"I-I never thought of him as a—"
Her throat seemed to close up, the words she yearned to say locked behind the stillness of her tongue.
The Angel of Justice frowned softly, her head shaking with displeasure.
"You saw him as a stepping stone into your future. You saw the power he had as an exploitable tool that could help you ascend to new heights."
A strong gust of wind blew over the scene of Aaron vanishing into the city, his horrific sense of direction the last thing Eleanor witnessed before the world shifted.
This time, it was her fight with Godrick, the spell he prepared, one of absolute destruction, the Erasure.
Like before, there was a faint turquoise mist clinging to the memory, hiding the aspects that not even an Angel was allowed to see.
"You received the aid of another being closely tied to that boy to solve your problems. By manipulating his emotions to gain his trust, you aimed to elevate yourself."
The blonde girl wanted to scream, listening to the Angel, the words so wrong that she couldn't contain herself, blood dripping from the inside of her cheek as she bit down hard.
Once again, the memory vanished, a new one taking shape, bringing them near the end of their long voyage through the past.
It was the mausoleum, its slanted walls, and in the midst, the glowing core casting magnificent patterns of light and shadow across the space.
She watched Olivia's body fall to the ground, and Adam collapse in on himself, the Core of Dreams overloading and sending them into a different realm.
Even with her past self lying there unconscious, she watched as Aaron entered, rushing over to prevent her from killing herself as her body started moving on its own.
"Again, you force him into a place more dangerous than anything else, barring the Abyss, just to save you."
She paused, allowing the memory to flicker past, the final location appearing at once, one that made even the Angel tense.
A beach bordering the sea, high cliffs creating walls around it, while the sun shone brightly overhead.
"You are not selfless, Eleanor Lynn. You are selfish."
As she spoke, a shadow began to form behind the Angel, the woman's brow furrowing downward as she turned.
Eleanor froze, knowing what memory this was, a shudder shaking her body to its extremes while a blotch of liquid light appeared in the sky.
It was not the deity from before, his presence undetectable in the recreation of the memory; yet, in his place stood a fragment of his power.
The Angel of Justice could look no further at the absolute being before her, the illusion dissolving in seconds, leaving the two in darkness.
Taking a slow breath, she opened her emerald eyes wide, observing the priestess as she spoke once more.
"You are unjust, selfish, and commonly disregard the well-being of others for your own personal gain. Eleanor Lynn, you are a soul unfit for my teachings."
Holding up her hand to return them to the present, she hesitated, noticing something change on the child's face.
Her lips curled downward, sensing new emotions bubbling inside the girl's chest.
"You're… wrong…"
The words were uttered in no more than a whisper, Prudentia's expression showing clear interest in what she was to say next.
"You claim to be an Angel of Justice, yet you look only at the bad, not even daring to touch on the good. From the very start, all you've done is find anything, regardless of truth, to smear wrongdoing upon me."
For the first time since their meeting began, Eleanor's carefully controlled demeanor cracked, her true emotions spilling out in a wave towards the True Angel.
"I'm not perfect, but that doesn't give you the right to judge me as if I were some kind of monster. I lived my life as a devout priestess, helping those in need and never intentionally harming anyone, not even those who wronged me. I did not manipulate anyone, and I did not waste their lives for my own gain!"
The scale in her chest began to turn, the Angel's expression contorting unreadably.
"What gives you the right to judge me when you can't even see that you aren't a just figure yourself! Why should I give up what makes me human just to appease a holy being that lives a life of luxury, never encountering a single issue with the plentiful power that she holds dear? I am not without flaws, and nobody is. However, that does not mean I do not hold my morals closer than anyone else."
She took a shaky breath before continuing, her voice turning a degree lower and more solid.
"I am a priestess of the Church of Depths, and my Lord would never guide me astray. If you wish to cast me into the pits of Hell for the words I have spoken to an Angel today, then be my guest; however, that would not make you just, for it would only mark you as cruel."
Eleanor finished with cool, icy words, the emotions raging in her heart unveiling for all to see as she breathed hard.
Prudentia simply stared at the girl with a blank gaze, not betraying any thoughts, her long blonde hair shining with a fierce hue.
The priestess braced herself for the punishment of speaking back to a divine being, silently resigning herself to whatever would happen to her next.
I don't care if she kills me or banishes me to Hell. She doesn't deserve a title with Justice in it if she manipulates the truth to fit her own reasoning.
Closing her eyes and bracing herself, she felt the scales in her chest balance out, a gentle hum of a harp echoing in her ears.
"You are exactly correct, Eleanor Lynn."
The Angel's deadpan expression finally softened, her lips curling up into a glistening smile, and her pale hand patting the top of the child's head.
"Justice doesn't look at a situation in black and white. Justice, truth, and equity are all made up of thousands of fluorescent lights that each hold their own meaning. To look upon a situation and only see the darkness is to disregard the truth of light."
She watched as the young girl opened her eyes in shock, her body still trembling from the lingering fear.
"Congratulations, child. You have passed my test."
Eleanor took a step back in surprise, thoughts racing through her head too fast to form a coherent reaction, a mumbling mess of words leaving her mouth.
"W-what? A t-test?"
The Angel laughed aloud, the angelic sound resembling the tunes of heaven itself.
"Indeed. If you had kept your emotions buried, allowing me to defame you, to desecrate your morals simply because of my status, then you would be unworthy of my teachings. There have been thousands who have failed to become Angels due to my scrutiny, ones who had far easier lives than you."
She paused, allowing the girl to catch her breath before continuing.
