Chapter 17: 17:Rest

With the end of the battle, Sachiel, Assan, and the group of exorcists began the cleanup and maintenance procedures for the region.

First, they ensured that everyone was sleeping during the confrontation through a collective prayer, then adjusted their dreams to guarantee there would be no issues.

If anyone was awake during that time, they would have changed their mind to think it was just a dream, but this time it wasn't necessary.

Lastly, the repairs, which would be handled by Assan and some of Sachiel's subordinate exorcists.

And I? Sitting with Seth unconscious on my lap, my left hand caressing his hair while a healer treats him.

A blue energy surrounded Seth's arms and waist—the two areas most affected during the short period he was without armor.

The healing prayer being used is based on Isaiah 53:5; unfortunately, I have no talent for healing skills.

I see Sachiel approaching and sigh, "They had to get involved because of my carelessness, I'm sorry."

Sachiel looks at me and crouches down. “No preparation of yours could have handled that situation; just be glad you're alive.”

I clenched my right fist in anger, If Seth had already been promoted, if I had already taken my test... No, as much as Sachiel says that, I should have prepared better.

Carefully, I take Seth off my lap and try to stand with support from the wall, but the exhaustion from constant use of the Shekinah prevents me.

My legs fail me and I fall to my knees again. I try to get up once more, biting my lips in frustration.

Then, a hand with soft skin touches my face. I look ahead and see Sachiel looking at me; in the next instant, my consciousness fades as I hear the words, “Rest.”

The light disappears from my eyes and my conscience fades completely.

My mind drifts into a dark, endless abyss, falling toward nothingness.

Damn Sachiel... My ability to think gradually diminishes.

I awaken walking through a large golden corridor, surrounded by students walking around me.

Everyone was wearing variations of robes and habits that distinguished them between male and female, carrying books on mysticism, history, the Bible and various other topics.

My body had shrunk back to my fourteen-year-old self, wearing a habit with gloves to cover the burns on my hands, a cross around my neck, and makeup on my face to hide the burn scars and freckles.

When this was? I start walking against my will, heading toward the Kabbalah workshop.

I don't remember studying that... halfway there, I see two girls in habits entering the bathroom. I stop walking and follow them into the bathroom.

That must be the day I stopped using the bathroom during class periods. It was embarrassing, my intuition was wrong.

Inside the bathroom, the two girls in habits were talking, laughing, and mocking something.

Hey, what year is it? I remember something—the fact that I was a troublemaker.

In the next instant, both girls were on the floor, one with a trash can thrown on her head.

I remember now—Laila and Sara, two exorcism apprentices who were bothering Seth... actually, he didn't care about what they were doing, As I recall who they were, I see myself shoving Sara into the toilet, while Laila was holding the trash can.

After a few minutes, I walk out of the bathroom humming. The only thought I have about the scene is: I was a horrible person.

During the walk, I observe the corridors and the people walking by. We are in the training cathedral beneath the Holy Church, which the more traditional members of the church call the Sacred Academy. We just called it the Academy because pompous names are unnecessary.

The other students wandered through the corridor—some in a hurry, others calm, but no one running. After all, running in the hallways is forbidden.

Why am I remembering this day? I finally reach the door to the Kabbalah workshop.

A large gray door with an inlaid image of a Sefirot. Jewels marked the Sefirot on the door. I move my hand toward the door and touch it with my palm.

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Yes, there was a password, wasn’t there? I watch as a golden energy emanates from my hand and the Sefirot Yesod and Hokhmah light up—the foundation at the base of the Sefirot and wisdom, the second highest.

Seth probably told me the password, I’ve never studied anything about Kabbalah, My body enters the workshop.

Just like Seth's car in the present, the classrooms at the Academy were small on the outside and vast on the inside.

The workshop was a large spherical field with a ceiling made of shining rocks energized by Shekinah.

I remember that these crystals only needed to be energized every fifteen days. We used them in practical flow control classes, Inside the workshop, there were people of various ages—adults, teenagers, and children—all wearing clothes for working with mud and clay, with gloves, boots, and aprons.

There were also sculpting tools like hammers and chisels.

There were just over two hundred people in that large field, all with piles of clay and mud to prepare golems. The theoretical part took place in another area.

I begin walking through the workshop, looking for Seth while observing the others. There were strange golems with three arms, a young man who tried to make a bicycle golem, another one I’d rather not comment on—let’s just say he wouldn’t be approved by the Lord.

The most interesting was a golem being built by a group. Three of them were assembling a large carriage made of clay and rock, while two were mzaking horses. I stop for a few moments to watch.

