Chapter 155: Everything’s Fine

Grace knew trouble was brewing the moment they crested the final cloud bank approaching the Dominion.

The usually serene floating paradise was buzzing with frantic activity. Angels zipping between platforms, holding their weapons with white-knuckle grips, their voices raised in urgent commands.

“That… doesn’t look good,” Alia observed from beside Grace.

They landed on the main platform to find organized chaos. Seraphim Guard members herded groups of angels toward defensive positions. Healers ran between checkpoints, divine energy crackling at their fingertips.

“Grace!” Seraph’s voice boomed across the platform. The warrior angel landed hard enough to crack marble, red braid whipping behind her. “Thank fuck you’re back.”

“What happened?”

“Veil raids. Started two days ago.” Seraph’s jaw clenched. “They’re done with recruitment. Now they’re just taking people.”

Grace’s stomach dropped.

“Wait, what? Taking?”

Seraph nodded.

“Twelve angels missing. Maybe more.” Seraph’s hands flexed around her sword hilt. “Used to be angels would leave voluntarily to join the Veil. Defections. Now they’re just grabbing whoever they want.”

“But why—”

“Converting them.” Seraph spat the words. “Forcing Sin energy into angels who don’t want it. Turning our people into their soldiers.”

[Oh. That’s horrifying.]

Grace felt sick. One thing to choose corruption, another to have it forced on you.

“Anyone we know?”

“Doesn’t matter who.” Seraph’s eyes were hard. “They’re our people. All of them.”

A crash echoed from the training grounds. Then another. The sound of divine weapons meeting with excessive force.

Seraph winced.

“Diana’s been at it all morning.”

“At what?”

“Working out her feelings. Violently.”

Grace found Diana in Training Ring Three, surrounded by six unconscious Bravery Sisters. She stood in the center, chest heaving, sweat rolling down her arms and abs. Her gray eyes locked onto a seventh challenger approaching cautiously.

“Again,” Diana snarled.

“Diana, maybe we should—”

Diana moved. The challenger barely got her guard up before Diana’s sword hammered down, driving her to her knees. A swift kick sent her sprawling.

“AGAIN!”

“H-Hey, Diana, calm down!” Grace stepped into the ring.

Diana whirled, sword point stopping inches from Grace’s throat. Recognition flickered in her eyes.

“Oh. Grace.” The sword lowered. “You’re back.”

“And you’re terrorizing junior angels.”

“They volunteered.”

Grace glanced at the groaning bodies scattered across the training mat.

“Did they?”

Diana’s jaw worked. She stabbed her sword into the ground with unnecessary force.

“Whatever. I need to be ready.”

“For what?”

“For when they come.” Diana’s hands clenched. “The Veil isn’t playing games anymore. They want soldiers? Fine. We’ll give them a war.”

Grace blinked.

“Diana, it’s alright. All in due time.”

“How!? How is it alright when they waltz in and steal our people? How can we sit here making defensive plans while angels get dragged away and pumped full of Sin energy? We should strike first. End this.”

“You know it’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it?” Diana rounded on her. “You can kill everything permanently. We march on the Veil, you do your thing, problem solved.”

“Diana—”

“Don’t. I do not want to hear you telling me to be patient. To trust the process. I’m tired of waiting while our people disappear.”

As rude as she was being, Grace had a hard time getting mad at Diana right now.

[She’s scared. I get it.]

“We’ll be fine. With me, you, the faction leaders, Celestia. You’re acting like this is the end of the world.”

“Maybe it is.” Diana slumped against her sword. “They’re not just recruiting anymore, Grace. They’re taking people. Forcing corruption into them. How can we sit around and not do anything about that.”

“We will. Soon.”

Diana laughed bitterly.

Before Diana could respond, a bell chimed across the Dominion. Three long notes. A summons, it seemed.

Diana grimaced.

“Celestia probably wants to see you.”

“How do you—”

“That’s the ’Grace, get your ass here’ bell. She had it installed after the Mountain mission. Already getting some use out of it, too.”

[Of course she did.]

—

Celestia’s private study looked like someone had upended a library. Books covered every surface. Ancient tomes, loose scrolls, pages covered in handwritten notes. The Archangel herself stood at the center, rainbow wings dim with exhaustion.

“Grace. Good. Close the door.”

Grace obeyed, navigating carefully around paper stacks.

“Studying up on the Veil?”

“Trying to understand how we compete with them.” Celestia didn’t look up from the text she held. “Sin energy makes them stronger, Grace. Faster. More resilient.”

