Ascension

Chapter 2

The morning prayer proceeded as I was accustomed to, though it was more difficult to initially fall into the rise and sway of prayer, all I could think about was Lael not following me through the front doors, me leaving him behind on the steps.

For five years Lael and I had prayed together, and for 5 years we shared everything and never had any major disagreement. 5 years and all had been as steady and unchanging as the prayers in The Church.

The week of my ascension was 'not' the time for such an argument.

I tried to fall into the moves of my prayer forcing my breath to continue into steady motion with my body, not allowing the irritation, anger or concern I felt to show or affect my daily motion.

When the repeated movements draw to a close, and the last harmonious tones of our voices echo an antient song, I reasoned that I am at peace with myself once again.

The hymns, the movement of prayer. It was as if in doing so I was cleansed. The power of prayer and the beauty it enlightened with me and my fellow Angels was of no deceit, a magic all of its own that only could be a result from the grace of God.

In unison, I and the other attending Angels animated from our demure posturing to move onto our following tasks.

I spied those around me, feeling lost without routine. At this time I generally would follow Lael to his training, accompanying him to the halls before I would continue onto my own lessons.

But lessons were no longer on my schedule, the white smooth curved walls of the school would no longer need to retain me. After midday prayer I would venture to the Firmament for lecturing and guiding the Sisters on their own paths to Ascension.

Until then, I had an unnaturally long period of free time.

It was almost as if I were a Principality, with how much freedom I currently owned.

I stayed in the hall of prayer as Angels mulled around me, eyeing the painted transept, reinforced with glittering golden metals, the slowly emptying hall leaving behind shining white floors with veins of color between massive tiles. The stretching windows allowed for the early morning light to pour in emphasizing the vibrance to all the beautiful colors.

Finally I brought myself to movement, my feet more so than any conscious thought leading me to the furthest corner of the hall, where stairs lay in massive stacks, parting at the second level like wide arms splayed to give way to an open walkway encircling the entirety of the prayer hall filled with murals of artwork, statues, and some various rooms and exits to the outdoors.

I had been to the second level before, at times my lessons would call me to be lead in prayer with others among the marble statues and paintings of mother and child, of characters with stories I had never been told.

Being absorbed in prayer left no time to allow for observation to these paintings, which I now regarded with barely contained interest.