired girl shook her head, her expression a mix of confused and scared.
“I can't let you pass, Elena. Even if it means I have to fight you.”
“But I can’t... I promised I wouldn’t hurt you!”
“You promised you wouldn’t knowingly hurt another person. And yet here you are, ready to hurt all the humans. If that promise means nothing to you, then it’s fine to hurt me, right?”
“No it isn’t! I gave you the knife! I did!”
“You did... But you said it was because you were told to do it... And your Angel changed their mind since then, right?”
“No... I gave it to you because I wanted to.” Elena’s tone of voice changed completely, and Celine blinked a few times.
“You told me something different.”
“I lied a little.” Elena giggled. “My Angel said that lying is bad, but my Angel lies too.”
“You... Are really weird.” Celine sighed. She really didn’t know what to expect from this girl.
“I remembered what you said. That I had to pay attention to my Angel. To think of what I had talked to her before and now... And I think she changed.”
“It’s a female...?”
“Yes. She’s nice, but she isn’t like she was when I was a child. She used to be kind and to tell me I shouldn’t lie or hurt people. But she’s not like that anymore.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because I do want to free the people. I want them to be able to smile sincerely, to laugh sincerely and to cry sincerely. It’s not fair that they don’t get a chance like we did.”
“But will you go so far so as to hurt all of them to get that?”
“I... I don't want to do that. But I don’t want them to be prisoners either.”
“Then listen to me. Please.”
“I will.”
“I don’t have an answer. I will probably not have an answer for a long time. But I promise I’ll do my best to find a way. We will free the people without hurting them.”
“You... Do you really promise that?”
“I do. I promise.”

There was a moment of silence. Elena seemed deep in thought, considering her options. Celine was tense, waiting, wondering what would come up next. She wasn’t completely sure of being able to fight Elena if it came to it. The last time the girl had moved so fast that it had taken her completely by surprise.

“Fine. But if you... If you betray me like my Angel, I’ll kill you.”

Celine’s eyes opened wider as she heard that. It didn’t sound like Elena at all, even the panicked screams and the strange tone she had used when talking about the knife had been far less unsettling.

“I will find a way or die trying. I promise it.” She nodded. It wasn’t hard to promise that, it was what she was going to do anyway, but putting death in perspective was a little scary for someone who less than a month ago was leading the most normal life ever.
“Then... I’ll go home.” The girl smiled, a calm smile, but it was still a little unsettling.
“Are you all right, Elena...?”
“Yes. I... Want to rest. Sleep a little. Think.”
“I understand... Then go home. Let’s meet tomorrow in the afternoon.”
“In the meeting place...?”
“Yes. Like always. I’ll treat you a drink, and we can talk a bit. Is that okay?”
“I like it.” Elena’s smile widened. “We’ll meet tomorrow, Celine. It will be fun!”
“I’m sure it will be... Now go.”
“All right!”

Elena laughed, that same laugh she had when she first met her, and for a moment Celine wondered if she had gotten in more trouble than the trouble she had avoided. There was no point to get stuck thinking of that however. As soon as she heard the elevator move, Celine walked to one of the closest alarm triggers, and pulled the lever.

“Mission accomplished.” She smiled as she walked her way to the elevator. She couldn’t help but grow more and more anxious about the next part. Were things really about to get ‘fun’ like Elimiel said? Elimiel did have a pretty twisted concept of fun, all in all, and Celine was wondering how good it would be for her to go to the computer room.

He probably wanted her around as an important witness, right? He did say that she was the only proof of Nanael’s involvement as a sort of mastermind in this, after all. She asked the elevator to take her back to the computer floor, while her thoughts continued to race. It was very likely that after triggering the alarm the place would be a complete mess... And that was considering that the alarm for that office didn’t have any hidden characteristics.

She would find out soon enough, right?


The elevator’s doors opened, and she got ready to walk out, when she saw a back she had never seen before, but that she could easily recognize.
White suit. White hair. Pale skin.

The Mother.

