Summer Garden

Azrael

Azrael fell backwards as his arm tore apart, bones and sinew snapping as what looked like a human in front of him pulled it away as if it had never been attached to him in the first place. The paladin winced, grabbing and cauterising the wound.

The eyes were wrong.

That was the only sign that this wasn't a human. The eyes were black voids from which no light escaped. No hint of colour nor soul. Whatever this thing was, it had humanity once, but no longer. Something else had crawled inside, corrupted the soul. This was an abomination, a weapon crafted by magic to pervert the glory of the gods. It was heresy. An affront to those he served. He may be injured, but all his strength and that granted to him by the goddess would be used to tear apart this creature. To erase it from history.

He drew the dagger from his side, charging the monster. The blade was a distraction, and the creature ate the bait, trying to disarm him as Azrael dropped the weapon, moving behind and kicked as solidly as he could.

Azrael crumpled.

The creature turned to him slowly, glaring down at him. "I'm a ghoul, idiot. Do you really think that you can ever be stronger than me? Physical limits mean nothing to me."

A ghoul. That's what it thought it was? It wasn't. Every ghoul had blazing eyes of fire, a sign of the soul being trapped in something it no longer belonged to. That wasn't the case here. The creature had infected the entire body, twisting and cavorting it until it had become something new. A physical manifestation of the will.

This creature wasn't dead. It wasn't alive. This was a soul too stubborn to die. An echo of something that should have died a long time ago.

Azrael slammed his palm into the chest, grabbing the creature's shirt, "Be free."

Before it could speak he headbutted, crushing his helmet onto his face. The creature was dazed, weakened.

The prayer came tumbling from Azrael's lips, as if he were still the young confused and angry man serving in that quiet temple, long before he knew the goddess had turned her eye to him.

"Goddess, enfold me.

Goddess, surround me.

Be in my speaking,
and in my thinking.

Rain, hide the stars tonight.
Autumn mist, obscure the hills from sight.
Veil of cloud hide the skies above.

By the darkness of this soul, hide your face, goddess.
Hide the shining of your radiance, there is love for you here.

Take my hand, goddess, take me where I cannot stand alone.
Take this soul and cleanse the shadows.

By your brightness and your glory, expunge this soul, tonight!"

The creature in front of him yawned, "You done with the exorcism already?"

The knife hidden in Azrael's wrist slammed home, beneath the jaw and into the caverns of the skull. The paladin lowered the body slowly, quietly. "Claim this soul, goddess, and guide it home."