The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 29

XXIX

URIEL

Outside of Time

Within the Tree

Everything was silent. Uriel carefully opened one eye, then the other. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm still alive. So I guess that's something," he remarked as he scanned the dark void around him. Below his feet was a kind of glossy, black surface, but that was all. No noise, no smells, no structures. "So where exactly-"

Suddenly, a figure leapt from the shadows and tackled Uriel to the ground. He wrestled with the assailant, exchanging blows as they rolled around on the ethereal floor. His attacker growled unintelligibly as they fought, savagely striking Uriel with each opening. At last Uriel managed to get the upper hand and threw the beast off. It roared with anger as it tumbled onto the ground, infuriated.

"I see you've already met our mutual friend," a soft voice said from behind.

Uriel spun around and found himself face to face with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had short, silver hair that gently reached from her head down to the bottom of her neck. Her cold, delicate features looked as though they had been carved from marble rather than flesh. She wore a dress woven from white leaves and silver vines that seemed to shine with soft light.

"Our mutual friend?" Uriel asked, regaining his breath. "Whatver that thing is, it's no friend of mine."

She moved without expression as she walked past Uriel and over to his still-reeling attacker. "Don't you recognize him?"

Uriel squinted his eyes and studied the angry form. "No, I- Wait..." Slowly, he began to recognize the contours of its body, the angles of its build, and, as it raised its burning eyes to meet his, its very face. "It's... it's me?" he stammered, staring in disbelief at the aggressor. Its Brigade overcoat was nearly ripped to shreds and its hair was a torn, silver-streaked mess. But even with a fac covered in scars, it was clear that it was Uriel.

The girl nodded. "A part of you, anyway." She examined the chain around its neck, running her hand along the collar. The inscription read, "Wrath." She placed a hand on the being's shoulder, calming it for a moment. "The heat that you feel inside. The fire that boils in your blood. Fury from another world."

"What is this?" Uriel demanded, whirling around. "What's going on? Who are you?"

She stared at Uriel curiously for a moment. "Are you worthy?" she mused to herself.

' "Hey, I asked a question," Uriel said, walking over to her. "Answer me! Who are you?"

She put a finger to her lips. "I am the Tree of Life. Are you worthy of my gift?"

Uriel stepped back and his eyes grew wide. "You're the Tree of Life?" He glanced around the void. "Then... this is all part of me?"

"Yes. And you are to be tested," she said quietly, loosening the chain around the other Uriel's neck. "Can you overcome yourself, I wonder? Or will you be consumed?" The beast began to growl louder as his collar hit the floor. The girl cast one final glance at Uriel. "The only path to victory is to deny yourself," she said as she disappeared into the void.

"Deny myself," Uriel repeated quietly as he began to approach his double. "Then I guess the test is taking you down, huh?" he said, stretching his arms. "Well, I hate to disappoint a handsome devil like you, but I've gotten knocked around by a super-powered Nephilim and I've gone toe-to-toe with Vigilant herself. Heck, I catch fire on a regular basis at this point," he said, grinning and cracking his knuckles. "So I think I can handle my own subconscious."