Vaina escorted Renatus through the thick wild shrubs of the luscious forest, a glimmer of sunlight warming the path. It’d been a while since he’d seen the serene sky, the little skin he had exposed lightly basked in the generous sunlight that shone through the trees. Amongst the earthy, citrusy fragrance of the dirt beneath his feet and the surrounding greenery, was a heavy stench of smoke in the air.

Renatus pinched his nose, stepping through the abundance of weeds, noticing a feeble fawn dash into the bushes upon making eye contact with him. They found themselves in the ruins of what was once a small village, the area now completely desolate as some buildings became completely scorched into the ground, the fresh smoky scent of burnt wood thickening the air around them. Compared to the main city’s perfectly handcrafted marble structures that loomed over its citizens, seeing some humble buildings honestly made Renatus feel more at home. He kicked open the door of what appeared to have been a modest home before the village’s downfall, and, well, it was the least damaged building in the village.

“What were you doing in The Middle Ground?” Vaina inquired as she made herself comfortable on a small wooden chair, barely able to take her eyes off him. 

How did an innocent young angel turn into such a dreadful beast? His once snow-white pair of angel wings and matching grey irises with angelic markings were now stripped from his body, making him almost unrecognisable from the boy she cherished from her childhood.

“The Higher Authority wants me to settle the drama going on between Ylipeste and Kaufernis. Apparently, this Pocket Realm is the start of it all since it’s not supposed to exist. Also something about an impurity issue and a blight spreading in Ylipeste,” Renatus answered, sinking into the plush sofa after wiping down the soles of his boots with a kitchen rag. It definitely wasn’t as comfortable as the one Hiram picked out for the lounge room, where his body could completely mould and become one with the seat. “I could honestly ask the same about you. What exactly brings you all the way out here? You’re not one to leave home, princess.”

“Eugh, don’t call me that, you know I hate it…I wanted to see the phenomenon myself after hearing spits of gossip about it. No one’s been willing to talk about it with me, so here I am,” she responded gloomily, her eyes darkening. “It really is a safe haven for those poor trapped souls… It’s better for them to be there now to avoid Ylipeste’s cruel and strict methods of judgement. They’re also protected from becoming tainted and impure from the blight. It’s become a rather concerning issue lately.”

“Do you know what The Middle Ground is, aside from the fact that it’s a Pocket Realm,” Renatus asked, now lying on his side. “I find it odd that it supposedly appeared out of nowhere, not to mention the coincidental timing. It makes a great distraction for whatever your father’s planning.”

Vaina paused to think, resting her chin against the palm of her hand. “I don’t know if my father truly was involved in creating that tear, but I wouldn’t put it past him, since as you said yourself - it makes a good distraction from everything else going on right now. Apparently a sole individual is the cause of the entire blight issue, and no one’s been able to stop them. Time doesn’t pass in The Middle Ground, that much has been confirmed. It continues to expand, making it ideal for souls to await judgement as they safely wait for Ylipeste to purge the source of the impurity.” 

“Doesn't everyone have some form of impurity within them?” Renatus asked whilst picking beneath his fingernails for dirt. He'd just returned to Ylipeste for a few minutes and he was already annoyed by their superiority complex issues. Perhaps Godrick did him a favour by exiling him for good. “The whole blight thing seems a bit overexaggerated.”

“You see, in Ylipeste these 'impurities' are weighed against a soul's purity to test and judge whether they deserve a life amongst the angels. The less impurities you have, the more likely one will find themselves here. Otherwise, they immediately go to the Afterlife or Kaufernis, depending on the outcome of the Judgement. The blight feeds on the impurity, spreading and slowly corroding one’s mental state,” she explained, cautiously watching his expression. 

“Has this so-called impure soul been causing havoc in Ylipeste alone? Props to them,” Renatus commented, fidgeting with a pencil he found lying around, making it twirl and dance around his fingers. “Does everyone know of it? The Higher Authority didn’t mention anything of the sort.”

“The Gate has been closed so the source of the impurity can’t escape to another Realm. Souls generally can’t travel between Realms, so they suspect it might be a resident Ylipesten,” Vaina explained, resting her head against the wooden desk, her gaze never leaving him. 

“Strange. Your father disposed of me so long ago. This whole scandal should’ve ended long ago,” he sighed in exhaustion, his wings curling inwards. 

It had been so long ago since he was exiled, yet the memories haunted him as if it were only yesterday. The memory of his initial disapproving glance prior to the sequence that would then trigger a lifetime of agonising nightmares was vivid enough to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. The words that boomed from his mouth were irremovable echoes that endlessly rang in his mind, nailed into every corner of his subconscious. 

Lowly scum, made in the spitting image of a damning abomination.

A hand emerged from the sea of darkness that drowned his mind, forcing him to draw a sharp breath and jerk his head away from it. He drew in some deep breaths and blinked slowly, as Vaina slowly reappeared in his vision. He felt his body drench itself with sweat, trickling down his forehead as he lifted himself from his seat. No matter what he did, the voices gripped him with more strength than he’d like, constantly tearing him apart, with only the comfort and warmth of death’s gentle cradle soothing him to reality. 

“After you disappeared, an evil emerged in the Realm and hasn’t left since. Angels have started becoming corrupt out of nowhere, and eventually souls followed the same suite - some even beginning to attack one another. Anarchy arose, and no law or structure can rule over the impure, since they can’t be cleansed of it,” Vaina continued gently, standing beside him as he began to pace around the room.

