Ethereal Paradigm: Arcadia of Darkness 8 Purification by Fire

-Maya Angelou

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"Summone spiritus dea. I command thee, the sealed spirit of flame to descend from the heavens upon my rite and to consume what is laid fore. Summon! Ignitress!"

From the heavens, there appeared a giant rift that seemed unearthly, as if it was a gate that connects two discrepant realms of which one belonged to the deities themselves. And there, descended a crimson humanoid image with wings like a phoenix that stretched all over the clear night sky. In her not-so-clear and comprehensible chant just a moment ago, she called that, the spirit of flame, Ignitress.

I was stunned for quite a while amidst the scenery that the Goddess herself created out of her own words. It was such, if I were to define, a suite display of what a God who is at least inferior to the highest excellency is really capable of doing, and a cascaded showcasing of elegance and beauty.

The humanoid spirit then pointed its hand toward the mansion. Then out of it, there came forth a crimson-colored fire that took the shape of a gargantuan avian. It then flapped its wings mightily downwards toward what was in front of us, the mansion.

In its glorious light that is appearing brighter as it gets closer, I covered my eyes using my arms and then, the moment I took it off, I saw fire engulfing all around us and great smoke arising as if it was a glimpse of hell. The flame was too strong and instead of merely just burning the whole place down, it could have easily killed me, if it was not of Lacrimosa's provision protecting me in that time.

I saw bodies being born, incinerated to dust. Bodies of my beloved ones that gave me much to remember that made them much harder to forget, along with the slowly weakening fire that is obliterating them to ash with not a single remains of life's benisons. Amidst the flaming environment, the goddess slowly handed me something...

"Here, I saw it in your mother's hand so I picked it up." As I was watching the mansion's shape slowly turning void due to the fire, the goddess suddenly said, while handing to me a piece of crippled paper.

"What is this?" I asked.

"See for yourself, I value your right to privacy," she answered with this honest look that I found to be somewhat satirical.

I assumed that it was probably just one of those cheques containing large sums of money that had been the root cause of all evil tonight. Yet in all curiosity, I uncovered a part of it and to my surprise, it was not just any kind of paper. It was a letter of which the first line reads "Dearest Jaiden".

From that single sudden glimpse alone, I knew the handwriting made it seem that it was from my mom and that, it looked like it was made hastily. I decided to put that paper as it was and placed it along with the fire... I can't afford a souvenir. Mom would understand.

"Hey... You sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Hayst... And I had to go through a lot of effort to retrieve that. Oh well, it's your choice..."

The fire then started to quench little by little. The moment all had gone out, the place was wiped off clean like it was purified by fire. There were no marks of dead bodies and all were turned to ash without falters and even the verdant ground once filled with green uniformly-cut grasses was turned to ash.

And as I was staring at the ruins laid in front, the Goddess suddenly said...

"Your request had been fulfilled... and also someone is coming."

"Eh? Who?"

"Oh, there is no need to worry. While you may not likely know her, she knows you very well. She will stand as the guardian in your new transition in living. Heed her Jaiden as she is the remaining relative you have."

Guessing from how she expressed it in words, I thought that she was to let some stranger be my foster parent, and yet the last line boggled me as she stated that the person would be the last of my relatives. Yet I could not think of such a person. Tired, I decided to not give it too much thought. I will trust the words of this Goddess no matter how obsolete the situation will become as she was the first to lend a hand in the direst situation I just came across.

The goddess then lifted her countenance and flew high up on the air, towards the spirit she summoned calling it 'Igniteress' and while she was closing the portal-like rift she said...

"Jaiden, in this world you will have tribulations, same of those who believe in the highest. People will have trouble believing your words and will call you mad and many will even consider you an outcast. I will be watching you thoroughly Jaiden. The monochrome in my art's canvas... My 'Herrscher'."

I did not understand half of what she said, but whatever. Exhausted and tired, my body felt weak and my feet became numb and my vision slowly blurred away. The last thing I remembered seeing, is the moon shining in its glory that reminded me of how my fate is preordained to be.

One that does not know how to feel...

One that is set on the monochromatic angle...

Without a spark of color.

(...)

As if I was asleep for almost a day or two, I started to gain consciousness again. To my awakening, I was in a hospital with an old lady sleeping on a chair beside me, and on the window, Lacrimosa was standing graciously watching the view. The panorama that time, made it seem that she was a hundred times more pulchritudinous than that moonlit and heinous night. She then noticed me and said with a very refreshing facade...

"My, so you are awake?"

"So it's really not a dream...What are you doing here? You might want to hide someplace else before someone sees you." I probably thought that anyone who will see her will assuredly think that she was a weird cosplaying otaku because of her black gothic apparel.

"Huh? Have you perhaps forgotten that I can't be seen by normal individuals?" She recoiled. Well, my brother was unable to perceive her so I guess the statement is not entirely false, but...

"What are you saying? That I'm abnormal?"

"I leave that to your cognition." She replied with a face about to burst in laughter.

"Oh, whatever. So who is this old hag beside me?" I asked as I was frantically in an edge to know who and why she was there.

"You'll soon find out."

"Is she, who you pointed your finger into, to be the last of my relati--?"

As I was still talking, the old lady rose from her sleep and was surprised that I was up. She put her rather fragile arms around me and said...

"Oh, Jaiden how are you? Thanks to the almighty. I saw smoke and fire arise from the house and so, I rushed into aid, yet to my surprise, you're the only one that is there. W- where are your parents gone?" She exclaimed, with rather a renaissance-style of speaking and word choice.

Yet, a look of blatant confusion was predominant in my demeanor as I have no idea of who she is in the slightest sense.

"Do you have any recollection of who I am?." the elderly asked with teary eyes."

Chapter end