74. Erelah

Erelah

Y esterday, I broke my vow of chastity. While we only kissed and touched every inch of each other’s bodies, we brought pleasure to one another. I am not a Warrior Nun anymore.

I expected to feel guilt, remorse, and sadness, but my heart is filled with love for Grumpy.

I hate that I still don’t know his name, but he has promised to tell me soon. Maybe the fall made him forget many things and he is slowly remembering.

My sisters won’t be happy when I tell them I’m leaving the monastery. Sister Lailah is the only one capable of being the next Mother Superior.

“I’ll go check the fishing net. Wait for me here,” Grumpy says before kissing the top of my head and leaving the hut.

Staying in bed sounds wonderful but not when I have so much to do. I get up, put on my clothes and sneak out of the hut. Grumpy will be disappointed when he returns, but I hope he understands that I can’t just leave my sisters without telling them first. The demons have been quiet since the last attack, but there’s a nagging feeling at the back of my mind that something bad will happen soon. If I am not present when they attack next, the next Mother Superior will need to know everything I do.

The sky turns dark, gray clouds covering it, blocking the sunlight. Loud thunders crack in the distance.

What is approaching is not a storm but something… evil. The demons. The air is heavy with the scent of death. Are they killing the villagers?

I rush through the forest, the wind whipping my hair.

It doesn’t take long for me to reach the monastery.

All the Warrior Nuns are waiting for me in the courtyard. From the looks on their faces, they know what I have done.

Sister Lailah steps forward. “I warned you months ago but you didn’t listen.”

Not really understanding what she means, I quickly say, “The demons are coming. We need to get ready!”

Sister Lailah shakes her head. “It is not the demons who will attack us but someone much, much worse.”

A shiver runs down my spine. “What?” I dare to ask.

“They are like the male you saved in the winter,” sister Isda says.

I should have known that my sisters knew about Grumpy. Even if I have been careful, it’s impossible to keep him a secret forever. I wonder why they haven’t said anything sooner.

Sister Isda keeps speaking. “They are here to destroy everything.”

Screams coming from the other side of the lake echo through the air, drowning the clank of weapons clashing together.

My voice trembles as I ask, “What are they?”

“Nephilims,” Sister Lailah replies. “And you just let them in by giving your heart to one of them.”

God had warned us about them. He has told us how deadly they are, that the only thing they leave behind them is death and destruction. They have no pity or remorse for their victims.

And I saved one of them. More than that. I’ve given myself to him body and soul.

No wonder I had a nagging feeling about Grumpy from the moment I found him. That’s why he refused to tell me his name, afraid that I might recognize it. Yet, I don’t know any of their names.

He made me fall in love with him and break my chastity vow to probably gain access to the monastery. How could I have been so stupid when I knew what was at risk? Yet, I can’t find it in my heart to hate him for what he is. He has shown me that he is capable of changing. If he feels the same as me, other Nephilims could be capable of such feelings. He might convince the others to stop the destruction. For me. For the love that’s between us, he has to try. Only, he has never told me what he feels for me. I have been such a fool. Sister Lailah warned me, but I didn’t listen.

I will stop the Nephilims, even if I have to kill Grumpy. Even if it will break my heart, I have to do it. I only pray I am strong enough when the time comes.

“You all know what to do,” I say.

While I have sinned greatly, the Warrior Nuns still listen to me, which is a relief. Right now, we need to be more united than ever.

I rush to change into my armor and grab my weapons, which I keep in my room. His things are also there, well hidden in a secret closet I have built into the wall. No one except me knows what I am hiding.

If the Nephilims had not descended on my world today, I would have returned him the sword and the armor, which I repaired to surprise him later. Guess I was the one surprised and not in a good way.

I pray that the Nephilims won’t breach the monastery’s walls, because if that happens and if they get their hands on the Spear of Atonement, they will be unstoppable.

Several minutes later, my sisters are ready to guard the monastery and to fight the intruders.