“I expected to see you here, miss Celine.”
“I...”
“You triggered the alarm, correct?”
“I did. Elimiel told me about the hard backup, and while I managed to make the attacker retreat, I still thought it would be important...”
“Good.”
“I...” Celine trailed off. What was she even suppose to say?
“Why are you here, child?”
“We... No. I came to stop the machines. I just found no meaning in destroying all the backups. With that we can restore the Chambers to give Bliss to the ones who want it.”
“Is that your answer to the world’s issues?”
“No. Absolutely no. It’s the first part, maybe, but the biggest part would come after that. Helping everyone, teaching them to live their new lives, and learning which ones want to go back after that.”
“And do you think you can do that right now?”
“I’m... Not sure. But there are others.”
“That’s nice...” The Mother looked at her for a moment, the strangest expression in her red eyes. “There is no need to explain anything else. Only tell me the name of the angel inside the room.”
“I... I shouldn’t.”
“You already gave them up when you pulled that lever. Elimiel will open the door for me, and I will be able to see who it is.”
“Still. It’s not right... As long as that angel is still doing what was promised... Then I won’t give their name up. With that maybe they will have a chance.”
“You are too kind, Celine. One day you’ll find that the only reward you’ll get for your kindness is having your heart broken.” The Mother smiled, a strange, almost bitter smile before starting walking.

Celine didn’t quite understand what was happening, but she quickly ran to catch up with the Mother. The angel was quiet as she walked the corridor to the computer room, and she was even more quiet as she rested her hand on the handle of the door. She tested it first, and when it didn’t move, she called out.
“Elimiel.”
It took less than two seconds for him to open the door. Nanael was sitting by a console, with a keyboard in front of her, but she wasn’t writing. She wasn’t looking at the door either.
“Why if it isn’t our benevolent leader. Hey Nanael, look who’s here.” Elimiel smiled, walking inside the room and to one of the consoles, where he chose to sit. “I’ll be sitting over here, ladies, pay me no mind.”
“Nanael.” There was something in the Mother’s voice, something Celine couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“I’m already done.” Nanael answered, looking at the keyboard.
“Are you satisfied, then?” The Mother was still standing at the threshold, not making an effort to enter the room.
“I’m not... I won’t be until they kill each other. Until this world is gone like it happened before...!”
“And what are you getting out of that?”
“Maybe... Maybe then you will come back to us. You’ll go back to being our leader, the one we would follow to our deaths if needed...!” Nanael stood from the chair and turned to face the Mother. “You’ll forget this stupid world, those stupid humans you pretend to care so much for, and you’ll finally look at us.”
“You are such a pitiful creature, Nanael. Do you really think I could care for you?”
“You used to! You cared for me, for everyone...! We were your army, we would do whatever you wanted, whatever you needed. And you took care of us, helped us bury our dead, you cried with us and prayed with us...!”
“I did. But those times are over. We are no longer at war.”
“When we came here... You changed. You started taking care of them, working all day for them. You just sit there and you don’t do anything but solve their problems.”
“And what should I do, then?”
“You should let them kill each other. They don’t deserve their free will, they don’t deserve anything. They aren’t even truly thankful for the things you do for them.”
“I don’t do this to get their thanks.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t owe you any explanations.”
“Of course you do! There are so many of us who have followed you since the beginning, who have worked so hard to please you or to help you. And you don’t even look at us. Why don’t you see that?”
“This is pointless, Nanael.”
“You’ve... You've changed so much.” Nanael’s voice sounded so sad, so hearbtoken that Celine had to take a moment to recognize it as hers.
“I became this long before the worlds were divided. You just were too blind to see it.”
“No... You didn’t.”

Celine frowned. She felt as if she were interrupting something intimate, and it was a little scary. Why... Just why did Elimiel tell her to come back, if he knew exactly what was going to happen? Did he have another plan that she couldn’t understand?

“Elimiel.” The Mother’s voice was cold, and Celine wondered if he was next. He had helped open the door, after all, and he had let Nanael make any changes she wished.
“Yes ma’am!” The Angel called out playfully from his spot on top of the console.
“Make a full review of the system. Find what she has changed other than the Chamber system.”
“Underway.” He chuckled, hopping from his place to quickly get to work.
“You do realize that depending on the changes you have made, you could be labeled a traitor, Nanael?”
“I don’t care. I hate this world. Kill me, send me to the other side of the door. I don’t care.”
“I understand. Elimiel?”
“She has altered the naming system. We do have a backup of that.”
“Anything else?”
“We will need more time to analyze that, but I believe she may have affected some of the base functions of the system as well.”
“I see. What are the possibilities of this affecting the services?”
“High, ma’am.”
“Do you have anything to say in your defense, Nanael?”
“No.”
“I understand. You will be judged according to the law. You may leave.”

