Within a few minutes, the air was engulfed by the stench of metal and the thick smoke that filled the small village streets.
With his vision blocked, he relied on muscle memory to find the orphanage.
He reached the food stall he had recently just left, seeing no sign of the man, only puddles of blood dotted around the street.
Ratella truly wished for the man's safety from the looming death that was cutting down anyone in her path.
A multitude of thoughts encompassed his mind as he waddled to the orphanage.
How Nova could have committed treason in any form baffled the boy. He was never treated well, yet he still couldn't even consider the possibility that Nova was involved in the uprising of rebellious traitors spreading across Kathoros.
This wasn't the most concerning part of his theories; the identity of their executor unsettled the boy even more than the idea of treason.
Luna, one of the three Seraphim in Kathoros. One of the angels who holds ultimate power in this land of the divine.
"Why would she be here?" Ratella's thoughts blasted within his head. "They have the military to deal with matters of treason."
Ratella started thinking out loud, wanting to distract himself from the crimson streets and the many bodies littering the ground, reaching out for mercy.
"Hel-p"
"Please God. Forgive us."
Muffled cries of the dying men and women enveloped the silence looming over the village.
At long last, Ratella reached the orphanage, its form cloaked in the endless trails of smoke rising from the charred exterior.
Wafting the smoke from the entrance and entering, he was met with endless bloodshed lining the corridors, corpses all with the same wound.
A single slash to the coronary artery, cutting their lives short instantly. Reducing their lifespan to a mere sixty seconds.
The sight was horrifying, inflicting a sense of nausea to overwhelm his senses and a collection of bile to rise up from his stomach.
He vomited everything from his stomach, half-digested food spewing from his mouth, adding to the already potent stench hanging in the air.
After a couple of minutes, he pushed forward, his brain becoming less sensitive to the terrifying scene.
His bones creaked and ached with every stair he climbed. Pushing through the pain, he finally reached the entrance to the headmistress's office.
The door opened halfway, muffled voices drifting out. Ratella pressed himself against the wall, waited for the right moment, and slipped through the narrow gap, making use of his small stature to remain unnoticed.
A six-winged woman stood tall, grasping Tila's neck in her hand, her face half covered by a pair of wings shielding her eyes. Her mouth is the only thing visible to the eye.
Two wings sprouting from the back of her head, covering her eyes, and four attached firmly to her back. A silver-and-white garb covering her body was stained crimson and scarlet.
Ebony black hair draped down to her ankles, its form silky and well-kept, not a knot or imperfection in sight. Its condition is unbefitting of a warrior, stained crimson, looking more fit for the head of a noble woman.
A shining symbol hovered above her head, a halo with multiple lines crossing through its holy form.
The Seraphic Form is a mark of terror and admiration for the people of Kathoros.
"Unhand me, filthy usurper!" screamed Tila, scratching and clawing at the woman's arm. Luna remained untouched by her efforts, her body unflinching despite the woman's desperate attempts.
Luna regarded her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "How can you still have this much courage even in the face of death?" she asked, genuinely curious about the woman's motives.
Ratella was stunned by the divine woman before him, her ethereal beauty rendering him motionless. He stood in the darkness cast over the doorway, unable to move a muscle, no matter how hard he tried, as if petrified. Only his eyes could observe the scene around him.
"I'll never let my mind fall in the face of you, filth!"
"Why do you say the Seraphim are filth?" asked Luna, tilting her head slightly, baffled at what her crimes were. "We haven't done anything but follow his word and decrees."
"That's the problem right there. God isn't real, and we shouldn't let false prophets decide this country's fate. The Horsemen are knocking on our door, and you still choose not to meet them face to face. The Seraphim are nothing but cowards!"
Luna let out a sigh, irritation growing. "How can an angel be so dense?" she muttered, not really expecting an answer, just expressing her annoyance. "The four horsemen aren't the only threats lurking in Favaros."
"What else could possibly be a greater threat than the four horsemen? Stop lying to a dying woman!"
Luna's mouth adopted a frown, exposing one of her canines.
"Most of the choir has its counterparts—even you must know that. The sins are in direct opposition to the virtues, for example. And the Seraphim are no exception to this rule."
"What? Lies! Just an excuse, filthy vermin!"
"Pointless. I've had enough. Any last words? Your dense mind is starting to affect my own."
"Tell me one thing, all mighty Seraphim," stated Tila, looking directly into Luna's eyes. "Was the destruction of Nova an order from God as well?"
"It was not, you heard my declaration. It was the Seraphic Imperator order."
"Then how can you -"
Tila stopped herself, returning to silence as she locked eyes with Ratella, her eyes emboldening. A single line of sweat dripping down her brow, her squirming growing more desperate and erratic. She felt no fear in the face of Luna, but the sight of Ratella in the presence of the Seraphim shook her to the core.
Ratella had no idea what could have brought on this reaction. Looking into her eyes, still unable to move, unsure of what to do, and he wasn't sure if any sound would escape his mouth if he tried to speak.
"No, no, no, no. Ratella run away, don't let yourself fall into their hands!" shouted Tila, trying to break the grip surrounding her neck. Pounding her fists against the Seraphim but to no avail, she didn't budge an inch; her attempts were pointless, only wasting her fleeting energy. "Foolish Boy! Run!"