We gather in the courtyard, the monastery behind us. I give them some last-minute instructions and go to assemble the Great Army. I am not just the Mother Superior, I am also the Great General of my world.

Demons and angels heed my call, and we march forward, determined to destroy the enemy. Death and destruction await us at every step we take. Hours later, we find the Nephilims. Grumpy is the one leading them. He must be their general. My heart fills with yearning for what it could have been.

Screams fill the air as the two armies confront each other on the battlefield for the first time. We fight for days before we have to flee and recoup. The Nephilims are harder to kill than I anticipated.

While I heal the wounded, the enemy burns everything in their path. The land fills with the dead and the air is heavy with ashes. I don’t remember the last time I saw the sun. The Nephilims don’t spare anything. Children, mothers, fathers, everything dies at their hands.

The wind carries the scent of ashes and burned bodies. The screams intensify and then they die down. It only means one thing: except for the Great Army, everyone is dead. The wind keeps blowing, bringing with it not only the stench of dead bodies but also wails from the farthest corners of the world.

After weeks of war, my army has been reduced to nothing. Only I remain.

Covered in blood, weak, and injured, and with my heart broken—this is how I face the Nephilims and the male I love. He doesn’t say anything as he raises his sword above his head. It’s not the same sword he had when he fell from the sky. Neither is his armor. Maybe the Nephilims haven’t gotten to the monastery. But they will go there after they are done with me.

I prepare myself to fight with the male I love.

There’s hesitation in his gaze.

And then he says something that makes me lower my sword.

“Go!”

He might be my enemy, but he cares for me.

I’m not a coward and would never flee from the enemy, but I need to get to my sisters and put the Spear of Atonement in a place the Nephilims will never find it.

I look behind me just once and see a male attack Grumpy from behind. A fight starts between them, allowing me to slip by unnoticed.

When I reach the monastery, I’m almost at my breaking point. My sisters are still in the courtyard, weapons in hand, guarding the monastery.

“We need to leave this world now!” I shout as I collapse to my knees.

Only Sister Lailah understands what I mean. She knows more than any of the other Warrior Nuns. She will explain it all if I can’t.

“Let’s go to the archives,” I say next.

Only Sister Lailah and I know about the spear's powers. One of them is summoning the Archangel who guards the worlds. We rush inside, and half a minute later, we descend to the archives. Each Warrior Nun grabs a set of golden plates, and when the archives are hidden under their armor, I grab the spear and hit the ground with the blunt end seven times.

A loud sound comes from the bowels of the planet, earthquakes shaking the very foundation of my world. There’s nothing left to save. The Nephilims have destroyed everything.

A portal opens in front of me; an Archangel wearing a long black cloak, his face obscured by the hood and holding a long scythe in his hand, steps out of it.

Before he can ask why we summoned him, I say, “The Nephilims killed everything. Unless you allow us to go into another world, we too shall perish. And they will get their hands on Jehovah’s spear.”

Shouts of victory come from above us. The enemy is finally here.

The Guardian of Worlds speaks, his voice deep and ancient. “There is a world that needs you, but the price to be there is high.”

“How high?” I inquire.

The Archangel looks at me, eyes that have seen too much staring into my soul. “You will be mortals. Humans. With no recollection of this life. You will all know pain and abuse better than anyone else. Especially you, Erelah. You must be strong and brave if you want to stop the Nephilims.”

My heart drums in my chest. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stop this from happening again.”

“The moment you step into the portal, you will no longer remember being Warrior Nuns. Demons and angels will aid you in your quest. They will claim your souls for themselves, to save themselves from a fate worse than death. In return, they will be your soulmates and protect you from harm. Do you all agree?”

My sisters and I agree at the same time, and the Archangel steps aside, letting us enter the portal.

“Erelah!”

I look over my shoulder in time to see Grumpy enter the archives. Pain like I’ve never seen before reflects on his face.

Even as I start forgetting him, there’s only one thought in my mind.

Find me!