“So?”

“So we’re fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.” Celestia finally met her eyes. Dark circles marred her usually perfect face. “They draw power from hatred, fear, apathy. We draw power from virtues that require humans to be at their best. Something they don’t achieve often.”

Grace frowned.

“That’s not a weakness, though.”

“Isn’t it? When’s the last time you saw a human act with pure bravery? True compassion? Selfless love?” Celestia set the book down with shaking hands. “Sin is easy. Virtue is hard.”

“That doesn’t make virtue weaker.”

“Doesn’t it?” Celestia moved to her desk, pulling out a specific report. “Look at these numbers. Kidnappings aside, Veil recruitment has tripled in the past year. Their forces grow stronger while ours… Ours stagnate.”

“So what?”

Celestia stared at her.

“So what? Grace, we’re outnumbered. Outpowered. They have angels who can match your strength now.”

“I doubt that.”

“Do you? Azrael’s had a thousand years to perfect Sin energy techniques. Her followers have access to power we probably can’t even imagine.”

Grace felt anger building in her chest.

“So, what, are you saying we should give up?”

“I’m saying we need to be realistic about our chances.”

“Realistic.” Grace laughed. “You know what’s realistic? I’ve purified six Pillars. Six ancient entities that everyone said were unstoppable. I’ve killed Primal Demons.”

“That was luck—”

“That was virtue.” Grace emphasized. That new bravery was getting the better of her again. “Not the easy kind. The hard kind. The kind that looks at impossible odds and says ’try me.’”

Celestia blinked.

“Grace—”

“You want to know why virtue is stronger than sin? Because sin is selfish. It only cares about itself. Virtue cares about others. That’s why I win, Celestia. Not because I’m the strongest angel alive, but because I’m fighting for everyone else.”

[As many flaws as Eternia has, I at least agree with her on this point.]

Celestia’s wings lifted slightly, but the exhaustion remained in her eyes.

“You really believe that?”

“I know that.” Grace straightened. “And I know there’s just one Pillar left. The Bloom. Every Pillar I’ve purified has made the world stronger. Made virtue stronger. I’m sure once that one’s done, Linaria as a whole will change!”

“You want to continue the missions? Now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the Veil are outright taking our angels, Grace. And, let’s not mince words, you are our most important one. The only one who can move the needle in either direction, as we can’t kill the Veil and they can’t kill us. You are going to be actively hunted these days, I would imagine.”

[Oh.] To be honest, no, Grace hadn’t considered that.

“E-Especially now.” Grace grinned. “Let them try to stop me. I’ve got work to do.”

Celestia studied her for a long moment. Her expression remained troubled, wings drooping again.

“Well… Turning our attention to that last Pillar, The Bloom is located in the eastern forests. Reports suggest the entire region has become a jungle of corrupted plant life.”

“When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow. Take whoever you need.”

“I’ll get it done quickly.”

Grace nodded and turned toward the door.

“Grace?”

She paused.

“Yeah?”

“Be careful out there. I meant what I said about their power.”

Grace looked back at Celestia, still hunched over her books, still looking defeated despite Grace’s words.

[I hope I’m getting through to her. She looks like she’s carrying the weight of the world.]

“I will.”

Grace practically bounced down the hallway toward the rookie wing. Energy coursed through her veins like liquid fire. The Veil wanted a war? Fine. Let them try to corrupt the world while she was purifying it from the ground up.

One Pillar left. Then she’d deal with Azrael properly.

[Bring it on.]

She pushed open the door to find Diana spread-eagle on the couch, still in her training gear, while Alia and Zephyr stood over her with massage oils.

“No,” Diana was saying. “Absolutely not.”

“You’re tense,” Alia protested.

“I’m fine.”

“Your shoulders are basically rocks.”

“They’re supposed to be rocks. I’m a warrior.”

“Warriors need self-care too,” Zephyr chimed in, uncapping a bottle. “This lavender oil will really help you—”

“I don’t want to smell like flowers!”

Grace cleared her throat. All three angels turned to look at her.

“Having fun?”

“Grace!” Alia bounced over. “Perfect timing. Diana’s being difficult.”

“I’m not being difficult. I’m being smart. You two are basically sex demons with wings.”

“We prefer ’intimacy specialists,’” Zephyr corrected.

“Same thing.”

Grace rolled her eyes.

[Well… Whatever my team looks like, I’m going to get this done. One way, or another!]

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