Chapter 2: The Annoying Morning that Followed
Saints.
Humans who are commonly known to have had an exceptional degree of holiness or likeness to the divine. Many were known to have done many deeds of great significance, others became revered martyrs, some even did many mythological deeds that makes one question if they really existed.
It is now the 22nd century. To be specific, it is the year 2108. The world has changed drastically. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, and humanity has progressed enough that interstellar travel may no longer be just a pipe dream.
However, the most significant change is the reappearance of the these so-called 'Saints'. It was at the end of the 21st century when a large-scale war that threatened to escalate into the 3rd World War erupted between many countries. Countless lives were lost to the flames of war and much destruction was caused leaving humanity in utter despair and sheer agony. Soon later, the world turned into pandemonium as riots erupted, coup de tats occurred and governments slowly crumbled.
Many believed that it will be the end humanity until a miracle happened...
In one of the most bloodiest battles of the war, a ray of light perforated the ash-black skies and shone over the battlefield. Within that light, stood a person who looked out of place in the hailstorm of bullets.
No one knows what exactly the person saw that day nor did that person leave any record of it, but all of the people who were there all described it as such;
'That person picked up a gun and pointed it to the skies. Amidst the gunfire that may have very snuffed out the light of life, that person undauntedly pulled the trigger and the shot, echoed so loudly that it was unbelievable it came from that tiny firearm in hand. All of us had our attention taken and the fighting stopped. Then that person said with a voice that echoed like loud thunder, 'Stop the fighting.', and all of us-ally or even enemy was compelled to cease fighting.'
The actual events are poorly described in reality but in that event, that person looked mystical to the eyes of the onlookers and soon, was recognized not as a hero, but a Saint sent by the heavens.
In the following years, when humanity was recovering, similar events took place in different parts of the world and soon, more Saints were recognized and acknowledged by the people.
*****
"I believe this level of lack-luster and incoherent explanation in this horrifyingly poorly-maintained book is practically useless to me.", the grumpy voice of Ashen exasperatedly says as he threw the book away behind him.
"Wait! What are you doing?!", Rossweisse who was following behind him hurriedly dashed forward to catch the discarded book, barely succeeding to catch it before it fell into a nearby canal, "This is a very important book for the Church! Why are you just throwing it away like that?!"
"Ah shut up!"
The two-Ashen and Rossweisse, are currently walking down a relatively empty highway after spending an entire stormy night in a church.
The day had just began and dawn had already begun, with the sun slowly rising above the peaks of the mountain range in the far distance. Normally, any person would be too groggy to even get out of bed and even the proactive types normally take it slow. But not Ashen.
As soon as the storm had stopped at 2 am, he woke up from his rest and immediately got himself ready to move out. Not even bothering to wash his face or fix his hair and when he tried to go out the door, a rogue piece of lumber flew in from outside. He was shocked and was almost too late to evade it as it brushed past him and flying onto the altar and further destroying it.
"What the hell?! Oi! Mother Nature! What was that for?!"
With an angry shout, Ashen voices out his complaint.
"Were you not satisfied with chucking a garbage bag full of heavy solid waste on my face last night?! Now you want to crush me flat with a goddamned tree?!"
He then started shouting into thin air in an attempt to talk to nature. If anyone saw him, they would all think he's touched in the head severely and of course as one would expect, he only got silence as a reply which further pissed him off and making him seethe in anger with gritted teeth.
"What is all the noise?"
A sleepy voice then came from behind and momentarily snapping Ashen out of his raging trance.
"Mr. Ashen? You have awoken already?"
It was Rossweisse. Her still groggy and white-clothed figure as she rubbed her eyes easily telling Ashen that she had just gotten up from the bed.
Consequently, he immediately remembered why he was in the church in the first place;
'Right. I was stuck here because of Nitwit here...'
He had been forced to save Rossweisse, a Saint of the World, from death. But in his own understanding, he was more like 'threatened' into doing so. The flying lumber being a dead giveaway.
'Why did I have to take shelter here? A random tree would have been preferable...', with a grimace, he silently regretted his decision last night but also thought that Mother nature would have did something to make him go to the church no matter what like drowning him with rain. Assuming that it was indeed Mother nature who was messing with him.
"Mr. Ashen?"
"Go get yourself ready Nitwit. We're leaving in 15 minutes.", he quickly ordered her to get ready.
"My name is Rossweisse, Mr. Ashen! Not Nitwit!", Rossweisse complained.
"I know. You told me already. So go get ready Nitwit before more of those trigger-happy morons show up and kill us both."
He ignored her complaint and just shrugged at her.
"Muuuu! You are really rude!", Rossweisse retorted before angrily stomping away further inside the church possibly to get herself ready as Ashen had ordered her to.
Unfazed and not the least bit guilty or ashamed by her words, Ashen simply snorts at the retreating figure of Rossweisse as he stood by the door to wait for her. Fully aware that something would probably come flying if he so much as try to leave her behind.