“There’s no Death Dealer to deal with the taint within their souls, let alone destroy them. They also couldn’t risk letting a word slip that Ylipeste was no longer the perfect Realm everyone perceived it to be and shut the Gate. Word only escaped because of Malachi, likely to cause even more chaos amongst the Realms and destroy Ylipeste’s reputation. I’ve always suspected him to be a double-crossing spy…”

Her voice dropped to a barely audible volume at the mention of her father’s most trusted messenger. After what he’d done and how he lied to both of them, how could she not feel resentment towards him?

“What else did he have to say, other than the lies he told us?” Renatus asked, resting his palm on the hilt of his blade, the cool steel kissing his exposed skin. 

“Malachi spread word that a singular impure soul is the root to Ylipeste’s chaos, leading to the closure of the Gate. Ylipeste’s higher-ups couldn’t risk being the reason newcomer souls became tainted since there’s no Death Dealer to destroy them and prevent further surges of the blight. And coincidentally, The Middle Ground came to be,” Vaina explained. 

“They believe my father has become corrupt and created the impurity himself in bid to reign over all the Realms, as a means to have a way to control souls to do his bidding. Seeing how the tainted have turned insane beyond saving, that not even the Realm’s best Mind Menders can heal them, it’s already causing some hysteria in some parts of the city. He also mentioned that those affected by the blight turn into vile, violent creatures who seek to destroy anyone and everything in their way. If that is true, and my father truly finds a way to control souls this way, then it's an easy weapon for him to unleash amongst the Realms.”

“Do you think he’s behind all of this?” Renatus asked. 

“It’s indisputable. He’s… he’s gone mad with his lust for power. He doesn’t even acknowledge my existence anymore. You knew how he was,” Vaina replied dejectedly. 

She was a daddy’s girl, and everything he’d done for Ylipeste was for her sake - everyone in the Realm knew this, and envied the fatherly love she’d receive.
Renatus walked towards her, the click-clacking of his boots echoing in the modest space. 

“And what’s your plan, if any?”

“First and foremost, dealing with the source of impurity directly is a must. I need to end the chaos once and for all, even if it means killing my father,” Vaina said, the sentence catching Renatus’ full attention as his eyes widened in surprise. Renatus was genuinely surprised to hear that she’d go against her father’s wishes, considering how much she cared for him. Had she known his true character at an earlier age, he wondered if she’d still remain by his side.  “I can’t let him dominate the Realms, especially considering his corrupt state of mind right now…” 

She grasped for the air, reaching for the shimmer of yellow light that shone through the window and brushed her rosy cheeks. “I also need to change the judgement system. It’s unfair as no soul can be truly pure and perfect. You - and I - of all people understand that the most.” 

She reached to caress his cheek, her teary eyes silently pleading to him. He stepped away from her touch, avoiding what felt like cold icicles grazing against his skin. Vaina’s eyes lowered in disappointment, and turned her head away from him. There was a brief silence between them, with nothing but the distant drops of tap water dripping into the sink adding to the awkward ambience.   

“If you don’t want to join me, I understand. It’s a rather dangerous plan, unpolished at best. The impure soul, after all, is trying to get me killed for trying to find and expose them. I sought for the Death Dealer, but haven’t been successful, since only they have the authority to purge the impurity,” Vaina said, slowly making her way towards the door. “But ultimately, I’d need to face Godrick, my father - and at this rate, find a way to stop him - permanently. Considering his strength, it might be impossible for me to do this alone…”   

The air suddenly felt thick at the mention of her father’s name, heavier than the hazy smoke that enveloped the entire village. His chest grew heavy as his deafening heartbeat raced to escape from it, each breath turning into a heave of sighs that struggled to leave his body. His head began to feel immensely heavy as he struggled to lift his head to look at her, his body starting to become limp.

The thought of taking down the tyrant had been a long-time dream, yet the realisation of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity unfolding before him was almost too good to be true, anxious thoughts swirling in his mind. Would he fail before he had the chance to seek vengeance? Would he falter when he finally confronted him? He had vigorously trained with Hiram for the specific occasion, endless blood and sweat bleeding into the harsh conditions that came with the sessions. He couldn’t back out now, not after dedicating so much of his life waiting for this moment.

“Then let me help you. If need be, I can be your blades and take them down myself.” 

The words came out choked as they left his lips, the Heavenly Blades feeling weighty against his thigh and back, as a surge of traumatic memories trailing his mind of the abuse he suffered at the hands of her father - Godric - began to grasp him by his throat. He felt each of his feathers forcibly torn from his body, recalling the decaying dove that stained his hands, and drowned him with its rotten blood as he would awake seeing half the nightmare unfold before him.

Every scar that was etched onto his delicate skin and defiled his body as a result of Godric's abuse deeply burned and stung as his skin was torn apart and shredded itself anew. To slay the god himself would destroy the chain of suffering forever, the thought alone tickling his chest enough to emit a cackle. Yes, that was why he would ever agree to return to Ylipeste - to end the nightmares and suffering, once and for all. 

Vaina’s face lit up upon hearing his response, her eyes sharply narrowed as the corner of her lips curled upwards. She turned to face him, her bewitchingly blinding wings inviting him into her caressing hand.

“I knew I could count on you, my Renba.”