Without further word, Nanael took a disk from the computer and left the room, going past the Mother with a lowered head, as she got closer, Celine realized that her hands were trembling. However once she got to Celine, Nanael stopped and frowned.
“You have the knife.” She said, quietly. Celine frowned, and then realized she had absolutely forgotten to put it back on her boot. She nodded.
“She gave it to me.”
“Elena did?” Nanael chuckled. “So even she...”
“It was you, right? You were the one lying to her...”
“I never lied to her. She did what she had to do. Just like I did... And just like you did.” With that, Nanael resumed her way, getting lost in a turn of the corridor.
“Elimiel.” The Mother’s voice broke the silence. “Get your team here. I want the system fully functional as soon as you can get it.”
“Understood.”
“Miss Celine.” She called out next.
“Yes...?”
“You will be required as a witness for the investigation. I expect you will be available.”
“I will.”
“Good.” The Mother turned around, leaving the place as well, her expression unreadable. Celine took a deep breath. She was alive. She was alive...
“Celine?” Elimiel’s voice came from inside, and Celine walked a little closer to the door to look inside.
“Do you need anything...?”
“I think some explaining is overdue. You will need it for what’s coming next.”
“Next...? Do you mean this is not over...?”
“It’s very unlikely. Nanael had just enough contacts to make this risky.”
“Do you think she’s going to do something...?”
“Not her. I don’t think she will have the will to do something for a little while. But she had many friends and allies. And other people who aligned with her.”
“I... I’m still confused.”
“Don’t worry. I will explain some things to you, and you will be far more confused. I hope you will look forward to it.”
“I’d rather be confused than ignorant.”
“That is good. I’ll take that. Don't leave then, wait for me to finish this.”
“All right.”

For a moment the only sound that could be heard in the corridor was the noise of Elimiel’s keyboard strokes as he wrote. Celine’s thoughts started racing again, and she began wondering how things had gotten this far. How it was that a simple walk to her counselor had ended up with her helping dismantle some strange conspiration she wasn’t even aware of.