'Damned Saint. Why do I need to babysit her? Screw you Mother Nature'
******
And so the two are now walking down the highway together despite the reluctance of the other.
Ashen, who was used to travelling alone, is currently troubled as to how he should manage Rossweisse who (Much to his chagrin.) was obviously ignorant of their current dangerous situation.
She was so ignorant to the point that a few minutes ago, Ashen had asked for the reason why the gunmen had tried to kill her but only got the response;
"I do not know."
As her smiling response.
'Apparently, Saints are goddamned toddlers in terms of common sense.', the very thought irked him and almost made him wish he could punch Rossweisse and whoever was her previous guardian.
"Mr. Ashen. I wanted to ask you since last night, who are you really?", she suddenly directs a curious question at him.
"Hah? Why the hell should I tell you?", Ashen snapped at her almost reflexively. Completely taken aback by the sudden question.
"Well, I am a little curious of my savior's circumstances.", Rossweisse replied while moving to his side.
"Like I said, why should I tell you that?", Ashen however refused and scowled at her, "Are you hard of hearing, Nitwit?"
"There you go again. I already said my name is Rossweisse right? Why would you keep on calling me 'Nitwit'?", Rossweisse sighed.
"At least realize that you are one such person. Damned Nitwit..."
"You sure are stubborn.", Rossweisse puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
Not that Ashen cared. He simply ignored her and continued to walk with a pouty Rossweisse following right behind him.
*****
"This is worse than I thought..."
Ashen inadvertently lets out an exasperated sigh as he sat by the side of the highway in exhaustion.
"Mr. Ashen are you alright?", a curious Rosseweisse worriedly asks.
'It's because of you damn it!', Ashen retorted internally as he tried to wrap his head around what is happening right now;
The sun had already risen and the relatively empty highway they were walking on started having traffic.
Ashen did not care of course. He was more concerned if he would reach the city by the end of the morning but-
"How the hell did we get surrounded almost before noon even arrived?"
-judging from how he and Rossweisse was surrounded by a bunch of luxurious-looking black cars that other cars are just nonchalantly ignoring and those familiar-looking gunmen , it looks like he might never even reach the city in the next hour.
"Young man, if you don't want to die here you better leave now. We only need to kill the Saint.", one of the gunmen spoke.
"By all means do so.", Ashen immediately replied.
"Eh?! Mr. Ashen, what are you saying so suddenly?!", Rossweisse who had hid behind him was shocked.
"Well, I don't want to die and I don't really care all that much about you.", Ashen shrugged as he looked at Rossweisse with a scowl, "And personally, I hate people like you."
"Eh?! Please do not say that with such a face! Your long white hair makes you look like some kind of evil person who does not care for others!", Rossweisse cried out while clinging to Ashen's shirt.
"Well thanks for the compliment and that's exactly the kind of person I am so deal with it.", Ashen tries to pry away Rossweisse away from him but-
"Please! Please do not leave me!"
-she clung tightly to him like a leech.
"Argh! Let go!"
It was a rather strange scene that even the gunmen stood there unable to do a thing at the moment as Ashen was obviously trying to get away from Rossweisse, ready to abandon her per the suggestion of one of the gunmen.
"Um..."
Just as one of them was about to speak up, Ashen suddenly stopped trying to pry away Rossweisse away from him and just shrugged before turning towards them.
"Say, why do you want to kill the Saint? I mean, there's 18 of them in the world right now. So why not target them instead?", Ashen asked.
"What are you asking them now Mr. Ashen?! Are you suggesting that they attack the other Saints instead?!", Rossweisse made a face reminiscent of horror as she heard his words.
"Hm? Well yeah. Better them than us is what I would say.", however, Ashen did not care how horrified she was by his suggestion, "You sure are hysterical."
"Forgive us. But we do not intend to tell you anything no matter how much you ask."
"Oho?", Ashen was awed by the stalwart rejection of the gunman, "Now you sir, are a decent human."
"Eh?!"
His reaction once again surprised Rossweisse.
"See that Rossweisse? This is how a normal person reacts to a stranger! Unlike your 'My name is' approach!", Ashen started lecturing Rossweisse much to the surprise of everyone else.
"But-"
"No buts!", Ashen handchops Rossweisse's head.
'That said, I can't just leave her here. That would get me in trouble with Mother Nature.', Ashen then looks around him once more, '6 cars...around 18 gunmen I guess?', he takes stock of his enemies while thinking of how to deal with them.
"Mr. Ashen?", Rossweisse speaks up but then freezes.
"Well how am I gonna deal with you?", Ashen started muttering to himself in a sinister tone as he felt his patience reach the very end of its rope and then with a sinister smile-
"Okay I'll just do this-I just have to slaughter all of them then torture the survivors till I get what I need!"
-he declares his plan to end the day on a bloody note.
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