Redemption Songs

[Mandaz]

Edii’s words had always been powerful. His deceit had a way of snaking into even the most fortressed of minds and planting itself deep within. Edric wasn’t entirely versed on his brother’s power, just as Edii had much to learn about Edric’s strengths. But he knew Deceit’s accent was a façade. Even his memory town mind knew to take the true voice of Deceit seriously. It was his greatest weapon, the power of suggestion. However, Edric had not ever heard his true voice ever once used to speak the truth.

Forgiveness? This word bounced around in his static consumed brain. Forgiveness. Was that something he was even capable of offering to this man? It felt like such a foreign sensation in his ears. He mouthed the word but could not voice it, too afraid of the bitterness that would taint his tongue the second it left. But the word was planted, and the meaning intermingled with his thoughts and looping memories.

He began to weigh the pros and cons.

When Edric suffered his daily memory loss, Edii had been a supportive caretaker of sorts when he could, seeing that Edric did what he needed to stay alive and well. His intentions may have never been entirely pure, and memories flooded of Edii hoarding Edric for his drug, collecting it when he could.

What about centuries ago? When they were divine brothers in heaven. Edii saved Edric from the clutches of their lord Battle. Kept the angered god from tossing Edric’s mangled body to the demons. But he threw him before Ezekiel in the first place, tempting him with false hope and assurance. Edii was the very reason for Edric’s fall.

And now? Had he really come for forgiveness of his crimes? Or was it too, a lie? More poison from the mouth of the grand deceiver. Surely he didn’t expect Edric to fall for his wiles a third time. But if his intent was to destroy what was left of this world, why bother Edric at all? If his intent was to destroy Edric, why not attack the island outright. Cause the king to tear apart his own kingdom? It sounded poetic enough to be of Edii’s doing, but the sincerity of his words rang out. Edric could feel Edii’s emotion in those words. Each of his senses clutched to it, trying to pick apart the foreign feeling. Sincerity tasted bittersweet, it sounded like the scourging winds outside, but felt as gentle as a hand on his shoulder. And for that moment Edric felt his bother embrace him, his words wiped away his tears.

The king clutched his knees, curling as the fetus he never was in the womb he never knew. He hovered in the air like that, resisting gravity as he concentrated on calming the world around him. Each beat of his heart pulsed through the kingdom, slowly breaking the storm clouds, pushing back the waves, and lulling his terrified people. It would take time for the sun to reappear, and the wind-torn houses would need to be mended by hand, but the sound of a bird sung softly in the distance, hailing in the reemergence of peace. Edric floated slowly to the floor resting his head upon the soft carpet his subjects had laid to his throne. The entire throne room remained silent, just staring at their king with wide-eyed uncertainty. Edric would eventually raise his head, lazily pushing himself to his feet once more, as if he had to become reacquainted with gravity. He locked eyes with his brother, tired and tear-stained face holding very little expression.

“Forgiveness will not come so easily, brother.” The king finally spoke, his cherub voice returned. “However, I am willing to welcome you to my island. And into my heart.”

[Nayt]

Relief washed over Edii like the hurricane washed over Persistencia, except Edii was not quite as battered as the island. In fact, he felt pretty good. Well . . . better than he did before, at least. There was still a bad feeling within him, but that wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Not now, not for the next few months, not for years--probably not for generations to come. Not until he fulfilled as many obligations as his potentially infinite life allowed him to. That, as far as he was concerned, was why he still lived.

Edii half smiled. "I know."

He knew it better than anyone else. With how much damage he'd done, he had generations of time ahead of him before he could even claim to have evened out his debt to everyone. Everyone. From his fellow Fallen to the Overworlders of the Heavens, from the simplest farmer to the mightiest of kings--Edii Terkins had done them all damage.

Edric and his family, however, were the ones he'd hurt the most.

"But I broke this worl'," Edii held out his arms as if to indicate something much larger than himself, "An' I broke a lo'a people in it. An' I'm still alive, so . . ."

How, he didn't know. He could work with his hands, help people rebuild-- he'd been doing that already. For free, even. They offered to pay him, each person he'd helped repair a house broken during the End or each town he'd helped with construction, but he never took their money. That wasn't the point at all.

"I gotta do wot I can when I can, if not f'forgiveness, then at leas' t'fix th'damage I done."

And then, again devoid of his accent, Edii concluded: "It's only right."

"So . . ." he paused and dipped his head down, before lowering to one knee, arm across his knee and head bowed-- a man acknowledging a king before him, "M'Liege-- y'name it, y'got it."

And . . . well, even if Edric didn't ask Edii to do anything in particular, Edii was still going to stick around Persistencia to build and rebuild. There wasn't much he could do for Edric himself while he was here, but he could do something for Edric's people, and by extension, Edric, before looking into more personal methods of helping the fallen angel of lucidity.