“I’m done.” Elimiel said, and it was then that Celine noticed he was right by her side.
“I hope you are up for some explaining?”
“There is much enlightenment to do.” He nodded.
“Let’s start, then.”
“Follow me. I’ll start the story on the way to the Chambers.”
“Following, then.”
“It started a long time ago, back when this world was first created. Back then there was this guy, let’s call him God if you like, and he was all there was. So he made the world, and all the worlds, and he also created a bunch of beings of light. He gave them life, power and a purpose... Those beings were the first angels.”
“I understand.”
“But he wasn’t exactly satisfied with those creatures. Him having given them purpose, limited them. You could say they weren’t truly alive... So He created you humans. Humans are born free of a purpose, and able to choose their path in life. Back then in the beginning of time, He loved to do his little sick experiments with them, testing their wills.”
“It reminds me of you in that sense.”
“Well, you can blame Him for my terrible need of tormenting people and noting down the results.”
“I will if I ever see that god to the face.”
“Among us beings of light, a few were special. For example there was the Mother and her brother. Those two were created from the same breath, but with different purposes... However, at some point the brother rebelled. He refused God, and was punished for that by being banished. With him went several of us, and from that day on those were called demons. We... We will never really know if that was a part of his purpose or not.”
“That would be cruel.”
“You’ll find that for a god who loves creating things so much, our beloved creator can be quite the scumbag.” Elimiel chuckled.
“So, what happened next?”
“Well, it’s a far too long story, but let me make it short. For the longest time, there was a war between the angels and the demons. The Angels led by the Mother, and the demons by her brother. The longer they fought the crueler both sides became, to the point that it was almost impossible to tell who was who. And meanwhile, the humans grew more and more aggressive. I think that it was by then that many of us realized the painful truth. There was no point for that stupid holy war. We were fighting for a God who didn’t even talk to us.”
“And what did you do?”
“Nothing really. Some of them simply quit the war, others started going over to the side of the demons... And meanwhile, the personal war between siblings grew more and more violent. The Mother’s army no longer fought a holy war but a war of blood and revenge. And suddenly, one day, she stopped fighting. And heaven fell in disarray. Let me spare you the politics, I’ll just tell you that it was a mess.”
“I’m willing to believe you.”
“Meanwhile, the humans had somehow decided to deny both angels and demons and kill each other instead. It was pretty fun to see things go against everyone’s plans, if you ask me. And then, surprisingly somehow after a bunch of centuries, the Mother grabbed her sword, and said it would be the last battle. You bet heaven was pretty confused.”
“It sounds pretty horrible.”
“It was. As the angels and demons fought, something else happened. There was this bright light, things of God you know, and the worlds got divided. This is how we got to this side, and why there is a door that takes to a different world.”
“I like how you can’t settle on telling the story as a fun thing, or as the horrible thing it probably was.”
“It shows pretty well how I see things.”
“So... The Mother became the leader on this side... Did her brother become the leader on the other side of the door?”
“Correct. Humans are mostly servants or third class citizens. I’ve been on the other side, and as much as I dislike what has been done here, I’ll keep this side.”
“I see...”
“I’m all for answering questions on this, if you have any.”
“Were you in her army, Elimiel?”
“No. I was a healer back then.”
“Nanael was, right?”
“Correct. She was one of the Mother’s most trusted soldiers back then. They fell apart when the Mother decided to stop fighting. Others dealt with things very differently. You have Imriel for a nicer example.”
“He was a soldier?”
“And a vicious one, on top of that. The kind of guy who would tear their enemies in half with their bare hands if needed.”
“I... I can’t even imagine it. He’s such a nice man...”
“Absolutely. He was always really mellow with everyone. I’m pretty sure he can still tear some demons in half if needed.”
“That sounds creepier than thinking he was crazy and got better.”
“That’s real life for you.”
“At this point I’m seriously considering diving headfirst in a chamber.” Celine chuckled playfull.
“Any other questions?”
“No... Not about that at least.”
“I’ll answer anything as long as I know the answer, so ask away.”
“What will happen to Nanael? Why did she let her go?”
“Once discovered and with real proof, the Mother can conduct an Investigation. Then and considering the level of treason, it’s very likely that she’ll get the full treatment.”
“Full treatment?”
“Let’s say it’s a death penalty and leave it at that.”
“That’s cruel...” Celine shook her head, her brow furrowing in thought.
“She almost killed every single one of you, with no regret, only to get attention. Do you really think that putting her down is cruel?”
“I... I do.” Her frown deepened. It was problematic, yes, and it was then that she realized this was one of those conversations she shouldn’t really be having.
“So, what do you suggest? Do we let her go and give her some guns?”
“What? No...! But I’m sure you angels must have other things that can be done...!”
“Maybe we do. But Nanael did this knowing full well the possible consequences.”
“I still disagree. I can do that and you can’t change my mind.”
“No, but I can roll my eyes at your ideas.” Elimiel smiled, and Celine frowned immediately. “Any other questions?”
“Yes. How about you? Why did you get out of this? You helped her enter, and you let her make the changes to the computer system.”
“I have a pass.”
“A... pass?”
“Let’s just say that making trouble is also part of my job.”
“That sounds crazy.”
“What’s best to test a system than attempting to break it?”
“It... Makes sense I guess.”
“See? That’s what dear Nanael could have done. She could’ve told the Mother how she was feeling. And she would very likely be appointed to a position like mine.”
“It’s still not good.”
“That’s because you are too nice, Celine.”
“Maybe, but it’s who I am.”
“That much is true, and people like you like that I’m sure. At least Elena liked you enough to back off.”
“I was worried that she wouldn’t agree...”
“She is a smart one, even if she’s a bit bad in the head.”
“I can’t believe how you manage to be more and more horrible.”
“It’s my job, Celine.”
“I... Guess. It’s still a weird job.”
“Any other questions?”
“You said I still had things to do. What kind of things?”
“That I cannot tell you. You’ll be told soon enough, however. It’s a politics thing.”
“I’ll settle with that I guess...”
“Anything else?”
“No, I think I had more than enough for a day.”
“Then listen carefully. Take a day off. Go chat with those friends of yours, and relax. We’ll get back to you soon, and you’ll have the chance to annoy the Mother with your cute insecurities..”
“I’d rather leave yes. If I have to hear you being horrible any longer I’ll probably start becoming horrible myself.”
“Then go, go.”

Celine rolled her eyes and made her way out.

She had a feeling that somehow things were about to get a little more weirder, and right now she wasn't exactly sure if she liked it or not.


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Notas:

No tengo idea.

Simplemente no tengo idea.