After they inscribed a mark on the horses’ heads and said a prayer, both of the rock creatures started to move and make sounds, gaining artificial life.

I continue my way. I need to find Seth, but with so many people, it’s difficult.

I ask around if anyone has seen my brother. Some don’t know who he is, until I find a nine-year-old girl riding a small spherical golem, her blue hair falling in front of her face.

“Good afternoon, have you seen someone named Seth?” I help the girl lift a part of the golem while asking.

“Thank you,” the girl begins to engrave something on top of the golem and tells me Seth went to the testing zone. I thank her and head in that direction.

The testing zone is isolated from the production zone in case of accidents. When I arrive there i speak with the instructor about looking for Seth. He provides me with safety gear and allows me to pass through the fence that separates the zones.

There were four people testing golems there: one trying to make a duck-shaped golem fly, another who made one with drills in its arms and was trying to make them spin, a third who made one using plants and algae instead of clay and rock—I don’t know how that works.

The fourth person is a girl eating a hamburger with several ingredient bags fallen on the ground beside her. The golem in front of her is shaped like an oven and has fire inside.

I blink twice and continue walking until I reach the fifth person: Seth, who at the moment is twelve years old. He’s trying to make a golem move.

He was recently accepted into this group after an excellent result in an evaluation, along with having accidentally dismantled a teacher’s golem—let’s not remember about that.

“Seth, are you okay?” My brother stops working on the golem and turns to me. His face is covered in mud, and his gloves are completely dirty, as are his clothes.

“Sister! Did you bring lunch?” I look at Seth and glance at the books I’m carrying.

It was this day… I sit on the ground, putting the books down, and then i face Seth.

“Your incompetent sister forgot. Sorry...” Seth only gives a light laugh.

“Don’t worry, sister, I’m not hungry. Can you help me with this?”

“Of course!” I stand up and start doing what Seth asks.

Adjusting the joint positions, smoothing out irregularities, aligning the jewels on his back.

I stop working and notice a strange line at the base of his back along with the Hebrew inscriptions of the word Yesod.

“Seth, there’s a misaligned line here. Want to see?” I say to Seth, who is fixing the golem legs.

Don’t do that! I can’t force the body to do anything; I’m just remembering that day.

“You can clean it yourself, sister, I have a problem here,” I clean the line and step back, having finished everything he asked for.

It was a normal line of the word, but the distance made me think it was a mistake. Sorry...

Ten minutes later, the teacher approached and asked me to leave, so I said goodbye to my brother and told him I was going to get something to eat for him.

I leave the workshop and head to the cafeteria to get some food.

Fifteen minutes later, I was already in the canteen, sitting at a table while I wait for the meal I ordered to be ready. I ordered a plate of meat and plenty of vegetables for Seth—he needs a lot of energy, and fortunately, he’s not picky about what he eats.

Then, a voice echoed from crystals on the ceiling of the cafeteria: “Cassiel, report immediately to the infirmary!”

I stood up desperately and ran out, worried about Seth—that's my fault...

After running for eight minutes i arrive at the infirmary, having used a prayer to increase my speed. I open the door shouting for my brother.

Inside the infirmary, my brother is lying on a bed with a bandage on his head. Next to him is a nun emitting a green light through prayers, the supervising teacher, and finally, “What happened, Father?!”

Our stepfather, a man with brown beard and mustache, slightly whitened hair due to stress— the same person who rescued us from the fire—turns around and looks at me.

“Cassiel,” and in the next moment, everything goes dark.

I wake up again in my bed, my eyes wide with nervousness. I quickly get up from the bed and run out of the room, opening the door with a loud impact sound.

The day I caused him to get injured in an experiment, he’s always getting hurt because of me.

Passing through the living room, I see Saulo briefly and run to Seth’s room.

I force open the door of Seth’s room and enter. When I look at his bed, I see him sitting, stretching his arms, while Assan is sitting in a nearby armchair. Both are looking at me.

“At least knock when you come into your brother’s room,” Assan gets up and leaves the room, but I ignore him completely and go straight to Seth.

“Brother, how are you?” Seth just looks at me and smiles.

“Everything’s fine, Assan finished the healing, so I’m already one hundred percent!” I look at my brother and a few tears fall from my right eye. I hug him tightly while crying.

“Sorry, because of me you got hurt again. Your sister is horrible,” Seth says nothing; he just smiles and hugs me. I can't think of a single moment when he actually showed anger towards me.

Why am I crying? I usually am not so fragile—residual effects of Gashadokuro, or is it because of the prayer? It doesn’t matter. These are tears of sadness because he got hurt, but also of joy because he’s doing well now.