"I am your Guardian Angel and the one who will mentor you in the ways of the Angelic Order. I will turn you into a creature of excellence that will never again doubt the truth of her emotions and the justice behind her actions."
Opening her dove-like wings and stretching them out wide, she wrapped the priestess within them, holding her close.
"Now, Miss Lynn, do you accept my tutelage?"
There was a short silence as countless thoughts once again overwhelmed Eleanor's mind, her head dizzy with everything that had happened and everything that would happen in the future.
Closing her gray eyes tight, she cast her troubles away, burning the fear and anxiety in her heart and speaking with formality.
"I accept, my lady."
…
The two women sat across from one another in the courtyard of the Angelic Order's headquarters.
Each had been served a cup of the unusual liquid, unfamiliar to Eleanor, yet with a smell that promised divine pleasure.
"It is a beverage created by Vaelmyr Droskyn himself. The Lord had heard of it from their conversations and decided to bring it to the cafes of the Beyond."
Prudentia smiled as she took a sip of the drink, gulping down the lightly steaming brown liquid without hesitation.
Not wishing to be left behind, the priestess followed suit, placing the porcelain cup to her lips and taking a sip.
Hmm? It tastes like the honey water from the bars of Sea Fallen!
As she hurriedly tilted her cup more, the Angel let out a muffled laugh, watching her student enjoy the beverage with affectionate amusement.
"According to rumor, it perfectly replicates the taster's favorite drink and provides a pleasant boost in agility and stamina for about two days. Some of the scientists from Infinium debate whether such a substance is even possible to make in the Dimension of Waves; however, per what Lord Vaelmyr spoke of, his mother had found the herbs somewhere under the sea…"
She sighed, thinking of the Sea King's mother, a household name within the Angelic Order for her wonderful kebab recipe that the dining hall leveraged on weekends.
Eleanor placed her cup back on the table, intrigued by how the Angel spoke of the Sea Kings of her world.
Even here they are treated as mighty figures… I wonder if other dimensions have figures similar to the Kings or if they are anomalies throughout the universe…
Keeping the thought to herself, she heard Prudentia speak up.
"Now then, we'll start your training with a few questions."
The woman paused, remembering the illusions they had entered only half an hour before their cafe meal.
"Your mind has been corrupted by an outside force, likely tied to the Slayer himself, and therefore, purification will be necessary."
Waving her hand to summon a blank piece of golden paper from nowhere, she began to write with her finger instead of a pen.
"Furthermore, while your physical core might be damaged, if repaired well, you may be able to harness the excess power left by gazing upon that deity. With that, you would gain mana comparable to a True Angel without even needing to train for it."
Eleanor's jaw nearly dropped at the statement, clearly remembering that even the false Angels from her world could exert miracles impossible for some Kings.
Even if their power was limited due to the Gates of Heaven sapping a considerable portion of their strength while they pushed through to enter the dimension, they were still beings of unimaginable might.
"But."
The Angel of Justice woke her up from her daze, taking another gentle sip of the drink.
"If you cannot harness this power in the Great Beyond and return to your body with all that mana, you will be consumed by it. Dying only moments after revival."
The blonde girl grit her teeth, another possible fate now lying ahead of her upon her return to the Dimension of Waves.
"To remedy this, after purifying your soul, we will need to assess your status and the strength of your faith. Usually, we only accept those of the bishop level or higher in the Angelic Order for this reason. However, in your case, certain exceptions are being made."
Finishing writing with her left hand and placing the drink down on the table with her right, she looked straight into the girl's eyes before speaking again.
"To help purify your mind, you'll endeavor to make friends within both Neutrality and Infinium to aid in your mental cleanse. The deeper your relationship, the stronger the purification will be when completed."
Eleanor's forehead furrowed at her words, a tinge of confusion lingering on her face.
"Why would friendships help clear my mind of a monster like him?"
The emerald-eyed woman smiled at her student's question, clearly aware of her doubts.
"The God Slayer is a solitary creature, one whose tale is wrought with betrayal and loneliness. It has been recorded that he had only two allies in his lifetime, and one of them was his own blade, which is currently sealed within a vault in the city of Sea Fallen."
Seeing that her words only puzzled the girl even more, she began explaining further.
"He forms connections with humans based on shared principles and goals. Those whom he has blessed are usually solitary humans who have few to no friends in the world. If you, on the other hand, were to form numerous friendships here, it would become harder for him to control you and bind himself to you, therefore purifying his corruption."
Eleanor nodded, quietly connecting the dots between Aaron and that man in her mind.
Aaron has no memories and therefore, no allies… That would make him a perfect tool for him to control…
Squeezing her fist, she vowed to free the boy of that monster's influence, even if it cost her her life.
"My lady… You mentioned Infinium, correct? How exactly am I supposed to gain entry when I am a soul of Neutrality?"
Changing the topic to prevent her emotions or thoughts from leaking to the woman, she brought up another question on her mind.
Prudentia seemed pleased with it as well, smiling and interlacing her fingers.
"Have you seen the badges that these interns wear around their necks?"
She gestured to the various other tables accommodating perhaps a dozen humanoids, each with a lanyard wrapped around their neck.
"They have temporary access to the Angelic Order that allows them to leave Infinium and enter Neutrality. For you, we'd simply do the opposite."
Eleanor nodded slowly, remembering how she had inwardly questioned the purpose of the badges when she first entered the large temple.
Infinium is the place where the purest souls rest… I wonder if there's even anyone there that a backwater priestess from Sea Fallen could relate to…
Looking upward at the roots of the World Tree that covered the sky, she sighed, taking a breath before turning back to the Angel sitting across from her.
"How long until I can begin?"